Owarimonogatari 2nd Season

The second season of Owarimonogatari was the perfect way to end the main story line of the series. Comprising of three arcs, the first two serve as mostly set up material for the last arc to have a lasting impact on the audience.
The art and animation is in the signature style you would come to expect from Studio Shaft. The use of the soundtrack is sparse or just serves as a backdrop to the show, except for a few moments where it's use in conjunction with an important scene. Out of all the seasons/movies of the Monogatari series, I enjoyed this particular one the most. ... Hopefully you will have a similar experience as well.

Owarimonogatari 2nd Season is one of those animes that have everything you will like.
Story: the story in this season is one of the best in all of monogatari series.
Art: the art is outstanding as ever and each scene have a lot of meaning as always and every scene have a lot of detail.
Sound: the sound is good as always every voice actor gives the feeling of what their character are thinking and feeling.
Character: in this season you will see a lot of character development for Araragi and Ougi and also it shows you the deep bond between Araragi and Hitagi and also his bond with ... Shinobu.
Enjoyment: 10/10 for me after all this monogatari series is the best of the best in anime industry and I 100% recommend you to watch this season and to read the light novels.

After a few months of watching Monogatari, I finally came to the second season of Owarimonogatari. And what an experience it was. There was everything I loved about this series, complex story, great music and characters and extensive but interesting dialogues. The only problem for some people can be the pace at which first episodes go, so it might be a problem for some people, at least at the beginning I think.

But the second season of Owarimonogatari has one thing that it does exceptionally well is the conclusion. It is a beautiful conclusion to the overall series.

So in my opinion, it is a great conclusion ... to the series, great anime but a little bit too fast-paced for some people. But besides that, for me at least, it was just perfect, as the anime, and as the part of Monogatari series.

And to think that I started watching Monogatari only because of Renai Circulation and get such a great anime series, lol

I would really like to point out that i gave it overall 10 because i have watched the whole story and know of each and every small details in the plot.. If you did not watch the previous titles of this series then i bet you will give it low rating because you did not understand the plot at all!
This was by far the most intresting/informative title in this series..

I was really waiting for season 2 of this and i have to say that the wait was worth it!
Finally we get to know who Ougi is.. i like how the charecter development worked out. NISIOISIN ... is GOD when he writes stories with intresting plots. Then there is SHAFT STUDIOS who turned his stories into the best anime Adaptation possible. Every episode/title in the series made me want more! Some of the quotes in between are intresting as well.

I would recommend anyone who is intrested in watching this anime to please go on google and check the release order of the whole series and watch all previous titles before watching owari S2. I bet you will get better understanding of the plot this way. Good luck!

SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING

Today, I'm going to be reviewing the conclusion to my favorite anime series of all time. Usually, I just go ahead and talk about everything at once, but today I'm going to format this review differently. Today I'm going to rate every episode individually, and talk about the plot of each of them. So lets get into it.

Episode 1 - Mayoi Hell (Part 1):

This is the beginning of Owarimonogatari 2nd season, and it starts off strong. We see our main character, Koyomi Araragi, searching for the eccentric Mayoi Hachikuji, a ghost of a 10 year old hit by a car ... 10 years ago. During his search, he ends up in hell, and finds who he's looking for there. After an explanation from Hachikuji about her circumstances and everything else Araragi wants to know, Hachikuji and Araragi set out to get to the top of hell, so Araragi can return back to earth. This episode starts the Mayoi Hell arc off very well, and keeps you engaged through and through. It's nice to see Araragi and Hachikuji reconcile and go on an adventure through hell. We also get tons of information on all our questions.

Episode 2 - Mayoi Hell (Part 2):

As Araragi and Hachikuji's journey comes to a close, they find Tadatsuru, a character introduced a few installments back in Tsukimonogatari. They talk for a bit until Tadatsuru gives Araragi a way to return back to earth. On his way back though, he reaches down and grabs Hachikuji without thinking, bringing her back up into the world when she isn't supposed to be there. This is a nice conclusion to this arc.

Episode 3 - Hitagi Rendezvous (Part 1):

It's White Day, and Koyomi Araragi appears at his girlfriend's, Hitagi Senjougahara, house and asks her out on a date, to which she accepts. This arc is a break from all the chaos as nothing bad happens, it's just our main character and his girlfriend going on a date.

