Monster, Chapter 18: Scenery of the Doomsday

Naoki Urasawa's Monster #18

by Naoki Urasawa

Rurenheim... Rumah yang tenang. Kota kecil yang tenang telah berubah menjadi kota pembantaian! Apa maksud 'pembunuhan yang sempurna' Johan? Tenma dan Nina akhirnya berhadapan dengan Johan! Dan sekarang, rahasia kelahiran monster yang sesungguhnya hampir tersingkap! Inilah awal dari akhir yang menegangkan!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Thriller, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Monsters, Fiction

254 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2002

About the author

Urasawa 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

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ese final... Una vez más confirmo que es perfección pura este manga.

[Apoorva · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother introduced me to the Monster anime series but due to the length of the anime, we kind of gave up on watching it. So when I was searching for a good manga series to read, Monster seemed like a perfect choice! And it definitely is, as the story is interesting and a fast read despite having 18 volumes.

Plot:

The story begins with Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a brilliant surgeon with a kind heart working at a hospital in Germany. He has a promising career ahead of him but one day, everything changes. Risking his medical career, he decides to save the life of a boy. Subsequently, strange murders happen around him that ends up benefiting him which makes the police suspicious.

Years later, when the guy whose life he saved comes to greet him, Tenma realizes that he has saved a monster who has an evil plan that has already claimed the lives of many innocent people. Unable to come to terms with his guilty conscience, he embarks on a lonely journey find the monster and learn about his past so he can stop him before the monster inflicts any more damage.

Review:

The ‘Monster’ attempts to understand whether people are born evil or they become evil due to external circumstances. The case study is an elusive antagonist who had a terrible past. The protagonist, a doctor who holds the power to save lives and believes ‘all lives are equal’ must grapple with the moral dilemma of saving or killing criminals.

The question is whether it is a person’s responsibility to hold himself accountable for the crimes committed by the people he saved. Moreover, there’s an important question to consider: If you’re faced with the same situation twice, would you choose the same thing over again or would you make a different choice? That’s a great topic for discussion! Now here’s my take on the story:

Pros: Monster has a unique story-line that takes place in a couple of different places such as post-war Germany, Austria and then Czechoslovakia. Most of the backbone of the story is built around the time when the Berlin wall was up. The author does a commendable job of writing a realistic story that combines an interesting investigation into the past and the contemporary issues prevailing within integrated Germany.

What I loved about the story was the journey of the protagonist to uncover the secrets from the past. With every volume, you learn something new and you’re constantly on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what’s going to happen! Along with Tenma, you also follow various other characters that are on the quest of their own and whose lives get intertwined with Tenma’s because of the antagonist.

The illustrations were well done and depicted the atmosphere of the story perfectly. The characters were also well drawn, plus I loved reading about the different character arcs. You also have some morally ambiguous characters that make you sympathize with them.

Cons: Where do I even begin?? Just kidding! But seriously though, I’ve got some huge complaints. Like the ending! I felt the same way people felt after they finished the 8th season of GOT. (I mean I can only imagine because I stopped watching GOT after like 5th season but you get the drift!) You expect a satisfying ending after you’ve invested so much of your time in the characters and the story.

Monster has a promising start and an amazing story and all the events are leading up to this massive climax but that’s it! What you get is a very disappointing and underwhelming end to this exhilarating story. It made no sense and it made me question all the events that happened earlier in the story. The antagonist was supposed to be a genius who used people as pawns to get his way but that’s not how he appears in the end. I wish the last volume didn’t exist.

Verdict:

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster is an intricately plotted and a highly entertaining thriller that had a great potential to be a masterpiece, but unfortunately, it fell short of achieving that title due to an anticlimactic climax. But, if you’re someone who enjoys a murder mystery, go for it!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done. The series is finished. After the last several issues, I was starting to struggle with my interest. This volume did nothing to help. We get Tenma's ending and sort of Nina's and Detective Lunge. BUt what about Wim's father? SO much was left unresolved with characters like Grimmer. I constantly struggled to really understand what happened with the twins, kinderheim, and why all this in the town especially. Why the "suicide" desire? It was a good series overall but the further in this all got, the more muddled it became. Maybe if I was more familiar with Germany it would have helped? IDK. The last page especially has me with unresolved feelings and thoughts. And poof! Now it is over, never to know...

