Stephen's Monster anime rundown 9/30: Episode 74 (The End)

Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 12:37 am

Chapter 60
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Covers Chapters 126-127 (v15c4-v15c5)

My thoughts: This was a relatively laid-back episode. Another point in the story at which Tenma's unrelenting gloominess begins to grate on me. Fortunately, the next episode should feature a lot of the other characters.

Next Episode: "The Door of Memory" (title of v15c8)

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:32 am

Chapter 61
The Door of Memory
Covers Chapters 128-130 (v15c6-v15c8)

My thoughts: This was another high-budget episode, with several pieces of rather nicely done animation. This was also the first time when I was really impressed by Mamiko Noto's acting for Nina. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in the past how I'm not a big fan of her rather breathy and nasal voice, but I have to admit that she did an excellent job in some of the scenes in this episode. Next episode we will meet Milan.

Next Episode: "A Fun Meal" (title of v15c9)

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:28 pm

Chapter 62
A Fun Meal
Covers Chapters 131-133 (v15c9-v16c2)

My thoughts: If it weren't for the Peter Capek connection, this would seem like one of those episodic installments typical of the early-mid sections of the show. And while I think that this episode, and most likely the next one as well, have more in common with those older episodes than some of the truly excellent recent ones, at least these are being tied in with some of the key characters in the story. They managed to introduce and get rid of Milan within one single episode this time. They had to do quite a bit of shuffling in order to make the three manga chapters work as a single viewing, complete with flashbacks. I did notice that they cut out the introductory flashback sequence with Milan welcoming Capek back to the city. Next episode they're gonna throw yet another new, temporary character at us... or is he?

Next Episode: "Unrelated Murders" (title of v16c4)

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:07 pm

Chapter 63
Unrelated Murders
Covers Chapters 134-135 (v16c3-v16c4)

My thoughts: The interview episode. Weisbach comes back, remembers those little twins that escaped from the hospital all those years ago, and sets off to finish his old case before his retirement. The episode is pretty simply laid out. It's kind of funny because this is supposed to be where lots of little clues are tied together and seized upon by the detectives in our story, but it's depicted in a way that is so simple that everyone watching understands. Monster is never really a "so that's how the killer decapitated the victim and hid the body without leaving any fingerprints!" type of mystery, so it's not particularly surprising or disappointing that the depiction of new pieces of information is always so plain and simple, but it always makes you want to say, "Geez you dumb cops! Look, the answer is right in front of you!" The mystery in Monster has always been in the actions and motivations of Johan, not any logic puzzles or sleuthing mind games. Next episode, the pieces fall into place for the endgame.

Next Episode: "The Baby's Depression" (title of v16c5)

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:44 am

Chapter 64
The Baby's Depression
Covers Chapters 136-137 (v16c5-v16c6)

My thoughts: A somewhat unspectacular episode, not that anything was particularly wrong with it. I imagined the killer dancer's voice a lot higher-pitched than the actress they chose to play her, but her number of lines is relatively small. Only ten episodes left!

Next Episode: "Johan's Footprints" (title of v16c7)

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 4:05 pm

Chapter 65
Johan's Footprints
Covers Chapters 138-139 (v16c7-v16c8)

My thoughts: A decent episode, though it really only serves to work up to the next one. The performance of Johan's young friend in the scene where Eva shoots him and then he overpowers her was pretty nice and hysterical. On the other hand, I still can't stand the way Mamiko Noto (Nina) sounds when she's hysterical. It's just so nasally obnoxious. Next episode should be a doozy.

Next Episode: "Welcome Back" (title of v16c10)

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:08 pm

Chapter 66
Welcome Back
Covers Chapters 140-141 (v16c9-v16c10)

My thoughts: Just as I ruminated last week, this one was a doozy. The exposition scene that begins the episode was fantastically done, even including a bit of animated (simulated) 8mm camera footage. I continue to be fascinated by the voice acting of Franz Bonaparta, which really doesn't quite sound like any other voice I've heard in an anime before. It's a shame he has relatively few lines in the show. On a similar note, Christof's bloody, exhausted scene in the car was also superbly acted. Last week he was amusing in a kind of hysterically obnoxious way; this week is impressive in an entirely different manner. Of course the episode ends with the same ridiculous cliffhanger that came at the end of Volume 16. Thank god I bought the last few volumes at the same time and didn't have to pound my head against the desk wondering what the conclusion of the Johan/Nina scene is. Anime viewers, of course, have to wait a full week.

Next Episode: "I'm Home" (title of v17c1)

Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 11:26 am

Chapter 67
I'm Home
Covers Chapters 142-143 (v17c1-v17c2)

My thoughts: Overall pretty good. No particular stand-out visual scenes in this episode, but it does contain, of course, a huge turning point and introduces the stage of the "endgame." I suspect this will be the make-or-break episode for those people who are still watching Monster in hopes of a big story payoff (as opposed to those who are totally enraptured with it, and would continue to be even if Johan turned out to be an extraterrestrial from Rigel IV). It's the point in the story that forces the viewer to ask him or herself, "Was this revelation worth all of the build-up leading up to it, or is it a totally pointless and trivial thing?" A large part depends on how deep you can sink into the characters' minds. The cynic who finds the whole thing to be melodramatic and pointless will (if he's smart) drop it right here, because it's about as deep as the political intrigue gets, and no doubt the very last "shocker" at the end of Monster will seem quite trite in comparison to whatever he thought the story was about. On the other hand, the viewer who does empathize with Nina and Johan and recognizes their psychological states without passing quick judgment will be in good shape to "weather" and enjoy the finale.

