History Fridge / Monster

* How does Johan have such a perfect face and hairstyle? Brain surgery leaves nasty scars that can't grow hair... based on the panel showing him after surgery, he should have a clear mark on his forehead and a bald stripe marring his perfect bangs.

* Just what exactly was it that Franz Bonaparta wanted to achieve? Did he really try to create what Johan became? And if so, WHY because there is no way a creature like Johan can be controlled once he gets out in the world. Could it be it only was [[{{ForScience}} an experiment for the heck of it?]]

** [[spoiler: {{Jossed}} by the sequel series, ''Another Monster,'' where it is heavily implied that Johan went the way of Franz Bonaparta and began his life anew and in peace.]]

* Grimmer's name suggests that he's rather "grimmer" than his smiling face would suggest. in more than one way. It turns out that ''Grimr'' is a name of the Norse god Odin, and it means "mask". Grimmer's smiling face is a mask for his true emotions!

* The anime and manga are very explicitly anti-Nazi, seeing as Nazis serve as a major antagonist for a couple episodes are Neo-Nazis and are depicted as [[ThoseWackyNazis racist fanatics, sometimes to an almost comical degree.]] There is, however, a much subtler form of anti-Nazi sentiment displayed - Johan is blue-eyed, blond haired, very light-skinned, [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon physically attractive]], and practically the perfect specimen as far as any Nazi would be concerned. He is also, you know...[[CaptainObvious a monster.]]

* The anime and manga are very explicitly anti-Nazi, seeing as one of the major antagonists for an episode are Neo-Nazis and are depicted as [[ThoseWackyNazis racist fanatics.]] There is, however, a much subtler form of anti-Nazi sentiment - Johan is blue-eyed, blond haired, very light-skinned, [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon physically attractive]], and practically the perfect specimen as far as any Nazi would be concerned. He is also, you know...[[CaptainObvious a monster.]]

* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', Tenma is brought to the sick ward because he had collapsed from not eating. The viewer's immediate reaction is exasperated, because Tenma ''always'' [[ForgetsToEat fails to eat]], but in this case it was intentional, as it allowed him to speak to the man whose help he needed to break out of prison. - insofar
* The first ending credits song is, obviously, about Tenma's idealistic philosophy, although it's deliberately creepy and eerie, like the show. The second ending credits song bothered me, because it was bright and cheery in both lyrics and feel, which didn't make any sort of sense, until I hit episode 70 and realised [[spoiler: it's about Johan's philosophy. It's an exact reversal of the SoundtrackDissonance of the first credits song!]] Brilliant! - @/{{randomfanboy}}
* It's small, but when I first watched the last episode, I didn't understand why Lunge/Runge/however you want to spell it [[spoiler: put a beer on Grimmer's grave.]] Then it hit me: [[spoiler: they had promised each other to go get some nice cold beer after everything was over.]] - @/ToaNovu

* My girlfriend (who's a major in Nursery) explained to me in a casual talk that there's a theory saying that neurosurgeons may have tendencies to become assassins and then they suppress this tendency by becoming neurosurgeons. I didn't check if this is true, and something may be LostInTranslation (because I use English as a second language), but, '''if''' this is true, this CHANGES THE MEANING OF THE ENTIRE SERIES! - Tropers/NotJMKeynes.
** Psychoanalysis by Freud supports this idea.
** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. That said, part of this theory could apply to Tenma at least as far as sublimation of aggressive impulses is concerned. There’s a clue in Lunge’s speculation that Tenma has a split personality. While he clearly doesn’t, a certain character does: [[spoiler: ''Grimmer''.]] This could be a hint that [[spoiler: Grimmer]] is meant to be [[ShadowArchetype what Tenma would have been like had he been sent to Kinderheim 511 as a child]]. If we analyze Tenma’s psyche from this perspective, then he doesn’t have a tendency to become an assassin or a serial killer as much as a tendency for emotional reactivity under stress that has the potential to manifest as raw, uncontrolled rage and violence. This capacity for aggression seems to be purely defensive and/or retaliatory in nature for both characters, as [[spoiler: the experience of going Steiner disturbs Grimmer enough for him to dissociate]] and Tenma appears to have a mental block against killing that can only be bypassed when directly confronted with a life or death situation. Taking all that into account, Tenma’s choice to be a neurosurgeon ''is'' a socially acceptable means of expressing his aggressive impulses, but not in the way that’s typically conceived. Instead of stemming from guilt for having an unconscious desire to cut people up, his desire to save lives is an extension of his own survival instinct—he fights for his patients’ lives just as he would his own. But even with this interpretation, [[https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/08/stereotypical-surgical-personality-exist.html Tenma may not be the most realistic surgeon.]] (The key word here is "may," because the article questions whether or not there is a stereotypical surgical personality to begin with.)

