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Apr 16, 2019
“I feel thin… stretched. Like butter spread over too much bread.” - Bilbo Baggins, Lord of the Rings
Every good thing must come to an end, or at least that’s how the saying goes. Not that it’s too good to continue on forever, but because it should end while it’s still doing well. If not, however, it is doomed to milk its already-explored ideas until it drenches all the quality from its previous work. Thus is the fate of the once beloved Monogatari series.
Promise of the Premise:
Zoku Owarimonogatari, captures the events that took place after the Second Season of Owarimonogatari, and before the epilogue to the
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series, Hanamonogatari. We are, yet again, tossed into another strange story that begins with a seemingly unfortunate series of supernatural events; Arraragi Koyomi, who is dealing with an identity crisis upon graduating high school, and is now having problems with moving on with his life, somehow finds himself trapped inside what he refers to as “the mirror world.” In this inside-out version of reality, he encounters all the people important to him, who are now fundamentally changed. We soon learn that the nature of the characters in “the mirror world” is to serve as the polar opposites of the ones in the “our” reality; they reflect all the characteristics that the characters in our reality tried to shut in.
For the most part of the show, we are left to explore the mirrored reality through Araragi’s lenses, as he spends most of the runtime interacting with altered characters as he tries to figure out the nature of the world he is stuck in. He quickly realizes that not only are the characters changed, but their very position in the world is off. And as the story moves on, there seems to be a bigger mystery hiding behind the scenes.
The setting seems to offer a lot of insight, both regarding the characters and regarding the story of the franchise looking from the grand scheme of things, now that the franchise has reached its conclusion in the previous entry. However, the show does none of that.
Toll of Redundancy:
The main problem of every milked continuation is its inability to cohesively add new ideas without contradicting itself in the process. Zoku Owarimonogatari, however, dodges this problem by having no new ideas whatsoever.
To observe the characters from the inside-out perspective would generally be a great move, and a useful tool when it comes to character development. The problem is, however, that every information about the characters that this introspection gained us was something we already knew and were aware of. Throughout the franchise we followed the characters as they all went through a similar path of development: they were introduced along with their demonic apparition, representing their negative sides and the parts of themselves they want to reject and deny, and then we see them as they overcome their flaws, or simply accept them and move along. Having that transformation inverted inside-out is nothing more but going back to the stage of development the characters were in when they were first introduced. Nothing new was gained in the process.
So to cover-up for such lack of progression, the show goes for a solution that I like to refer to as “madlibs storytelling.” Instead of actually providing progress in character dynamics, the characters are given a bunch of random traits that are supposed to fit in with the setting, but add nothing of substance aside from gimmick. And instead of using that to explore characters on any deeper level, now that we are given the opportunity to see the mutual interactions of their inverted personas, we are provided with nothing but a charade of randomized Monogatari characters, self-referencing series’ previous works. It’s filled to the brim with beating-‘round-the-bush philosophy, horribly timed comedy and general lack of direction.
What we are left with is a thin idea that tries to present itself as a gigantic one by hopelessly connecting to everything that the series previously built. A story that pays more attention to browsing its own catalogue of characters than it does trying to write or develop itself.
The Pay-off:
Through-out the runtime of 6 episodes, or a 2-hour long movie depending on which version you’ve seen, Zoku Owarimonogatari has constant trouble keeping up the pace, and balancing out it’s weak story and its unspeakable urge to fill in with as many redundant characters that were most likely put into the story for a mere self-reference. However, the worst part about this redundancy, as I said, is the fact that after those 6 episodes (or one movie) we are at the exact same place as we were before watching the show. Not only is all the information provided one we already know, but all the progress done in the mean time turns out to be inconsequential, if there ever was one. Zoku Owarimonogatari feels more like an alternative spin-off of a sort, with value of an average Christmas special: it serves no purpose except for you to indulge yourself in the known universe once again. And the worst part about it is that it doesn’t use said universe as a platform for exploring ideas, but rather as a playground for already-explored ones.
