Monster

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A monster is any of a large number of legendary creatures that usually appear in mythology, legend, and horror fiction. The word originates from the ancient Latin monstrum, meaning "omen", from the root of monere ("to warn") and also meaning "prodigy" or "miracle".

The term "monster" refers to a being that is a gross exception to the norms of some ecosystem. Usually characterized by an ability to destroy human life or humanity, more than an example of "survival of the fittest", natural law, or innate evil. A person referred to as a monster is taken as exceptionally evil, grotesque, unreasonably strict and uncaring, sociopathic, and/or sadistic. The word monster connotes something wrong/evil; e.g.: a monstruous being is: very morally objectionable, physically or psychologically hideous, or a biological sport (a distinct sense of the word), i.e a freak of nature.

Social concept

Monsters appear in many of the earliest epics, myths and legends of mankind. Often, such creatures are represented as human-animal hybrids, combinations of various animals, or humans or animals with unusual features such as great size or multiple heads. For instance, in ancient Near Eastern mythology one can find creatures such as the aqrabuamelu or scorpion men, the primordial sea dragon Tiamat, the Humbaba, numerous demons (including Lilith and Pazuzu. Another monster, the Apkallu, were seven half-fish half-human beings whom the Sumerians claimed were sent by the God Enki to teach mortals the arts of civilization. Similarly, the Egyptian Sphinx is believed to have been a guardian figure. However, many of the best known monsters come from Greek and Roman mythology. Examples of these include such creatures as the immortal phoenix bird, the one-eyed cyclopes (the most famous of whom was Polyphemus), the chimera, the harpies, the minotaur, Scylla and Charybdis from Homer's Odyssey, and the gorgons (including Medusa). The hero Heracles fought, killed or subdued numerous monsters in his 12 labors, including the Nemean lion, Lernaean Hydra, Stymphalian birds, Geryon and the three-headed hound Cerberus. Writers like Herodotus, Pliny and even Aristotle included numerous monsters in his works, such as giant gold mining ants, dog-headed people, dragons, people with no head and a face on their chest, people with feet so big they could use Medieval European and Middle Eastern scholars eagerly added to Classical traditions of monsters. Medieval bestiaries describe numerous animals, both real and mythic, attributing moral lessons to their behavior. Creatures from classical mythology such as the human-faced manticore, unicorn, mermaid, griffin, lamia and hippocamp were disseminated through interest in Greek and Roman culture. Other local creatures also became prominent as well. The gigantic Roc, flesh-eating ghuls and malicious djinn feature prominently in Islamic legendry, such as the Thousand and One Nights. Norse legends told of fearsome trolls, jötunn and surtr, alfar, dwarves, the fenris wolf and the kraken, amongst others. Celtic legends also refer to numerous fantastic creatures as well, like the Cu Sìth, banshee, the skinless Nuckalavee and Scotland's redcap. English monsters include the lindorm and Grendel from the epic of Beowulf.

Asian mythology is also replete with numerous fantastic creatures. Demons such as the Asura, Daitya and shape-shifting Rakshasa frequently oppose the Gods in Hinduism. The Ramayana, popular across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, tells the story of King Rama as he tries to rescue his true love Sita from the Rakshasa king Ravana in Lanka. Other beings, such as the N%C4%81ga, vanara and makara, could be more benevolent. Malay folklore tells of the Penanggalan, a witch who could detach her head from her body, and the Filipinos have creatures like the aswang, tikbalang, kapre and manananggal. East Asian also has many distinct monsters, such as the oni, tengu, kappa, kitsune and numerous yokai. Chinese stories tell of the the jiang shi, undead monsters who sometimes plague the living. In contrast to western mythology, dragons in East Asia are usually wise and benevolent.

Before Europeans explored the world, sea serpents and monsters were said to lurk in the unknown corners of the world. Parts of 'monsters', real or imagined, frequently featured cabinets of curiosities in Europe. Other monsters were recorded by missionaries, explorers and naturalists. Father Jacques Marquette reported seeing a Native American painting of the Piasa bird when exploring the Mississippi, and Australian settlers told tales of the bunyip and Queensland tiger. In American folklore includes fantastic creatures like the hodag, wampus cat, hoop snake and other fearsome critters. This led to numerous hoaxes such as the fur-bearing trout, jackalope and giant locusts which often feature on postcards and the like. More dramatic hoaxes from the 19th century include the cardiff giant, fiji mermaid, de Loy's ape, the Cottingley fairies and the Tombstone 'thunderbird' photo. Col. Percy Fawcett reported seeing giant anacondas in the Amazon, and giant squid were discovered to be real creatures rather than myth.

Religion and mythology

In eastern religions such as Hinduism, as well in ancient Greek and Norse mythologies, monsters are often depicted as enemies of the gods. Ragnarok (of Norse mythology) referred to the final battle between the virtuous gods of Asgard and the many monsters of the world.

Ancient peoples often considered "freaks" to be demonstrations of the wrath of the gods. The first so-called monstra were showpieces in traveling carnival freakshows, and were often people afflicted with disfiguring conditions like elephantiasis.

Fictional monsters are often depicted with decent intentions-- and a grotesque physical appearance leading to unfortunate misunderstandings. Some prominent examples include King Kong, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Horta in the Star Trek episode, "The Devil in the Dark".

Monsters of ancient mythology tend to be ruthless menaces that kill indiscriminately, only to be eventually slain by a legendary hero, as in Beowulf, and Saint George and the Dragon.

Monsters in literature

The relationship between science and monstrousness was a pervasive theme in Victorian-era horror literature, where science was often depicted as not only studying monsters, but producing them as well. Notable examples include Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein.

Monsters in philosophy

Contemporary philosophers such as Lorraine Daston have mused about the relationship between monster depictions and the role of science in a given society. Monsters also appear in a variety of philosophical works (including those of Aristotle, Augustine, Montaigne, Locke, Leibniz, Diderot, and so on). .