* A mix of FridgeHorror, FridgeBrilliance, and ShownTheirWork in this next one. Throughout the series, it is hinted at that Johan is supposedly the story's version of The Antichrist. According to some legends of The Antichrist, he is supposed to suffer two head injuries before going on his ultimate rampage. [[spoiler: Johan is shot in the head twice and ''only'' twice in the series in the series. (Once in the beginning, and once at the end.) The credits of the final episode end with a static shot of the [[OhCrap empty bed where the supposedly comatose Johan was previously]].]]

* A mix of FridgeHorror, FridgeBrilliance, and ShownTheirWork in this next one. Throughout the series, it is hinted at that Johan is supposedly the story's version of The Antichrist. According to some legends of The Anticrist, he is supposed to suffer two head injuries before going on his ultimate rampage. [[spoiler: Johan is shot in the head twice and ''only'' twice in the series in the series. (Once in the beginning, and once at the end.) The credits of the final episode end with a static shot of the [[OhCrap empty bed where the supposedly comatose Johan was previously]].]]

** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. That said, part of this theory could apply to Tenma at least as far as sublimation of aggressive impulses is concerned. There’s a clue in Lunge’s speculation that Tenma has a split personality. While he clearly doesn’t, a certain character does: [[spoiler: ''Grimmer''.]] This could be a hint that [[spoiler: Grimmer]] is meant to be [[ShadowArchetype what Tenma would have been like had he been sent to Kinderheim 511 as a child]]. If we analyze Tenma’s psyche from this perspective, then he doesn’t have a tendency to become an assassin or a serial killer as much as a tendency for emotional reactivity under stress that has the potential to manifest as raw, uncontrolled rage and violence. This capacity for aggression seems to be purely defensive and/or retaliatory in nature for both characters, as [[spoiler: the experience of going Steiner disturbs Grimmer enough for him to dissociate]] and Tenma appears to have a mental block against killing that can only be bypassed when directly confronted with a life or death situation. Taking all that into account, Tenma’s choice to be a neurosurgeon ''is'' a socially acceptable means of expressing his aggressive impulses, but not in the way that’s typically conceived. Instead of stemming from guilt for having an unconscious desire to cut people up, his desire to save lives is an extension of his own survival instinct—he fights for his patients’ lives just as he would his own. But even with this interpretation, [[https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/08/stereotypical-surgical-personality-exist.html Tenma may not be the most realistic surgeon]]. (Key word here is "may," because the article questions whether or not there is a stereotypical surgical personality to begin with.)

** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. That said, part of this theory could apply to Tenma at least as far as sublimation of aggressive impulses is concerned. There’s a clue in Lunge’s speculation that Tenma has a split personality. While he clearly doesn’t, a certain character does: [[spoiler: ''Grimmer''.]] This is one of many hints that [[spoiler: Grimmer]] is meant to be [[ShadowArchetype what Tenma would have been like had he been sent to Kinderheim 511 as a child]]. If we analyze Tenma’s psyche from this perspective, then he doesn’t have a tendency to become an assassin or a serial killer as much as a tendency for emotional reactivity under stress that has the potential to manifest as raw, uncontrolled rage and violence. This capacity for aggression seems to be purely defensive and/or retaliatory in nature for both characters, as [[spoiler: the experience of going Steiner disturbs Grimmer enough for him to dissociate]] and Tenma appears to have a mental block against killing that can only be bypassed when directly confronted with a life or death situation. Taking all that into account, Tenma’s choice to be a neurosurgeon ''is'' a socially acceptable means of expressing his aggressive impulses, but not in the way that’s typically conceived. Instead of stemming from guilt for having an unconscious desire to cut people up, his desire to save lives is an extension of his own survival instinct—he fights for his patients’ lives just as he would his own. But even with this interpretation, [[http://www.alternet.org/culture/10-careers-most-psychopaths Tenma still isn't exactly the most realistic surgeon]].

** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. That said, part of this theory could apply to Tenma at least as far as sublimation of aggressive impulses is concerned. There’s a clue in Lunge’s speculation that Tenma has a split personality. While he clearly doesn’t, a certain character does: ''Grimmer''. This is one of many hints that Grimmer is meant to be [[ShadowArchetype what Tenma would have been like had he been sent to Kinderheim 511 as a child]]. If we analyze Tenma’s psyche from this perspective, then he doesn’t have a tendency to become an assassin or a serial killer as much as a tendency for emotional reactivity under stress that has the potential to manifest as raw, uncontrolled rage and violence. This capacity for aggression seems to be purely defensive and/or retaliatory in nature for both characters, as the experience of going Steiner disturbs Grimmer enough for him to dissociate and Tenma appears to have a mental block against killing that can only be bypassed when directly confronted with a life or death situation. Taking all that into account, Tenma’s choice to be a neurosurgeon ''is'' a socially acceptable means of expressing his aggressive impulses, but not in the way that’s typically conceived. Instead of stemming from guilt for having an unconscious desire to cut people up, his desire to save lives is an extension of his own survival instinct—he fights for his patients’ lives just as he would his own. But even with this interpretation, [[http://www.alternet.org/culture/10-careers-most-psychopaths Tenma still isn't exactly the most realistic surgeon]].

** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But regardless if there's anything to this assertion or not, Tenma isn't exactly the most realistic neurosurgeon. In fact, [[http://www.alternet.org/culture/10-careers-most-psychopaths surgeons]] are believed to be more likely to possess psychopathic traits than the average person. Furthermore, doctors in general seem to have a higher resistance to stress according to [[http://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1308/rcsbull.2015.331 one study]]. While he does show evidence of having a resilient psyche, agonizing over life and death the way Tenma does just isn't typical for an actual surgeon. The reality is closer to Lunge's assessment: calm and detached. If Tenma were a real life doctor, it would be unlikely for him to be in any surgical field simply due to his sensitivity. This idea does hold interesting implications for Franz Bonaparta, however, since he was also a neurosurgeon in addition to being a psychiatrist and a children's book author.

** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But regardless if there's anything to this assertion or not, Tenma isn't exactly the most realistic neurosurgeon. In fact, [[http://www.alternet.org/culture/10-careers-most-psychopaths surgeons]] are believed to be more likely to possess psychopathic traits than the average person. Furthermore, doctors in general seem to have higher resistance to stress according to [[http://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1308/rcsbull.2015.331 one study]]. While he does show evidence of having a resilient psyche, agonizing over life and death the way Tenma does just isn't typical for an actual surgeon. The reality is closer to Lunge's assessment: calm and detached. If Tenma were a real life doctor, it would be unlikely for him to be in any surgical field simply due to his sensitivity. This idea does hold interesting implications for Franz Bonaparta, however, since he was also a neurosurgeon in addition to being a psychiatrist and a children's book author.

** And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But regardless if there's anything to this assertion or not, Tenma isn't exactly the most realistic neurosurgeon. In fact, [[http://www.alternet.org/culture/10-careers-most-psychopaths surgeons]] are believed to be more likely to possess psychopathic traits than the average person. Furthermore, doctors in general seem to have higher resistance to stress according to [[http://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1308/rcsbull.2015.331 one study]]. While he does show evidence of having a resilient psyche, agonizing over life and death the way Tenma does just isn't typical for an actual surgeon. The reality is closer to Lunge's assessment: calm and indifferent. If Tenma were a real life doctor, it would be unlikely for him to be in any surgical field simply due to his sensitivity. This idea does hold interesting implications for Franz Bonaparta, however, since he was also a neurosurgeon in addition to being a psychiatrist and a children's book author.