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Any other anime like Monster?

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MormaPope

Banned
I started watching Monster and it made me realize my favorite genre or type of anime, mystery or detective based stories starring adults. I'm probably going to marathon the show quickly, is there anything that has a similar tone? Grounded characters involved with something larger than life.
 

Shengar

Member
I started watching Monster and it made me realize my favorite genre or type of anime, mystery or detective based stories starring adults. I'm probably going to marathon the show quickly, is there anything that has a similar tone? Grounded characters involved with something larger than life.

Do you strictly want a detective/mystery manga or do you okay with other genre?
 

FluxWaveZ

Member
I recently started watching Monster, myself. I'm at episode 69 now.

What comes to mind right now is Death Note, but the characters aren't necessarily grounded, they're not older adults like in Monster and it's supernatural.
 

MormaPope

Banned
Do you strictly want a detective/mystery manga or do you okay with other genre?

As long as its not completely action oriented or starring youngsters.

I recently started watching Monster, myself. I'm at episode 69 now.

What comes to mind right now is Death Note, but the characters aren't necessarily grounded, they're not older adults like in Monster and it's supernatural.

I've seen Death Note through its entirety many times. Probably my favorite anime series.
 

FluxWaveZ

Member
As long as its not completely action oriented or starring youngsters.

If it's not restricted to a genre, then there's a bunch of stuff out there with a primary cast of adults like Paranoia Agent (psychological thriller), Welcome to the NHK (slice of life that deals with serious social issues) and Space Brothers (Comedy/drama that deals with a man wanting to become an astronaut).
 

MormaPope

Banned
If it's not restricted to a genre, then there's a bunch of stuff out there with a primary cast of adults like Paranoia Agent (psychological thriller), Welcome to the NHK (slice of life that deals with serious social issues) and Space Brothers (Comedy/drama that deals with a man wanting to become an astronaut).

I started watching Welcome to the NHK, didn't stick with it. Paranoia Agent sounds pretty rad though (based on the wiki), Mouryou no Hako also sounds rad.
 

Shengar

Member
As long as its not completely action oriented or starring youngsters.

Well, you might want to checked Mushishi though. I don't think the tone is similar to Monster since its a supernatural episodic anime. But it have the same level of consistency, featuring grounded people life's went into seemingly mundane trouble by the supernatural in realistic way.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Monster is one of the high points of manga and anime for me. One of the best ones I've watched. I wish we could get an anime that's essentially Monster x The X-Files.
 

PirateKing

Junior Member
I don't think so but the closes to what you described would be "Oyasumi PunPun". It's awesome.

Also read "20th Century Boys", " Billy Bat" and "Pluto" by the same guy who did "Monster".

"Berserk" is another amazing manga you can read with more actuon oriented.
 

Amooox

Member
I really enjoyed Pluto (manga). It gave me very similar vibes. You might want to check out 20th Century Boys(manga) as well. Both from the same author as Monster.

Sadly I can't think of a similar anime.

Edit: I see the above poster covered both recommendations.
 

Despera

Banned
I started watching Monster and it made me realize my favorite genre or type of anime, mystery or detective based stories starring adults. I'm probably going to marathon the show quickly, is there anything that has a similar tone? Grounded characters involved with something larger than life.
I'm sorry but I don't think you'll get anything like it, which is a shame.

You may try Ghost in The Shell or Mushishi. While they aren't exactly the same type of show as Monster, both feature adult/grounded characters and compelling stories that are told in a superb manner.
 

Kite

Member
Like others have aleady posted, your best bet are manga by the same guy like 20th Century Boys and Pluto. The closest anime is probably Master Keaton, an adaptation of a manga also by the same guy Naoki Urusawa. Its episodic and much more laid back and heartwarming than Monster but it also has Urisawa's genius story telling touch and involves adults solving mysteries. Keaton is more like a chill mix of Indiana Jones and McGuyver..

UH6dkge.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Keaton
The story revolves around Taichi Hiraga-Keaton (平賀=キートン・太一 Hiraga-Kīton Taichi?), the son of Japanese zoologist Taihei Hiraga (平賀太平 Hiraga Tahei?) and well-born Englishwoman Patricia Keaton. Keaton's parents separated when he was five, and young Taichi moved back to England with his mother. As an adult, he studied archeology at Oxford University, in part under the tutelage of Professor Yuri Scott.

At Oxford, Keaton met and later married his wife, who was a mathematics student at Somerville College. The couple later divorced, with Keaton leaving his five-year-old daughter Yuriko (百合子?) in her mother's care. After leaving Oxford, Keaton joined the British Army and became a member of the SAS, reaching the rank of master sergeant and seeing combat in the Falklands War and as one of the team members that responded to the Iranian Embassy incident. His combat training serves him in good stead as an insurance investigator for the prestigious Lloyd's of London where he is known for his abilities and his unorthodox methods of investigation.

In addition to his work for Lloyd's, Keaton and his friend Daniel O'Connell operate their own insurance investigation agency headquartered in London. Even though Keaton is fairly successful as an insurance investigator, his dream is to continue his archaeological research into the possible origins of an ancient European civilization in the Danube River basin.
All the people recommending Death Note and Psycho Pass.. please just no.
 

Foaloal

Member
I haven't seen Monster, as I don't watch much anime, but if you are looking for something with a mystery that will keep you confused and trying to figure things out I really liked "Mawaru Penguindrum", and it was one of the highest rated animes for its season so I know I wasn't alone.

