Monogatari Series: Second Season

Stories.

Everyone wants to hear or tell a story people will remember by. It doesn’t matter if the story is fictional, realistic, sarcastic, humorous, imaginative, mysterious, psychological, speculative, or even twisted as it can be. Stories are created by ideas that are formed from the very thoughts we experience in our lives. In order for stories to be told well, they have to evoke feelings, reactions, and attract audience that appreciates its ideas. Monogatari Second Series - the anime that not only attracted me to its franchise - but also presented it in an extravagant way that takes the art of storytelling to a whole ... new level.

That level of storytelling was already clearly evidenced from its predecessor that achieved international success. Yes, I’m talking about Bakemonogatari that debuted back in 2009. Its success has later spawned other series in the forms of Nisemonogatari, Nekomonogatari: Kuro, and the soon-to-debut Kizumonogatari . Now, it’s back once again as an ongoing story narrative. Monogatari Series: Second Season is an anime adapted from the novel of the same name written by Nisio Isin with artwork by Vofan. If you’re a fan of the previous Monogatari series franchise, then this should be no shadow of a doubt be part of your watch-list as we are told stories at its most definite form.

Similar to what some people might notice in the past, the Monogatari series presents itself in an unique form of storytelling. The term ‘monogatari’ itself defines as literature. For a series based on storytelling to succeed though usually requires a character base with insightful plot, creative setting, descriptive ideas based on connections, and a strong literal sense of execution. Monogatari series plays on most of these concepts but constructs it like an experiment. Whether you dare to take on the experiment might have different experiences. However, there’s no doubt that this series and its franchise has tested their experiment and succeeded in their message. Indeed, the storytelling of Monogatari mixes itself with visual arts and dialogues. The strength of the series comes from its dialogues that creates humor, sense, and might evoke people’s minds to think its true meaning. Most of the time, the meaning of the dialogues are metaphoric and conveys to many ideas. Its usage of word plays presents its unique art style to attract viewers toward its messages. Through these messages, viewers will find out just how exclusive this shows’ storytelling separates itself from most forms of storytelling.

Monogatari Series: Second Season isn’t just about storytelling though. As mentioned before, a strong character cast will attract viewers to almost any form of genre. Luckily, this show has plenty of that starring our Koyomi Araragi, a high school student whose life has changed forever after a certain incident. Obviously, I would assume that you have seen the original Bakemonogatari to understand this but Araragi makes his return in this sequel. He makes his presence well known as other characters in the series speculate him as many things - a lolicon, dangerous, pervert, just to name a few. However, we know that Araragi is a character of loyalty as seen through his relationship with Hitagi Senjougahara. More importantly though, he is also protective towards others including his friends, family, and even strangers. Some of his actions might be interpreted in the wrong way by other characters but the guy definitely has proven many times that he is the type that others can depend on. He seeks to achieve the endings that allows characters live in peace. However, this often puts a burden on himself as Araragi finds that sometimes, he can’t achieve everything alone. This even puts his own lives at risk many times. But hey, he is that type of that guy that takes risks. From a narrative perspective, his actions are often awarded although he doesn’t always takes everything for granted. Instead, he keeps his more of the ‘it’s the right thing to do’ attitude.

Most of the supporting characters from the novels makes their appearances in the story arcs including Tsubasa Hanekawa, Mayoi Hachikuji, Suruga Kanbaru, Nadeko Sengoku, Shinobu Oshino, and Hitagi Senjougahara. All these characters plays their different roles that fulfills some sort of theme or morality to its title. Each of these titles present a different insight on our characters as we see a sort of journey to embark on. And of course, every journey begins with the first step. There’s already trouble in the beginning as we get a hint of supernatural madness going on. To make matters worse, Tsubasa herself finds trouble with her life as sudden changes occurs.

The first story arc initially reintroduces its narrative aspect to get viewers to familiarize themselves the format of how Monogatari works. Its supernatural themes takes on a more gruesome turn later on but there’s also hope and prosperity. As for the other arcs, each of them has a different theme and plot. Some of these arcs also explores the back stories of our supporting characters. Along with that, there’s character interactions that are dynamic with development. Additionally, each arc contains a similar style of storytelling through word plays, visual presentations, and dialogues. As the series contains supernatural elements as well, expect legends to unfold and discoveries to be made. These include spirit apparitions, vampires, mythic cats, and even Gods. The power of its dialogues enhances the experience with the power of its words. It’s an experience you won’t forget especially with some plot twists like one with a snake a girl.

Judging on another level of the series is its humor. The style of Monogatari invokes humor in a sense that is quite peculiar. By peculiar though, I mean it as as a brilliant way because the show likes to experiment. Its stylish dialogues often mixes in parodies of other genres and themes for experimentation. These accompanied with the expressions of our characters creates a lavish theater of animation.

As good as the series sounds, there’s a few aspects I found to be lacking. Namely, there’s perhaps a bit of too much fan service in the beginning that can be distracting. These don’t seem to have any meaning or dynamics and sometimes may distract viewers from the words play and dialogues. Other times, Araragi’s interactions with some of the other characters might even seem a bit creepy or hard to take for granted. This is especially true in one of the later arcs involving Shinobu that takes itself to a rather defiled way with their interactions. More importantly is the fact that the show sometimes likes to get a bit carried away with its conversations. Some of them might even drag on with small talk that can seem to be mundane. Other times, they flash way too fast to be read that can frustrate viewers in attempting to fully understanding its meaning. (if it has one at some occasions) Finally, there are some recap episodes between each story arc that drags the series together. They might help refresh a bit of its previous predecessors but can also be a waste of time for people who wants the series to accelerate itself.

Shaft handles the production of this series. You know what that means right? If extraordinary is a word that just popped into your mind, then you’re on the right track. By that term, Shaft is known to pull out a variety of series over the past year that have impacted the world. Names such as EF: A Fairy Tale of the Two, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica are just a few that comes to mind. The artwork of Monogatari is in a sense that can be both visually attractive and descriptive the same time. When not presented as comedy, they hold a deeper meaning or metaphor behind them. Other times, they are connected to the dialogues spoken by the characters to convey their thoughts and feelings. Speaking of characters, most of them are designed in a similar way as their predecessors. Araragi still has that noticeable hair-like antenna sticking out of his head while his girlfriend still retains her haircut. Other characters like Shinobu, Nadeko, and Tsubasa all possesses artistic traits similar to their supernatural counterparts.

Soundtrack wise, the series maintains an eerie like atmosphere. During more of the climatic scenes, the series shifts its gears to a more dramatic tone with explosive entrances and executions. Other times, the series likes to keep its more balanced atmosphere along with comedic vibrations. The soundtrack might not be the most powerful device of the show but its various OP & ED songs makes up this department with its various styles. Almost every arc has a different song accompanied by the voice involving the star of that story. Similar to its word plays, they contain a pattern of artistic visuals to brings out the power of its orchestra. With its cast members also lies in the strength of their voices. Almost every characters demonstrates this with their voice mannerisms. These include the cunning Shinobu (Maaya Sakamoto), the kuudere Senjougahara (Chiwa Saito), innocent Nadeko (Kana Hanazawa), the mature Tsubasa (Yui Horie), the playful sisters of Karen and Tsukihi, and Araragi (Hiroshi Kamiya). Because the narrative aspect of the show is so strong with the dialogues, it is important to characterize each of their voices as a focus in order to bring out their best. And yes, I am grateful that these characters all bought forth their best thanks to the talents of their voice actor/actresses.

So,this anime might not be for everyone. That’s something I’m sure most people have heard about the Monogatari franchise before. But if you pass this up for whatever reason, I still would recommend at least giving the first arc a try. That way, it might refresh a bit of experience of what you get out of the other series. However, I highly recommend watching this series only after you have completed its previous predecessors to gain full experience of its presentation. The Monogatari franchise has already achieved universal success thanks to its unique narrative, powerful dialogues, artistic word plays, and unique characters. Its humor will knock you out with high doses of laughter accompanied by its strange twist of stories. It even has bits of action too so violence is not out of the question there for fans looking for some intensity. (that and maybe its goal of achieving anemia with its fan service.) But all in all, Monogatarai series definitely took on the storytelling concept like never before creating an enjoyable experience. Now that is the ecstasy of success.

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
-Phillip Pullman

On that note, the second season (although technically third or fourth depending if you count Nisemonogatari and Nekomonogatari) of the Monogatari Series was promised to be a two cour delivering viewers the excellent experience that the first season, Bakemonogatari, did. Rest assured that if you enjoyed Bakemonogatari, you will not be disappointed by the second season.

Story: (10/10): Monogatari S2's story is the driving point of the anime itself, the beating heart at its core. The storytelling in this anime is top notch, as it is an almost completely ... dialogue driven anime. If you don't like characters sitting down and fleshing things out, exploring the facets of their inner thoughts, strengths and flaws, then you might not enjoy this season. However, assuming that you watched the first season, you probably would have already figured out whether the Monogatari Series was right for you or not. Needless to say if it is for you, you're in for a treat. The story covers additional stories for Hanekawa, Hachikuji, Shinobu, Nadeko and Kaiki. Most of the characters from the original series make an appearance, although there is a bit of absence of Kanbaru. Shaft's unique way of organizing the anime leaves the free flowing story to explore the great characters within the story, as well as progress through the life of our lively MC, Ararararararagi. All the arcs seem to have different flavors to them, some being more action oriented, others being a lot more explorative, and some very emotional. Shaft has done an excellent job of succeeding the original series, as the viewer truly never finds themselves disappointed by the story aspect of Monogatari. The arcs only get better and better, leaving with a truly memorable experience in the final arc (Koimonogatari) which I'll leave you all to discover for yourselves. The fact of the matter, or the conclusion rather is that on the story basis, Monogatari is outstanding, and it makes me sad that I won't be able to experience the great storytelling until a hopefully additional season comes out.

Art: (8/10): The art in Monogatari S2 is very much like its predecessors. The characters are all well defined, and all have unique aspects to them, however if you're someone who is very picky about animation and slick transitions, you might feel a little disappointed. Shaft cycles through animations during dialogue, zooming in and accentuating different nuances to the speaker's body. The famous slow motion head turn and zooming right into their face. It helps to keep the viewer enticed in the dialogue while they are talking, but other than that it does get repetitive. Besides that, the avant garde nature of some of the apparitions and environments (things made completely of Kanji) are always a treat, as the peculiarity only seems to add to the experience. That being said, since Monogatari S2 is such a dialogue based anime, this really isn't a problem. Besides that the transition slides usually have a bit of text, that you can choose to neglect or to pause and read, and people may find that annoying, although I didn't seem to mind it as much. As I mentioned before, if you don't like the way the art and animation is done, you probably would have figured it out in the earlier seasons.

