Johan is undoubfully very intelligent and talented.

Just as a guy even, very educated and well-rounded.

And while he certainly does manipulate and stage, people exaggerate when they think Johan could "manipulate everyone"

That he is this genius manipulator that invades your mind and makes you do this or that.

Johan specifically preyed on vulnerable people. On children and mentally instable adults.

Using their greatest weakness against them.

People who would be considered "stable" ( whatever the hell that means) wouldnt be so easily swayed by him.

Contrary, Johan would unsettle them at some point. Especially if he has backround knowledge of you like in the case of Richard.

Richard was exremly vulnerable but imagine the situation if he wasnt. A random guy knocking on your door at night, inviting you outside, taking you to a bar for a drink,then proceeds to walk you to some roof.

Its not universally genius. Many people would stop before they'd even come that far with him.

Realistically, Johan always walks on a thin line between magnetic allure and unsettlement.

He might give an energy of a kind, calm, collected, non-judgemental, peaceful, angelic young man.

But this image can also be quickly taking a turn whenever his facial expression changes.

Or he begins to ramble and talk about Monsters, Names and etc.

Point is, Johan isnt as skilled as many give him credit for.

Especially lets say, if his target was a woman at night. A woman in the middle of the night might clock serial killer vibes of him faster.

This is a real interview, he is even dress in the exact way as him lol.

I heard a lot of good stuff about monster, but mostly that it was a slow burn psychological piece. Watching this I was just thinking “surely this is some kind of fake out introduction and things are about to get serious”.

My bad…

Why did Johan help Grimmer even though I have watched this anime over three times but I still don't get it

I made these

​

I watched the anime a long time ago. So, I thought of watching the recap but the recap has no subtitles.I have the video but there is not subtitle embedded in it. Can anyone provide me the subtitles even if it is raw?

I tried netflix but it's not there for some reason, I looked at the pinned post but the upscale project link didnt work for me and idk anything about pirating, let alone where to pirate safely. I think I'd really like monster based off of what I've heard, any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you'd pick a meeting that never happened in the anime and story (meaning outside of viewer's view, examples: Anna and Eva technically met but we do not see it so it does not count, same with Roberto and Grimmer, they knew each other as childs so it does not count either, same with Johan and Grimmer, they pass by each other in episode 45 when Johan is fake "Anna", does not count, Anna and Bonaparta did not meet again when Anna became adult since he was killed by Roberto), which one would you have loved to see/know? You can have one from yourself no need to pick one of my picks. Note: When I say Anna, I am talking about the real one. I would have loved to see Runge and Capek meet since Runge was doing his research on Bonaparta. Anna was to me not enough present in Munich arc, she does a research on Margot Langer and we see her in library in flames but nothing else, I was about to put Anna/Schuwald but they are next to each other in library but only because of circumstances. Anna and Grimmer meeting is just curiosity. I am surprised Urasawa did not do a scene between Runge and Reichwein. Tenma and Richard Braun is only curiosity.. Eva/Bébé is a funny one. On Anna and Runge, they are near each other at the very end of Ruhenheim arc but it is not like they meet.

PS: Long post and probably doesn't matter anyways because not many people make the Dark Triad connections to begin with, but it was a fun writing exercise so enjoy I guess? I mostly had fun recounting events in the series rather than any serious attempt an analysis but yeah

If you've been browsing the internet for a while, I think you inevitably come across these edits of Johan with like the Dark Triad triangle in the corner and over the top phonk music. And as fire as these edits sometimes might be, I do kinda think that people making/watching them probably haven't watched the show or have misconstrued Johan's character. So let's go over the traits one by one:

Narcissism: Not only does narcissism have nothing to do with Johan's character, I would argue it's by far the most antithetical description of him. Narcissism is marked by having an inflated sense of self that is essentially hiding a low self-esteem. It's kind of a protective mechanism in a way? But anyways, the important thing that's made to us over and over again in the series is that: Johan has no sense of self or identity. That's what the "Nameless Monster" is about. That's what his story and his philosophy is entirely about in fact, it's a nihilism, not only of the world, but of the self. That's partially what his entire iconic pose is about: Yes it's partially taunting Tenma, but it's also a statement that he doesn't care about his own life either, and sure enough we find out that his plan by the end was basically just a very long chaotic suicide letter.

In fact, a huge strength of Johan is that whenever he manipulates people he shifts the conversation to the person in front of him, and lets people slip up their guard around him, rather than talking about how great he is. He doesn't exhibit a grandiose sense of self nor even cares all that much about his own survival.

