Bakemonogatari fascination. · Waifora

*Director: Akiyuki Shinbou
Length: 15 episodes*

Two disclaimers

Spoilers.
I have watched Bakemonogatari and Tsukimonogatari before, so in a way this review is an impression of a rewatch, however, there has been a substantial timespan since my first watch so there is also a good amount of stuff that was fresh for me - because I simply forgot.

With Bakemonogatari, we have the introduction to the Monogatari series, a series I always wanted to check out at some point, but never was able to fully watch in its entirety. As such I was intrigued how it will play out, given that as its the entry it has the responsibility of introducing us to core ideas and concepts which shape the narrative as a whole, and showing us why we should care about this series. And what can I say... Bakemonogatari succeeded immensely at getting me hooked.
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The art of dialogue

One of the main stand-outs with Bakemonogatari is the dialogue. It's sharp and witty (reminiscent of Odd Taxi) but at the same time, it also maintains the exaggerated fashion you normally encounter when anime tackles comedy through dialogue. And regarding the wordplay... oh boy, there is a lot. I am quite confident that I probably only caught a chunk of wordplay to be found here, as even the character names are turned into puns or have a second meaning. Dialogue in Bakemonogatari, simply put, feels fresh. I haven't watched something with this kind of dialogue before, and that makes it interesting to watch.

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This works very well in the show's favor because it focuses a lot on dialogue, or rather, it understands how useful dialogue can be to develop characters or present certain ideas. When it comes down to it, characters become interesting when we see them interact with the world around them in unique ways. Dialogue is the most straightforward way to have a character interact with another character, and if done well, it can highlight the differences between the two characters or tell us more about each character depending on the situation. For instance, when Senjougahara walks up to Araragi on Mother's Day in the park and they talk with each other, it turns out that she doesn't even know that today is Mother's Day. That contrasts with Araragi's perspective who is troubled about being unable to celebrate with his family, while Hitagi has grown distant from her mother to the point that Mother's Day has lost any sort of relevancy.

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Bakemonogatari feels very intentional in the way it utilizes dialogue and how it presents dialogue. Simple backgrounds are repeatedly used to frame shots (such as dividing the screen into three parts in Tsubasa Cat arc, or bars) and there are a lot of flashing text walls that often have more text than you can read at first glance (intentional, I presume, as the cards they want you to read last longer). Bakemonogatari also likes to repeat already spoken jokes or dialogue exchanges but with a twist to them: Araragi asks for Hanekawa's coat, and she denies him by saying she will get angry. Once the conversation grows more tense and Araragi wants to confirm that she has cat ears, he asks for her hat in the same way, but this time he has no qualms about making her angry. Or when Senjougahara asked Araragi a second time about his feelings when they were watching the sky and he felt much more confident expressing them this time. Given how intentional the series is there is little room for vagueness, and that makes it rewarding to pay attention. It's funny as well how the series is comfortable with being simplistic in delivery - and be it just a small heads up that commercials or the opening is about to start.

Hitagi Senjougahara

Name: Bakemonogatari fascination.
Item: Bakemonogatari
Rating: 85
Author: Kaito67

It's probably not a surprise that, yes, Senjoughara is my favorite character in Bakemonogatari. I'm assuming that most people will have her as a favorite, but I think she's generally a good showcase of how the dialogue is not only interesting on its own but serves well in making the characters engaging to watch. Hitagi's verbal abuse (let's call it that, she categorizes it as such too) is precisely hilarious because it has that wittiness to it and also because it is absurdly effective as Araragi relives the experience of fatality each time she chooses to attack. On the flip side, every attack she fires at Araragi also tells us a lot of things about herself. How she tends to keep her distance with her abusive language, how she is more perverted than Araragi, given that she is throwing the pervert accusations to begin with and has more orthodox knowledge in the field, or how she genuinely struggles sometimes to be open about what she wants to convey so she retorts to hide the actual message in a joke or pun (which sometimes does fly over Araragi's head). She also experiences a lot of growth during the series, as she finds with Araragi a comfortable space to open her heart and becomes able to reconcile ties she previously severed (like with Kanbaru).

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If we simplify things, we can say that

a) witty dialogue makes the character interesting to begin with
b) the dialogue tells us a lot about the recipient and the speaker
c) and throughout the series, we can showcase growth

When it comes down to it, these three things also apply to other characters in the cast like Kanbaru or Hanekawa. Or even Oshino too, except that he is a more static presence and doesn't change much. Bakemonogatari is very character-driven and succeeds at making that kind of story structure work because the characters themselves are just that well-developed.

