Marking my first anilist review is my first entry in the monogatari series, Bakemonogatari.
The pacing of this anime is outstanding and while pacing may seem to be minor or excusable if the rest of a show is good, I argue that pacing is a major element of what makes a good show. After all, not many people would stick with a show if it started to bore them out, and luckily bakemonogatari adapts the light novels wonderfully across all of its 15 episodes. While I have not read the light novels, the love and care for the series that studio shaft put in is very evident in the ways the show is communicated.
Every arc has its own great intro and the ending also slightly changes every episode. The way information is presented is unlike any other anime I have seen, and really the only way to see what I mean is to watch it for yourself. Each story has a core central theming that serves a greater narrative purpose. The philosophy of needing to want to save yourself to be saved is very intrigueing and I am looking forward to see how that will be further explored on.
The artstyle is generally very pleasing to look at and has a great sense of realism on the close ups while maintaining that cartoonish feel in many scenes. The voice acting is also killer for every character in japanese and no one looked or sounded out of place.
The plot and premise is fairly simple but very hooking and grips you by the throat for its duration. The soundtrack admittedly was not too memorable outside of the openings and endings.
The characters and their dialogue here are amazing. Not a single dislikable character which definitely helps a lot in a show with tons of talking. Characters like Meme and Araragi were my favorites and I loved whenever they were on screen. Every character design is simple yet very effective and memorable, and is instantly recognizble from the doodles sprinkled throughout the anime.
Really there isn't much I could say that would accurately describe how I feel about bakemonogatari. And while that may sound lazy or exaggerated, there wouldn't be any other way to put it. I recommend every anime fan who has not seen it yet to give it a go. It is as popular as it is for a reason. I look forward to watching more of the monogatari series, bakemonogatari has left a very tasteful lastinf impression going forward.
My next monogatari entry will most likely be the kizumonogatari trilogy of movies. That is if I can actually follow some sort of schedule or plan which I hardly ever do, but expect those next anyway. And with that, this is the end of my first anilist review. Hope you wasted your time well and maybe look forward to some more reviews and other shenanigans in the future.