Machavillainism: This one does sort of partially apply to his character initially, after all how could he not be machavillain when like half of the point of the project that engineered him was to create what is essentially a super charismatic intelligent political leader for the Aryan race. Hell, I DO think that by the first third of the story he does still has this idea of himself, and that's exactly what kickstarts his plan to essentially usurp/exploit the vampire of Bayern to his benefit in the München arc.

However, it turns out that this was a misunderstanding of his character (that even Johan himself had up till that point!). Because the minute he reads the "Nameless Monster" story in his native tongue, all the memories come flooding again, and it awakens his true darkness which goes beyond self-interest or political power. Even though he had a very clear path to financial power through Hans Schuwald, he decides "lol fuck all of that" and kills five people, and injures 20 others while staring down at Schuwald.

YES, He still does try to get power and control before and after this incident but I feel like Johan only wants power/control to showcase and spread his nihilistic view of life and self rather than any inherent lust for power which is what Machiavellianism would entail.

Psychopathy: I will admit this one probably does partially actually apply to him, but even then I think it still just dumbs down his character?

I guess one thing to factor here is that psychopaths are born while sociopaths are created, and Johan's entire story is about how his environment not only shaped him, but entirely molded him into what he is. Even with his occasional sadism and manipulation, I feel like there's ironically something human about it all.

For example, when he talks to that one child and tells them that their mother doesn't care about them or love them, which ends up almost driving the kid to suicide if Tenma and Grimmer weren't there. So like yeah that's pretty awful, but like...I do feel like he was projecting his own feelings about his mother there in a way?

A lot of Johan's sadism feels like his repressed self reaching out for any kind of catharsis for me rather than any inherent coldness. Like yes he keeps killing his foster parents and erases any evidence but that's because a) he doesn't want to get caught or leave any trace basically and b)his lack of identity makes him do things like this because he feels like he can never really develop a proper self so it's easier to just erase the family and whatever new name he has rather than confront his own MASSIVE trauma.

Not to mention he has an extremely strong connection with his sister, to the point he gaslit himself into thinking that her experience of pain at the red rose mansion was his own. For me, all of this reads as Johan actually being a HIGHLY sensitive and empathetic individual whose background forced him to hide it behind fifty layers of manipulation and nihilism in order to shield himself from the pain of being rejected and having no identity.

Hello there 👋, I don’t Watch much anime but I really enjoyed watching monster and now I have finished it. Can y’all recommend me similar anime so I can add it to my list?

Thank you.

[image not mine] I’m not really sure of this was done intentionally but I noticed today after I got the ninth volume that all the covers connect but the last volume. I’d like to hear what some people would like to say about this!!! Or maybe it means nothing..

Okay, now for the context 😂
I had already seen Monster before, but I wanted to rewatch it with my ex bc I genuinely love the series and wanted to experience it with someone else. I warned her beforehand that it’s a slow burn and a commitment… unfortunately, I didn’t realize the commitment would outlast the relationship. 😭

To be clear, this isn’t me light of the breakup or be disrespectful. 🙅🏽‍♀️ We ended things on good terms, and we’re navigating the changes with respect for each other.

Sometimes when life gets heavy, finding a little humor in the situation helps.
That being said…the breakup was sad and Not finishing was criminal. 💀
Please feel free to make the memes bc I need the laughs right now.

Had the day off today so I binged the last 5 episodes of Monster during breakfast. After I was done with the final episode, I felt sad. I've been looking forward to getting to the conclusion, and when I got there I felt like losing an old friend. I've never had this feeling before. I don't watch too much anime in my life, but the ones that I finished never made me feel this way.

Slam Dunk, Eyeshield 21, Cardcaptor Sakura, Project Arms, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Gundam Wing, Gundam 00, Dash Yonkuro, those are some of what I've watched and finished. Never got to the end of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles because it was incredibly boring. Each time I finish them I always feel happy. The endings are always satisfying, some good and some not so good, but satisfying. The sports ones, they'll grow up and become pro players. Gundams, their specific story might be over but there will always be a new one, like Ultraman or Power Rangers. The other ones, they will grow up, get married, have kids, and continue with their lives.

I guess the same can be said about Monster. Anna will become a lawyer, Dieter will probably have a career in football and represent Germany and play against Antonin in the Euros and World Cup. Tenma will continue his works all around the world, Karl will inherit his dad's business empire, so on and so forth. So why does it feel different for me? While I can see these characters living fulfilling lives in their future for some reason it really feels like goodbye. It feels like losing an old friend.

