“MONSTER” is a Japanese manga by Naoki Urasawa that ran from December 1994 to December 2001. “MONSTER” spans 162 chapters, having a story that grows as a flame would, bigger and brighter each and every chapter. The story is a psychological thriller based in Germany, that follows a renowned neurosurgeon of the name Dr. Kenzo Tenma. The plot centers around Dr.Tenma trying to find a patient he saved 9 years ago named Johan Liebert, who is the center of a string of murders that Tenma is being blamed for.

Everything in “MONSTER” is strung together like a web; every character feels like a fleshed out human being with drives and morals, striving for a similar goal. Johan is one of the most sinister villains of all time, he feels as if he always has the story in the palm of his hand at any given moment. “MONSTER” is very dialogue heavy, focusing on very fine details and facts that concern the overall mystery of Johan. I enjoyed the quiet moments when characters shared about their own philosophies and viewpoints through different experiences that they’ve had.

I was impressed by the way everything connected together and had no gripes about the characters nor the story. I would highly recommend reading “MONSTER” unless mostly pure dialogue isn’t your thing. I absolutely loved “MONSTER” and definitely want to reread it at some point just to pick up on other little details I might’ve missed. I give “MONSTER” a 10/10