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Naoki Urasawa's Monster #8
Monster, Chapitre 08 : Mon héros sans nom
Bien qu'il sache que Tenma s'apprête à le tuer, Johann continue de mener une vie normale sans changer ses habitudes. Mais un jour, en consultant un livre dans la bibliothèque de l'université, il fond soudainement en larmes et perd conscience. Que peut bien contenir ce livre paru en République tchèque?!
188 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1998
14 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
356 books2,803 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
April 4, 2025
Ver a Johan entre niños siempre será una imagen difícil de borrar porque se siente antinatural y malintencionado y pues bueno, luego toma sentido cuando se destapan cosas.
Y lo que falta todavía luego de lo que pasa en la biblioteca con Johan y aquel libro misterioso.
En fin, Lunge sigue siendo un incordio como de costumbre y por fin ya se acerca el primer reencuentro entre Tenma y Johan.
Y lo que falta todavía luego de lo que pasa en la biblioteca con Johan y aquel libro misterioso.
En fin, Lunge sigue siendo un incordio como de costumbre y por fin ya se acerca el primer reencuentro entre Tenma y Johan.
January 8, 2022
The Best volume in this manga untll now , the story gets better and better.
November 29, 2024
Slightly weaker than the other volumes.
December 28, 2014
Monster is a layered thriller that has been building from the very first chapter. Furthermore this volume directly continues a multi-volume arc. Don't start here - read from the beginning.
Johan has maneuvered himself close to a powerful, famous financier, though those examining the web around him can only guess at his ultimate motive. Lunge's obsession with Tenma continues to overshadow everything else in his life, while Tenma's allies race to prevent the doctor from rash action.
The story of Hans Schuwald started at the end of volume 6 continues throughout this volume, with more to come. The tension is escalating marvelously as certain plot threads tie up as new ones emerge. Though there are several strong sections devoted to the supporting cast, the focus of the series is tightly centered on Tenma and Johan, with events seemingly building to a crescendo. The deftness with which Urasawa balances multiple characters, storylines and themes without loss of momentum is incredible.
Urasawa is really cranking up the suspense going into volume 9, which will mark the halfway point for the series. The choices ahead of Tenma and the mysterious schemes make for riveting reading.
Highly recommended.
Johan has maneuvered himself close to a powerful, famous financier, though those examining the web around him can only guess at his ultimate motive. Lunge's obsession with Tenma continues to overshadow everything else in his life, while Tenma's allies race to prevent the doctor from rash action.
The story of Hans Schuwald started at the end of volume 6 continues throughout this volume, with more to come. The tension is escalating marvelously as certain plot threads tie up as new ones emerge. Though there are several strong sections devoted to the supporting cast, the focus of the series is tightly centered on Tenma and Johan, with events seemingly building to a crescendo. The deftness with which Urasawa balances multiple characters, storylines and themes without loss of momentum is incredible.
Urasawa is really cranking up the suspense going into volume 9, which will mark the halfway point for the series. The choices ahead of Tenma and the mysterious schemes make for riveting reading.
Highly recommended.
June 20, 2024
3.25 stars
Every other volume, I want to give up, but then something interesting happens, so I think I should keep going even though I think I don't enjoy it as much as other people did. Because only one person is doing everything and we never get to see how he's doing it, I think the plot is a little unrealistic.
Every other volume, I want to give up, but then something interesting happens, so I think I should keep going even though I think I don't enjoy it as much as other people did. Because only one person is doing everything and we never get to see how he's doing it, I think the plot is a little unrealistic.
December 31, 2022
Favorite volume so far! OMG! The tension and suspense were at an all-time high. I was genuinely creeped out while reading this volume. It had more of a horror feel to it than previous volumes. So many new mysteries were introduced, too.
I'm loving a lot of the side characters that were introduced in the previous volume, but I'm really nervous at getting too attached to them. Urasawa is ruthless!
Tenma is back, too. He's in a dark place right now. His character arc and journey seems eerily similar to Detective Lunge. The internal conflict makes me even more attached to Tenma.
This is shaping up to me my favorite manga series of all time!
I'm loving a lot of the side characters that were introduced in the previous volume, but I'm really nervous at getting too attached to them. Urasawa is ruthless!
Tenma is back, too. He's in a dark place right now. His character arc and journey seems eerily similar to Detective Lunge. The internal conflict makes me even more attached to Tenma.
This is shaping up to me my favorite manga series of all time!
April 3, 2015
Ah, we now have friends. Friends always help friends plan elaborate assassinations of evil monsters, right? Oh yes. Too bad such elaborate schemes are always fraught with impending doom. God I love this series.
September 4, 2018
The near misses and coincidences are getting a bit too convenient and the BKA agent continues to be infuriating reluctant to grow as a character-- even as everyone around him gets fleshed out-- but there are more than enough carrots dangled to compel me forward.