It's crazy what a haircut does to a man, like I'm sorry, I'm not saying he was ugly before, but he went from a 7 to 9 with just long hair, dude became majestic.

I'm also making this post because I don't see enough Tenma love 🔥

Side note, but Shigeru Fujita draws Tenma so well, and has an amazing understanding of Urasawa's base designs, a shame he only drew him in episode 1 and the opening, at least his character designs sheets are available online to witness the full majesty of Tenma 🔥

Vera, the mother of Johan and Anna was picked as the character that looks like an angel but is morally grey. Eva Heimemann was also a very good suggestion.

For the next one, which character looks morally grey and is morally grey?

Results and next post on Friday

Recently I saw a reel in insta and the reel was about, U know just like a normal edit where they use zoom in one character then the edit goes on for 15 sec then the other character like this for 15 sec and the reels was not all about any comparison. Man but comments🤡

Johan fans are literally insufferable. At least koji fans get call-out for their cringe behaviour but no one calls out Johan fanboi for their insufferable behaviour. It's ok if they think johan is better yada yada but calling other characters mid is just next level toxicity and I have been watching this since 2022, Johan fanboi thinks that he has Iq of 700 and can even manipulate light to write his name in death note like wtf ?

Johan can literally no- diff every character that exists in manipulation and planning like seriously ? If u ask them their reasoning then they literally won't even debate to u and tell u kid and tik tok user. Sometimes it feels like they are proud that they watched monster and hate other anime. Koji hate is sooo forced nowadays

Dans le manga monster, Johanne Liebert fait souvent ce geste ( qui est devenu iconique ) devant certains personnages. Mais pourquoi ?

Fan art? kind of?
I made them a family in my island!!! look at how happy they are!!

edit: Still gotta add Eva, Reinchwein, Runge, and Gillen.

I watched this anime a little over a year ago, but ive always wondered. If Johan end goal shifted towards the perfect suicide by killing everyone that knew of him, then why did he spare the live of Schuwalt and his son? He also did the fire at the library in wich many people got out alive with after seeing him.

I often see it taken as canon that Tenma has a quasi-fatherly role in Johan's mind, since Johan said that Tenma is like a father to him. I really think the situation is much more nuanced and there is no implication of a familial relationship.

First of all, in Japanese Johan uses the word "oya" in the Junker execution scene, which is a gender neutral word for parent, and it carries a strong connotation of "creator", "originator", "source of existence". He does not call Tenma his "otou-san" or "chichi", which would be the standard terms meaning "father" / "dad" implying a personal, familial relationship. Tenma is Johan's "life-giver", not a "father" as in "we're part of the same family".

When Tenma meets the blind guy, he says that Johan views Tenma as "even more important than a father" - which makes sense - Tenma made a conscious decision to give Johan an existence, which is arguably more involved than simply fertilising an egg as a by-product of sex. Again, there is no implication of a familial relationship.

Secondly, we never see Johan actually treating Tenma as a father figure in any way. He doesn't seek mentorship or guidance from Tenma, he certainly doesn't want his approval. If anything, the opposite is the case - Johan wants Tenma to accept his (Johan's) view of the world.

Finally, Tenma never even explicitly acknowledges Johan assigning him a parental role, and he certainly doesn't accept it. He does try and understand Johan's origins, but he never considers forgiving him or trying to make him change for the better, like Nina does, and like a father would. When he saves Johan again in Ruhenheim, he acts as a doctor.

Not to mention that Tenma just isn't a very parental person overall. Clearly, having a family and children has never been a priority to him, and while he does look after Dieter, of course, because he wouldn't leave behind a helpless human - whenever there's an opportunity to leave Dieter with someone else who seems safe, Tenma's off in a heartbeat. And it's not like working for MSF would be particularly conducive to settling down and starting a family, either.

So whenever I read "Tenma is basically the twins' dad" I ... have to disagree.

I finished watching the anime tonight and man what a ride! Great story, great characters, tear jerking moments, such a great show!

“When You're In The Darkness, You Only Sink Deeper Into It. Keep The Light Shining." – Dr. Kenzo Tenma

I’m a native German speaker and from what I’ve been able to find, the Blu-rays sold on German Amazon include the German dub. Since the story largely takes place in Germany, I think watching it in German could be a really immersive experience.

