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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 at the 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 changer 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.
