I don’t read a ton of manga — certainly not as much anybody on the Manga Recon crew — but I do have a couple manga creators who I’ve enjoyed so much that I’ll unreservedly recommend any of their work to people looking for good manga. (Usually this means comic book fans who want to know what to read after Death Note).

One of these creators is Naoki Urasawa*. And Viz has just announced that the anime adaption of Urasawa’s acclaimed, psychological drama Monster is now available on iTunes! On top of that, I just noticed that you can currently watch the first episode for FREE on Youtube!! (Until October 26)

Naturally we can’t embed the full episode, but if you want a little mood setting before heading over to Youtube, check the player to the right for the intro.

From the press release:

What would you do if a child you saved grew up to be a monster? An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma must go on the run from the police who suspect him to be the killer to find Johan and stop the monster he set loose upon the world. Conspiracies, serial murders, and secret government experiments set against the grim backdrop of the formerly communist Eastern Europe are masterfully woven together in this compelling work of suspense.

Click here to read the full release

(*My other all-time favorite manga-ka is Takehiko Inoue.)