Hi Anon! OMG, I’m happy you gave it a try and enjoyed it, even if I don’t remember recommending Monster to anyone in particular xDD (must be my head tho, I kinda had a rough day so far due to partying a lot last night lmao).
Anyway, Monster is one of the few series I was rec’ by people IRL and that I really was fond of myself so I’m just glad if I could make other people try it. 😀
About Nina and Johan now, I do agree with your interpretation of Johan’s dynamic with his sister! The thing is, Johan was quite shaken by what happened during the last “experiment” (when they took Anna and Bonaparta killed everyone in his mansion) and that led to him wondering all his life about what his mom’s choice meant regarding how much she loved him and his sister.
After that, their mom told them to run away before disappearing on her own, so yeah, I think Anna really was all that Johan had left and mostly she was his twin (his double, as he called her sometimes), so he probably felt they had this very important connection (and actually it was confirmed in Another Monster that they did have a mental connection)
and that no one would ever understand him better than Anna did, especially after everything they went through.
In my opinion, his bond with Anna was so significant to him that it explains why there were some really creepy allusions from time to time (like “I was born to smother you with flowers”, frankly this isn’t something a brother should say to his sister but moving on), as well as why he managed to impersonate her while manipulating Suk without anyone ever having the slightest suspicion.
However, for Nina herself, I don’t agree that she hated Johan. I think she was definitely scared of him, and understandably so, when she realized that he had killed all the adults who took of them after they ran away, which is why she ended shooting him when he asked her to, because she was lost as to what to do or think.
Then there is when the truth about the red rose mansion finally comes out about Nina (and not Johan) being the one who witnessed it all and, upon remembering the event, Nina says to Tenma that she “couldn’t shoot him but [she] knows Johan will destroy himself”. That’s why in my opinion if she had truly hated him, she would have managed to shoot him a second time and wouldn’t have been able to forgive him at the end.
To be honest, overall I really liked their dynamic! It’s part of why Monster was so very interesting, because Anna was Johan’s only weakness and even in Nina’s case, while she was never free from the shadow of her brother it became some kind of protection, since everyone knew that she had an influence on Johan.
I hope I answered your question. 🙂 Thanks for passing by, have a great day! :3
Ahhh I agree, Anon! 😀 And yeah my mom really likes it, I think she’s about to meet Martin actually!
Funny story but I’m just like you: I intend on reading more from Urasawa-sensei because I know he’s done other amazing series besides Monster, it’s just that I have to wait until I have more free time (probably next year) before I lose myself in a new series. xDD
I don’t think I only have one favorite character in Monster though, I mean it’s all so complex and there are so many interesting characters that it’s hard to choose. If I had to make a choice though, then I’d say….
Wolfgang Grimmer, beating Tenma by a very small margin. I just… I loved him so much for his humanity and his bond with children, despite the horrible upbrining he had. Also witnessing him learning how to feel and express his emotions was just… incredibly moving.
The ending nearly annihilated me however, no matter how many times I read it or watch it I’m sure to always cry, so I think it’s really one of the best and most emotional death scenes I’ve ever watched (because it’s even sadder in the anime with the music and voice acting).
Other favorite characters besides these two are Nina, Johan (see above) and Eva (I did a full 180° on her character: I used to despise and dislike her so much and then the arc with Martin just… oh my God, very emotional moment as well).
Anyway, you’re welcome Anon, thank you for passing by and I hope it answers your question. :3 Please have a nice day!
Hi Anon! To be honest, the plot twist about the “two identical little girls” creeped me out pretty badly until the truth was revealed. x) You can totally blame the Kinderheim 511 for messing up with Johan’s memories and Johan’s actions are to blame for his sister’s amnesia, which explains the swap indeed, but boy was I glad when we found out the truth.
Anyway, Nina’s wish to become a lawyer “to save the life of many people” is precisely why I think she never hated her brother and how she was able to forgive him at the end. It went with what Bonaparta told her after the killing at the red rose mansion, about being careful not to become a monster after everything she and her brother went through. Except that Johan never heard that.
In the end, despite all the many horrors he caused, Johan was simply a victim at first. It doesn’t excuse what he did, but I agree it makes sense that his sister, who was able to forgive him, would move on by focusing on helping others as a lawyer. 🙂
Thanks for passing by Anon and have a nice day! ❤
Hey Anon and omg, not at all, at least not from what I remember of Tenjho Tenge? :// I think I went through a third or half of this series before dropping it 5 or 6 years ago (the plot and art were not my thing), but frankly I don’t recall any real similarity with Monster when it comes to the plot.
To be honest, it’s hard to find something that’s even slightly similar to Monster in terms of plot in the first place, mainly because it’s a story that isn’t bound by most general reductive tropes or narrative ploys in manga. But anyway: from what I read, I don’t remember Tenjho Tenge to be comparable. Sorry. :3
It has a lot of info, go check it out! Have a nice day. 🙂
Hey, but if the RCMT is accurate somehow, because real!Ciel didn’t want to be separated from his brother and Vincent’s enemies manipulated him using that, then it really reminds me of Urasawa Naoki’s Monsterand the Liebert twins:
Johan Liebert, who is an actual psychopath (when we’re still wondering if real!Ciel had sociopathic tendencies of his own, was manipulated or if he was just a normal kid) was a little obsessed with Anna (Nina), his twin sister, whom he literally saw as his double.