[Rahul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whole series - 4.5 🌟
This volume - 4 🌟

Well why Naoki Urasawa Sir is considered as Master Of Suspense is very simple, read MONSTER and you will understand it. Although ending seems incomplete or I could even say that the monster is still alive I guess but it is very well thought and plotted and suspense remain even at the end. Well I really love and would miss the characters Dr. Tenma , Mr. Grimmer , Dieter and Nina/Anna. It is surely a great series, not a ending that I hoped for but some as Monsters don't die so is Johan. If the series continued Johan would surely have created disaster. Looking forward to read Urasawa Sir other works.
Banzai Sayonara to one of my favourite characters of all time.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best serial dramas, ever. This is the final volume of a masterpiece in storytelling. I've been a fan of the serial drama since I was very young. Some television series have recently managed to do it well (Buffy & Babylon 5 for instance). This is definitely one of the best examples you can find. Dozens of characters, multiple intertwining plot lines that all come together in a fantastic way over 18 volumes of manga. No fantasy or superheroes in this "comic book" just a great manhunt, mystery, vengeance, human drama. Well worth the read.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was a bit disappointing.

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

An unexpected and explosive ending! I still wish a few more loose ends would have been tied up, but what a great series!

[Vaikhari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot : 4.5/5
Art : 4.5/5
Humour : NA/5 (This one made me cry instead of amusing)
Characters : 4.5/5
Overall rating : 4.5/5

Shoutout to the manga that gave me existential crisis at the age of 16.

This was obviously a re-read but I felt like I was 16 again. Jonah has got to be one of the most psychologically deceptive and cruel antagonist ever.

Monster is the type of story that everyone should read yet i know only 40% would truly enjoy or like. Why? Because its pure psychological drama, and might force you to question your entire life and most ppl don't like self reflection lol. Monster attempts to understand if people are born evil or are raised into being evil. What makes a human cruel to the point of inhumanity? Nature or Nurture?

The series has a very good start and great build up with each volume, but something about ending felt inconspicuous and unfulfilling. Some of the end volumes did make me cry so that's a plus lol. (I rarely cry)

Moral of the story : Think before you act. A single event is enough to alter a person's psyche and traumatize them for life.


If you’re someone who enjoys a murder mystery, give it a try!

[Gretel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wished they stopped calling him Monster.
I wished he didn't have to suffer.
I wished I knew his real name.

I hope he finds peace.


I wished he didn't need Steiner.
I wished he could mourn his son.
I wished I knew his real name.

I hope he finds peace.


I just feel desperately sad and unimaginably angry about what has been done to them and what they took from them.
This is the second time I've read the series. The first time over 10 years ago. And I still feel pretty much the same about the characters as I did then, maybe even stronger.
I don't have any nice concluding words because I've got emotions and thoughts raging inside of me but I have to hope that he can start a new life and the other one's death is still unfair.

[AℳY♔Queen of Fat cats♔Ain't no lie Baby Byebyebye · Rating 5 out of 5]

That ending! Is Johan coming back or was that just something on Tenma's mind? Are Nina and Tenma together? I so ship them together. What about Eva? What about the twins' mother? I need more!

Guys! You should read this,especially if you're behind in your reading challenge, I added the 18 tankabouns (volumes) to my reading challenge in less than a month. Some things don't make sense but I'd say it's realistic for an adult manga.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect ending for a great series. "Monster" is a successful blend of graphic novel and a suspenseful thriller narration with deep philosophical and psychological content.
A skillfully developed and drawn cast of characters peoples these narrations of human fates (often horrifying) that all tie into one overarching murder thriller that contemplates questions of ethics, humanness, pure evil and education.

Naoki Urasawa created one of the best, emotionally challenging and human graphic novels I've ever read. I had shivers down my spine and tears in my eyes.

