Manga Review: Monster (Completed)

"Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large."

After having this manga recommended to me by several friends, I recently picked up Naoki Urasawa's Monster, and I'm glad to say that I was completely blown away by it. Monster has one of the most vivid and memorable stories out there; the plot is gripping and the cast is distinct. Though Urasawa's method of storytelling can be confusing at times, Monster's thrilling story and well developed cast have proved it deserves the title of "masterpiece".

Cast
The cast of Monster is the main medium through which Urasawa tells his story. Though Monster is the story of Doctor Kenzo Tenma and the Monster he hunts, its scope is far beyond just these two people. All of the characters, whether a main character or a side character, feel human. They all have hopes, dreams, fears, desires, and motivations. While the story is about Tenma and Johan (and to some extent Nina) it is through the rest of the cast that we see the significance of their battle. Where Johan goes, he leaves a trail of despair and fear, whereas Tenma leaves hope and inspires perseverance. When Tenma meets these people on his journey, we get a glimpse into their stories, and through that we gain insights into Tenma and Johan through the ways they interact with these people. While I found it a bit of a stretch that so many people were connected to Tenma or Johan, it wasn't enough to significantly impact the story for me or break the immersion.

The main cast of Monster is definitely very notable. In particular, Johan is one of the most unique and compelling antagonists out there. Urasawa gracefully avoids all the tropes of a normal plotting type villain and crafts the true portrait of a monster. Johan is a truly terrifying villain; not for the deeds he commits, but rather for the lack of remorse he has at those deeds. Rather than a man who kills his fellows, he's more commonly described as treating people like a line of ants, and Johan takes joy in toying with their formation as he pleases. And yet, he's not so simple of a character. It would be far too easy to blame a single traumatic event for how Johan ends up. No, that would be far too simple. But through the tragic tale that Urasawa weaves, the reader is left in confusion as to who the real monsters are. Is it the people that cause Johan to become this way? Or was he already beyond the influence of tragic events, having been born a monster?

Monster gets a 10/10 for a wholly compelling and human cast. All of the characters are well developed and vivid, each with a specific purpose and role in telling the tale of Johan and Tenma, in addition to their own motivations and drives.

"The monster inside of me, wasn't inside of me. It was outside."

Plot
As stated earlier, the plot of Monster is the vessel through which Urasawa tells the story of Johan and Tenma. The plot moves slowly at first, but quickly picks up as the author introduces more characters and events. As he does, he answers questions through narration and flashbacks to the events of the past, and leaves even more questions behind afterwards. As a result, the manga as a whole feels like a puzzle. At first, you only have a general impression of the story and the meaning behind it. But as Urasawa slowly hands you piece after piece, the blurry outline you have of the events that shape Johan slowly become clearer and clearer, and the meaning behind the story slowly becomes more evident. Overall, the pacing of the story is masterfully done; despite its length, Monster manages to very rarely feel drawn out. There are still some extraneous scenes and arcs, but whether or not they harm the pacing of the story is up to you. On one hand, it assists character development and adds to the setting and backstory, but on the other hand it disrupts the pacing of the overall story. Personally, I thought they were effectively used to convey the gravity of the backstory and to further add to Tenma's character.

Urasawa's method of storytelling is also overwhelming at times; he never gives you the big picture, but rather lots of small glimpses and parts of a bigger story, as stated earlier. The plethora of places, people, and prior events can be confusing at times. However, the story uses all of these for good reason. In addition to conveying the scope of the story, the ambiguity puts the reader in Tenma's shoes. You get to feel the confusion he feels, the desperation and curiosity he experiences as he tries to put together the mystery of Johan's past.

Monster gets a 10/10 for a wholly outstanding plot told through a distinctive style of narration with excellent pacing and a gripping storyline.

"I woke up from the dream. There were so many visions I had of the end, but now, I'm picturing a different ending altogether. A clearer vision of the true ending. It's from a memory only I have; the real place where I must be."

Art
Nothing too special. It's good, but not amazing. But it's great how the designs of the characters change and age, along with showing their current state. It does its job effectively without hindering the reader's enjoyment.

Monster gets a 8.5/10 in art.

Accessibility
The main hurdle with Monster is the genre, in my opinion. Mystery mangas tend to be overly ambitious in setting up their plots and tend to end up in a mess. They also have a reputation for being incredibly dry at times. However, Monster doesn't fulfill these stereotypes at all. If the reader can get through the first few chapters, which is where the story is being initially set up, then they'll be in for a fantastic ride.

Monster gets a 4 in accessibility.

