# This review contains spoilers
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"Monogatari Series: Second Season" is a masterpiece in terms of storytelling that features some of the most interesting characters, development and story arcs that I've ever seen in anime and is only enhanced by studio Shaft and its incredible art-style, animation and composition. Everything about this season, from the characters, the story all the way to the music is just so well done I had to write a review about it after having watched it a third time. I'll start by talking about what I like and dislike about the season in general and will then move on to give my opinion on each individual arc, of which there are a total of five.
As I've already mentioned the characters in this season are absolutely phenomenal. We've already seen most of them in previous seasons, but almost every single one of them gets developed quite a bit here, most notably Hanekawa, Shinobu, Hachikuji, Nadeko and Kaiki. Each arc feels like it has a purpose, some kind of goal, that either tries to tell the viewer something or develop the characters further, which makes every one of them feel really rewarding to finish.
The art-style is, as usual, one of the most unique ones I've ever seen in anime, in particular the landscapes and everything surrounding the characters. It's been this way since Bakemonogatari but I've especially noticed it in this season. Quite often you can see the scenery change when it shouldn't, colors shift around even though the characters haven't moved at all etc. which is done on purpose and allows for a more diverse and dynamic atmosphere and overall just makes the 30 minute long conversations more interesting, which leads me to my next point.
The dialogues in the second season never fail to be intriguing, even after having seen it twice before. No conversation ever feels unnecessary or out of place and the same can be said for the monologues which there are quite a few of, but instead manages to make you interested in even the most trivial topics, which in my opinion definitely has to do with the previously mentioned shifting art-style and composition. Also, the fact that most of the characters have already been at least somewhat established, leads to the viewer feeling more connected to the dialogues and what the characters have to say.
Of course I can't forget to mention the music. I believe that the Monogatari series easily has the most unique openings and OSTs in all of anime. Every single one of them fits each scene perfectly and if you listen closely, you can often hear the motif of previously used openings in other OSTs, which is a nice touch. There are a few different variants of Kaiki's theme, which are slightly changed to match the tone of the scene for example and it prevents overusing certain OSTs, without actually having to put too much effort into creating new ones.
The only thing I dislike about this season and the Monogatari Series in general, and I think this is the case for a lot of people, is the fanservice. This season fortunately doesn't have nearly as much as Nisemonogatari, but I still think it's unnecessary everytime I see it. It's honestly the one thing that makes me hesitant to recommend the show to others at times, even though I love everything else about it. That said, I'll now move on and talk about each story arc in release order.
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#Tsubasa Tiger
This arc really surprised me while rewatching it. I remember not enjoying any of the Hanekawa arcs all that much the first time around, but for some reason that wasn't the case at all on this rewatch. The last episode in particular had some great moments, most notably the one in which Araragi saves Hanekawa and she finally admits that she loves him. It really feels like Hanekawa has finally come to terms with all of her problems and is able to be herself for the first time in her life, without harboring her problems and self doubt. Hanekawa is a lot more complex than she appears at first and this arc really manages to show that, while also concluding her story once and for all.
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#Mayoi Jiangshi
The initial premise of this arc is actually pretty funny, considering the only reason Araragi travels back in time is to finish his holiday-homework in time. This obviously doesn't go as planned and they end up 11 years in the past. After "saving" Hachikuji, they encounter some problems trying to travel back to the future (ha) and end up in a completely destroyed world. Rewatching this arc, it became pretty apparent that Shinobu knew the cause for this from the very beginning, or at least had an idea, but couldn't bring herself to admit it at first. The letter from Oshino that adult Hachikuji gives Araragi, explains how and why exactly the world turned out the way it did and I really enjoyed at least hearing Oshino's voice again, as he is one of my favorite characters but unfortunately doesn't appear that often during the later parts. The encounter with the alternate world's Kiss-Shot at the end gives us a pretty shocking glimpse into what could've been, if Araragi hadn't met Hachikuji or even if he simply hadn't encountered her on the day Shinobu went missing. They really nailed the atmosphere in this arc from start to finish. The art in particular really stood out to me and I love all the scenic shots of the city and landscape. All in all I really enjoyed this one as it adds quite a bit of depth to Shinobu's character and the relationship between her and Araragi.
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#Nadeko Medusa
I never liked Nadeko that much if I'm being honest and this arc didn't really do much to change that. That said, I don't think it was bad at all, because it does give us some insight into Nadeko's true personality and sets up the foundation for the last arc of the season, which is one of my favorites in the entire series. There's not much else to say about this arc though. Nadeko becomes a god and ends up wanting to kill Araragi, Shinobu and Senjougahara, but the end of this arc is basically just a cliffhanger and nothing really gets resolved.
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#Shinobu Time
I love this arc simply because of Shinobu's backstory. The way its told, the art, music etc. is just incredibly well done and it gives us a glimpse in Shinobu's life before the events of Kizumonogatari for the first time. Most of the arc actually revolves around Hachikuji however and I also enjoyed those episodes quite a bit because it's the first time we actually get to know more about her and her personality. Before "Shinobu Time", she was always just a girl that Araragi occasionally met and talked with about trivial topics and she was definitely a character that lacked a bit in complexity in the previous seasons, but this arc more than makes up for it. The "darkness" is such an interesting concept and I like how this arc concluded, because it was a really bitter-sweet ending, that only gets better if you've already seen the later seasons.
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#Hitagi End
This is by far my favorite arc from this season. It's told from the perspective of Kaiki which already makes it way more interesting than all the other arcs, it wraps up Nadeko's story in a way that nobody would've expected and adds tons of depth to both Kaiki and Senjougahara. Nadeko's entire character is pretty much completely being turned on its head and Kaiki turns out to be way more than just a con artist that loves money, though that's still part of who he is. Senjougahara is also more than just a Tsundere that's not able to properly convey her feelings and even though that has already become apparent in Bakemonogatari, "Hitagi End" shows just how far she is really willing to go for someone she cares about. These 3 characters get more character development in just 5 episodes, than most protagonists get in an entire season, which is why this is my favorite arc.
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#Conclusion
"Monogatari Series: Second Season" contains 5 stories about youkai, philosophy, romance and more, featuring a super unique art design, great music and dialogue, while making pretty much every character 10x more interesting than they already were. Nisemonogatari was definitely a low point in the series, with less interesting stories and characters and way too much fanservice compared to Bakemonogatari, but the second season more than makes up for it. The show might not be for everyone, but to me this season is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish.
