The Monogatari Series (3 seasons 74 episodes 12 Ova's + a Film Trilogy) 8.74 out of ten
The Monogatari series is very loved anime here at RedQStudios, to me it's a series that's infinitely rewatchable & satisfyingly long . It's light heartedly comical, intuitively funny, and unexpectedly fragile, with tender moments. Also with subtly introduced mystery that's alluded to but not exactly defined. Instead of telling a story of happiness, I feel, it's a story of actually trying to find and fight for it, which to me really seems to what the first season Bakemonogatari (Monster story) was all about, and of course the tribulations and tumultuous events that occur in conflict with that goal. Which brings me to Hitagi Senjougahara, the signature Tsundere impostor that's the poster girl for this series. like Araragi I feel both of them are somehow really sort of damaged as human beings, and coming out of those experiences, it feels like they're searching for something and/or for happiness, and that's why I think Bakemonogatari made me feel this sense great sense of optimism and happiness, not only for this series of course, but for just life in general. I feel while this series has this sort of causal nature at times, there's these uncharacteristically familiar yet fresh and new feeling moments that are really touching. It teaches us how we morally, can be naive and in denial about the overwhelming proposition life really is. The way the Monogatari series does romance is really unexpected, it's hilarious, familiar, and yet fresh. Though thankfully, that really is just the tip of the iceberg and that is not all the Monogatari Series has to offer...
Plot & Narrative Aspects
An interesting aspect that I love about this series is the learning experience that comes with the cultural background and aspects of the story, which has quite a bit to do with Japanese mythology and culture. You see, the primary aspect the Monogatari series revolves around is Abberations and their coexistence with each other and the world our characters live in and of course these mythological monsters and their individual stories. Which brings me to the mechanics of this series, you see the general "rules' of the world of aberrations are rather whimsical, this is because Abberations form and take shape based upon tales and stories people tell, and those details and context within their stories are what give them their shape, abilities, powers or weaknesses. The Monogatari series also sheds light on how Japan is unique for the belief of having multiple gods, and how they can be found in everyday objects, things, or people. I find this quite interesting since I myself was raised Catholic, and I see how the world is full of beliefs and different religions, so I see how Nisio Isin thought that it would be compelling to write about a series with these aspects, already living in a country that had so much lore and mythology within it's culture, which would be Japan to begin with.
The mechanics of this story and the conflicts that embody them is centred around trying to find the balance between aberrations and humans, and that's why the story gets heated later on since, everything is thrown out of balance because of Araragi, it's cruel because it's almost like his sense of justice and the people he's helped and saved are sacrificing the worlds stability, it's almost as if Justice it's self wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. Which is why I feel this series is sort of akin to Princess Mononoke or Mushishi, in the sense how nature and life is sort of this delicate balancing act. Also because of how these anime go about creating their own lore, world, creatures and stories, and of course going about defining a unique identity of their production team with equally unique character designs.
The Monogatari series consist of a plethora of story arcs, that all individually center around a set of character/s or a set timeline. The non linear storyline and the time skipping back and forth does break up continuity and can be confusing, it does though makes sense in some cases as why Nisio isin did this. I think starting off with Bakemonogatari was a perfect entry into this series, if these arcs were chronologically released, not only would we not get the film trilogy we have now regarding Kizumonogatari, but I just have this apprehension as to if they were to start this series with Kizumonogatari, then of course Nekomonogatari, then Bakemonogatari and so on, I just feel from a emotional standpoint Kizumonogatari wouldn't have been a good way to start this series, nor would having Nekomonogatari follow up would be a good idea either - To me it's just a bad mix of emotional flavours to debut this franchise - A bad "Masala" if you will.
When you think about the film theory and disputes that have happened over the century regarding The Continuity Style vs Experimentalism found in art house films or perhaps more memorably La nouvelle vague or rather "the french new wave" and also other theories that were a byproduct of this movement such as The Camera Stylo - (Which alludes to how a Director should use a camera like a painter or writers uses a pencil or pen to be the initial primary method to envision his/her film) and of course Auteur Theory, it does make a good amount of sense to have a story presented in this fashion. Why? because from very early on into the series and if you've read at least a few of Nisio isin's original light novels regarding the Monogatari series, it's very apparent in the anime when Director Oishi breaks the Fourth Wall, in fact multiple times, breaking the illusion of verisimilitude or transference. It's clearly a story shown to be a personal recollection of an individual character, that being Araragi. But again why break continuity and the illusion of "being there" instead of "consciously watching"? It allows the story of course to be more playful, and plays right into the comedic style of the screenplay (Script), which of course is in your face and exaggerated.
