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Naoki Urasawa's Monster: Kanzenban #3
Monster Perfect Edition 3
Düsseldorf 1986... Der brillante Neurochirurg Kenzo Tenma praktiziert an der Eisler-Klinik und hat eine strahlende Zukunft vor sich. Über die Entscheidung, lieber das Leben eines Jungen oder das des Bürgermeisters retten soll, verliert er fast alles, was ihm lieb ist: seine Verlobte, seine Karriere und seinen sozialen Status. Obwohl er die Entscheidung für richtig hält, fangen für ihn die Probleme damit erst an, als er es mit den Unbillen der Krankenhaus-Politik und Serienmorden zu tun bekommt und in eine große Verschwörung verstrickt wird... MONSTER von Naoki Urasawa zählt zu den absoluten Meisterwerken der Manga-Geschichte, zu deren Schauplätzen auch andere deutsche Städte wie Köln und Frankfurt am Main zählen. Der mehrfach preisgekrönte und auch als Anime-Serie adaptierte Thriller-Manga erscheint nun neu als Perfect Edition: in deutlich verbesserter Bildqualität, mit einigen Farbseiten und in Form großformatiger Doppelbände.
434 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
121 people are currently reading
1372 people want to read
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
356 books2,801 followersUrasawa Naoki (浦沢直樹) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot Díaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
May 27, 2020
I just love this freaking manga!! The storyline and the art is freaking awesome!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 6, 2025
Solo diré lo mucho que me da vergüenza ajena el inspector Lunge y Eva. Son el colmo de fastidiosos.
¡Y al fin! ¡Tenemos a Johan y su esperada aparición! Espero que se vuelva más recurrente porque necesito respuestas urgentes sobre cómo trabaja su mente.
¡Y al fin! ¡Tenemos a Johan y su esperada aparición! Espero que se vuelva más recurrente porque necesito respuestas urgentes sobre cómo trabaja su mente.
October 17, 2016
*3.5 stars*
August 15, 2017
Read this in 2 hours. It's so addicting I cannot wait to see where all this is headed!!
March 4, 2023
The third volume of this series was a mixed bag for me – it featured some super intense, creepy and even emotional moments, but also a couple of chapters that felt like a mere build up to what is yet to come.
So the Monster has been revealed to be a young man named Johan that the surgeon Kenzo Tenma has saved as a boy. Haunted by the murders attached to his name, Tenma is trying to piece the puzzle pieces of Johan's past together in order to understand what is motivating him. It doesn't help much that Tenma himself is the lead suspect in the case and currently being looked for.
The cast has grown and there are more subplots now. It feels like an organic growth of the universe. We closely follow Tenma as he stumbles upon other people's stories and he himself becomes a more nuanced character in the process of all this (something I criticised about the first volume, so this is a development I highly enjoy seeing. While still driven by his aim to do good and save lives, he has to learn the hard way that things aren't always so easy to put into a box.
There's one particularly sweet story in here... It's the one of a young boy called Dieter, who has faced harsh abuse in his life and bonds quite beautifully with Tenma. I don't want to give too much away about how this part of the plot unravels specifically, but it ended up being the most creepy and also most touching part of the whole manga so far for me personally.
The bad guy doesn't even have to make an appearance in order to haunt the reader. It's super interesting to realise – Johan appears even less than in the last volume and yet you virtually feel his presence. The guy from the Bundeskriminalamt who marks the murders Johan has committed as his only unsolved case and, suspecting Tenma to be the perpetrator, is obsessed with finding him, actually suspects that Johan might only be a second personality of Tenma's. Is our narrator unreliable after all, might he be right? The suspicion alone adds a trippy Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque level to all of this, making me as excited about all of this as ever.
So the Monster has been revealed to be a young man named Johan that the surgeon Kenzo Tenma has saved as a boy. Haunted by the murders attached to his name, Tenma is trying to piece the puzzle pieces of Johan's past together in order to understand what is motivating him. It doesn't help much that Tenma himself is the lead suspect in the case and currently being looked for.
The cast has grown and there are more subplots now. It feels like an organic growth of the universe. We closely follow Tenma as he stumbles upon other people's stories and he himself becomes a more nuanced character in the process of all this (something I criticised about the first volume, so this is a development I highly enjoy seeing. While still driven by his aim to do good and save lives, he has to learn the hard way that things aren't always so easy to put into a box.
There's one particularly sweet story in here... It's the one of a young boy called Dieter, who has faced harsh abuse in his life and bonds quite beautifully with Tenma. I don't want to give too much away about how this part of the plot unravels specifically, but it ended up being the most creepy and also most touching part of the whole manga so far for me personally.