One last note: Capek's death scene was fascinatingly abrupt. I can't help but think of how it might be handled in other shows. The vast majority of productions would probably clue in the viewer heavy-handedly; stop the music, show a guy holding a gun, bang, slow motion collapse, etc. Monster, on the other hand, gives you about 2-3 seconds of serenely flowing background music after his final line of dialogue before he gets jarringly blasted off the camera. It was totally sweet.

Next Episode: "Ruhenheim" (title of v17c3)

Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2005 3:15 pm

Chapter 68
Ruhenheim
Covers Chapters 144-146 (v17c3-v17c5)

My thoughts: This was an OK episode. Clever (alert) viewers will probably figure out who the hotel owner is by the end of the episode, which is one place in which the anime is at a disadvantage (or advantage, depending on your point of view) to the manga, because in the manga there's just no way to identify a character by sound of their voice.

Next Episode: "A Peaceful Home" (title of v17c8)

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2005 2:38 pm

Chapter 69
A Peaceful Home
Covers Chapters 147-149 (v17c6-v17c8)

My thoughts: Pretty good episode. They had some great spine-tingling sound effects this time around, which I thought helped heighten the sense of creepiness and isolation as the rain starts in and the level of paranoia around the town increases. Also, the gang of young thugs who beat up Wim have the most hilarious terrible after-school special hooligan voices. I'd be really disappointed if it wasn't so preposterously silly.

Next Episode: "Town Bloodbath" (title of v17c9)

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:53 pm

Chapter 70
Town Bloodbath
Covers Chapters 150-152 (v17c9-v18c1)

My thoughts: We are finally getting into the last volume of the manga with this episode. Personally I was somewhat disappointed by the production values on this episode. Most things just seemed cheaply done. Nothing in particular really stood out direction-wise.

Next Episode: "The Magnificent Steiner's Rage" (title of v18c4)

Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:36 am

Chapter 71
The Magnificent Steiner's Rage
Covers Chapters 153-155 (v18c2-v18c4)

My thoughts: This is exactly the kind of episode Monster needs to have to make up for more lackluster presentations like last episode. Myriad flashes of (relatively speaking) extravagant animation, and plenty of smartly and sharply done cutting manuevers to make the most of what Urasawa has already done. Lunge shooting the man in the hotel as soon as he sees the gun in his hand was masterful, Tenma watching the man getting tossed out the top story window - one of my favorite single moments in the manga - was awesome, and like the death of Peter Capek, the butcher girl's execution was abrupt and final (and thank God, her wailing was ridiculous). Of course, Grimmer's death scene was nothing even remotely resembling "abrupt," but Urasawa isn't nearly gutsy enough to kill off the undeniable fan favorite in any way that is not touching. If next episode is anywhere near as well done as this one, the Lunge and Roberto showdown is going to be epic.

Next Episode: "A Nameless Man" (title of v18c5)

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:45 pm

Chapter 72
A Nameless Man
Covers Chapters 156-158 (v18c5-v18c7)

My thoughts: They actually stopped this in the middle of Chapter 158, so there are four and a half chapters left to cover. As I pondered last week, the battle between Lunge and Roberto turned out pretty epic. They tried a pretty good range of tricks, from having total background silence while they grunted and beat on each other, to full orchestral pounding at the climactic moment when Lunge clenches Roberto's stomach wound and squeezes. All in all it worked pretty well, although I had forgotten that there was that inter-cut scene with Wim explaining about Grimmer's "cocoa" friend at the orphanage, so I was a little disappointed. I had thought Urasawa brought up the cocoa solely from Roberto's point of view and left it at that, so that only the more attentive viewers/readers would remember that connection to the rest of the story, but either way they don't bring up the Reinhart nephew fact so that still remains as a bit of a surprise for those who forgot about it and revisit the story later.

Aside from that there is also the scene where Wim sees Nina and immediately thinks of the lodge full of pictures, which, while necessary to further the plot, seems really forced, on the surface of things. With as many painstakingly constructed connections as there are in the very long story of Monster, it would be nearly inhuman to connect them all in a perfectly believable way and even Urasawa has some trouble, as we see from time to time. You can see this kind of thing cropping up more and more in 20th Century Boys too, now that it has eclipsed Monster in length.

I'm kind of wondering about the episode total now, because (unless this person was mistaken) there was that blog entry from someone involved in the Monster project stating that they had finally finished with "all 76 episodes." At the current rate it looks like the story will end in two more episodes, so even if you include the recap episode that would only be 75. Will there be another recap? Or even (gasp) an extra episode? Time will tell.

Next Episode: "Scenery of the Doomsday" (title of v18c8)

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 9:19 pm

Chapter 73
Scenery of the Doomsday
Covers Chapters 158-160

My thoughts: I was totally wrong last week with the episode count. I checked the place I originally read the news and it said 74 the entire time, so I must have been hallucinating or something when I saw 76. Anyways, there were no big surprises here, just a very lush and nice climax episode up until the point at which Tenma operates on Johan for the second time, bookending the Monster story neatly and symmetrically. I think this must be visually, the darkest episode in the entire series. I had so much trouble seeing the details of the animation that I had to turn off my desklamp to see it properly. Next week will be the final episode of Monster and thus the final post of this little journal. My general impression of the experience is that it was probably not all that interesting to read from a 3rd person perspective, but hopefully there were a few things that were worth reading here.

Next Episode: "The Real Monster" (title of v18c11)

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 9:50 pm

Chapter 74
The Real Monster
Covers Chapters 161-162 (v18c10-v18c11)

My thoughts: And so it ends, a graceful epilogue with one great wrench of final revelation.