Another important aspect of the reason behind this is because it's a personal recollection of Araragi's memories, which of course includes his wandering subconscious, and personal bias. It's a story that from very early on lets you know that you're watching an anime & that this is Araragi's personal recollection of events, which of course entails him twisting certain events or memories - of course this POV "Baton" (if you will) is handed to other character when you progress through the story arcs, which would be characters such as Kanbaru for Hanamonogatari or perhaps Sengoku when it comes to Otorimonogatari, so you get a take on their perspective and though process.
I think this approach to storytelling is interesting, since in real life our memories are almost always not perfect recollections of the past, both temporally and spatially (Unless your a exception to that rule - A Savant). A lot of times we both scotomize and/or glorify certain events in our lives that are convenient to our subconscious and general personality which often may not line up with reality. Which is of course, completely evident in the Monogatari series. Often you'll find that characters within the story don't exactly have reliable accounts of events that took place and often either lie to themselves or in another way that is convenient to them and their motivations. I find this also ties into how Nisio Isin portrays mental illness and instability through some of his characters in The Monogatari Series. The anime production is far more geared towards a surreal, ideologically playful and a modernistic reception of the storytelling experience. This ties into the tumultuous struggles between binary oppositions and how perception is a huge part of why these conflicts take place. A example of this would be Self perception vs Public consensus, which is a constant socio-psycological struggle, alluding to the story's idiosyncratic nature. In addition to this, it creates a lot of creative opportunities and flexibility for the art direction to experiment - Which largely remains true throughout the entirety of the Monogatari series and is an artistic staple and signature of what the The Monogatari Series is most known for.
The Monogatari series prioritizes emotional build up and the correct sequential blend of emotional flavours. I believe they structure the timeline based off of that, which is why the second season of Monogatari was finished on such a high note, because emotionally, despite jumping around timelines like crazy they somehow crafted this sort of emotional beginning, middle and end with it that was really beautiful, I mean, the last 3 arcs of the second season were absolutely gorgeous, it was so great that the monogatari series anime adaptation could have just ended right there and then, since even I agree that it definitely wouldn't have been a bad place to end it, despite all the brewing conspiracies being left unanswered. Though if it hadn't happened this way the result would have been much, much different.
Bakemonogatari was a great way to start this series because not only does it allude to events that will happen in Kizu, it also adds intrigue to that arc as well, which is why Kizumonogatari was so highly anticipated. Nekomonogatari, while ok, isn't exactly my favourite arc either, it's alright, but initially, I personally found Tsuabasa Hanekawa, the main character for the arc, was just kinda of a boring character with no defining character traits at all. Initially, she just seemed like this very hollow and plastic character - to me - A character without any character, but perhaps that was the point? That of course changed a little as I rewatched the Monogatari series consecutive times for other purposes, though still I do find that along with Nisemonogatari, Otorimonogatari and Tsukimonogatari, I felt if anything, although necessary, weren't exactly my favourites within this series. Like I've said before, this series doesn't come off as a mystery series until later down the line, this is because, along with the non linear plot line, clues are scattered throughout the series and different timelines that really wouldn't have the same effect if this series was done chronologically.
A prime example of the same technique would be the non linear plot line in Pulp Fiction - In this story it's very evident that they prioritize mystery and emotional suspense over temporal continuity The Monogatari series often foreshadows events in the past that often come to fruition as another story arc, and despite the non linear nature of the story line, I can't help but notice that, cleverly so, the series over the years has slowly built the world to the point where these mysteries have progressively reached their tipping point (Anxiously awaiting Owarimonogatari S2 - Airing July 2017!!)
A prime example would be Ougi and her/his (It's confusing don't ask) appearance approximately 2 months after the Onimonogatari incident. The story goes skips back in time in Owarimonogatari to see her involvement with aberrations and manipulation of events prior to arriving at Noetsu high, the high school most of our characters frequent. I feel theses mysteries if done chronologically would be a bit too obvious, so in order to break up people's suspicions and thoughts the story of course skips around the timeline, so one really does need to put the pieces together themselves, which I feel adds to the discovery and problem solving work one has to do. Also, how Nekomonogatari Shiro happens around the same time as the second half of Owarimonogatari & of course those questions that arise are slowly answered through future releases of story arcs that initially on the offset one wouldn't expect to actually have to do anything with Nekomonogatari, though begin to explain what Nekomonogatari is alluding to. This happens all the time in stories, whether it be Stars Wars and the prequel trilogy, or Halo and the Fall of Reach. There's a sort of special quality that's added to such stories which includes foreshadowing, which has a more tell don't show aspect and there's more opportunities to display the character of the person who's narrating it, since the recollection will largely be a personal account of events. So like reading a book, or listening to someone else's tales of adventure one is left to imagine. That's the key part for any sort of mystery novel structured story. Since that experience is only told to you and in many ways taken away from you, so naturally one gets very curious as to what exactly unfolded in the past. The foreshadowing alluding to past events allows for a progressive build up of suspicions and expectations that very much want to be clarified.