Monsters in film and television

Pre-World War II

During the age of silent movies, monsters tended to be human-sized, e.g., Frankenstein's monster, the Golem, and vampires. The film Siegfried featured a dragon that was actually a giant puppet on tracks. A few movie dinosaurs were created with the use of stop-motion animated models, as in RKO's King Kong, the first giant monster film of the sound era.

Universal Studios specialized in monsters, with Bela Lugosi's reprising his stage role, Dracula, and Boris Karloff playing Frankenstein's monster. The studio also made several lesser films, such as Man-Made Monster, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as an electrically reanimated zombie.

There was also a variant of Dr. Frankenstein, the mad surgeon Dr. Gogol (played by Peter Lorre), who transplanted hands that were reanimated with malevolent temperaments, in the film Mad Love.

Werewolves were introduced in films during this period, and similar creatures were presented in Cat People. Mummies were cinematically depicted as fearsome monsters as well. As for giant creatures, the Flash Gordon serial used a costumed actor (with crude special effects) to depict a large dragon. The cinematic monster cycle eventually wore thin, having a comedic turn in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Post World War II

After World War II, however, giant monsters returned to the screen with a vigor that has been causally linked to the development of nuclear weapons. One early example occurred in the American film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which was about a dinosaur that attacked a lighthouse. Subsequently, there were Japanese film depictions, (Godzilla, Gamera), British depictions (Gorgo), and even Scandinavian depictions (Reptilicus), of giant monsters attacking cities. The most recent depiction of a giant monster is the monster in J. J. Abrams's Cloverfield, which was released in theaters January 18, 2008. The intriguing proximity of other planets brought the notion of extraterrestrial monsters to the big screen, some of which were huge in size, (such as King Ghidorah and Gigan), while others were of a more human scale. During this period, the fish-man monster was developed in the film series Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Britain's Hammer Film Productions brought color to the monster movies in the late 1950s. Around this time, the earlier Universal films were usually shown on American television by independent stations (rather than network stations) by using announcers with strange personae, who gained legions of young fans. Although they have since changed considerably, movie monsters did not entirely disappear from the big screen as they did in the late 1940s.

Occasionally, monsters are depicted as friendly or misunderstood creatures. The creatures of Monsters Inc. scare children in order to create energy for running machinery, while the furry monsters of The Muppets and Sesame Street live in harmony with animals and humans alike.

Other usages

Monsters are a frequent mainstay of role-playing and video games, in which the creatures are often (but not always) large, powerful, evil and menacing. (An example of a monster par excellence would be the dragon).

During Halloween, monster images are used in costumes for children, who will often dress like popular monsters from films and television shows.

Monsters have appeared in the "news" stories of popular tabloids such as the Weekly World News and The National Enquirer.

In heavy metal and gothic rock, frequent references are made to monsters. The Finnish band Lordi, who rose to international fame in 2006 after winning the Eurovision Song Festival Contest, wear monster costumes with hideous masks.

Also the band GWAR wears the outfits in the heavy metal "shock rock" era.

See also

• List of species in fantasy fiction
• List of Monsters
• Lake monster
• Legendary creature
• Sea monster
• Monster Movie
• Orcs
• Mutant
• Flying Spaghetti Monster
• Freak
• Cryptozoology
• Ogre

Also note that there was a medieval custom in England of referring to prisoners awaiting execution as "monsters", which lead to the term monster's ball, essentially referring to the prisoner's last meal.

References

Videos

• Monsters Inc. a (2001) film was accorded of Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar
• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie a (2008) film was accorded of Big Idea Productions and Universal Pictures....

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Monster (manga)

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Monster is a seinen manga written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa published by Shogakukan in Big Comic Original between 1994 and 2001, and reprinted in 18 tankōbon volumes. The series won an Excellence Prize at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival and the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2001. It was adapted by Madhouse as a 74-episode anime TV series, which aired on NTV from April 7, 2004 to September 28, 2005. The manga is licensed in English by Viz Communications.

Urasawa later wrote Another Monster, a supplement book detailing the events from the manga as from an investigative reporter's point of view, published by Shogakukan in 2002.

New Line Cinema has also recently acquired rights to create an English language film version. Josh Olson, whose best-known work was adapting A History of Violence, has agreed to write a screenplay adaptation, which the studio expects to release in 2009.

Overview

The series follows Dr. as he pursues a young psychopath/sociopath named Johan, whose life Tenma once saved. The story rapidly progresses through a number of locations: it starts in Düsseldorf, Germany, passes through Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Wiesbaden, cities in the Czech Republic such as Prague, and other cities and villages.

Both anime and manga begin with a passage from The Revelation of St. John the Divine, Chapter 13: Verses 1 & 4

And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads, the names of blasphemy. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

The quote is often interpreted as the coming of the Antichrist. This quote is used because of the many parallels and comparisons between one of the main characters of Monster (Johan) and two candidates of the Antichrist as predicted by Nostradamus, the two were commonly Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler.

The Plot

The text on the cover of the first volume reads as follows:

"Dusseldorf, West Germany in 1986. One day, Dr. Kenzo Tenma ignored his boss's order and executed humanitarian rescue of a man's child. That's how this horrible story begins!!"

Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a young Japanese doctor working at the Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf during the 80s. A highly accomplished brain surgeon, he appears to have everything on his plate: a promotion in the offing; the favor of the director of the hospital, Heinemann; and Heinemann's daughter, Eva, as his fiancée. However, Tenma grows increasingly dissatisfied with the political bias of the hospital for treating patients, and seizes his chance to change things after a strange massacre brings the twins Johan and Anna Liebert into his hospital. Johan has a gunshot wound to the head and Anna keeps muttering about killing, and Tenma decides to operate on Johan instead of a prominent politician who arrived afterwards. Johan is saved, but the politician dies. Tenma loses all his social standing and Eva as a consequence. However, Heinemann and other doctors in Tenma's way are mysteriously murdered, and both children disappear from the hospital soon after. The police suspect Tenma, as he benefits greatly from this turn of events, but they have no evidence, and so can do no more than question him.

