1. The retribution of the devil boy
And I saw a beast coming out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and on the ten horns were ten crowns, and on the heads were blasphemous names. (Middle) He worshipped the dragon again—because it gave his authority to the beast, and he also worshiped the beast, saying, “Who can compare with the beast, and who can fight against it?”—Revelation, chapter 13, 1- 4
1986, West Germany - Düsseldorf. The torrential rain washed the night away, and Dr. Tianma, a genius brain surgeon who was awakened by the emergency information, rushed to the hospital in a hurry. Lying in the operating room was a 10-year-old named John. The teenager is the son of former East German trade bureau advisers Libet and his wife who fled to West Germany. Their family was suspected of being robbed, the teenager's parents were killed on the spot, the twin sister Anna was frightened and lost consciousness, and the teenager was shot in the head by a thread.
While Dr. Tianma performed an operation on the boy, the mayor was rushed to the hospital due to a cerebral thrombosis. The abacus in the dean's heart crackled, and he ordered Dr. Tianma to immediately stop all operations in his hands, and instead to use the knife for the mayor, who could bring considerable money to the hospital. Dr. Tianma's eyes were shining brightly, and he judged that the operation of the young man was extremely difficult. He was the only one who could successfully complete this task at Nuoda Hospital! The doctor was benevolent, and Doctor Tianma defied the dean openly, and finally defeated the god of death with his superb skills.
However, bad news came from the other side, the mayor's operation failed and he died. The furious senior management of the hospital poured out their anger on Dr. Tianma. The once glorious Doctor Tianma fell to the bottom in an instant. His ministerial position was withdrawn, his ascent was blocked, his academic research was stopped, and doubts and contempt came to him. Even his fiancée, Ava, who was about to pass the door, threw himself into the rudder. in the arms of others.
Little John, who had just crossed the gate of hell, fell asleep peacefully. Doctor Tianma, who was not good at office politics, spit bitterness beside the hospital bed. He refuted the fallacy that "life is inherently unequal" with grief and indignation, and when he was excited, he did not forget to curse: "A greedy greed for money like them is not qualified to be a doctor at all. It's better to die!" After Dr. Tianma left, the young man slowly opened his eyes, thoughtfully...
Later, the senior management of the hospital who had frantically squeezed out Dr. Tianma died one after another. The power of the hospital was reshuffled, and Dr. Tianma was a blessing in disguise and was promoted to director of the surgical department. As the biggest beneficiary of this incident, Tianma was naturally targeted by the police. At the same time, the twin brothers and sisters that Dr. Tianma treated have disappeared.
9 years have passed and the time has come to 1995. That is, five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there have been many murders of middle-aged couples across Germany. One thing these couples have in common is that they have no children. Emotions and desires could not be found at the crime scene, as if there was some kind of "absolute evil". By chance, Dr. Tianma learned that the young John he saved was the MONSTER who committed this serial murder! The corrupt and incompetent German criminal investigation system at that time made Dr. Tianma, who was condemned by his conscience, understand a truth - studying medicine cannot save the Germans! So he resolutely gave up medicine and turned to martial arts and embarked on a journey to hunt down the monster John. This is where the story of this work begins.
The beautiful viper
"Look at me, look at me, the monster inside me has grown so big..."
As an adult, John was suave, personable, and had an unstoppable charisma. He became proficient in German, English, French at the age of 12, and proficient in Latin poetry, performance, psychology, law and economics in college, which is synonymous with perfection. It was so perfect that the former adoptive parents forgot about the deceased biological child, and it was so perfect that the Lenk Police Department thought for a long time that John was just a virtual character split out of Tianma's personality. However, behind this flawless and beautiful young man, why is there such a terrifying dark personality?
It turned out that John was not born to the Libet couple, but was born in an orphanage called "511 Children's Home"... The young twins crossed the border from Czechoslovakia to East Germany arm in arm. rescued by the general. The general admired his brother's talent, and happened to change his name to John according to the content of the picture book "Monster without a Name", and sent him to 511 for "cultivation". 511 is a personality testing and research site secretly established by the former East German government. It houses the children of spies, political prisoners, and criminal prisoners. Children are deprived of their personal feelings and subjected to militarized management of terror and violence. In order to cultivate a second Hitler and regain the glory of the empire.
However, the situation developed in an uncontrollable direction, and John, who was not yet 10 years old, set off a "revolution" here. Under John's psychological tactics, everyone in 511 became mad and went to destruction in cannibalism. Those who tried to control the devil were attacked by the devil. Years later, General Wolfe still has lingering fears when he talks about the past. He said to Doctor Tianma in horror, "Please, you must kill that monster"...
