Urasawa Naoki - Monster, vol. 13-15

[oyceter]

I thought this series was boring up till around vol. 5, and now I cannot stop reading it. I think I've said this several times already, but the more I read, the more impressed I am with how solid Urasawa is, both as an artist and as a writer. I've been trying to sell him to other people (hi vom_marlowe, victim recipient of my latest attempts!) because he does great plots that are insanely addictive, likeable and moral characters, good women, and I really enjoy his side characters.

I keep saying this, but I'm still so impressed by how he can make me care about someone in the space of a volume, usually by a deft combination of time-skipping around in the narrative, tying the character into the plot, and giving them very memorable and believable backstories and motives that dovetail nicely into the themes of the story he tells.

Spoilers

My latest favorite (though still not as liked as Grimmer) is Martin, who is now sadly dead. And now I'm starting to see why coffeeandink has continued to talk about Eva, because she just got a lot more interesting. I'm really hoping she does something with the gun. I've also been enjoying her prickliness and the way she handled re-entering her old social world, and I really hope she doesn't get killed off.

The other main female character continues to be fascinating; the twin thing in manga could be so hilarious, and yet, it's such a huge part of the story here. And while Urasawa definitely has his share of the cracktastic, his characters are always so grounded and so real that I never quite realize until later.

But yes. Nina! Dude! I loved the entire bit about "You are me and I am you" or however it goes, of the overarching theme of the monster within, of names, of identity, of how to deal with evil. And those storybooks! So creepy, particularly the one of the god of peace.

And what happened at the Red Rose Mansion? And what is up with Man With Glasses and his plans for world domination/

I read Monster and am so amused, because I can totally see where the seeds of 20th Century Boys are.

I am less worried than I was at the beginning about Tenma giving in; having read Urasawa's other series, I don't think he would end it like that. Also, I so appreciate reading a series about moral choices, and I admire not just Tenma, but also all the characters around him, who try to do the right thing and make the right choices, even after they may have done bad things before. On the other hand, I'm really worried about Nina now!

Comments

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

One question I have is: When did Tenma become so moral and grow a backbone? Because when we first see him, he is not so honorable. Plus, he cheated on his exams! :)

[oyceter]

Oh, that's a good point! I was reading back on people's vol. 1 reviews, and I'm a bit startled to see how much has changed. I wonder if his decision to save Johan was the major deciding factor of his life; after that, maybe he continued with the backbone? Alas, it's been a while since I've read the first few vols, so I'm not sure.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Things we were clearly coming to a head. He was getting fed up with all the moral compromises he was making, and Johan versus political bigwig crystallized things for him. Then, Johan killed the director and cleared the way for him. He was able to live his life according to his morality, and gain self-confidence and self conviction. So by the time Johan reappears, it is realistic that we would have matured and grown.

I had forgotten there was that time skip, without which his changes would have been much too sudden.

[oyceter]

Yeah! I was so surprised by the mention of the time skip; I had completely forgotten how much time had passed between the supposed ruin of Tenma's career and the reappearance of Johan.

[snarp]

But did he cheat on his exams? After all, a lot of the big scenes here have the heroes lying to a person for his/her own good. Usually a dying or helpless person, but still.

(I'd actually like it better if he did cheat, but it's a possibility!)

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

heroes lying to a person for his/her own good

It's been a while since I raced through the manga, and I'm not up to that point yet in the anime, so could you remind me of some examples?

Usually a dying or helpless person, but still

That's the thing. My vague impression is that except for trying to preserve his freedom or comfort a dying person, Tenma sticks to the truth. My recollection is that Tenma feels that people should face the truth and, if needed, grow above/past it.

[snarp]

I don't have access to all my manga right now, but off the top of my head - Nina tells a dying man how he'll get to play with his son again; Tenma and Grimmer tell a hospitalized woman that her son is okay (he isn't); Tenma tells a family he's sure a family member will be home soon (nope); Tenma tells a dying man they'll have to get together again sometime - I think that one happens twice, actually.

And Johan, of course, does the same thing but FOR EVIL - him lying to the old blind guy whose name I forget about the lake still being there is, I think, the first really dramatic demonstration of that, and he does similar things all through the later volumes. (I don't trust myself to remember which are pre-volume-16, so I won't list them here.)

Hypothesis: Urasawa protagonists have the power to alter people's personal realities, and how they use that power determines whether they're the good guys or the bad guys.

[oyceter]

Hypothesis: Urasawa protagonists have the power to alter people's personal realities, and how they use that power determines whether they're the good guys or the bad guys.

Oh, huh, that's really interesting! I will have to look for that while reading.

[oyceter]

Oh, huh. I always sort of figured that he did, just because .. yeah, Tenma lies to dying or helpless people to make them feel better, but it doesn't quite feel like him to me to lie about something like that. Though maybe I need to reread -- I've forgotten a lot of the beginning.

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

I never know what to say, but I get really excited whenever I see your posts about Monster because.....SO. GOOD. It's cool that the manga is so similar to the anime, because I still know what you're talking about.

And yes, OMF, NINA! So awesome.

[oyceter]

I'm so excited about watching the anime after reading the series! It'll be neat having voices for the characters!

OMG! Have you read 20th Century Boys too? It is so awesome!