Read
August 11, 2024“I know exactly what you’re talking about. I thought the world was darkness, I thought tomorrow was darkness. What’s your favorite food? I just some really yummy sausages a little while ago! But if I die, I can never eat it again!! I like soccer! But if I die, I won’t be able to kick a ball anymore!! The scary things never disappear, even when you become an adult! But tomorrow will be a good day! That’s what Tenma told me! If I die, then I can’t see Tenma anymore.”
Best monologue ever fight me.
The story about apologizing to the forest is a perfect example of why I read. I'm not seeking answers or hidden secrets, and gaining knowledge isn't my priority. I just want to read stories so personal that all the details feel irreplaceable. It doesn't matter if the story is mundane or alien, short or long, and I don't need to agree with or understand everything that makes it the way it is. I just want to experience other lives and learn more about the human condition. And this series fulfills this need perfectly.
“In a world of darkness, you’ll only sink further in… aim for the light.”
August 17, 2023
Loots of moving parts in this volume, and there was more of a focus on Tenma which I loved! Inspector Lunge can kiss my ass, but he is interesting
August 7, 2019
Naoki Urasawa is truly a master storyteller. What Johan is turning out is completely unimaginable .
September 21, 2020
Soon it's going to happen.
Read
July 5, 2022"And I will keep on doing what I am doing to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 12-14
"He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.” - Blood Meridian
I tend to be a sucker for strong concepts. Give me a good hook for a story and I'll read it, even if it doesn't entirely grab me in the end. Much of the time, I'm disappointed when a concept is misused or the author/artist doesn't explore the concept's full potential, merely touching upon it to get the readers hooked and then going on about their own interests or in the worst-case scenario, destroying the momentum that's been built. But Monster is different, as it's the rare series that delivers on its concept, while also being a very fast paced, entertaining story.
I've tried to expand my horizons in the world of comics and read foreign comics, and manga has been on that list of foreign comics to read. I've read several manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub, Akira, Bastard, and Death Note which I've enjoyed to various degrees, but the name Naoki Urasawa has come up with almost religious reverence in the circles that I've come across in the manga fandom. I'm happy to say that Urasawa is a writer-artist combination who proves to be as skilled of a storyteller as he is a draughtsman.
Urasawa shows himself to be a master of pacing, a master of suspense, and a master storyteller. While Monster starts off slowly, Urasawa keeps the audience invested with deft plotting and intricate attention to character, before taking the audience on a wild ride from beginning to end. Much of his skill also comes from his sense of the mystique, giving us little niblets of a much grander mystery that keeps his audience coming back for more. It is this ability that kept me coming back for more. I was impressed with the psychological progression of the characters, how their beliefs change throughout the story, and how they grow from the experiences that they go through during the events of the story.
Urasawa's art is likewise skilled, it is cartoon-like, while also being filled with character and personality. All his characters have distinct designs, and a character rarely looks similar to the other. An issue I often find with manga art is that all the characters look like children, and at their oldest late teens to early 30s. I wouldn't be surprised if Urasawa was influenced by the artwork of Katsuhiro Otomo, as he shares his eye for detail and distinct characteristics of his characters. Though Urasawa's art often runs toward the gothic. My friend Dave put it nicely when he said that this series has such an ominous and otherworldly feel that it sometimes feels fantastic.
Proof of this idea is with the main antagonist Johan, the titular monster, someone who is so detached from the rest of humanity that it seems that he is something otherworldly. Like Anton Chigurh or The Joker, Johan's evil is something that is so incomprehensible to the human psyche, that even when his motives are clear we are still unable to penetrate why he does what he does. What makes him so frightening isn't that he's particularly malicious or sadistic, it's that he is completely indifferent towards the lives around him, including his own. Urasawa plays his cards beautifully by never showing Johan too much or stooping to cliches where he taunts the heroes, he proves to be more of a force of nature than a cartoon bad guy.
Much of the series explores the relationship of protagonist Dr. Tenma and Johan and how both effect the world around them. They're not merely enemies, but existential opposites who are forced to collide. As Robert McGee pointed out, a protagonist's journey is only as good as the forces that antagonize him. Tenma's journey is ripe with struggle as he uncovers the mystery of who Johan is and all the forces that seek him for good or ill. Yet what allows Tenma to win is the fact that he chooses to hang on to being good, despite being in a world that is so transparently corrupt, becoming just as incomprehensible to the people who want to exploit or use him for their own ends.
I was also very surprised with the depth of the side characters that Urasawa introduced and how many stories he weaved into the story without losing the threads of the main plot. While they might seem frivolous at first glance, Urasawa always manages to find a way to weave them back into the main story somehow, where no detail is lost in the abyss. Much of the emotion that I felt through the series came from the side characters often, and Urasawa proves to be as gifted with characterization as Stephen King, creating characters with depth and nuance that gives the story its heart despite all the horrors that happen in it.