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I also like how the series uses that foundation as a base to explore various themes such as trauma, assault, loneliness, and more. A lot of times it feels very grounded as it doesn't try too hard to idealize the situation for escapism and shows that these things are all real issues. Despite having found a comfortable space for herself, the attempted rape she experienced scarred Hitagi and she's afraid of coming to hate Araragi if they would have sexual contact at some point. Hanekawa still doesn't feel comfortable at home and despite hiding it, the domestic situation and her strong feelings for Araragi, which she can't change either, are mentally stressful. Despite having a lot of comedy, Bakemonogatari showcases real issues and makes them feel real through the way it illustrates these issues and it also tells us that there is no easy solution for these things. The oddities themselves are only a manifestation of the symptoms of these issues, but dealing with them doesn't solve the root of the problem that causes these symptoms. That makes it easier to deal with Araragi being very lust-fueled, as the girls are not only here to provide some boobs or panties to look at, but are well-developed and interesting themselves outside the context of fanservice. However...
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Distasteful Fanservice

I still have to call this series out on that. Now, I don't mind fanservice itself as a concept. I am rather ambivalent about it, as I'm not watching anime to get turned on, I have doujins for that, but at the same time, I don't care as long as it's harmless. My actual issue is that Bakemonogatari, for some reason, has an obsession with lolis. And I want to draw a clear line here: I don't care that it's fiction, I find the idea of being attracted to a stereotype with child-like properties, both physically and mentally, pretty disgusting. Even if it's just pixels on my screen, it gains meaning through how we perceive it through our brain and what associations we attach to it. And I find it abhorrent to connect child-like properties to the concept of fanservice, that's just one step towards child porn.

Sadly, Bakemonogatari doesn't seem to have any qualms about it as with Mayoi and Nadeko we have two characters who are lolis and who are frequently sexualized. Nadeko mainly through certain outfit choices or through nudity which is already very uncomfortable to look at, but with Mayoi the series goes even further. I think my least favorite scene was when Araragi surprised Mayoi from behind and grabbed her, which could be completely harmless but of course it turns into sexual assault as he proceeds to grope her breasts without her consent. The series is even self-aware to call it out as such, but it's nonetheless an intentional choice to present it in the series, and it's never presented as a disgusting thing, as it's almost all of the time in the context of a gag. Not to mention the numerous jokes about Araragi being a pedophile or about being attracted to his sisters. The general presentation also shows both of them (and Araragi's sisters, but they have less screentime) as overly cute with heavy blush or cutesy expressions, which has a slightly weird and distasteful undertone as well given what kind of jokes the series likes to do.

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It's weird to me how a series, that manages to showcase so well-developed female characters in terms of writing, still can be so tasteless with its fanservice. Now, there is also fanservice with the other female cast but I don't mind that as much because their bodies are more adult and not pre-pubescent, and they don't behave like small children. And, let's be honest, teenagers are a little horny. I know that because I am 19 years old, so I'm not going to be delusional here. In fact, on the flip side, having characters like Kanbaru being more sexually open is a nice reality check for purist ideas regarding young women, which the series itself points out. As I stated, it is self-aware and meta as well at times. So I want to reiterate, that sexual content itself is not the problem, it can serve the characterization too, but the sexualization of lolis is distasteful and unnecessary, and the further implications are frankly disgusting. That's my verdict regarding that.
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Perfectly paced as all things should be

To go back to a more positive note, I enjoy the pacing in this series. I already had a look at the length of subsequent seasons and it truly seems that the Monogatari series isn't bound by the usual cour restriction - which is, that seasonal anime are commonly separated into cours (~12 episodes) for TV slot reasons. Not being bound by the need to have a series be 12 episodes or 24 episodes long is very beneficial as they can give each story arc the length it exactly needs. For Bakemonogatari, we have 15 episodes, and it felt well-paced throughout. Have no complaints regarding this and I hope that the pacing quality will be maintained from here on out. It's also very nice that each story arc receives its own opening.
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All things considered, I am hooked.

For an intro into the Monogatari series, Bakemonogatari was very good. Apart from how I like the dialogue, the presentation, and the characters, there are also many things to point out that made this series frankly super enjoyable. The action animation for instance, or how the ending changed throughout the series and how we came full circle with its lyrics once Araragi and Hitagi had their first date. Or how the soundtrack is iconic and perfectly suits the unique atmosphere. There are certain things I dislike, I talked plenty about my dislike of the loli fanservice, and I wanted to address that properly but in the end, there are still so many things to like here. I'm not gonna pretend that it entirely ruins the series for me, even if it kills the mood at times. I am excited to continue. The series already showcased its ability to recontextualize previous content after certain reveals (such as Hitagi's behavior because she couldn't see Mayoi), and from what I heard, it's gonna get very interesting in that regard as I continue. I am fascinated by Bakemonogatari. Thanks for reading my review till the end, it's a bit long so if you made it here, congratulations! Feel free to leave feedback here, I am continuously trying to improve my reviews :)

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