Monster

9.75/10 So there finally I have watched monster (and it only took me several months) and I think that this is peak fiction in terms of story and that this is one of the best stories that have ever been put to the page (or the screen in this case as I have not red the manga). This is in the simplest of terms the age old story of good vs evil and it asks the question "is mankind inherently evil" and I think that this anime executes those themes and ideas flawlessly. This story has some of the best writing I have ever seen and probably one of the strongest casts in fiction, from the phenomenal Kenzo Tenma to the absolutely brilliant Johan Liebert (I also think that you can add Anna to this list as she is very much connected to the main antagonist). It also has some of the best side characters I have ever seen but the best example in my opinion is Wolfgang Grimmer, an absolutely mindblowing character that has no right being that well written and fit so good into the story even though he gets introduced about halfway into the story. But even with all this it has some very glaring problems such as the very slow pacing and some questions that I would liked answered. I feel like you could cut out atleast 1 hour of the 30 hour runtime. Overall this is one of the best stories I have ever seen with some of the best writing and characters that I have ever seen but I would still not recommend it to everyone as it is a very slow. But I would recommend it to someone that can appreciate a slow, multilayered, methodical, deep and dramatic story and for those people it is well worth the watch as this is a one of a kind story! Best Episodes: 1. 73 2. 71 3. 74 4. 49 5. 67 Best Characters: 1. Johan/Anna Liebert - 9.75/10 2. Kenzo Tenma - 9.5/10 3. Wolfgang Grimmer - 9.25/10 4. Eva Heinemann - 8/10 5. Heinrich Lunge - 7/10