Anime: Bakemonogatari

I am no fan of the Monogatari franchise, it’s one I could never get into because it’s very long, it consists of many entries and arcs, and keeping track of the timeline is one big mess, as the release date has you watching stuff that goes before something you have already watched, or even in-between a season that already aired.

The basic idea that spawned such a colossus of a franchise is kinda interesting although not that special, it has to do with fantasy monsters lurking within a certain city and possessing people, which is why different exorcists and demi humans take care of them.

The pacing is tremendously slow to the point where the plot becomes an afterthought, despite whatever the characters might say about the situation, it never feels like it’s urgent or that serious, because the series is still mostly a harem comedy, and because the focus is rather placed on the characters, instead of moving the plot forward. That is why, besides the main and secondary cast, the city where the show takes place in is empty, it doesn’t matter what might be happening in the setting, what truly matters are the girls and how they feel.

Despite being referred as the different harem, the show is still a harem, it has the typical character archetypes, the fetishes and sexualization of minors you can expect from its genre, characters from the same family having incestuous complexes with each other, as confirmed in Nisemonogatari and Second Season, and overall the same plot structure that feels like a dating simulator, as the main character goes around, bumps into girls from either his school or his own family, or acquaintances of someone from those two groups, finds about their problems, tries to help them because he is a good guy, and most females in existence fall in love with him because of it.

The differences with all the other harem anime is existence is how the cast seems to be aware of the fact, as a kind of semi parody of the genre. The girls know that they fit an archetype and play around with the expectations around them and even go meta at points, while also making lots of references to famous anime and manga from different eras, and a lot of wordplay that make the heavy dialogue scenes more dynamic and fun for some.

That still doesn’t change the fact that a lot of conversations are meandering that go nowhere and stall the plot progression and pacing, but at least the talking speed, the way the dialogues are constructed and the self-aware characters are to be appreciated, especially for its genre, where normally all those things are of a very poor level.

The other difference with other series of its kind is that this one sends a message of one having to resolve their problems on their own and not depend of others, as a big part of what affects them is directly connected with their own mentalities. They may be possessed by supernatural entities, but it’s their own actions what makes the situation worse for them, and their own resolutions what lead to solve them at the end. On top of that, it’s not like the girls are passive, they try to find the reason for their issues on their own and solve whatever is troubling them by themselves, instead of waiting for someone to do it for them.

It’s a good message but it’s not very well supported by the narrative, since despite what they might do, at the end they still are mostly able to do that because they are helped by the goodie protagonist, the series wouldn’t be a harem otherwise, as the girls wouldn’t fall in love with him. Not only that but he is not even able to fix whatever is troubling them at times, which is why secondary character Meme Oshino steps in at the end of each arc to solve the problems, although more temporarily than permanently, but that is something that doesn’t become known until later seasons.

The biggest issue of this season is basically that, not only it doesn’t move the plot past its premise, but it’s also mostly a buildup of a series. It exists to present the setup, the recurring characters, the main message, and to anticipate future events and character arcs. Other than that, the only thing that actually happens in Bakemonogatari is that the main couple is established, and the rest of the harem is introduced.

But like I said, it’s not like this series is watched because of the plot, it’s the dialogues and the characters that draw people in. The protagonist, Araragi, is the same kind main character that makes everyone around him to fall in love with him that you come to expect from this type of series, but he doesn’t hides how much of a pervert of a teenager he is, without going to such extremes like others of his kind that become nauseating because of how they treat the girls.

But the real characters that stand out and the focus of the series are the girls. They crack jokes, they break the fourth wall, they are self-aware of their harem archetype and even extreme versions of them, they are sarcastic towards the main character, they have plenty of hobbies and different familial relationships, they interact with each other in ways that are not just flickering or teasing, and everyone has their own problem and backdrop story. From scamming and bullying (Nadeko), to jealousy (Kanbaru), to being unaware of their own state (Hachikuji), to make up a fake persona because of a fucked up family (Hanekawa), or even being victims of scamming and, to my understanding, even sexual assaults (Senjougahara). Plus, the show is full of their monologues, both internal and external, so their archetype is based and explained in their pasts, and their mentality is constantly explored and both shown and told. That’s the main difference with many series of its genre, the girls are way more than just fetishes for a male audience to look at. Unfortunately I can’t really say that anyone has a development or catharsis to speak of, those would come on future seasons, and even if they were, like I already said, they aren’t really supported by the narrative.

As many later imitators would prove, the franchise wouldn’t have become such a phenomenon in the medium if not for its visual presentation. Another reason why this title became as big as it is it’s because of its artsy visuals. Being the first and oldest season, Bakemonogatari suffers from quality drops, inconsistent character models, and very static animation, but makes up for it with crazy imagery, character designs that somehow stand out despite being based on typical designs for each harem archetype, trippy backgrounds that make lots of people write essays about what they could mean, as it isn’t uncommon for a room or building to seem surreal and falling apart, plenty of very different special effects and changes in coloring, lighting and shading, lots of references to many old school anime and manga, thus changing its artstyle completely, and at times, casually pulled out action scenes with some of the best and most dynamic motions in the whole medium. Heck, the anime even throws part of the inner monologues to the screen, taking direct passages of its source material, the light novel, as quick succession of inner thoughts of the characters. Good luck reading them though, as sometimes not even pausing the episode gives you enough time to do so.

