Monster (manga)

"MONSTER" redirects here. For other uses, see Monster (disambiguation).

MONSTER
Image from the Monster anime
モンスター (Monsutā)
Genre	Psychological horror, Detective fiction
Manga
Written by	Naoki Urasawa
Published by	Shogakukan
English publisher	Viz Media
Magazine	Big Comic Original
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	December, 1994 – December, 2001
Volumes	18
Anime
Directed by	Masayuki Kojima
Written by	Tatsuhiko Urahata
Studio	Madhouse
Released	April 6, 2004 – September 27, 2005
Anime
Written by	Josh Olson
Studio	New Line Cinema
Released	2009 (scheduled)

Monster (モンスター, Monsutā) is a seinen manga written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, published by Shogakukan in Big Comic Original between 1994 and 2001, and reprinted in 18 tankōbon volumes. It was adapted by Madhouse as a 74-episode anime TV series, which aired on NTV from April 7, 2004 to September 28, 2005. It was directed by Masayuki Kojima, written by Tatsuhiko Urahata and featured character designs by Kitarō Kōsaka. The manga and anime have both been licensed by Viz Media for an English release. Urasawa later wrote and illustrated the novel Another Monster, a supplement story detailing the events from the manga as from an investigative reporter's point of view, published by Shogakukan in 2002.

Plot

The series follows Dr. Kenzo Tenma (天馬 賢三, Tenma Kenzō) as he pursues a young psychopath/sociopath named Johan, whose life Tenma once saved. The story rapidly progresses through a number of locations: it starts in Düsseldorf, Germany, passes through Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Wiesbaden, cities in the Czech Republic such as Prague, and other cities and villages.

Both the anime and the manga begin with a passage from The Revelation of St. John the Divine, Chapter 13: Verses 1 & 4

And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads, the names of blasphemy. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

The quote is often interpreted as the coming of the Antichrist. This quote is used because of the many parallels and comparisons between one of the main characters of Monster (Johan) and two candidates of the Antichrist as predicted by Nostradamus.

The text on the cover of the first volume reads as follows:

"Düsseldorf, West Germany in 1986. One day, Dr. Kenzo Tenma ignored his boss's order and executed humanitarian rescue of a man's child. That's how this horrible story begins!!"

Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a young Japanese doctor working at the Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf during the 80s. A highly accomplished brain surgeon, he appears to have everything on his plate: a promotion in the offing; the favor of the director of the hospital, Heinemann; and Heinemann's daughter, Eva, as his fiancée. However, Tenma grows increasingly dissatisfied with the political bias of the hospital for treating patients, and seizes his chance to change things after a strange massacre brings the twins Johan and Anna Liebert into his hospital. Johan has a gunshot wound to the head and Anna keeps muttering about killing, and Tenma decides to operate on Johan instead of a prominent politician who arrived afterwards. Johan is saved, but the politician dies. Tenma loses all his social standing and Eva as a consequence. However, Heinemann and other doctors in Tenma's way are mysteriously murdered, and both children disappear from the hospital soon after. The police suspect Tenma, as he benefits greatly from this turn of events, but they have no evidence, and so can do no more than question him.

At this point, the story advances to nine years later. Tenma is now the Chief of Surgery at Eisler Memorial Hospital. However, he is about to come face to face with a sociopath - a sociopath that he helped save.

A known criminal is found on the street, hit by a car. He comes under the care of Dr. Tenma, who observes him muttering about a "Monster". Tenma extends kindness to that criminal, and thus the criminal begins to open up for Tenma. Then one evening when Dr. Tenma comes back with a clock as a gift for the criminal, he finds the guard in front of the criminal's room dead, and the criminal himself gone.

Following his trail to the construction site of a half finished building near the hospital, he finds the man. The man, who has developed a sort of doctor-patient friendship with Dr. Tenma, warns him against coming closer, and pleads with him to run away. Tenma refuses, however, and the identity of the man holding the gun pointed at the criminal in the abandoned parking garage is revealed to be the boy whose life Tenma had saved nine years ago - Johan Liebert. Despite Dr. Tenma's attempt to reason with him, Johan shoots the criminal, tells Tenma that he could never kill the man who had saved his life, and then walks off into the night while Tenma is still too shocked to stop him. After this incident, Tenma is again suspected by the police, particularly Inspector Runge, and he tries to find more information about this 'Johan'. He soon discovers that the boy's sister, now named Nina, happily living the life of an adopted daughter to two caring parents, and the only trace of her terrible past are few dreams she has had. Tenma discovers her on her birthday, and manages to prevent her from meeting her brother, but comes too late to prevent Johan from murdering her foster parents. As the show progresses, Tenma learns of the origins of this monster, from the former East Germany's attempt to use a secret orphanage called Kinderheim 511 (where Johan came from) in order to create the "perfect soldiers" through "psychological reprogramming", to the author of a children's book which was used in a eugenics experiment in Czech Republic. He also learns about the scope of the atrocities this "Monster" has committed, and he vows to fix the mistake he made when he saved Johan's life.