Episode 4 - Hitagi Rendezvous (Part 2):

After going to a planetarium, Araragi falls asleep and dreams about Ougi Oshino, a relatively new transfer student at his school, which he knows very well after unraveling the mystery of a classroom that existed and didn't at the same time. He continues his date with Senjougahara, ending it off with a promise to use each other's first names. This was a good arc, which gave us insight into Araragi and Senjougahara's relationship. The dream about Ougi Oshino was very important, as it gives us an insight into Ougi Dark, the final arc of Owarimonogatari 2nd Season.

Episode 5 - Ougi Dark (Part 1):

This is one of the best arcs in the whole entire Monogatari series, according to the community, including me. It wraps up the Monogatari series fantastically in an emotional and happy way. We start off this arc with a meeting between Koyomi Araragi, our protagonist, Izuko Gaen, an apparition slayer, Shinobu Oshino, a 500 year old vampire confined in a little girl's body who lives in Araragi's shadow, Mayoi Hachikuji, who I've already gone over, and Yotsugi Ononoki, a living corpse owned by Yozuru Kagenui. They discuss multiple things, with the first being the consequences of bringing back an already dead person from hell. After discussing for a little bit, the group acknowledges that there is only one solution that doesn't result in Hachikuji's eternal death: making her a god by having her swallow a talisman linked to a shrine in their city. The next topic is what the true identity of Ougi Oshino is. They decide that Ougi is darkness itself, the true embodiment of it. This first episode sets up for a stellar finale to this arc and the whole series.

Episode 6 - Ougi Dark (Part 2):

Nothing worth talking about happens in this episode, as it is just the set up for the final episode. In the end though, Ougi visits the remains of the burnt down cram school in the outskirts of town, where she meets Araragi waiting for her.

Episode 7 - Ougi Dark (Part 3):

The conclusion to this arc, and the whole series. After encountering each other at the remains of the cram school, Araragi confronts Ougi about lying about her identity, revealing that Ougi Oshino is the darkness, and is also Koyomi Araragi himself. The darkness appears behind Ougi in the form of a black hole, and it starts to suck in everything around it. Araragi explains that he created Ougi out of his own self hate, and that Ougi is the darkness that resides inside of him. As the darkness grows bigger and bigger, Ougi applauds Araragi for figuring it out, before revealing that she is sacrificing herself to the darkness to save everyone from the darkness, from herself. Araragi gives one final goodbye. But as Ougi gets sucked up, Araragi comes to the realization that he cannot accept Ougi's fate. Changing his mind, he runs forward and pushes Ougi out of the way of the black hole, and he falls on top of her. After Araragi tells Ougi that he wouldn't let her die, Araragi's old friend Meme Oshino arrives. He reveals that Ougi is his niece, and Tsubasa Hanekawa, another one of Araragi's friends, appears and passes out. This leads Araragi to realize that Hanekawa brought Oshino all the way from Antarctica to resolve this. Araragi passes out, and he wakes up in his bed the next day. After leaving for his high school graduation ceremony, he encounters Hitagi Senjougahara, hi girlfriend, and Hanekawa. And thus the curtains close on Koyomi Araragi's high school life, and the Monogatari series itself.

This was an amazing ending and really solidified the Monogatari series as my favorite anime series ever. I recommend this to everyone with a pulse in hopes that they'll enjoy it and love it just as much as I do.

Owarimonogatari wasn't the most heavily emotional part of the Monogatari series for me, those bases are pretty much already covered, but it was still just as self-actualizing and personally affecting, and it managed to provide an ending which tied everything together so well it’s honestly kind of mindblowing how beyond perfect it is. Seriously, Nisioisin has been playing 4D Chess this whole time. Every series staple since Bakemonogatari comes full circle, and it’s like the greatest puzzle in the world being solved as all aspects of the series up until this point get synthesized into one narrative singularity. Even the fucking recurring jokes are revealed ... to have been foreshadowing the final narrative roles of each character, and that’s just astounding. And with this season focusing on Araragi and the conclusion to his character, the ending also paves the way for Araragi to move on into adulthood, as he finally "loses his adolescence," an event which has been hinted at a lot up until now. The results of which are reflected in his appearance in Hanamonogatari, where Araragi has evidently become a different person and is even wise enough to effectively help Kanbaru sort out her own issues. In fact, the advice Araragi gives Kanbaru and his ability to help her without directly involving himself are key here, as Araragi must not only “lose” his adolescence in this season, but also comes to terms with it. I won’t be spoiling anything too specific, but be wary as I will be talking about some key character developments essential to understanding the overall conclusion to the series.