If you are an experienced watcher, all this stuff wouldn’t surprise you much, as similar things can be seen on different works from the same director or studio (The Soul-Taker, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Madoka Magica, to name a few), but for a casual audience, it’s a before and after type of visual experience.

The audio department became as iconic but it’s definitely not as polished. The sound effects are good, and the voice acting is delivered rather fast and well, albeit with not that special performances from its cast, although it could be that many of their later ones would be based on these ones, and that ended up taking away its uniqueness, instead of the other way around. I give a full mark to the voices here considering how long ago the anime came out, but not to the rest. The soundtrack is very standard, the background music is just serviceable and the many openings are well done in terms of reflecting what the characters think on their lyrics and are accompanied by good visuals, but other than that, I didn’t like any of them, and skipped all of them after one or two times, simply because I find none of them to be special. Some of them are performed by the voice actresses of the girls, which is a fine detail but hardly one that I’m unfamiliar with, as it’s something that I’ve heard since at least Ranma ½. I loved the ending, Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, for both its song and animation, but it’s still nothing truly special.

At the end of the day, this is a series with well presented characters and a good dressing, that make up for a season that is mostly a setup for future events and character arcs, and otherwise very empty in actual content and with very little substance in it, and the little it has is not well supported by the narrative. Well done in terms of distracting you from its many weaknesses, but still almost as weak as many other series from the harem genre. I find it to be among the better anime of its kind, but still paling in front of others like alternative versions of it, some of its future seasons, the final season of the Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai adaptation, and Ouran Koukou Host Club.

Bakemonogatari is a pretty special type of anime. It's a type of show that doesn't pop up all the time, but when it does, it's a special treat. Bakemonogatari is a show that's focused around the development of characters, their interactions with one another, and the emotions that come with it. The main story, while not shabby in its own right, is really more of a medium that helps us progress from interaction to interaction, rather than being the main dish itself. The show oozes Shaft's signature art and style, and does it in a spectacular way. The animation is gorgeous, and the art can be downright captivating. However, I really don't feel like I can give the series more than an 8, as while any individual piece is great, the art generally is generally more or less a slideshow to give us something to look at while the characters talk. Not to mention, there are many times when we simply get a [Blank scene.] with literally no art from time to time. A stylistic choice, sure, but not one I'm particularly fond of. The music, on the other hand, is always just fantastic. It was one of the few shows where I would listen to the OP and ED every single time, and while not completely unique in each episode, mixes it up often enough to feel fresh every episode. Bakemonogatari is a great series, and probably one of my all time favorite, but it should seriously be noted that it's a very niche taste. If you don't like it after the first few episodes, it's not your fault, and I would honestly suggest dropping the show. It's not for everyone, but for the people who can appreciate the style, it's one hell of a fun ride.

Bakemonogatari

Abstract: Bakemonogatari is not perfect, but is one of the best anime in years. It has exquisite writing talent, skilled voice acting performances, and strong, well crafted characters with great development. It takes a lot of the old tropes and methods recreates them to their full potential. While too enmeshed within the counterculture to have widespread appeal outside of the fandom, it is still a great series and is an example of how good anime can be made. The industry ain't dead yet. Final Grade: A

Genre: Romance with Vampires
Content: Excessive Blood/Ecchi/Nudity

Reasons to Watch: Unique animation style; Great voice acting; Strong writing and characters
Reasons not to Watch: Lots of talking and walking around; Lots of talking and walking around

