Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp

This is not for everyone, this is for those who like the "whatever-monogatari" series style and pace.

Lets begin with how unique it is in some parts and how it feels like it was like an "Evangelion feeling" in others:

Everything here is unique, the characters are unique, the environment is unique for the conversation that is happening, and there is some mix of 3D and 2D that makes some scenes great and some that are "ok", but they are unique most of the times and some of them felt that there was a little "Evangelion feeling" with the music, background and conversation combined.


"Chaos Theory":

Every little piece ... of conversation/interaction had some meaning to the whole plot, even if it was not something important or relevant, it was something that created a connection between the characters, even if did nothing to the plot itself at first, but in the end it, it was relevant when and how they had their interactions, it was what made this piece a "monogatari like experience" and, in the end, it made the biggest impact, everything since the beginning came down like an avalanche.

Music/soundtracks:

I will be short here, the sounds and music are very satisfying, some are funny and they feel like the 80's comedy movies, others are very impactful by applying all types of instruments.


Why would I give 10/10?

Aside from the "whatever-monogatari" series, there is nothing that you can compare, it is unique and it will be hard to be able to watch something like this in the future, gosh... even the series are different from this in some ways, this felt like a complete experience when compared with the series... my only regret is that this movie gave me a complete different point of view regarding the chronology of everything and made me thing that it would be better watching this first... not because of the plot but how you view the main character interaction with others in the future... if you are reading this, if you like to already know the "value" of the main character while watching the series, then watch this first... but if you like to be in the dark about what he can do and who are involved with his "roots" then watch the series in launching order then come watch this movie...

In the end... as someone that like the monogatari style, it was a masterpiece.

Kizumonogatari is peak fiction and I think anyone, even if they didn't like Bakemonogatari, should check it out

...I just don't think this should be how

Tbh if this movie was just Kizus 1-3 stapled together with no alterations, this would probably be a 10. Long? Yeah. But... like... Koyomi Vamp isn't much shorter? Koyomi Vamp is roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes and according to MAL:
Kizu 1 = 1 hour and 4 minutes
Kizu 2 = 1 hour and 4 minutes
Kizu 3 = 1 hour and 23 minutes
(for comparison, Koyomi Vamp is listed at 2 hours and 24 minutes so I assume they are including the ending ... credits)

That makes the movie trilogy 3 hours and 31 minutes which is only a little bit over an hour longer

This is essentially the theatrical cut to the Kizu trilogy's director's cut and it shows

First, let's talk about what I liked about Kizu.

It's got all the trappings of Monogatari (well... maybe not ALL of them, but the stylistic ones). Weird, frantic cuts? Those little title cards or whatever? The general writing of Nisio? It's all here.

However, as fits a movie, the animation gets a big upgrade. It looks gorgeous and has some really creative moments such as the final battle, Araragi running up an escalator (I promise it's better than it sounds), and of course the scene where he bursts into flames. Some great shots too, I love all the "helicopter" shots and, of course, we get some photography lens eye shots.

This also has a lot of action for a Monogatari arc. The Dramaturgy and final battles in particular are standouts. When I think of Monogatari, it's not necessarily badass, balls to the walls battles, but Kizu has that in spades.

The soundtrack has a bit of a... jazzier kick to it? Monogatari has always had a great OST and this is no exception. It's got some funny sound effects too, like when Araragi gets his arm kicked off and when he pats Kiss-shot's head.

One of the great things about Kizu is it's a prequel so it only has a few characters. We've got the (frankly, kind of forgettable) vampire hunters, Araragi, Meme, Kiss-shot, and PEAK FICTION Hanekawa (more on her later).

This may be unfortunate for people who would like to see, say, Senjougahara, but as someone who really likes Kiss-shot and Hanekawa, this meant a lot of time to spend with those 2 (at least in theory, I'll get back to this).

Kizu is just a really good, emotional story that manages to build strong relationships between Araragi and Kiss-shot as well as Araragi and Hanekawa, if you're watching this in chronological or light novel order, you don't really get much from Kiss-shot/Shinobu in Bake so this is really good at fleshing out Kiss-shot. Bake also has an arc for Hanekawa and this is great at setting the stage for Araragi and Hanekawa's friendship retroactively so you understand both Bake and the Neko arcs later on.

IMO Kizu is the best arc of one of my favorite series. I'm quite frankly not very good at describing things I like vs. I don't like but it's got style, fun battles, a good story, and great character dynamics.

So why is this an 8?

I feel like by cutting it down by an hour to fit it into one movie... something was lost?