In fact, the "511 Children's Home" and its origin, "The Reading Party of the Red Rose Mansion", all have realistic prototypes, that is, the "Source of Life" racial breeding program. Nazi Germany once attempted to create an "Aryan Superman" army to rule the world. In order to create "pure blood" babies, the Nazis encouraged German officers to have sex with blond Aryan women to create perfect Aryan offspring. In August 1936, the first nursery was built on the outskirts of Munich. Its requirements for women are extremely harsh. In addition to their pure blood, they must also provide proof of Aryan within three generations. (Extended reading: "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany")
John, who had regained his freedom, brought his 511 style to the outside world. He plunged into the world and established an underground money laundering bank. At the peak of its prosperity, it retreated bravely, using the money and power left over as bait, and admiring the battle of your death and my death from a high place. He was 15 years old that year.
John, who was in his early 20s, was more ambitious. While working as a volunteer in a child welfare agency, he further explored the dark side of children's psychology. On the one hand, Hubert, the big chaebol who is known as the "Vampire of Bavaria", was murdered and isolated, and he took the opportunity to enter the fragile gap in the rich man's heart in an attempt to shake the European economic system.
One might ask, what was John's motive for committing the crime? This reminds me of the Joker in Batman, not everyone has a motive. Whoever asked this question made the mistake of trying to understand chaos with reason. Some people just simply want to watch the world burn, "This city needs more tasteful villains." In the words of the characters in the play, it is "just fiddling with the ants in groups, that's all."
Looking back at the "great achievements" of John at present, people can't help but sigh, this is not something that human beings can do. Indeed, the character of John is purely distorted, he represents absolute evil, just as Doctor Pegasus represents absolute good. It's not hard to understand why the series begins with a reference to "Revelation." Satan the Devil (Dragon) gave his power (authority) to the human agent (Beast, John). How can such a devil incarnate, who can compare with him? Who can fight him?
3. Proof of living
"I will send you the most beautiful flowers in the world. I was born to drown you in the sea of flowers."
John has three very important turning points in the show that gradually pull him back from the monster (brutal) back to the human (sensual) position. The first turning point was the "Library Fire Incident". John was shot in the head at the age of 10, leaving him with no memory of spending time in Czechoslovakia before he was seven or eight. Just a vague feeling that a monster is chasing after him. Therefore, every time he went to a foster family, he had to remove the traces of his existence. In this way, monsters will not come to the door, so that they can protect themselves and Anna. This is the truth about the serial murders of middle-aged German couples.
In order to choose a suitable picture book for the children of the children's institution, John happened to read "The Monster Without a Name" by the Czech writer Xie Bei (pseudonym) in the library. This awakened some of his lost memories, and for the first time he had the idea of finding his roots. John was no longer interested in Hubert, and instead set off for the Czech Republic, tracing his own background and finding the "source of darkness". The story stage of this work has also been transferred from Germany to the Czech Republic.
(PS: After the Velvet Revolution, Czechoslovakia was split into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on January 1, 1993.)
The Tianma protagonist team, John (women's version), and the Czechoslovak red remnants gathered in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. They all have the same purpose, that is, to obtain the academic research materials of the former president of 511. This pile of materials contains tapes recording John's life experience. This tape was John's second major turning point.
As the plot progresses, the secret of the tape finally emerges (excerpt):
Adult: Where is this place?
Children: This is the 511 Children's Home.
Adult: What's your name?
Child: My name is John. My name is Otto. My name is Hans. My name is Thomas.
Child: I'm waiting for Anna. Waiting for her while reading the picture book.
Adult: What is your greatest fear?
Child: The monster inside me is getting bigger and bigger. Karika, Guji Guji... The thing I'm most afraid of is that one day I'll forget Anna. We are taking some strange classes every day, and the memory is slowly disappearing. Please don't let me forget Anna. In this world, there are only me and Anna. I can't forget her, please, please...
(The back of the tape was washed out and new content was recorded.)
Adult John: After listening to this tape, I finally understand where I'm going, Doctor Tianma.
After listening to this tape, it is not difficult to find that John has recovered all his memories. He remembered that he was reading picture books at home and waiting for Anna. In other words, John has realized that the person who was taken from "The Three Frogs" was Anna and not himself. Next, John is looking for revenge for the initiator of everything. That enemy, whose real name is Klaus Pape, the author of the picture book "Monster without a Name", the owner of the Red Rose Mansion. It was this monster that took away his name and Anna's name. (John and Anna are both later names, and the original names that their biological mother took for them are not clearly given in the entire work)
Grima (My Superman! Sutanna), who was also born in 511, said (to the effect): "The children of 511 will gradually lose their memory as the experiment progresses. Therefore, the children will exchange their names with each other, hoping Someone can remember their name. Because the name is proof that they survived. Although I have forgotten my real name, I remember that I have a good friend. He likes insects and drinks hot cocoa. His name is Adolf. Reinhardt (Robert's real name)."
The children of 511 are afraid that they will be forgotten, and John is afraid that he will forget Anna. Because they were originally twins, they were one body. John is Anna, and Anna is John.
4. The ending scene
"The worst sin is depriving others of their names."