[Shourya Gupta]

i have no idea what to rate this volume overall I had a great time reading this series. it kept me intrigued 95% of the time.

in terms of the ending i think it's going to take me a while to understand why what happened happened like there was an implicit message there at the end which had been hinted at throughout our the last 5-6 volumes but i don't really get it like what does it really mean to "finally have your name and but nobody around you to call you by it" am I reading too much into this??

like when after having invested so much time into this story I expected it to have an extremely satisfying ending and in some aspects I got what I wanted but it did not give me the same exhilarating experience that the previous 17 volumes gave me i think maybe the ending could've stretched on for longer or even if it were open ended someway and left to interpretation I'm sure i would've found that extremely frustrating but at least it would've made me feel something.

now that I think about it there is one question it did make me think about, are people born evil? not just evil i mean the series talked about in the evil sense but i thought of it more as a how much of what a person is is because of their genetics, how much of it is because of the people around them while their mind was taking shape and how much of it is their own doing?

i relate to this question really hard because all of my childhood i had been an over achieving child (until middle school) my mother can't stop talking about the potential i had in me as I child, how I could speak clear sentences, sing really well and even academically being really well off without putting much effort into things.

so i often find myself thinking how much of that was because I was Gifted genetically and and how much of it was because of the people around me who molded me into that overachieving child and how much of it was the things that I had done out of my own volition that brought about the downfall of that overachieving child.


also for a second can I just talk about how fucking scary the weather was like I woke up at 4:06 am to the sound of lightening outside and when I woke up i knew this was literally the perfect time to finish the series (i just wish the volume was as good as the weather lol)


https://youtube.com/shorts/D6IF7w4nDQ...

[Katy del Valle ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to start saying that Urasawa never disappoints. I love the way he sets the places and transports us there, the way all the characters are related in one way or another at the end and how he makes us care about each one of them.
Wow Johan without a doubt one of the best villains I've read, everything in his story is so well structured that it blows your mind, the level of manipulation he had to have all in the palm of his hand just wow.
As for the story in general, it's all structured and connected, each chapter is full of suspense and emotion that you never know what's going to happen. I liked how he kept introducing characters from Tenma's past to help him later. And as for the ending, which was an open one, I think it could have been better with a villain like Johan, I felt like everything happened too fast.
I would have liked to see some things resolved and more of Tenma's relationship with Nina and Dieter with the detective and the doctors.
My favorite character was Grimmer, he was a clear example of bravery and resilience, who despite everything he suffered he was able to help other people and in the end he knew what it was like to feel.
And as Dr. Tenma said, "If you don't have good memories of the past, you can make an effort to have them in the future."
Please read Monster, you won't regret it, and now it's my turn to watch the anime.

[Arsene · Rating 5 out of 5]

و به پایان رسید… هجده جلد داستانی با کلی لایه و مفهوم و شخصیت پردازی فوق‌العاده:) و پایانی که هنوزم که هنوزه هضم کردنش سخته. شوک آور و فوق‌العاده. بعد از هجده جلد فراز و نشیب به آخرین چپتر رسیدم با عنوان “هیولای واقعی” و به نظرم فقط تو همین چپتر بود که بالاخره نشون داد این هیولا کی بوده:) تو این هجده جلد انگار یک عمر با تمام کاراکترا زندگی کردم، تنما و یوهان بنظرم واقعا دو روی یک سکه بودن یکیشون با نجات اون یکی به این نتیجه رسید که همه زندگی ها ارزش یکسانی دارن و زندگی تمام آدما باهم برابره در طرف مقابل یوهان بود که خواست به تنما نشون بده تنها چیزی که همه انسانها در اون برابرند مرگه.
هیولا کسی بود که به پوچگرایی مطلق رسونده بودنش یا کسی که هویت آدم ها رو ازشون گرفت یا مادری که فرزند خودش رو قربانی انتقام جویی خودش کرد؟ آخر این داستان آدمو درمورد خیلی چیزا تا مدت ها درمورد بدترین جنایت آدما به فکر فرو میبره. به قول یکی از نقل قول های این کتاب “انسانها میتونن به هرچیزی تبدیل بشن”
اگه بخوام کامل و مفصل تمام حرفام درمورد این مانگا رو بگم چندین صفحه مقاله درمیاد پس با وجود سختی و غمش ریویوی این مانگا رو همینجا تموم میکنم. و میذارم خود کسایی که دوست دارن این مانگا و داستانو بخونن به درک و برداشت خودشون از این مجموعه برسن.
«?who is the real monster»
(و البته نمیتونم توصیف کنم چقدر ناراحتم برای هیولایی که قربانی تمام اون هیولاها شد و بلاهایی که سرش اومد...)

