Jan 15, 2021
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
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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.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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