1998, Germany - Frankfurt. In the abandoned house, John stood behind the back light. In contrast, it is the younger sister who holds the gun. John pressed his index finger against his forehead, exactly like the day the Libets were killed. John began to tell his sister how he was taken to the "Red Rose Mansion" and abused. He wanted to continue to coax his sister and bear that dark memory for her. Unexpectedly, it awakened my sister's dusty memory. John's efforts to protect his sister failed. When he thought that his sister no longer needed his protection, John showed a complicated expression that was neither smiling nor crying.
The essence of man is not an abstraction inherent in a single person, but in its reality, it is the sum of all social relations. As Yohji Yamamoto said: "The thing "self" is invisible. When you bump into something else and bounce back, you can understand "self"." For John, the only one who can love without reservation is Anna. Her real social relationship is only Anna. Ana broke free from her protection, which meant the demise of his social attributes. All that's left, then, is the self-destructive road to death.
What is total death? It is said that people experience two deaths. The first is death in the biological sense, that is, the heartbeat and breathing stop. The second is total death, which is the disappearance of oneself from the memory of others. When two deaths are completed, it is the end of the scenery. The author of the picture book, the town residents who retain the author's memory, and John himself must be wiped out of the world. John wants to unfold a picture of hell in the small town of Runheim, unfolding the "real ending landscape". At this point John completed his three important turns. From "playing with ants" to "tracing back to the source", from "revenge" to "perishing together".
…………
After a brutal battle, the town suffered numerous casualties. Countless people are on the brink of life and death, including John. Dr. Tianma performs brain surgery on John again. The endless raindrops crashed down, as if washing away the sins in this small town. Tianma's genius doctor was bold, and once again broke his wrist with the god of death. This situation was similar at times. Yes, it seems to be back to the day Tenma and John first met.
As time passes, the past fades away in time. Humans are incredible, as Ava said. Sad memories will slowly fade away, leaving only happy memories. What an egoistic creature. However, it is precisely in this way that human beings can survive stubbornly despite repeated setbacks. Later, Anna resumed her studies and determined to become an excellent lawyer. Tianma declined the offer of a professor at the university, became MSF, and continued to help the world. Even the willful Ava, quit drinking and became an interior designer. The sun rose as usual, illuminating the land.
…………
John hasn't woken up since that surgery. Doctor Tianma came to visit, Tianma said, your biological mother is still alive. I went to visit. Do you know John, you have a name, your name is... After the doctor left, the camera shot to the hospital bed again. But the bed was already empty. The quilt was thrown up in a mess, which is the trace of the existence of fresh human beings. (End of the play)
If I had to choose a word that best represents the work of "MONSTER", I think it would be "name". Names give people social attributes. In the play, the various characters wandering around the world mostly use pseudonyms. Some pseudonyms used by John (also a pseudonym) include Michael, Franz, Elisey, etc. And the strange doctor Tianma has no consciousness of being a wanted criminal at all, and the whole play shows his real name. Even after he quit his job as a doctor and started chasing John, people around him used to call him Doctor Pegasus. Doctor Tianma, skillful, benevolent, maybe Naoki Puzawa wants to use this to express the truth, goodness and beauty of this character.
I think that names have important meanings in every country. They embody the warmth and blessings of the family. In the play, the pseudonym represents the mask, while the original name represents the id. Without a name, there is no root. Craving for a name is, in the final analysis, craving for bondage and craving for love.
5. The Nameless Monster
A long, long time ago, there was a monster without a name.
The monster desperately wanted a name, so the monster embarked on a journey to find a name.
The world is big, so the monster splits itself into two.
One goes east, one goes west.
The monster going east, came to a village.
"Uncle Blacksmith, please give me your name."
"How can you give a name to someone else?"
"If you give me your name, I will go into Uncle's body and make you infinitely powerful."
"Really, if I can, I'll give you my name."
The monster entered the blacksmith's body. The monster became the blacksmith Otto.
Otto became the most powerful man in the village. But, one day...
"Look at me, look at me, the monster in my body has grown so big."
Karika, chug, crunch, crunch.
The hungry monster ate Otto from the inside.
The monster turned back into a monster without a name.
In the body of the shoemaker Hans, too, Kalikari, screeching, crunching, screeching.
The monster returned to its original form.
It's the same in the body of Hunter Thomas, Kalika, chug, crunch, chug.
The monster is back to normal again.
The monster found the sickly little prince in the castle.
"If you give me your name, I will restore your body."
"If I can be cured, I'll give you my name."
The monster entered the body of the little prince.
The little prince has become very healthy. The king was very happy.
"The prince has recovered! The prince has recovered!"
The monster liked the name of the little prince very much.
I also liked the life in the castle very much, so although I was hungry, I endured it.
Every day, my stomach growled with hunger, but I managed to endure it.
However, because the stomach is too hungry.
"Look at me, look at me, the monster in my body has grown so big."
The little prince ate the king, ministers and servants.
Karika, chug, crunch, crunch.
One day, the little prince encountered a monster that was heading west.
"I have a name, a very nice name," he said to the monster heading west.
"I don't need a name, and I'm happy without a name. Because we are monsters without a name."
The little prince ate the monster that went west.
It took a long time to get a name, but no one could call him again.
Johan, what a lovely name.
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