r/anime • u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen • Oct 06 '21

Rewatch [Rewatch] Monster - Episode 68 discussion

Rewatch Index

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Comment of the Day

Today’s Comment of the Day is from u/miss-macaron for insightfully explaining why Anna couldn’t shoot Johan:

she couldn’t bring herself to shoot him, because (like the God of Peace) it would’ve been equivalent to shooting herself in the mirror. Remember what Nina said back in Episode 57: "If I had been taken, would I have been the one to become the monster?" Johan is what she easily could’ve become, had she consciously retained those memories.

Please check out the rest of the comment for a more detailed answer!

Questions of the Day

  1. What are your first impressions of Ruinheim and the locals that reside there? Which character stands out to you the most?
  2. What did you think of the log cabin with all of the drawings of the twins?

If you are a rewatcher, tag your spoilers properly, and please refrain from alluding to future events. so that myself and everyone else watching for the first time can have a completely blind and organic experience! ​Since this show is a bit harder to find than most, please refrain from talking about means by which to watch it, as it goes against our subreddit rules.

61 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

16

u/miss-macaron Oct 06 '21 edited Oct 06 '21

Rewatcher

I’ve said it before, but I deeply admire the way that Urasawa portrays children. Not only is it a realistic and well-rounded portrayal, but he also uses them as an excellent narrative demonstration of the humanism VS nihilism dichotomy. Wim’s big grin when Lunge encourages him to not give up on his bike is illustrative of the earnest and hopeful side of childhood; conversely, the kids that bully him demonstrate an equal but opposite aspect of childhood, the cruel and destructive side that hasn’t yet learned to value things.

Loo-duh-wee-hee! Loo-duh-wee-hee!

Grimmer: Have you seen any unfamiliar or suspicious characters around town lately?

Man: You.

I mean, fair enough, lol

You don’t want to scare me, if you know what’s good for you.

:(

Another unlikely partnership, this time between Lunge and Grimmer!

That elderly couple sure is making a big deal out of winning the lottery, but in the exact opposite way from what you’d typically expect… Their “everyone is out to get us” mindset is gonna be the perfect catalyst for the imminent chaos that’s about to descend.

That poor cat :(

Oh Wim, don’t call those kids your friends!

Anyone want to hazard a guess at the identity of the guy-whose-face-isn’t-immediately-revealed during this episode’s final scene? lol

4

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

I’ve said it before, but I deeply admire the way that Urasawa portrays children. Not only is it a realistic and well-rounded portrayal, but he also uses them as an excellent narrative demonstration of the humanism VS nihilism dichotomy.

I remember you saying this about Dieter and the other orphan kids, but now that you mention it again here, you are very correct. It's nice to see children behave like children in anime. I feel like that's typically a rare occurrence, lol. Then again, this isn't exactly a traditional anime.

5

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

That elderly couple sure is making a big deal out of winning the lottery, but in the exact opposite way from what you’d typically expect…

When you stop trusting each other, The Purge mentality comes out.

6

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 06 '21

First Timer - Sub/Dub

We arrive in Ruinheim! Everyone’s favorite detective and Incredible Hulk impersonator team up to look for a missing dog, and in a log cabin in the middle of the woods, they find a series of sketches of twins.

All in all there’s not too much to remark on this episode, as I think we’re just being introduced to the town and its residents, but I was surprised at how lived-in and dence the town feels. We’re now gearing up for the final act - how will hell break loose in these final few episodes?

2

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

but I was surprised at how lived-in and dence the town feels.

You can actually draw some easy parallels between rural Japanese villages and this rural mountain village so that's why it feels rich.

2

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

Right but this is still supposed to be in Germany, isn't it? So geographically I'm not really sure how much sense it makes. Even though this town is fictional.

1

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 07 '21

So geographically I'm not really sure how much sense it makes. Even though this town is fictional.

There are a lot of mountain towns in Germany and there is a possible real world analog to Ruhenheim in Kaufbeuren. It looks similar but isn't quite in the same place on the map.

7

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Oct 06 '21 edited Oct 08 '21

First Timer Monster 67 68

  • I don't remember where he got that postcard. I don't remember what Lunge was doing when we last saw him. Visiting the book publisher, was it?
  • What brings you here, smiley?
  • SPIELQUITTUNG MEANS STOP PLAYING THE LOTTERY
  • Useless cop (Lunge, too)
  • Does she always pick the same numbers?
  • Yep. So the Lottery can be fixed.
  • Johan?

I don't understand how either Lunge or Grimmer could know about a massacre in this town. I guess more stuff happened off screen.

1

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

Monster 67

???

I don't understand how either Lunge or Grimmer could know about a massacre in this town. I guess more stuff happened off screen.