I continually stand in awe with how Urasawa manages to connect all these seemingly loose threads together to create one big story. It's rare that a story delivers on its core concept so adroitly, yet Urasawa does this and then some. He puts many comic creators around the world to shame, and he has fun doing it. His boundless imagination and his sense of set up and pay off will keep readers entertained as the story moves along as it does, culminating to an ending that is as oddly fitting as you could be with this story.
It's rare that a story explores evil with such nuance and creativity, we see all aspects of human evil be laid to bare through this series without reservation, rather it be the casual indifference of Johan, the selfish opportunism of the neo-Nazis, or the banal cruelty of the scientists from Kinderheim 511. One can also see the film Halloween being an influence on this series considering how Johan is much like Michael Myers, especially with the ending which I won't spoil here. Good might have triumphed today, Johan might be stopped, but he'll never truly be gone...
After all, evil never really dies, does it?
"He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.” - Blood Meridian
I tend to be a sucker for strong concepts. Give me a good hook for a story and I'll read it, even if it doesn't entirely grab me in the end. Much of the time, I'm disappointed when a concept is misused or the author/artist doesn't explore the concept's full potential, merely touching upon it to get the readers hooked and then going on about their own interests or in the worst-case scenario, destroying the momentum that's been built. But Monster is different, as it's the rare series that delivers on its concept, while also being a very fast paced, entertaining story.
I've tried to expand my horizons in the world of comics and read foreign comics, and manga has been on that list of foreign comics to read. I've read several manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub, Akira, Bastard, and Death Note which I've enjoyed to various degrees, but the name Naoki Urasawa has come up with almost religious reverence in the circles that I've come across in the manga fandom. I'm happy to say that Urasawa is a writer-artist combination who proves to be as skilled of a storyteller as he is a draughtsman.
Urasawa shows himself to be a master of pacing, a master of suspense, and a master storyteller. While Monster starts off slowly, Urasawa keeps the audience invested with deft plotting and intricate attention to character, before taking the audience on a wild ride from beginning to end. Much of his skill also comes from his sense of the mystique, giving us little niblets of a much grander mystery that keeps his audience coming back for more. It is this ability that kept me coming back for more. I was impressed with the psychological progression of the characters, how their beliefs change throughout the story, and how they grow from the experiences that they go through during the events of the story.
Urasawa's art is likewise skilled, it is cartoon-like, while also being filled with character and personality. All his characters have distinct designs, and a character rarely looks similar to the other. An issue I often find with manga art is that all the characters look like children, and at their oldest late teens to early 30s. I wouldn't be surprised if Urasawa was influenced by the artwork of Katsuhiro Otomo, as he shares his eye for detail and distinct characteristics of his characters. Though Urasawa's art often runs toward the gothic. My friend Dave put it nicely when he said that this series has such an ominous and otherworldly feel that it sometimes feels fantastic.
Proof of this idea is with the main antagonist Johan, the titular monster, someone who is so detached from the rest of humanity that it seems that he is something otherworldly. Like Anton Chigurh or The Joker, Johan's evil is something that is so incomprehensible to the human psyche, that even when his motives are clear we are still unable to penetrate why he does what he does. What makes him so frightening isn't that he's particularly malicious or sadistic, it's that he is completely indifferent towards the lives around him, including his own. Urasawa plays his cards beautifully by never showing Johan too much or stooping to cliches where he taunts the heroes, he proves to be more of a force of nature than a cartoon bad guy.
Much of the series explores the relationship of protagonist Dr. Tenma and Johan and how both effect the world around them. They're not merely enemies, but existential opposites who are forced to collide. As Robert McGee pointed out, a protagonist's journey is only as good as the forces that antagonize him. Tenma's journey is ripe with struggle as he uncovers the mystery of who Johan is and all the forces that seek him for good or ill. Yet what allows Tenma to win is the fact that he chooses to hang on to being good, despite being in a world that is so transparently corrupt, becoming just as incomprehensible to the people who want to exploit or use him for their own ends.
I was also very surprised with the depth of the side characters that Urasawa introduced and how many stories he weaved into the story without losing the threads of the main plot. While they might seem frivolous at first glance, Urasawa always manages to find a way to weave them back into the main story somehow, where no detail is lost in the abyss. Much of the emotion that I felt through the series came from the side characters often, and Urasawa proves to be as gifted with characterization as Stephen King, creating characters with depth and nuance that gives the story its heart despite all the horrors that happen in it.