Sound: (9/10): The sound in Monogatari S2 is great at doing what it was made to do. Complimenting dialogue with a good soundtrack is very difficult. Fortunately, it's done very well in Monogatari S2, as you will find that what would have been a more stale conversation is brought to life a bit more by the beautiful pieces in the soundtrack. The OPs and EDs are some of the best I've seen, as the music is always great, as it was in the previous seasons. There's a few clips of ambient sounds when transitioning to other scenes, but they only add to the experience.

Character: (9/10): The characters in Monogatari S2 really help define what the anime is like. Since it is a storytelling anime, the storytellers should be interesting as to keep the viewers interested as well. Luckily the unique set of characters we have are very well defined and interesting to the end. One of the great parts of Monogatari S2 is the way that it highlights the flaws of people fundamentally. This is through the apparitions that they get latched onto, as the apparitions themselves target weakness and the vulnerable. You have a cast of characters who all have their unique flaws, but all find ways to get through it, and that is the beauty and joy that you will experience through the expert storytelling of Shaft. As expected, the character development is very good, as there are plenty of learning experiences of the characters as they tell their stories. You will grow more attached to your favorite characters, and learn to understand the characters that you don't like as much. The beauty is, there's plenty of choices.

Enjoyment: (10/10): Frankly speaking, Monogatari S2 was a very enjoyable experience for me. I loved Bakemonogatari, and watching the series finally get back on track with a two cour season was a delight for me. Picking up on the nuances of the dialogue, and watching the characters retell some amazing stories really never gets old for me. Since this is a sequel, I'll word it like this. If you liked Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari or Nekomonogatari, you will find something to appreciate in Monogatari S2.

Overall: As 2013 winds down, Monogatari Series: Second Season serves as one of the highlights of the year, allowing fans of the series to rejoice once more in Shaft's excellent work in creating an atmosphere and story truly unparalleled. You will feel for the characters, you will laugh with the characters, and you will cry with the characters through their toughest and most jovial experience all told amazingly through clever dialogue and plot.

Verdict: A solid 9/10. There are some things that can't be explained in words, and I definitely recommend this season to fans of the previous ones.

Since the release of Bakemonogatari, the first part of Monogatari series, this unique show has been splitting the community in two parts, one side being the Monogatari fans, like myself, who threat it like a rare philosophical gem of the anime universe, and the other side which sees it as just another harem show that tries to cover the fanservice with some 'random' philosophy.
By writing this review, I want to show you my view on this show, not to force you to have the same opinion on it as I do.

As you are familiar with the series (I assume, since this is the review on ... the SECOND SEASON of Monogatari series), I will skip the intro and get right onto what made me like this anime so bad, and that is definitely the creativity of the story, and the unique way of storytelling. Monogatari Series: Second Season is featuring five new stories (+ and additional Hanamonogatari) showing us, once again, how human mind can be sick and twisted. Nisio Isin is playing with endless possibilities of the universe he has created, as our heroes struggle in this psychological adventure. While the plot in Bakemonogatari was highly repetitive and stereotipical (where Araragi happens to run into a girl in trouble and helps her), Second season is way more creative. Each story is darker, deeper, and more f*cked up than the ones in Bakemonogatari, and through each story you can find a bit more about the characters, their past, relationships, and a mysterious connection with the supernatural entity, while being trapped in a twisted paranormal adventure.

Of course, there would be no story without the characters themselves, having in mind that everything happening in the show, is subconsciously created by the characters themselves. Through this philosophical masterpiece, you can see the protagonists of the Monogatari series in totally different way, discover their backstories, dreams and fears, and even get inside of a parallel what-could-be universe. Also, you can see them changing due to all the paranormal happenings, both psychically and physically. Second Season can probably show the best interaction between the characters in the entire series.

The art style and the background music remain fantastic as they always were, since they are done by the SHAFT studio. The art is even better, and the animation is more fluid, which makes your personal enjoyment more a nd more superior. As the studio is getting used to the show, each segment is being more perfected. Atmosphere remains flawless, either if it is a horrific mystery scene, or the super-hot ecchi scene. It is so enjoyable, that I have finished the entire Second Season in three days.

Keep in mind that this show is not for all the audience, as it contains lots of mature content like gore and nudity, and it can sometimes be really hard to follow the story line, or to read the subtitle and watch the show at the same time. Also, the SHAFT's way of presenting and animating can be awkward at times, so it can easily cause a headache to ones unfamiliar with it.

If you are fan of the series, and you happen to like it so far, I highly recommend you check this out, as it is by far the best Monogatari yet. If you are somehow reading this review and thinking about watching this series, you should first go check Bakemonogatari, and then find out whether you like it or not. And if you are in a not-so-small group of people that were not satisfied with the first one or two parts of the series, I still recommend you checking this one out, as you might change your opinion.

Even though it’s been over half a year since I saw this anime, on impulse I decided that it was about time I said a few words about it, because I feel like I almost never see anyone ever talking about the “other” side of Monogatari and the quite clear problems the show has.

Now before you instantly downvote this because I’m not giving this the very highest score, I just want to clarify that I do not hate this show, nor do I think it is a bad one however there are a number of things that make it far from perfect in my eyes, ... and they are not spoken of all too often.


The first thing you’ll notice when it comes to Monogatari (besides the wacky art style) is its choice of storytelling. Like so many other series out there, it is divided into many smaller arcs that together build up a grander overarching story. Roughly it goes something along the lines of:

1) A girl gets possessed by an Oddity or at least has her life messed up by it in one way or another.
2) Araragi investigates the situation, and after some less than flawless work he manages to rescue the damsel in distress.
3) The girl is then blatantly tossed aside in order to return to the status quo so that the story can proceed unhindered to its next arc, starting over from step 1 again.

See that last part there? This is the source of most of the problems of the whole series, and quite frankly I find it to be quite disrespectful writing on the author’s part. You know how people like to complain about the role Asuna was given in the second half of Sword Art Online? Well this is basically the same thing except it happens to almost every character in the entire show at least somewhere during the course of its progression.

Basically what happens is that since every arc is about resolving the problems of one of its many heroines, as soon as that arc is over she no longer has any role at all for the next arc. Bar a few exceptions, the only relevant characters at any point in time of the story are Araragi himself, Shinobu (because she’s stuck with him) and whichever girl who’s arc it currently is (and perhaps some antagonist-like character as well). The rest of the cast basically gets ignored completely, and this is not a small cast we’re talking about here, nor are the arcs all that short either. As a result, characters that might have appeared to be main characters at one point might completely disappear from the story for up to 20 episodes sometimes over the course of the seasons, (not discounting his supposed girlfriend) and that’s not exactly a small amount of time for this type of anime. Consequently, Araragi and Shinobu are the only characters that are given consistent character development over the course of the show, whereas everyone else has theirs completely halted every so often.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the kind of person who’d get upset over the death of a main character, actually I think there’s not enough of that in today’s anime, however this is a completely different issue as the heroines are just pushed aside for no obvious reason for huge amounts of time. It’s not like they’re actually gone, they just… temporarily disappear.

Now I know part of this problem stems from the fact that the arcs of the Monogatari Series aren’t aired in the same order as they were written in the original Light Novels, and I understand that reading them might clear up a thing or two. However to me that is not really an excuse; an anime is its own product after all and should be able to deliver on consistent and easy-to-follow storytelling all on its own. You shouldn’t have to go read the source material just to get the full experience of the anime; they’re separate mediums for a reason after all.

All that being said it of course doesn’t hamper all the good sides of the series. The animation is completely crazy and very much so up to interpretation but I think it looks absolutely beautiful at least. The soundtrack is not particularly memorable but it has its moments and is certainly not bad. And as far as the enjoyment value goes (which is what really matters in the end), I generally find it very inconsistent and spiky. There are some segments and dialogues in it that are simply brilliant, but just as often I find myself tapping my fingers on my desk in impatience for the series to actually get going.

As it is, there is still a little bit more to come from this series and I’m still hopeful that the final part(s) will be able to tie the whole thing together in some way that makes it all feel connected and relevant, because currently I’m sort of missing that part. It just feels like there’s no clear goal regarding where the overarching story will end up and there are a lot of things to patch up and resolve before the eventual conclusion. I still think it can be done though and I hope the author can positively surprise me on this one, but as it currently stands I cannot make myself wholeheartedly approve of the direction this franchise has taken.

Although if there is one thing you can’t deny it’s that the series sure as hell is unique, and that alone can take you quite a long way in today’s industry.

Here’s to a brighter future!

To live in a world with apparitions, what danger will Araragi face?

The Monogatari Series is one outstanding series. The light novel is well written and the animated series is beautiful. One important aspect of Monogatari Series is that there are many tropes and themes where viewers and readers can enjoy. Monogatari Series provide a variety of interest and it will make the audience want more. What is understandable is the fact that the underlying themes in Monogatari Series make the series stand out.

One theme that is shared throughout the series is random act of kindness. This theme is important because it shapes people psychologically. These ... random acts of kindness can vary from giving directions to a stranger to saving a person’s life. If a person is in need of help, it is best to help that person out. Even though there are more themes and tropes, they are all able to connect beautifully. Monogatari Series also have dark themes. These dark themes are used to portray reality and fantasy. To discover the truth behind the dark themes is to uncover the mystery behind apparitions. The saying goes: if there is light, there is also darkness.

Monogatari Season Two is the continuation of Nisemonogatari. Studio SHAFT plans to animate the whole light novel. There will be a total of three seasons. Monogatari Season Two focuses on Nekomonogatari White, Kabukimonogatari, Hanamonogatari, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari, and Koimonogatari. These titles are significant because they relate deeply to the story. For an example, Kizumonogatari, Kizumono means ‘damaged good’, but also ‘a woman who has been deflowered’. Monogatari would mean story. Based off the title, it foreshadows the underlying dark theme.

Since there is a sequel, the introduction of Monogatari Season Two provides a recap of what happened previously. The sequel started with Nekomonogatari White. Therefore, the story continued from Nisemonogatari time wise and a continuation of plot to Hanekawa in Nekomonogatari Black. Though, Nekomonogatari Black took place before Bakemonogatari. This may be confusing, but the timeline and plot is completely different. Araragi is helping out people with apparitions and it would be boring if the plot was to be linear. As the anime progress, characters have special appearance in certain situations. There are multiple characters and each character has their own arc. In short, each character is important to their respective arc. There are interactions among these characters even though they are not focused in these arcs. Although they are not focused, it gives insight to the character and provides development. What is given for sure is that this technique is smart and well used throughout the series.

Animations are one reason to seek interest in an anime. If the art work is great and the animations are smooth, most people would tend to watch it because it is appealing to the eye. When it is appealing to the eye, it is easier to enjoy the anime and not complain. One reason that makes the Monogatari series good is because of Studio Shaft. Studio Shaft tends to make unique animations. Unique animations as in great camera view, amazing art work, detailed background and effects. There is also a gag where Studio Shaft likes to put their characters in a difficult head tilt. This is just for comedy purposes, but it is indeed interesting. This can be related to paintings as they have their own form of interpretation. Last but not least, the characters are very detailed, the transitioning is beautiful and the art is crystal clear.

As the story progress through, the characters adapt to changes. The adaption can be either negative or positive. It is truly boring to watch a static character. Seeing a dynamic character can trigger new events. Having a dynamic character allows the plot to be flexible and create suitable settings. This is important because Monogatari focuses on Araragi and apparitions. As Araragi progress throughout the story, he will learn and experience new information. This is also the same for any other characters in Monogatari. Since there are dynamic characters, there is a beautiful resolve. The resolve can be either a good ending or tragic ending. As characters face an obstacle, they would have to overcome the experience. The journey may be short or long, but the experience is all that matters.

The character of Araragi Koyomi is notable throughout the Monogatari series. His goal was to protect those who he cared for. To achieve these goals, he has to fight against apparitions and try to help the victims face reality. There are times where people tend to seclude themselves away from reality. Reality is definitely harsh and not pleasant for those who struggle. What makes human the superior race is that humans overcome their problems and advance forward. Throughout Monogatari Second Season, Araragi has starred in most of the arcs and made a huge impact on the plot. Besides the fact that Araragi is the main character, there are other characters that are significant.

As each arc starts, the audience views a nature that a character has hidden.

“Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening.” – Greta Garbo.

This quote pretty much sums up the dark themes from Monogatari Second Season. Each character has their own hardships and it is tough to see them face their own problems. Characters such as Hanekawa Tsubasa and Hitagi Senjougahara have their own problems to deal with, but doesn’t show it until their respective arc shows. To acknowledge these problems, each character is related in a special way. Other characters such Oshino Shinobu, Hachikuji Mayoi, Kanbaru Suruga, and Sengoku Nadeko also has their dark secrets. The audience grasps on these secrets and expands their curiosity. These characters are brought over from season one. These characters undergo more development and thus the audience learns more about the character. There is also an apparition that dwells under the host due to their problems. In order to solve the problem, the character would have to adapt and face reality to overcome their problem.

The voice actors and actress are kept the same. This is generally a must since there is a sequel. It would be quite awkward for a character to have a different voice actor or actress unless it was meant. Nobody in Bakemonogatari had different personalities causing it to have different voice actors or actress. What is known for sure is that the audio is great throughout. The opening is normally made by the arc’s main character. For an example, Nekomonogatari White starred Hanekawa Tsubasa so the voice actress of Hanekawa would sing the opening song. It is unique and it requires money and effort to be made. This is one way to show that Studio Shaft is trying to keep the same format as Bakemonogatari.

The audio for Monogatari Season Two is great. The opening is kept classy with the main character of the arc starring in the opening. For an example, if Hachikuji was the main character of the arc, Hachikuji will voice the opening and have a unique opening animation. This concept was started in Bakemonogatari and was brought over. I really liked this concept and it was used beautifully in Monogatari Second Season.

Overall, Monogatari Second Season is a good anime to watch. It is a genre that all could enjoy. I am sure that SHAFT poured their hearts out to appeal to their fan base and the general anime audience. The story is worth following up upon and the light novels are a great read. One cannot judge a book by its cover until its contents was seen.

After watching Nisemonogatari and Nekomonogatari: Kuro, I really thought that the future Monogatari series will never live up to Bakemonogatari and will not be as good as Bake. That's not the case though because Monogatari Series: Second Season completely blew my expectations and it was miles better than Bakemonogatari.

(This is an in-depth review meaning there will be SPOILERS in my review)

[Story]: (9.9/10) (SPOILERS)
Monogatari Series: Second Season is a sequel to "Nisemonogatari" and it chronologically takes place right after the events of Nise. The bee apparition is now gone, and summer vacation where the phoenix apparition averted harm is over. Around Koyomi Araragi and the girls ... who started a new trimester, apparitions, or perhaps threats even worse, were creeping in ever closer. Monogatari Series: Second Season is an adaptation of a light novels with the same which contained 6 volumes.

I actually mean it when I said that Monogatari Series: Second Season is better than Bakemonogatari. What the show did is take everything from Bakemonogatari in terms of storytelling and plot structure that made it great and they significantly improved it. In other words, it felt like an improved version of Bakemonogatari. Only this time, it's a sequel that's better than the predecessor. A.lot.better!

The series is divided into 5 arcs. Each arc containing a character with new mysteries/problem that Araragi needs to solve. Don't worry, none of these mysteries are the same as Bake. They're all fresh and new mysteries. These arcs are called "Nekomonogatari: Shiro", "Kabukimonogatari", "Otorimonogatari", "Onimonogatari", "Koimonogatari". No wonder, the show's called "Monogatari Series". These arcs are all mini-story packed into one. They could have done the same thing as Bake and Nise by separately releasing all 5 arcs into 5 separate shows but this is obviously more effective.

Now I want to review the 5 arcs without spoiling too much. Expect some minor spoilers though. The first arc is "Nekomonogatari: Shiro" or "Tsubasa, Tiger". If you watched Nekomonogatari: Kuro then by simply looking at the name of this arc, you should already know that this is going to be focused on Hanekawa. Just by watching the first 2 episodes of this arc, you'll notice someone missing. That's right, Araragi. He's not completely missing though, he's just gone for this arc. I'm kinda glad that Araragi is not in this arc. While I do like seeing Araragi in action, Araragi not making an appearance in this arc (he does make an appearance at the end of this arc) gives Hanekawa and Senjougahara more character interaction without Araragi on their sight or else it will just turn into a love triangle. For the most part, the arc shows that Hanekawa can be an independent girl and can solve problems on her own until the ending in which she was saved by Araragi. I really don't know what to feel about the ending of "Tsubasa Tiger". It was nice to see Hanekawa being an independent girl and I would have loved to see Hanekawa solve her problem completely without Araragi's help. Overall, it was still a great first arc with a decent ending.

Next up is Kabukimonogatari or Mayoi Jiangshi. Just by watching the first 2 episodes of this arc, you'll notice something different again. No, Araragi is not missing again. Despite the fact that this arc was supposed to be Hachikugi's arc. It felt like it was Shinobu's arc. Let me explain, the story is focused on Hachikugi. The reason why the arc is happening is because of Hachikugi but in terms of screen-time, Shinobu got a lot more while Hachikugi was almost non-existant. Does that mean the arc was shit? Haha, No! This arc is one of the best arc I've seen in Monogatari Series. It's got a great and clever story. The arc begins with Araragi; along with Shinobu, going back in time because he forgot to do his summer homework. That alone was pretty hilarious. Araragi and Shinobu discovered that they traveled 11 years back into the past. Araragi finds out that they traveled in a time period where Hachikugi was still alive and he decides to save her. However, this messed up the entire world. Everything after that is just awesome. Finding out that they actually visited an alternate reality?!...I am done. I never even thought of that. It's like they threw the "time travel" concept right out of the window. Not only does this arc have a great and clever story, this also developed Shinobu's character even further and made her the most interesting character in Monogatari Series.

Next up is Otorimonogatari or Nadeko Medusa. Ughh, this arc. I have a love and hate relationship with this arc. I love the arc because of the great story and plot-twist and I hate this arc because Nadeko has now turned into a yandere bitch. To be more specific, I hate her more than the arc itself. Look, I understand what Nadeko was going through but turning into a snake god because you don't want to be called cute anymore and killing Araragi, Shinobu and Senjougahara because of your damn jealousy? In my opinion, she took it way too far. She could have moved on because there are other things to do out there besides romance. She acted like it was the end of the world because her romance didn't work out the way she wanted it too. Despite all of this, this greatly builds and develops Nadeko's character. In Bake, she was this cute character that had a problem but in Monogatari Series: Second Season, there's a reason why she didn't want to be treated like she's special just because she's cute. This, in turn, made her into what she is today. A psychopathic yandere bitch. Why psychopathic you ask? She's hearing voices bruh. That voice wasn't even from the snake god.

Next up is Onimonogatari or Shinobu Time. You'll notice something different again while watching this arc. That's right, this time Hachikugi gets way more screentime than Shinobu despite the fact that this is her arc. In other words, Onimonogatari and Kabukimonogatari are kind of flipped around if you think about it. There is a difference though..Shinobu got a decent amount of screentime and most of her screentime was dedicated to explaining what the "darkness" is. To summarize, the "darkness" was chasing Araragi and Hachikuji, they (or we) learn what "it" is, they realize that they can't stop the "darkness" and Hachikugi says her fairwells and goes on to live the "next life". I have to say, the story was fairly simple but this arc developed Hachikugi's character even further. This arc can do either one of these things to you. Break your manliness or be depressed for the whole day. I got the second one. This arc depressed the living hell out of me for the whole day.

Lastly, there's Koimonogatari or Hitage End. In my opinion, this is the best arc out of the 5. Just like Nekomonogatari: Kuro and Otorimonogatari, Araragi is non-existant. That's good, meaning that I get to see Senjougahara; my favourite character in the Monogatari Series, get more screentime. Oh, how I was wrong. While I was watching this arc, I noticed that Kaiki; the main antagonist in Nisemonogatari, is getting more screentime than Senjougahara..I was quickly disappointed but that disappointed quickly turned into a smiley face after the 1st episode of her arc. I can't believe it...An antagonist...was quickly turning into my favourite villians of all time. The moment where he was deciding; on the front of a mirror, whether he should help Araragi and Senjougahara or not, I knew his character was going to get even better and it did. Monogatari Series: Second Season did a wonderful job presenting Kaiki's change in character. The final arc of the series also kept developing Nadeko's character and revealed more and more about her past life and her intentions. I honestly thought that Nadeko was going to be ignored after her arc in Bake because she barely got any screentime in the second half of Bake and the entirety of Nise but I'm glad she's not being ignored. Even though she's now one of the most hated characters in Monogatari Series.

The dialogue scenes that is so ever famous in the Monogatari Series is back and if you've managed to come at this point of the series then you already know that the series is full of dialogue scenes that can last for a whole episode. Some people found the dialogue scenes to be extremely boring, hence the reason why the dropped the series. Let's be real here. If you've come this far then you shouldn't have any issues with the dialogue scenes. I said shouldn't.

Putting the story aside, fanservice in Monogatari Series: Second Season has been reduced significantly when compared to Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari. You can still spot some fanservice scenes like the first couple of episodes in "Tsubasa Tiger" arc and in later arcs but they're easy to ignore and doesn't really affect the serious tone of the show.

"Monogatari Series: Second Second" has one minor issue and one minor issue only. It's the recap episodes. It would have been ok if there was one but there's three. Why?.......Like I said, it's just a minor issue and it affected the show's rating only by .1. Not that big of a deal

Last thing that I want to talk about is the pacing...In my Bakemonogatari review, I mentioned that the only reason why I didn't give the show a 10 is the pacing. It was going pretty fast but not too fast that will make the show a failure like some certain A-1 Pictures anime. Monogatari Series: Second Season's pacing is damn perfect. It's seriously perfect. It wasn't too fast nor was it too slow. It was at a normal pacing and it explained the situation in a smooth manner so I was able to understand what was going on in all 5 arcs without any troubles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Art/Animation]: (10/10)
Now this is the animation that I was looking for Shaft. They didn't have to change the visuals because it was perfect to begin with. What they needed to fix was the lighting because the lack of reflection and shadows in the previous shows was quite irritating and that's what they did here. Indeed, there were some shadows in the previous shows but those were forced. They weren't present all the time. All the weird animation from the previous shows are still here (SHAFT head tilts, messy camera angles, flashing text, etc.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sound]: (10/10)
Note that majority of the score for the "Sound" category comes from the Opening theme and part of it comes from the Ending theme so it doesn't matter if the soundtrack is crap or the voice acting is crap, it won't affect my sound rating that much. I'm not, however, saying that the soundtrack and the VA is crap because they're not. OST sounds great, the soundtrack sounds great and the VA's did a wonderful job voicing the characters. Especially Nadeko's VA with her supposedly cutesy moe voice. Now, the OP and ED theme songs.

The OP theme songs are "chocolate insomnia" by Hanekawa Tsubasa, "happy bite" by Hachikugi Mayoi, "Mosou Express" by Nadeko Sengoku, "white lies" by the Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus, "fast love" by Hitagi Senjougahara, and "Kogarashi Sentiment" by Hitagi Senjougahara and Kaiki Deshou. The ED theme songs are "Ai wo Utae" by Luna Haruna, "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" by supercell, "Sono Koe wo Oboeteru" by Marina Kawano, and "snowdrop" by Luna Haruna × Marina Kawano.

If you want my opinions on the OP theme songs, they all sound great. None of them were bad and most of the OP theme songs made it into my favourite opening songs. I love the 1st OP theme song because of Hanekawa's cute voice and the song's catchy tunes. I love the 2nd OP theme song because of the catchy tune. Hachikugi's voice was just an added bonus. I love the 3rd OP theme song because of its effective use of foreshadowing. When I first heard the 3rd OP theme song, I knew something bad was going to happen to Nadeko but what I didn't know is she did it to her self. Watching the 3rd OP theme song again, I guess it also shows her breakdown. Even the lyrics themselves are foreshadowing the character's actions. I don't know what to feel about the 4th OP. It wasn't bad but I would have preferred Shinobu's VA to sing the OP theme song. Well, real life sucks sometimes with all these contracts and other unknown reasons. Then there's the 5th OP which contains 2 versions. The 1st version where Senjougahara was singing and the 2nd version where Kaiki and Senjougahara were both in a duet. I just want to say that the Opening Animation used for the 5th OP was so clever and something original for once. Just watch the OP yourself. I also want to mention the singers for the 5th OP. I didn't have any problem with Senjougahara singing but the duet version...Jesus Christ...what the hell is up with Kaiki's voice?! I was literally laughing my ass off when I heard him singing. If that was intentional and I am very sure it was, then great job for Kaiki's VA because his singing is comedy gold. The ED theme songs are decent in my opinion but none of the ED theme songs here has beaten Bakemonogatari's ED yet.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Characters]: (10/10)
Most of the characters you know and love from the Monogatari series returns here in the Second Season. I gotta say, the show did an outstanding job with the character development. By taking out Araragi in 3 of the 5 arcs and the series being 26 episodes, the show gave the girls more screentime, they're more fleshed out and like I said, they got character development. However, there were 3 girls that didn't get screentime at all and that's the Fire Sisters and Kanbaru Suruga. I'm going to have to cut Kanbaru because she gets her own arc after the Monogatari Series: Second Season. I guess the Fire Sisters have no more stories to be told. You can still hear them in the "Previews" but I don't think that counts as screentime.

This category ain't that long because most of my character reviews are in the "Story" category. I guess moving them in this category would be more sensible but I'm satisfied with how I wrote my review and what category I put the reviews in.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Enjoyment]: (10/10)
I never thought I would enjoy the Monogatari Series: Second Season so much. Even though the show is 95% dialogue, I still enjoyed this show a helluva lot more than a "shounen" show that contains 95% action. Bakemonogatari used to be on my Top 10 list but after watching this show, Monogatari Series: Second Season will take that spot.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[VERDICT]
"Monogatari Series: Second Season" is truly an outstanding anime that blows Bake, Nise and Neko out of the water. This is also one of those rare sequels that beats the original show. The show takes everything from Bake and improved it. I'm talking about the dialogue scenes, huge improvement in pacing, significantly reduced fanservice and the story is a lot more clever than Bake. I will also say that it's a lot better than Bake. If you have watched Bake, Nise and Neko then it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you watch this show now.

[OVERALL]: (9.9/10)


Pros:
+All 5 arcs have outstanding stories and are all well though out
+Outstanding and Unique Animation
+Soundtrack is a masterpiece
+All the characters are developed and fleshed out
+Significantly improved pacing
+Fanservice reduced significantly
+Kaiki's change in character is perfect
+Dialogue scenes are way better than the predecessors

Cons:
-Three Recap Episodes

I'm just going to cut to the chase: Monogatari Second Season is absolutely fantastic and has several arcs, ranging from great to incredible. I'll be sure to mention them in the order they appear. 3/5 of the arcs have someone else as the protagonist, instead of Koyomi, and I really enjoy seeing how certain characters think (Particularly, Kaiki). My main complaint stems from the fact that Hanamonogatari should have been the 3rd arc, before Otorimonogatari not separate from the Second Season, but just watch Hana before Otori and you'll be fine.

[SPOILERS]

Tsubasa Tiger (Nekomonogatari: Shiro): 9/10
Takes place around the same time as Kabuki, after Nise. Tsubasa ... Hanekawa

Mayoi Hell (Kabukimonogatari): 8/10
Takes place around the same time as Neko: Shiro, after Nise. Araragi

Nadeko Medusa (Otorimonogatari): 10/10
Takes place after Owari 1-2. Nadeko Sengoku has adapted to being called "cute": A description of herself she simultaneously hates immensely. While going about her daily life, she is pressured by her teacher to fix the classroom attitude, which was damaged from Kaiki's fake charms in Nise; a task she knows is impossible. She grew out her bangs in order to hide her true expression; to ignore those around her and be ignored in return. While taking her shoes out of her locker, she spots a white snake. Initially she believes it to be her eyes playing tricks on her. She calls Koyomi, but lies to him about not seeing anything. Over time, she befriends a white snake god called Mr. Kuchinawa. The snake instructs for her to find his "corpse." She continues lying to Koyomi about not seeing any apparations. She eventually meets with Tsukihi and discussing her unrequited love for Koyomi. In response, Tsukihi cuts her bangs; what she considered to be her protection. Now, she's vulnerable to attention and she is called out by her teacher one day to fix the problem again. She can't just pretend she'll do something about it, since she can't hide behind her bangs anymore. This time, however, Nadeko retaliates back at her teacher telling him that he's an idiot and it's impossible for her to even begin to fix the issue. She storms off to her class, yells at her classmates, then leaves school mid-day. She decides to search for the corpse at the Araragi household and finds it hidden in a porno mag. She whispers to herself about her obsession with Koyomi, and it turns out he was eavesdropping the entire time. This whole time, Nadeko has been deceiving herself with her own false delusions of her "romance" with Koyomi; it being the only thing she still cares about, despite knowing Koyomi has a girlfirend. Shinobu belittles her and upon eating the talisman, Nadeko becomes a god and completely decimates Koyomi and Shinobu. The story ends with Hitagi calling and asking for Nadeko to delay killing all three of them until graduation day. Otorimonogatari is continued in Koimonogatari, which is Hitagi's desperate plan to save their lives.

Shinobu Time (Onimonogatari): 8/10
Takes place directly after Kabuki. After Koyomi and Shinobu traveled back in time to prevent Mayoi's death 11 years ago in Kabuki, Koyomi reunites with Mayoi and gives Mayoi her backpack, which she was looking for in Kabuki. While playing around, Mayoi spots a sinister darkness looming towards the both of them and Koyomi starts peddling away. Also reuniting with Ononoki, she jumps and transports the three of them to the top of a building. There, Mayoi passes out and Shinobu tells Koyomi of the tale of how she met her first servant and the darkness. Shinobu, or rather, Kiss-shot was believed to have been a god by local townsfolk for bringing them rain occasionally. This led her to abuse her deity status, despite not being one, and tricking the poor villagers. She came across a man who wielded two blades (the long one she replicated and uses with Koyomi throughout the series; the short was known to bring back life to apparations) and he was known to be the first oddity specialist. For some reason, a darkness appeared and disposed of all the villagers, until none remained. She met with the oddity specialist and searched everywhere, but to no avail. Over time, the darkness came for Kiss-Shot and the specialist was eaten up by the darkness. Only his hand remained, which Kiss-Shot promptly revived. Upon being revived, the specialist was not pleased. He hated his existence for being revived by a vampire, blamed Kiss-Shot, and committed suicide. The reason why the darkness caught up to her, was because she faked her status of a deity. The darkness targets "fakes." After some shenanigans with Ononoki, Mayoi, and Shinobu, Koyomi meets up with Izuko Gaen who tells him that Mayoi is the fake. Since she already had her unfinished business fulfilled way back in Bakemonogatari, she was a ghost of a ghost; she was viewed as a fake ghost by the darkness. In order to stop the darkness, Mayoi ascended and had a tearful goodbye with Koyomi.

Hitagi End (Koimonogatari): 11/10
Takes place directly after Otori. Kaiki Deishu has received a call from Senjougahara, causing his trip to Kyoto to be cut short. After reuniting with her, Senjougahara tells him that Aragari, Shinobu, and her only have till Graduation Day to live. What request could she possibly have for Kaiki? Deceive Nadeko Sengoku. We follow Kaiki as the protagonist of this arc, and man absolutely kills it. This arc should have been named "Detective Kaiki," because he is just completely spot on and extremely particular about the case he's handed. His cynical and underhanded nature aren't muted at all, yet you start to see a new side of Kaiki which made his earlier appearances make that much more sense. God I love Kaiki.

Overall, I honestly don't believe that the Final Season will top this one for me.

[I'll come back later to finish this review]

"The past is just the past. There's no inherent value in getting over it or catching up to it." - Kaiki Deishū

Monogatari Series: Second Season, which is actually not the second season, follows Araragi and his harem through the continuous interactions with apparitions. In my opinion, this season is what takes the Monogatari Series from being great to a masterpiece that will withstand the passage of time. I'll try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible for the entirety of the Monogatari Series.

Art/Sound (10/10):
First and foremost, the art and the sounds (osts, openings, endings, etc.) are phenomenal as usual. At first, especially at ... the beginning of the Monogatari series (i.e. Bakemonogatari), the art style and choreography, with the constant eye zooms, empty backgrounds, and numerous panty shots may feel kinda awkward. However, as the series progresses, you become accustomed to it and laugh along with it. Also, the soundtracks are beautiful, the usage of new osts while hearing old ones throughout the series is refreshing yet also "nostalgic." The Monogatari series has one of the most unique art styles I've seen, and some of the best sound tracks I've heard, I'm 100% for it. So even if it may seem "weird" at first, give it a go and you'll get used to it.

Characters (10/10):
Each and every character in this series is exceptionally fleshed out. Through the previous seasons (Bake, Kizu, Nise, and Nekomongatari Kuro), the author builds upon each character, giving the history, but not fully developing them just yet. However, as you enter Monogatari Series: Second Season, each of these characters is hit with their own development. In every arc, this season, Araragi and the main heroine in the arc are given outstanding interactions and evolution. In addition, the cast is extremely unique, with each and every girl being best girl. They'll have you laughing, grossed out, turned on, and crying along with them. Each character feels "alive" and with each action/dialogue they make, it latches the viewer on even more.

Story (10/10):
Most of what I can say about the story goes hand-in-hand with each character as every arc is more or less every character-based. Nevertheless, even though the characters are the main focus, the plots and problems they encounter are always so numerous and different. The themes the author covers through the action of Araragi and his "harem" are analyzing expanded upon. In addition, the level of foreshadowing in this series is astonishing. For instance, a simple dialogue prompt or a certain action may just end up being one of the revealing factors in the show. As I said in my characters sections, the build-up and development the author does with the characters in the previous season are truly explored in this season. Some characters may reach the end of their own arc while others will begin theirs. The way each arc concludes is satisfactory, either giving you a feeling of joy or leaving you with suspense to continue watching.

Enjoyment (10/10):
Honestly, the enjoyment in this season was remarkable. Each arc, each character interaction, each head-turn, each ecchi scene was hilarious. I enjoyed the absolute hell out of this series. It delivers you with so many different emotions and I'm glad I picked this series up.

Overall:
Overall, this season is phenomenal. Every character is amazingly fleshed out. The plot is entertaining yet mysterious, the soundtracks and art are marvelous. This season is definitely a 10/10. Honestly speaking, if you love exceptional character interactions woven through an intricate and compelling plot, with some ecchi on the side, you will 100% enjoy this series. If you have some time on your hand, check this series out, you won't regret it.

P.S. Shinobu is best girl, right after the legend that is Kaiki Deishū

Shaft and Nisio Isin are like peanut butter and jelly. Both are good on their own, but together, they compliment each other with such perfect synergy to form something truly amazing. They both have their own unique quirks and styles that really come together in the best way. Isin's stories are character driven, and Monogatari is no exception. Shaft has a way of injecting so much life and personality into all his characters. You instantly fall in love with each character's personality, from Hachikuji's playful insults and Kaiki's snark and cynicism. This is especially important because of the focus on character and perspective in Season ... 2. We get narrators besides Araragi for the first time in the series, which not only provides us with more insight but is very refreshing. It offers up opportunities for the story to be told in a whole new way. While Hanekawa is narrator we get a slow paced story about self discovery and acceptance. Switch back to Araragi and it's more faced paced shonen style. Then Kaiki takes the stage and we're left with what feels like reading a detective mystery novel. There variety lends itself to quite intricate and complex character interactions.

Minor characters from previous entries are given new and more important roles so that we can become more familiar with them (I said with a posed look). New characters are introduced as well - including a possible antagonist of sorts, which is fantastic addition. The music in the series is up to par with what we've come to expect, if not better. The seiyuus still sing their respective openings which I always found particularly charming. Without wanting to give to much away, the last OP left a huge smile on my face - it was definitely a big surprise. If I had one complaint, it would be that we're often faced with budget starved visuals. It's disappointing that it's not the most aesthetically pleasing entry in the series, but it doesn't manage to take away from what is otherwise a fantastic show. Everything we know and love from the series is taken and improved upon in season 2. It's thought provoking, engaging and just overall and enjoyable watch. I'm confident to say that this is the best entry in the Monogatari series so far.

The Monogatari series is a collection of tales.

Some shorter than others, every single one of them is entertaining in its own, unique way.
Their self-contained nature allows them to be so drastically different from one another but also fit together well in compilations, which are in essence the various Monogatari seasons.
There are funny stories, sad stories, love stories, fairytales and almost every kind of one you can think of at the top of your head, and Monogatari series: second season is no different in that sense.

This season has the same format as the previous ones have, even if it tends to be closer to Bakemonogatari rather ... than Nisemonogatari. But it does different a lot of things that make this particular compilation of stories more compelling and interesting than everything else that came before.

The self-contained arcs are longer than usual in this season, which can be both a bad thing if you aren’t really a fan of very dialogue-heavy episodes where nothing really seems to happen or a good thing, if you enjoy listening to different characters with different outlooks on life and different philosophies for what seems like an eternity.
Personally, I always thought the major emphasis on dialogue that encompasses the Monogatari series as a whole to be entertaining and a unique enough feature to distinguish itself from other anime of the same genre, but it can definitely put some people off, and I completely understand that.

The art and sound design in second season are what you would expect if you had seen the previous seasons, nothing more and nothing less, but it manages to stay consistent and it has a lot of details that you might miss if you don’t pay much attention, which don’t mean much for the story but amp up the enjoyment you get from the experience.

Having said all the above, the major selling point for this season in particular are the characters.
Saying that no other anime I’ve ever seen has made me relate so much to fictional characters is not an understatement.
Every major arc has its protagonist, first the intelligent but troubled Hanekawa, then the impossibly perfect and self-centered Sengoku, and finally the cold and rational Kaiki, with Araragi shifting from being the protagonist in every story like in Bakemonogatari to being more of an extra, an accessory to someone else’s story.
I like Araragi very much, but having the same biased point of view on everything makes you see different characters in a different light from what they actually are, and shifting the perspective makes the viewer connect deeply with them, in a way that would have been impossible if the shift didn’t happen in the first place.

To conclude, I cannot recommend this season enough, especially if you liked what the previous installments of the Monogatari series brought to the table. And even if you didn’t particularly enjoy them, I still think you should give this a watch, because it is different in such a way that might make you change your idea of the series. Every story is touching in a way, and while they may not be perfect, I hope they might provide you with food for thought and stay with you for a long time, even if just a little.

Short Review
The Monogatari Second Season is one of the best anime from my perspective. This anime is a continuation of the previous one, Bakemonogatari and/or Nise & Nekomonogatari. Overall I really enjoy watching all episodes. I strongly advise for those who want to watch this had better have watched Kuro, Bake, and Nisemonogatari first. Moreover, I strongly recommended this anime for those who like the mix of mystery, vampire, supernatural, romance, and a little bit of ecchi, psychological, and violence.

Back to basic, that this anime, of course, is not for everyone. I advise those who hate to see even a bit of ecchi and loli ... avoid this anime for all costs!!!!!!! (I always think they are not loli, but whatever) You will regret it later. However, in the end, if you haven't that restriction, trust me, you won't regret watching it. Overall, 10+/10, and this one is one of my favorite lists.



Long Review.
After watching all episodes from Monogatari Second Season, I will break down the review after watching all episodes. Also, I will tell you what I feel and think below.

Story & Plot (9.5/10)
The story, as overall, is excellent and fantastic story-telling anime. The anime adapts 5 Monogatari Nekomonogatari (Shiro), Mayoi Jianshi, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari, and Koimonogatari. The pacing of the story & plot is excellent, though sometimes feel fast. The mystery that surrounding is magnificent, and sometimes it is unexpected. It even breaks the cliche from the most anime (the most one I like is Araragi, Man of the Culture!!!).

Monogatari is anime (or I can say even from all animation and film or movie) with a really different approach for the spectator to enjoy the story and story-telling. I think they even search for some of the literature to make the story. It is what makes the story has its own uniqueness. Sometimes you can even connect the dot the story before the conclusion. Every action even will affect one chronology to another one.

When watching this anime, Sometimes you will laugh & smile. At other times you will feel sad and even crying (don't worry, if you even crying, you are not alone). Monogatari 2nd is really great for play at what you feel and occasion what you think. However, that feeling and mystery are what make this anime is excellent. The journey of that feel and uncovering the unknown will cause you will back again in the future to rewatch the anime.

Art & Animation (9.5/10)
The art and animation are excellent. It gives us a consistent quality that makes me feel it is a great one. The transition from one scene to the other one is quite fluently. The animation gives us a really lot of angles that make you won't be bored for watching it, either one-two episodes or a marathon. The color is excellent, too. It gives us some vivid and clear emphasis. Occasionally, the art and color, even the symbol, give us some clue that makes you more perceive the story's mystery.

Sound and Music (10+/10)
What I like most about Monogatari is catchy OST. The opening and ending are flawless. Not only gives us a catchy opening and ending, but the message is profound, too. The lyrics from the opening is one that reflects the characters' feeling (Even if you don't understand Japanese). The sound is iconic, too, that every character even has their own music and OST. The placement of the music and sound is also excellent. It is placed really well that emphasis the condition from mystery to even comedic one. The voice actor is wonderful, too. Not only are they singing for the opening, but also the voice is fitting really well to the character. You won't be tired of hearing them talking about the plot and the story.

Character (10/10)
Every character has their own backstory that makes them do what you watch at anime. Every choice that the character chooses is interesting. It gives us a message, and that feeling is really astonished. The unexpected and resolved from the characters are most I loved to see. The development of character is outstanding. They give a profound message, too, for us. The most I like is the story from Shinobu parts. I won't spoil it here, but well, you can watch it you own and feel that one.

Enjoyment and Conclusion (10+/10)
One word for this anime, flawless. The combination from story, art, sound, and character is perfect. The comedy part, the mystery part, the explanation part is excellent. Sometimes you will be confused and perplexed with the story. However, all of the questions will be answered in future episodes. Sometimes, playing detective (Remember: Without spoiler) and trying guessing is a great experience. The mixed of the feeling, from happy, excited, curious, confused, and even crying, is strong. I really enjoy this anime, and this one is perfect for rewatching. In the end, I don't regret that I spend my time watching this anime and gives the review.

Overall
I track my score (1-12) from all episodes (23), excluding the recap one.
Episode - Score
(1) 9.5, 10.5, 9.5, 10, 11
(7) 10, 10.5, 11, 11
(12) 9.5, 10.25, 10.75, 10.5
(17) 11, 9, 10.5, 11
(21) 9.75, 10.5, 10.25, 10, 10.5, 11
Total Raw Score: 237
Main Anime score: 237,5/23 x 10 x 87.5% = 90.35
Opening & Ending score = 110 x 12.5% = 13.75
Total score is 104.1 that means overall score is 10

Monogatari Series: Second Season is the continuation of the series right after the events of Nisemonogatari. As a watcher of the previous seasons of Monogatari. I am happy to say that SHAFT continues to bring out its beautiful art style which is joined by its use of sound to create a strange but unique story in the anime.