Part of me is reluctant to criticize this movie since I'm not sure how much of this is Koyomi Vamp's fault specifically and how much of this was a problem with the Kizu trilogy too but even if it was in the Kizu trilogy, it's also in this movie so I think it's fair to criticize.

First, this is probably only a problem with the official Crunchyroll release but the subtitles are in white with no borders. Imagine my absolute joy when anything from the subway station to Hanekawa's thighs were too pale to properly show the subtitles so I had to guess what it was saying. It's just white, no black to contrast it, so if the background is a light color, good luck trying to read it.

I think my biggest problem is how they treat Hanekawa in this movie. Obviously, I am very biased and if this movie was 2 and a half hours of Araragi and Hanekawa, I'd be happy, but a lot of her scenes are cut, which makes her seem out of place in this movie or, I guess more accurately, that she's only in this movie because she's legally obligated or something. Like it's strictly utilitarian as to when she's in the movie. Does she NEED to be in this scene? No? Cut it. It makes her more emotional scenes feel hollow since a lot of her character developing scenes are cut. Like, I popped whenever she showed up but I'd pop if the movie was 3 hours of Hanekawa learning how to play ping pong, if this is your first Monogatari experience, I don't see many people connecting to her.

Also, they cut the very last line?

The last couple lines of the LN, read straight from the book I have in my lap, go as such:
""If you want to die tomorrow, I'm ready for my life to end tomorrow - if you care to live for today, then so will I," I vowed out loud.
Thus begins the tale of the wounded ones. A tale of blood that splattered red and dried up black. The tale of our never-to-heal, precious wound. I will tell it to no one."

Which hits especially different when Kizumonogatari translates to Wound Tale (according to, again, the official LN).

This movie? I won't spoil what happens but the line isn't nearly as dramatic and that last little bit about how this story is a tale about their wounds, never to heal?

Gone.

I was a little underwhelmed by how much Hanekawa content they cut and I'm sure if I cared to comb through the trilogy, I could point out more scenes I even forgot they cut, but this was the one moment I was like "hey, wait, where the hell was this?"

If this is the only way you have to experience Kizu, it's still a fantastic movie. Unfortunately, I don't think the Kizu trilogy is legally available anywhere (you might be able to buy the Blu-Rays or something but Koyomi Vamp is the only version on Crunchyroll) and if you don't wanna read the LN (which, again, idk if you can just "stream" that, I bought the physical box set)... this might be your only recourse.

And I would say you should 100% watch this over skipping Kizu entirely.

I just don't think this is the ideal way to watch this part of Monogatari, which is why I have it in mixed feelings despite the high score.

My biggest criticism of the Kizumonogatari Trilogy was the fact that it was one film unnecessarily split into three. Learning of the compilation film, I had hoped that the idealized version of this story would come to fruition. However, the editors cut too much content, almost a third by my count. The worst of it was that much of Hanekawa's scenes were cut or abridged, which I thought were essential to the story. While I don't disagree with some fanservice cuts for the sake of wider appeal, excising entire scenes diminished Araragi and Hanekawa's relationship to a detrimental degree. Without the clear juxtaposition between Araragi's ... relationship with Kiss-shot and Hanekawa, I feel that some subtext was missing from the final product. Hanekawa feels more out of place now than an integral part of Araragi's development.

Because Nekketsu-hen felt the most abridged, the driving mission of the story felt more like a checklist than a series of trials to overcome. As a result, it somewhat spoils the impact of the third act. Cutting a lot of slower moments for the sake of the runtime creates a very plot-driven version of the original trilogy, and, in my opinion, an inferior one. The Monogatari series, if anything, is nothing without its characters. To remove scenes that lessen them is to hinder what the series is best at. The quieter, awkward, and pondering moments gives the audience more information about the characters and more reasons to care. If we don't care about the characters, then why would we care about the plot.

I believe there is a happy middle in which the trilogy is seamlessly tied together, comes in at a runtime of just under 3 hours, and feels just as fulfilling as the original films. However, what we have is a more convenient but clearly inferior version of Kizumonogatari. I can't say what my opinion on this would be if I hadn't seen the original trilogy. Already knowing that a better version exists dramatically skews my opinion. It's what most of my review is about. I believe if you're diving into the sprawling tale of Monogatari, you as a viewer gain nothing by shaving off an hour of runtime. Might as well take the full plunge and watch the original trilogy.

(In the US, the "Koyomi Vamp" version is currently available on Crunchyroll, whose subtitles are sometimes impossible to read. The "Trilogy" versions are available to rent individually on Amazon Prime.)