At this point, the story advances to nine years later. Tenma is now the Chief of Surgery at Eisler Memorial Hospital. However, he is about to come face to face with a sociopath - a sociopath that he helped save.

A known criminal is found on the street, hit by a car. He comes under the care of Dr. Tenma, who observes him muttering about a "Monster". Tenma extends kindness to that criminal, and thus the criminal begins to open up for Tenma. Then one evening when Dr. Tenma comes back with a clock as a gift for the criminal, he finds the guard in front of the criminal's room dead, and the criminal himself gone.

Following his trail to the construction site of a half finished building near the hospital, he finds the man. The man, who has developed a sort of doctor-patient friendship with Dr. Tenma, warns him against coming closer, and pleads with him to run away. Tenma refuses, however, and the identity of the man holding the gun pointed at the criminal in the abandoned parking garage is revealed to be the boy whose life Tenma had saved nine years ago - Johan Liebert. Despite Dr. Tenma's attempt to reason with him, Johan shoots the criminal, tells Tenma that he could never kill the man who had saved his life, and then walks off into the night while Tenma is still too shocked to stop him. After this incident, Tenma is again suspected by the police, particularly Inspector Runge, and he tries to find more information about this 'Johan'. He soon discovers that the boy's sister, now named Nina, happily living the life of an adopted daughter to two caring parents, and the only trace of her terrible past are few dreams she has had. Tenma discovers her on her birthday, and manages to prevent her from meeting her brother, but comes too late to prevent Johan from murdering her foster parents. As the show progresses, Tenma learns of the origins of this monster, from the former East Germany's attempt to use a secret orphanage called Kinderheim 511 (where Johan came from) in order to create the "perfect soldiers" through "psychological reprogramming", to the author of a children's book which was used in a eugenics experiment in Czech Republic. He also learns about the scope of the atrocities this "Monster" has committed, and he vows to fix the mistake he made when he saved Johan's life.

While Tenma is the main character of Monster, the story also focuses heavily on those surrounding his search for Johan, such as Inspector Runge (who is investigating Johan's various murders but pins them all on Tenma) and Nina Fortner (aka Anna Liebert, Johan's twin sister), and a host of other characters, minor and major, whose lives have been shaped by the deeds of the monster named 'Johan'.

Characters

Main characters

Doctor Kenzo Tenma

Doctor Kenzo Tenma is a Japanese neurosurgeon working at the Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf. At the beginning of Monster he is favored by the department director for his prodigious surgical skill. After a crisis of conscience, he chooses to save the life of a young boy instead of the city's mayor, and is unjustly demoted as a result; he then becomes a suspect for murder when the department director and several prominent doctors are killed weeks later. It is only after nine years that Dr. Tenma learns the perpetrator of the hospital murders is none other than the boy he saved years before, Johan Liebert. Plagued by guilt, he resolves to find Johan and end the life of this "monster" he feels responsible for creating. Despite his mission, Dr. Tenma is a humanitarian who genuinely cares about the lives of others. These acts of kindness make him very influential with the people he meets. Not much is known about Tenma's childhood; however, when he was growing up in Japan, he was constantly getting picked on and had a habit of wetting his pants. This earned him the nickname of "Sissy Pants Tenma". As well, Kenzo's father and brother were also doctors, though Tenma was not close to his family and his family ties have grown weaker as he had not been back in Japan since he left to Germany. It is unknown how much time passed between Tenma becoming a certified doctor to when he started as an attending surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital. However, it soon became evident to his superiors Kenzo was perhaps the best neurosurgeon on staff, and he would quickly be promoted to Chief of Neurosurgery and at the same time he meets Eva. Tenma also has some acquaintances from Japan who occasionally visit Tenma while on business, but it is not known how close his friendship with these people is.

Dr. Tenma shares his name with the scientist who created Astroboy to replace his dead son; while the creator of Monster has not given any formal statement about the names; presumably it is intended as a tip of the hat to the early, influential manga and draws a parallel between the first Dr. Tenma's creation of the hero Astro Boy and Dr. Tenma's creation of the titular monster. Naoki Urasawa would later go on to create Pluto, a manga based on the popular "World's Strongest Robot" story arc from the Astro Boy series.

Johan Liebert

Johan Liebert is the namesake "monster" of the story and the mystery of his past is the focus of the plot. He has been called a monster, the next Adolf Hitler and even the devil himself. Johan Liebert was shot in the head at a young age but saved from death by Dr. Tenma. Because of this, he regards Dr. Tenma almost as though he was his father. He has spent portions of his life in different places under different aliases and possesses an extraordinary level of charisma and intelligence. He uses his gifts to cruelly manipulate and corrupt others, often with no apparent end other than to cause suffering and destruction. His goal, as he stated when he was young, is to be the last one standing at the end of the world. One of the themes of Monster is how individuals are capable of transforming into monsters; Johan often acts as both a direct and indirect catalyst for this transformation.

Like his co-star Tenma, Johan also has many similarities to a character from a classic manga by Osamu Tezuka, in his case Yuuki Michio, the main villain from MW. These include his childhood involvement in a secret military experiment, ability to skillfully manipulate powerful people, ambitions to cause the end of the world, occasional suicidal tendencies and his infrequent bouts of cross-dressing.

Nina Fortner / Anna Liebert

Johan's twin sister and the only unharmed survivor of the night when both her parents and her brother were shot in what appeared to be a botched burglary. At first she showed signs of amnesia due to the psychological trauma of the incident. After she and her brother disappeared, she was adopted by the Fortner family from Heidelberg, who were unaware of her previous identity as Anna Liebert. As Nina Fortner, she was a hardworking law student at an unnamed university (likely the University of Heidelberg), as well as an adept practitioner of Aikido. She lived her life in peace until Johan made contact with her on her twentieth birthday. She comes to pursue Johan, albeit by different methods and for a different reason than Tenma.