Overall Rating
Monster's intricately crafted story fulfills its reputation as a masterpiece. Overall, this manga is an incredible work, as it addresses the very core of the various characters it contains to take the reader on a ride with Dr. Kenzo Tenma to discover the truth about the Monster he seeks to slay, while the way Urasawa slowly reveals the mystery behind Johan Liebert and how all the pieces fit together to slowly reveal the big picture makes Monster a thrilling read.

The fantastic story and cast of Monster by itself, in my opinion, are enough to carry this manga to a 10/10.

Additional Works
Urasawa's other completed manga, 20th Century Boys, is also apparently very good. I'll definitely take a look at that since I loved Monster so much. 

There's also an anime adaptation of Monster; however, I'm told the medium makes it suffer slightly. Not enough to make me discourage you from watching it, but enough for me to recommend the manga over the anime.

Also, there are rumors of a Guillermo Del Toro adaptation of Monster for HBO. Keep an eye out for that.

u w0t m8?

Initial Impressions: Berserk (Ongoing)

Grimdark done right.

Warning: While my reviews will always be mostly SFW, the following manga is not. Berserk contains tons of blood and gore, along with nudity and rape. This manga is not for newcomers, unless you're already okay with this kind of stuff.

Imagine either the bastard child of Game of Thrones and Fullmetal Alchemist, or Dark Souls: the manga.That's the best general impression I can give you of Berserk. Guts is a child of war, a mercenary wandering from battle to battle. We can immediately tell from the start that he is extremely jaded. He shows little compassion for others and claims that weak people only get in his way, not caring that the innocent people around him tend to become collateral damage. The art and characters immediately give you the general mood of Berserk. Nothing is pure. The fights are presented as extremely gritty and violent. Idealism is mostly dead. Guts isn't the type of brave hero that risks his life to save others. More than once we see him watch others die without a shred of remorse. The characters in Berserk are definitely well written, even if some can be dislikable. Oftentimes, I find it difficult to take grimdark works seriously. Usually it's either so overdone that it's ridiculous and hard to take seriously, or it's just difficult to like the characters. However, the cast of Berserk is very... Unique... As a whole. The villains are gruesome and their atrocities often leave you with feelings of disgust. The protagonists are heroic and I often found myself feeling very involved in their battles. As a whole, the manga is very intense. Despite how long it is (I'm only 8 volumes in, and there are over 30 volumes out right now) it doesn't feel drawn out or super lengthy at all. I'm very impressed by this work, and I'm definitely going to continue reading it. 

This guy is at LEAST Kenshiro level badass.

Art: 7.5/10

Cast: 8/10

Plot: 9/10

Accessibility: 2

Update (5/15/14, Vol 18): A lot of works have moments where everything changes. The most distinct example for me would be that scene in Muv-Luv. You know the one. Moments like episode 8 of TTGL, episode 3 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, episode 12 of Steins; Gate, episode 10 of Valvrave that come out of nowhere and leave you in shock. For Berserk, this one moment would be the eclipse. Of course, it's not exactly subtle, considering how absolutely pissed Guts is at Griffith and how shocking and intense this manga can be, but it still carried a huge impact. I won't say any more, but know that the eclipse is one of those moments. This manga is so damn good.

And if you needed another reason to read Berserk,
it has socialist prostitutes.

Update (5/17/14, Vol 37): Wow, I caught up with 37 volumes of manga in three days. Berserk's plot is extremely engrossing... The main characters are memorable and the group dynamic is enjoyable. Guts has developed from an asshole to a man we know has a long and painful history; a character who's dramatically improved as a person and become a lot more relatable. Farnesse's progression from fanatical witch hunter has been beautifully done. The fairies are perfect for comedic relief and lightening the tone of the story. The plot feels significant. Every arc is meaningful, a well written microcosm of the world the characters inhabit, full of meaning and depth. Berserk is a fantastic epic tale, one I'll happily follow to the end.

Manga Review: Beelzebub (Completed)

Infant demons and delinquents make for lots of fun.

Just a heads up, my reviews are generally spoiler free, for the most part. If they do contain spoilers, I'll be sure to note that in the title of the post. Anyways, I'll be starting off with one of the first works that got me into manga, Beelzebub, a manga written and illustrated by Ryuhei Tamura. The premise of this series is that it depicts the escapades of Oga Tatsumi, a high school delinquent who suddenly becomes the father of the demon lord Beelzebub. What follows is a story packed with action, manliness, and hilarity. While it definitely has some shortcomings, it's a great manga for someone looking to read more, and enjoyable despite its various flaws.

Cast

One of high points of Beelzebub is the cast. All of the characters, whether side or main, antagonist or protagonist, are well written and unique. The majority of the cast is serious when it's called for, and lovable and goofy when they need to be. From the perverted yet lovable Furuichi to the blockheaded Toujou, the cast is, simply put, a lot of fun. And at the same time, a lot of these characters have issues and/or convictions right beneath the amusing antics they constantly get into. Furuichi is generally known as the creeper and the comic relief, but right below it is an inferiority complex that Tamura touches on during his arc. It makes reading Beelzebub a pleasure throughout and is a well crafted medium through which Tamura conveys the both the humor of the series and the conviction of the characters. 