After everything they went through, she always was the most important person in his life and his behavior towards her as a result was… peculiar. From TV tropes:
and
The difference between real!Ciel and Johan is that the Liebert twins didn’t have such a fancy childhood, whereas Vincent and Rachel managed to create a loving environment for their sons. Also, Johan doesn’t get manipulated, ever, rather he is the one who manipulates everyone whereas real!Ciel, in the case of the RCMT or even in the current arc, probably was manipulated.
However, what’s interesting is that, in both cases, the twin who turned out “okay” is the one who wasn’t obsessing over their sibling (our!Ciel and Anna), so I might be far off my mark, but I really enjoy this possible parallel between real!Ciel and Johan when, no matter if the RCMT is accurate, we can see that real!Ciel is currently not in his right mind (Agni ;_;) but still quite serious about staying with his brother.
Hello 🙂 As a person who’s a big fan of both, I’m glad to hear that my blog gave you the opportunity to try TG and Monster. ^3^ If I’m lucky, maybe you’ll try Berserk one day. xD
Also, thanks for the little analysis, I’m actually not good at making cross comparisons between different series most of the time, because I tend to categorize things a little too much and restrain everything down to a series’ scale, which is why I generally don’t see many similarities from one series or character to another, but I do recognize the characters in what you’re explaining.
The only thing I’d add would be that, even now, Kaneki is being pulled forward by other people in anything that he’s doing: Arima and Eto made him into the OEK and he has not yet achieved, in my opinion, the feat of becoming the Nameless King because his current power relies mostly on “being the OEK”. It’s what the title of the OEK represents, due to the past, that’s making Kaneki a threat so far to his enemies (his own personal strength aside). [x]
Compared to him and on the contrary, Johan always outwitted anyone who tried to use him because he’s always been the one using others. That’s a big big difference between these two characters and that’s why I personally never considered they had any similarities, until you pointed out a few ideas.
Anyway, thanks for all of this. 🙂 It might not be my thing to compare characters from different series, since ultimately I find that a characterization is dependent on world’s building and settings, but it certainly was interesting. :3
Thanks again for the very nice words and have a great week as well! ^3^
Hello Anon! Oh, I hardly ever mind talking about series I like and anyway, I think my point of view is probably too categorizing which isn’t necessarily the best way to go. xD
Many people like to compare different works since you could say fiction is based on tropes, I just am not particularly good at it that’s all, haha. What’s important is that your analysis sounds well-proved, which seems to be the case here, and it’s all that matters.
Thanks again for passing by and have a very nice day as well! :3
To answer your question, I read the manga and watched the anime (currently rewatching the anime with my mom) so I can confirm that the anime is absolutely similar to the manga and thus is very good. ^_^
I’m supposed to start other series by Urasawa Naoki now. xD Probably when I have more time. :))
Have a nice day Anon!
Hey Anon! Sorry but I haven’t, so I can’t help there.
And for now I only read Monster by Urasawa Naoki 🙂 but I just meant to say that I will surely read other of his works when I have more time on my hands, in the next few years!
Hey Anon! Oh Gosh, I haven’t read Monster in a while but I rewatched a big part of the anime a few months ago so I hope I’ll be able to answer you xD
About the twins’ mother: it’s not exactly certain what happened after Nina/Anna was taken to go the Red Rose mansion (the story never really emphasized on this part) but, if I remember correctly, there might have been a hint or two that she quickly came back and told the twins that they had to “survive by themselves”, which is when they left the Three Frogs for the border.
About Nina/Anna and Johan: I remember how disturbed I was about the “two little girls” back when Nina was trying to recall what had happened, until we learnt that Johan was disguising as a girl to protect them both from Bonaparta… Poor kids, seriously.
Honestly though,
while Nina definitely maintained a true identity outside of her brother’s shadow, the fact Johan kept on using her identity at some point + how he constantly referred to Nina/Anna as his “other self” (without mentioning some moments of his…ahem, uncanny behavior towards his sister) makes me think that she was a genuine part of Johan’s own identity (which is why he really wanted to go get her back for her 20th birthday + why he didn’t want to/couldn’t forget about her at Kinderheim 511).
Johan’s possible identity issue towards his sister might come from their mother’s decision on “that day” anyway, since we know that it unsettled Johan greatly not to know whether his mom saved him on purpose, or if she only confused him with his sister.
Anyway, their relationship is incredibly interesting (especially Johan’s point of view, but Nina’s final decision about her brother really moved me as well) and it’s definitely a part of why Monster is so good 😀
Aww forgive me Anon… If that’s any consolation, I’m still crying on my end and I will probably never get over his death (it was one of the saddest things I ever read about… ;_;).
For real though, that’s not only the music of his death but also the music of many other moments, namely the moment Tenma decides to save Johan one last time, so that Wim’s dad won’t become a murderer, but I’m still sorry because it was really terrible of me to remind anyone of Grimmer’s death. ;_;
I love this song though, because it really feels as if this song only is good enough to summarize the entire series and how sad it is.
I think I’ll never get over how incredible Monster was (it counts as one of the best series I’ve ever read, with Berserk). Urasawa Naoki-sensei is a real genius and I don’t say that just because of Monster.
I’m sorry again for the bad memories Anon, but thanks for listening to the playlist :3
What I’m most afraid… is… forgetting Anna. The strange lessons we have every day… are making my memories fade. Please, don’t make me forget Anna.It’s only Anna and me in this whole world.
midnight-in-town 