While Tenma is the main character of Monster, the story also focuses heavily on those surrounding his search for Johan, such as Inspector Runge (who is investigating Johan's various murders but pins them all on Tenma) and Nina Fortner (aka Anna Liebert, Johan's twin sister), and a host of other characters, minor and major, whose lives have been shaped by the deeds of the monster named 'Johan'.

Characters

Main characters

Doctor Kenzou Tenma Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)

Doctor Kenzou Tenma is a Japanese neurosurgeon working at the Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf. At the beginning of Monster he is favored by the department director for his prodigious surgical skill. After a crisis of conscience, he chooses to save the life of a young boy instead of the city's mayor, and is unjustly demoted as a result; he then becomes a suspect for murder when the department director and several prominent doctors are killed weeks later. It is only after nine years that Dr. Tenma learns the perpetrator of the hospital murders is none other than the boy he saved years before, Johan Liebert. Plagued by guilt, he resolves to find Johan and end the life of this "monster" he feels responsible for creating. Despite his mission, Dr. Tenma is a humanitarian who genuinely cares about the lives of others. These acts of kindness make him very influential with the people he meets. Not much is known about Tenma's childhood; however, when he was growing up in Japan, he was constantly getting picked on and had a habit of wetting his pants. This earned him the nickname of "Sissy Pants Tenma". As well, Kenzo's father and brother were also doctors, though Tenma was not close to his family and his family ties have grown weaker as he had not been back in Japan since he left to Germany. It is unknown how much time passed between Tenma becoming a certified doctor to when he started as an attending surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital. However, it soon became evident to his superiors Kenzo was perhaps the best neurosurgeon on staff, and he would quickly be promoted to Chief of Neurosurgery and at the same time he meets Eva. Tenma also has some acquaintances from Japan who occasionally visit Tenma while on business, but it is not known how close his friendship with these people is. In his journey to kill Johan, he comes incredibly close on a number of occasions only to have Johan slip away.

Dr. Tenma shares his name with the scientist who created Astroboy to replace his dead son; while Naoki Urasawa has not given any formal statement about the names, presumably it is intended as a tip of the hat to the early, influential manga and draws a parallel between the first Dr. Tenma's creation of the hero Astro Boy and Dr. Tenma's creation of the titular monster. Naoki Urasawa would later go on to create Pluto, a manga based on the popular "World's Strongest Robot" story arc from the Astro Boy series.

Johan Liebert Voiced by: Nozomu Sasaki (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)

Johan Liebert is the titular "monster" of the story and the mystery of his past is the focus of the plot. He has been called a monster, the next Hitler and even the devil himself. Johan Liebert was shot in the head at a young age but saved from death by Dr. Tenma. Because of this, he regards Dr. Tenma almost as though he was his father. He has spent portions of his life in different places under different aliases and possesses an extraordinary level of charisma and intelligence. He uses his gifts to cruelly manipulate and corrupt others, often with no apparent end other than to cause suffering and destruction. His goal, as he stated when he was young, is to be the last one standing at the end of the world. One of the themes of Monster is how individuals are capable of transforming into monsters; Johan often acts as both a direct and indirect catalyst for this transformation.

Like Tenma, Johan also has many similarities to a character from a classic manga by Osamu Tezuka, in his case Yuuki Michio, the main villain from MW. These include his childhood involvement in a secret military experiment, ability to skillfully manipulate powerful people, ambitions to cause the end of the world, occasional suicidal tendencies and his infrequent bouts of cross-dressing.

Nina Fortner / Anna Liebert Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese); Karen Strassman (English)

Johan's younger twin sister and the only unharmed survivor of the night when both her parents and her brother were shot in what appeared to be a botched burglary. At first she showed signs of amnesia due to the psychological trauma of the incident. After she and her brother disappeared, she was adopted by the Fortner family from Heidelberg, who were unaware of her previous identity as Anna Liebert. As Nina Fortner, she was a hardworking law student at an unnamed university (likely the University of Heidelberg), as well as an adept practitioner of Aikido. She lived her life in peace until Johan made contact with her on her twentieth birthday. She comes to pursue Johan, albeit by different methods and for a different reason than Tenma.