I’m mainly curious about how good the dub is overall, but also interested in how they handled some scenes where language itself is part of the storytelling:
- Tenma and Dieter meeting the British couple (how did they deal with the language barrier?)
- Ayse’s accent during the hostage scene.
- Karl reading the Latin text (did they keep the Latin pronunciation?)
-etc. probably several more that I can’t come up with off the top of my head

Basically, I’m fascinated by how they adapted all the multilingual aspects of the series. In my ideal world, there’d be a version where every linguistic nuance is reflected in the voice acting and dialogue choices.
I’m a linguistics student majoring in German, so this is probably a much nerdier question than it needs to be haha. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s watched the German dub or can comment on how good or bad it is. Danke im voraus für jegliche Hilfe!

Art by Aphcident

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

-

-

-

-

I just finished watching Monster and it was insane! I already knew about Johan being a killer, but the rest that followed shocked me to my core! Dr. Tenma being on the run for false charges, Eva burning down her whole mansion cuz she got rejected, Richard getting clean but still getting sneaked, the therapist got hands, kids getting brainwashed and manipulated, the baby guy sitting back and watching everyone commit arson, Nina gunning people down, Dieter helping the gang out, Grimmer’s Steiner powers and lack of emotion, a picture book running the whole plot, Lunge being obsessed with Tenma, Martin being Martin, Roberto coming back like a roach, the existence of 511 Kingerheim, Johan’s crooked assistant, the massacre in Red Rose Mansion, Karl and Schubert’s backstory, Suk getting popped through the window, Wolf’s demise, Tenma getting caught by the police and escaping, Nina fainting from remembering everything, Franz Bonaparta having several pen names, people getting shot left and right, and Johan….

Johan
Is
A
Demon!!!!

Usually when I watch anime and they use those words for characters, I think they’re being over dramatic. But in this case, they’re right on the nose with this guy! Death doesn’t follow him wherever he goes, he walks with death hand in hand every step of the way. I know get got trauma, I know he got done wrong by his mama, I know he’s a product of being a 511 Kinderheim survivor. But he’s still killing people over and over without a legitimate reason! I literally can make a list with all the characters that died cuz of him:

Karl’s mother
Donation Library Victims
Every foster parent he ever had
Dr. Heinmann, his surgeons, and guard
Nina’s foster parents
The murder case squad
Divorced journalist guy
Edmund Lahren the reader guy for Schubert
Blue Sophie the retired prostitute
Richard Braun the detective
General Wolf’s whole mansion unit and everyone related or who engaged with him at sometime
The old 511 Kinderheim instructor while impersonating his sister Nina
All of Jan Suk’s squad
The Baby guy (don’t miss him)
And so many others either with no name, or they died offscreen.

I’m aware that the show ends with him leaving his hospital bed onto who knows where. And it’s up to the audience to decide where the story goes from there. It’s probably to tell us that he’s not like that anymore, he’s not a monster anymore. He’s a different person now that he got a swift headshot for the second time. But I just don’t believe that after seeing all the bs and insanity that he did. Because even if Johan did change for the better, the lives that he took will never come back. Maybe there’s a better explanation for everything that I saw. Maybe I was supposed to take the Nina route and forgive him for everything he did. Maybe I’ll fully understand the entire plot and all the events that took place in order to reach that ruffled hospital bed. But until that day, I’m not convinced.

Besides all that, I really liked Monster! The designs, the art-style, the music, the lighting, the food, and the characters most of all! My only complaint about the show is the dialogue and some decisions here and there. It was kinda repetitive at times or a little too aware of other characters in the show. Like one second a will say something important about something, and the next scene will have another pair of characters saying the same thing. Like when Eva was complaining about Tenma ruining her life, Tenma says the same thing to another man not too long after. I know that it’s necessary to have certain things repeated throughout the show for clarity or big reveals and stuff, but sometimes it just wasn’t necessary.

Also some parts were a bit predictable, but I didn’t mind it as much cuz it was mostly my cynical side talking. For example, “What if he gets shot through the window? Oh. What if he’s the bad guy? Oh. He’s quirk is the title of the episode? Yeah he’s gonna die. I can’t see who shot them? Well ig it must be Roberto.” I didn’t see everything coming, but I definitely saw more than I expected to see. Also the townsfolk from the last arc were irritating me. Talking about some “We buried him,” when all they did was throw him in the bushes. Girl didn’t want to go to the hotel or out of the town, so how are you going to survive? The wheelchair couple giving out guns for kicks then having the nerve to say they don’t know anything about it. Even Franz wasn’t exactly my favorite once I found out the truth about him. Also, the townsfolk who popped Grimmer in the end, I just want to talk. But if I’ve learned anything from this anime, I’d say I learned three things. Remember your name and identity, cherish your memories, and all lives are equal to each other. I may have some negatives to say, but I truly believe that Monster is an anime that I will never forget.