The Monogatari series constantly tackles if not subtly, our main character Araragi's morals and belief system, this is a series with a more Idiosyncratic premise than most other anime series, that includes multiple perspectives on preverse issues. I feel the indifference and impersonal nature between characters makes this anime it's own unique existence, it constantly shows us characters not necessarily agreeing with each other, but still being able to harmonize. We also can only in general observe how a character reacts and feels. Though their thoughts are alluded to, in the end are for us to speculate and interpret what they actually mean.
When writing this story, Nisio isin very much avoided common and obvious writing choices authors would normally make. I feel this story is far more less cognizant of the actual reader, but allows us to simply interpret the Monogatari series on your own. It's far more show, don't tell, even if there are monologues and such, the way the script is written doesn't necessarily spoon feed you details or a particular bias with conveniently blatant expository dialogue, instead were allowed to witness and interpret things for what they are. I feel for that reason is what gives this series a sense of space and distance between characters, because we're constantly shown throughout the series that how people are harmonize, even without necessarily agreeing with each other. This series strongly resembles we in the music community know as "counter point".
What I mean by this is, although the writing obviously alludes and emphasizes to certain ideas, things or emotions, it's not so set in stone that it's trying to be definitive, and this is why this series has a lot headroom for interpretation, and I strongly feel that's the whole point. Discovery and problem solving is left to the viewer/reader, the the story doesn't take that experience away from you by trying to spoon feed you the details or a particular bias, that's why at it's core, the Monogatari series isn't really a romance, a slice of life, a harem, or a supernatural flick, it's structured as mystery, despite maybe taking a little while for it to sort of get there.
It's really pleasant to have an anime like this that has so much subject matter and content to watch, that's also very playful, Arty and just plain hilarious at times. Regardless of innuendoes or the non linear plot line, the stimulus alone, from just the visual component can stand upon it's own regarding entertainment value as well as function as a storytelling tool. For example the editing and the use of different cutting techniques such as the Jump cut makes the story seem playful, as well as neurotic and surreal at times. I'm a big fan of the more casual nature of this series, and how it has the potential to get serious or emotional when we want it, and can be diffused and easy at other times as well.
I feel Shaft's weird sense of humour is really the secret here, which is why I absolutely love Arakawa under the bridge or Sayonarra Zetsubou Sensei, humour in general is just way too under appreciated in the anime community, it makes this series fun and easy to watch, while having plot components that provoke intrigue of their own and add to the slow unravelling tale of mysteries the Monogatari series has to offer.
The Monogatari series is very loved anime here at RedQStudios, to me it's a series that's infinitely rewatchable & satisfyingly long . It's light heartedly comical, intuitively funny, and unexpectedly fragile, with tender moments. Also with subtly introduced mystery that's alluded to but not exactly defined. Instead of telling a story of happiness, I feel, it's a story of actually trying to find and fight for it, which to me really seems to what the first season Bakemonogatari (Monster story) was all about, and of course the tribulations and tumultuous events that occur in conflict with that goal. Which brings me to Hitagi Senjougahara, the signature Tsundere impostor that's the poster girl for this series. like Araragi I feel both of them are somehow really sort of damaged as human beings, and coming out of those experiences, it feels like they're searching for something and/or for happiness, and that's why I think Bakemonogatari made me feel this sense great sense of optimism and happiness, not only for this series of course, but for just life in general. I feel while this series has this sort of causal nature at times, there's these uncharacteristically familiar yet fresh and new feeling moments that are really touching. It teaches us how we morally, can be naive and in denial about the overwhelming proposition life really is. The way the Monogatari series does romance is really unexpected, it's hilarious, familiar, and yet fresh. Though thankfully, that really is just the tip of the iceberg and that is not all the Monogatari Series has to offer...