Inspector Heinrich Runge

Inspector Runge (referred to as Lunge in Engrish) is a BKA detective assigned to the murder case of the hospital, and holds Doctor Kenzo Tenma as a main suspect. He first believes that Dr. Tenma invented Johan; later, he becomes convinced that Johan is, in fact, an alternate personality of Tenma. Perhaps inspired by the character of Javert in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Inspector Runge is utterly obsessed with Tenma. His devotion to his work comes at the expense of neglecting his personal life, and during the course of the series, his wife and pregnant daughter leave him. He also possesses an excellent memory and has a habit of "entering data" into his memory by making typing gestures with his hands. On the surface, he passes off as a man devoid of emotion and it is this state of mind that allows him to commit himself to every case he works in. His tough style eventually drives one of his murder suspects to suicide, prompting his superiors to remove Runge from every case he is working on, with the exception of the case against Dr. Tenma. Also, somewhat like Grimmer, he has an expression that barely changes. After the inferno at the University of Munich, Runge learns for the first time that the existence of Johan is indeed true. He then decides to take a "holiday" to Prague to track down Franz Bonaparta, the author of a book he happened to come across that may be the source of Johan's origin. Ultimately, he ends up in Ruhenheim and meets up with Grimmer and Tenma, apologizing to the latter for his mistakes, before heading off to a showdown against Roberto. First seen in Chapter 5.

Dieter

Dieter is a young boy when found by Tenma to be under the care of a man named Hartmann. Upon meeting Dieter, Tenma notices that the young boy is covered in bruises. It turns out that Hartmann was trying to make Dieter into another Johan, a kind of leader that had not been produced from Kinderheim 511 before. Dieter later becomes more optimistic after being saved by Doctor Tenma from Hartmann's physical and mental abuse. He follows Dr. Tenma in his search for Johan, partially to prevent Tenma from becoming a murderer, but also because he is fond of Tenma. He later teams up with Nina, to give her moral support whenever her traumatic memories resurface as he was also subjected to similar abuse. First seen in Chapter 19.

Eva Heinemann

Eva Heinemann is Doctor Tenma's fiancée and the daughter of the Director of Eisler Memorial Hospital. Kenzo's relationship with Eva initially appears to have some issues, as Tenma would insist on partaking in activities that Eva (as the daughter of a high class hospital director) would not even want to do (i.e. picnic). Also, Tenma would have the tendency to ignore Eva while he is conducting research. However, it is assumed that they do at one point fall in love to the point that Tenma asks for Eva's hand in marriage, much to the approval to her father. Eva appears to be enthusiastic about this, she is looking forward to Dr. Tenma climbing the ladder of the hospital and soon becoming the hospital director, a prospect that Eva anticipates with glee so she could be "the director's wife". She leaves Doctor Tenma after he is demoted by the Director for disobeying his orders. After Director Heinemann is murdered by Johan, she tries to return to Tenma, then recently promoted Chief of Surgery due to holes created in the staff by the murder. After being rejected by Tenma, she later becomes an extremely embittered alcoholic, a three time divorcee who uses the money from divorce settlements to finance her lavish lifestyle. After burning her house down in a drunken rage, she wanders throughout Germany and is also caught up in the investigation of the Monster. Although she does not personally suspect Dr. Tenma as having caused her father's death, one of the things she lives for is to see him suffer in prison in retribution for his rejection of her, as she had previously turned over evidence incriminating Dr. Tenma to Inspector Runge. Her relationship with Tenma can be characterized as obsessive. During the series, she becomes a main target of Roberto. At the same time her experiences allow certain personality changes to occur, and soon becomes a different person than before.

Other characters

Wolfgang Grimmer

A freelance journalist who is researching Kinderheim 511, he is also soon drawn into the search for Johan, as he decides to help Tenma. He nearly always has a big smile on his face. As a former subject in Kinderheim 511, he had developed another personality: an aggressive fighter that comes out and protects him whenever he is under dire stress, inspired by his childhood adoration for an Incredible Hulk-type TV character whom he refers to as the Magnificent Steiner. He also received training as a spy after his time in Kinderheim 511. Due to this conditioning, he admits he is not good at expressing emotions, however he is finally able to do so when mortally wounded during the massacre at Ruhenheim.

Roberto

A big, burly man and one of the many people from the orphanage Kinderheim 511 that Johan controls. He admires Johan very much, and often acts as Johan's bodyguard and henchman. He is also a professional hitman with substantial proficiency. While Roberto knows nothing about his own past, it is hinted that he is the nephew of a former high-level STB officer named Karl Ranke as he bears a strong resemblance to the latter. Ranke relates the story of his sister, who along with her husband was shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall into West Germany. Only their son, Adolf Reinhart, survived the attack. As Adolf's legal guardian, Ranke signed papers turning his nephew into the custody of Kinderheim 511. Wolfgang Grimmer may be the only person who remembers him and also considered him as a friend during their time at the orphanage (one of Adolf's favourite drinks was hot cocoa). He was shot by Tenma in chapter 73 and seemed to fall into a sea of flames, but he comes back in chapter 108 as an attorney for Tenma under the name of 'Baul', still faithful to Johan. He appears the most out of any of Johan's henchmen in the series and is a recurring enemy. He would later be one of the major players during the massacre at Ruhenheim where he kills Bonaparta, but dies of a mortal wound from Runge. First seen in Chapter 37.

