“Know that falling in love with someone is as ordinary as a dog barking, so it's not worth worrying about so much.” -Tsukihi Araragi
DISCLAIMER: The events of this entry are under the assumption that you’ve seen at least the first entry of the Monogatari series (Bakemonogatari). If you haven’t, then please read no further as it may contain minor spoilers. Nekomonogatari: Kuro takes place in the timeline before the events of Bakemonogatari, more specifically during Golden Week.
Nekomonogatari. This entry in the series was aimed to provide a little backstory on what happened that fateful Golden Week we’ve heard mentioned countless times. It also had even provided the very nature of Araragi and Hanekawa’s relationship, and how they saw one another as potential love interests. Nekomonogatari was focused on developing the characters of both Araragi and Hanekawa, and further explains how she came to have the nickname “Black Hanekawa”. What seemed at first to be a single family problem for Hanekawa was soon revealed to be a lot more complicated than what was first thought. And the repercussions of it all were far greater than what Araragi or Oshino could’ve anticipated....
Art and Animation: 8.6/10
- Overall, there wasn’t much to complain about when it came to this department. No major mistakes, and there were only a few minor instances regarding animation fluidity that weren’t as smooth as I would’ve liked to see. The only problem being that I felt like something was off this time around. The usual mysterious and dream-like vibe that I got from the art style wasn’t as prominent, and I believe this might’ve been just because of the focus brought on Black Hanekawa. Don’t get me wrong, she is one FINE neko, but the usual mysterious apparition vibe wasn’t there any more. I did however enjoy her laid back, nonchalant attitude since it was a great addition that we haven’t seen yet. Even in action, Black Hanekawas acrobatic skills were true to the nature that one should expect from a cat. We’ll get more on this in the next section though.
Storyline and Character Progression: 8.9/10
- I really enjoyed how much time was being given to Hanekawa this time around. Not only that, but her inner conflicting thoughts and feelings were finally revealed to us. It was as if we didn’t even know the “real” Hanekawa until now, and she’s now easily become one of the more complicated characters in the Monogatari series. Even when we think we’ve finally gotten a grasp on how Hanekawa works, it seems as though she becomes even more of a mess the deeper we look. I’ve always been skeptical of the whole “double personality” thing, but this anime managed to turn it into something that brought on powerful symbolic meaning, This apparition was the physical embodiment of emotions that Hanekawa herself wasn’t even aware of. It was more than just another personality that interferes with her daily life, but it was an actual part of her that she was scared of and was ultimately running away from. With Araragi in the picture, and him trying to figure out things, he soon finds himself questioning who Hanekawa is to him. The interactions that follow are really touching, as they both are wanting to do their best for one another. In the end, the character progression here is entertaining to say the least, it’s meaningful.
Soundtrack and Audio: 8.4/10
- The soundtrack in this was great to listen to, with no real complaints coming from me. I definitely enjoyed the OP, but nothing really had an emotional impact on me. There weren’t any musical moments that were able to really capitalize on situations and give them that extra kick. As far as audio goes, it was all still a joy to listen to. Unless you have something against an insanely beautiful cat apparition saying “nya” multiple times in a sentence, i can guarantee you’ll still love the audio in this entry.
Overall, Nekomonogatari: Kuro was a great addition to the “present” storyline that satisfied a lot of the questions I had before starting it. I believe the storyline delivered the information that it was trying to relate, and the overall pacing was very good for just 4 episodes. The character development was far deeper than I was expecting, especially when it came to Hanekawa. Aside from odd change in “environment”, I think I was just used to the mystery and suspense of discovering new apparitions. This entry overall scored an 8.6/10 for its great execution in clarifying the events of the past and development of Araragi and Hanekawa. Until next time, see y’all soon!
