Monster Vol. 7
© N/A
"Monster Vol. 7"
By: Janet HouckDate: Friday, April 13, 2007
It’s rather hard to jump into a series midway through, especially with an episodic crime series like Monster. Luckily, the Internet can readily supply a synopsis of the story up to now, so that made reading this volume a lot easier.
This is the first title I’ve read in the Viz Signature imprint, which seems to differ from their other manga categories by supplying untranslated special effects in panels, with a glossary at the back, and a cover of a slightly higher quality. And of course, the titles are for an older audience. Now, perhaps because I am so used to translated special effects, I found reading the panels very distracting, as I had to pause to either flip back to the glossary or simply blink at the kanji and try to figure it out from visual cues. However, on a purist level, I am for keeping the effects in--I just find it hard to read in practice.
For me, Monster lived up to its hype as one of the best manga to be published domestically in 2006. Oftentimes, manga set outside of Japan suffers greatly from feeling as if all of the characters are Japanese, albeit in a different visual setting. Monster’s Germany feels authentic, and although one of the key characters is Japanese, all of the other characters are German and they actually feel European.
I can’t comment much on the set-up of the story, as this isn’t the first book, but in this volume, we open with Richard Brown, a former detective turned private eye. Slowly throughout the book, we learn about Brown’s divorce and custody issues, his alcoholism, which we learn results from an incident where he shot a suspect in cold blood. Currently, Brown is employed by Hans Schuwald, who is looking for his long-lost son. Unfortunately, Brown is a thorough detective, even without the badge, and even though Schwald takes him off the case once the son is found, Brown is compelled to solve this case. Who is this Johan character? What is his connection with Schuwald and his son? And why is it that Johan is at the center of all of Brown’s unsolved mysteries back when he was on the police force? Serving as Brown’s confidant is Dr. Reichwein, his friend and psychologist, who becomes the sole possessor of the knowledge that leads to Brown’s death and the focus of Johan’s murderous intentions. Along with Dr. Tenma, a Japanese doctor who has also met Johan in unusual circumstances, the two men set out to avenge Brown’s death, and see justice down. The volume ends with Tenma going off on his own to find Johan.
Judging from the synopsis, Monster gets into the land of Brazil, with Nazi genetic experiments to create the perfect man. (Duh! It’s a manga set in Germany! Of course there has to be Nazis involved somehow.) So if you enjoy this kind of story, and crime thrillers, Monster is a wonderful read.
The artwork stands out, as Urasawa draws realistic people and environments. It really feels like a graphic novel, instead of manga, another point in your favor if you’re not a fan of “anime-style” artwork. Urasawa uses a wide variety of tones and shading, adding to the realism.
Monster is a great story, and definitely one for movie fans who don’t usually read manga. The untranslated special effects may turn some readers off, but this is only a small flaw, if that, in a gem of a series.