I won’t dive too deep into the spoiler section on this one, even though I don’t think this is an entry that deserves to be watched. However, I have to mention that the “explanation” of the story-wise elements might be the most disappointing thing that the franchise ever did. It all boils down to “everything that pointed to a bigger story underneath was a cover-up by a mastermind X,” which itself isn’t too far from the madlibs storytelling I mentioned before. The problem with this Aizen-like ass-pull is that it not only makes a fool out of you, the audience, for trying to figure out the answers, but it also makes all the build-up up until this point just a bunch of cool tension-building ideas that were put for the sake of it. The show forcefully asks of you to follow its plot, and then punishes you for doing so.
Thematic Punchline:
It doesn’t happen very often that a continuation shows no understanding of its predecessors aside from the surface-level analysis. Zoku Owarimonogatari is not only failing to understand the main motif of the series, “people save themselves. No one could ever save anyone else,” but it straight-up contradicts it. What was once a self-centered story about overcoming your own flaws and accepting yourself, is now a one-man Messiah story. And this severe contradiction is not only subtly implied throughout the show, but is presented as the very conclusion, slapped across our screens through an overly-sentimental closing montage.
There seems to be an ongoing misconception where people think adding another ending to the ending is what makes the conclusion stronger. However, not only is that not the case, but doing so actually takes value away from the ending. After all, if the ending isn’t complete, it’s not an ending at all. If a character needs five “moving on” stages to actually move on, it makes all the previous 4 stages completely redundant and stripped off of value. This matter is discussed in the final sequence of the show, where Araragi states that he is always unsure whether he should step onto the road with his left or right foot, and is advised by Senjougahara to instead carelessly jump ahead instead of thinking about the next move. Not only a very flawed idea with barely any thematic weight, but also a hilariously cheesy, out-of-place symbol. A fitting conclusion for the messy, incoherent story that this apparition of a show rightfully deserved.
Technical Merits:
Nothing much to say here, as the audio and visual style remained the same as the rest of the franchise, which is ironically enough, the only coherent part about it. However, I do have a few complaints.
While the animation quality sure is great, the visual narrative was oddly off. Framing is rather more concerned about looking goofy and looking somewhat visually appealing than it does trying to actually say something, which is not common for a Monogatari show. What bothered me the most about it is the downright awkward use of certain visual tools, such as using the frame dividers to capture character’s breasts in the main plan of the shot. It is vaguely pointed out that the shot may be constructed like that for a reason, since that would exactly be the thing that would occupy Araragi’s attention, but it’s still a very dull way of using it.
The audio was hardly even noticeable, and featured no iconic tracks of the franchise, not even the character themes which would be the most fitting considering the direction of the story.
Conclusion:
Zoku Owarimonogatari is a painful exercise in redundancy, that serves as a great example of “stop while you’re still worth something.” It tries its hardest to keep the series alive by cramping as much memory of it as possible, but with little to no idea what is to be done with them.
From a long-loving fan, a somber goodbye to the franchise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 28, 2018
With the new “Boogiepop” adaptation recently being announced, I decided to revisit the old one, hoping the sudden news might finally give this hidden gem the recognition it deserves. Boogiepop Phantom is Madhouse's semi-adaptation of the on-going self-titled novel series from 1998, particularly the second and the third volume of the series, "Boogiepop and Others" and "Boogiepop at Dawn." It was released at the beginning of the year 2000, following the wave of deep, complex and esoteric shows filled with dark character drama that emerged as a magnitude response to Neon Genesis Evangelion's deep impact on the entire genre. Unfortunately, even though Boogiepop was a
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fairly strong representation of this period, having a confusing and disturbing plot, lots of well-explored controversial topics and a unique tone, the result was it being one of the most criminally underrated and underappreciated shows of its time. The reason for this mishappening is simply "being in the wrong place at the wrong time." The show was released soon after another genre-breaking classic for its time, Serial Experiments Lain, and remained hidden in its shadow without getting any recognition whatsoever, being casted off as simply another attempt to mimic the greatness. Now, while it definitely does borrow a couple of ideas from Lain, along with a similar type of storytelling and distinct tone, it takes a completely different approach to both the concept and the themes, striving for an entirely different goal.
