Bakemonogatari

Revisiting Bakemonogatari for the second time now has proven to be an experience just as captivating (if not more so) as my initial viewing. Originally, I rated this series a 10/10 and upon rewatching i stand by that rating wholeheartedly. This makes me so happy as i was rather scared i would ruin the anime for myself by rewatching a story of which i already knew.

Something i want to get out of the way early is the anime's brilliant English translation. Considering the heavy reliance on Japanese wordplay and cultural references, the fact that the English subtitles can still make the show a masterpiece show's just how good it is in my eyes. Despite having almost no knowledge of Japanese whatsoever, i find the dialogue compelling and engaging. Each character's speech patterns and quirks are preserved even with the language barrier and wordplay i would obviously not understand.

The character arc's alone or all banded together are what i would describe as masterful. Every storyline has not but a single moment that feel's wasted. To not have a single character that is not interesting to hear from is extremely impressive. The fact that every character introduced is genuinely interesting is by far for me the series strongest aspect (of which there are many). Even the lead, who can fall into the trope of being overly helpful and excessively nice remains extremely intriguing throughout. The anime may get some stick about how there are very many times the characters will talk for an entire episode about stuff that seems irrelevant to the story. But if you really stop to think i find this to be great. If i enjoy a set of characters so much that they could mention anything and i'm still interested that is impressive. I would be more interested and engaged in Araragi (the main lead) if he had an hour long monologue about why he has a ceiling fan in his room than i would be at 99% of anime protagonist's speaking about extremely important plot details. The unresolved nature of character arc's adds another layer of depth to the narrative. These open-ended cases not only provide a strong incentive to continue watching the rest of the series but also reflect the complexity of people, where resolutions are rarely simple and absolute. This approach i believe prevents them from being more than just mere plot devices.

While the anime isn't primarily an action anime it seems to have executed this with remarkable skill. The choreography and visual style make each encounter memorable and perfectly demonstrates that excellent action sequences don't only need to rely on brilliant animation. The animation itself though not ground-breaking, serves the story well and enhances the unique visuals that the series is known for.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the handling of fan service. For myself in many shows the fan service detracts from the overall narrative. However, this anime integrates these moments in a way that feels (like i mentioned about a Araragi ceiling fan monologue) interesting simply due to the character's that are partaking in the lewd activities. It can often also add to the character development rather than distracting from it. People may look for deeper meaning's when it comes to the lewd content. However, for myself it is as simple as stuff to enjoy that i don't find neither irritating nor extremely deep.

The minimalist visual design contributes significantly to the show's feeling. A great way to describe the visuals is in it feeling both grounded and otherworldly. I do find myself loving the approach to limited background characters and it really benefits the anime's recognition. Being unique isn't always a positive, but in this case i find it is. It is rather hard to explain without watching the anime for yourself, however i do find it to be a positive. I do want to mention that i watched the Blu-ray version as i know there are multiple versions of Bakemonogatari which has changes in it's visual presentation. But i do find that the visuals help direct to story-wise to what is important and (as stated before) makes the show feel otherworldly whilst being familiar.

The soundtrack of the anime is also great with each of the five openings and the ending song being utterly exceptional. The openings not only fit perfectly within the context of the story with their lyrics, but are also enjoyable as standalone pieces with compelling visuals and great sound. The ending also applies here.

Overall, Bakemonogatari is a masterpiece that has flaws of so little consequence they're not worth mentioning. The series offers a rewarding experience that stands the test of time and will remain a masterpiece for years to come.

Final Score - 10/10