The writing regarding this return focus on Araragi was as strong as ever, and the scenes throughout each episode demonstrate that. The whole season is essentially a breakdown of Araragi as a character, reflecting on who he is, what he’s done, and what the results were over the course of the series. And in addition to the phenomenal character interactions and thematic staging, the season’s visual direction and overall production quality strongly highlight this as well, with some of the most striking images (and backgrounds) of the entire series and a profoundly atmospheric and evocative original soundtrack. Perhaps most notable of these two qualities is the series’ return to dramatic shifts in art style and color palette reminiscent of the original Bakemonogatari, and the season’s use of beautiful orchestral arrangements that lend the show a truly penetrating sense of tension during it’s eerier scenes, sorrow during it’s more somber ones, and vivid joy in it’s uplifting ones. And these callbacks to the style of Bakemonogatari are quite appropriate for this season, as the events that took place during that time are what primarily affect Araragi’s change here.

From the outset, Araragi’s character arc centers around his tendency to put himself in danger in an effort to relieve the distress of others, something which, in addition to his own mutilation at the hands of of those he’s trying to help, has routinely led to further issues down the road that stem from the initial problem. And as Araragi continually fails over and over again to solve these issues with the same method of self-sacrifice, we see him come to resent those past actions. But while Araragi's previous behavior may not have been able to totally fix everything and had some unintended consequences along the way, if it weren't for his involvement, none of the characters in the series would be the better selves that they are now. And likewise, as Araragi finally faces himself and learns how to become a more balanced individual this season, it can’t be denied that the actions of Hanekawa, Senjougahara, Oshino, Hachikuji, Shinobu, Kanbaru, Ononoki, and all of his other friends had aided him in doing so, the same way he had aided them before. When the time is right, he even says this in his own words: “Everyone else saved me, and if I didn’t save myself? That’s something I just couldn’t allow to happen.”

Up until now, Araragi has spent the entire series “saving” others, but he’s never really had to do it for himself, like Oshino always says. He had the chance to in Kizumonogatari, but he doesn’t. He runs away from that idea, believing that he should be punished for his actions, and that’s why when he narrates the story, he calls it a tragedy. As the show goes on, Araragi’s always thinking this way, that all he does is make mistakes, and maybe the world and everyone he knows would be better off without him. As his self-identity is disrupted, he dejectedly falls further into the mindset that he is worthless and a burden, and that’s what makes it so moving when he finally breaks free from it. Faced with the physical manifestation of all his self-doubt and pressured from all sides to suppress it, Araragi instead chooses to forgive that self-doubt, accepting it as a part of him, and by extension, accepting himself. He refuses to give in to despair, admitting to himself that even if some of his choices didn’t turn out for the best, he was not wrong in making them, and it’s one of the most powerful moments in the entire series. Helping those in need is a part of who Araragi is, and that’s okay, but in coming to terms with his self-criticism, he also learns from it. By confronting his lurking feelings, he comes to recognize that without his mistakes he never would have found so many people who enjoy having him around, and in turn make his life more enjoyable too. After all, his loved ones have always given him their all just the same as he has for them, so how could he possibly think he wasn’t also worth saving?

This whole arc really resonated with me a lot, as I’m sure it did with many others, especially considering how often in the past I personally have had to deal with my own self criticism and regrets. Throughout high school I was often extremely hard on myself and always felt like I was messing everything up, which all came to a head during my senior year. And while the feelings I had at the time ultimately seem pretty trivial in retrospect, at the time it culminated in thinking I was a failure who hadn’t lived up to expectations, despite knowing full-well that I had so many people who loved me for who I was and would always support me regardless of any blunders I make. But that’s the thing, those negative emotions often don’t seem to make sense. They emerge regardless, even when it seems illogical. From a purely objective standpoint, Araragi lives probably the best life there is out of all the characters in the show. He has a stable, financially well-off family life with both parents, an enormous house with his own room, a loving girlfriend who always sticks by him, and next to no social pressures weighing on him to be a certain way. And yet, Araragi still feels inferior.

He has everything he could ever want, so why would he be unhappy? Because he hasn’t suffered as his friends have. Because he hasn’t seen the same kinds of hardships. Because he has always been allowed to be himself. And isn’t that wrong? Shouldn’t there be a consequence for that? And that’s just it. Araragi has watched his friends endure so much, all while he lives seemingly carefree, and he hates himself for it. That’s why he tries so hard to take all of their pain onto himself, because he doesn’t want them to feel it, and believes that comparatively, he hasn’t felt it enough. All of Araragi’s pain is self-inflicted. And like Araragi at the end of this season, by the end of my senior year, I too had realized this. And so I took those feelings of failure and self doubt head-on, realizing that they needed to be confronted no matter how painful they were for me to accept. Rather than shutting my emotions inward and continuing to deny that I deserved to be happy, I moved on and decided that I was worth it. Because despite my imperfections and the mistakes of my past, I am good enough, even if my choices make my life or the lives of others harder sometimes. That’s just how life is, and getting over those hard times is how you grow, and that’s what the Monogatari series is ultimately here to say.

The number one lesson that Araragi (and the viewer) learns is that while he will always be "himself" and should never give up his identity, true love and compassion don’t come in the form of forsaking yourself for others, but simply being there for them when they need it, and knowing to be there for yourself from time to time too. Araragi Koyomi will still always want to help people in need and do anything he can to do so, but now "anything" doesn't mean "everything," because he values his own life too. Overall, Araragi as a character is probably the most well-done and impactful execution of the "hero complex" trope I have ever witnessed. Like all the other characters, the deeper layers added onto Araragi serve to deconstruct his trope-ish nature and create a truly human persona, as his sacrificial habits are shown to be motivated by a severe lack of self worth, which in itself is motivated by self-destructive levels of regret and personal criticism. In enabling others to put their pain onto him, like Kanbaru, Sengoku, and Hanekawa, Araragi gives them someone to lean on, but also causes them to again suppress certain facets of their pain rather than dealing with the root of the problem. And soon, as Araragi begins to recognize this, his feelings of inferiority are only compounded. Metaphorically, the physical beatings Araragi takes from the girls he tries to save perfectly mirror the internal struggles that develop within him as a result, and the way Nisioisin portrays this is pure genius.

Ultimately, Araragi's final acceptance of himself and the mistakes he’s made, alongside all of the emotional and narrative weight that comes with it, echoes the themes which have been displayed since the start of the series. Themes which continue to resonate deeply with me and my humanity to this day, and I don't think there could have been a better way to end off the main storyline of the show. For when Araragi’s moment of truth finally arrives and he both literally and figuratively chooses to prioritize himself rather than the interests of others, it comes off as the quintessential visual and literary manifestation of the series’ main thesis statement: “Only you can save yourself.” It’s been a long journey with this series and these characters. Since the beginning, this show has poignantly reflected the things I and many others experience in dealing with the complex emotions that arise from our frustrating human nature, and this final season is no different. It’s changed how I view myself, how I value my relationships with others, and my attitude towards life in general. So thank you, Monogatari, for all of the literal years of entertainment, artistic satisfaction, and introspection you have provided me. You truly were, and always will be in my book, “the story that grows with you.”

Owari (エンディング) means ending right?

But Not Owari (エンド) 2? and Zoku ( 続く) but...

Spoilers (スポイラー) (いけない)

So Owarimonogatari's 2nd Season gets itself to the buildup arc with Mayoi Hell, Hitagi Rendezvous leading itself to Ougi Dark.

Mayoi Hell sorta deals with Tsukimonogatari's villain as well as the entire explanation of showing that Ougi is the main villain of the entire series, it starts with....Arararagi getting killed and well, brought to Hell (れんごく) with Mayoi being his guide. If anything Mayoi Hell shows off Tadotsuru's motives and his stakes in all this and how he has the many connections towards Gaen and Meme, since KIZUMONOGATARI.

