With its strange blend of ridiculous humour, compelling themes, and complex characters, the Monogatari series is a smart, unique, and unforgettable gem of a franchise. And this is the show that started it all. Welcome to the beautifully bizarre art house student’s fever dream that is Bakemonogatari.
THE STORY
The show is divided into five arcs, each one focusing on the series' main protagonist, Koyomi Araragi interacting with a different girl, each of whom is being troubled by an oddity. Oddities are mysterious supernatural beings capable of latching onto humans and, to put it simply, screwing with them. For different reasons and in different ways, seemingly always connected to their mental and/or emotional issues and twisted emotions that they try to bury deep down.
Right of the bat, I believe that to be an ingenious set-up. Exploring and effectively personifying psychological issues through strange supernatural occurrences is incredibly unique and allows for a lot of creativity when it comes to approaching character development. Thankfully, the execution is just as good as the idea here. Every arc of Bakemonogatari (with one exception to which we'll get to) is brilliantly crafted. They all have an engaging and natural flow to them, which never fails to keep the viewer interested. Throughout each arc, the issues of each girl is gradually revealed, the writers very skilfully peeling off the layers of their respective problems. That by itself is already quite enticing, and the fact that it usually leads to a highly exciting climax feels satisfying, after the slower, dialogue-driven part of the arc. Something that the Monogatari franchise is known for is how dialogue heavy it is, but it’s impossible to get bored during it, as the dialogue itself is oftentimes so whacky, bizarre and just plain entertaining.
THE CHARACTERS
Starting with the male lead, Koyomi Araragi, he is what every harem protagonist should be. What I mean by that is that he feels like an actual person, rather than just acting as a self-insert for the audience. He cares deeply about the people around him, but you wouldn't be able to tell as his general outward personality is lazy, irritable and gloomy. He is very shy when it comes to anything having to do with sexuality, being easily embarrassed and annoyed by the teasing that he experiences at the hands of Hitagi and Suruga. He is also kind of a pathetic moron, who unironically gets satisfaction from beating a little girl in a fight, something that he has enough self-awareness to berate himself over. Yet in spite of all that he is still perfectly capable of having a normal conversation and to be generally pleasant to the people he feels close to. His main character flaw is that despite the exterior, he cares about other people to the point of constantly putting himself at horrible risk for them. Now, having a protagonist whose defining flaw is being "too good for his own good" is something of a slippery slope. What makes Koyomi work however is that there is an actual sense of progression with him. The show is clearly willing to explore his self-destructive tendencies and how they may hurt the people he cares about just as much as himself, rather than just throwing it in as a cheap pretend character flaw.
Then of course, there are the girls themselves, starting with Koyomi's love interest, Hitagi Senjougahara. Hitagi starts out as a snarky, rude, sometimes low-key psychotic asshole, who takes a great deal of pleasure in teasing Koyomi and verbally annihilating him in various humorous ways. And she is absolutely perfect. Her attitude rarely comes off as unlikeable or genuinely malicious (and when it does the show acknowledges it to be a character flaw). She never takes it so far as to be deeply hurtful. It's honestly just funny. As she grows closer to Koyomi, her jabs at him become significantly tamer and turn into charming banter. For all her posturing, she genuinely cares for and likes Koyomi, and appreciates his willingness to help people. Certain horrible events in Hitagi's past caused her to become detached from the people around her, and in Koyomi, she finally has someone she finds comfort in. A chance to heal.
The second girl, Mayoi Hachikuji is a lost child, whom Koyomi and Hitagi find on a playground, looking for her mother. She is initially an abrasive rude little brat, but once more time is spent with her, she begins to reveal a friendly side. Similar to Hitagi, her sarcasm and teasing of Koyomi becomes more friendly than spiteful, and she is given some very endearing little character quirks. Like her signature regular mispronunciations of Arararagi's name, that are very obviously done on purpose just to piss him off. Mayoi is a character who seems to be trying to keep others at a distance, even those who want to help her. The show gives her interesting reasons for being this way, while showcasing how destructive this kind of a mindset can be to herself and those that care about her.
Then there is my personal favourite of the five, Suruga Kanbaru. How do I even describe Suruga’s personality? One second she can act like your typical "cool girl" sort of character. Athletic, confident and out-going. The next second, she casually proclaims that she is not wearing any underwear, and her immediate reaction to finding herself in a boy’s room is to try and find porn magazines. She is also an absolute troll to Koyomi but, unlike with Hitagi and Mayoi, it almost feels like she doesn't even intend to be half the time. The shit she does and says that get a rise out of him, she does in the exact same tone and manner that she would something completely normal. She is a natural eccentric, a polite troll, a cool weirdo and a confident pervert. All of that while being endlessly fun and charming. She is just so unpredictable in her personality and humour, and there were multiple times throughout the series where I found myself laughing out loud at her absolutely lovable brand of weirdness. That is all not even mentioning her own highly intriguing psychology. Through Suruga, the show explores subconscious desires and how they may differ from what a person may want consciously.
The final girl, Tsubasa Hanekawa is introduced as a calm, collected and wise class representative, but once her own arc rolls around, it becomes quite clear that there is quite a difference between the kind of a person Tsubasa really is, and the kind of person she wants to be perceived as. A complicated and troubled young woman, Tsubasa’s arc is an emotional tale of identity, victimization and people’s reasons for putting on masks.
The show’s weakest part is its fourth arc, Nadeko Snake. The arc’s problem lies within the girl on which it is focused, Nadeko Sengoku, who just feels like a bland quiet nice girl, with little personality, no growth, and lacking a believable motive. Now, all the aspects of this character that ring hollow in Bake get brilliantly explored and expanded upon later down the line, causing Nadeko to become one of the series’ most fascinating and complex characters. But I do wish there were more of a hook there upon her introduction. The arc is not terrible however. Its climax is very exciting, and it does feature some great development for Koyomi. Not to mention, Suruga is a major player in it, and she is as entertaining as always.
There are two notable side characters in Bakemonogatari. The first one being Meme Oshino, a specialist whose occupation is helping people out with oddity related issues. He is very likeable, his personality being a blend of a shady weirdo, and a genuinely kind, helpful, and all around cool guy. And then of course, there is everyone’s favourite vampire loli, Shinobu, who doesn’t actually get much to do here (she doesn’t even speak), but she does make for a decently interesting minor character, through her implied history, her relationship to Koyomi, as well as her current role as his reluctant ally. Bakemonogatari sets this character up decently, even though it’s not till the next season when we get to know her properly.
THE VISUALS AND SOUND
On the technical side, Bakemonogatari is an amazing looking series. Imagine the visuals of Madoka Magica but multiplied by 10 and on crack. There is this great sense of surrealism to the show's visuals, and a ton of energy to its animation as well as directing.
The soundtrack also stands out as brilliantly done with well composed tracks, ranging from fun and cartoony to intense and eerie. But of course, the best thing about the music in this show, is its openings. Each arc gets a separate intro, performed by the voice actress of the arc’s focal point girl, and they are all great songs with catchy, memorable melodies, and well written lyrics, perfectly fitting their respective girls’ characters.
The voice acting also leaves nothing to be desired, with Hiroshi Kamiya, Chiwa Saito, Emiri Katou, Miyuki Sawashiro, Kana Hanazawa, Yui Horie and Takashiro Sakurai all perfectly embodying their characters' personalities and emotions and making them come to life beautifully.
CONCLUSION
Bakemonogatari is an excellent anime both as a stand-alone and as the beginning of a larger story. It does a phenomenal job introducing us to Monogatari’s world, themes, and characters. Makes for a wonderful start to something truly special.
