Monster

Episode Count	74
Season	Spring 2004
Genres	Drama, Psychological, Seinen, Thriller
Source Material	Manga
Rating	TV-MA
Streaming	TBD

Why do I watch anime? Well it's simple. I watch anime because American animation has confined itself to be raunchy comedies for adults and everything else is for kids. Because of how expensive animation is, nobody wants to take a risk on something that isn't Family Guy or for kids. In Japan, anime is not treated as a genre and is given the full respect that the animation medium deserves. And in my opinion, the series that represents this the most is Monster.

Taking heavy inspiration from The Fugitive, Monster is about a Japanese surgeon living in Germany who against the demands of his superiors operates on a young boy and saves his life. Nine years later, he finds out the young boy is a serial killer. Feeling guilty, the surgeon dedicates his life to finding and killing the monster he originally saved, while the police are on his tail suspecting that he's the real killer.

From beginning to end, Monster is magnificent. Every character is written to perfection. Every scene is gripping. Monster is the reason why I watch anime.

- 0215MADman