Having owned all iterations of the Monk from an original 130cm version which was a tad too small for me at 77kg which meant when the 132 came out it felt like a custom ride to me. Since then I have had all versions and dabbled with a SuperShinn and a Street in between but kept coming back to the Monk as it is exactly what I want in a board.
To some it might seem power hungry and not have much of a low-end and this is partially true, but I think a lot of it is perception as the board really comes alive when the wind is cranking. That said the new Monk Forever has solved a lot of this as it definitely has better low-mid range power and somehow does manage to keep the 'Monkness' so even though it feel a little stiffer underfoot it still excels in crap conditions and never sprays - don't know what board Rich was on but it does not sound like a Monk.
I have also spent a fair bit of time on a 138 Wainman Joke (plus many other boards) which is a very good board and although both could be classed as freestyle boards they are very very different boards to ride. The Joke glides over chop compared to the Monk cutting through it and so they both feel comfortable in different ways. The Joke is a better flat water freestyle board for static pop and it does let you away with some sketchy landings; however the Monk is a better hooked in freestyle jumping machine (nothing comes close) as the edge bite, control and acceleration of it IMO are unsurpassed.
They will both do a bit of what each other does, but if you want all out, balls to the wall, set your hair on fire riding in the worst possible conditions then the Monk takes it.