"The Baby"

First mentioned in Chapter 25, the "Baby" is a short, elderly man, and an infamous Neo-Nazi leader. He worships Johan as an ideal Aryan leader who would be able to become the next Hitler to lead Germany into prominence. He also works for the four individuals who would gladly welcome Johan as a political leader. To this end, he hoped to use Nina as bait to coerce Johan, but also as a precautionary measure to protect him (and the other group members) from Johan. This fails as Johan kills one of the first of four members in the organization. The characteristics of the "Baby" is heavily influenced by a character from Twin Peaks, named "The Midget." His first appearance, in Chapter 26, is also nearly identical, appearing to Nina Fortner from behind a red curtain (akin to the Black Lodge's waiting room) while dancing to the tune "Be My Baby". He is ultimately killed by a prostitute in a scheme to destroy Capek's organization as well as Capek himself.

General Helmut Wolfe

A very old soldier who was the first one to find the twins, he is the second of the four individuals behind the organization. He gave Johan his name, the name from the boy in the picture book called "The Monster without a Name". General Wolf is actually the only one of four individuals that did not want to make Johan a new Führer. Wolf's family and acquaintances have all been killed by Johan, thus teaching him true loneliness as seen through Johan's eyes. Later on in the series, Tenma encounters Wolfe on his deathbed, before he dies he begs Dr. Tenma to yell out his name as proof that he existed. First mentioned in Chapter 27, first seen in Chapter 29.

Christoph Sievernich

Johan's disciple and another survivor of Kinderheim 511. He and Johan decided to meet each other again in 10 years after they escaped the orphanage, and in the end they meet a a party with the guidance of Eva Heinemann, who was hired to point Johan out. His deceased stepfather was one of the four individuals of Neo-Nazi, and he was likely to succeed the post. He possesses qualities similar to Johan's and intimidated Martin, Eva Heinemann's bodyguard, by reminding him of what happened to his mother and wife. Nothing else is known about Christoph, other than that either Johan or the organization of the four individuals tried to change him into the second monster. He first appears in chapter 124.

Franz Bonaparta/Klaus Poppe

Franz Bonaparta is considered to be the one responsible for the eugenics experiment that led to the birth of the Liebert twins and is also attributed as the author of the storybooks used to indoctrinate the children of Rose Mansion. Most notable of them was The Nameless Monster, from which Johan took both is name and his mode of operation. Other famous books of his included The Big Eyed Man and the Big Mouthed Man, The God of Peace, and The Quiet Village. His storybooks deal very heavily in metaphor and symbolism, often with monsters as important characters in them. Most also deal with the idea that human nature contains the ability to become good or evil, though his works tend to denounce humanity rather than uplift it. He repents for all his actions after witnessing the death of Grimmer, he confronts Johan with the intention of killing him but he is in turn killed by Roberto before he can go through with it. While his real name is Klaus Poppe, other names that he has used include Emil Scherbe, Helmuth Voss and Jakob Vyrobek.

Petr Čapek

The last individual of the organization is the mysterious man with glasses who is responsible for a large amount of incidents during Monster. He is the highest in the organization, and tried to control the devil by letting him meet with Christoph Sievernich. In his youth Peter was actually Franz Bonaparta's apprentice who took part in the experiment on the Liebert twins. Peter thinks that everything is going the right way according to his plan, but Johan tells him clearly later that everything is going the right way according to his own plan. After the death of Baby, he tries to maintain that everything is under control and going to plan, when he clearly knows things are going seriously wrong. In his paranoia he kills his bodyguard when he goes for his lighter thinking he was trying to kill him, in retribution Čapek is executed by his other bodyguards. He first appeared in chapter 121, but his face is not shown until the end of chapter 123.

Doctor Reichwein

A psychologist who deals in counseling as well as assisting recovering alcoholics. He is caught up in the mystery surrounding the Monster after one of his patients, Richard Braun, supposedly commits suicide while investigating Johan Liebert. Later on, he becomes guardian to Nina and Dieter and aids Tenma in any way he can. The Character of Dr. Reichwein bears a physical resemblance to the American Actor Wilford Brimley and Shunsaku Ban from Astroboy. Naoki Urasawa has also used the physical appearance of Brimley in the Pluto manga as well. First seen in Chapter 49.

Rudy Gillen

A criminologist, and one of Tenma's former classmates; he helped Tenma by saving him from arrest and also acquiring information about Johan from all the criminals that Johan had met. He also helped Nina to recall her past, to the point of endangering his life. Rudy is able to get into some insight about Johan and how he works but despite all that he knows, he is still baffled by Johan's actions. Dr. Gillen is also a former student of Dr. Reichwein. First seen in Chapter 33.

Jan Suk

A detective with the Prague police, he tries to find the mystery involving the death of his superior, Filip Zeman. Zeman was investigating the death of a former headmaster of Kinderheim 511 with Grimmer as a possible suspect, when Suk discovered that Zeman was working with the former Czechoslovakian secret police. When three more officers are murdered, he too is cast under suspicion, and when police attempt to monitor Suk's movements, two more are killed. Suk manages to obtain a tape made by the former headmaster of Kinderheim 511, but is badly wounded by those seeking the tape. While all this is happening, he confides to someone who he believes is Anna Liebert, a beautiful blonde woman he meets at a bar.

Fritz Vardemann

A lawyer hired by residents in Dusseldorf after Tenma was arrested in Prague at one point. Vardemann has made a name for himself proving the innocence of his clients, including his father, who died in prison before being exonerated. He is married and during the series his wife gives birth to a daughter. He enjoys listening to the song "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz. However, it is revealed later on that Vardemann found notes written by his father which may indicate that he was guilty in the first place. He then teams up with Suk in order to find out the truth regarding an author named Franz Bonaparta in the hopes of discovering the truth about his father's past as well.

Hans Georg Schuwald

Known as the "Bayern Vampire", Schubert is a reclusive but successful businessman, and his success allows him to donate his book collection to the University of Munich. He also has several students from the university in his employ, reading him Latin. However, he does have a past, namely, he fathered a son with a prostitute named Margot Langer. Incidentally, Margot Langer had a friend in Prague who mothered twins. While his book dedication ceremony was targeted by Johan in a scheme to unleash terror and pandemonium, authorities believe that Schuwald is the real target and that Dr. Tenma is indeed responsible. Schuwald is first seen in Chapter 47.

