Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Monster – episode 66

November 2, 2005 on 12:44 pm | In Monster | Comments Off

“Welcome home”

This episode features some of Monster‘s best music since way back when Reichwein was being hunted by Roberto. It also acts as a good examination of the past, shedding some light on some things while muddying Johan’s motives all the more.

The first half of this episode is dedicated to the twins’ parents and their plight. The second half concentrates on the convergence of characters and Nina desperately trying to find an answer for her brother.

The story of the “experiment” helped to demonstrate both how love can cause holes in even the darkest of schemes, and that Franz Bonaparta is a bastard. The twins’ parents were very well designed, and one can see that the twins are an amalgamation of both mother and father. It is not odd to see cruelty in Monster, but here it is shown first hand.
The mother is an understandably bitter character, and to see her best efforts fail was difficult. So now it is revealed that the twins were born into the experiment, but we’re no closer to finding out what pushed Johan over the edge …

The only problem with this sequence is that Franz Bonaparta’s appearance is finally revealed; out of silhouette, he just looks like a normal man. Of course, this is possibly even more sinister: that someone so “normal” could beget such an evil plan. By the end, he wears away all resistance; Bonaparta is likely Monster‘s most genuinely cruel character.

The other part of this episode, symptomatic of Monster covering two chapters of manga with each episode and thus sometimes cramming two storylines into twenty minutes, is more present and packed with some very good scenes.

I would say that the character who has changed the most over the course of the Monster series is Eva. The poor woman had another break through in this episode, and I don’t think that she really deserves all that is happening to her. This is not to say that Eva has had the hardest time over the series, particularly as most of her suffering was wrought by herself, but since she started trying to do the right thing nothing has turned out well for her.
Seeing the invincible woman actually crying in this episode came as something of a shock.

On the twin front, Johan’s ways are still mysterious. The twins had a fairly identical upbringing, so there must have been one radically dissonant incident to bring Johan to the way he is. But what was it? Nina can pinpoint her point of difference, but where was Johan’s? Is it the key to it all?
Again, Monster asks more questions than it answers.

All of this said, the cruellest thing about this episode is its conclusion; people must learn to stop ending episodes on doors opening! Speaking of which, Lunge had better turn up soon …