The bad guy doesn't even have to make an appearance in order to haunt the reader. It's super interesting to realise – Johan appears even less than in the last volume and yet you virtually feel his presence. The guy from the Bundeskriminalamt who marks the murders Johan has committed as his only unsolved case and, suspecting Tenma to be the perpetrator, is obsessed with finding him, actually suspects that Johan might only be a second personality of Tenma's. Is our narrator unreliable after all, might he be right? The suspicion alone adds a trippy Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque level to all of this, making me as excited about all of this as ever.
August 24, 2024
3.75/5
I like it so far, but do I love it as much as I was almost sure I would? Ah, not so much.
I like it so far, but do I love it as much as I was almost sure I would? Ah, not so much.
February 11, 2023
Çok güzel bir seri ve üçüncü kitap da bitti. Gerçekten anlatısı, kurgusu, çizgisi karakteristik, bağımlılık yaptı. Önce paranormal, sonra tam bir polisiyeye dönen yapısı yavaş yavaş psikolojik ve yine paranormal bir tarafa doğru dönüyor. Büyülü bir karakter, ülküsü olan bir canavar. Enteresan. bir an evvel diğer kitaplarda gelir umarım.
July 25, 2022
Vlog/Review: https://youtu.be/3LtrFimU5g0
I'm not gonna lie to y'all, Eva is growing on me. She's a bitch but she might be that bitch??
Is Eva my new Esme Squalor?? 😆
Tenma can get it. He's a lil baddie and I'm here for it.
I'm not gonna lie to y'all, Eva is growing on me. She's a bitch but she might be that bitch??
Is Eva my new Esme Squalor?? 😆
Tenma can get it. He's a lil baddie and I'm here for it.
February 21, 2020
Monster continues to tell the story of Tenma search for the killer Johan.
This is a slow, world building, various amount of stories all coming together. The times of the stories taking place even feels a little disconnected. However, when it comes together, and oh boy does it ever, major changes are on the way. We have a look at Tenma and what happened to him after saving another mob/killer's life. On top of that we get some Johan past and shows how he was raised and who he was.
The things that work in Monster are the slow build. The getting to know various characters and why they are key characters in the overall story. Tenma is a great main character, giving hope at every turn, even when everyone else in this world is usually looking out from only themselves. The exciting cat and mouse game reaches a semi-climax here too and I want more.
It is a slower volume, and a ton of world building, but I think it'll pay off big in the end. A 4 out of 5.
This is a slow, world building, various amount of stories all coming together. The times of the stories taking place even feels a little disconnected. However, when it comes together, and oh boy does it ever, major changes are on the way. We have a look at Tenma and what happened to him after saving another mob/killer's life. On top of that we get some Johan past and shows how he was raised and who he was.
The things that work in Monster are the slow build. The getting to know various characters and why they are key characters in the overall story. Tenma is a great main character, giving hope at every turn, even when everyone else in this world is usually looking out from only themselves. The exciting cat and mouse game reaches a semi-climax here too and I want more.
It is a slower volume, and a ton of world building, but I think it'll pay off big in the end. A 4 out of 5.
January 18, 2020
Omg omg omg I love this manga so damn much!!! Serial killers, twisted side plots, copycat murders, hostages, kidnappings, running from the police... all the love for this series. My goal is eventually to own this entire series because I can totally see myself reading & rereading it. Ugh SO MUCH LOVE.
Also the art is fantastic, unlike most other mangas this one plays almost like a movie as I read. It is such a good series. If you’re like me and love thrillers, true crime, healthcare drama, and manga... read this series. It keeps getting better with each volume too!
**note: this is NOT an uplifting story, though, and is fairly graphically violent at times.
Also the art is fantastic, unlike most other mangas this one plays almost like a movie as I read. It is such a good series. If you’re like me and love thrillers, true crime, healthcare drama, and manga... read this series. It keeps getting better with each volume too!
**note: this is NOT an uplifting story, though, and is fairly graphically violent at times.
January 22, 2023
Ogni capitolo di questa storia è incredibile. Il maestro Urasawa ha saputo partorire un capolavoro che va ben oltre la figura del mostro... È un puzzle che si complica sempre di più, ma con dei pezzi assolutamente perfetti e armoniosi tra loro. Comunque ogni volta che vedo il viso di Johan mi prende un'ansia terribile...
December 20, 2020
Die Mystery-Thriller Geschichte um den Serienmörder Johann geht weiter! Ich liebe die Story und ich hätte definitiv nicht so lange warten sollen bis ich weitergelesen habe. Für mich ist Naoki Urasawa ein Meister von psychologischen Geschichten.