Karl Neumann

A male college student at the University of Munich, who is the son of Schuwald and Langer. He is trying to get close to his father without actually letting him know that he is his son. At the same time, he is also caught up in the mystery of a dead student, and the disappearance of Johan Liebert after his father's book collection is burned in a massive inferno during a ceremony at the University Library. After he reconciles with his father, he stays on as Schuwald's personal assistant. First seen in Chapter 47.

Lotte Frank

A female college student also at the University of Munich who is trying to go after Karl Neumann's heart and thus aids his investigation into his father and late mother. When Karl rejects her by getting a proxy to go on a date with her, she is immensely crushed and is comforted by Nina. Given that moment, Nina and Lotte become fast friends. She too wants to know about the mysteries behind Johan Liebert as well as the death of the student who worked with them for Schuwald. First seen in Chapter 47.

Otto Heckel

A common thief who runs into Tenma in Chapter 17 when he breaks into a murder victim's house where Tenma is investigating. Heckel is not interested in solving the mystery surrounding the monster, he is more preoccupied in making quick cash by any means necessary. Nonetheless, both Tenma and Heckel must rely on each other in order to survive.

Manga

Volume 1: Herr Doktor Tenma

• Chapter 1 : Herr Doktor Tenma
• Chapter 2 : Kill
• Chapter 3 : Downfall
• Chapter 4 : Brother and Sister
• Chapter 5 : A Case of Murder
• Chapter 6 : The BKA Man
• Chapter 7 : "Monster"
• Chapter 8 : Night of the Execution

Volume 2 : Surprise Party

• Chapter 9 : The Girl from Heidelberg
• Chapter 10 : Prince on a White Horse
• Chapter 11 : Reported Disappearance
• Chapter 12 : Surprise Party
• Chapter 13 : The Mansion of Tragedy
• Chapter 14 : It's Not Your Fault
• Chapter 15 : Being Chased
• Chapter 16 : The Ex-Soldier and the Little Girl

Volume 3 : Kinderheim 511

• Chapter 17 : An Erased Past
• Chapter 18 : Lawyer's Law
• Chapter 19 : Kinderheim 511
• Chapter 20 : Project
• Chapter 21 : A Meager Experiment
• Chapter 22 : Petra and Schumann
• Chapter 23 : Petra and Heinz
• Chapter 24 : The Only Man Left

Volume 4 : Ayse's Friend

• Chapter 25 : An Abandoned Woman
• Chapter 26 : Be My Baby
• Chapter 27 : Professor Geidlitz
• Chapter 28 : Ayse's Friend
• Chapter 29 : Wolf's Confession
• Chapter 30 : Main Dish
• Chapter 31 : Reunion
• Chapter 32 : The Fifth Spoonful of Sugar

Volume 5 : After the Carnival

• Chapter 33 : The Monster's Abyss
• Chapter 34 : Jurgen's Storage Room
• Chapter 35 : After the Carnival
• Chapter 36 : Journey to Freiham
• Chapter 37 : A Wonderful Holiday
• Chapter 38 : Revenge at Gunpoint
• Chapter 39 : Tomorrow Will be Sunny
• Chapter 40 : Runge's Expectations
• Chapter 41 : Runge's Trap

Volume 6 : The Secret Woods

• Chapter 42 : Showdown
• Chapter 43 : The End of Her Fall
• Chapter 44 : Eva's Confession
• Chapter 45 : The Men's Dining Table
• Chapter 46 : Unseen Enemies
• Chapter 47 : The Tuesday Boy
• Chapter 48 : The Thursday Boy
• Chapter 49 : A Leftover Mystery
• Chapter 50 : The Secret Woods

Volume 7 : Richard

• Chapter 51 : Richard
• Chapter 52 : Article of Evidence
• Chapter 53 : In Broad Daylight
• Chapter 54 : Just One Case
• Chapter 55 : Johan's Journey
• Chapter 56 : Execution
• Chapter 57 : A Decision
• Chapter 58 : Reichwein's Days
• Chapter 59 : Into Broad Daylight

Volume 8 : My Nameless Hero

• Chapter 60 : Show Me Proof
• Chapter 61 : After the Party...
• Chapter 62 : Holy Ground
• Chapter 63 : Child's Sight
• Chapter 64 : Fortune of Humanity
• Chapter 65 : At the End of Darkness
• Chapter 66 : Aim For the Light
• Chapter 67 : I Am Tenma
• Chapter 68 : My Nameless Hero

Volume 9 : A Nameless Monster

• Chapter 69 : A Greater Monster
• Chapter 70 : A Monster of Chaos
• Chapter 71 : A Nameless Monster
• Chapter 72 : Feast of the Ants
• Chapter 73 : The Demon in My Eyes
• Chapter 74 : Letter From Mother
• Chapter 75 : Traces of Heart
• Chapter 76 : The Hell in His Eyes
• Chapter 77 : Frogs in a Fairy-Tale Land

Volume 10 : Picnic

• Chapter 78 : Grimmer
• Chapter 79 : Picnic
• Chapter 80 : Ghosts of 511
• Chapter 81 : A New Experiment
• Chapter 82 : Key
• Chapter 83 : The Magnificent Steiner's Adventure
• Chapter 84 : Detective Suk
• Chapter 85 : Top Secret Investigation
• Chapter 86 : Something Important

Volume 11 : The Dead Angle

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 87 : Two Darknesses
• Chapter 88 : The Monster's Afterimage
• Chapter 89 : Playback
• Chapter 90 : Tangent
• Chapter 91 : The Dead Angle
• Chapter 92 : Memories of the Magnificent Steiner
• Chapter 93 : Memories of Cocoa
• Chapter 94 : Door to a Nightmare
• Chapter 95 : The Most Frightening Thing