Story: 10/10
The storytelling in the Second Season is slightly different then its previous seasons. As almost each arc is told by one of the supporting characters with the help of Araragi and Shinobu who are the main protagonists. Each specific arc in the series is told at different ... times ranging from summer to winter season in the story. The story itself requires many to watch the previous seasons as the Second Season is fairly complex. The complex story is appealing as it usually surprises me in the ending of the arc. The Story in the Monogatari Series is truly unique as each arc is slowly united into another arc which show the outcome of the consequences that Araragi or another character makes. The pacing in the story is slow likes its previous season. The Season Season does not contain really any fanservice unlike Nisemonogatari except more of an occasional comedy while still maintaining its seriousness in the storytelling. I did not like that the Otorimonogatari arc was pushed aside to be resolved until another arc was finished. The second season was also missing the Hanamonogatari arc. The ending of Season Season however was great as it paves the way for a new season in the future.

Art: 10/10
The series excels very well in its unique art style and visuals. A lot of the visuals and scenery that were hand painted were beautifully incorporated into the anime. The art style is realistic as the illustration utilizes the light and shadows in the background to create a wonderful setting for the story without using too much color. I believe the art style fits the story as fine like its previous seasons. The art style was relatively the same quality as before. Near the end of the season the opening visual of the Koimonogatari arc seemed outdated and old. The backgrounds are definitely memorable as VOfan's illustration is very distinct in his paintings and drawings. The character designs were appealing along with the hair style. Each character looked different and special in their own style.

Sound: 9/10
The characters that were portrayed in the previous season fits the different characters great. I believe the voices actors were chosen to fit their typical role for the voices. The background music is a big key to the art and story of Monogatari. By using the beautiful art style and sound like the previous seasons it allows the series to set up a bright or gloomy setting for the story. The soundtracks enhanced the action scenes for the different arcs. The OST that was used in the anime is intriguing and I would probably listen to it when it gets released. The OP/ED always have been one of the best which changes every time a new arc starts or ends. The Nekomonogatari: Shiro, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari and Koimonogatari OP/ED were one the most notable and best in my opinion.

Character: 9/10
Many of the characters in Monogatari were well-rounded having a human flaw and strength. They all bare the traits of human nature. Some of the characters are either clever, manipulative, innocent, wise , selfish and brave in someway. The characters reacted in a realistic way; learning and understanding the problems that pop up in the story. I was not able to relate any of the characters together as they were all special in their own way. Some of the characters did deteriorate to the point where they were willing to risk anything to change the outcome and or hide their true intention. I believe it is fine for the characters to deteriorate as it will be interesting to see how it progress in the future seasons of the Monogatari Series. Shinobu and Kaiki would be the foils for Araragi and Senjougahara in the series as play a strong support role in the last 2 arcs of the season. The main antagonist in the story had a open motivation which to some may seem insane or extreme, however we are told slowly on how the antagonist become this way near the end of the season which is realistic due to natural human behavior of being selfish. We are not really told much in the second season about Ougi Oshino but it seems most likely that the character is the second antagonist in the future. The supporting cast was just fine and perfect without it being overcrowed as Monogatari mostly focuses on the one supporting character for each specific arc. The main character Koyomi Araragi is the most prominent and memorable character just like the in previous seasons.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I believe many people will like this anime as the art and story arc are fascinating. I think non-anime/manga fans may like this anime for its unique style but some individual maybe discouraged due to the slow pacing. I might re-watch the entire series in the future if I read the light novel. I think re-watching the series will help me understand some of the information that I missed the first time. If they had complete Monogatari Series translated or straight from Japan I would definitely buy it because I love the story telling with the occasion comedy and action in Monogatari. The Monogatari Series is pretty memorable as it ended year on a good note.

Overall: 10/10
As you can see, SHAFT continues to bring out a compelling anime series that will satisfy many of its fans with its great story and unique art/sound from the previous season.

Brilliant! Probably the most interesting Monogatari season to date! They made many references and built upon subtle clues from the original seasons that just fascinated me. There was a ton of dialogue as well as character development that made me question who was the real protagonist of the story. The ending was a masterpiece and completely unexpected. This season was long 26 episodes, but made me crave more nonetheless. I cannot wait for more Monogatari content to be released~

STORY: 10/10
Was intricate and the episodes were intentionally not in the correct order in terms of plot progression time-wise. The entirety of S2 references the previous seasons ... heavily so you must have watched those beforehand. There are a lot of small details that end up playing huge roles throughout the story and the unpredictability of how things will turn out. While a lot of loose ends are tied from the previous seasons, even more questions are left open for the future seasons. This is intentional. This season also takes a bit more of a tragic/dark turn compared to the previous seasons as we witness death/equivalent occur to some characters. The story was engrossing and had me hooked like a crack addict every week waiting to get my ~26minute fix every week. Like previous seasons most of the episodes consist of the characters mainly talking around backgrounds or just with seizure inducing screen flashes of narrator thought processes. The story definitely gets a perfect from me.

ART: 9/10
Typical Shaft artwork for the monogatari series thusfar. They had some creative OP and ED animations but nothing too surprising overall given their past seasons. A few of the episodes (especially the last one) had some sloppy and somewhat uninteresting artwork and backgrounds. The artwork wasn't as crisp as Nisemonogatari but it was still much more interesting than most other anime released. I suppose I am being stingy, but I am comparing Shaft to its previous work and being stingy :p

SOUND: 9/10
The OPs and EDs were all mostly spectacular and I enjoyed listening to them. I even downloaded Happy Bite, Kogarashi Sentiment and Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari to my phone to listen to on my daily commute. However the osts and various background sounds from the anime were nothing too special. They were mainly the same from previous seasons or slightly remixed. They still fit most situations brilliantly but they aren't anything too spectacular, perhaps because I have grown used to hearing them? Overall the sound was well done and I really shouldn't complain about it too much.

CHARACTER: 10/10
Character development is HUGE in this season. We learn more about all of the characters and the narrators are all different people throughout the season. If you watched the season you know what I am talking about when I say one narrator completely wins the "most interesting character" award for the entire series really in just around 6 episodes. All the characters show a lot of their backstories and problems in ways not portrayed to us (in previous seasons). We laugh at their jokes, cheer for them during their struggles and cry when they fail or are in trouble. There are many emotional scenes throughout the season that can make you feel overjoyed or traumatized by the character's outcome. Overall the characters were brilliantly done and well flushed out. This season made a previously minor character (in my eyes) into one of my favorites.

ENJOYMENT: 10/10
Saying I enjoyed this would be a understatement. I was addicted to this season and I am already feeling the withdrawal symptoms now that is over. It was well planned and the presentation/implementation was amazing. The characters and story altogether made for the best anime two seasons straight. S2 easily joins my top 5 anime and I can't wait for this to come out on Blu-Ray. This season officially converted me into joining the Monogatari Cult!

OVERALL: 10/10
I highly recommend you watch this. If you never jumped into the Monogatari series before now is the time to begin. Even if you dislike the first few seasons your opinion will change after watching this season.

Favorite Monogatari season by far. Deep and complex character interactions(Kaiki-Senjougahara, Nadeko-Kaiki, Hachikuji-Araragi etc),most interesting stories, strong feelings and heartwarming momments. Nekomonogatari white, second and final part of nekomonogatari completes Hanekawa's arc in the best way. I find Hanekawa's personality kind of annoying and her gimmick doesnt help her so much but in this story she presented another aspect of her essence and i find it pretty interesting and loveable. In other hand her co-competitor, Senjougahara remains a character with a difficult personality who doesnt know how to comunicate and all her act seems fake
if we consider her age but one boy can fix ... that easily.

Next we have Hachikuji's story. Araragi and Shinobu try to rescue Hachikuji from her fate with the most enjoyable and loveable time-travel story ever made. Their interaction is amazing and with momments like when they meet loli class prez, when they ask informations for a lost unknown to them 10yo old girl in the police office and the "first" meeting with Hachikuji put the show in a shiny way.

Also leading role in this season has the snake girl. Its true that i love her design but i didnt except to love her personality too. Absolutely love the fact that she is obsessed with araraki and tried to do anything to take him with her. On the surface she is just a girl who doesnt like to be called "cute" cause some self-esteem or maybe more complicated problems. Ηer problem finally broke with an exaggeration way but in the end an adult advice was enough to solve that. Kaiki conquer Nadeko's heart but not only her, he was the absolutely mvp of the season.

In the end of my review i want to write some words for my favorite part of the season and those 2 momments that i couldnt ever forget. When Shaft chooses to direct the monogatari series with a specific way(with lack of mobility) knew well that the details are those that going to make the show a success. An example was the kissing scene with the blonde vampire, her body moves speak of their own, the cuts were so much intense that didnt need words to discribe the scene. Shinobu and Araragi connection is the strongest one and they prove it every time. One more scene that left me speechless was samurai's story narration. Sakamoto Maaya(Shinobu seiyuu) skills and a well down writing scenario were enough to create one of the best momments in series.

I couldnt possible forgot the purest creature on earth, Mayoi Hachikuji, but i want to keep my thoughts on me cause i dont want to destroy that amazing scene, i cant review that, picture had so much power there that words doesnt matter at all. To close, Kaiki-Senjougahara relationship was so powerfull too, when Senjou breaks her character is a lovable creature and Kaiki help her so much with that.

Answers a lot of questions left from the first season...

OK, I must admit the Monogatari series leaves me with mixed feelings. On one level, it is one of the more difficult shows to follow the story line. Then, add to that, a lot of inner dialog that borders on the neurotic and you have a show that can become tedious to watch. However, there is a good payoff because the characters are interesting, as are the reveals at the end of each vignette.

Do watch the series from the beginning (Bakemonogatari, Niseimonogatari, Monogatari) to fully understand and enjoy all the subplots.

The harem genre is the trashiest of anime genres. Monogatari is a harem anime. The show is so good that despite this handicap it is still one of the best works in the medium.

Sound - The show has five different openings over 26 episodes. Mousou Express and Kogarashi Sentiment are bangers. Voice acting is top-notch. 

Art - You could write an essay analyzing the art style of Monogatari. Backgrounds are abstracted and constantly shifting to match the tone of conversations. The use of color is exceptional. The series’ scene composition borrows elements from the French New Wave. There are other shows with larger budgets to ... throw at animation quality but the creativity here is off the chain.

Characters - Like how Evangelion explores the psychological trauma a 12yr old child would face when being asked to save the world from space aliens,  Monogatari explores the absurdity of real people having to fit harem genre stereotypes. The result is a surprisingly complex and engaging cast of characters. Dialogue is done particularly well. However without speaking fluent Japanese you won’t pick up on the finer nuances of the series’ wordplay. Second Season ties off the main arcs for everyone except Araragi and Kanbaru. Nadeko really kills it here. She had the worst arc in Bakemonogatari but has some of the best scenes this season. The conclusion to Hanekawa’s arc is predictable but still hurt to watch. Then Kaiki’s character gets re-contextualized brilliantly. 

