Monster: "You can see it..."
Nov. 14th, 2009 12:27 pm![[identity profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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scans_dailySince it seems like a few people are making "last" posts to commemorate the move, I figured I might as well join in. And since it's my last post at InsaneJournal, why not take the material from the final volume of Monster?
Of course, in a series as full of twists and turns as this one is, you could argue that most scans would be a)inexplicable to people who haven't been following along and are not in possession of some sort of flowchart and/or b) massive spoilers for the entire series. But I don't think this scene is either.
All you need in the way of context is that this is beginning of the final confrontation. Johan and Tenma, face to face on the rain drenched streets of a small German town. Reads right to left:
Just a note: Johan pointing a finger at the center of his forehead while facing down a gunman is a recurring image in the series. I think this is what makes Johan really interesting: his self-destructive nature (or at the very least his carelessness of his own safety) makes his nihilism more...sincere is the best word I can think of. Whereas the average nihilist villain still values themselves to a large extent, and only uses nihilism as an excuse to act horrifically towards others, Johan actually seems to believe that he's just as worthless as everyone else.
The scene is a great summary of the conflict between the two. And the "scenery of the doomsday" is a wonderful counter-image to, say, the taste of sugar. A barren, windswept plain, not even damaged by war to show that humanity had once been there. Utter emptiness, accentuated by only the sparsest of growths. What a perfect metaphor for the universe, huh? At least, Johan's universe...
Scans from the scanlation at Spectrum Nexus, not the Viz translation.
Of course, in a series as full of twists and turns as this one is, you could argue that most scans would be a)inexplicable to people who haven't been following along and are not in possession of some sort of flowchart and/or b) massive spoilers for the entire series. But I don't think this scene is either.
All you need in the way of context is that this is beginning of the final confrontation. Johan and Tenma, face to face on the rain drenched streets of a small German town. Reads right to left:
Just a note: Johan pointing a finger at the center of his forehead while facing down a gunman is a recurring image in the series. I think this is what makes Johan really interesting: his self-destructive nature (or at the very least his carelessness of his own safety) makes his nihilism more...sincere is the best word I can think of. Whereas the average nihilist villain still values themselves to a large extent, and only uses nihilism as an excuse to act horrifically towards others, Johan actually seems to believe that he's just as worthless as everyone else.
The scene is a great summary of the conflict between the two. And the "scenery of the doomsday" is a wonderful counter-image to, say, the taste of sugar. A barren, windswept plain, not even damaged by war to show that humanity had once been there. Utter emptiness, accentuated by only the sparsest of growths. What a perfect metaphor for the universe, huh? At least, Johan's universe...
Scans from the scanlation at Spectrum Nexus, not the Viz translation.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 07:35 pm (UTC)And I thought the last page was great. Sure, it's inconclusive, but not in a cliche "The end...or is it?" way. You can interpret it any number of ways. Particularly given the rest of the last chapter and, indeed, the series.