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

... a little disappointed tbh.

While the horror of the twins' experience was described, Johan's psychology didn't feel too explored and his motives for acting as he has throughout his life remains unclear -- ie. there seemed to be a gap between the childhood trauma and his becoming a cold-blooded criminal mastermind/manipulator and then between that and his deciding to commit suicide-by-massacre. That said, this series was pretty suspenseful in parts (ie. all the action bits), so that was good, but overall I felt let down with how the "psychological" aspect of this thriller played out. Since it's what it was building to, I've given this last volume a lower rating than the others.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finale and wrap-up. I'm relieved and disturbed and I made it all the way to the very end by holding my breath, and then, despite the fact that I had given up on one of my pet theories about this series, it came back like a ton of bricks and crushed me. My god this series was so good, and the bastard never even gave us the names of the twins. I want to cry and gnash my teeth.

I feel like I just sat through one of PK's little readings and was just deemed an insufficient child and made to go home. Maybe I ought to go find a mirror even though I've been so busy lately.

*shiver*

I'll always remember this series. What a mind trip.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

After 2 years I have finally finished this manga series!!

It was a long haul and 18 volumes, but the finish was awesome. Love this series - lots of ethical questions about forgiveness, absolute evil, value of life . . . plus all sorts of action.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is sure the true contender of Death Note and I really like this ending more than I like the ending of DN.
Everything came back together!
The shot scene was great! the moving on-s are great! and the final panel!!!
This is an epic story, a saga, a true masterpiece!

[Karol Bożek · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/10 kurwaaa jakie to dobreee
zakończenie może się podobać albo nie ;bb
Johan sit on my face ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

[kutingtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Tenma to the rescue! That final scene got me holding the edge of my seat!

finishing all 74 episodes of Monster is such a commitment but it is worth the ride.

It can also get grimmer so I had to watch at around 5-6 episodes at a time.

Overall, i love how I was able to watch an anime far different from my usual slice of life, shoujo types 😬

For a series that was made 10years ago, this remains to be a masterpiece in itself. 👏🏻

I thank my friend abdul for giving me some spoiler free headsup as well 🙂

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

GAH. Want... more...

[Isbat Bin Hossain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a really really long time. I've started the anime back in 2017 I think then dropped it halfway through and picked back up in 2021 and dropped again after few episodes.

I really felt the anime was a bit dated was paced not very well. So I decided to read the manga, and I am truly happy that I picked this up again.

Monster is really one the greatest if not the greatest psychological thriller manga. The plot was great, the setting was intriguing and the mysteries was enticing. But really the best part was the characters. Mr. Urasawa has this great talent of creating an intriguing and engaging character only with a little page time. Even the characters that are only tangentially related to the story adds to the story rather than making it boring.

And the dynamic between Johan, Tenma and Nina was fascinating to say the least. This really is a masterpiece and I am really glad to finally complete this series.

[Alysses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Martins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que viagem bonita

Faltando palavras, algumas citaçoes de Urasawa em "Monster"

"Having Someone To Wait For Is Happiness. Whether They Come Or Not."

"Everyone Is Burdened With Their Sins. They'll Never Go Away. Even So, We Still Carry On With What We Must Do."

"My Emotions Got Lost Somewhere Inside Me. They're Like A Letter I Sent To Myself... That Took Decades To Arrive."

[Almir Rocha Filho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obra prima

[Peachy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know what to make of Inspector Lunge in A Fictitious Man (ch 150). That man was nuts, and kept subverting my expectations regarding his change of heart or lack thereof. Though, I gotta admit that him taking a rifle and that other small gun was kinda sexy. Grimmer was chicken soup for the soul, and I am in total agreement with him on the matter of Franz Bonaparta having to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions. I am glad that Lunge witnessed his outburst, and I hope that those two would be able to grab some beer together.