I continually stand in awe with how Urasawa manages to connect all these seemingly loose threads together to create one big story. It's rare that a story delivers on its core concept so adroitly, yet Urasawa does this and then some. He puts many comic creators around the world to shame, and he has fun doing it. His boundless imagination and his sense of set up and pay off will keep readers entertained as the story moves along as it does, culminating to an ending that is as oddly fitting as you could be with this story.
It's rare that a story explores evil with such nuance and creativity, we see all aspects of human evil be laid to bare through this series without reservation, rather it be the casual indifference of Johan, the selfish opportunism of the neo-Nazis, or the banal cruelty of the scientists from Kinderheim 511. One can also see the film Halloween being an influence on this series considering how Johan is much like Michael Myers, especially with the ending which I won't spoil here. Good might have triumphed today, Johan might be stopped, but he'll never truly be gone...
After all, evil never really dies, does it?
July 15, 2007
Eight volumes into his extraordinary series Monster, Naoki Urasawa manages to keep the intrigue growing exponentially. What impresses me the most is how he continues on his main narrative line but has created such a broad tableaux, he has plenty of room to leave the central plot and explore pockets of the larger story, all the while keeping his readers abreast of the progression of the Fugitive-esque story of a Japanese doctor searching for the culprit in the murders he himself is suspected of committing. Each new supporting character is as well developed as the last, and every time one book is finished, I'm desperate for the next.
June 1, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Synopsis: Dr. Tenma brings a boy named Johan back to life, unknowingly resurrecting a monster from the brink of death who ends up throwing the world he knows into a cesspit of despair and chaos.
Review: One of the most horrifying yet humanistic crime thrillers ever told, managing to capture the absolute worst of humanity while showing how we can also be the most kind, compassionate and heroic creatures that have ever lived. The complexity of human nature, the small deeds that change the world around us little by little, the hero and the monster that lives inside all of us, how our actions shape the next generation, the controversy of nature vs. nurture, Monster brilliantly portrays it all in a stunningly engrossing and emotional manner.
Interweaving dark conspiracies, hospital politics, serial murders and controversial indictment, the dark tale of Tenma, Johan and all of the unfortunate souls caught in between their battle of morality is an unforgettable experience.
Synopsis: Dr. Tenma brings a boy named Johan back to life, unknowingly resurrecting a monster from the brink of death who ends up throwing the world he knows into a cesspit of despair and chaos.
Review: One of the most horrifying yet humanistic crime thrillers ever told, managing to capture the absolute worst of humanity while showing how we can also be the most kind, compassionate and heroic creatures that have ever lived. The complexity of human nature, the small deeds that change the world around us little by little, the hero and the monster that lives inside all of us, how our actions shape the next generation, the controversy of nature vs. nurture, Monster brilliantly portrays it all in a stunningly engrossing and emotional manner.
Interweaving dark conspiracies, hospital politics, serial murders and controversial indictment, the dark tale of Tenma, Johan and all of the unfortunate souls caught in between their battle of morality is an unforgettable experience.
June 4, 2024
Este tomo maneja tanta tan tensión que me detuve por mucho mucho tiempo con temor a lo que pudiera pasar. ¡Me encanta!
Espero el autoe logre conectar todo de manera satisfactoria y pueda quedar como algo creíble dentro de lo increíble.
Espero el autoe logre conectar todo de manera satisfactoria y pueda quedar como algo creíble dentro de lo increíble.
March 9, 2024
i need answers
October 29, 2024
Best volume so far. It‘s crazy how Johann can manipulate people. Heartbreaking to read the scenes with the kids.
March 29, 2025
Uno de mis tomos favoritos.
August 27, 2018
Manga marathon
November 17, 2024
dr. gillen's actually becoming one of my favourite characters
February 14, 2023
Recommendation: The next part in this elaborate reimagining of "The Fugitive" is just as good as the previous volumes.
Critique: Good art (particularly in expressive, mostly distinctive character design), great storytelling in an apparently endless drama of cat and mouse and cat. The preposterousness of the two endless pursuits is more than made up for by the intensity of the character development and the tension of each character's incomplete information.
Review:
Critique: Good art (particularly in expressive, mostly distinctive character design), great storytelling in an apparently endless drama of cat and mouse and cat. The preposterousness of the two endless pursuits is more than made up for by the intensity of the character development and the tension of each character's incomplete information.
Review:
January 9, 2010
Am I ever going to stop loving Monster? It seems unlikely at this point. The connections between the characters continue to be developed, and against all expectations, we learn that Johan may be even more evil than he’s seemed up ‘til now. Yeek!
August 20, 2010
It was great! Matt insisted i read this graphic novel series. A real page turner--read right through it.
August 6, 2011
The suspense continues to build and grow. Quick, fast-paced read.
July 24, 2014
The pieces of the puzzle are setting onto place.making it harder to not read the next volume . I will go to the library ASAP .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews