Bakemonogatari | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Bakemonogatari

Romance anime takes many forms, and as long as it touches our heartstrings, we can remain satisfied. So, where would we look? To the realm of supernatural romances, of course! Most people think of Slice of Life and School genres when they think of a good love story, but for those of us who enjoy some fantasy and action as well, we’d try to look for romances that blossom amidst orthodox circumstances in a dynamic field.

“Bakemonogatari,” also known as “Ghostory,” is a 15 episode TV anime series that aired from the 3rd of July 2009 until the 25th of June 2010, as a Summer 2009 title. Featuring the themes of Mystery, Romance, and Supernatural, it also boasted the central theme of Vampire.

It was produced by Aniplex and Kodansha, licensed by Aniplex of America, and brought to life by Studio Shaft. The main staff surrounding it included Iwakami Atsuhiro as Producer, Ooshima Miku as Assistant Producer, Kubota Mitsutoshi as Producer, Shinbou Akiyuki as Director, and on Animation Check. It received a Rating of R - 17+ for violence and profanity, most suited for more mature audiences.

Bakemonogatari is adapted from the Light Novel of the same title, also known as “Monogatari Series: First Season” (Monster Tale, Kizumonogatari: Wound Tale, Nisemonogatari, Fake Tale, and Nekomonogatari: Kuro, Black).

This 6 volume series ran from the 1st of November 2006 until the 28th of July 2010, by Author NISIO ISIN and Artist VOFAN, serialized in Mephisto. A summary Special episode of the Anime series was released under “Bakemonogatari Recap” (Bakemonogatari Episode 5.5, Bakemonogatari Special, Ghostory Recap, Ghostory Special), which recapped the first five episodes of the series on the 7th of August 2009.

The sequel anime series titled “Nisemonogatari” or “Impostory” was released in Winter 2012, containing 11 episodes. A prequel anime series was also released in Fall 2012 under “Nekomonogatari: Kuro” (Nekomonogatari Black: Tsubasa Family, Nekomonogatari Black).

This comprised only four episodes. Studio Shaft also released a fake trailer (ONA) for a crossover anime between the “Nisekoi” anime series and Bakemonogatari as an April Fools' Day joke to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Finally, a Side Story was released as a 12 episode ONA series titled “Koyomimonogatari” from the 10th of January until the 27th of March, 2016.

The story revolves around protagonist Koyomi Araragi, who was an average third-year high school student. He doesn’t stay average for long because he somehow manages to survive a deadly vampire attack with the aid of a stranger named Meme Oshino, a peculiar man living in an abandoned building.

Despite being saved from the unfortunate fate of vampirism itself, several certain side effects of the incident remain within him. Even though he is back to being human, he now possesses superhuman healing and enhanced vision abilities. Araragi is still determined to live life as a regular student and tries his level best with the aid of his friend and also class president, a girl named Tsubasa Hanekawa.

Attempting that as he may, one day, Araragi catches his classmate, a girl named Hitagi Senjougahara, as she falls down the stairs. He then realizes that she is somehow unnaturally weightless. He decides to and insists on helping her somehow, amid Senjougahara's protests as well, and enlists the help of Oshino to do so.

This very man miraculously pulled him out of his own troublesome predicament, albeit with some side effects. She is not the only one Araragi meets with supernatural maladies in his life now either, as numerous stories involving different demons and gods are soon to unfold, all as he attempts to help others out of their odd situations.

Bakemonogatari is half about the romance that blossoms in between Senjougahara and Araragi in the course of their journey to save her from the oddity possessing her. The other half is what makes it truly unique and legendary, the constant argument between two opposing values; Rational versus Idealistic. Aearagi is portrayed as a nice guy trying to seek out and attain a happy ending for everyone he encounters with a malady.

The argument topic of this half is the Solution of supernatural oddities in itself. Each of the other girls has their character arcs, Hachikuji Mayoi, Kanbaru Suruga, and Hanekawa Tsubasa. These arcs serve to develop the connection and relationship of the main couple while also adding more spicy topics to the tale. The only downside would be Sengoku Nadeko's character arc, which contributed so little to the overall story, with its purpose mainly being the provision of Loli and Moe fan service.

While each arc focuses on an incident occurring around a different girl, they all come together neatly to showcase a bigger picture of how Araragi and Senjougahara closed their personal distances and came together. This series is mainly about the verbal aspect above all else, with the visuals serving as neat decor. The story is driven and spun around the numerous debates on the many addressed issues.

The Characters are one of the series’s greatest strengths. On this note, the leading duo is highly unique and complex. Senjougahara seems like a typical tsundere but is also an extreme sadist. As if to compliment that, Arargi is a masochist who enjoys the constant verbal abuse from his significant other. Another unique detail is that Senjougahara is often the “boke” (one who says something stupid) to Araragi’s “tsukkomi” (one who points out the flaws in the boke's argument, often accompanied by a violent slap to the head).

The conundrum lies in the fact that Boke are masochist by nature and often not intelligent, while Tsukommi is sadist by nature and often observant. The main couple takes turns with these roles with excellent delivery to add to the show’s appeal, and this dynamic is always entertaining to watch.

The remaining characters are not as complex as these two, but they all have unique charms and flaws that drive the story and individual and memorable personalities. The incredible fact is that all of these characters receive solid and believable character development within the limited episode span.

Art and Animation merely serve as visual aids to a highly vocal-based performance quite effectively in Bakemonogatari. Numerous abstract scenes, surreal events, unconventional cuts, and interesting camera angles create a unique visual experience.

Studio Shaft does not fail to boast its signature style either. A possible downside is using real-life photos and videos in the Animation, which looks out of place and unnecessary. Character designs are done pretty well, and the leading duo showcases a wide range of emotions and expressions throughout the anime, clearly portraying their state of mind at a given instance.

The Sounds and Music of Bakemonogatari are decent at best, making way for its vocal performance to stand out even more. Thus the voice acting is phenomenal! Each character’s voice fits them perfectly, utilizing a wide range of distinct tones and nuances of speech to establish unique impressions. The Characters tend to speak fast with many tongue twisters, so the Voice Actors’ performances are extraordinary.

The OSTs typically have a consistent ambient feel with a nice flow but don’t necessarily set the right vibe for each scene or enhance the drama. The action music is decent, and the upbeat tracks for the quick-paced dialogue are on point, making the conversations more engaging. The Opening themes are "staple stable" by Chiwa Saito, "Kaerimichi" by Emiri Katou, "ambivalent world" by Miyuki Sawashiro, "Ren'ai Circulation" by Kana Hanazawa, and "Sugar Sweet Nightmare" by Yui Horie, all of which are memorable tunes with nice vocals and lyrics.

The ending theme is "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" by supercell, performed by nagi (Gazelle), the meaning of which is brought to light later on in the series via a conversation between the main duo itself.

Overall, Bakemonogatari is a masterpiece not to be missed! The greatness lies mainly in the words, and at least 10% of it is lost in translation within this conversation/narration-driven series. It is filled to the brim with clever wordplay and metaphors, so what’s lost is a shame indeed. Even so, this is an incredibly entertaining watch, with great attention to detail and a well-executed story. To this end, it is supremely memorable, and the ending is highly satisfying. So yes, highly recommended!