Forum - View topicI'm deeply disturbed by "Monster"
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pedopeto
Posts: 16 |
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What the **** is "Monster" doing there in first place of the top manga list!?
What the... I remember starting this series a year back. I had heard it was a good series and that the writer can create good suspense, and I went at it with an open mind. It completely failed to impress me; I found it completely generic and boring. When Johan (stupid name) appeared, I remember I thought I had misunderstood the series. I thought that this is some kind of parody or experimental work. But no, I went to check and confirmed that it was supposed to be some kind of thriller. What a laugh! Where's the suspense. Miss Marple TV shows have more suspense than this series, and that old granny is a lot more interesting than any character in the manga. People are saying that this manga is somehow "adult" or whatever...excuse me? What did I miss? I found it as silly as let's say Naruto. Though I admit that I only read 4 volumes, but I just didn't feel like buying more, because it was completely unimpressive. Now, I can understand people liking series that I don't like or prefer, but Monster is a complete joke and this is one of those times when I think that I actually read something wholly different than what all the others read. |
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rinmackie
 Posts: 1040 Location: in a van! down by the river! |
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Apparently, you're not a fan of plot and character development. Monster is at least 20 volumes long. Four volumes is not enough to see how the story will develop. There is mystery surrounding Johan but you have to keep reading. As for "adult", if your definition of it is shootouts, car chases, nudity, bad language, etc. then yeah, I guess Monster is not your cup of tea. Though there is some of the aforementioned but it's spread out over the series. As someone whose read a good deal of it, I can assure you it's nothing like Naruto. But since you've already made up your mind about it, I guess you won't be taking my word for it.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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I'm not a fan of Monster or any other Naoki Urasawa's work, and I find facial expressions of his characters unfitting and even repulsive. As a fan of Hitoshi Ashinano, Usamaru Furuya, Akira Kiduki, Fumiyo Kono, Riichi Ueshiba, Motoi Yoshida, and Fumi Yoshinaga (most -- and in some cases, all -- of their works and personal information in this Encyclopedia were entered by myself), I'd be curious if I'm "not a fan of plot and character development" as well. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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This thread started off on the wrong foot. I don't much care that pedopeto doesn't find the story as matching the hype, but the tone used implies that series is laughable, and when one knows that such a series is the top ranked, that's obviously flame bait.
Wait a sec, did I say implied. I meant explicitly stated.
dormcat: You've only said you're not a fan of the art style, while the original poster said the manga was generic and boring, and then compared it to Naruto, with which it shares pretty much no common ground. |
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Agoston
 Posts: 225 |
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Alright, now I don't like the art either, some of the side character's faces look nearly identical later on, but I think the story is absolutely amazing. I don't have a problem with you disliking it and actually explaining why you do, but when you just blatantly flame it and don't give any reasons or knowledge of the plot other than one character's name, you're going too far. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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yeah, this thread is probably going to get locked. pedopeto, you're certainly entitled to your own opinions. If you think Monster is awful, thats fine. However, if you're going to post your thoughts bashing it like this, you better be able to justify it better than just saying it's bad, it's bad, it's boring, it's boring.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Negative; when I wrote "facial expressions" I didn't just mean the art style. While most main characters are cool, Urasawa has a tendency to put side characters under very stressful situations, creating either comical or thrilling effects with unnatural reactions. However, I feel this method is very artificial and overused, gradually losing its novelty. Well, fans can call it his "style," but I just can't stand it anymore. Agoston: please quote pedopeto's words properly; separate what s/he wrote and yours with multiple quote tags instead of including your words as bold text yet still inside the quotation box. |
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pedopeto
Posts: 16 |
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I do like character development. But in my opinion even shows like Crest/Banner of the Stars and Full Metal Panic! had better character development than Monster. Also, I'd want the first four volumes of a series to at least hook me and impress me.
Heh, I didn't say it shares common ground with Naruto, I said I found it pretty much as silly as Naruto, and not more "adult".
Nope, just noticed that it's the top ranked manga on this site.
I don't quite get your point here. Sure, I started reading with an open mind, but if the first four volumes I read were completely unimpressive then of course my mind isn't so open towards the series anymore.
Yes, in fact I do remember the main character, his doctor associates, his girlfriend, Johan's sister, then there was that mercenary dude with the little kid and hmmm...my memory of the others is somewhat hazy. Most of the characters in the volumes I read were complete charicatures (doctors, girlfriend), their emotions were over the top. The dialogue was awkward and unrealistic (only bothers me since the manga tried to be more than your usual manga). The main character was hollow, Johan's sister was a generic cutesy anime girl, Johan himself was a complete joke in my opinion. And during the first four volumes there was nothing innovative, nothing new, nothing that would qualify this as a great series, it all seemed like a B-rate detective story to me. But the thing which bothers me the most is that I'm hearing that this series is some kind of thriller from "Japan's master of suspense", and when I actually read it I find out that there's no suspense of any kind and that the main villain seems better suited for a parody with the cheesy lines and "appearing from the shadows".
I wasn't exacly bashing Naruto, I like parts of the series myself. My purpose was to imply that in my opinion calling Monster "adult" is as silly as calling Naruto "adult". |
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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Monster is a seinen title. It was designed for an adult audience. Naruto is a shonen title. It was designed for a child / teen audience. Whether or not you like Monster (and I haven't read it yet so I have no personal axe to grind on that score), it is undeniably "adult" in its orientation. |
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Maryohki
 Posts: 526 |
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I really think you're missing the point of Monster entirely. And what's so horrible about the name Johan? =/ It's a common German name for a character born in Germany.
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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So why bother comparing it? I don't like coffee or the brussel sprouts, but using that as the basis of comparison between the two doesn't provide any useful insight. And if we're going to play "I didn't say that", notice I didn't say you said there was any ground between the two either. |
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Tamaria
 Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Monster is one of those series that want to keep you on edge constantly. It's cliffhanger after cliffhanger, mystery stacked on mystery. Not everyone's cup of tea. Some people feel the story isn't very rewarding, but it's one over the top scenario after another without coming to a conclusion every now and than. That reasonable criticism, claiming the manga has no merits whatsoever is not.
The cliffhangers are often somewhat artifial and drawn-out, but I can't understand you can claim the manga has no suspense. If anything, the constant suspense can be seen as one of the major flaws. Monster is one of those stories that isn't really about the characters. The characters serve as vehicles to move the story along. If you're willing to overlook that and focus on the suspense, it is at the very least an entertaining series. |
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Xagor
Posts: 192 |
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I would hardly call Johan's sister a cutesy anime girl... Did you only read far enough that she's only appeared as a 10 year old so far?
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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This is how you criticize a series.
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Watashi wa Ryuzaki
 Posts: 184 Location: Florida, USA |
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That is what's so powerful about this piece, the urge to want more. It is not any mere manga, but something special that makes you really think. As for why it's #1, you'll just have to read it again with an open mind, unbiased opinion, and as an eager manga fan.
After that, I'm sure you'll get it 
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