Volume 12 : The Rose Mansion

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 96 : A Long Vacation
• Chapter 97 : The Detective Boys
• Chapter 98 : The Most Cruel Thing
• Chapter 99 : The Border Town
• Chapter 100 : The Rose Mansion
• Chapter 101 : A Unopened Door
• Chapter 102 : A Long Farewell
• Chapter 103 : Look for Herenka
• Chapter 104 : The People Left Behind

Volume 13 : Escape

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 105 : A Monster's Love Letter
• Chapter 106 : Jailbreaker
• Chapter 107 : Lawyer
• Chapter 108 : Witness
• Chapter 109 : Determination
• Chapter 110 : Muddy Sandwiches
• Chapter 111 : Helene and Gustaf
• Chapter 112 : Escape
• Chapter 113 : Room 402

Volume 14 : That Night

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 114 : Son of a Spy
• Chapter 115 : A Neverending Journey
• Chapter 116 : Puppeteer
• Chapter 117 : The Seminar Children
• Chapter 118 : That Night
• Chapter 119 : What Johan Saw
• Chapter 120 : Fond Memories
• Chapter 121 : An Unpleasant Job
• Chapter 122 : Hideous Necktie

Volume 15 : The Door of Memory

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 123 : The Party Is Over
• Chapter 124 : The Man Who Saw a Demon
• Chapter 125 : The Demon's Friend
• Chapter 126 : The Man Who Knew Too Much
• Chapter 127 : A Sorrowful Reunion
• Chapter 128 : Nina's Memories
• Chapter 129 : Memories of the Seminar
• Chapter 130 : The Door of Memory
• Chapter 131 : A Fun Meal

Volume 16 : Welcome Back

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 132 : Over the Roofs
• Chapter 133 : A Friendly Answer
• Chapter 134 : Taxi Driver
• Chapter 135 : Unrelated Murders
• Chapter 136 : The Baby's Depression
• Chapter 137 : Frightening Footsteps
• Chapter 138 : Johan's Footprints
• Chapter 139 : Massacre
• Chapter 140 : Father and Mother
• Chapter 141 : Welcome Back

Volume 17: I'm Home

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 142 : I'm Home
• Chapter 143 : Where to Go
• Chapter 144 : Ruhenheim
• Chapter 145 : A Quiet Gunshot
• Chapter 146 : The Vampire's House
• Chapter 147 : A Paranoid Town
• Chapter 148 : The Perfect Suicide
• Chapter 149 : A Peaceful Home
• Chapter 150 : Town Bloodbath
• Chapter 151 : Memories I Don't Want to Forget

Volume 18 : Scenery of the Doomsday

• Monster Chronicle
• Chapter 152 : A Fictitious Man
• Chapter 153 : The Vacation Is Over
• Chapter 154 : Grimmer's Scream
• Chapter 155 : The Magnificent Steiner's Rage
• Chapter 156 : A Nameless Man
• Chapter 157 : An Undrawable Picture
• Chapter 158 : Don't Cry
• Chapter 159 : Scenery of the Doomsday
• Chapter 160 : Those Who Live
• Chapter 161 : Tomorrow Will Come
• Chapter 162 : The Real Monster

Another Monster

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part One (1986-1997)
• Chapter 1 - The Beginning (April 2001; Vienna)
• Chapter 2 - Kenzo Tenma (May 2001; Yokohama, Tokyo, London)
• Chapter 3 - Eva Heinemann (May 2001; Düsseldorf)
• Chapter 4 - Heinrich Runge (May 2001; Brussels)
• Chapter 5 - Kinderheim 511 (May 2001; Berlin)
• Chapter 6 - Multiple Personalities (June 2001; Frankfurt)
• Chapter 7 - Rudi Gillen (June 2001; Paris)
• Chapter 8 - Underground Banks (June 2001; Füssen)
• Chapter 9 - Karl Schuwald (June 2001; Munich)
• Chapter 10 - Lotte Frank (June 2001; Munich)
• Chapter 11 - Julius Reichwein (June 2001; Munich)
• Part Two (1997-1998)
• Chapter 12 - Czech and Germany (July 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 13 - Jan Suk (July 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 14 - Karel Ranke (July 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 15 - The Red Rose Mansion (July 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 16 - Anna (August 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 17 - Sobotka (August 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 18 - Jaromir Lipsky (August 2001; Prague)
• Chapter 19 - Fritz Verdeman (August 2001; Düsseldorf)
• Chapter 20 - Martin (September 2001; Frankfurt)
• Chapter 21 - Peter Capek (September 2001; Frankfurt)
• Chapter 22 - Grimmer's Notebook (October 2001; Berlin)
• Chapter 23 - Herman Fuer (November 2001; Vienna)
• Chapter 24 - Collapse (November 2001; Düsseldorf)
• Chapter 25 - Ruhenheim (November 2001; Ruhenheim)
• Chapter 26 - Nina Forter, a.k.a. Anna Liebert (November 2001; Vienna)
• Chapter 27 - "The Magnificent Steiner" (November 2001; Valletta)
• Chapter 28 - Anna Part II (December 2001; Brno)
• Chapter 29 - Klaus Poppe (December 2001; Jablonec nad Nisou)
• Chapter 30 - Franz Bonaparta (December 2001; Jablonec nad Nisou)
• Final Chapter - (December 2001; Jablonec nad Nisou)

Anime Version

The 74 episode anime version of Monster is a faithful adaptation of the entire story. It is mostly recreated shot for shot and scene for scene compared to the original manga. The few subtle differences include short snippets of additional dialogue and slight re-ordering of scenes in places. The series soundtrack is composed by Kuniaki Haishima.Opening Theme (Episode 1-74): "Grain" by Kuniaki HaishimaEnding Theme (Episode 1-32): "For the Love of Life" by David Sylvian.Ending Theme (Episode 33-74): "Make it Home" by Fujiko Hemming.