Hitagi Rendezvous arc ... is where Hitagi arranges a date with Araragi and though that is the basic premise of it, the most intriguing thing about this arc was about the constellation dream Araragi has with Ougi. This was ALSO LA's favourite of the arcs as it shows off Hitagi's deredere side to the maximum. The constellation dream is the most interesting and even though it's coming from Ararararagi it shows in more detail, foreshadowing, past events that all points to Ougi, whether to be the villain or not?.

LA thought long and hard about this and really the constellation dream makes the Monogatari series go full circle and in MANY layers, as such LA will be talking about it in layers

(たまねぎ) Layers?

The first (いち) layer shows that the Serpens (Nadeko) is stopped by Asclepius (Araragi) like the snake charmer Ophiuchus as the constellation but is unable to by the Crab (Hitagi) interrupts Asclepius and uses that chance for Kaiki to actually stop Nadeko. This reference is ALSO in reference to Araragi cleansed of his immortality from Mayoi Hell much like Asclepius turned mortal from Zeus

Second (に) layer in all this is that the snake is the Shirohebi, the apparition that has been mentioned within this 2nd season as well as Nadeko's arcs, in which Araragi will defeat Shirohebi but will be stopped by Hitagi as Araragi after the events of Mayoi Hell, is human thus he might die in the process of defeating Shirohebi.

Third (さん) layer is that the snake might actually be the snake is Ougi as a she was the one to release all the anomalies to the girls of the series thus is like a hydra, thus Araragi as Hercules will defeat her, but Hitagi will stop him as Gaen might kill Araragi due to Shinbou being turned full vampire and will have no need of him.

Four (よつ) & fifth (ご) layer is as a result of the constellation dream and what Ougi latter tells is that Ougi is like the principles of the universe itself, thus for LA's interpretation is fate itself and will stop any rule breakers thus sending off the anomalies to the girls since they technically broke the rules of the universe and in turn fate thus the hydra analogy with Ougi in the third layer

Sixth (ろく) layer to all these layers and making itself multilayered is who is who?...is Ougi the snake or Shirohebi, or Gaen?. How will Hitagi thanks to this foreshadowing will stop Araragi from defeating the snake and finally is Ougi REALLY is the villain as she is suppose to be the allegory of fate or Gaen really the villain?

Symbolism at it's finest, Nisio Isin is a true master in his craft to dupe the audience but now to bring all his arcs he's built up into this one constellation dream with MANY outcomes, showing off that it's not as predictable as it seems

(あか せぐろかもめ)

Ougi Dark arc is the culmination and confrontation of Ougi and "what" she really is. Ougi Dark also brings into plan what to do with Shinobu and Hachikuji as well. Ougi Dark being an unknown all this time creating trouble for everyone is finally confronted by and ONLY Araragi. The "battle" as it were is the same as most Monogatari stories battles (sans Kizumonogatari) and the revelation of who Ougi Oshino truly was, made the "battle" an anticlimax but true to Nisio Isin, this was a given, though the revelation of Ougi Oshino's true identity was actually VERY well done and di much more to Araragi even though it was Ougi's arc, it's what happened after that made it an anticlimax and latter on with Hachikuji and Shinobu an anticlimax and thus something of a happy ending for all, something like a inverse to Kizumonogatari's finale.

In all, LA's favourite arc became Ougi Dark, then Hitagi Rendezvous then Mayoi Hell but all tied up quite nicely, heck Ougi Dark made sense to be right next to Sodachi's arc in the first season as a result of the revelation, so again even in a meta-sense, it...made sense.

SHAFT once again helms the animation is is just the same, wacky and expected nature of the Monogatari series and much like what the direction is suppose to show the characters emotions in consistency different ways, it's still a nice touch once again to make what is essentially a "talky"-focused anime, so as much as LA feels like is in the minority of all this but the animation as quick paced and sometimes nonsensical it is, but not is quite well done and makes you pay attention, this IS Akiyuki Shinobu, this IS Monogatari, it's kinda to be expected

Voice cast, well the original voice cast is back and MAN did Chiwa Saito did AMAZINGLY as per always along with Kaori Mizuhashi as Ougi, Satsuki Yukino as Gaen and Hiroshi Kamiya as Ararararararagi, Emiri Katou as Hachikuji, Yui Horie as Hanekawa, Saori Hayami as Yotsugi, Yuka Iguchi as Tsukihi and as always Maaya Sakamoto as Shinobu (this time fully in her mature cadence since Shinobu is full vampire). What else can LA say but great cast as always.