Plot: 10
Its not easy to write about something that is good. When a show does something wrong, you can easy pick it out and explain why it doesn't work. But when something is done to perfection, how you can describe it without descending into pointless flattery? Anyway, I will try to avoid the shameless praise as much as I can. Bakemonogatari has the hands down best writing of any anime I have ever seen. It has better comedic timing than Sayonara, Zetsubo Sensei. It handles sarcasm and exposition better than Haruhi. Who can challenge it? Rurouni Kenshin?--the characters are better written. Haibane Renmei?--the plot flows better. Spice and Wolf?--the romance is much better. But enough comparison, as Bakemonogatari is so unique it is peerless. First, lets start with the sheer amount of spoken lines. Most of the action in Bakemonogatari is provided by nothing more than the characters talking. Take for example, the twelfth episode. In the twenty minute sum of this episode, we spend about fifteen minutes in a car, with Senjougahara and Araragi throwing verbal jabs back and forth. And while this could end up boring, the amazing verbal gymnastics performed make the viewing riveting, and turn this episode into one of the best. The romantic tension between Senjougahara and Araragi is one of the few anime romances that feel like real life, and makes the stupid shounen harems look like they were written by twelve year olds (I still believe that the author of Rosario+Vampire is only twelve). Love is not repeating your partner's name over and over while blushing, nor is it the unconditional forgiveness of a Belldandy. In Bakemonogatari, we have the love story of two flawed and incomplete people, with all the baggage, miscommunication, and mistakes than come with it, and these flaws are what makes it believable and all the more powerful. And I spend so much time expounding on the romance, since in it's core, Bakemonogatari is a love story. The monsters and the aberrations in the foreground only exists to give a frame to the romance in core of the story. Think about it, four of the five story arcs all involve Senjougahara at the core. The Crab is entirely about her, of course; the Snail spends more time building her and Araragi's relationship than on the aberration itself; and the Monkey and the Cat are both about love triangles involving her. And while we are on the topic, I must mention how smoothly the story arcs flow together. The progressions between arcs are simple and well designed, and there is hardly an interruptions or inconsistencies as the story transitions, as well as not a single iota of filler. And the comedy is fantastically funny – a Gaijin 4-koma joke, breaking the fourth wall with a hilarious voice acting brag, and the running joke about the radio call in show in the fourteenth episode, not to mention Hachikuji's 'stuttering' – these jokes alone would put Bakemonogatari within the ninetieth percentile of comedic anime. And the comedy is only a part of the show's overall greatness. It terms of writing, Bakemonogatari can be viewed in the same light as such Western masters like Neil Gaiman and Dan Simmons, with the same mastery of dark humor and bloody violence. A true masterpiece of modern anime. Grade: A

Art: 9
Criticism time now (and also I can't rate it with all tens). There are points where the characters designs look somewhat crude, as if the artists were taking some of the shortcuts than plague shows like K-On – shoddy and crude movements. But this doesn't happen that much, and there is plenty of great animation, including the epic level Shinobu attack in episode fifteen and that bit in episode eight where Kanbaru rips out Araragi's intestines and throws him around the room with them. The insane Shinobu attack was so awesome I had to stop and rewatch it frame by frame to really appreciate it – and not because of the infamous bandaid shot. Well, not only because of the infamous bandaid shot. And it is not only the fights that are awesome, as the backgrounds are amazingly detailed. A common theme is the constant repetition of the same 3-D model, creating a surreal effect as well as providing a contrast between the modular sameness of normal modern society and more awkward and fluid nature of the aberrations. The design of Senjougahara's apartment is a clever callout to both Pani Poni Dash and Tsukiyomi Moonphase, in both of which Shaft produced and Ms. Saito played the female lead. And the constant flashing of the viewcards throughout the story is definitely unique and a fascinating method. I am sure there is some symbolism between the red and black cards, but I haven't be able to figure it out yet. And I love the use of the cards at the start of each episode, which provide both a recap and foreshadowing, and are much to fast to actually read. Watching them in real time only gives the viewer a brief sense of the Araragi's current feelings, which I think was the writer's plan along, as it illustrators the internal confusion of the character. And I can not end this without mentioning the OPs and EDs. There are five OPs, one for each of the five girls, and each is the product of great animation and editing. “Staple Staple” is a masterpiece of 3-D modeling and simplicity. Hachikuji's theme song is so frantic my computer chokes when I try to play it. “ambivalent world” is my least favorite, but it still demonstrates the relationship between Kanbaru and Senjougahara better than any exposition could. Sengoku's is a simple, but well-animated bit in pastels colors, everything that Hachikuji's is not. And “Sugar Sweet Nightmare” has two different animations – a live-action version with a theme of traveling but not getting anywhere, and an animated version mixed, like Staple Staple, with live action backgrounds and expressing a strong sense of claustrophobia and fear. And then there is the various variations on the ED, which is done in a gothic line-art caricature which I absolutely love. Bakemonogatari is so different, so bizarre, and so amazing, nothing like what has come before. And nothing that comes after can compare to it, or capture the same feeling. It truly is a one of a kind experience. Grade: A-

Sound: 10
Despite how easy it sounds, voice acting is like any other profession; People with substantial skill turn out substantially better performances. And Bakemonogatari is stacked. Shaft has kept a number of their standard actors, and again they go on to display chemistry and talent. The ever solid Kamiya Hiroshi gives a great performance as the male lead, Araragi, again pairing him against Saito Chiwa, one of the best actress out there and a personal favorite. When a lot of voice actress get by on simply repeated the same voice over and over again (cough...Kugimiya Rie...cough), Ms Saito has some of the best vocal ranges out there. The famous (or infamous) Hirano Aya gives voice to the chibi vampire Shinobu. The voice actor of Kagami from Lucky Star, Katou Emiri, does a remarkable performance as the foul-mouthed, violent ghost Hachikuji, and the always talented Horie Yui turns in another stellar performance as Hanekawa. Ms Horie is rather unappreciated, in my book. She is a great singer and she has yet to give a poor performance, but she doesn't seem to command the respect some of the more popular actress get. But if she keeps this up, I think that will change. And then there is the music. There is a some real great background music in this show. The frantic beats at the start, the quizzical sounds while Araragi struggles with the mysteries, and the heavy fight music that really feeds the tension of the moment. Background music is often overlooked, but the music here definitely deserves a second listen. But as good as it is, it is well outshined by the OPs. Each OP is a really a character song, sung by each of the five girls. “Staple Staple” is a solid rock number and “Kaerimichi” is absolutely amazing and can only be described as insanely fast. “ambivalent world”, while the weakest of the five is still a fine tune, while Hanazawa Kana outdoes herself in the Bubblegum Pop style “Renai Circulation”. And Horie Yui shows off her talents again in the beautifully dark “Sugar Sweet Nightmare”. And we finish up with supercell's J-rock anthem Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari for the ED, which the producers really do a job in integrating into the show itself. Bakemonogatari has some of the best music since FLCL, and the best ED since Haruhi. This alone should make it a classic. Grade: A

