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YMMV: Monster

The Manga and Anime:

  • Alternative Character Interpretation: Johan. Is he truly heartless? Or is he just broken? Or is he heartless because he was broken?
  • Complete Monster: Johan is widely considered to be both the poster boy and a remarkable deconstruction of the trope.
  • Crowning Moment of Funny: There is an unintentionally hilarious moment when Gustav gets hit by the police cruiser.
  • Crowning Music of Awesome:
    • Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" being played in Episode 23 when Roberto and Eva are at the bar.
    • "Medium Shot" with its jittery violin and clattering percussion (including the triangle!) is the one of the most delightfully creepy songs in the OST.
  • Ear Worm: How much of an ear worm is the Ronette's "Be My Baby"? People have reported getting it stuck in their head from reading about it in the manga.
  • Ensemble Darkhorse: Grimmer, Johan, Lunge and Martin to name a few.
  • Family Unfriendly Aesop: Franz Bonaparta's books contain plenty of these like, "Sometimes you're simply screwed no matter which choice you take."
  • Genius Bonus: Aside from the extra understanding gleaned by those with medical degrees, there's a bonus for film or animation students. Lipsky could be a puppeteer just because it's a part of his character, or because it's both creepy and sad...or it could double as a Shout Out to the Prague school of animation, which, based on when Monster is set, would have still been going strong during Lipsky's childhood. This particular localized trend produced a lot of work based on puppetry and dark fairy tales, both elements which compliment Monster nicely. And of course, Lipsky's first met in Prague.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: When Grimmer first meets Tenma, they hold a short conversation. Grimmer's first line starts with "Thanks." The second starts with "Thanks again." And now Patrick Seitz, who voiced Grimmer, is voicing Sky High, and the lines sound kind of familiar.
  • Ho Yay: Roberto describes Johan to Dr. Reichwein as if he were having an affair with the man. Also doubles as No Yay for a lot of people.
  • It Was His Sled: Johan's a cross-dresser.
  • Like You Would Really Do It: Will Tenma actually confront the problems of his Thou Shall Not Kill code? Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Possibly subverted by the finale, however. If Johan escaped to continue his rampage, it wouldn't do Tenma's idealism any good.
  • Magnificent Bastard: Johan Liebert, the monster himself.
  • Mind Game Ship: Johan and Tenma. To a lesser extent, Johan and Nina.
  • Misaimed Fandom: Most people appreciate Johan's Magnificent Bastardry. Others seem to ignore all that, and move on to a Roberto-like level of worship.
  • Moral Event Horizon:
    • Johan skips right past it in the first volume and keeps going from there.
    • One could even say that this series doesn't have one. People are redeemed (sometimes at a large cost) for crimes so heinous even death wouldn't be enough in most series. At the end, even Johan is forgiven by his sister, who says "Even if we were the only two people left in the whole world, I would forgive you."
    • One of the main themes of the series is the question of whether or not the Horizon even exists: is there a point where a person is so far gone as to be truly irredeemable?
      • In the end, the answer is a mixture of yes and no. No one, not even Johan is truly beyond redemption, but what makes Johan irredeemable is the fact that he doesn't want to be redeemed.
      • Even this is ambiguous as Johan's lack of desire for redemption seems to stem from his belief that he is irredeemable. "Some things can never be amended."
  • Nightmare Fuel: The show, for the most part.
    • Nightmare Retardant: Franz Bonaparta's books are supposed to be ominous, but honestly, they try way too hard. And the silly artwork doesn't help.
  • One-Scene Wonder: Gustav Milch, arguably.
  • Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped: Tenma is this trope on legs. Without the Aesops he provides, this series would be far too grim to bear.
  • Tear Jerker: Many, but in particular Grimmer's death. Not to mention the poor guy with his baby in Ruhenheim whose wife was killed and he's crying begging for a gun and revenge.
  • Too Cool to Live: Martin.
  • The Woobie: Tenma, Grimmer, Nina, Dieter, and Wim are all excellent examples.

The Film:

  • Crowning Moment of Heartwarming: For all the trouble in their relationship, Aileen and Selby do have some pretty cute moments together.
  • Tear Jerker: Several moments, but the last ten or fifteen minutes of the film especially qualify.

The Book:


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