A Scary Story

Anybody out there like scary stories? Anyone? Just me then? Well I’m going to tell you about this one anyway. I’ve been reading this manga, that’s a Japanese comic book, called Monster. The author is Naoki Urasawa, credited as Japan’s master of suspense. And the series is fifteen volumes long, so it’s taken me awhile, but I am currently on the fourteenth, and brrrrr! It’s been quite a journey.

The story starts in 1986, in Düsseldorf, then West Germany. A neurosurgeon named Kenzo Tenma is struggling with hospital politics. His superiors would rather he saved the lives of famous people, if given a choice between an opera singer and a Turkish woman’s husband, for example. But Tenma has too much of a conscience and he believes that all patients lives are equal.

So, when a fatally injured boy named Johan Liebert is brought in one night, and the mayor is brought in shortly after, what do you think Tenma does? His bosses want him to operate on the mayor, citing his expertise. But Tenma doesn’t believe the mayor to be any more important than the life of a little boy. He also determines that the doctor assigned to operate on Johan would probably screw it up. So, in defiance of his superiors, doctor Tenma saves Johan’s life.

However, the mayor doesn’t survive. This could be the end of Tenma’s career. His bosses want to make sure everybody knows it’s his fault the mayor died, and moreover, they refuse to credit him with saving little Johan, trying to turn the whole thing into publicity for the hospital. Also, his fiancé, Eva Heinaman, who is also the hospital director’s daughter, dumps him.

And just as Tenma’s life lies in rubble, the hospital director and a few other hospital officials die under mysterious circumstances. This results in Tenma being appointed chief surgeon. Johan and his twin sister Ana simply vanish. Eleven years pass and Johan comes back into Tenma’s life. And what do you know, the kid's a serial killer.

So now, Tenma chases after Johan, intent on correcting the mistake he made eleven years ago. Along the way, he runs into all kinds of characters, like Johan’s sister, who now goes by Nina Fortner. Inspector Lunge, who has a perfect memory. And Mr. Grimmer, who’s always smiling. And at the center of it all, always a step ahead, the sinister and mysterious Johan. The monster.

It’s a very chilling series to read, and I can see why Naoki Urasawa is Japan’s suspense master. If you deicide to pick it up, remember that manga is formatted right to left, so don’t try reading it the way your used to or you’ll get confused.

Anyway, see you later!
-Jack.