This season had so many unexpected turns, funny moments, and emotional scenes. Most of these arcs gave me something that I wasn't expecting, but something that felt so needed. Having different characters being the main perspective of the story rather than Araragi was incredibly needed to help understand what impact Araragi has had for these characters in the story.
However, this season is ultimately a 10/10 for me because of the Hitagi End arc. I went into arc expecting to flesh out Araragi and Senjougahara's relationship, but it was not that at all. It did technically flesh out the relationship a little, but it wasn't the main focus. I didn't expect Kaiki to be the main character of this arc, and I didn't know what to expect because of how mysterious his character has been in the show so far. I loved getting to see Kaiki turn into a character that feels as human as anyone else and ultimately isn't such a heartless person as everyone thinks he is. But, that final episode of the arc/season was something that I personally needed the most.
I've found Araragi as a character that I can relate to the most in my life while watching this show. I know the feelings of trying to help everyone instead of yourself and ultimately hurting others because of it. It's hard not to want to save the people you care about, and it does cause you to offer going to lengths that could destroy you in order to help them. Araragi knows that Nadeko wants to kill him, and he still goes out of his way to help her because he cares about making everyone happy in any way that presents itself. I know that feeling of trying to help someone who is only hurting you in the end. It hurts to hold on to that person, but it mainly feels like it would hurt the most if we decided to just let go. I've had multiple times in my life where I struggled with this, and I love this show for presenting this feeling in one of the most relatable ways I've seen.
I love Kaiki's character in this arc because of the way he handles everything. His philosophy of nothing being irreplaceable is something that Araragi and I try hard to not come to terms with. It feels like such a heartless way of thinking. There's no way that there aren't things set in stone for you, right? But, in reality, it is the truth. The cold truth. I'll never know who the "one" is for me because there is no "one" person who is guaranteed to be in my life forever. I hate that feeling because I want everyone to stay with me in my life, I don't want people to build bonds with them to then just get up and leave one day.
Recently, I've gone through something where I had to let someone go. The most painful part is knowing that they're still going to exist in this external world, but just not be a part of my internal world anymore. Before things finally ended, I was trying my hardest to hold on because I felt like this person needed to be in my life forever because they were the "one." It wasn't only painful for them, but it was so painful for myself, too. Like Araragi, I try hard to be the person everyone can count on, and it gets to the point where I'll hurt myself to hold on to someone who can't be with me anymore.
So, seeing Kaiki tell Araragi straight to his face that "Love can make people stronger, but also make people weaker" was something that I desperately needed at this time. Nadeko had her own passion that she wanted to pursue, but she was holding herself back because of her love for Araragi. Not only was this going to end up killing Araragi, but it was also making her miss out on achieving her dreams. This is why I feel like this is a perfect episode for me. Araragi's reaction to realizing that the only way he can help Nadeko is by moving on is exactly how I felt when I found that out for the person I wanted to keep in my life. He looks at Kaiki in pure shock but ultimately realizes that this is the only thing that's best for Nadeko and him.
Araragi asks Kaiki, "Would she be happy without me?" And Kaiki's response of "Beats me " is legit the only possible answer to a question like that. Because we will never know the future for ourselves or others, but like Kaiki said, "as long as we stay alive, good things will happen."
So, I want to just fully express my gratitude not only for this arc but also for how these characters have been so well written and built in this show. I'm so glad that I can learn life lessons from this show, and I'll forever be grateful for the Hitagi End arc for teaching me that nothing belongs to you in life, but that things will always just fall into place overtime.
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