Beelzebub gets a 8/10 for a well written and enjoyable cast of characters.

She's demon, so technically this is legal, right?

Plot

Ah, the plot. Now, for the most part. it's your typical shounen manga. MC fights characters, makes friends and converts some enemies, trains to defeat problematic enemies and gets into various shenanigans, occasionally of the ecchi kind. It does its job in providing a story and setting for the characters. However, the main issue is that Beelzebub was suddenly cancelled . Not early enough that there's no conclusion, so at least you'll get some closure, but the ending was definitely noticeably rushed. It makes me a bit sad, because you could tell the author wanted to do more and unfortunately ran out of time. However, the main highlight would be the well written humor. The plot isn't really meant to be taken seriously, and Tamura knows this. The battles are ridiculous and silly, but that's what makes it enjoyable.

Beelzebub gets a 6/10 for the story, but don't let discourage you from reading it. Even without a strong plot, Beelzebub is an incredibly amusing read.

Not pictured: 10 straight chapters of powering up.

Art

While the general art style itself is nothing too special, Tamura really shines at conveying the mood of a scene, especially the more humorous ones. It's especially great since baby Beel will often mimic Oga's expressions while riding on his back.

Oga's reaction to Mahouka.

The mockingly gar scenes are also pretty hilarious.

He's been training to defeat Aizen at 100x gravity.

For the rest of the time, the art is decently good. The fight scenes are decent enough when not being humorous. However, the humorous scenes definitely give a massive boost to the likability.

Beelzebub gets a 8/10 in art. Despite the fact that most of the art is nothing extraordinary, the comedic scenes really stand out and make this series really amusing.

Accessibility

Now, this is a bit of a unique category. I'll be rating works on a scale of 1 to 5 based on how accessible they are to new readers, 5 being great for newer readers, and 1 being a very niche type of work. I ignore this category for the overall rating, because it's a bit more of a guide for what type of works to start with first.

Beelzebub gets a 5 for accessibility. It's a very fun and casual read throughout, and does a good job of introducing the tropes of anime and manga to new readers. Also, plenty of great fanservice.

Following his defeat at the hands of an infant demon lord,
the monster fell into a downward spiral of depression, drugs, and alcohol.

Overall Rating

For the overall rating, I'll usually average the other categories(ignoring accessibility, of course). However, if I feel a manga goes beyond the sum of its parts, I'll bump up its score. In this case, I've chosen to round out Beelzebub to an 8/10. It's definitely enjoyable enough for me to recommend. The hilarious art and lovable cast definitely make up for the stereotypical shounen plot and sadly abrupt ending. Plus, it wasn't exactly by choice, so don't let that discourage you from reading any other of Tamura's works. If I had to choose a word to describe this manga, it would have to be fun. It's one of those works you savor to enjoy the atmosphere and the dynamics of the characters.  Beelzebub is an incredibly enjoyable read throughout, and it remains one of my favorite works to this day.

Additional Works

I haven't explored any of Tamura's other works yet, but I definitely plan to. As for more Beelzebub stuff, there's a couple of one-shots in translation. As of the date this article was written, Red Hawk Scans has released one chapter of the one-shots. That, and any future releases can be found here. Also, there's an anime adaptation, but the general consensus is that it isn't worth watching. I haven't given it a shot yet, and I don't really plan to, but feel free to watch it and give me your opinions on it in the comments.

Also, if you liked my article, I'd really appreciate it if you'd share it.

Critical Phantasm

Hey, and welcome to my blog. In addition to the typical VN, anime, and manga reviews that can be found in blogs like this, I'll also be talking about the world of scanlation, and hopefully give you all an insight into how it works.

Just a bit about my background, I've been scanlating since November 2013. As of this post, I'm a proofreader for Casanova Scans, Vortex Scans, and Galactica Scans, and I'm a former proofreader and now part-timer for Village Idiot Scans. Basically, what the proofreader does is take the script from the translator, and proofreads it. I'll be elaborating on that in a later post. Oh, I'm also kind of an unofficial consultant. I have some translators who ask me to give input on their scripts/wording from Japanese to English.

I'll also be trying to help people expand their tastes occasionally by recommending works. Not know where to start with VNs or manga that isn't Naruto or Bleach? This is the place for you. I'll also be tossing out reviews for other good works or stuff that's currently airing, as well as plugs to manga that I work on.

I'm sure you have bad taste anyways.

Anyways, sit back, and enjoy the ride.