Manga Review – Monster, Vol. 1: The Perfect Edition by Naoki Urasawa (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Manga/Horror
Length: 426 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Release Date: July 15, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1421569062
Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in the Monster series
Source: Gift for Xmas
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Johan is a cold and calculating killer with a mysterious past, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Conspiracy and serial murder open the door to a compelling, intricately woven plot in this masterwork of suspense.
Everyone faces uncertainty at some point in their lives. Even a brilliant surgeon like Kenzo Tenma is no exception. But there’s no way he could have known that his decision to stop chasing professional success and instead concentrate on his oath to save peoples’ lives would result in the birth of an abomination. The questions of good and evil now take on a terrifyingly real dimension. Years later, in Germany during the tumultuous post-reunification period, middle-aged childless couples are being killed one after another. The serial killer’s identity is known. The reasons why he kills are not. Dr. Tenma sets out on a journey to find the killer’s twin sister, who may hold some clues to solving the enigma of the “Monster.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Monster: Perfect Edition series. I got this book as a gift for Christmas.
Story (3/5): This story was not what I thought it was going to be, for some reason I thought there were some supernatural aspects here. Rather the story is about a doctor who accidentally saves the life of a boy who grows up to be a serial killer. The story is very intricate and well done but really just wasn’t for me.
Characters (4/5): Again, the characters have amazing depth and are very well done. However, I didn’t enjoy reading about them and they just weren’t for me. Dr. Tenma gets himself from one bad situation into another and we are just getting to know and understand the evil monster and his sister at the close of this volume.
Setting (4/5): The story is set in Germany, around the time of the collapse of the Berlin wall. It’s a good backdrop to the story but not the driver behind the story.
Writing Style/Illustration (5/5): Tha illustration style is amazingly detailed and easy to follow, very well done. This edition has color plates for the first few pages of each “book”. The writing is also very well done and easy to follow.
Summary (4/5): Overall this is a very high quality seinen manga but the subject matter just wasn’t for me. Writing and illustration is very high quality and character development is well done. I personally did not enjoy the serial killer storyline. However, I think those who enjoy thrillers and/or horror manga will find this a very impressive read.