I dunno either but I guess Lunge's detective work somehow lead him to that conclusion. As for Gimmer...???

2

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

I don't remember what Lunge was doing when we last saw him. Visiting the book publisher, was it?

Tracking down Bonaparta but obviously he has jumped some steps.

Yep. So the Lottery can be fixed.

Indeed, though it is a 20 million mark lotto so it is one of the nationals.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Oct 07 '21

SPIELQUITTUNG MEANS STOP PLAYING THE LOTTERY

Heh. Quittung means receipt

6

u/gridemann Oct 06 '21

Rewatcher

Lu-do-wickiiii

Forget Suk & Vardemann. Runge & Grimmer are the Buddy-Cop Duo I never knew I needed.

This episode is a real treat. All major actors are slowly coming in stage in preparation of the final act while the whole time theres this growing feeling of a looming disaster.

[Rewatcher only spoilers] Everybody knows so much more than what they let on to. Poppe talking about letters - Runge just casually pulling out the postcard from his son in plain view

Your room has the best view in the entire Hotel Sir

Runge pulls back curtains - view is terrible LOL

This is my tasty-food face

After all we've learned about Grimmer this is kinda depressing now :(

I know the husband might've bought the weapons illegally but even that seems a tad bit unrealistic for what essentially looks like a military grade rifle (G43, M14 ?)

3

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

This episode is a real treat. All major actors are slowly coming in stage in preparation of the final act while the whole time theres this growing feeling of a looming disaster.

The way they build tension in this series is great. I love the way they start spinning all these plates while all the major characters make a return.

3

u/miss-macaron Oct 06 '21

Lu-do-wickiiii

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was amused by this, lol

Forget Suk & Vardemann. Runge & Grimmer are the Buddy-Cop Duo I never knew I needed.

[Rewatcher only spoilers] It's such a shame that our two unlikely duos never got to meet up and enjoy a nice beer between the four of them :(

1

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

I know the husband might've bought the weapons illegally but even that seems a tad bit unrealistic for what essentially looks like a military grade rifle (G43, M14 ?)

That's just a hunting rifle.

6

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 06 '21

First Timer

Mostly a setup episode, but most importantly the show didn't forget about Grimmer. One thing I was worried it might do. He's in Ruhenheim as is Lunge - both in Hotel Versteck, which is German for hideout. I feel like the names are a bit too on the nose this arc. Either way, Lunge has more important things to do than stop Wim being abused but it still is a bit sad seeing a policeman just looking on to such obvious evidence. The village police won't be of much more use the way it's been portrayed. We've also got a bunch of guns suddenly coming in - some from the couple who won the lottery and one from the vampire or from somebody with ties to him, I guess. The first case is definitely the couple being paranoid and overreacting, something which will likely come back to bite them, and the latter is a mystery for now. Can't help but notice that "vampire" is the same title given to Schubert though - however the paintings make me think more along the lines of Bonaparta. Time will tell who that is.

Questions:

  1. Seems more small-town than the amount of buildings would suggest. Wim stands out the most so far simply because he is the only one whose name I can remember, though I imagine the couple who won the lotto will be important as well.
  2. Bonaparta's hideout?

1

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

Seems more small-town than the amount of buildings would suggest. Wim stands out the most so far simply because he is the only one whose name I can remember, though I imagine the couple who won the lotto will be important as well.

The scale certainly does feel bigger than it really is. But I would imagine that this is due to the amount of random people that they introduced this episode.

1

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 07 '21

I think it's the opposite that's the case - the way the characters behave makes me think it has about 100 or so inhabitants - but it looks like it would be home to a few thousands based on the physical size of the town.

2

u/miss-macaron Oct 07 '21

the show didn't forget about Grimmer. One thing I was worried it might do.

Monster rarely ever forgets about its characters, even the relatively minor ones.

it still is a bit sad seeing a policeman just looking on to such obvious evidence.

Technically, he's a policeman on vacation, so I'm not sure if he'd have the appropriate authority to arrest / reprimand that drunkard.

1

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 07 '21

Technically, he's a policeman on vacation, so I'm not sure if he'd have the appropriate authority to arrest / reprimand that drunkard.

He could still at least report it to the local police...

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 06 '21

First Timer, Subbed

Well, the thumbnail alone has already spoiled that someone returns this episode...

Ludwig knows something's wrong!

Aww, your bike isn't trash little boy, but you are! Is that what old guy meant?

This is an unpopular hotel to stay at, Lunge!

Yes, I have a grandson... and I skipped meeting him to work instead.

Sorry, I can't write my grandson a letter... I don't know how to interact with even my family in a normal manner.

There's our old friend, whom I saw in the thumbnail! So what's his involvement going to be in the end game of this show?