I mean, just read this plot summary;

Once you make a decision, does the universe conspire to make it happen? Is destiny a matter of chance, a matter of choice or the complex outcome of thousands of warring strands of fate? All twins Kanba and Shoma know is that when their terminally ill sister Himari collapses at the aquarium, her death is somehow temporarily reversed by the penguin hat that she had asked for.

Don't let the penguin thing throw you off. These penguins are not like any other penguins I've ever seen in media.

edit: this is a site I find really useful when I do get in the anime mood:

http://myanimelist.net/anime/19/Monster/userrecs
 
All downhill from here.

Pretty much. Monster easily tops everything else out there for me.

Mushishi might be up your alley, give it 3 eps and see if you dig it.

Mushishi is a great recommendation!

As for the OP's request... if you are looking for a mature and well developed story with great characters, I highly recommend watching The Twelve Kingdoms. Thematically, it is quite different from Monster, but well worth your time.
 

Usobuko

Banned
By your requirements, if you want fully developed 'adult' characters where they could be predictable but also provide interesting contrast and interactions with each other in the space opera genre, go for Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

You could also read the rest of Urasawa's works like 20 Century Boys, Pluto or Master Keaton. They all range from decent to very good and Master Keaton had an anime adaptation.

Mushishi is a beautiful combination of Zen Buddhism, traditional Japanese aesthetics and Eastern folklore. The director involved is tremendously skilled in shots and pacing which complement this subtle sense of melancholy throughout the series.

Mouryou no Hako
Mononoke

Its supernatural title though

Good pick, both are good series. Same goes for the guy who said Juuni Kokuki.
 
You will love Paranoia Agent. Starts out as a mystery about Bat Boy but it's all about character studies, insecurities, and all that dark lovely stuff while wrapping itself up in the most extravagant way to have a weirdly relevant message (at least for me
made me think of materialism differently and how much I was a sucker for it
).
 

cajunator

Banned
I haven't seen Monster, as I don't watch much anime, but if you are looking for something with a mystery that will keep you confused and trying to figure things out I really liked "Mawaru Penguindrum", and it was one of the highest rated animes for its season so I know I wasn't alone.

I mean, just read this plot summary;



Don't let the penguin thing throw you off. These penguins are not like any other penguins I've ever seen in media.

edit: this is a site I find really useful when I do get in the anime mood:

http://myanimelist.net/anime/19/Monster/userrecs

Penguindrum is amazing. Its one of the most bizarre anime a person is likely to ever see.
 

Usobuko

Banned
You will love Paranoia Agent. Starts out as a mystery about Bat Boy but it's all about character studies, insecurities, and all that dark lovely stuff while wrapping itself up in the most extravagant way to have a weirdly relevant message (at least for me
made me think of materialism differently and how much I was a sucker for it
).

Last arc of Paranoia Agent was a superb visual illustration of the escapism theme. It's easily relatable and really gratifying to witness
the chief find the strength to accept his reality
.
 
It's a good series, but could have been trimmed down significantly. Johann gets rather boring as a villian as time goes on, and some thongs done were so overblown you can't help but wonder how NO ONE bloody notices him.
 
It's a good series, but could have been trimmed down significantly. Johann gets rather boring as a villian as time goes on, and some thongs done were so overblown you can't help but wonder how NO ONE bloody notices him.

Yea, I'm watching it now and it is getting very long. The beginning was really, really good. But now there are way too many "I could've turned Kenma into the police, but he is such a nice person I didn't" and other filler episodes. They could've trimmed it down massively imo.
 

Cerity

Member
You might like HIMITSU: The Revelation.

It's about a investigative squad who use a machine that can explore the memories of a dead person to solve crimes. The series explores the impact the machine has on society and the people using it.
 

kewlmyc

Member
Mystery/Detective stories starring adults?

Yeah Monster is pretty much the best. Nothing else comes to mind. Mushishi maybe, but that's not really mystery/detective. Well, it kinda is, but it's not what you're thinking.
 

Jex

Member
Exactly like Monster? No. There are barely an anime in the same genre as Monster, to he honest. I mean, you can watch Urisawa's other work's e.g. Master Keaton but that's about as close are you're going to get. As a creator, Urisawa is overtly influenced by Western thrillers/suspense story in a manner that makes him stand apart from other notable creators. Few try to ape the Western approach to the genre as he does.
 

Necrovex

Member
Exactly like Monster? No. There are barely an anime in the same genre as Monster, to he honest. I mean, you can watch Urisawa's other work's e.g. Master Keaton but that's about as close are you're going to get. As a creator, Urisawa is overtly influenced by Western thrillers/suspense story in a manner that makes him stand apart from other notable creators. Few try to ape the Western approach to the genre as he does.

My hopes to find another show in the same veins as Monster will remain forever absent. :-(

Keaton doesn't interest me due to the episodic structure.
 
I haven't seen Monster, as I don't watch much anime, but if you are looking for something with a mystery that will keep you confused and trying to figure things out I really liked "Mawaru Penguindrum", and it was one of the highest rated animes for its season so I know I wasn't alone.

Ah man, Penguindrum was such a ride. I loved to hate it when it was airing and just not making any sense at all. But fuck man, you can't go wrong with Ikuhara. I cried through the whole last episode.

That said, it's very different from Monster. I've never given Monster much of my time, but Pluto would be my suggestion.
 
There's nothing else like Monster in Japan. And Urasawa gets chastised for it. Better of reading his other works like Master Keaton, Yawara, Happy, Billy Bat and Pineapple Army.....
 

Akahige

Member
For something that is down to earth and goes for realism maybe Planetes though they aren't similar, Monster is one in a million to me so I would check out Naoki Urasawa's other work.
 
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