Told through a semi-episodic structure, Boogiepop Phantom follows the lives of young teens who have fallen victim to the consequences of a series of incidents dating five years into the past, some of who obtained strange supernatural powers. Among the students a rumor begins to spread, that of an unearthly creature lurking in the shadows of the city; a phantom-like entity that is believed to be the very personification of Death itself. And while the rumor is being laughed off, the children keep going missing.
The story is told through a rather convoluted fashion. This type of storytelling feels more like a jigsaw puzzle than your regular chronologically-linear structure that is most commonly used. Boogiepop Phantom tells a story through several different timelines and a series of seemingly unconnected events that are told out of order. It is a rather methodical show, systematically introducing elements to the narrative that adds to the ever-growing mystery surrounding the series, but also providing enough evidence and information for the viewer to follow the plot on the most basic level. The series never caters the viewer by giving info-dumps or connecting pieces for them. Instead, the story is jam-packed with different plot elements and variables, and it can be hard to pick up on all of them. If you are a casual watcher and have a problem with banging your head against the wall trying to figure out where and how to fit single pieces of the plot into the puzzle, I highly recommend you to stay away from this series.
The reason the show decided to use such a type of storytelling is because it allows the characters to take over the spotlight, leaving the story to unfold itself in the background. As I previously mentioned, the show revolves around a group of young teens striving on their way towards adulthood, and the series examines each character, allowing the viewer to project themselves onto them. This way, we are allowed to get to know and understand each of the characters: the way they observe and perceive the world around them, how they fit (or don't fit) into the society, the problems they face and the hardships they deal with. This is where the show gets a lot darker, as it touches upon some of the more disturbing and maybe even controversial topics regarding the lives of the characters. While it doesn't go into too much depth with the psycho-analysis, it does do an amazing job presenting the characters as individuals and helping the viewer understand them and what they are going through. This also allows the show itself to approach the story from different angles, and address certain subjects revolving around it, using the characters as googles to observe the world and the events. These stories are usually interconnected in one way or another, so they often intertwin. While the connections aren't important or necessary to the story and bigger picture in general, they are used as a well-thought reminder for the viewer to recall the past events, or the ones from the previous episodes, allowing an easier understanding of the whole piece.
Now, while the show revolves around a different character each episode, there are a few characters (and entities) that are moving the main plot forward. I won't go into too much detail here, due to this being a very spoiler-heavy area, in order to provide a better viewing experience. Aside from Boogiepop, AKA the ''Angel of Death'', as referred to in the anime, another character worth mentioning is Kirima Nagi. Nagi is usually referred to as the ''Fire Witch'' throughout the show, due to her ability to use and control fire that she gained in the aforementioned incident five years ago. Being aware of how dangerous and uncontrollable her powers can be she decided to distance herself from her friends and people in general. She appears to be a superhero-like figure in the Boogiepop saga, being heavily devoted to protecting the world from whatever threats may come. Very strong both physically and mentally, Nagi is usually the one confronting the unknown entities throughout the series. Having that Boogiepop is not the only supernatural entity haunting the city, it is also the habitat of other creatures, such as the Pied Piper-like child who encounters people who have regrets in the directions their lives took, and takes away the manifestation of their youth, leaving but a raw, empty shell, or a fastly-aging, and seemingly autistic girl that plays with butterflies that can draw memories out of people.