File:Inspector Heinrich Runge.jpg

Inspector Runge in the anime

Inspector Heinrich Runge Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese); Richard Epcar (English)

Inspector Runge (referred to as Lunge in English) is a BKA detective assigned to the murder case of the hospital, and holds Doctor Kenzo Tenma as a main suspect. He first believes that Dr. Tenma invented Johan; later, he becomes convinced that Johan is, in fact, an alternate personality of Tenma. Perhaps inspired by the character of Javert in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Inspector Runge is utterly obsessed with Tenma. His devotion to his work comes at the expense of neglecting his personal life, and during the course of the series, his wife and pregnant daughter leave him. He also possesses an excellent memory and has a habit of "entering data" into his memory by making typing gestures with his hands. On the surface, he passes off as a man devoid of emotion and it is this state of mind that allows him to commit himself to every case he works in. His tough style eventually drives one of his murder suspects to suicide, prompting his superiors to remove Runge from every case he is working on, with the exception of the case against Dr. Tenma. Also, somewhat like Grimmer, he has an expression that barely changes. After the inferno at the University of Munich, Runge learns for the first time that the existence of Johan is indeed true. He then decides to take a "holiday" to Prague to track down Franz Bonaparta, the author of a book he happened to come across that may be the source of Johan's origin. Ultimately, he ends up in Ruhenheim and meets up with Grimmer and Tenma, apologizing to the latter for his mistakes, before heading off to a showdown against Roberto. First seen in Chapter 5.

Dieter Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi

Dieter is a young boy when found by Tenma to be under the care of a man named Hartmann. Upon meeting Dieter, Tenma notices that the young boy is covered in bruises. It turns out that Hartmann was trying to make Dieter into another Johan, a kind of leader that had not been produced from Kinderheim 511 before. Dieter later becomes more optimistic after being saved by Doctor Tenma from Hartmann's physical and mental abuse. He follows Dr. Tenma in his search for Johan, partially to prevent Tenma from becoming a murderer, but also because he is fond of Tenma. He later teams up with Nina, to give her moral support whenever her traumatic memories resurface as he was also subjected to similar abuse. First seen in Chapter 19.

File:Eva Heinemann.jpg

Eva Heinemann in the anime

Eva Heinemann Voiced by: Mami Koyama (Japanese); Tara Platt (English)

Eva Heinemann is Doctor Tenma's fiancée and the daughter of the Director of Eisler Memorial Hospital. Kenzo's relationship with Eva initially appears to have some issues, as Tenma would insist on partaking in activities that Eva (as the daughter of a high class hospital director) would not even want to do (e.g. picnic). Also, Tenma would have the tendency to ignore Eva while he is conducting research. However, it is assumed that they do at one point fall in love to the point that Tenma asks for Eva's hand in marriage, much to the approval to her father. Eva appears to be enthusiastic about this, she is looking forward to Dr. Tenma climbing the ladder of the hospital and soon becoming the hospital director, a prospect that Eva anticipates with glee so she could be "the director's wife". She leaves Doctor Tenma after he is demoted by the Director for disobeying his orders. After Director Heinemann is murdered by Johan, she tries to return to Tenma, then recently promoted Chief of Surgery due to holes created in the staff by the murder. After being rejected by Tenma, she later becomes an extremely embittered alcoholic, a three time divorcee who uses the money from divorce settlements to finance her lavish lifestyle. After burning her house down in a drunken rage, she wanders throughout Germany and is also caught up in the investigation of the Monster. Although she does not personally suspect Dr. Tenma as having caused her father's death, one of the things she lives for is to see him suffer in prison in retribution for his rejection of her, as she had previously turned over evidence incriminating Dr. Tenma to Inspector Runge. Her relationship with Tenma can be characterized as obsessive. During the series, she becomes a main target of Roberto. At the same time her experiences allow certain personality changes to occur, and soon becomes a different person than before.

Other characters

Wolfgang Grimmer Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka

A freelance journalist who is researching Kinderheim 511, he is also soon drawn into the search for Johan, as he decides to help Tenma. He nearly always has a big smile on his face. As a former subject in Kinderheim 511, he had seemingly developed another personality: an aggressive fighter that comes out and protects him whenever he is under dire stress, inspired by his childhood adoration for an Incredible Hulk-type TV character whom he refers to as the Magnificent Steiner. He also received training as a spy after his time in Kinderheim 511. Due to this conditioning, he admits he is not good at expressing emotions, however he is finally able to do so when one of his child friends nearly goes off onto the same road as Johan, and when he is mortally wounded during the massacre at Ruhenheim. At the moment of his death, he confides to Tenma that he simply gave in to his anger, allowing for the disturbing possibility that his "alternate ego" was simply the psychological filter he used to justify his violent acts. First seen in Chapter 78.