Story - The narrative is a deconstruction and parody of the harem genre. Within the first few episodes of the series Araragi (the protagonist) enters into a stable relationship with his girlfriend and, through an unhealthy obsession with “saving everyone,” establishes his harem. The rest of the story focuses on Araragi and the Araragi harem club collectively growing up and learning to take better care of themselves. Anime has a lot of shows (ie Re Zero, Eromanga Sensei, Naruto etc) where all the side characters end up having their value defined by their relation to the protagonist. Monogatari’s structure is much more democratic. The Second Season is broken down into five arcs with each focusing on a different character. Overall it nails the follow through on the foreshadowing and setups from earlier seasons. Weird narrative techniques which were present before are more prominent here. Unreliable narration is prevalent throughout. Events occur out of chronological order. Then Nekomonogatari: Shiro and Hitagi End both unfold almost entirely without Araragi. Hitagi End is a highlight and has one of the coolest resolutions ever. But each arc has some banger moments.

Conclusion - Monogatari is a unique and special snowflake and Second Season is the series at its peak. It is extremely heavy on dialogue though so if that’s not your cup of tea then avoid it like the plague.

10/10

This review may contain spoilers of the Monogatari series up to this point (Broadcast Order) which includes Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, and Nekomonogatari: Kuro. There also are minor spoilers of Monogatari Series: Second Season. This review is written by someone who has only seen the entries up to this point. I have not read the novels.

When watching Bakemonogatari, the first anime adaptation of the Monogatari series, I immediately became aware of the many differences Bake (and the rest of the series up to this point) had from other anime. Although it was clear that Bakemonogatari might have had a low budget with its obvious number of stills ... and blank frames, I found it very enjoyable regardless. One of the times I especially remember was the famous "Starry Night" scene (Ep. 12) where Araragi and Senjyogahara go on their first date after an awkward car ride. The ending, which most anime don't use directly as a way of telling a story, faded in after the screen pans to the sky. Just then, you immediately realize why the ending came to be-- the lyrics mention all of these constellations. The ending here was, "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" and it perfectly represented everything about the present moment.

Throughout the many seasons and parts leading up to the Monogatari Series: Second Season (which I will just call the second season now) there have been many examples of amazing scenes like what I just mentioned in Bake, but there were also many instances of fan service and comedy (not to mention the toothbrush scene in Nisemonogatari). In the second season, I found that everything-- from the romance the characters show, to the comedy and even fan service seen in a few episodes blends perfectly to create an incredible story, one that is certainly fitting of the word, Masterpiece. Now on to the specifics.

Story (10/10):

Like in the previous entries of the Monogatari series, the second season is split up into different story arcs which feature different characters, but may even line up with each other, story-wise. For example, the first arc in the second season, titled "Tsubasa Tiger" overlaps with the latter arcs. With Araragi and Shinobu missing, it is up to the rest of the characters, namely the Fire Sisters, Karen and Tsukihi along with Senjyogahara to investigate the mysteries in the town. At the same time, Araragi and Shinobu have their own matters to deal with, before eventually overlapping. This idea of overlapping arcs and episodes happens throughout the Monogatari story and is one of the reasons I love it so much.

My favorite arc of the second season, "Shinobu Time" featured time travel as a means of mystery. The fact that time, although being prominent in Monogatari was never the major idea of an arc before, was used incredibly. Not once did I feel like it was out of place, it perfectly suited the story.

Despite all of the arcs being distinctly different from each other, they all managed to weave together and include everything I could have wanted, from numerous examples of character development, which I will talk more about in the character section, to outcomes that I could have never predicted. The story of the second season is one of the best I've ever experienced.

Art (8.5/10):

The Monogatari series does an excellent job at turning abstract scenes using the Mondrian color palette (at least from what I've seen) which features yellow, blue, red, black and white as the main colors into beautiful scenes that are very appealing to the eye. An example of this is the infamous abandoned cram school, where desks are abnormally piled high, the blackboard is a bright yellow color, and the broken windows reflect colored light. In any other case this might seem very odd, but the art perfectly suits the Monogatari story as well as the characters.

On that note, I'd like to talk about the character designs-- and this is the one regard that somewhat confuses me. Unlike Bakemonogatari, where frames of just the eyes was what many of the frames where, the second season uses many more full body and face frames. The characters are drawn very clearly and are distinctly different from each other, with one problem. The hair styles. Although it usually only took me a few moments to realize who the character is on screen after a hair style change, I still think this idea could be tweaked. I get that the characters undergo a lot of internal personal development and that the art is trying to reflect that externally, but it could have been done in a more minor way-- most anime use hair style as a way of distinguishing characters, so by changing that, you are effectively changing the character as a whole.

Aside from the characters though, everything is immaculate. The scenes on screen not just display what is happening in conversation but also show things like foreshadowing and symbolism. An example of this happened in the last arc, "Hitagi End", when Kaiki and Senjyogahara had a discussion at a donut shop and the screen panned to the condensation of a glass which abnormally curved, like the shape of a snake. Nearly every frame on screen has some significance to the story, and this is another reason why the second season and Monogatari as a whole is so great.

Sound (9/10):

There isn't that much to say here, the openings and endings, despite the fact that they happened 50/50 within each episode, were very enjoyable (especially the last opening with the duet of Senjyogahara and Kaiki) and adequately added to the story in some way. The sound never distracted or took away from the story or presence on screen. Whenever Shinobu appeared, there was a sound effect prior which hinted at her return, or whenever Kaiki was on screen, there was a melodramatic "evil-sounding" song. It even made me laugh a few times.

Character (10/10, I'd even go above that if possible):

At a brief glance you may think that Monogatari, especially in terms of characters is nothing new-- you have your typical tsundere, loli, and so forth. Although these terms accurately describe the respective characters, they are also so much more than that. Senjyogahara, the tsundere of the story obviously portrays tsundere-type traits, but certainly also changes. Shinobu, the vampire-loli that acts almost as a servant to Araragi is again, so much more than a loli to the point where she exhibits more development and feeling than many anime main characters. This pattern continues with nearly every character, and the Araragi, the main character is no different. At first he acted shy (in previous adaptations), but now opens up to many and is eager to help. Those that he helps in fact, change themselves in very dramatic yet different ways.

An example of this is the previous antagonist Kaiki who later becomes one of the main protagonists. Yes, you read that right... a side antagonist becomes the main protagonist of the final arc of the second season. In cases like this, Monogatari shows that it is like no other anime, it is not afraid of trying something.

Enjoyment/Overall (10/10):

With that said, Monogatari is for sure not for everyone, and it's not something I can safely recommend. For me and many others, it's a 10/10, no exception. A good tell of whether or not you'd like Monogatari are the first two to three episodes of Bakemonogatari. If you really enjoyed the story and are only semi-worried about the animation quality, it improves drastically over the course of the story. However if the story is the main complaint, it may not be for you. Monogatari, especially the second season is one of my favorite anime, and is for sure re-watchable.

Monogatari, meaning story. An animated series about stories. What makes it so special?

In Monogatari Series: Second Season, each episode can be summed up as a combination of the following:
- Dialogue
- Dialogue during a phone call
- Rapid screens filled with lines taken from the original novel
- Walking/cycling
- Beatdowns
- Fanservice
- Head tilting
... - Eerie music
...
Seems pretty simple, if not mundane. So what makes this series so special? What is so special about these stories, told through dialogue? It's hard to say. Perhaps it's because of the atmosphere it generates. The combination of the right music, the right colour palette, the right word choices, the right pacing and various other factors creates an deep, thoughtful mood within the viewer. To quote CDawgVA, the Monogatari series takes "Show, don't tell" and disregards it completely. The series will make you listen to 20 minutes of dialogue every episode, and it will make you enjoy every bit of it. The way it does this can be attributed to Nisio Isin's conjuration of the Japanese language. However, alongside the intricate use of language, the direction each arc follows is crucially important. I find that the five stages of grief are quite suitable comparisons for each arc, so I will use them as reference.

Nekomonogatari Shiro, The Cat Tale (white part)
This arc explores the fifth stage of grief, Acceptance. In this arc the human expressions of stress and envy are given form, which run amok due to the human weakness of attempting to control them. The lesson learnt from this story is the lesson of accepting oneself, and all of oneself.

Kabukimonogatari, The Tilted Tale
This arc explores the first stage of grief, denial. In this arc an opportunity arises to change history, to realise what could have been. Though destiny does not change easily, the hope of saving a life awakens the inner feeling of denial, to refuse what one receives from life. The lesson learnt from this story is the result of futile denial.

Otorimonogatari, The Decoy Tale
This arc explores the second stage of grief, Anger. In this arc the suppression of anger is burst, and the result is not a desirable one. The actions of one when angered cannot so easily be taken back, and the dangers associated with anger are revealed. The lesson learnt from this story is the danger born from anger.

Onimonogatari, The Demon Tale
This arc explores the fourth stage of grief, Depression. In this arc, the feeling of hopelessness when fate hits you hard in the face is evident. The realisation of what's too come can sometimes be too much, and cause one's stability to collapse. The lesson learnt from this story is the overcoming of depression.

Koimonogatari, The Love Tale
This arc explores the third stage of grief, Bargaining. In this arc the act of bargaining is used greatly. When faced with a difficult, yet not impossible situation one can't help but bargain, and this behaviour is seen in action. The difference between denial and bargaining may be the subtle amounts of acceptance which must be allowed for during a bargain. The lesson learnt from this story is the value of the important things in one's life.

If you have read up to this point, I commend you for your efforts. Whether you haven't started the Monogatari series, plan on watching the Second Season or are already a fan, there is always more detail and analysis that can be done on this masterpiece of a series. Give it a watch, and if you didn't enjoy it, there is something drastically different in your brain which I'll probably never be able to relate to.

Quote- People have to save themselves. One person saving another is impossible. Meme oshino

TL;DR- Comprising of five new stories covering the nekomonogatari shiro, kabukimonogataari, otorimonogatari, onimonogatari and koimonogatari arcs, the main cast is back to dealing with apparitions without the help of meme oshino, who is still missing. This series is the sequel to nisemonogatari and spans over summer and fall, with, as usual, disjointed story-telling between arcs. Graduation is looming over their heads, and each character needs to now pick a path they will walk for the most part by themselves.

Similar-

Mekakucity actors- similar neigh on confusing story which is animated by studio ... shaft. Both have similar animation style, with mekakucity actors being slightly worse but again ever so slightly. Both have a lot of substance behind the words they use with a lot of double entendres thrown here and there. Each character is very well developed and shatters preconceived notions that we may have had and its basically about people who want to live normal lives but can’t due to their past and the so called powers that they have.

Zetsuen no tempest- again similar in the fact that there’s a lot of inference necessary to understand the plot as it can be confusing . Zetsuen no tempest takes inspiration for its themes from western authors such as Shakespeare whilst monogatari from eastern japanese literary themes. As such, the characters feel like they are part of a play with a predetermined set of actions chosen for them from the get go- similar to how gaen supposedly knows everything in monogatari. Both have themes of how normal and supposedly pure feelings can be twisted into something more sinister.