As you might have already guessed already, Boogiepop Phantom is a show that primarily revolves around dealing with changes throughout certain points in our lives. It uses memories, the ''borrowed'' concept of Serial Experiments Lain, to present the young teenagers' need to retreat from the reality that they are not used to due to their immaturity, and the consequences of turning to escapism. It shows their hopeless and unprepared struggle when having to take responsibility and face the consequences for the choices they made. Throughout the series, the characters are shown dealing with such in the most bizarre ways; having them create their own versions of reality, creating a rather distorted view of the world, or even locking themselves into their very own childhood memories, refusing to face up to the facts. And through such disfigured views, Boogiepop observes the entire society, leaving strong commentary on it.
Where the show really stands out the most is in its audiovisual appeal. The show has a very unique visual design, especially when it comes to the design of the characters. They appear very humanoid, being completely devoid of the usual features characteristic for the anime medium, such as huge eyes, weird hair designs and unnatural hair colors. The reason for this is twofold: the main reason being the need to set the baseline of normality in the show, and establish the basic sense of realism. In a series where so many supernatural things happen the viewer must be able to distinguish what 'normal' is, in order to understand the abnormal. Secondly, the natural design allows the viewer to project themselves onto the characters more easily, and makes the drama all the more believable. It's also devoid of the usual anime gimmick in the form of caricature faces, exaggerated expressions, or anything that could damage the tense mood of the series. The show uses a reduced color palette to create a sepia-like tone, pulled through a vignette effect, creating a sense of emotional malaise. This not only establishes the unsettling mood for the series, which is afterall a horror/thriller show, but also helps put the main happening in the literal center of the screen. Unfortunately, Boogiepop suffers from the lack of budget and weak technical merits that are manifested through inconsistent animation, low-quality visuals and still shots. The sound design consists of synthesized avant-garde music carried by a leitmotif in the form of an active sonar pulse, and is mostly used to convey drama in the sound-mixing. As its predecessor Serial Experiments Lain, Boogiepop Phantom also feels the most comfortable playing with the silence, and using the loud, sharp electronic sounds to emphasize the important change in the mood change in tone.
Unsettling, cryptic but overall insightful, Boogiepop Phantom is a horror that treats both the viewer and the genre with respect. It is a very mind-boggling show that never takes itself too lightly, and doesn't expect anything other than that in return. If you are willing to fully commit to it, you can expect to be heavily rewarded in the end by everything that this "spooky sepia puzzle" has to offer.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 1, 2017
What really scares us? Death or the oblivion? Of course, the oblivion. It is not dying itself that frightens us the most, but rather knowing that we will lose everything we loved and cared for. All of the memories we've treasured, the choices we've made and the people we've touched; everything will cease from existence. So why do we treasure our past so much? Is that just a collection of memories the nostalgia bounds us to, or is it the part of who we are?
Serial Experiments Lain is not your average show, and definitely not something you run into every day. It is a unique
...
piece of entertainment that completely transcends its genre, and presents itself as a work of art. An avant-garde show, not restraining itself to the boundaries of traditional storytelling and plot building, creating a completely unique and revolutionary piece of media.
This anime series is NOT for everyone. One of the reasons this show is popular even now, two decades after its initial release, is because its plot is still not completely figured out. The story is told in a rather convoluted fashion, which makes the already complex plot even harder to interpret.
Lain is one of those shows that require the viewer to pay full attention to every detail, and challenging them to put all the pieces together to grasp the content of the story. The theme portrayal in this series only becomes more relevant even now, that the use of technology and internet is becoming larger. A nearly prophetic story of what will happen if the lines of reality and virtual world start to blur.
Not only does the show do an excellent job at connecting its elements with its heavy commentary on psychology, sociology and technology, but it also has a very striking approach to the themes of human connection and loneliness, and overall an exploration the existential self in relation to the world. it raises a series of very thought provoking and intellectual questions about identity, existentialism, and religion. The show is also very famous for its mind-bending thoughts about reality, evolution and the existence of God.