Episode List

• Chapter 1: Herr Dr. Tenma (Volume 1)
• Chapter 2: Downfall (Volume 1)
• Chapter 3: Murder Case (Volume 1)
• Chapter 4: Night of Punishment (Volume 1)
• Chapter 5: The Girl From Heidelberg (Volume 2)
• Chapter 6: Reported Disappearance (Volume 2)
• Chapter 7: Mansion of Tragedy (Volume 2)
• Chapter 8: The Fugitive (Volume 2)
• Chapter 9: An Old Soldier and a Young Girl (Volume 2)
• Chapter 10: The Past That Was Erased (Volume 3)
• Chapter 11: Kinderheim 511 (Volume 3)
• Chapter 12: A Meager Little Experiment (Volume 3)
• Chapter 13: Petra and Schumann (Volume 3)
• Chapter 14: The Abandoned Man . The Abandoned Woman (Volume 4)
• Chapter 15: Be My Baby (Volume 4)
• Chapter 16: Wolf's Confession (Volume 4)
• Chapter 17: Reunion (Volume 4)
• Chapter 18: The Fifth Spoonful of Sugar (Volume 4)
• Chapter 19: Abyss of the Monster (Volume 5)
• Chapter 20: Journey to Freiham (Volume 5)
• Chapter 21: Wonderful Holiday (Volume 5)
• Chapter 22: Runge's Trap (Volume 5/Volume 6)
• Chapter 23: Eva's Confession (Volume 6)
• Chapter 24: Men's Table (Volume 6)
• Chapter 25: The Thursday Boy (Volume 6)
• Chapter 26: Secret Forest (Volume 6)
• Chapter 27: Evidence (Volume 7)
• Chapter 28: Just One Case (Volume 7)
• Chapter 29: Execution (Volume 7)
• Chapter 30: A Certain Decision (Volume 7)
• Chapter 31: Into the Light of Day (Volume 8)
• Chapter 32: Sanctuary (Volume 8)
• Chapter 33: Scenes From Childhood (Volume 8)
• Chapter 34: At the End of the Darkness (Volume 8)
• Chapter 35: Nameless Hero (Volume 8/Volume 9)
• Chapter 36: The Monster of Chaos (Volume 9)
• Chapter 37: A Monster Without a Name (Volume 9)
• Chapter 38: The Demon in My Sight (Volume 9)
• Chapter 39: The Hell in His Sight (Volume 9)
• Chapter 40: Grimmer (Volume 10)
• Chapter 41: Ghosts of 511 (Volume 10)
• Chapter 42: The Adventures of the Magnificent Steiner (Volume 10)
• Chapter 43: Detective Suk (Volume 10)
• Chapter 44: Two Darknesses (Volume 11)
• Chapter 45: The Monster's Afterimage (Volume 11)
• Chapter 46: Point of Contact (Volume 11)
• Chapter 47: Nightmare's Door (Volume 11)
• Chapter 48: The Scariest Thing (Volume 12)
• Chapter 49: The Cruelest Thing (Volume 12)
• Chapter 50: The Mansion of Roses (Volume 12)
• Chapter 51: Monster's Love Letter (Volume 12/Volume 13)
• Chapter 52: Lawyer (Volume 13)
• Chapter 53: Decision (Volume 13)
• Chapter 54: Escape (Volume 13)
• Chapter 55: Room 402 (Volume 13/Volume 14)
• Chapter 56: The Unending Journey (Volume 14)
• Chapter 57: That Night (Volume 14)
• Chapter 58: Unwanted Job (Volume 14)
• Chapter 59: The Man Who Saw the Devil (Volume 14/Volume 15)
• Chapter 60: The Man Who Knew Too Much (Volume 15)
• Chapter 61: The Door of Memory (Volume 15)
• Chapter 62: A Fun Meal (Volume 15)
• Chapter 63: Unrelated Murders (Volume 15/Volume 16)
• Chapter 64: The Baby's Depression (Volume 16)
• Chapter 65: Johan's Footprints (Volume 16)
• Chapter 66: Welcome Back (Volume 16)
• Chapter 67: I'm Home (Volume 17)
• Chapter 68: Ruhenheim (Volume 17)
• Chapter 69: A Peaceful House (Volume 17)
• Chapter 70: The Town of Slaughter (Volume 17)
• Chapter 71: The Magnificent Steiner's Rage (Volume 18)
• Chapter 72: Man Without A Name (Volume 18)
• Chapter 73: The Landscape of the End (Volume 18)
• Chapter 74: The Real Monster (Volume 18)

Manga Notes

• The Quiet Village is the only book written by Klaus Poppe which does not contain overtly disturbing nature. However, The Quiet Village actually represents a place on Germany's map, Ruhenheim, whose name according to the manga means "Quiet Village". Ruhenheim was however a more ancient name, as the town is now known as Laubenheim, meaning something like "Summer Village/House".
• The wine ordered by the English couple and Dr. Tenma in the 20th episode of the anime series was named Forster Ungeheuer. It was the favorite wine of Otto von Bismarck and its name actually translates into English as the Forest Monster.
• On episode 11 "511 Kinderheim" Dr. Tenma sees a ruin in the eastern part of Berlin with a graffiti of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten on it.
• Dr. Reichwein's files on patients (seen when he looks for Richard Braun's file) include files on "supposed" patients named Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Nastassja Kinski, Wolfgang Becker and Bruno Ganz.
• While, on the map Tenma looks at, Ruhenheim lies in the vicinity of Oberstdorf and Tiefenbach, in reality the place on the map is occupied by Obermaiselstein.
• In Episode 68: Ruhenheim the newspaper which is read by the women who has won the lottery and by the concierge is certainly not the local newspaper of Ruhenheim. This is a newspaper published in Upper Austria called "Oberösterreichische Nachrichten" (abridged OÖN).

References

External links

• Official anime site
• Monster Graph - A Graph that shows relationships between characters
• AnimeNfo.Com : Monster - Information about the anime.
• Monster: Volume 1
• Monster Anime Screenshots Archive

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