Art-Studio Shaft deserves the acclaim they got from this rendition of the story. The art is pretty much the same as Bakemonogatari which is lovely seeing as the initial art fit the anime so well. You know the old saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Well shaft clearly believes that they can always improve so they decided to add lighting effects to the show through thoroughly missed reflections and shadows that felt more natural than they had done before. There's still the weird abstract camera angles, odd poses during monologues, flashing text boxes and so on that break up the monotony of the scenes but these were implemented much better in my opinion in this series than they had done previously. They also altered techniques according to the arc, with main character bias being introduced more often when you look at scenes like araragis mother and nadekos teacher. This helps as these characters don’t really need faces since theyre not a major part of the story- it only shows the faces of those who play a part in this anime. For nadeko’s arc, the usual absence of background characters that we usually see is replaced with colorful shadow people, which could signify that nadeko is constantly thinking about those around her compared to how the other cast seeming don't care about how they act towards the outside world such as koyomi who we realise harbours those feelings after owarimonogatari. Colour palettes are changed slightly as well as for Nadeko’s arc, her usual brown uniform is now red, and her hair went from black to red, maybe signifying how she desperately wants to stand out for something other than just being ‘cute’ which I’ll mention in the overarching themes sections. Furthermore, for Hachikuji’s arc which is focused on shinobu, we see more muted colours such as black, white and red which may be showing how shinobu has lost the ‘colour’ in her life after living so long undefeated.

Music- Again not much to say, similar how the main characters in the arc have the VA sing the op, with catchy relevant lyrics that foreshadow events that are to take place. There were technically 6 opening songs which you may question since there were only 5 arcs covered but this is because Senjoughara's song had two versions- one by herself the other a duet with Kaiki VA. The second of which is probably my most favourite op of the 6, just due to how listless and bored Kaiki’s VA sings during it, it sounds extremely forced which made it more entertaining. The ED songs have 3 versions and are less intricate than Bakemonogatari’s ending song but were still fulfilling each in their own way.

VA- Extremely good all things considered, thanks in part to how the character voices depict the character progression as they mature yet keep the similar style, just how we change how we speak over time as we learn more. Nadeko’s VA did well keeping the so called cute voice which only helped make her seem more frightening when she became a yandere deadset on destroying things that didn’t go in her way. Kaiki’s VA did play well with sounding fed-up but you could hear from the subtle vocal cues that he kaiki did want to help senjougahara in any way that he can and this was made evident as the VA exaggerated how he was using the guise of helping kanbaru.

Themes

So, considering that the first season was about how Araragi helped each of the girls, this season turns that on its head and shows how self-help in the sense that the girls realised that they can’t depend on someone else to grow. I don’t exactly know if you’ve seen it or not, but my last monogatari series video went through some ways of getting out of the bad habit of relying on escapism through mindfulness. So, arc by arc this series goes through realism through accepting situations but not giving up on situations; that is to say that you should accept what’s happening but that shouldn’t impact on the future you desire. Hanekawa’s arc starts off the series and here we pick up where we were left off from bakemonogatari in the sense that Hanekawa was still following the ideal that if she was good and lived life as a good person, everything she does she will deserve. Her feelings for Araragi still have not been confronted, more like she just accepted that she has them but doesn’t strive to change them through confessing or trying to stop herself from being infatuated with him. The arc focuses on the interactions between Hanekawa and Senjougahara which, like I’ll mention a tonne, is refreshing. The tiger that’s haunting her only disappears when she fully accepts her feelings and shortcomings and thus wants to change, the last part being the main takeaway. In the hachikuji arc, Shinobu and Araraghi travel through time to save Hachikuji from dying in the car accident when she was younger. When they returned to normal time, the world was in ruins due to Shinobu not being able to compromise with Araragi in that timeline, causing the end of that world. Compromising when you need help is a necessary skill to have as accepting help is a form of self-help in itself, help from others shouldn’t be a crutch but if offered you shouldn’t exactly reject it in my opinion. The arc ends when Araragi understands that changing things in the past removed the need to strive for something better. We should love every moment in our lives, all the ups and downs since they are what have shaped us to be who we are and understand things in the way we do and so try to achieve something greater in the future. Accepting and appreciating the past but still learning from it is a the way forward in life. The nadeko arc is mainly about accepting that we aren’t victims if we don’t try to escape a situation. As I mentioned, nadeko feels constricted by the ideals of those around her but at no point do we see her try to change these notions of her peers, she just plays victim and garners sympathy from people such as Araragi. What’s worse is that her parents dont even know the true her and considering her age, they have been with her the longest amount of time but we understand that nadeko just shut herself in playing the victim which she doesn't realise until kaiki points it out. Kaiki points out that she just wants to eternally be the victim, and murdering araragi, shinobu and senjougahara was just an excuse to shift the blame of not being with araragi on them instead of accepting that she was at fault. This arc shows how we need to accept our own flaws and understand that we are the only ones who can change them. Shinobu’s arc basically was about us accepting the consequences of our actions as she had pretended to be something she was not, causing the darkness to appear and try to consume her to maintain order. Shinobu didn't try to change the misunderstanding that she wasn’t a god but an apparition which caused her to spend most of her life running away from the darkness. Hachikuji pretended to be a ghost even though she had already achieved her final regret so the darkness was out to consume her. By accepting the consequences of her action to fulfill her dying wish, she chooses to disappear. Finally the senjougahara arc show how we need to understand our own abilities. Prioritising the safety of herself, araragi and shinobu, senjougahara had to do something she never had wanted to do again, talk to kaiki. She does this because in the grand scheme of things, she couldnt prevent the murder that was to take place. Hanekawa also accepts she cant help the trio so she also wants the help of kaiki to solve this problem. Here we see that we need to be real about the abilities we have and seek help when needed.

Thoughts

As you would expect, the sequel is heavily conversation driven, even more so than Bakemonogatari and this only makes the sequel a remarkably improved rendition. This time, the conversations tend to be with all the characters rather than araragi and the main female, which makes the anime seem less like a harem which I had mentioned in my last monogatari vid. This was refreshing and added to the character development, as only 2 out of 5 arcs centred around araragi. This series was a cut above the rest in the series but with the same dodgy humour and storytelling. It felt like there was less creative restriction on this series in particular which flourished probably the best anime I’ve seen in this genre. The intricacy is rife with this series so much so that I had only realised Shinobu was called that because the kanji character for heart is under the kanji for blade, hence heart under blade. Like, that's the level of madness this anime has.

We should be content with where we are, but not stop pursuing more because as soon as we do, we essentially become insane. If anything, this anime shows the importance of realism in our day to day lives. Critical realism is something we all need to apply in our lives as it helps us develop into better people. My message to you from this video is try to keep a diary and document a mistake you made everyday and how you changed over time, and see how much you improve over time just due to compounding the changes.

Sequels to any body of work have a reputation to uphold; a certain quality it must meet to please its viewers that are eager for the return of their favorite characters and stories. This is especially the case with this little nugget of a series here.

The Monogatari Series Second Season had quite a bit to live up to. The original Bakemonogatari provided a very unique take on the ecchi/harem genre, coupling sexy fanservice with unusual animation, lengthy dialogue, and individual arcs focusing on Araragi’s interaction with different characters and their supernatural problems. However, its sequel, Nisemonogatari, while still good, was a step down from Bakemonogatari. ... Its arcs were missing the pizzaz and interesting character development of Bakemonogatari’s arcs. To make things worse, for whatever reason, they tried to remedy this by piling on more fanservice. Nekomogatari as well, overdid the fanservice and somewhat felt like a recycled version of the previous Tsubasa arc from Bakemonogatari. Well…that and an excuse to show Black Tsubasa in her underwear.

With all this in mind, it’s understandable that one might be wary of the Second Season. Well, rest assured, it delivers everything that was great about the original series and THEN SOME. Brand new arcs are given for many of the characters who appeared in the original, revealing all new sides to each of them. Its execution is excellent and the animation, dialogue, music, and voice acting are better than ever.

The first arc focuses on Tsubasa, and once again deals with the cursed cat that inhabits her body. It in some ways mirrors her initial arc from Bakemonogatari and Nekomongatari, so this definitely isn’t the strongest arc. But it’s got just enough originality, namely her encounter with the tiger apparition and her having to cope with her house burning down, to not feel recycled or boring. Not only that, but this arc wraps up her story nicely and gives her a satisfying resolution.

The second arc is a bizarre yet insanely interesting arc that focuses on Araragi and Shinobu messing with time and suffering a number of unforeseen consequences as a result. This arc in question gives us a peek into the mysterious Shinobu, portraying her as more humane and emotional. We also get to see a bit of Mayoi’s past.

The third arc focuses on Sengoku Nadeko. This arc was great because it expanded on her character. In the original Bakemonogatari, her arc seemed more focused on fanservice and getting her half naked or in a school swimsuit than on her individual character. This time around we see a focus on her personality. There’s a focus on her looks but it’s highlighted in an interesting way that surprisingly connects to her personality and behavior. This arc ends on a cliffhanger and continues in the final arc.

The fourth arc is a bittersweet one, and will probably cause you to shed a few tears. The final arc is a bit underwhelming compared to the previous arcs. It’s disappointing that the anime goes out with a bit of a whimper. But on the bright side, it’s pretty fun at times and focuses on Hitagi Senjogahara, everyone’s favorite tsundere. Her insane threats delivered in her calm, even voice are as funny as ever. Oddly enough, Suruga Kanbaru doesn’t get her own arc. In fact, she barely appears and is only mentioned a few times. Fans of her character will have to wait for the next installment in the series.

With each arc you grow closer to the main characters and it’s a guarantee that you’ll grow to love them a little more. There are a few quirky side characters that come in to the mix. But they’re just that: side characters. There isn’t a big focus on them, aside from being beacons of information or comedic relief. After each arc, a summary is presented to refresh everyone’s memory of the previous three series. These are helpful for those who want to recall some things they may have forgotten about the previous installments, but can be skipped if you don’t care to see them.

The animation is as perfect as ever: The bright backgrounds littered with reds, whites, yellows, and blues, weird camera angles, head tilting, and quick little blurbs flashing across the screen are all back. The music maintains the same quality as the previous series as well.

The Monogatari Series has come back with a bang. What sets this anime apart from other ecchi/harem anime is its unusual presentation and amazing execution. It does have fanservice and a bunch of girls vying for the same guy, but each girl isn’t simply some generic, boring, archetype. It may seem that way at first (the bookworm, the loli, the cute shy girl, and the tsundere are all here), but by now we’ve seen these characters grow and develop into interesting and unique individuals. The well-handled and occasionally symbolic supernatural elements sure do help out quite a bit as well.

Fans of the original Bakemonogatari will be more than pleased with this installment, even if they’ve been disappointed by Nise and Nekomonogatari. Shaft hit all the right notes with this anime and hopefully its future installments will maintain this quality.