Common Sense Media Review
Dark, intriguing psychological thriller anime is bloody.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Monster
What's the Story?
MONSTER follows the story of Dr. Kenzou Tenma (voiced by Liam O'Brien), a genius Japanese neurosurgeon with a promising career who's working in Germany. One night Dr. Tenma is called in to perform surgery on a young boy who was shot in the head. Right before the surgery Dr. Tenma is told the town mayor will be arriving shortly and must be operated on instead because he's a more important patient. Listening to his conscience, Dr. Tenma instead chooses to perform surgery on the boy, after which the boy mysteriously vanishes from the hospital. Nine years later Dr. Tenma saves the life of a criminal pickpocket who has links to a serial killer who's been terrorizing the area. He soon finds out that this killer may be the boy whose life he saved nine years earlier. Dr. Tenma's life is then thrown into chaos as he attempts to solve the murders.
Is It Any Good?
This dark and intriguing psychological thriller's suspenseful scenes and intriguing mysteries make for a winning anime with a story, characters, and animation that are all fantastic. While Monster is an older anime the animation looks great 20 years later and captures the dark and moody atmosphere of the series. The German and European environments are vividly brought to life by the talented artists who worked on this series. The story had suspenseful moments that continued to build upon each other and led to big story reveals that always felt satisfying and further built upon the suspense and mystery.
The supporting characters get a lot of love and development in the series, but the main character, Dr. Tenma, really carried the show. You'll really feel for this optimistic and kind man who has chaos and tragedy thrust upon him. His life seems to quickly unravel just for trying his best to be a moral and principled doctor. Throughout the series his kindness and principles are challenged as he's forced to make difficult decisions. Overall, Monster is a dark and thrilling anime worthy of its hype and popularity.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the impact that viewing violent and graphic content can have. What messages about violence is this anime trying to convey?
Work addiction and mental health are themes in this series. Talk about how to maintain a healthy work and life balance. Are there any practices you can do to improve your health and wellbeing?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 7, 2004
- Cast : Liam O'Brien , Karen Strassman , Keith Silverstein
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Anime
- Topics : Fantasy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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