Lain's narrative is rather cryptic, meaning that nothing is told to the viewer directly, but rather gives them the undertone hints and pieces that, combined, make the story. The story is devoided of any dialogue or character's inner monologue, not allowing the viewer to know more than they should, giving them a strange sensation of being lost, and forcing them to search for answers. Due to the absence of dialogues, the show relies heavily on its visual presentation. It tells its story through massive, yet subtle use of symbolism and visual keys. The series is rich of surreal and expressive imagery, with commonly metaphorical content.
In terms of characters, there are just the two worth mentioning, with one being far more relevant than the other: Lain and her best friend, Alice. They represent the two sides of the same coin, or, in this particular show, a physical world, and the virtual one. Lain is a lonely, shy, and seemingly depressed middle-school girl, who also suffers from a split personality disorder. She is used to portray most of the show's themes, one of them being a demonstration of the internet's ability to split ones personality, creating a whole different person online. Alice, on the other hand, is much more down-to-Earth, realistic and communicative. Her character is used to resemble reality, and common sense in general, but she is also the key trigger in Lain's development.
Also, even though other characters have an important role in the story, and are used as a symbolical representation of a certain element the show portrays, they aren't as significant as the two aforementioned are.
What i think is the strongest point of SEL's characters is the manner in which their characterization is done. As a fairly good compensation to show's lack of dialogue, Lain's characters aren't defined through cheesy lines or forced exposition conversations, but rather through their very actions. The show can clearly depict the character with little to no dialogue, only through visual presentation of characters reactions, movement and behavior. In an essence, 'show' is of a far greater value than 'tell' in visual media, and SEL follows that rule in a nearly flawless manner.
From the technical sides, even tho the show lacks budget and doesn't have as much production value as most of the shows nowadays do, it still managed to use this in its advantage.
The character designs are much more realistic and humanoid than most of the series. They are devoided of any abstract, but very commonly seen elements, such as weird and unique hair styles, unnatural hair colors, huge eyes and so on. This is due to the fact that the show wanted to make itself closer to the viewer and make them project themselves to the characters easier, but also to set a certain border of reality. In a show where so many surrealistic things happen there must be a certain sense of realism so the viewer can actually see what the paranormal happening is.
Also, due to the lack of budget, the backgrounds in the scene have minimal amounts of details, and a somewhat inconsistent animation. This allows the author to literally point out elements the viewer should pay attention to.
The show also uses lots of repetitive sequences, like the cityscape scene from the beginning of each episode. This is also used quite well, combined with new monologue each episode that really help a lot in the theme exploration. The show uses a very murky color pallet, with two different sets of colors: the deep blue tone, and a thick yellow and nearly sepia tone. This is not only used to locate the time of the happening, which is usually at night or twilight, but also used to switch tones and suggest a certain mood change in a scene.
It is very noticeable that the show lacks music, probably due to the lack of budget. In this certain show, this is by no means a flaw.
For a such a cryptic and mysterious show such as SEL, the absence of music creates a very unique atmosphere. The over-present silence and sometimes a quiet, but sharp techno sound absorbs the viewer in a world shrouded in absolute mystery, creating an atmosphere that perfectly complements the viewer's feel of being lost.
But also, surprisingly enough, such lack of music and creating an absorbing ambient can be use very well when invoking drama. For example, a sudden hard techno bass after a long period of silence can help in creating a sense of tension, and also signifying to the viewer that he should pay attention to the plot point. This can also work the other way around, when the omnipresent background musing is rashly interrupted by silence, creating a very clear tone contrast.
Serial Experiments Lain is one of the greatest anime shows ever made, and a personal favorite of mine. It takes an absolute focus on singularity, developing its themes beyond the limits, and pulls the maximum out of its platform for storytelling. It has some of the most aggressive and infinitely deep theme explorations ever put in any sort of media. Its story is complex, intriguing, and somewhat immersive, with thousands of plot-twist, fascinating narrative style, and unparalleled and grounded thematic side. A thoughtful and unique 13-episode experience that can only be described as an onslaught of brutal mindfucks, digging deep into the core of your brain. A perspective-changing brain-basher introducing a completely new look onto this so called "reality".
Close the world
Open the next
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 19, 2016
'People save themselves on their own. Nobody can ever save anyone else'
- Araragi Koyomi
To begin this review, I shall say that while there were always disagreements whether a certain show was good or not, no series was ever able to split the community like the Monogatari series does. And there will always be the ones saying that it is the best of the best in the anime world, and the ones that will see it as just a pretentious over-the top harem show. Now, before you cast of my review thinking that I'm just going to praise the show, I'll have to ask you to
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stay until the end, since I started this anime just so I could drop it because, I too, thought that it was just a philosophy for horny weebs. Let me show you what made me change my mind. I'll try my best to keep the review spoiler-free for all the people who haven't yet seen the show.
Lets begin with what I think is the reason Bakemonogatari excels more than most of the anime you'll run into: the characters. Now, if you ask any qwasy-elitist about the Bakemonogatari characters, he/she will probably tell you that the characters fall very well into the defined tropes of the anime: unassuming/confused lead protagonist, a female tsundere lead constantly insulting the MC, a bratty loli, a shy and innocent imouto trope, and so on. And on the surface, they are right. But as each of the characters develop, they restrain themselves of these labels to the point that it almost reaches the deconstruction of the certain anime character tropes. And what Bakemonogatari does so good, is the connection it constantly makes by bonding the story with the characters, making them equally progress.
So, to further explain the characters, I will base myself on the actual story. Bakemonogatari follows a 18 years-old Araragi Koyomi, who is 1/10 vampire, as he encounters various number of girls. Each of them comes with their own unique story, and a complete arc primary focusing on one specific character. Each of the characters is followed by an apparition (supernatural being) AKA aberration (unusual, unwelcome entity). They are phenomenons of supernatural nature, in which a person is involved, both as a cause and a victim. To be precise, apparitions are the supernatural creations of ones own mind, possessing the host. The story mainly focuses Araragi, with a help of Oshino Meme, the balancer, attempting to help and save those who suffer from such spiritual illness. But then why did I choose that specific quote to begin my review if it now seems incorrect?
And so we come across with what makes Bakemonogatari one of the best shows of all time: it is a metaphorical battle with one's own inner self. Each of the apparitions is carefully presented as a specific animal or a monster symbolizing the ones problem. And it is no coincidence that it turns out that each of the monsters turned out to be projected by humans. Or rather, they all seem to resemble the problems of one's own personality, the parts they try to deny and hide from the others by burying them deep inside, and metaphorically constructing a false reality and projecting them into a harsh enemy: a soul-sucking demons, apparitions. And so the only way to solve the problem is to confront them as what they truly are. the show smartly illustrates the struggle it takes to overcome your own inner pain. And no, that's not pretentious. You need to learn to separate the edginess from the actual depth.
And to explain that, lets move on to the various elements that make the series work, and how they interact. So, storytelling. Through each well-defined arc, we slowly dig deeper into the character, ripping apart the trope, and revealing what lies beneath. This compelling introspection of the characters is what drives the story. Even tho the show contains some nice well-combined comedy and few action sequences, it primarily revolves around dialogues. A well-packed, meaningful and thought-provoking dialogue, with various use. Whether it is used to serve some good laughs, develop the character or advance the plot, conversation is never there just to fill the 23-minutes of free space, which is expected from the Godlike-writer NisioisiN, who's wordplay transcends beyond just a simple rebuses.
But it doesn't just end there. The visual aspect in Bakemonogatari isn't just there for the aesthetic value. Director Tatsuya Oishi takes the whole media into his advantage, making surrealistic and abstractly symbolic visual storytelling. Using the first-person perspective through Araragi's narration, his world remains without the people he has no interest in, whether it'd be an empty street in the middle of the day, or an empty classroom. Every camera angle is focused primarily on what he is interesting in and what he wants us to see, or pay attention to. Otherwise, there is a fantastically fluent animation, incredible use of colors and a regular SHAFT's head tilt.
The music is there just to keep things alive. It never fails to bring a character motion to life and to project the certain emotion, whether it is making you be at the edge of your sit with eyes wide open as the mystery gets unraveled, or it is making your heart break apart from the sadness of the moment. Boosted with various number of melodies and instruments in soundtrack, the enjoyment is guaranteed.
To conclude:
Personally, this show has in itself everything I ever wanted an anime to have. Philosophy, abstract symbolism, depth, fast pacing, interesting and well-written characters, emotional and slightly tearjerking elements, creativity and innovation, and a weird, but unique way of storytelling. All together, an anime that everyone should see, but not everyone will like. It is not a story that will destroy your brain with lots of mindfucks, nor is it one that will ask you questions and make you wonder about the answer. This is not a show that knows everything, but it knows what it knows. It will tell you everything it can and it has the knowledge to.
But what you will do with it
is up to you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 17, 2016
Since the release of Bakemonogatari, the first part of Monogatari series, this unique show has been splitting the community in two parts, one side being the Monogatari fans, like myself, who threat it like a rare philosophical gem of the anime universe, and the other side which sees it as just another harem show that tries to cover the fanservice with some 'random' philosophy.
By writing this review, I want to show you my view on this show, not to force you to have the same opinion on it as I do.
As you are familiar with the series (I assume, since this is the review on
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the SECOND SEASON of Monogatari series), I will skip the intro and get right onto what made me like this anime so bad, and that is definitely the creativity of the story, and the unique way of storytelling. Monogatari Series: Second Season is featuring five new stories (+ and additional Hanamonogatari) showing us, once again, how human mind can be sick and twisted. Nisio Isin is playing with endless possibilities of the universe he has created, as our heroes struggle in this psychological adventure. While the plot in Bakemonogatari was highly repetitive and stereotipical (where Araragi happens to run into a girl in trouble and helps her), Second season is way more creative. Each story is darker, deeper, and more f*cked up than the ones in Bakemonogatari, and through each story you can find a bit more about the characters, their past, relationships, and a mysterious connection with the supernatural entity, while being trapped in a twisted paranormal adventure.
Of course, there would be no story without the characters themselves, having in mind that everything happening in the show, is subconsciously created by the characters themselves. Through this philosophical masterpiece, you can see the protagonists of the Monogatari series in totally different way, discover their backstories, dreams and fears, and even get inside of a parallel what-could-be universe. Also, you can see them changing due to all the paranormal happenings, both psychically and physically. Second Season can probably show the best interaction between the characters in the entire series.
The art style and the background music remain fantastic as they always were, since they are done by the SHAFT studio. The art is even better, and the animation is more fluid, which makes your personal enjoyment more a nd more superior. As the studio is getting used to the show, each segment is being more perfected. Atmosphere remains flawless, either if it is a horrific mystery scene, or the super-hot ecchi scene. It is so enjoyable, that I have finished the entire Second Season in three days.
Keep in mind that this show is not for all the audience, as it contains lots of mature content like gore and nudity, and it can sometimes be really hard to follow the story line, or to read the subtitle and watch the show at the same time. Also, the SHAFT's way of presenting and animating can be awkward at times, so it can easily cause a headache to ones unfamiliar with it.
If you are fan of the series, and you happen to like it so far, I highly recommend you check this out, as it is by far the best Monogatari yet. If you are somehow reading this review and thinking about watching this series, you should first go check Bakemonogatari, and then find out whether you like it or not. And if you are in a not-so-small group of people that were not satisfied with the first one or two parts of the series, I still recommend you checking this one out, as you might change your opinion.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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