What the conclusion to Owarimonogatari's 2nd Season entails, it is in a meta-sense that it's a foregone conclusion, but the foregone conclusion flew by LA's head considering this was Nisio Isin we were talking about, but with how the foregone conclusion has the anticlimax, the conclusion especially with Ougi Dark was still well done. It's because of LA looking TOO deep into the constellation dream (but will still say that constellation felt like a perfect encapsulation of what the Monogatari series' past events, just don't look too deep in terms of foreshadowing) and made it predictable or wanting it to be that way that made Ougi Dark NOT predictable but predictable in terms of character conclusions, but the revelation was amazingly well done and no thanks to LA's overhyped red herring of the constellation dream MAKING itself predictable for all as it is still for LA at least lead to the same result, LA can forgive the anticlimaxes in Ougi Dark. Nisio Isin thought this through, he did it again!

Owarimonogatari 2nd Season is NOT the end as Ougi said as it's the end of A story, but many stories to come has not ended, but Owari is not Owari thus more sequels in a sense but the owari-monogatari's 2nd Season finale was greatly done as well as the buildup it had (including deredere Hitagi then yeah) and finally the resolutions were good to great in a sense, in a sense of interpretation or dream as it were.

Interpretation (かいしゃく) as it were is numerous and how the finale's climax is up to you, but LA's interpretation though anticlimaxes came, LA still in the end liked Owarimonogatari 2nd Season as a whole, flaws and all.

What was the saying "Expect the unexpected?"

(はてし)

This is a review for the Monogatari Series as a whole and may contain some spoilers but none that will ruin the show for you.

This series is a masterpiece from beginning to end for me. So much so that I feel obliged and compelled to write this review to encourage anyone who has not yet seen this great piece of work to go view it.

I learnt about this series when I first stumbled upon the infamous "toothbrush scene" on YouTube. My adolescent mind found that scene rather intriguing which was when I decided to embark on completing this series. Of course, when the first ... scene of Bakemonogatari was the shot of Hanekawa's black underwear, my perverted mind instantly got hooked onto the series. However, what kept me here wasn't the fanservice but rather the very unique way in which this series delivers its narrative.

The series adopts a "tell, not show" method where for the most part, episodes were filled with dialogue and sudden flashes of frames usually of one colour and have words on it. The words sometimes describes the character's feelings and thoughts or the narrative. Sometimes, the words only read "black scene" or "red scene". This may seem like a rather weird and uninteresting way to tell a story for someone that hasn't watched the series. But it is exactly what makes the series such a great watch. The plot is almost always read out to you, with little emphasis on the animations. Once a character starts to talk, they can go on and on with never ending conversations and explanations. The visuals may shows you objects and places related to the conversation topic but sometimes, it shows you scenes that have absolutely nothing to do with the ongoing conversation like the surrounding area or Shaft's signature head tilt. And yet, the show still manages to remain interesting. It took me a while for me to understand why such a format worked out for this show. After all, anime in general places quite a lot of emphasis on the visuals, be it the character art or action scenes or setting. That was when it dawned upon me that perhaps Monogatari wasn't so lacking in visuals after all. I can still vividly remember the main character's house and toilet, I am also able to recall the school environment, the classrooms and the walkways. Because of the many scenes that show the scenery around the characters while they were busy rambling away, you get very familiar with the area. Together with that, the frames of words that pop up helps to set the mood. The colours of the frames induces certain emotions. Compile that together with the sound effects and you have yourself an amazing setting.

Another reason why this method of animation worked out was probably because of the source content. Monogatari was a story that is based on aberations or oddities. Protagonists are usually such oddities and they take the forms of animals, though sometimes there may human protagonists too. The source material itself is already intriguing by nature and because of that, there's enough content to sustain the audiences attention in the really long dialogues.

There is little lack of character development in this series. Because of the dialogue intensity, we often learn about the characters past and character through their conversations and the way they speak. There is also a huge variety of characters. Senjougahara for example, is a character that was introduced with a scene of her falling out of the sky. Then because of certain circumstances she had to silence the main character and did so by threatening to staple his mouth. Her character only gets more bizarre as the series progresses. But how sharp she can be with her tongue and how unpredictable she can be are only some of the many traits that make her such an amazing character to watch.