Characters: 10
If you want a strong, solid character, you need to give that character a strong, solid background. The background is the foundation the character is built upon, and weak or simple background leads to weak, inconsistent characters and undercuts any development you try to do. But give a strong foundation and you can build the characters of which epics are made of. And Bakemonogatari is an epic. The backgrounds of the characters are well designed and this leads to great development and interaction in the present storyline. The foundations lain allow for the stories of Kanbaru and Sengoku to be told without any suspension of belief that show up in so many lesser shows (as wonderful as they are, Clannad and Kanon often suffer from this problem). And Senjougahara's backstory really defines how she acts with Araragi, combining the fear of losing him with the fear of sexual abuse. She really is a highly detailed character, with very complex motivations and emotions. Her sexual temptations of Araragi can be seen both as a test of him versus her preconceived idea of men, while at the same time a desperate attempt to keep him close to her the only way she knows how. Senjougahara basically is as close as real life would get to a tsundere character to begin with. And that is the best part of the character development is how real they feel. The characters of Bakemonogatari are not as much characters as they are real people with real emotions. And then there is the core of the story, the romance between Senjougahara and Araragi. As I mentioned in the Plot section, the romance is the most un-anime romance I've every seen, and as such makes it the most real life romance I've seen (Although I do have to admit that Saikano is also a great description of true romance, but not quite as good). And the final arc with Tsubasa has great character interactions; While the true cause of Tsubasa's headaches was foreshadowed for several episodes, it still came as a bit of a surprise and what could have been an average, cliche anime ending turned into a solid cap of a great series. Grade: A

Value: 10
Watchability: Despite being divided into five arcs, the story is smooth and flowing between them, helped in no little part by its internal consistency. The longest arc, Tsubasa Cat, is somewhat over long, but its great ending makes the wait worthwhile, and the arc is split by the epic twelfth episode, which really helps by taking the focus off of Hanekawa and sets the stage for the final showdown. Grade: A
Re-watchability: From personal experience, I can tell you this show has great re-watchability, since I have rewatched myself multiple times now. There is always some more seen, new visuals to be explored, new connections to be made. Grade: A
Historical Value: In the waning months of the decade, Bakemonogatari makes a strong argument for best anime of the last ten years. Especially with the current financial problems within the industry, Bakemonogatari was a significant moneymaker, and there are good reasons for that. But Bakemonogatari really does not belong in the last decade, but in this new one. With the collapse of the anime bubble and the regression of the moe cancer, the question this show poses is a simple one: is Bakemonogatari a beacon pointing the way forward, or is it the last stand for quality anime? Grade: A

Enjoyment: 10
Lets put it another way. There is nothing in Bakemonogatari I did not enjoy. And there was so many ways to go wrong too. They could have destroyed the romance, or changed into a stereotypical anime love story, but they didn't. The could have tried to give it the standard pointless tragic anime ending, but they didn't. They could have turned it into a silly harem show, but they didn't. They could have let the surrealist humor break the strong plotline, but they didn't (As much as I love Pani Poni Dash, this is one of it's biggest failings). The producers took risks, they challenged the status quo, and they experimented. And it works. I'm not going to say Bakemonogatari is perfect, because it is not, and I am not going to say it is for everyone, because it is not. But I will say this. Bakemonogatari is the reason why I watch anime—it is the kind of story you will never seen anywhere else. Grade: A

Errata:
Again, I write a bloody book of a review. I watched the TV episodes with gg's translations, then the Blue-Ray with the CoalGirls release, which used Koharubi, I believe. I love stories with vampires, as long as they don't fricken sparkle. Saito Chiwa is one of my favorite actresses, and I tend to be biased toward her. All reviews are done independent of the original format or other adaptions.

Final Grade: A

The series finally came to conclusion this week after lengthy production delays over the web distribution after the initial TV broadcast of 12/15 episodes.

