Urasawa Naoki - Monster, vol. 08-12

[oyceter]

This is still not quite as awesome as 20th Century Boys, but it's pretty darn close. I'm just in awe of how quickly Urasawa can make me care about a just-introduced character and how insanely he plots. He manages a giant cast of characters and crazy complex plots like no one else.

Grimmer! I love Grimmer so much! I love his constant smile and the monster inside and his not knowing what expression to use.

Also, I am eating up the Suk-Tenma connections with a spoon. I love the doubling and the layers, and also of Grimmer as a foil both to Tenma and to Johan (the good man and the monster within). And that creepy Czech children's story! And the fire! And Tenma rescuing people in the fire!

One of the things that I really like about Urasawa's series so far is how moral his protagonists are. It's really interesting watching them navigate their worlds and try to do the right thing while a million people are after them to stop.

Johan crossdressing! Awesome.

I continue to love Nina, and now that Eva has showed up, I'm really curious to see where things will go! Urasawa hasn't had many female characters in the series I've read, but he takes really good care of the ones he does have (Kanna! Much Kanna love).

And now that the plot demon has grabbed me by the throat, I mostly just want to go home and tear through the next six volumes so I can find out more about that creepy nursery and the casette tape and the three frogs and twins everywhere!

Comments

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Huh. Maybe I should check out 20th Century Boys, since I loved Monster so much.

Grimmer is great. Aside: Have you read Patricia McKillip's The Changeling Sea?

It's been too long. I don't remember Suk.

[oyceter]

Read it! Read it!! It is awesome! I mean, I love Monster a lot, but I read 21 vols. of 20th CB in about a week. It is more cracktastic, but in a good way that involves rock and roll and giant robots and secret childhood hideouts.

I have read Changeline Sea, really love it.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Is it ongoing? I prefer to start a manga series when it is already done or near done, so that I can read it all in one big tear.

It is more cracktastic

I wonder if we use "cracktastic" in different ways. I wouldn't call Monster cracktastic, by which I mean crazy in a terrific way. I would just call it terrific or fabulous. I'm not sure how much "addictive" is a connotation of cracktastic for me; I guess it is a side effect of the crazy goodness. Now, Utena I would call cracktastic.

I have read Changeline Sea

Yay! I'm not sure the comparison occurred to me as I was reading Monster, but when you mentioned Grimmer, it really reminded me of the undersocialized character in this book who keeps asking what others and he himself are doing. One of my favorite parts is when he wonders aloud what he is doing, and works it out; that makes me tear up when I read it.

[oyceter]

Well, some bits of Monster I do think are cracktastic, like Johan crossdressing and the whole brainwashing kids to be mass murderers or whatnot ^_^. And I mean that in the best of ways. I think Rilina said that she could tell 20th CB was taken from things right out of Urasawa's id; I could tell, and that was what made it so awesome.

20th CB is sort of finished... it's 21 vols. long, and that part's complete. But there's an afterword/coda called 21st CB that's just coming out now. But I think that will only be 2 or 3 vols. long.

Oh man, Grimmer tearing up totally got to me.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

Grimmer is SO AWESOME! He and Eva were the two characters who ended up being my favorites, and I didn't expect to like either of them when they were first introduced.

[oyceter]

He is! I love him so much! I love his nose and his grin (I love that Urasawa's characters actually have noses!) and how lanky and sad he is.

I'm still waiting for Eva to grow on me, but after having read 20th CB and knowing how well Urasawa does characters, I have faith that she won't end up being "bitchy ex" or something.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Huh. I must either finish watching the anime or reread the manga, because I totally do not remember what happens with Eva. This is gonna be fun :)

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

Yay, Grimmer! I loved Nina, too - I think that she was my favorite character for whom my feelings remained at a constant throughout.

Holy crap, I watched the entire anime series with my friend, and when Johan cross-dressed, we were both like OMFWTG, NO WAY! For some reason, I found that much more creepy than like, blood/body bag stuff.

I was really cackling when the Czech fairy tale came into play. I'm like, half Czech, but I really don't know much about the culture beyond food-stuff because my mom doesn't seem to know much herself to pass on. Still, it made me perk up and go, "Heeyyyyy!"

[oyceter]

Oh oh oh can I pimp 20th Century Boys at you? Kanna is an awesome female character too!

Oooo, I have to check and see if I have the anime as well! I think I'm going to try and finish the manga first, and then try the anime.

I loved the fairy tale so much! It's so strange and creepy.