The concept of the fictitious man was so interesting to me. One's name was not to be conflated with one's identity. One also lives through others' memories. These were touched upon by Johan, Grimmer, and all the other children who lost their humanity because of the nameless monster, and General Wolf whose past was almost completely forgotten.

I am a confused dummy who misremembered the quote "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" from Romeo and Juliet as a line from The Little Prince. Then there was a jumble of thoughts about taming, naming, and memories. This messy train of thought made more sense before I realized I was wrong and attempted to write this down.

I finally understood the vacation Lunge took in The Vacation is Over (ch 151). I think. I remember when he met up with Tenma's Japanese acquaintances and came across Emil Scherbe's The Nameless Monster by chance. I will be so devastated if Lunge dies...

Grimmer was trying so hard to comfort everyone in Grimmer's Scream (ch 152). He really was admirable for his compassion. Fuck Bonaparta.

The Magnificent Steiner's Rage (ch 153) left me in shambles. I knew Grimmer was human this whole time... Not just upon death like he seemed to believe. Fuck Bonaparta so much!

A Nameless Man (ch 154) fucked me up.

Lunge was so hot and sexy in An Undrawable Picture (ch 155). Tenma deserved the world, while Bonaparta should rot in hell.

Don't Cry (ch 156) was personally not on par as the recent chapters. I am quite tired of Nina's whole remembering-everything-but-not-quite by now, and Wim being told that his violent and abusive father was not a murderer just really rubbed me off the wrong way.

I honestly did not expect the Scenery of the Doomsday (ch 157) at all. A part of me is hoping that maybe it was actually Lunge that shot Johan? Amyway, I hate that Bonaparta got off so fucking easy for all his crimes as if realizing he was wrong and feeling guilty were actually enough of an absolution.

I love how when things got really really crazy, the lines of the panels became diagonal to capture the high energy!

Those who Live (ch 158) blew my mind too...

Tomorrow will Come (ch 159) was bittersweet. I loved everything in this chapter especially Tenma joining the MSF!

The Real Monster (ch 160) fucked me up. I'd like to think that the reason that Johan was dressed up to look like Anna was so that their mother would not have to choose between them, and could just give up whoever randomly... but damn though.

The panels with conscious Johan and the final one were so fucking chilling.

I really expected Naoki Urasawa's Monster to be similar to Death Note: suspenseful, thrilling, and posing ethical conundrum of sorts. To my pleasant surprise, it touched upon the human condition making it such a lovely and poignant read. I feel like I learned so much from the way Naoki Urasawa panels too: he really put emphasis on camera movement and capturing motion and all the little details. I really loved this so much!

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished all 18 volumes but don’t want to go back and do each one, seems excessive.

Incredibly haunting story that I am excited to revisit in the future. The character of Johan is a genius-level of characterization that left me searing for analysis and commentary. The ideas of morality and personhood woven into his life is amazing to read. The end of his story and the relationship between him, Anna and Tenma is so complex but so subtly done.

Amazing work and I’ll look forward to 20th century boys which is said to be a great work by the same author. The slow pace had me stop watching the anime but I’m glad I followed through with the manga.

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so it ends. Did the ending of “Monster,” an epic, impossibly complex but extremely readable saga by Naoki Urasawa do its job? I dare say it did. It’s obvious that this series contained more characters, themes and events that could ever be completely wrapped up on every level, but “Scenery for a Doomsday” left me satisfied. It has an epic feel of closure- which it offers on a plot level- and the characters get surprisingly well built final scenes. And even as I was reading the last pages I was missing this phenomenally ambitious saga.

[Joevarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you find yourself interested in psychoanalysis, this manga is for you. The best of psychological thriller manga for me. This mangaka really knows how to build up our curiosity which makes this manga quite amazing.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this manga, but it was
so damn boring for most of the time. I can see why it’s well written, but it is honestly very overhyped. I still don’t understand Johans motives, and why he is considered “the best antagonist of all time”. Am I missing something?