Roberto Voiced by: Nobuyuki Katsube (Japanese); JB Blanc (English)

A big, burly man and one of the many people from the orphanage Kinderheim 511 that Johan controls. He admires Johan very much, and often acts as Johan's bodyguard and henchman. He is also a professional hitman with substantial proficiency. While Roberto knows nothing about his own past, it is hinted that he is the nephew of a former high-level STB officer named Karl Ranke as he bears a strong resemblance to the latter. Ranke relates the story of his sister, who along with her husband was shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall into West Germany. Only their son, Adolf Reinhart, survived the attack. As Adolf's legal guardian, Ranke signed papers turning his nephew into the custody of Kinderheim 511. Wolfgang Grimmer may be the only person who remembers him and also considered him as a friend during their time at the orphanage (one of Adolf's favorite drinks was hot cocoa). He was shot by Tenma in chapter 73 and seemed to fall over the balcony into a sea of flames, but he comes back in chapter 108 as an attorney for Tenma under the name of 'Baul', still faithful to Johan, although much thinner and his right arm largely useless. He appears the most out of any of Johan's henchmen in the series and is a recurring enemy. He would later be one of the major players during the massacre at Ruhenheim where he kills Bonaparta, but is mortally wounded by Runge. First seen in Chapter 37.

"The Baby" Voiced by: Kazuo Kumakura

First mentioned in Chapter 25, the "Baby" is a short, elderly man, and an infamous Neo-Nazi leader. He worships Johan as an ideal Aryan leader who would be able to become the next Hitler to lead Germany into prominence. He also works for the four individuals who would gladly welcome Johan as a political leader. To this end, he hoped to use Nina as bait to coerce Johan, but also as a precautionary measure to protect him (and the other group members) from Johan. This fails as Johan kills one of the first of four members in the organization. The characteristics of the "Baby" are heavily influenced by a character from Twin Peaks, named "The Midget." His first appearance, in Chapter 26, is also nearly identical, appearing to Nina Fortner from behind a red curtain (akin to the Black Lodge's waiting room) while dancing to the tune "Be My Baby". He is ultimately killed by stripper/prostitute (as shown at beginning of Chapter 136) who, presumably, was employed by Johan, in a scheme to destroy Capek's organization as well as Capek himself.

General Helmut Wolfe Voiced by: Kōichi Kitamura

A very old soldier who was the first one to find the twins, he is the second of the four individuals behind the organization. He gave Johan his name, the name from the boy in the picture book called "The Monster without a Name". General Wolf is actually the only one of four individuals that did not want to make Johan a new Führer. Wolf's family and acquaintances have all been killed by Johan, thus teaching him true loneliness as seen through Johan's eyes. Later on in the series, Tenma encounters Wolfe on his deathbed, before he dies he begs Dr. Tenma to yell out his name as proof that he existed. First mentioned in Chapter 27, first seen in Chapter 29. Possibly inspired by Karl Wolff, who was a high-ranking member of the Nazi SS.

Christof Sievernich Voiced by: Masashi Hironaka

Johan's disciple and another survivor of Kinderheim 511. He and Johan decided to meet each other again in 10 years after they escaped the orphanage, and in the end they meet at a party with the guidance of Eva Heinemann, who was hired to point Johan out. His deceased stepfather was one of the four individuals of Neo-Nazi, and he was likely to succeed the post. He possesses qualities similar to Johan's and intimidated Martin, Eva Heinemann's bodyguard, by reminding him of what happened to his mother and wife. Nothing else is known about Christof, other than that either Johan or the organization of the four individuals tried to change him into the second monster. He first appears in chapter 124.

Franz Bonaparta/Klaus Poppe Voiced by: Nachi Nozawa

Franz Bonaparta is considered to be the one responsible for the eugenics experiment that led to the birth of the Liebert twins and is also attributed as the author of the storybooks used to indoctrinate the children of Rose Mansion. Most notable of them was The Nameless Monster, from which Johan took both his name and his mode of operation. Other famous books of his included The Big Eyed Man and the Big Mouthed Man, The God of Peace, and The Quiet Village. His storybooks deal very heavily in metaphor and symbolism, often with monsters as important characters in them. Most also deal with the idea that human nature contains the ability to become good or evil, though his works tend to denounce humanity rather than uplift it. He repents for all his actions after witnessing the death of Grimmer, he confronts Johan with the intention of killing him but he is in turn killed by Roberto before he can go through with it. While his real name is Klaus Poppe, other names that he has used include Emil Scherbe, Helmuth Voss and Jakob Vyrobek.

Jaromír Lipsky Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata

Introduced as a down-and-out puppet master in Prague, Lipsky became acquainted with Nina as she passes through the city in pursuit of Johan. Inspired by her, Lipsky began work on a new show, and prepared a new puppet, made in Nina's image. However, Runge soon exposes him (to the audience) as the son of Klaus Poppe. Lipsky plainly reveals that his father had barred him from the book reading sessions at the Mansion of Red Roses due to his "lack of talent". As time passes, and Poppe began to have second thoughts about his work, he warmed slightly towards his son. A postcard that Poppe had sent to him helped Runge to locate Ruhenheim .