November 4, 2024
Of the 3 volumes I've read so far, this one is easily the most conflicting. The beginning and end are a bit more unfocused than the rest of the story so far - setting out to instead introduce more characters and side-plots that don't inherently relate to the primary story itself to this point, which makes it a little harder to be as invested as everything else has made me.
Despite this, the middle of the volume has a few mini-arcs of like 3-4 chapters apiece that are AMAZING, on par with anything in Volume 1 if not for their brevity, and better than maybe anything in Volume 2.
I said to a friend "This is better than Volume 2" in the aftermath of those few mini-arcs because they had me feeling some type of way. Unfortunately, the last 4 or so chapters are - as I said - a bit unrelated, and just introducing new stuff for later, which in my opinion kills the hype of the great material on display. On balance, it ends up being my least favorite volume so far, sitting at about 3.5/5. I have to give Volume 2 props for being overall more consistent - consistently 4 stars - but because Volume 3 has much higher highs than 2, I have to round the 3.5 up to 4 stars as well.
That said, I do look greatly look forward to continuing. I hear that near the end of Volume 4 and especially Volume 5 are where things start to get truly exceptional, so I am excited for for that.
Despite this, the middle of the volume has a few mini-arcs of like 3-4 chapters apiece that are AMAZING, on par with anything in Volume 1 if not for their brevity, and better than maybe anything in Volume 2.
I said to a friend "This is better than Volume 2" in the aftermath of those few mini-arcs because they had me feeling some type of way. Unfortunately, the last 4 or so chapters are - as I said - a bit unrelated, and just introducing new stuff for later, which in my opinion kills the hype of the great material on display. On balance, it ends up being my least favorite volume so far, sitting at about 3.5/5. I have to give Volume 2 props for being overall more consistent - consistently 4 stars - but because Volume 3 has much higher highs than 2, I have to round the 3.5 up to 4 stars as well.
That said, I do look greatly look forward to continuing. I hear that near the end of Volume 4 and especially Volume 5 are where things start to get truly exceptional, so I am excited for for that.
December 28, 2024
Seguimos con la historia del Doctor Tenma y el malvado Johan. La verdad es que esté tercer tomo aunque me ha gustado mucho, es un poco más pausado que los dos anteriores, pero me ha dejado con unas ganas irrefrenables de continuar con esta saga policíaca. Por cierto, continuo afirmando que las ilustraciones son una auténtica maravilla!!
October 20, 2022
This one's my favorite in the series so far! It reminded me a lot of Criminal Minds, which I love. There's so much going on, and this author knows how to mess with your brain. So excited to read the next one after that cliffhanger!
March 13, 2025
if criminal, why so hot then? WHY—?
July 31, 2015
I love nearly everything about this story. I do wish Nina played more of a role, but I also love Tenma as a main character and his ability to inspire and uplift the people around him. What really strikes me about the story, though, is how masterfully Urasawa weaves together the horrifying and the mundane. Monster alternates between the intense thriller-mystery narrative of Tenma's quest for Johan and small slice-of-life narratives about ordinary, usually relatively decent, people. The complexity of the characters, the depth of storytelling, the philosophical force--this is one manga I would feel comfortable recommending to literally anyone.
August 2, 2022
I know that the highlight of this story is how you need to be careful when Johan Liebert is around but…
Monster is so much more than that,
I love how every chapter, EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER, unravel the very core of what it is to be human. Flawed, fragile and capable of change (a good one) and Tenma. My oh my, Tenma is the real precious creature, he don’t deserve this cruel world. Aaaahhhh
At this point, my review will be solely emotional attachment because GUYS, WHAT ARE YOU TRULY WAITING FOR
just pick it up the series, you’ll be doing yourself a favour ✨
Monster is so much more than that,
I love how every chapter, EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER, unravel the very core of what it is to be human. Flawed, fragile and capable of change (a good one) and Tenma. My oh my, Tenma is the real precious creature, he don’t deserve this cruel world. Aaaahhhh
At this point, my review will be solely emotional attachment because GUYS, WHAT ARE YOU TRULY WAITING FOR
just pick it up the series, you’ll be doing yourself a favour ✨
June 2, 2024
Still such a good series! I read this volume straight through in one sitting. I love the interweaving of the ongoing story of Tenma with the individual stories that come up along the way. This book includes the long-awaited confrontation between Tenma and Lunge—with completely surprising results. The obvious Valjean/Javert dynamic with those two characters is excellent. Everything in the story now seems to be moving ever closer to Johan.