[quote=Episode 5]"To be blunt, I just enjoy talking to you... so I want to talk with you some more."
"If our opinions clash, let's talk it over."
[/quote]

'Bakemonogatari', cleverly translated as 'Ghostory' or 'Monstory", is about five not-so-normal girls that Araragi Koyomi, a vampire himself, encounters and attempt to save them from abnormalities that's been troubling them.

Character: 10/10
The main characters of 'Bakemonogatari' are among the most unique and complex I have yet to encounter.

Heroine Senjougahara Hitagi is a tsundere like half of all modern heroines in anime, but she is also 「ドS」, a sadist to an extreme degree, which is more common for side characters and rare for heroines. Our protagonist, as expected, is rather on the masochist side who takes on constant verbal abuse from Senjougahara.

What makes the couple extraordinary, is that Senjougahara is often boke while Araragi is tsukkomi. Traditional Japanese stand-up comedy consists of a duo: One takes the boke role who says something stupid while the tsukommi role points out how boke is ridiculous, often with a violent slap in the head.

Yes, that's right. Boke is masochist by nature and often not very intelligent, while tsukommi is sadist by nature and often the smarter one.
The leading couple in this series, on the other hand, take turns with roles. It is particularly interesting when the sadist and intelligent Senjougahara purposefully take on boke role and overwhelms the tsukkomi. Such as making insulting statements that sound flawed, but when Araragi tries to make a comeback, he realizes what she said was true. Or Senjougahara makes a blatantly flawed statement just to hurt Araragi. And of course, plenty of intentional boke or tease spoken with so much authority that Araragi just gives up and let it slide.

The unlikely toggling of comedy roles were executed extremely well, and this back and forth interaction between the leading couple is a key part of this show's appeal.

The remaining four main characters are not as complex as the leading couple, but they all have their own unique issues that contributes the story, and each with their distinct personalities that made them memorable.

There are 6 main characters in this series, and total of only 5 side/peripheral characters (Meme, Shinobu, Sisters, and Senjougahara's father) in the whole series. The limited character headcount made thorough character development possible despite being an arc-based series.

Story: 8/10
Simply put, half the show is about the romantic relationship between the Senjougahara and Araragi.
The other half is about a constant argument between two values: The rational vs the idealistic, with Araragi as Mr. Nice Guy seeking happy end for everyone. Solution of supernatural abnormalities as the topic of the argument.

While the pacing of the show is extremely fast with approximately 3 times as many dialogs per episode, they stick to one subject long enough for each argument to sink in.

Hachikuji, Kanbaru, and Hanekawa's arcs develop the relationship of leading couple while offering a new topic to the story.
The only flaw in the story IMO, is that Sengoku's arc was pretty much by itself, and contributed very little to the whole series other than loli and moe fan service, which I'm not really into.

Each arc is an incident focused on a different girl, but the five arcs combine to show a whole picture of Araragi and Senjougahara closing their personal distances.


"Bakemonogatari" is a verbal performance with visual support. Story is driven by back and forth debate on various issues.

Sound: 10/10
With verbal performance playing such a big role in this show, voice acting is done on a whole new level in this series.
Every characters' voices fit perfectly, and not only that, distinct tones and nuance of speech establishes the personal image for every single character. I don't think it's an exaggeration to describe voice acting in this series as epic.

Music scores in 'Bakemonogatari' have generally consistent ambient feel to it, and has a nice flow. Other than intense music for action scenes, they don't particularly set the mood or enhance drama as what I usually consider to be strong BGM for anime, BUT the usually upbeat sound in the background sets the quick pace for dialogs, and makes the conversations all the more engaging, which worked very well for a series like this.

OP song "Staple Stable" was possibly the best anime opening theme song by a seiyuu, ever. Really memorable tune accompanied by great vocal and lyric by meg rock was simply amazing.

The other four OPs sang by seiyuu of each arc heroines were nowhere as impressive as "Staple Stable", but offers refreshment value to the OPs, and fits the character images.

ED song's lyric made little sense at first, but its meaning was unveiled in a conversation between the leading couple in a certain episode, and it turned out to match the series perfectly. The two Senjougahara theme songs were amazing.

Animation: 9/10
Animation in 'Bakemonogatari' mainly serve as a visual aid to the verbal performance, and it was done extremely well.

Visuals for the anime got somewhat of an "art house film" treatment.
There were many abstract and surreal scenes, unconventional cuts, and intriguing camera angles that made the viewing experience very pleasant.

Character design was attractive, the main characters showed a wide range of emotion that further portrays the character's state of mind.

The only complaint I have with the animation is the use of photographs/videos of real-life imagery. At the risk of sounding like a super-otaku, I would say 3D images do not belong in the world of 2D.

Value/Enjoyability: 10/10
As a former fansubber, and having paid attention to thousands of hours of fan and professionally translated works, I can tell you that at least 10% of the meaning is lost in translation, no matter how well translated. In conversation/narration driven series filled with clever wordplay and metaphors, at least 20% of the meaning, therefore enjoyability, will inevitably be lost to non-Japanese speakers.