Petr Čapek Voiced by: Nobuo Tanaka

The last individual of the organization is the mysterious man with glasses who is responsible for a large amount of incidents during Monster. He is the highest in the organization, and tried to control the devil by letting him meet with Christof Sievernich. In his youth Peter was actually Franz Bonaparta's apprentice who took part in the experiment on the Liebert twins. Peter thinks that everything is going the right way according to his plan, but Johan tells him clearly later that everything is going the right way according to his own plan. After the death of Baby, he tries to maintain that everything is under control and going to plan, when he clearly knows things are going seriously wrong. In his paranoia he kills his bodyguard when he goes for his lighter thinking he was trying to kill him, in retribution Čapek is executed by his other bodyguards. He first appeared in chapter 121, but his face is not shown until the end of chapter 123.

Doctor Reichwein Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai

A psychologist who deals in counseling as well as assisting recovering alcoholics. He is caught up in the mystery surrounding the Monster after one of his patients, Richard Braun, supposedly dies in a drunken accident while investigating Johan Liebert. Later on, he becomes guardian to Nina and Dieter and aids Tenma in any way he can while defending Tenma's character. The Character of Dr. Reichwein bears a physical resemblance to the American Actor Wilford Brimley and Shunsaku Ban from Astroboy. Naoki Urasawa has also used the physical appearance of Brimley in the Pluto manga as well. First seen in Chapter 49.

Rudy Gillen Voiced by: Takayuki Sugo

A criminologist, and one of Tenma's former classmates. He helps Tenma by saving him from arrest, after selling him out, and also by acquiring information about Johan from all the criminals that Johan had met. He also helps Nina to recall her past, to the point of endangering his life. Rudy is able to get some insight about Johan and how he works, but despite all that he knows, he is still baffled by Johan's actions. Dr. Gillen is also a former student of Dr. Reichwein. First seen in Chapter 33.

Jan Suk Voiced by: Hisayoshi Suganuma

A detective with the Prague police, he tries to find the mystery involving the death of his superior, Filip Zeman. Zeman was investigating the death of a former headmaster of Kinderheim 511 with Grimmer as a possible suspect, when Suk discovered that Zeman was working with the former Czechoslovakian secret police. When three more officers are murdered, he too is cast under suspicion, and when police attempt to monitor Suk's movements, two more are killed. Suk manages to obtain a tape made by the former headmaster of Kinderheim 511, but is badly wounded by those seeking the tape. While all this is happening, he confides to someone who he believes is Anna Liebert, a beautiful blond woman he meets at a bar. There are comparisons made between Dr. Tenma and Detective Suk as both are considered as young men with promise in their professions only to be caught in the web of events with each one as a prime suspect. First mentioned in a phone conversation in Chapter 83, first seen in Chapter 84.

Fritz Vardemann Voiced by: Ryusuke Oobayashi

A lawyer hired by residents in Düsseldorf after Tenma was arrested in Prague at one point. Vardemann has made a name for himself proving the innocence of his clients, including his father, who died in prison before being exonerated. He is married and during the series his wife gives birth to a daughter. He enjoys listening to the song "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz. However, it is revealed later on that Vardemann found notes written by his father which may indicate that he was guilty in the first place. He then teams up with Suk in order to find out the truth regarding an author named Franz Bonaparta in the hopes of discovering the truth about his father's past as well.

Hans Georg Schubert Voiced by: Michio Hazama

Known as the "Bayern Vampire", Schubert (pronounced as Schuwald in the Anime) is a reclusive but successful businessman, and his success allows him to donate his book collection to the University of Munich. He also has several students from the university in his employ, reading him Latin. However, he does have a past, namely, he fathered a son with a prostitute named Margot Langer. Incidentally, Margot Langer had a friend in Prague who mothered twins. While his book dedication ceremony was targeted by Johan in a scheme to unleash terror and pandemonium, authorities believe that Schubert is the real target and that Dr. Tenma is indeed responsible. Schubert is first seen in Chapter 47.

Karl Neumann Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

A male college student at the University of Munich, who is the son of Schubert and Langer. He is trying to get close to his father without actually letting him know that he is his son. At the same time, he is also caught up in the mystery of a dead student, and the disappearance of Johan Liebert after his father's book collection is burned in a massive inferno during a ceremony at the University Library. After he reconciles with his father, he stays on as Schubert's personal assistant. First seen in Chapter 47.

Lotte Frank Voiced by: Kyoko Hikami (Japanese); Julie Ann Taylor (English)

A female college student also at the University of Munich who is trying to go after Karl Neumann's heart and thus aids his investigation into his father and late mother. When Karl rejects her by getting a proxy to go on a date with her, she is immensely crushed and is comforted by Nina. Given that moment, Nina and Lotte become fast friends. She too wants to know about the mysteries behind Johan Liebert as well as the death of the student who worked with them for Schubert. First seen in Chapter 47.

Otto Heckel Voiced by: Shintarou Oohata

A common thief who runs into Tenma in Chapter 17 when he breaks into a murder victim's house where Tenma is investigating. Heckel is not interested in solving the mystery surrounding the monster, he is more preoccupied in making quick cash by any means necessary. Nonetheless, both Tenma and Heckel must rely on each other in order to survive.

Chapters

Volume 1

Doctor Tenma

• Chapter 1 :Herr Doctor Tenma
• Chapter 2 :Kill
• Chapter 3 :Downfall
• Chapter 4 :Brother and Sister
• Chapter 5 : Murder
• Chapter 6 :The BKA Man
• Chapter 7 :Monster
• Chapter 8 :Night of the Execution

Volume 2

Surprise Party

• Chapter 9 :The Girl from Heidelberg
• Chapter 10 :Prince on a White Horse
• Chapter 11 :News Article:Missing Cild
• Chapter 12 :Abirthday of Terror
• Chapter 13 :House of Tragedy
• Chapter 14 :It's Not Your Fault
• Chapter 15 :Pursued
• Chapter 16 :The Girl and the Seasoned Soldier

Volume 3

Kinderheim 511

• Chapter 17 : A Past Erased
• Chapter 18 : Lawyer's Rules
• Chapter 19 :511 Kinderheim
• Chapter 20 : Project
• Chapter 21 : A Little Experiment
• Chapter 22 : Petra and Schumann
• Chapter 23 : Petra and Heinz
• Chapter 24 : Left Behind

Volume 4

Ayse's Friend

• Chapter 25 : The Woman Left Behind
• Chapter 26 : Be My Baby
• Chapter 27 : Professor Geidlitz
• Chapter 28 : Ayse's Friend
• Chapter 29 : Wolf's Confession
• Chapter 30 : Main Dish
• Chapter 31 : Reunion
• Chapter 32 : Five Sugars

Volume 5

After the Carnival

• Chapter 33 : The Monster's Abyss
• Chapter 34 : Jurgen's Storage Room
• Chapter 35 : After the Carnival
• Chapter 36 : Journey to Freiham
• Chapter 37 : A Wonderful Holiday
• Chapter 38 : Revenge at Gunpoint
• Chapter 39 : Tomorrow Will be Sunny
• Chapter 40 : Runge's Expectations
• Chapter 41 : Runge's Trap

Volume 6

The Secret Woods

• Chapter 42 : Showdown
• Chapter 43 : The End of Her Fall
• Chapter 44 : Eva's Confession
• Chapter 45 : The Men's Dining Table
• Chapter 46 : Unseen Enemies
• Chapter 47 : The Tuesday Boy
• Chapter 48 : The Thursday Boy
• Chapter 49 : A Leftover Mystery
• Chapter 50 : The Secret Woods

Volume 7

Richard

• Chapter 51 : Richard
• Chapter 52 : Article of Evidence
• Chapter 53 : In Broad Daylight
• Chapter 54 : Just One Case
• Chapter 55 : Johan's Journey
• Chapter 56 : Execution
• Chapter 57 : A Decision
• Chapter 58 : Reichwein's Days
• Chapter 59 : Into Broad Daylight

Volume 8

My Nameless Hero

• Chapter 60 : Show Me Proof
• Chapter 61 : After the Party...
• Chapter 62 : Holy Ground
• Chapter 63 : Child's Sight
• Chapter 64 : Fortune of Humanity
• Chapter 65 : At the End of Darkness
• Chapter 66 : Aim For the Light
• Chapter 67 : I Am Tenma
• Chapter 68 : My Nameless Hero

Volume 9

A Nameless Monster

• Chapter 69 : A Greater Monster
• Chapter 70 : A Monster of Chaos
• Chapter 71 : A Nameless Monster
• Chapter 72 : Feast of the Ants
• Chapter 73 : The Demon in My Eyes
• Chapter 74 : Letter From Mother
• Chapter 75 : Traces of Heart
• Chapter 76 : The Hell in His Eyes
• Chapter 77 : Frogs in a Fairy-Tale Land

Volume 10

Picnic

• Chapter 78 : Grimmer
• Chapter 79 : Picnic
• Chapter 80 : Ghosts of 511
• Chapter 81 : A New Experiment
• Chapter 82 : Key
• Chapter 83 : The Magnificent Steiner's Adventure
• Chapter 84 : Detective Suk
• Chapter 85 : Top Secret Investigation
• Chapter 86 : Something Important

Volume 11

The Dead Angle

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 87 : Two Darknesses
• Chapter 88 : The Monster's Afterimage
• Chapter 89 : Playback
• Chapter 90 : Tangent
• Chapter 91 : The Dead Angle
• Chapter 92 : Memories of the Magnificent Steiner
• Chapter 93 : Memories of Cocoa
• Chapter 94 : Door to a Nightmare
• Chapter 95 : The Most Frightening Thing

Volume 12

The Rose Mansion

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 96 : A Long Vacation
• Chapter 97 : The Detective Boys
• Chapter 98 : The Most Cruel Thing
• Chapter 99 : The Border Town
• Chapter 100 : The Rose Mansion
• Chapter 101 : A Unopened Door
• Chapter 102 : A Long Farewell
• Chapter 103 : Look for Helenka
• Chapter 104 : The People Left Behind

Volume 13

Escape

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 105 : A Monster's Love Letter
• Chapter 106 : Jailbreaker
• Chapter 107 : Lawyer
• Chapter 108 : Witness
• Chapter 109 : Determination
• Chapter 110 : Muddy Sandwiches
• Chapter 111 : Helene and Gustaf
• Chapter 112 : Escape
• Chapter 113 : Room 402

Volume 14

That Night

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 114 : Son of a Spy
• Chapter 115 : A Neverending Journey
• Chapter 116 : Puppeteer
• Chapter 117 : The Seminar Children
• Chapter 118 : That Night
• Chapter 119 : What Johan Saw
• Chapter 120 : Fond Memories
• Chapter 121 : An Unpleasant Job
• Chapter 122 : Hideous Necktie

Volume 15

The Door of Memory

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 123 : The Party Is Over
• Chapter 124 : The Man Who Saw a Demon
• Chapter 125 : The Demon's Friend
• Chapter 126 : The Man Who Knew Too Much
• Chapter 127 : A Sorrowful Reunion
• Chapter 128 : Nina's Memories
• Chapter 129 : Memories of the Seminar
• Chapter 130 : The Door of Memory
• Chapter 131 : A Fun Meal

Volume 16

Welcome Back

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 132 : Over the Roofs
• Chapter 133 : A Friendly Answer
• Chapter 134 : Taxi Driver
• Chapter 135 : Unrelated Murders
• Chapter 136 : The Baby's Depression
• Chapter 137 : Frightening Footsteps
• Chapter 138 : Johan's Footprints
• Chapter 139 : Massacre
• Chapter 140 : Father and Mother
• Chapter 141 : Welcome Back

Volume 17

I'm Home

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 142 : I'm Home
• Chapter 143 : Where to Go
• Chapter 144 : Ruhenheim
• Chapter 145 : A Quiet Gunshot
• Chapter 146 : The Vampire's House
• Chapter 147 : A Paranoid Town
• Chapter 148 : The Perfect Suicide
• Chapter 149 : A Peaceful Home
• Chapter 150 : Town Bloodbath
• Chapter 151 : Memories I Don't Want to Forget

Volume 18

Scenery of the Doomsday

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 152 : A Fictitious Man
• Chapter 153 : The Vacation Is Over
• Chapter 154 : Grimmer's Scream
• Chapter 155 : The Magnificent Steiner's Rage
• Chapter 156 : A Nameless Man
• Chapter 157 : An Undrawable Picture
• Chapter 158 : Don't Cry
• Chapter 159 : Scenery of the Doomsday
• Chapter 160 : Those Who Live
• Chapter 161 : Tomorrow Will Come
• Chapter 162 : The Real Monster

Another Monster

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part One (1986–1997)
  • Chapter 1 - The Beginning (April 2001; Vienna)
  • Chapter 2 - Kenzo Tenma (May 2001; Yokohama, Tokyo, London)
  • Chapter 3 - Eva Heinemann (May 2001; Düsseldorf)
  • Chapter 4 - Heinrich Runge (May 2001; Brussels)
  • Chapter 5 - Kinderheim 511 (May 2001; Berlin)
  • Chapter 6 - Multiple Personalities (June 2001; Frankfurt)
  • Chapter 7 - Rudi Gillen (June 2001; Paris)
  • Chapter 8 - Underground Banks (June 2001; Füssen)
  • Chapter 9 - Karl Schuwald (June 2001; Munich)
  • Chapter 10 - Lotte Frank (June 2001; Munich)
  • Chapter 11 - Julius Reichwein (June 2001; Munich)
• Part Two (1997–1998)
  • Chapter 12 - Czech and Germany (July 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 13 - Jan Suk (July 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 14 - Karel Ranke (July 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 15 - The Red Rose Mansion (July 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 16 - Anna (August 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 17 - Sobotka (August 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 18 - Jaromir Lipsky (August 2001; Prague)
  • Chapter 19 - Fritz Verdeman (August 2001; Düsseldorf)
  • Chapter 20 - Martin (September 2001; Frankfurt)
  • Chapter 21 - Peter Capek (September 2001; Frankfurt)
  • Chapter 22 - Grimmer's Notebook (October 2001; Berlin)
  • Chapter 23 - Herman Fuer (November 2001; Vienna)
  • Chapter 24 - Collapse (November 2001; Düsseldorf)
  • Chapter 25 - Ruhenheim (November 2001; Ruhenheim)
  • Chapter 26 - Nina Forter, a.k.a. Anna Liebert (November 2001; Vienna)
  • Chapter 27 - "The Magnificent Steiner" (November 2001; Valletta)
  • Chapter 28 - Anna Part II (December 2001; Brno)
  • Chapter 29 - Klaus Poppe (December 2001; Jablonec nad Nisou)
  • Chapter 30 - Franz Bonaparta (December 2001; Jablonec nad Nisou)
  • Final Chapter - (December 2001; Jablonec nad Nisou)

Anime

Main article: List of Monster episodes

The series was adapted into an anime by Madhouse, which aired between April and September 2005 on Nippon TV. Directed by Masayuki Kojima, written by Tatsuhiko Urahata, it features original character designs by long-time Studio Ghibli animator Kitarō Kōsaka, which were subsequently adapted into the anime by Shigeru Fujita. It includes an instrumental theme by the Chilean folk music group Quilapayún called "Transiente", originally featured in their 1984 album Tralalí Tralalá. An English dub of Monster is being produced by Salami Studios for Viz Media who has the North American license to this anime. The first boxset of the series is scheduled to hit shelves December 2009. Viz has also recently come to an agreement with Funimation to run Monster (as well as other Viz titles) on FUNimation's Funimation Channel this summer. While some of the Viz titles have already hit the FUNimation Channel, Monster has yet to be scheduled. But, Monster is scheduled for Syfy's Ani-Mondays with 2 episodes back-to-back each Monday night at 11:00 p.m. EST beginning October 12, 2009.

Background

The series features several real-life locations and references to actual events. In the series, The Quiet Village is the only book written by the character Klaus Poppe which does not consist of content that is of an overtly disturbing nature. However, The Quiet Village actually represents a real life location on Germany's map, Ruhenheim, whose name according to the manga means "Quiet Village". Ruhenheim was however a more ancient name, as the town is now known as Laubenheim, meaning something like "Summer Village/House".

In the twentieth episode of the anime series, the wine ordered by the English couple and Dr. Tenma was named Forster Ungeheuer. It was the favorite wine of Otto von Bismarck and its name actually translates into English as the Forest Monster. In episode 11, Dr. Tenma sees a ruin in the eastern part of Berlin with a graffiti of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten on it. In episode 68, the newspaper read by the woman who won the lottery and by the concierge, is actually a newspaper published in Upper Austria called "Oberösterreichische Nachrichten" (abridged OÖN).

Dr. Reichwein's files on patients (seen when he looks for Richard Braun's file) include files on "supposed" patients named Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Nastassja Kinski, Wolfgang Becker and Bruno Ganz. On the map Tenma looks at, Ruhenheim lies in the vicinity of Oberstdorf and Tiefenbach; however, in reality, this place on the map is occupied by "Obermaiselstein".

Real-life locations

Germany

• Hattingen
• Welheim. A district in Bottrop
• Heidelberg
• Velbert
• Bavaria
• Hamburg
• Frankfurt
  • Roedelheim
• Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Düsseldorf
• Isenberg
• Pinneberg
• Bremen
• Dresden

France

• Nice

Czech Republic

• Prague
• Vinohrady(a cadastral district in Prague)
• Moravia
• Cesky Krumlov

Slovakia

• Bardejov

Historical figures

• Jack the Ripper
• The Son of Sam
• Adolf Hitler
• Jesus
• Rudolf Karel (A bridge in Volume 12 is very likely named after him)
• Krupp Mrs. Hanna Kemp lived at Krupp Haus. Haus is the German word for House.
• Kenneth Bianchi (Abbreviated as K. Bianchi in Volume 5)
• Edmund Kemper He is a convict interviewed by Rudy Gillen in chapter 33. He is introduced as Peter Jurgens, however his appearance is based on an image of Kemper.

Food items

• Prazdroj
• Bonbon
• Goulash

Fiction

• Beauty and the Beast
• Sleeping Beauty
• The Wizard of Oz

Live action film

Major Hollywood film studio New Line Cinema has recently acquired rights to create an English language live action film adaptation of the series. Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson, who is noted for his work on the 2005 American/German crime-thriller film A History of Violence will be writing the screenplay for the project, which the studio expected to be released in 2009, but as of November 2009, it's unknown when (and if) this movie will be released.

Reception

The series won an Excellence Prize at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival and the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2001. It placed on YALSA's "2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens" list. THEM Anime Reviews called the anime adaptation "complex" and "beautiful", going on to state that it features "sophisticated storytelling and complex plot weaving, memorable characters, godly production values and excellent pacing." A review at Anime-Planet described the series as a "breathtaking tour de force of amazing suspense and surprising intelligence." Another review from the same site called the series "a true gem and a rare anime masterpiece", despite a "daunting length". Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz called the series "his favorite guilty pleasure" in a profile for Time Magazine.

External links

• Official anime site Template:Ja icon
• Monster Graph - A Graph that shows relationships between characters
• Monster (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Monster at IMDb