January 17, 2019
Tak dodaje sobie mangi, a co :D
April 21, 2024
omg… whenever johan appears i get anxiety
October 22, 2025
the anxiety this series gives me is just unparalleled
April 6, 2019
I found this volume to be a bit more confusing than the others since all of the subplots and different timelines are sometimes hard to keep track of, however, this was the creepiest volume so far. I started reading it last night and I almost shit my past when Dr Gillen talked to Jürgens, who seriously gave me the creeps. Naoki Urasawa is a genius when it comes to depict and draw madness. His characters have so much expression on their faces, I am shook! So, if you're looking for a series to give you the creeps, Monster is it!
So, I'm still working my way through this series, and I'm still enjoying the shit out of it. It's been so long since I have read a manga; I just love being able to fly through a work and have a good time. I really liked that Tenma and inspector Lunge finally butted heads again because their interaction is just the best. I totally forgot that Lunge is obsessed with the idea that "Johan" is just one of Tenma's Alter Egos. So exciting! Later on, we get to know Lotte, and she was one of my favorite characters on my first read of this series, so I cannot wait to see where her story goes.
But as much as I am enjoying my second read of this series, I cannot help all of the cheesy moments and also cannot shake the feeling that certain subplots could've been cut. There is a lot going on at the same time and the grand mystery behind Johan's identity and his intentions takes a backseat for quite some time...
Nonetheless, I cannot help but admire the attention that was paid to detail and the patience that Urasawa displayed with setting up certain of these subplots. Rereading the series made me realise how early on certain things are introduced that will only play a big role later. I particularly enjoyed the slow unfolding of the Schuwald - Karl - Margot Langer subplot (if I might call it that). In this volume, we are introduced to all of them and we start to realise how Johan is trying to use the old man's guilt to get his perfect revenge. Karl's mother (Margot Langer) later turns out to be Anna's old friend with whom she tried to cross the Czech border. Anna being, of course, Johan and Nina's mother. *mind blown* All of this only comes to light much later but I appreciate the amount of thought that went into the planning and plotting out of this series.
So, I'm still working my way through this series, and I'm still enjoying the shit out of it. It's been so long since I have read a manga; I just love being able to fly through a work and have a good time. I really liked that Tenma and inspector Lunge finally butted heads again because their interaction is just the best. I totally forgot that Lunge is obsessed with the idea that "Johan" is just one of Tenma's Alter Egos. So exciting! Later on, we get to know Lotte, and she was one of my favorite characters on my first read of this series, so I cannot wait to see where her story goes.
But as much as I am enjoying my second read of this series, I cannot help all of the cheesy moments and also cannot shake the feeling that certain subplots could've been cut. There is a lot going on at the same time and the grand mystery behind Johan's identity and his intentions takes a backseat for quite some time...
Nonetheless, I cannot help but admire the attention that was paid to detail and the patience that Urasawa displayed with setting up certain of these subplots. Rereading the series made me realise how early on certain things are introduced that will only play a big role later. I particularly enjoyed the slow unfolding of the Schuwald - Karl - Margot Langer subplot (if I might call it that). In this volume, we are introduced to all of them and we start to realise how Johan is trying to use the old man's guilt to get his perfect revenge. Karl's mother (Margot Langer) later turns out to be Anna's old friend with whom she tried to cross the Czech border. Anna being, of course, Johan and Nina's mother. *mind blown* All of this only comes to light much later but I appreciate the amount of thought that went into the planning and plotting out of this series.
July 20, 2025
So far, I've enjoyed this volume the most out of the first 3 volumes of Monster. Urasawa ratchets up the tension, intrigue, and action, while giving some much needed extra characterization to Eva. I began to truly pity her and feel sympathetic towards her, where before I only really saw her as being heartless and selfish. There's also extra attention given to Detective Lunge which of course I was ecstatic about. Loved his character from the beginning BECAUSE he's heartless and singleminded in his mission. Now its even more intense, definitely giving out an Al Pacino in "Heat" vibe. I can't wait to get home amd start reading vol. 4.
December 28, 2024
tenma performed a surgery despite lacking materials.. ho is u god
Read
July 19, 2025Mega knap hoe iemand hele nieuwe karakters kan schrijven + redemption arcs binnen 3 chapters.
Erg benieuwd hoe alles gaat samen komen
Erg benieuwd hoe alles gaat samen komen
January 6, 2025
boże ale ja tego twinka nienawidzę nmg
October 3, 2022
Maybe closer to 3.5 stars- I thought it dragged a bit at the beginning, but the last few chapters were so so good that I immediately requested the next volume from my library
November 18, 2021
A bit more confusing and cheesy than the former volumes, but still pretty good...
June 11, 2022
Wzięłam książkę do Rzeszowa, żeby potem przeczytać ją całą w drodze XD.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews