Owarimonogatari 2nd Season

Before the review this is my personal opinion: I am so glad that this series didn’t disappoint me at all and I had such a great time watching it . Monogatari will always be one of the best anime I saw and I genuinely love it with all my heart starting with the great characters and ending with the lessons told from each series. This is the final puzzle piece from the Monogatari series. In this series every little detail from the other series that were left unexplained was revealed to its audience. Another worth praising writing style from the author who knows damnwell how to leave intentionally plot holes who are gonna be filled later in his future works. This is why the flaws are what makes Monogatari a great piece from the storytelling medium. Once again Shaft managed to use the visuals in perfect harmony with the current action of the characters and dialogue lines to emphasis the message for its audience. As an example I will mention the fantastic and beautiful association of each character from monogatari with a star constellation during Ougi’s explications .The dialogue is well used for the characterization and plot helping with the progression of the story. As we all know the minor characters from Monogatari are so well used for the plot and characterization of the main characters and in this series doesn’t disappoint us at all . Who taught that Tadatsuru a minor character from Tsukimonogatari would had such a impact across the story in Owari 2. Let’s not forget Oshino Meme disappearance after Bake which had a purpose after all and finally Gaen who is the shining star from Owari 2 using again her brilliant mind to solve a problem. Fantastic! Owari 2 also manages to give screen time to the two main characters from Bake Senjougahara and Araragi. It’s always a pleasure to see Senjougahara verbal abusing Araragi but caring for him deep down in her heart proving once again why her actions are unpredictable and her personality unique. What I am trying to say is that in this series we finally see the choices that those decided to take as a couple for their future after their long fight with their own problems. One of the main themes that needs to be mentioned is about change, portrayed through the actions and choices Araragi goes through . As for each part from Owari 2 they each have a different plot and message but they are all connected to the main story from Owari 2.Mayoi Hell is the preparation stage for Ougi Dark and Hitagi Rendevouz is the bridge that connects them . In Ougi Dark everything comes together giving a conclusion to the Monogatari series and presenting how the actions and choices the characters made influenced their lives . Trust me you will not regret any moment by watching Owari 2 , you will experience a lot of emotions through each arc and the conclusion will leave you in tears of joy and sadness. This series managed to give a conclusion to all of the other series from Monogatari and answer all the left questions.

[9.0/10] _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Owarimonogatari was ultimately the end of the first, and most likely the main story of the series. These last three arcs provided a good conclusion and I wouldn't be upset if that's the final Monogatari-related product adapted by SHAFT. Although I doubt it, since there are tens of side-stories, epilogues, prologues and everything in-between left to adapt. This, however, felt like a proper conclusion. Even if it wasn't what I wanted, I can't help but feel happy about the ending regardless. Monogatari, ever since I began watching it, always left me with an air of ambivalence. If you go venture forth to the past anddig through to find one of my earliest reviews on this website, one of Bakemonogatari, you'd see exactly that. Me struggling endlessly with coming to terms with my feelings about the series. It left me feeling sleazy and gross, but compelled and intrigued. I initially described it as the guiltiest possible pleasure and while my opinions may have changed with my tastes, I think that outlines the overall complexity of emotions I felt towards the product. On one hand the presentation is outstanding and unique, hearkening back and taking from the French New Wave, but what its presenting is often perverse and over-indulgent. The main narrative is fractured and presented in a spectacularly interesting fashion with the unreliable narrator quirk, but is often sidelined for pandering sexuality. The characters are multi-faceted and endlessly dynamic, but aren't often presented as such. It is an enigma, truly. While my opinions have changed and my appreciation for this series continuously grows, due to the amount of inspiration it has given me as a creative, this idea of conflicting feelings still remains the same. Even throughout this end-story. I get a conclusion, and the conclusion is quite good with just about every story wrapping up in a feel-good bundle of catharsis. It is still something that I wasn't expecting nor really wanting from this show. I was expecting something darker, something more somber, something with pain and eventual sacrifice and I was expecting the specialists to play significantly bigger role in the story after their buildup through Owarimonogatari's first season as well as the awe-inspiring conclusion to Koyomimonogatari. Maybe my expectations weren't deserved and built completely upon my own desires for the series, but that feels redundant to say as that's pretty much defining expectations for anything. Owarimonogatari's second season and conclusion does have problems, however, it is packaged and delivered so well that they don't feel like problems as much as they feel like additions that I may disagree with. Maybe that's why i'm so happy to accept this conclusion even if it harshly isn't what I wanted or expected, that's my mea culpa. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Presentation] Before we delve deep into the semi-spoiler conversation, I think it is safe to say that this series is the best presented television anime. While it may not be as beautifully animated as something from Kyoto Animation or as viciously energetic as a Trigger production, it is a SHAFT product through and through. Harsh yet understated, with pronounced colors and a focus on bringing the most from dialogue heavy scenes. The coloring in these episodes is as good as ever, with beautiful shot-composition mixed in with spectacular changes in art-style in the first arc of this series. The other two were equally beautiful, with harsh changes of color and space, presenting even the goofiest character moments as if it is high-art strung up in a gallery. The violent, stinging violins in the climactic soundtrack continuously impress. While most people may point to the admittedly catchy opening themes of this series as examples of its musical prowess, I can't help but point to what I find more impressive. The memorable backing tracks to the shows most climactic moments. From the badass theme at the end of Nisemonogatari, where specialist Kagenui flexes her muscles in a scene so brutally cathartic that it is one of my all-time favorite anime moments. To the plucking strings and winding synths of the shows most surprising scenes, when Gaen reveals her vampire-slaying sword and chops our protagonist into a thousand pieces. The music here is as wonderful as ever. Monogatari has never been the most animated series, and for good reason. Much like most TV-anime it is a rushed product on a deadline. However, SHAFT make even the most still scenes feel alive and vibrant with the setting and shot composition, and as always the direction here is astounding. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Story and Resolution] Presented in three arcs, the final moments with these characters and their eventual graduation feel spur-of-the-moment. The show, for the first time ever, feels as though it has a distinct narrative purpose. Since it has one goal, to end its main story, it never decides to linger on moments that are otherwise unimportant to the series narrative. Even the second episode, the extended date between Senjougahara and Araragi feels as though it plays a direct part in the climax, Araragi's waning adolescence, Ougi's mysterious plot, and the growth between these two from a relationship standpoint. However, before we delve into that, we have the first story. Between Araragi, Hachikuji, and the involved Tadatsuru, which delivers something visually astounding and narratively intriguing, yet creates a few worries that may find themselves wriggling into the shows core climax. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Mayoi Hell] Obvious spoilers. Hachikuji is back and she's in hell. Some pretty funny reasoning is provided for that. More importantly, SHAFT gets to flex its visual style to the fullest here, providing one of the most visually impressive arcs since the gorgeous Tsukimonogatari. As Araragi ventures through hell, and to a certain extent, his past, he discovers how to return and what the reasoning behind his murder was. An elaborate plan by Gaen to return his humanity. Good stuff. Even if Hachikuji's return wasn't all that interesting to me. Especially since we have already said our goodbyes to that character and coming back after a pretty good send-off feels as though i'm holding in a sneeze. Unrewarding and kind of painful. I like Hachikuji, she's quirky and engaging with a pretty great catchphrase that gets probably the best payoff of any joke in the series. However, I couldn't help but feel disappointed in her return as an establishment of norms and the lack of consequences. It robbed the series of some weight. More on her later. They meet with Tadatsuru and in beloved Monogatari fashion we get a gloriously long exposition sequence full of fascinating insights by this really intriguing character, as well as a quick look at the network of specialists that Gaen has established as being the backbone for oddity-hunting. Tadatsuru's powers are great and paint a understandable picture of Ononoki's creation, even if we lack the insight of her "big sister", Kagenui, more on her later. Araragi is sent off with Hachikuji captured in his legs and brings her into the real world. Initially I had even more of an objection to this, as it totally undermined her exit even further. If it is so easy to leave hell, what is even the point of it? However, that gets amended further on in the series. The introductory arc here really set the tone for the show. It was lean-mean, and without filler, which was great. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Hitagi Rendezvous] Before I even talk about the date, I want to express how deeply upsetting it was to see Kagenui's character and her potentially incredible importance to the series being brushed off. It undermined the entirety of her disappearance in Koyomimonogatari as well as never quite explaining how Ougi got anyone to leave. It felt like an underhanded and obnoxiously pandering way to just keep Ononoki around the harem, which honestly doesn't fucking matter to me. Ononoki is pretty much useless right now, she is literally a doll and since Kagenui isn't around, has virtually no power. She is there to provide a few sparring dialogue driven moments and her inclusion in this arc felt completely unnecessary as she virtually did nothing. If they kept Kagenui relevant to the story and didn't chuck her to the side for literally no convincing reason, Ononoki and Kagenui could've been back to actually matter and provide some interesting insight to spar with Gaen's own bias arguments against Ougi. Yet nothing like that happened. She's gone, and the reasoning given was that she was practicing "Martial arts" at what was later revealed to be the North Pole. Why? Why would she be doing that? Isn't she an immortal oddity specialist? Isn't her goal and job to exterminate immortal oddities? Isn't Shinobu back in her full-form? Isn't that Ougi? Kagenui expressed no fear in fighting Shinobu with her powers back in Nise, so it makes no sense for her to leave now. Way to completely under-utilize a dynamic and potentially interesting character. What a farce. This was probably the most upsetting moment about this three-parter and probably the only reason I had to take a point off. Especially since the date between Araragi and Senjougahara was wonderful. I always felt as though their relationship was a bit tepid. They said they damn-near love each other yet Araragi runs around fucking with plenty of other girls. It really doesn't make any sense and makes the entire relationship feel phony, especially since Senjougahara got almost no screen-time recently. Her return is welcome. She is the most dynamic and fascinating of the harem-girls and definitely proved that here. Her character growth since the first arc in Bakemonogatari is palpable and honestly very endearing. Her various little idiosyncrasies really paint an engaging portrait of her character. The resolution to their date is endlessly lovable and actually helps create a more believable relationship between the two, even if I still object to Araragi's lascivious and scummy behavior otherwise. I really enjoyed this, and I didn't find that it meandered or lacked any meaning. It was well-placed in the middle of these other two, more serious arcs. What i'd be remiss not to discuss is the dream sequence with Ougi, which is not only a spectacular insight on her character but also plays as a wonderful hint at who she really is. Everything from her saying being a riff on Gaen and Hanekawa to her knowledge of the star-systems being Araragi's own knowledge, the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place and this fractured narrative was finally become clear. At this point, in my eyes, it was clear with who Ougi was, even if I wasn't sure what role she exactly played. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Ougi Dark] To refer back to my initial thesis, this arc's progress and climax wasn't something I was expecting or wanting, but a great part about growing up is being able to look at something as a whole and really determining whether that is a bad thing. I think the more I look back on this arc the more I'll come to enjoy and appreciate that it did something that I wasn't expecting nor wanting, but still managed to be entertaining and pretty damn impressive, narratively. My fear that the specialists would ultimately play a small role in the climax was unfortunately confirmed, as Gaen dumped some exposition and moved on. This and Shinobu's ultimate uselessness in her hyper-powerful form needs to be accepted as a narrative loop rather than a flaw, in my opinion. Because of course Araragi will ultimately have to face this issue on his own. It is, after all, always been his issue and no one else's. The narrative here had me hurdling through various flaming hoops of acceptance while also trying to follow along to the somewhat complicated explanations for everything. Needless to say, it was a gripping experience none-the-less. What particularly impressed me apart from Ougi's true reveal was the use for Hachikuji who's inclusion I have previously expressed my distaste with. Gaen's proposed solution was actually quite clever and made sense within the grand scheme of the story and provided the best use of Hachikuji's signature 'I stuttered" catchphrase. It was great. I went from disliking her inclusion to totally buying it, which speaks volumes to how well this entire aspect of the narrative was delivered. Onward to Ougi's true reveal. I say "true" because her being Araragi's oddity didn't come as much of a surprise, of course she was. Especially the opening to this final arc solidifying that. What was more interesting a reveal was her role as Araragi's oddity, manifesting as adolescence. This actually paints a unique picture of Araragi's character and growth throughout the series. I'm no stranger to criticizing our boy Koyomi here, since I think he's kind of a scumbag, however, the portrait of his adolescence was poignant none-the-less. This somewhat esoteric conclusion helped me understand the rest of this series' motivations as well as his character progression overall. What could've been myopic ended up being quite engaging, even Araragi's rejection of his own change to saving Ougi, which I was initially against but over the course of the past few hours warmed up to. Because of course he'd save her, he's Araragi. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ [The Moral of the Story] And now for the epilogue, or rather, the punchline. What Monogatari does so well is provide an experience unlike anything else in anime. An industry and medium that indulges in pulpy entertainment has this series which indulges in the idea of indulging. Consuming everything that is inherently right or wrong with the industry and presenting it as if it is high-art. Taking ideas from the most influential, yet also the most cherry-picked movement in cinema, the French New Wave, and crafting a narrative that not only doesn't treat its audience like children, but goes out of its way to be esoteric and challenging. Very much in line with the New Wave, Monogatari has a kind of style and essence to it that separates it from anything else in the medium. Especially since at its core it has these sleazy elements to it. Relating back to the initial point of contention, my dissonance with this series manifesting as a love and appreciation for it. These last three arcs, ones which lack the fanservice that some of the other parts of the series indulge in, are some of the most solid parts of the series, up there with the flawless masterpiece which is Hitagi End, my favorite thing I've ever seen from this televised medium. It proves to me that this show could've been better without its over-indulgent obsession with childish sexuality and pandering which often took up big parts of other episodes in other arcs, however, is that really true? I undoubtedly didn't, and don't, enjoy those elements, yet they are inherent in Monogatari being Monogatari. Without them this wouldn't be Monogatari, and the lack of them in these final arcs proves to me how big of contrast there is, which helped elevate the stakes and create tension which otherwise wouldn't have been escalated if the entire series was devoid of these elements. I feel like I always wanted Monogatari to be more mature than it was, however, once again, maybe that was wishful thinking. Much like Araragi says as the final line in these arcs, he is himself, and this series is itself. And expecting it to be something different when it so well-established exactly what it is makes no sense, logistically. Because much like Araragi, Monogatari experienced an odd kind of growth as well, where the maturity may not have increased but a realization did happen. The self-awareness here is palpable and as with any product that has displayed a knack for multi-faceted storytelling, I don't think it is out-of-line to analyze this series so extensively. During Ougi Dark, there is a scene where the characters dissect Ougi's formation as a cake. Each character representing a slice. Which honestly feels like this show being self-aware about its own indulgence, both having the cake and eating it to, which is an element I've been bringing up in reviews since their conception. The cake here being Araragi's division and eventual realization of purpose, while also doubling as context for this shows harem elements. Which I wouldn't say is as much of an excuse as it is a justification, and a good one at that. Its harem elements were never the strongest parts of the series, and being myself I'd go so far as to say they were the weakest parts. However, they, in the end, felt necessary to this show having the conclusion it did. For me, the strongest parts were always the main narrative and the specialists, who were characters that were infinitely more fascinating than the main group and harbored more interesting traits and purposes, but as I've already said, it wasn't their story and I shouldn't have been expecting them to play a huge role here. My own, negative idiosyncrasy. In the end, this series which still confuses me emotionally provided an exceptional conclusion to its first and most likely main story, as it wrapped up its final arcs in an acceptable and thoroughly understandable way. At its most basic, the story of adolescence and accepting that adolescence permeates through the entirety of this series. Because if we were to fully strip it down, the punchline is that there is no need to let go of that. Much like Araragi isn't willing to let go of his own, even while saying that his adolescence has left him he acknowledges that he isn't fully an adult to Hanekawa. And I don't think that is really the point of this experience. It isn't much of a coming of age story. At the climax, he doesn't let go of the oddity manifesting as his own adolescence and that's the final realization. But I don't know. But who knows, really? A series like this is so esoteric that even its most well-defined moments can be read into as something else and that's exactly what I appreciate about it. It proves itself worthy of being analyzed, as any great piece of art should. As I said in my very first venture into Monogatari, I only know what I know.

"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.' This review does not contain spoilers. This review is not made by a blind fanatic or a hater who has nothing better to do, this review is made by a person who saw this series for more than 8 years of his life. I'll be honest and I'll go straight to the point. I will not speak with fanaticism in my words, I will write just the truth about these episodes, my truth, nothing more and nothing less. I have no sweet words to these episodes, so if you can't digest a different opinionthan yours I ask you to not continue reading my review. I want to clarify this before I start, I'm a fan of this series since the day it was released in 2009 and the second season is in my top ten favorite anime of all the time, so you wonder why I did not like this part? and the answer is very simple, I do not like this part because it concentrates everything that is wrong with the last works of the Monogatari series by the acclaimed Japanese animation studio shaft and directed by Akiyuki Shinbou, oh wait a moment is not even him who directed these episodes, that makes so much sense and at the same time so little, Shinbou why do you disappear when the fans of the old times need you more than ever? oh, I see you're a captain who does not sink with the ship, intelligent move on your part, traidor. One of the clearest problems is the speed with which the story advances, being so fast does not create a sense of importance in the events that occur in the story, at one point we are with a scene that pretends to be emotional and full of stress and the next moment the protagonist is making jokes about the underwear of a minor and you can tell me that that always happened with the Monogatari series but this time it is in a more clumsy, notorious and completely out of place way. It is really depressing and insulting for a lifelong fan to see that the mistakes of the past have not been corrected and not only that, but that the problem has been aggravated in such a stupid way that you can not do anything more than pretend that you did not see anything. I was the best accomplice of this series and I did not give importance in the past but I got bored of the same grotesque joke again and again, which leads us to the following problem with these episodes, which is the repetition of the same old material, these episodes only repeats the same jokes and ideas that in previous seasons, these episodes did not innovate at all and you know what is worse than that? is that the people behind this work does not even try or care about the fact that they are just recycling the old stuff over and over again, they are hitting your head over and over again with the same old ideas and jokes until you say enough and I'm a fan who got tired of this deal, it is no longer funny, it is not innovative anymore, it is not even artistically pleasing as it was before. It's just an endless number of memes that died a long time ago. They pretend to be funny when it's just a lot of trash that they're recycling to not create anything new. Why strive to create something new if the old is accepted as something with some value. These episodes suffer from not giving much explanation to some important events that occur in the life of the characters, how convenient is to not explain anything and just move forward as if this were a race but the production team can take the time to do the same joke again and again, so it is not a problem of time, they simply do not care in the desire of the fans, "give us your money and go away". Also includes many characters that are only present for a brief and insignificant moment, this is an insult to the characters themselves and fans of these characters, an absolute disgrace. In other occasions the characters act as if they were a stereotype of some very obvious program and they make clear what are their intentions although the series wants to generate an atmosphere of mystery, but is not a mystery if you are telling me everything directly or at least is not a good mystery. These episodes are the clear sign that studio shaft loves to play safe and just want the easy money of the fans who are hungry for more material, for more empty dialogues and characters pretending to be talking about something deep when it's just about the panties of a little girl. The fans are many, they will eat whatever it is, they must create something that many will like, easy to eat and bring it to their tables as fast as possible and the result is a hamburger. this is a hamburger that instead of having interesting dialogues full of new ideas is full of the greed of the people who are in the production studio, instead of having witty and provocative comedy has jokes about the tits of a little girl and instead of taking the time to develop the characters and be careful with their emotions has recycled material fresh from the trash. I firmly refuse to accept this insult to my loyalty for this franchise, I refuse with all my love to accept this mistreatment of my patience and I refuse with all my passion to remain silent, these episodes were the worst I saw in the whole series and it's sad that everything has ended in this mediocre way. Each movement of the characters was predictable, each word was said in the past and every joke was repeated so many times that it is no longer funny. Sweet dreams my beautiful monogatari series, you are no longer what you once knew to be. I have admired you for over 8 years, I laughed with your first jokes and I identify with some of your characters but after more than 68 episodes, 3 movies, 2 ovas, you're not longer what you used to be. I do not need buzzword like say "masterpiece" every 4 words to describe my feelings, I just let the heart speak and this review was made with heart and passion so I hope you understand that I do not hate this series at all, I just wish everything was better... Every moment, every word, every plot change in the story did not live up to expectation and the name of these series. Rest in peace. From a real fan who was waiting for this moment for more than 8 years.

If you are one of the three people that have been reading my Monogatari reviews you might have noticed that each one of them more or less reflected my impressions about them, thus Bakemono’s was a setup for what was coming next, Nisemono’s was very short and without much content, while Neko: Kuro and Second Season got a much more detailed one to explain everything I thought about them. Meanwhile Hana and Tsuki got one closer to the one of the second series, and I bashed Koyomi as it rightfully deserves. So, in true Monogatari fashion, let me go back to something I wrote right atthe beginning of my Kizumonogatari review: “Ah, fucking finally, the one entry that chronologically starts it all, and it focuses a lot on Araragi and Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade, who so far remained mostly a good hearted pedophile with some serious incestuous tendencies, and a tryhard moe donut eater with a seemingly interesting backdrop that was only teased throughout the previous seasons.” As you can tell by this paragraph, I did the mistake of skipping the first season of Owarimonogatari and going straight to that horrible Koyomimonogatari and the one I truly wanted to watch, Kizumonogatari, since I figured I would watch every entry before the two that finish everything together. Well, by doing that I wrote something which although it isn’t entirely inaccurate, it also omits how the two characters were more fleshed out during that particular series. At the same time, in that review I wrote that it was good that Kizumonogatari’s release was delayed as much as it did because: “If it came out after Bakemonogatari, it would feel like information about the characters was missing. By 2016, Koyomi, Hanekawa and Kiss-Shot were more or less explored or had their backgrounds revealed, especially Tsubasa, so it doesn’t feel like the movie trilogy it’s incomplete. Whatever it covers brings a proper closure of the past of the main cast just fine.” Which would have made someone think that I did watch Owarimonogatari before because that paragraph is even more accurate after watching it. By the point that movie trilogy came out, along with what was shown here and the previous season, the characters felt all around complete. Now, on to the present and the actual review The first season of Owarimonogatari shares aspects with some previous series, it is split and needs another entry to feel complete like Neko: Kuro, and it only has two arcs like Nisemono, yet unlike the first, at the end of the day it still feels like its own thing with a beginning and an ending, and unlike the second, things move forward with an appropriate pacing, without making the important characters of a story to feel secondary and irrelevant despite being the focus of the plot. The first arc shows the chronological first apparition of Ougi, sometime before the Nadeko arc of Second Season, and as soon as (she?) appears (she?) messes with Koyomi, making him face the past that he kept avoiding in what was written with the intention to represent suppression of painful memories, yet unfortunately at times felt more like the main character having an extremely bad memory for the sake of the plot. Despite that, fleshing him out beyond his comical and archetypical role of a harem lead is definitely a good move and something that he really needed. It explains how he became a bleak and antisocial loner, which complements well with his development of that phase in Kizumonogatari into his personality of the rest of the franchise. I mean, his backdrop story comes down to a kid that can’t accept that reality is not what he pictured it to be, so his actions come off as somewhat petty, but reminding myself that his whole world view more or less crumbled when he was very young and naïve definitely helped in making everything more acceptable. Showing this after the character already developed in the future events shown on the previous seasons or the exact next entries was also a good choice. Besides him there’s also a little more screen time for Ougi, built up as the true antagonist of the whole franchise, and her different interactions with Araragi and the rest of the cast are pretty enjoyable and intense at times, allowing the protagonist to be more expressive without as many internal monologues, while everyone else is skeptical of (her?) intentions and actions, and even try to stop them. There’s a newly introduced girl, Oikura, and what a messed up character with the most fucked up backdrop story by far. Much like Koyomi’s, her past in the school feels even pettier and her personality very exaggerated. As soon as her circumstances are shown, fortunately without an edgy approach, she becomes far easier to understand and tolerate. The series makes a contrast between Araragi and Oikura while exploring them. His worldview crumbled and yet thanks to his circumstances, meeting the right people, and his own attitude, he powered through it and became a better person, when he is not acting like a degenerate. On the other hand, she didn’t have any of that, and went through much more serious stuff, so she pretty much became a mess and delved in self-pity and resolved to blame everyone else, much like Nadeko would do on a later arc that was shown in Second Season. Having Hanekawa alongside Koyomi and being the one to confront her was a good move writing wise, because of both her personality and own character arc. Also, this one does a good job in setting up her actions in Hitagi End. With all that said, I have to question the messages the arc sends, I doubt saying that is good to have someone to blame and hate for one’s own struggles for the sake of one’s own happiness, but at least the series itself turns against it at the end by having Oikura realize that she was the one on the wrong while hanging on a very thin line between sanity and insanity. The other one is the usual of the franchise that you are the only one that can really help and save yourself and make your own happiness, which sounds really good on paper but just like Paranoia Agent, feels simplistic and not very empathetic, considering the circumstances of the characters, which in the case of Oikura become worse and worse. The finale feels like a non-ending, as the girl gets a catharsis that even the series itself admits it’s quite anticlimactic, and it also doesn’t feel completely supported by the narrative. Despite having she realizing that she was wrong and that she has to stop blaming everyone else and make things better for herself, without a follow up to actually see that, it feels like something is missing. And yet, somehow, it just…fits. The arc was quite distinctive for the usual pattern of the Monogatari series. Araragi can’t use his powers, he can’t rely on them to solve everything, there are no aberrations involved, it’s all about the mentality of the characters, the girl doesn’t want to be helped by Araragi, she doesn’t end joining his harem, she doesn’t try to solve her problems, nor self reflects enough nor gains a proper resolve and resolution at the end…and it fits, because she didn’t try that. If the arc somehow ended with everything being resolved and with a happy ending, it would make everything that led to it to feel superficial and the issues to be nowhere near as heavy as they were made out to be throughout the whole season at that point. So, it’s one of the saddest yet most fitting conclusions, based on the actions of the main girl. Another thing I want to point out about this arc is the proper tone. Even though there are some comical moments they are mostly subtle and do not clash with the overall serious mood, some even feel like the characters have passive-aggressive interactions so they don’t end up fighting among themselves, AND THERE IS NO FANSERVICE IN IT, which was something extremely welcomed by me. In terms of aesthetics, the arc goes back to what was done in Tsukimonogatari, which translates to good artwork and backgrounds, equally very little motions, and at times a bit too bright special effects, but overall a more polished version of that season in this regard. The audio department, much like that series, has an electronic first opening and a typical jpop ending, in this case both with lyrics about two people being apart despite also being close, opening doors and trespassing borders, which fits what happens in it and the character Ougi (herself?). For some reason there are other two intros with Oikura as the main character instead of just one, and they are both among the best ones in the whole franchise in both music and visuals, and with lyrics that properly explores her mentality just like all the rest of them. As for the soundtrack, just like in Tsukimonogatari, it is much more intense and suspenseful than the previous shows, and since this arc is far more serious, it is also a more fitting and improved version of it. Even the comical passive-aggressive interactions among characters give a high sense of tension thanks to it. Sound effects and voice acting are as good as ever, with the exceptional performance of Marina Inoue in what has to be her best and most distinctive one, properly managing different changes in tone and volume for Oikura. As a whole it is an intense arc properly handled in terms of aesthetics, tone, pacing, character dynamics and resolution, although not as good in terms of how the messages are tied with the narrative, and the beginning isn’t on the same level that it ends up having as a whole. The second arc is centered on Shinobu and it is essentially a resolution for her as Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. Chronologically it takes place after Shinobu Time and around the same time as Tsubasa Tiger, from Second Season, so its ending leads directly to that arc. Aesthetically it doesn’t have the bright special effects of the previous arc, so it’s an improvement. It combines the presentation of the inner thoughts and passages of the light novel of the characters from Tsukimonogatari and the Oikura story, much shorter, slower and easier for the eye to catch them than the earlier seasons. It also has its fair share of well animated action and CGI for a samurai armor and its powers that are well rendered. It also uses the style of Kiss-Shot’s past in Second Season for a moment. Since unfortunately the arc begins with a very silly tone, the background music is inferior in the beginning but gets to the same level of quality at a midpoint when it takes itself seriously, and the opening is Mein Schatz, easily the best theme in the franchise. The beginning of the arc is not good as it is very silly and has a lot of comedy and meandering, and even some fanservice, affecting the pacing and going a step back in terms of quality. Once it gets serious however, it explains the setting in a way that was not done before in the franchise, directly tying it with practically every past action of the characters, thus making them face their responsibility for what they have unwillingly done and retroactively making the weird happenings to the cast to make a bit more sense in-story, although it still doesn’t explain why everyone else in the town is clueless about what happens. It has someone from Shinobu’s past as Kiss-Shot reappearing again and thus her having to stop running away from that character and face him, as Kanbaru tells her, in a scene that makes her seem more like the next protagonist of the franchise way more and way better than all of Hanamonogatari. So, it reinforces the same message of the rest of the franchise of the characters being the only ones that can solve their problems, thus they have to face them. Like with the previous arc in the season, it’s a bit lost in the narrative since at the end it’s Koyomi who solves the conflict with dirty tricks, but it is an alright message as usual. I also want to point out as a positive that Koyomi is put in a situation where he can’t be in three places at the same time solving the problems of everyone else, something that he is told throughout the franchise, thus he takes care of one situation, while trusting the others to someone else, as it was shown in Second Season. And also, it ends with the message that oneself is the only one that can assure their own happiness, by beginning to actively search for it, something that changes Koyomi a little and a later point in time has a direct influence in the first arc of this particular season. The conclusion is overall good for the season in terms of messages, themes, characterization, and as a closure for the second arc, but thanks to Koyomimonogatari, there’s still more stuff to cover, which is what the second entry is focused on. Said second entry begins right after the ending of Koyomimonogatari and despite being divided in three mini arcs, they take place one after the other in order, and the content on each of them is very simple, so I find no point in breaking them down as I did with the previous two. The beginning isn’t very promising, as it goes back to the aggressively stupid meandering, comedy and a little bit of pedophile humor and fanservice, while it also takes away the importance of death in the franchise even more and a bittersweet ending of a previous arc. Oh, an also, the backgrounds are at times very bright. Thankfully, as it happens with most arcs and series in the franchise, it becomes a bit more serious and overall better later as it goes on, but still, despite being the overall conclusion of everything, it never feels like there is much gravity and adequate seriousness in it, partly because the outcome is already known thanks to Hanamonogatari. You thought I would forget to mention it and blame it for the lack of tension? I never will. The importance of the first mini arc comes to down to explaining the setting even more, through dialogues, because either the author or the studio clearly isn’t very good at showing instead of telling, and a certain way of doing things that take away a little of proactive initiative of some characters, but it also retroactively justifies what seemed to be scripted actions of some others, who have actually been preparing the outcome they wanted, instead of a predetermined one fabricated by someone else, while it also explores a very secondary character a little more. Afterwards, the plot progress and it doesn’t at the same time, as pacing stays somewhat in a rare middle, with several character interactions that range from the normal to even the kind of metaphysical, that serve as a progression for the romantic aspect of the franchise, and as a setup for the conclusion of it as a whole, at least as far as the anime goes. The conclusion still continues to explain the setting, in the same manner, and still keeps retroactively justifying actions of the characters and setting up the plan for the outcome and the conclusion, while it also gives an answer for the mystery behind everything, which is very simple and previously suspected by most people that have been following the franchise. It doesn’t surprise anyone, but it fits with the whole and the future, meaning, Hanamonogatari. What’s good about it is that it explains what every important character has been doing out of screen for the outcome to happen the way it does, and what the secondary ones kept doing with their lives, the bad thing is that the anime still doesn’t know how to show those things, so instead chooses to tell them. The best aspect of the resolution and the season as a whole is how everything ends up being a product of the doings and the mentality of the main character. When I came to know about it I thought it would be very far-fetched and out there to be convincing, but thanks to all the previous build up from earlier entries, I find it to be fine. Also, as a message and closure for Araragi, it is nice that he finally does something for and by himself, and accepts his dark side, in a similar character arc of the one that Hanekawa had. The bad thing is how it still happens through big conveniences and last minute apparitions and saves, as the series itself admits by calling them even miracles. The characters manage to fulfill a certain outcome and fool it at the same time, similarly to the ending of Jigokuraku, but they do it by making everything seem very easily solvable, ending everything in a fitting albeit a bit underwhelming way. Basically, the finale was a bit meh in terms of plot, but good as far as characterization, which is basically how the Monogatari franchise is as a whole, so it fits. Visually, after it gets rid of that super bright background, the season is among the best in that regard, if not the best, as it combines every visual trick used earlier, except for the art style used during Kiss-Shot’s past, even integrating the one that up until now was reserved only for the endings, and with a more…relaxed, and nowhere near as bombastic directing, making everything a bit…friendlier and easier for the eye to keep track, as well as read the light novel lines in between. The only issue is that, as usual, the motions aren’t very good. As the tone is much more lighthearted than it was in the previous season, the music takes a step back in quality as well. There is one ending that is the same as most of the earlier ones, and three openings, one akin to those of Hachikuji, which means I skipped it after the first time, another one similar to those of Hitagi, which means I didn’t find it special in any way but I still somewhat enjoyed for its retro aesthetics, this time in the music which gave me a very City Pop feeling, and a third one which I didn’t care about and felt like a very inferior version of the one Ougi had before. As a whole, the resolution felt…appropriate, as it fits with what was previously done, and what was assured to happen next, while it also reveals what every character is up to or going to do next, as a form of catharsis, albeit it does it with not the best presentation and without making much sense thanks to the conveniences in the writing, while nothing feels very serious because of the very lighthearted tone. Basically, the franchise in a nutshell. I rate the first season with something between 6 and 7 out of ten, and the second barely with a 6. I wasn’t planning on giving my thoughts about the whole franchise in this review, since I still have one more entry left, but from what I read it’s just another filler season of mini stories like Koyomimonogatari, that takes place between this one and Hanamonogatari. I can’t imagine myself having much to say about something like that, let alone something positive, so I prefer this one to be my SECOND to last review of the whole series. From a critical stand point, the writing is cleverly done for the dialogues but nonsensical in terms of plot and logic for the most part, even if there are some explanations for the setting and the weird events at the end, and the progression is very slow thanks to a lot of meandering, hit or miss comedy that abuses of being referential, creepy fanservice, and some entries that could be reduced by a lot or skipped almost entirely. It is also just good enough in sound, despite the very good voice acting, and although the visuals are overall extremely good, a lot of the weird imagery doesn’t feel justified by the narrative and is there just because. It’s not the plot you watch this franchise for though, but rather the messages which are good albeit not very well delivered, and most of all the characters, which are among the most memorable and fleshed out casts in the medium, and far better than what anyone would expect from a harem, unless that someone consumes the genre specifically for the perverted situations and the fetishized archetypes that pose as characters. As far as I know, there is still more stuff to be adapted, as the novels kept going (and keep going, I think?), but seeing how this entry had a fitting ending with no loose ends, I don’t think that seeing more is really necessary, and I’m not the only one it seems, seeing that nothing else of it was released for five years now. As a whole, I think Bakemonogatari and Nekomonogatari: Kuro are a watchable setup, with Second Season, Kizumonogatari and Owarimonogatari as worth watching follow ups or prequels and the highlights of the franchise, that makes a decent whole, but the rest is either filler or way inferior and could have been shortened by a lot. That is why I personally prefer the manga version, which I’m close to finish, for being far faster and in my opinion more focused, even though it lacks a lot of the highlights of this one. If I go by numbers for all the seasons together, Monogatari ends up being barely a 5/10 as a whole, but if I rate everything as one big series, it goes up to something like a 6.5/10. I’m not satisfied with any option to be honest, as I find the first to be too low, and the second too high, so I settle for something in between. Meaning, I find it to be just barely something like a 6/10, nowhere near among the best in the medium by any stretch of the imagination, but not plainly a waste of time either. Now for my personal rankings of: Songs that I cared about Mein Schatz White Lies Mathemagics Yuudachi Houteishiki Sugar Sweet Nightmares Marshmallow Justice Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari Perfect Slumbers Kieru Daydream Decent Black Characters Kaiki Hanekawa Senjougahara Kiss-Shot/Shinobu Oshino Gaen Kagenui Ougi Nadeko Koyomi Kanbaru Oikura Ononoki Rouka Tsukihi Karen Hachikuji Entries in the franchise Second Season Kizumonogatari as a whole Owarimonogatari as a whole Bakemonogatari Nekomonogatari: Kuro Tsukimonogatari Hanamonogatari Nisemonogatari Koyomimonogatari Recommended stuff -The Tatami Galaxy for similar aesthetics, directing, voice acting, internal monologues and main character arc. -Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-hen (only worth watching and unfortunately last entry in a horrible franchise) and Ouran Koukou Host Club for harem series that bother to flesh out their characters. -Mononoke and Boogiepop wa Warawanai for more serious anime about people mentally hunted by supernatural entities. -Ghost Hound and Paranoia Agent for interconnected plots about interconnected characters being mentally affected by supernatural stuff and their own lives. -Katanagatari, another series from the same author with a similar style of writing.

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