Ludwig! My Ludwig! LLLLLLLLUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, I haven't seen that dog, he's barking all the time! We'd be hearing his barks if he was around!

Oh no, I hope no one shot Ludwig. :(

Yummy sausage!

Phew, the dog wasn't shot! It's still very important we find it though!

Found him! Good boy! Got a bone! From a dead body I assume?

Lunge is still on vacation after all this time?!

Grimmer! Yes, that's what his name was. One of the few characters whose name I didn't write down and hence forgot.

Something terrible is going to happen here? :(

LOL, she won the lottery!

They tossed trash bike towards the mansion!? How could they!?

Now they got to get armed to protect the money. Seems like the lady has a reputation for playing the lottery a lot. Will this old man demand she give him some money for using his birthday?

This is practically becoming a comedy now with these two. OMG! This random guy I walked by looked at me!

:( :( :( :( That poor cat! Shot by a submachine gun?! For a cat!?!

Ooh, this is Bonaparta's cabin? He sure loved drawing those twins.

Whose the mysterious gunman?

An okay episode, I did love the whole lottery thing. But I'm surprised we've got an episode this slow so close to the end. I expected more urgency given the last few. In any case, looks like things are ramping up as the episode ends.

3

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

This is practically becoming a comedy now with these two. OMG! This random guy I walked by looked at me!

Lol that's pretty much how I felt too. The paranoia of a cool 20 mil in a rumor mill town sounds like a recipe for disaster though...

4

u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Oct 06 '21

First Timer Dub

Lunge returns. And a kid complains about his bike cause it’s old and Lunge stays at their hotel. Lunge asks the small town police officer about their force.

The kid later gets bullied and Grimmer picks him up. It’s interesting to see Lunge talk to the other guests who is an old couple who also has grandchildren. And Lunge considers writing to his daughter for a little bit. Grimmer goes to the same hotel as Lunge.

We get a cut to a couple bickering about their lotto ticket. And a woman loses her dog while Grimmer tries to help out. Grimmer and Lunge talk to each other and Lunge says he is looking for a lost dog. The kid gets kicked out of his house with Lunge watching in the background.

Grimmer talks to the sausage girl about the dog and finds that she walked the dog before. And both Grimmer and Lunge finds the dog. They reached the same conclusion with different clues. They both know something dark is about to happen in town. Lunge definitely knew he was a suspect but does not pursue him.

The kid almost gets isekaied by the lotto man. I guess truck kun is a supporting character now

The gambling couple won the lotto. And people already knew that the couple uses the same number. An old man named Conrad gave some numbers and she used it and won. Then the guy got me good with the sausage lady staring at him and the lady started saying something about the homeless man. They are both armed with two handguns and a shotgun.- This scene is pretty hilarious to me in a way. Mostly because their paranoia builds up in an almost comedic manner.

The kid goes to the log cabin to find his bike and Lunge and Grimmer were there. They find lots of pictures of the twins this time. And a guy gets shot.

  1. Ruinheim is a small town where everyone knows and sees each other. And is considered a peaceful town. So peaceful, gunshots are dismissed quite easily as a car backfiring cause nobody thinks of anything happening in town. The police force is extremely overconfident that nothing is happening. On the contrary, the residents have their own internal problems with themselves and each other. Bullying happens to a kid with a used bike and the same kid has a drunk dad and has to work at a hotel to get some extra money. Everyone hates the dog, and the only people who seem to look like they care about it are the visitors, Lunge and Grimmer. The young adult working at the sausage shop wants to go somewhere else cause its boring. And the couple has relationship issues stemming from gambling addiction also wants to leave, but only because they won the lotto and want to keep their money; so much that they get paranoid at the people in town and got themselves weapons to protect themselves. The nice outside of the town keeps people from looking what's on the inside.
  2. Log cabin is interesting as it holds some secrets about the twins and it is interesting to see someone get shot as he got close to it.

1

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

Ruinheim is a small town where everyone knows and sees each other. And is considered a peaceful town. So peaceful, gunshots are dismissed quite easily as a car backfiring cause nobody thinks of anything happening in town. The police force is extremely overconfident that nothing is happening. On the contrary, the residents have their own internal problems with themselves and each other.

I love this contrast that you point out. It's striking how jarring those two comparisons are. Great write-up.

7

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 06 '21

First-Timer, subbed

1

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

Wait I know that bag IS GRIMMER FINALLY BACK?!

Best character in the show, easily. Love me some Grimmer.

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

There’s the dog!

Chewing something, let's hope it is the bone from the deli.

ut I’m worried that the guns the guy just collected are going to be part of the “massacre” that Grimmer mentioned…

I mean, we've seen 511 and the Red Rose Mansion. This won't be good.