Plot & Narrative Aspects
An interesting aspect that I love about this series is the learning experience that comes with the cultural background and aspects of the story, which has quite a bit to do with Japanese mythology and culture. You see, the primary aspect the Monogatari series revolves around is Abberations and their coexistence with each other and the world our characters live in and of course these mythological monsters and their individual stories. Which brings me to the mechanics of this series, you see the general "rules' of the world of aberrations are rather whimsical, this is because Abberations form and take shape based upon tales and stories people tell, and those details and context within their stories are what give them their shape, abilities, powers or weaknesses. The Monogatari series also sheds light on how Japan is unique for the belief of having multiple gods, and how they can be found in everyday objects, things, or people. I find this quite interesting since I myself was raised Catholic, and I see how the world is full of beliefs and different religions, so I see how Nisio Isin thought that it would be compelling to write about a series with these aspects, already living in a country that had so much lore and mythology within it's culture, which would be Japan to begin with.
The mechanics of this story and the conflicts that embody them is centred around trying to find the balance between aberrations and humans, and that's why the story gets heated later on since, everything is thrown out of balance because of Araragi, it's cruel because it's almost like his sense of justice and the people he's helped and saved are sacrificing the worlds stability, it's almost as if Justice it's self wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. Which is why I feel this series is sort of akin to Princess Mononoke or Mushishi, in the sense how nature and life is sort of this delicate balancing act. Also because of how these anime go about creating their own lore, world, creatures and stories, and of course going about defining a unique identity of their production team with equally unique character designs.
The Monogatari series consist of a plethora of story arcs, that all individually center around a set of character/s or a set timeline. The non linear storyline and the time skipping back and forth does break up continuity and can be confusing, it does though makes sense in some cases as why Nisio isin did this. I think starting off with Bakemonogatari was a perfect entry into this series, if these arcs were chronologically released, not only would we not get the film trilogy we have now regarding Kizumonogatari, but I just have this apprehension as to if they were to start this series with Kizumonogatari, then of course Nekomonogatari, then Bakemonogatari and so on, I just feel from a emotional standpoint Kizumonogatari wouldn't have been a good way to start this series, nor would having Nekomonogatari follow up would be a good idea either - To me it's just a bad mix of emotional flavours to debut this franchise - A bad "Masala" if you will.
When you think about the film theory and disputes that have happened over the century regarding The Continuity Style vs Experimentalism found in art house films or perhaps more memorably La nouvelle vague or rather "the french new wave" and also other theories that were a byproduct of this movement such as The Camera Stylo - (Which alludes to how a Director should use a camera like a painter or writers uses a pencil or pen to be the initial primary method to envision his/her film) and of course Auteur Theory, it does make a good amount of sense to have a story presented in this fashion. Why? because from very early on into the series and if you've read at least a few of Nisio isin's original light novels regarding the Monogatari series, it's very apparent in the anime when Director Oishi breaks the Fourth Wall, in fact multiple times, breaking the illusion of verisimilitude or transference. It's clearly a story shown to be a personal recollection of an individual character, that being Araragi. But again why break continuity and the illusion of "being there" instead of "consciously watching"? It allows the story of course to be more playful, and plays right into the comedic style of the screenplay (Script), which of course is in your face and exaggerated.Another important aspect of the reason behind this is because it's a personal recollection of Araragi's memories, which of course includes his wandering subconscious, and personal bias. It's a story that from very early on lets you know that you're watching an anime & that this is Araragi's personal recollection of events, which of course entails him twisting certain events or memories - of course this POV "Baton" (if you will) is handed to other character when you progress through the story arcs, which would be characters such as Kanbaru for Hanamonogatari or perhaps Sengoku when it comes to Otorimonogatari, so you get a take on their perspective and though process.
I think this approach to storytelling is interesting, since in real life our memories are almost always not perfect recollections of the past, both temporally and spatially (Unless your a exception to that rule - A Savant). A lot of times we both scotomize and/or glorify certain events in our lives that are convenient to our subconscious and general personality which often may not line up with reality. Which is of course, completely evident in the Monogatari series. Often you'll find that characters within the story don't exactly have reliable accounts of events that took place and often either lie to themselves or in another way that is convenient to them and their motivations. I find this also ties into how Nisio Isin portrays mental illness and instability through some of his characters in The Monogatari Series. The anime production is far more geared towards a surreal, ideologically playful and a modernistic reception of the storytelling experience. This ties into the tumultuous struggles between binary oppositions and how perception is a huge part of why these conflicts take place. A example of this would be Self perception vs Public consensus, which is a constant socio-psycological struggle, alluding to the story's idiosyncratic nature. In addition to this, it creates a lot of creative opportunities and flexibility for the art direction to experiment - Which largely remains true throughout the entirety of the Monogatari series and is an artistic staple and signature of what the The Monogatari Series is most known for.