Still, 'Bakemonogatari' is a true masterpiece with experimental production that actually worked. Attention was paid to the tiniest details, and a story well-told through series of verbal performances. Wonderful direction by Shinbou Akiyuki left us with so many memorable scenes, and this will definitely be a series to be remembered.

Re-watch value is insanely high. In fact, I have watched the first 12 episodes at least 5 times while waiting for the web broadcasts. There's so much going on the screen during conversations, that you'll discover something new every single time.

The 8-month wait for the final three episodes was excruciating, but the ending wrapped everything up well enough that it was almost worth the absurd wait. Given the commercial success 'Bakemonogatari' has achieved, I will be hoping the remaining novels of the series to be animated. A prequel 'Kizumonogatari' OVA/film and possibly 'Nisemonogatari' as a sequel season would be great.

To be blunt, I just enjoyed listening to them... so I want to listen to them some more.

I've waited nearly a week before reviewing Ghostory, in order to try and get some sense of perspective. It hasn't worked.

This show has single-handedly restored my faith in the medium, when I hadn't even noticed it was slipping. Ghostory is a triumphant statement that animation is and will always be capable of something unique, that no other format can replicate.

It starts, of course, with the animation. It's highly stylized, but not in terms of the shapes portrayed; rather, elements of the scene are simply left out, or repeated ad infinitum, or altered drastically in scale. This is coupled with a unique - and fascinating - use of colour; at times the palette fades almost to monochrome, while in other scenes we see an impossible vibrancy across the complete rainbow. Some objects are highlighted with colour (a technique that reminds me of nothing so much as the single item highlighting in hollywood's Sin City, but applied everywhere), and the "camera" often takes unusual positions, in one particularly memorable example, a dialogue takes place with half of Araragi (the male lead)'s head obscured by a railing. It's disturbing at times, which is of course the point - the visuals force the viewer into the world of Ghostory on an almost visceral level. We see that world is a very strange place - and more, we're conscious of each character's unique perspective.

Perhaps it's this immersion that makes the experience of the plots a million times better than their paper description. Written down it soundss a bit naff: Each mini-arc (two or three episodes long) follows the same pattern; we're introduced to a new character with a supernatural problem. Araragi volunteers to help, consults his mentor with the symptoms, and then performs whatever exorcism is required. Scooby-doo had more variety than that.

Of course, the show's not really about Araragi's efforts. Rather, the interesting part is the backstory of the victim, who has usually somehow brought the problem upon theirself. It helps, too, that the ghosts, curses and the like shown are genuinely interesting. (Without a knowledge of Japanese mythology I can't say for sure how original they are, but I certainly haven't seen any of them anywhere else.)

The other strand of the plot is the gradually blossoming romance between our leads, Araragi and Senjougahara. Again, this shouldn't work; neither character could really be called realistic. (Senjougahara is the classical tsundere (though, Ghostory being as intelligent as it is, of course it's aware of this, and has some fun with it), pushed to the utmost purity - and overexposed as the archetype might be at the moment, she reminds us why it became popular. Araragi we learn very little about, despite his having most of the screentime; I'd accuse him of being a blank proxy for escapist viewers, but he's too witty and geeky for that), and the genre and style are hardly suited to romance. Yet somehow we come to care deeply about them, and indeed about all the characters, to the point where the finale, while as unconventional as ever (well, up until the last few seconds, anyway), is as touching a scene as you'll find anywhere (and made all the more so by a typically clever use of music).

Both the cleverness and the music are pervasive, and both are integral parts of the whole. This is a show that oozes wit and cleverness, wordplay and references being just a small part of a sense of humour that's every bit as twisted as the visuals (and while recommending fansub groups is beyond the scope of a review, I will say to make sure you get a good translation). The music, and indeed the voice acting, is almost normal by comparison with the rest of the show - but that only makes the subtler quirkiness more powerful.

When we say something is more than the sum of its parts, that's usually because these parts are substandard. Ghostory is the opposite; the visuals and music would each be fantastic even in isolation, but are rendered far more so by their sublime integration with each other. Likewise the voice acting, humour, romance and storylines all merge perfectly into one brilliant whole. If there is a flaw - well, there isn't. Ghostory is, quite simply, a masterpiece. That said, it's not the most accessible of anime - brilliant as it is, a newcomer to the medium might be put off by the outright weirdness. But for anyone who's willing to open their mind a little, this is as close to perfection as it gets.

Note: This review is based on gg fansubs. Can't complain about quality or translation, but some signs aren't translated in the first few episodes, and the fact that they don't cut out commercials from an encode is... quite annoying. Incidentally, it appears that three more episodes of Bakemonogatari are yet to follow, so I will update my review once they are out (though it's unlikely anything but story score could be affected).