The main character however, in my opinion, is not really a unique character. Araragi is your typical perverted high school student that likes tits and lolis. What sets Araragi apart is that he is a person that cannot ignore people in need and would throw away his life to save even a stranger he just met. It's not much of an exaggeration to say that this series was built upon this personality trait of his. What makes Araragi interesting however, is the characters that are around him. Because he is a rather plain character, when he is surrounded by unique and weird characters, it makes him stand out. Also, with that personality trait of his, it makes for some of the most fascinating storylines, especially considering that the events that he goes though are always life or death situations.

With arcs like Soadachi Lost, we get to look into the past of Araragi. With Bakemonogatari, we get the teenage romance we all wished we had. With the Trilogy movies of Kizumonogatari, we get action and fight scenes. With Owarimonogatari, we got a heartfelt and emotional ending to this ride. I personally consider Monogatari to be a complete mess, A huge variety of genres that were mashed together. But what came out of that mess was a series that was, in my honest opinion, an absolute masterpiece. If I had to criticise one thing about the series, It would be that the chronological order and the airing order is all over the place. But any confusions that I had were all resolved with this second season of Owarimongatari. So whoever you are that actually read through this whole review of mine and haven't watched the series, go do it. Now.

P.S. Senjougahara Hitagi is best girl

Originally I was only planning to watch Bakemonogatari because it was recommended to me saying it is like Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. I did not expect after a few months I would watch the whole series and finally reach this point that I am just in awe of the trip I have taken.

If this was the end, then the journey was worth it because the destination is beautiful. Though the whole series is far from perfect, as it has it's weaker season but overall, majority of them were amazing. This basically concludes everything we have seen and neatly wraps it ... all up with the one person we have seen the whole time.

Obviously you have to be a fan to reach this far, because if you aren't, I don't know why you would even bother to watch this just to hate on it. Since this is like the very last one. So there's no point of reading this review if you aren't a fan of the other series. And if you plan to watch this first? Well that's just stupid. You can watch it in the release order or chronological order, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you made it here, I hope you can enjoy it as much as I did.

A satisfying conclusion to a wonderful series that does not need a continuation but if it does have one, I shall welcome it.

Owarimonogatari 2nd Season is Volume 3 we the fans have waited for since the end of the first season back in the year 2015. Shaft has delivered however, Since making the promise back on the year 2013, Shaft compromised with the fans of the Monogatari Franchise to animate everything and anything penned by NisiOisin regarding the Monogatari Series. So How does this second season of Owarimonogatari fare?

PLOT

Araragi Koyomi High School year is drawing into a close and Owarimonogatari delivers a finale and freeing every knot conjured in the series quite masterfully.

On Mayoi Hell Araragi is forced to come to an understanding of himself ... and face off to the fact that there is no point of dwelling on the past. As his graduation nears he is freeing the knots of his youth and battling his inner demons that hold him hostage for every one of his seemingly reckless actions. actions that he later learns after openly giving it some thought, would have happened with or with out him and ultimately hell is a place you go on your own accord, as to your own conscience you must feel guilt to be be punished as that is something that would resurfaced on the later arcs.

While Dead, Araragi has his life played before his eyes and learns that there isn't much if any to change given the chance. Mayoi Hell does one thing well, and that is it forces our MC to learn his place. he needs to learn everything doesn't depend on him and moving alongside the plot highlights his greatest hits while in high school.

On Hitagi Rendezvous Araragi learns to be dependent on others and perhaps more perceptive of those whole love him, as there are people out there that would match him in kindness or maybe stupidity to stake out their neck for Araragi Koyomi while on his date after so long with Senjougahara Hitagi. Hitagi wants intimacy and seeks to get on first name basis with her boyfriend, we are shown and reminded on our cast youth as it cn be attributed to their inexperience, we are shown how a young couple waited so long for this intimacy and it becomes accomplished by coming to terms and dealing with your issues together.

Ougi Dark dealt with inner demons given shape or should I say corporeal form, Sometimes you don't have to battle your demons but accept that they're your own self criticism and they'll leave you alone as so long as you learn that you are not perfect, as you're young you're entitled to your mistakes, but it is up to you to own up to them and accept them as part of yourself.

