Hanamonogatari

Now that Koyomi Araragi and Hitagi Senjougahara have graduated, very few familiar faces remain at Naoetsu Private High School. One of these is Suruga Kanbaru, holder of the Monkey's Paw. When she begins to hear talk of a mysterious being known as the "Devil" who will magically solve any problem, Kanbaru immediately thinks these rumors are about her and decides to investigate.

She discovers the Devil is actually Rouka Numachi, a former basketball rival from junior high who is no longer able to play due to a leg injury. Rouka provides free advice to those who seek her out. Acting as a collector of misfortune, she enjoys relieving the stress of her clients by providing them with the false hope of having their problems solved. Although Kanbaru sees no real harm being done, she reprimands Rouka for lying and heads home, relieved she is not the cause of the rumors. But she may have a reason to worry after all: she finds that her left hand has reverted back to its human form.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kanbaru, Suruga Main

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Numachi, Rouka Main

Asumi, Kana Japanese

Araragi, Koyomi Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Kaiki, Deishuu Supporting

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Oshino, Ougi Supporting

Mizuhashi, Kaori Japanese

Araragi, Karen Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Kanbaru, Tooe Supporting

Neya, Michiko Japanese

Higasa, Seiu Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Iwakami, Atsuhiro Producer

Kubota, Mitsutoshi Producer

Matsushita, Takuya Producer

Shinbou, Akiyuki Director, Series Composition

Reviews

Aug 17, 2014

Stark700

Recommended

Watching Hanamonogatari is like reading your favorite book on a weekend afternoon. And essentially, it is adapted from a novel written by NisiOisin. But rather than adapting it as a full TV series, Hanamonogatari debuts as a 5-episode show that offers more than just a sensational appeal to its fans. Hanamongatari (literally translated as Flower Story) is like a flower – beautiful, elegant, and has the pedals that shine like no other. For its creativity and cleverly thought out written story, we witness the story of Suruga Kanbaru and what her life is like after Koyomi Araragi graduates from high school.

Similar to the style of ... the previous Monogatari series, Hanamonogatari quickly takes command and lures viewers in with its cleverly constructed dialogues. The on-screen text serves as both a practice and testament to get a viewer’s attention because viewers wants to know their meaning. They also want to know their purpose, idea, and in general the message of the show is about. Directed by Tomoyuki Itamura with Akiyuki Shinbo serving as the chief director, Hanamonogatari is aimed at fans who wants to see the continuation of this franchise. It’s rather important to get yourself familiarized with the previous seasons such as Monogatari Second Series so that the experience will be that much better when venturing into this show.

It’s probably also said often that the show might not be for everyone. The style of Hanamonogatari has that avant- garde feeling with its style. But without jumping on the shark too hard, we also get a thrilling narration with referencing to the devil. Taglines such as “that person is a devilish one” and “the devil just might be me” drills a thrilling thought into a viewer’s mind. It becomes like a puzzle with pieces that fit together. And in Hanamonogatari, those pieces come together with its cleverly crafted story. For starters, the show advertises itself with Suruga Kanbaru as the main event. Sporting an athletic set of clothes and matching personality, viewers will quickly find that she has fragile part of her essence. Perhaps this could be the arm that is bandaged with a story to tell. And this is where exactly Monogatari series shine – the ability to articulate its story and tell it to the viewers with cleverness.

The show has a narrative-like tone and depicts Kanbaru’s side of the story. Despite taking place after Araragi’s graduation, several key characters make their presence well-known. A tragic example would be Rouka Numachi. Not only do we learn more about her past but also witness her influence in the present. Numachi’s rivalry with Kanbaru is perhaps a highlight in this show as it consists a variety of emotions; fear, anxiety, fiery, just to name a few. On the other hand, Numachi herself experiences pain but tries to ease it away through her own methods by delivering misfortunes. It justifies her own beliefs to make herself feel better despite her injury. After several events that intertwines the story collectively, the show highlights a climatic moments as Kanbaru fights against Numachi in a game of competitive sport. The show takes risks during this by introducing characters in sequence leading up to the moment with the anticipation and built-up. And thanks to Shaft’s extravagant style, the game lives up to its promise with innovative creativity.

Character dynamics is a key success with this series’ presentation. Despite the fictional story with Kanbaru, her past is very realistic. From minute one, the show commands attention with Kanbaru’s mother and the cruel words she strikes upon her daughter. The imagery it creates has a spellbound moment as it illustrates the essence of Kanbaru’s life. Not only do we find out about herself as a character but also what she is capable of as a person. This is what exactly makes the show so appealing and attractive. Luckily, there are also characters returning to this series that fans may find most welcoming. Their roles also play both humorous and important parts to enhance the story’s overall direction. It’s also refreshing seeing them like a breath of fresh air. Engineered by the clever writing and dialogues, it’s easy to say that most if not all the characters are thought provoking.