Originally written as a series of light novels by Nishio Ishin (Katanagatari) and directed by Shinbou Akiyuki (SoulTaker) Bakemonogatari is an eccentric show centered on paranormal adventures of Araragi Koyomi, former vampire, and his love interest Senjougahara Hitagi, self-proclaimed psychotic tsundere. It follows the tried and true path of episodic "ghost story" themed anime telling one mysterious tale at a time. However, unlike xxxHolic or Natsume Yuujinchou, Bakemonogatari does its stuff with so much style and peculiarity that it easily gets a spot on the "good" side of the genre, along with Mushishi and Mononoke.

If there was a word to sum up this show it would be "perplexing". Not only I was perplexed at the art-show like direction and brilliant dialogue which makes you feel the author was weird in the head, I was even perplexed at my own feelings regarding this show. Frankly, Bakemonogatari kind of reminded me of the last year's Kurozuka, in the way how aesthetic sense which is usually secondary takes spotlight from what is usually main - plot. Unlike Kurozuka, however, Bakemonogatari also offers awesome character cast and story which, albeit weak, actually makes sense. In the end it all comes down to your preferences, if you are open to forgive faults for innovation you will most likely love Bakemonogatari, mostly due to its surreal direction and profound dialogue. Likewise, if you want your shows to start at a point A and follow to a point B, everything solid and simple, you will most likely drop Bakemonogatari after a few episodes. While I do indeed love good stories told well, the more anime I watch the more I feel inclined to enjoy bizarre stories told weird, and you bet, Bakemonogatari is one of them. What I find the most perplexing of all though, is the implausibly high average score of this show... could it be that an average otaku developed aesthetic sense when I wasn't looking?

Animation: 10/10

It seems Shaft have just gotten themselves a new fan. I remember noticing Shinbou Akiyuki's talent back in the day I watched SoulTaker, a mediocre show turned good by the god-like direction. And now, eight years later, he comes back armed with huge production values and a story premise much more befitting his bizarre direction style. The end result is... well, the best work of animation I have ever seen in anything animated. The style of animation is so strong and distinctive you will feel like in an arts show: all camera angles are weird in one way or another, backgrounds are always filled with things you would never see in a real world, some scenes have colors change every few frames and you never know when camera will start dancing around or people will start falling upwards and... There is really no way to describe the affect of animation this show exhibits, let's just say it makes you feel as if you are stuck in a dream of someone not particularly sane. What's the most important though, is that it freaking works. It works so well with the mentally questionable behavior of characters and surreal plot I am kind of perplexed at how could Bakemonogatari had originally been a novel? I mean, without the clever animation half the fun wouldn't be there...

However, I'm not such an artsy person to give animation perfect grades just for aesthetics - production values are also extraordinary. It might lose to some modern anime movies, but I haven't seen such careful detail in backgrounds and character designs in any other TV series yet. I guess, being artsy as hell saved them here as well, since some backgrounds, being weird and unrealistic don't really have that many little things to detail, but who cares about the cost, awesome is still awesome. Character designs, while not exactly the very best I have ever seen, are still extremely attractive. Careful detail of course helps there, but the fact that characters change clothes and hairstyles every few episodes brings them even closer to life. Not to mention the clever direction of erotic scenes, which I can hardly call ecchi as even those are delivered in an artsy way (I literally skipped a breath in the last episode). There is little movement in the show, as the majority of action is told via dialogues and facial expressions of characters, but even the few scenes of movement are fluid, realistic and, in few particular cases, even outstanding. About the only thing I could ever nag on in regard to this brilliant animation work is some shots at real world, which I personally find grotesque when compared to anime visuals... Wait, maybe there is a hidden meaning in this one too..?

Sound: 8/10

While I can't really say there are outstanding themes in the background music composed by Kousaki Satoru (Haruhi), I can still say that this show has some of the best atmospheric music work to ever grace anime world. Every single theme is fit to the mood of the show with absolute precision, not to mention the few ones which are able to marvelously build tension accompanying nothing but dialogue. If there is actually a thing to reprove, is that the plot of the show itself doesn't allow music to stand out too much, or it wold likely mess the efforts of visual direction. Anyway, you wont be buying the soundtracks, but you will surely be audio-pleased when watching. OPs, on the other hand, don't particularly stand out in the therms of music, but they certainly do in the therms of animation, being as artsy as the show itself. It is also interesting that this show spurts four different OPs despite being 12 episodes long. ED Kimi no Shiranai Monogotari by Rio, on the other hand, is a pretty cool piece of work, though it's certainly hard to describe why. While it sounds like your everyday pop song the rhythm and lyrics, kind of, fit the style of Bakemonogatari so well, at times, I listened to it three or four times after closing the episode down.

I must say there are very few shows which depend on good seiyuu work as hard as Bakemonogatari does (being completely driven by dialogues and all), and you bet, this time around, voice-acting is outstanding. I must say I am really surprised I have never noticed Saito Chiwa before. Her role as Senjougahara in this show is one of the best female performances I have heard in years. I mean, pulling out a voice which would suit a mentally imbalanced tsundere-wannabe character shouldn't be easy, but she does it with style and precision I'd get shivers from some of the lines. Kamiya Hiroshi, on the other hand, has a distinctive voice which doesn't fall in neither geekish nor solemn categories, making Araragi perfect for narration and elaborate dialogues.

Story: 6/10

The plot of the show sure adopts some innovative ideas. I must say I was quite impressed when I realized that what I had thought to be an opening in the first episode was actually a flashback. The problem with the overall story, however, is that it doesn't seem to lead anywhere. If you take awesome presentation away, all you are left with are some ghost stories at the level of Natsume Yuujinchou. I found it cool that some of them tie mysteries with word play, but I kind of doubt anyone without Japanese proficiency would care. Anyway one story ends, another starts and you are left wondering if something is really happening or not. Be it not for the awesome character wordy exchanges and linguistic inspired jokes, Bakemonogatari wouldn't have escaped boredom even with that awesome animation. Though I must say even the subbing group didn't seem to catch some of the jokes (I wonder how many I've missed, watched every episode twice though). Kanji expressions are also used from time to time to express the joke, or even to tie a plot point in one particular case, so I kind of believe people who know Japanese would certainly get more out of this show than the ones who don't. Maybe that's one of the reasons behind Bakemonogatari being labeled as the best show of 2009 in Japan (and I agree).

Anyway, unless the three following episodes will tie the plot up like in a real ending, the only really worthwhile plot point in this show which actually advances will be the romantic relationship between the two main characters. The greatness of their relationship is, of course, attributable to their original characteristics and clever dialogue. This might also be the vaguest romantic relationship I have ever seen as they cleverly center on a Tsundere, at least self-proclaimed, who never, even once, goes into extroverted mode. Freshness of the love story comes from the fact that it's so weird you are usually unsure if it even exists, as Senjougahara is unpredictable enough to make you unable to tell if she will confess next or stab someone in the face. However, it is certainly there, and the last episode finally proves that. You can at best guess what Senjougahara thinks, and I found that the most rewarding point of the plot.

I would have certainly loved this show more if it just discarded all that ghost story stuff and concentrated on its intuitive dialogues (like in episode 3).

Characters: 9/10

I must say that the mentally imbalanced cast of characters was the last thing I expected in the show from "ghost stories" genre. While Araragi comes off as perfectly normal most of the time, even able to pull out some common sense slapstick, his tendency to save anyone involved with the supernatural no matter what's the cost is certainly not very healthy. Though it took me a lot of insanity from other characters to account for that. The show, like no other ghost story I have watched, ties its paranormal side stories with the mental condition of the characters, usually with perversive themes even. There is an obsessive lesbian, older brother complex having loli, stressed out family abuse undertaking girl and so on. On the other hand, however interesting they are and however brilliant their dialogue is, side cast is still one step away from being fully fleshed out, mainly due to the series' short length. That hardly matters though, as the main heroine of Bakemonogatari is one of the best mentally imbalanced characters I have seen.

Even if you wouldn't account for some vague flashbacks relating to Senjougahara's past, you would still soon notice that she is, well, weird. Not eccentric weird, but like, dangerously weird. The fact that show at best hints at her condition and her real feelings doesn't stop her to come off as a living and charismatic character. There are certainly many characteristics which can make one fall for her, be it her extremely clever insults or eccentric behavior similar, but somehow different from usual tsundere archetype. However, I myself found her almost manic inability to speak her true feelings and those sparks of obsessive insanity the most attractive. She sure isn't your everyday tsundere, and her head is sure not normal, but damn, is she interesting. Anyway, I was really pleasantly amazed at how Bakemonogatari never let's the viewers unto their characters feelings easily, you have to interpret a lot to even guess what's going on in their weird heads. The only real complaint about Senjougahara would be that there isn't enough of her, she sure holds much more potential than she has used and hopefully the following three episodes will mark my words true.

Myers-Briggs personality type indicator:



Value: 8/10

I have actually watched each episode twice, mainly due to the extremely intuitive animation (sure wouldn't want to miss some cool surreal imagery). Profound and meaningful dialogue also invites for a second watch, you can never know if you've missed a joke or an another hint at Senjougahara's real feelings. Bakemonogatari is also quite thought-provoking, though it's funny how the thoughts it provokes are hardly relevant to its actual plot. Anyway, the plot itself isn't that interesting so it kind of throws away you from watching the show a second time. Nonetheless, I will sure watch it again, but it certainly wont be because of the plot. Otherwise, this show is worth having if just for its innovative production values.

1. Conclusion[/u]:[/b] Even though it follows a tried and true path, Bakemonogatari offers intuitive visuals and many thought provoking themes setting itself apart from the rest of the stuff of the genre and becoming one of the most original shows to grace anime realm. It will make your day if you can forgive faults for innovation and you will certainly love it if you favor aesthetic pleasures. If you are tired from your everyday stereotypical anime and you want something new - open your mind and put Bakemonogatari on your screen. I can't guarantee you'll like it, but you will likely remember it, at least for its visual presentation. You might actually want to check SoulTaker out if you've liked this, at least, direction wise.

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