[Story]: (7/10)
Nekomonogatari: Kuro is an adaptation of the 6th book in the Monogatari series, containing the Tsubasa Family Arc and featuring Hanekawa Tsubasa. Nekomonogatari was made after Nisemonogatari but chronologically, it takes place a month before the events of Bakemonogatari.
I could have skipped this anime and went straight to Monogatari Series: Second Season but something inside me...more specifically, my conscience told me that I will regret skipping this anime. If you remember from Bakemonogatari, Araragi mentioned something about rescuing Hanekawa during Golden Week from a cat aberration but it only showed us some brief flashbacks and did not go in-depth about what really happened with Hanekawa during the Golden Week. Well, that's where Nekomonogatari: Kuro comes in.
Nekomonogatari: Kuro is only 4 episodes so don't expect much from this arc. To tell you the truth though, Neko's real plot actually begins at episode 2. Episode 1 is just Araragi asking for some love advice from his sister Tsukihi because Araragi was in love with Hanekawa and a conversation between Araragi and Hanekawa on the second half.
Unlike Nisemonogatari's excessive fanservice, Neko's fanservice was reduced and they went back to their good storytelling -- almost but not very similar to Bakemonogatari storytelling. Don't think that the fanservice scenes don't happen anymore because they're still there. They're just not that excessive when compared to Nise. Some of you might say "Then why is your story rating 7 if the show went back to its good storytelling?". That's because nothing major happened. All the arc did is flesh out Hanekawa's character and give you a more in-depth look as to why Hanekawa is acting the way she is and understanding her past better. Neko did a good job with its storytelling but not enough to bump the rating to 8 or higher.
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[Art/Animation]: (9/10)
I don't even know why I still have to talk about the Monogatari series' animation. I mean, this the 3rd in the series and you guys should already know how it looks. I don't want to but I have to just so I can make this review a bit longer. The animation and visuals are almost exactly the same as Bake and Nise. The character designs looks a little bit better and the lighting of the show is the only part of the animation that's highly improved.
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[Sound]: (7/10)
Nekomonogatari's soundtrack fell flat compared to Bake and Nise. None of the soundtrack and the background themes were catchy nor was it worth listening to. I'm not saying Nise's soundtrack is bad but when comparing it to the previous shows, it just didn't meet my expectations.
The OP theme song is "perfect slumbers" by Hanekawa and the ED theme song is "Kieru daydream" by Marina Kawano. In my opinion, none of them were great. The OP theme song had a nice tune and melody for the first 35-40 sec but the singer didn't hit that spot and the it was too slow. The ED theme song is just crap compared to Bake and Nise.
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[Character]: (8/10)
Nekomonogatari: Kuro focused heavily on Hanekawa so don't expect your other best girl like Senjougahara or whoever your best girl is to appear here and no new characters either. It's just good ol' Araragi and Hanekawa...with a little bit of Shinobu. This section won't be long; seeing as Neko is only 5 episodes long.
If you like Hanekawa or you're a fan of Hanekawa then you're in for a treat as Nekomonogatari: Kuro did a good job presenting Hanekawa's story. The show went a lot more in-depth with what happened to Hanekawa during the Golden Week that Araragi was talking about in Bakemonogatari. It also answered some questions regarding Hanekawa's relationship with Araragi and why they're not dating even though Araragi loves her. I died a little inside when they showed Araragi explaining why he's not in a relationship with Hanekawa.
In short, a big ass character development for my best girl: Hanekawa Tsubasa
Nekomonogatari also explained why and how Shinobu got the helmet and why she is in love with Mr Donuts. If you're a fan of Shinobu; like me, then I think you'd be happy to see the events too.
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[Enjoyment]: (7.7/10)
I definitely enjoyed Nekomonogatari: Kuro more than Nise even though it was only 5 episodes. However, Bakemonogatari is still a lot better. Is there ever going to be Monogatari sequel out there that will blow Bake out of the water? Of course, there is and that will be on my next review.
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[VERDICT]
Overall, Nekomonogatari: Kuro was a good sequel to the Monogatari series but I wouldn't say that it's better than Bakemonogatari because it's not. I would, however, say that the show is a bit better than Nisemonogatari because it actually focused on the story and characters instead of half hour mindless fanservice. You have to watch Nekomonogatari: Kuro sooner or later in order to understand Hanekawa's character better.
[OVERALL]: (7.4/10)
Pros:
+Good story for a 4 episode arc
+Shaft's unique animation
+Neko went more in-depth with Hanekawa's character
+Fanservice is reduced
+Good pacing for a 4 episode show
Cons:
-Soundtrack fell flat when compared to 2 previous Monogatari shows
-First half of episode 1 felt slow
(If you see mistakes or stuff that doesn't make sense then my apologies as I don't spend and will never spend over a day writing a 4 episode review.)