The reason for provoking thoughts lies in Monogatari’s ability to discuss and break the boundary of supernatural mystery. Like its previous predecessors, the series doesn’t rely on cheap shounen antics but instead on fighting against one’s inner demons. Highlighted in perhaps the basketball game, the show clearly details and provides purpose leading up to the match. There’s a lot on stake but at the same time, the game becomes something of a battle – to not only for the win but also against themselves. Similarly to other installations of the Monogatari series, expect word plays and extensive dialogues. Thanks to the clever writing, you won’t get massive amount of mind indulging info dumps. Instead, what you will expect and receive is stylized dialogues with attractive interactions. The characters react with precision while also detailing their emotional appeal. At the same time, the dialogues themselves have deeper meaning and motifs that breaks the boundary of literature. NisiOisin’s explicit chattiness isn’t something to just take granted but also by the way it tells a story in its unique fashion.

On the artistic front, Hanamonogatari has a similar feeling as its previous seasons. By that, I mean it as fantastic. Characters are designed artistically with distinctive features. Kanbaru in particular has a tasteful design and reflects her character visually with attentiveness. Fan service also returns of course with high class style. Unlike most ecchi shows that draws their appeal from cliché values, Monogatari applies exactly what’s needed to command attention. If you’re a fan of Kanbaru, this is a must-see for its eye candy. Even if you’re not, that’s okay because the return of two other characters are bound to make you jump from your seat. Ultimately, Shaft gets the job done not only just with its head-tilts but ability to describe and tell what the story is with the characters.

Soundtrack is put up with more of as a supplement appeal. The OST hits home base with its purpose by anticipating certain scenarios while climatic scenes weaves a mystical aura. However, where Monogatari truly shines is the dialogues that are played out. Thankfully, characters portray them well. As an abstract narrative, Hanamonogatari exceeds expectations with conversations by fusing together humor, mystery, and creativity all the same time. Voice mannerism is crucial to make these come to life and I have to say, it does just that. While it does feel occasionally forced or out of space, the way characters deliver their lines and performance is ecstatic and dosed with a level of energy that is hard to forget. Similarly, the OP song ‘Shirushi’ by Marina Kawano achieves its purpose with its symbolism.

Hanamonogatari is more or less for fans who have appreciated the series at its core. Familiarization with some of franchise is crucial to gain a full appreciable experience. Otherwise, you may be left stranded and wondering if it’s worth the time. But trust me, Hanamonogatari uses its time wisely. Even though it’s only 5 episodes, each of them play out the story artistically with its characters, themes, and setup that leaves you with memories you won’t forget. The technical aspects can be a hit or miss but for loyal fans, it hits home base again thanks to its style. Still, Hanamonogatari is more than just about style or storytelling. It’s about drawing attention and fantastically delivers what it tries to achieve. It might seem over-the-top-ridiculous but let’s face it, Monogatari is the epitome of that. Why? Because it said so.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jul 24, 2018

Injenss

Mixed Feelings

Hanamonogatari just didn't do it for me as a fan of the Monogatari series. It's more of a side story focusing on Kanbaru and an old basketball rival of hers, Numachi. And really, that was a problem for this anime. Kanbaru is a likable character, but she is not nearly charismatic enough to carry an entire anime as the lead, especially when her foil, Numachi is particularly bland.

The entirety of the anime focused entirely on these two characters and only briefly featured cameos from the Araragi family and Kaiki Deshuu. This was a mistake, as most of the engaging ... dialogue and mystery was missing from this installment, precisely because most of the cast was either gone, or only involved for a cup of coffee.

But what really hurt the anime was the insanely long backstory of Numachi, she spent all of episode 3 and then half of episode 4 explaining her history. That really sucked me right out of the anime, because I wasn't really invested in her as a character to begin with so having so much time explaining her past wasn't incredibly entertaining.

The climax of everything was also kind of lackluster. Things are settled in this anime with basketball games instead of fights, which was kind of a weird choice. But, at no point in time was the outcome in any doubt. The conclusion was just kind of "meh". And that sums up this whole anime for me. "Meh.". I'm looking forward to better installments going forward.

Story: 5
Art: 10
Sound: 7
Character: 6
Enjoyment: 5
Overall: 5

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Apr 4, 2021

ItsErik

Not Recommended

Funny

i was expecting to see something exciting and im really disappointed now, i didnt enjoyed the other monogatari for their art style the characters and the sound, basically i just voted the plot, but now how am i supposed to see 5 episode without cutting my balls in half,this monogatari has a ORRIBLE plot, i couldnt stand watching "dialoguemonogatari" i would have preferred do my homework instead of looking at this, the only thing that made me continue it was the fact that i wanted to finish this series to start another one. U guys are probably wondering why i am not dropping it, well... ... its just because many people say its beautiful and that its a "must watch anime" but seriously i really hope this is getting better in next monogataris (im watching it in the correct order)

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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