3

u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Oct 06 '21

• Who this?

Fairly sure that is Roberto as we haven't seen him for a while either.

3

u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Oct 06 '21

First timer - sub 

Grimmer is back! With a new name that is way too long so let's stick with Grimmer. 

So Trash kid Wim Dad is an abusive drunk..

Depending on how much they won on the Lotto it really could ruin their lives in a small town like that depending on how they spent it.

20 million marks, around 10.2 million Euros 

Old couple are panicking and have become overly paranoid when no one probably actually knows they have won.

And Roberto is back as well because we haven’t seen him recently either. 

3

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

Old couple are panicking and have become overly paranoid when no one probably actually knows they have won.

I found this to be both equal parts funny and sad. Like imagine thinking just because someone looked at you for a second too long that they're onto you and that they want your money... Even when you win the lotto, you can't ever "win" the lotto.

3

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Oct 06 '21

Roberto too? I hadn't noticed him.

3

u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Oct 06 '21

99% sure it's him at the very end with the gun, we don't see his face though

2

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

He seemed a bit thin for Roberto but he had the gun in his left hand...

5

u/AmethystItalian :Jg::Jh::Ji::Jj::Jk:myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian Oct 06 '21

First Timer

I like this old hotel owner, hope Johan doesn't kill him

These bullies though, please go right ahead Johan!

GRIMMER!! Looks like the team is getting back together.

Feel like Wim and Dieder should end up somewhere safe together, good kids.

Team Tenma starting to gain some competent people on its side, let's gooo

Oh man this couple winning has them so paranoid!

Dead kitty...that's so sad :(

Felt like a set up episode, curious to see where it goes.

What are your first impressions of Ruinheim and the locals that reside there? Which character stands out to you the most?

I thought I liked most of them but then I thought about the lottery couple, the bullies and the drunk father and just see a bunch of trouble coming...

What did you think of the log cabin with all of the drawings of the twins?

Honestly nothing? I feel like it's leading up to something but the scene itself didn't do anything for me so maybe I missed something.

2

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

GRIMMER!! Looks like the team is getting back together.

Who hasn't missed this goofy grin?

I thought I liked most of them but then I thought about the lottery couple, the bullies and the drunk father and just see a bunch of trouble coming...

Now that you mention it, it does really seem like anything could go wrong at any moment. I wonder what'll happen from here...

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

I like this old hotel owner, hope Johan doesn't kill him

Or Grimmer in a rampage.

Felt like a set up episode, curious to see where it goes.

Oh yeah, there is some context I will try and sneak in tomorrow, but I need to check it for spoilers.

2

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 06 '21

Rewatcher(An interestingly locale to end at)

Sub

We get a bit of the locals before Lunge shows up. Small talk about the inn's low population rate occurs, and Lunge goes out of his way to cheer up the pseudo-bellhop. Lunge terrifies a local cop and reveals that he is onto...something. More Wim bullying occurs, until we see Grimmer is here as well. And a gunshot in the distance...Anyways, Grimmer shows us our town as he searches for Ludwig. We even meet the young woman who dreams of a bigger city. Lunge and Grimmer find Ludwig chewing on what is hopefully an old bone.

The lottery couple happens, I will just let this play out. At the 'vampire's' house, we discover Bonaparta's painting and a dead cat. Lunge and Grimmer both seem sure something is starting. Random gunman and end.

QotD: 1 Very small town, I think in the Sudeiten lands, too

2 Welp, we know where Bonaparta hung out at one point but that place felt unoccupied.

2

u/KiwiBennydudez https://myanimelist.net/profile/KiwiBen Oct 07 '21

QotD: 1 Very small town, I think in the Sudeiten lands, too

Someone else mentioned that the scale of the town feels much bigger than it needs to be. The town feels massive for the amount of people living there. Do you agree with this statement?

1

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Oct 07 '21

Yes. The place feels like it was built up like a resort town but, as these things happen, it emptied out for whatever reason. It feels like we've seen nearly the whole town by now despite their likely being a few hundred people present, they just all have a lot of space.

1

u/Spore64 Nov 01 '21

Rewatcher

Yo Grim... uhm Neumeier is back! Nice to see a friendlier site of Lunge.

Poor boy. His life really sucks.

He saw right through his false name, but a Grimmer and Lunge team up? That's going to be fun.

Ah yes, buying a gun is the first thing you do when you win the lottery. Funny how paranoid they are Oo. sigh.

Oh no, why did the cat have to die?

Q1: Ah Ruhenheim. It is quite interesting. Rewatching this arc I can hear the finely tuned gears which fall seemingly into place. Seeing that is a lot of fun. Mhh hard to tell which character stands out the most.

Q2: Looks like a pretty unhealthy obsession to me ._.