Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Vol. 2

I'm no stranger to Manga, but here is a particularly excellent book that completely passed under my radar. The only reason I heard about it at all was due to it being mentioned in an issue of Wizard magazine from earlier this year. Even then it was only a 2 sentence blurb. Still, that was enough to intrigue me. I checked it out, and found that two sentence blurb didn't do the book justice at all (Oh my). This is actually the second book in the series. The first book basically introduced the setting and the two main characters: heroic Dr. Tenma and sociopathic Johan Lieberg. It was awesome, but I had no idea of where the story would go from there. This volume answered that very question. In light of the previous volume's plot developments, Dr. Tenma has begun traveling throughout post-cold-war Germany to investigate Johan's whereabouts; in desperate hope to put an end to Johan's murderous crimes. That's not without it's complications. First, police are beginning to suspect that Tenma is the actual perpetrator of Johan's crimes. Second, Johan is more than just a murderer. He has so infused himself within the political infrastruture that Tenma will have to manuever around multiple conspiracies to find him. Simply put, this series (so far) combines the best elements from "The Fugitive" TV Series from the 60s, The movie version of "The Fugitive" from the 90s (with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones), and the "Halloween" movie franchise (I swear; Johan comes across as a refined, genius version of Michael Myers). To put it even more simply, it's a series you should read. "Monster" has 16 books to go. Hopefully, the remaining books will live up to the promise of these first two.

Sorry I'm exploitive and I wanted you to read my review from the title. That said, Monster Vol.2 is a slow burn. Unlike #1 where it exploded at the very end of that volume with horror, tension and true suspense--Vol. 2 is the continuation of an 18-volume (in Japan work) and it shows. This volume leaves the horror from 1 and focuses more on more tension and more suspense as it tightens the noose grip on Dr. Tenma's life and we begin to realize that this book is moving more from murder mystery to conspiracy and 'fugitive' style storytelling mechanics. I'm pretty awed by the craftmanship of this book as under lesser hands it would quickly fall apart into disbelief and silliness of characterization but all the while we continue to learn more about the character (in this volume) of Tenma, the sister and even Tenma's ex (which is a surprising turn for her character although the ending in this volume may not seem it). This is a grand series--highly recommended to fans of true mystery books, adult fiction or true lovers of manga (if you can read a manga on cooking just as well as Naruto then this is for you). Finally, One Piece and Monster both have a very cartoony style. It's hard to see if you're not reading many different types of manga (or I could just be crazy) but I've come to have an appreciation of both styles which have more of a true cartoony storytelling in the effectiveness of its' draftmanship, panel design and overall approach to characters...while One Piece is very cartoony..the similarities I find refreshing as this is not anime style just to fit the oppotunities for easy transition into animation like many manga has become nowadays. Great book...pick up both volumes.

Dr. Tenma, a neurosurgeon who finds himself caught in a moral quagmire, chose to execute what he believed was right when he ignored the hospital's orders and instead operated on a boy who had been shot through the head. The series then brings us down a horrifying trail of serial murders as Dr Tenma goes down his path in search of the serial murder - the boy whom he resurrected. He accumulates clues and evidences, which ultimately point towards a greater, more horrifying social experiment. While the series may be slow in pace, its intensive execution of emotions is well-played: there is enough time for transition between multitudes of emotions. This is important and lends the story depth, for as the story progresses, characters are fleshed out, like multi-faceted gems. Therefore, though it may be slow, it is certainly not boring; the psychological aspects of small characters bring to life the conspiracy and makes it a very real experience for the reader. Urasawa's art is also competantly executed and highly dynamic in its own right. The storyline itself brings us face-to-face with death and the darkest aspects of human nature. It goes beyond its genre and dishes out very poignant, but illuminating questions about human nature and what it means to be human. If you are looking for easy entertainment, don't bother reading this series. On the other hand, if you want to learn more about life, finish this series. It is a ride through the kindest and the cruellest aspects of human nature, a ride which began and culminated with this fundamental question: The value of life.

As expected, Volume 2 of Monster continuues the story from Volume 1. Excellent art and story. Definately a must-buy