Bakemonogatari was a great way to start this series because not only does it allude to events that will happen in Kizu, it also adds intrigue to that arc as well, which is why Kizumonogatari was so highly anticipated. Nekomonogatari, while ok, isn't exactly my favourite arc either, it's alright, but initially, I personally found Tsuabasa Hanekawa, the main character for the arc, was just kinda of a boring character with no defining character traits at all. Initially, she just seemed like this very hollow and plastic character - to me - A character without any character, but perhaps that was the point? That of course changed a little as I rewatched the Monogatari series consecutive times for other purposes, though still I do find that along with Nisemonogatari, Otorimonogatari and Tsukimonogatari, I felt if anything, although necessary, weren't exactly my favourites within this series. Like I've said before, this series doesn't come off as a mystery series until later down the line, this is because, along with the non linear plot line, clues are scattered throughout the series and different timelines that really wouldn't have the same effect if this series was done chronologically.
A prime example of the same technique would be the non linear plot line in Pulp Fiction - In this story it's very evident that they prioritize mystery and emotional suspense over temporal continuity The Monogatari series often foreshadows events in the past that often come to fruition as another story arc, and despite the non linear nature of the story line, I can't help but notice that, cleverly so, the series over the years has slowly built the world to the point where these mysteries have progressively reached their tipping point (Anxiously awaiting Owarimonogatari S2 - Airing July 2017!!)
A prime example would be Ougi and her/his (It's confusing don't ask) appearance approximately 2 months after the Onimonogatari incident. The story goes skips back in time in Owarimonogatari to see her involvement with aberrations and manipulation of events prior to arriving at Noetsu high, the high school most of our characters frequent. I feel theses mysteries if done chronologically would be a bit too obvious, so in order to break up people's suspicions and thoughts the story of course skips around the timeline, so one really does need to put the pieces together themselves, which I feel adds to the discovery and problem solving work one has to do. Also, how Nekomonogatari Shiro happens around the same time as the second half of Owarimonogatari & of course those questions that arise are slowly answered through future releases of story arcs that initially on the offset one wouldn't expect to actually have to do anything with Nekomonogatari, though begin to explain what Nekomonogatari is alluding to. This happens all the time in stories, whether it be Stars Wars and the prequel trilogy, or Halo and the Fall of Reach. There's a sort of special quality that's added to such stories which includes foreshadowing, which has a more tell don't show aspect and there's more opportunities to display the character of the person who's narrating it, since the recollection will largely be a personal account of events. So like reading a book, or listening to someone else's tales of adventure one is left to imagine. That's the key part for any sort of mystery novel structured story. Since that experience is only told to you and in many ways taken away from you, so naturally one gets very curious as to what exactly unfolded in the past. The foreshadowing alluding to past events allows for a progressive build up of suspicions and expectations that very much want to be clarified.
The Monogatari series constantly tackles if not subtly, our main character Araragi's morals and belief system, this is a series with a more Idiosyncratic premise than most other anime series, that includes multiple perspectives on preverse issues. I feel the indifference and impersonal nature between characters makes this anime it's own unique existence, it constantly shows us characters not necessarily agreeing with each other, but still being able to harmonize. We also can only in general observe how a character reacts and feels. Though their thoughts are alluded to, in the end are for us to speculate and interpret what they actually mean.
What I mean by this is, although the writing obviously alludes and emphasizes to certain ideas, things or emotions, it's not so set in stone that it's trying to be definitive, and this is why this series has a lot headroom for interpretation, and I strongly feel that's the whole point. Discovery and problem solving is left to the viewer/reader, the the story doesn't take that experience away from you by trying to spoon feed you the details or a particular bias, that's why at it's core, the Monogatari series isn't really a romance, a slice of life, a harem, or a supernatural flick, it's structured as mystery, despite maybe taking a little while for it to sort of get there.
I feel Shaft's weird sense of humour is really the secret here, which is why I absolutely love Arakawa under the bridge or Sayonarra Zetsubou Sensei, humour in general is just way too under appreciated in the anime community, it makes this series fun and easy to watch, while having plot components that provoke intrigue of their own and add to the slow unravelling tale of mysteries the Monogatari series has to offer.
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