As Owariimonogatari 2nd Season was one giant metaphor for struggle, It closes a story of a youth whose life went to shit when he became familiar with the supernatural. Which he later lived through, confronted and came up on top.

Sound

The Choice of OST and OP/ED by Shaft was amazing, it played well with the sequences and further cemented points trying to get across.

Characters:

The monogatari cast are the incarnation of the 4th wall. they're well knit and developed throughout their lives on the series a more mature outlook in life and told you their tale for your entertainment.

Art:

The art was consistent of the other adaptations and the symbolism was ever so present. as always Shaft doesn't disappoint.

Enjoyment:

The monogatari series is an absolute masterpiece, well put together and the characters have a little of both relativity and absurdity, why wouldn't they on this case. It's a story of youth given the breath of teh supernatural confronting themes ever so present on everyone life and some not so much as they're metaphors to problems.

I highly recommend and before I forget, Watch Koyomonogatari Episode 11 - 12 before watching this installation.

[STORY: 10/10]
The "Monogatari" series comes together well to create a masterpiece of a story. This show is much deeper than a lot of people think. It is filled to the brim with philosophical arguments and great storytelling. The focus isn't mainly on action, though it does have some visually stunning action scenes. A lot of the time, it will just be conversations between characters, but this is the blood that keeps this series alive and flourishing. Without it, you'd have a normal show with above-average production. This type of show isn't for everyone, but I personally love it.

[ART: 10/10]
The animators went all out animating this ... show, as detail and flamboyance embody the artistic direction of this show. Each character's design and set piece is carefully planned out, and it shows.

[SOUND: 10/10]
The voice actors become their characters when they act them out, that's how into them they get. They really care about their role, you can tell. And sound effects are well done as well, nothing seems off in that department.

[CHARACTER: 10/10]
Most every character is important to the main plot of the story and if they aren't the main character, the style of the show makes it seem as if they don't even exist. Whether they are designed as set pieces or outlines, the show really puts emphasis on those we really care about. These characters are no joke either, pretty much none of them are one-dimensional wastes of time, which is very appreciated.

[ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 10/10]
Though some parts of the series are better than others, the series as a whole is truly an amazing body of work that I consider a masterpiece. This story is filled to the brim with beautifully crafted characters, artwork, sound design, and an amazing story that philosophically challenges the observer to think. A masterful work by Isin Nisio.

The first season has a 9/10 because it had really focused arcs, even with the second arc being dialogue driven. Those were fresh arcs with mostly fresh characters because of the continuation of linking everyone else into the timeline.

However, this 2nd season ends up being too tidy in a very chaotic series. All the loose ends are explained as coincidences but the writing makes too smooth of an ending.

This would be a 10/10 if I liked a clean ending. If you dig underneath the supernatural, horror, fan service, and complex storylines, it is a harem genre at heart. So they created a clean ending. It ... feels too smooth and clean for such a chaotic series that purposefully shows you events out of order.

Some episodes are still highlights so it gets a 7/10.

Such a great year for Anime!

Unfortunately, I am typically someone who is not in favor of giving alot of 10's. When too many start to pop up on my list, I raise the bar, and drop some off.

The release of Owarimonogatari S2 raised that bar for me.

Perhaps you've tried the Monogatari series out before and it wasn't for you. Between the fan service, confusing dialogue and lack of chronologic release, this is a tough story for anyone to get in to.

The closest comparison I can make would be the Haruhi series and its' endless 8. Like Haruhi this series can drag and test your patience. ... However also like Haruhi, the conclusion to this series was a masterpiece.

There is none of the Fan Service or Comedy saturation present in previous installations. Owari Season 2 is not playing games here, its just straight action and drama.

From the very first scene, just seconds in to this conclusion you can immediately tell this is a cut above the others. A degree of effort and time was put in to this work of art that is worthy of a series that has grossed nearly $2 million USD per episode in DVD sales in Japan. It is worthy of the ranking it has on this site, it is not hype and its drop in rankings will not be significant as time drags on. This top 20 installment will stick for a while, trust me. If you look on the Japanese mail order sites you will notice that the final chapter, the 1 hour long "Ouigi Dark" is universally sold out still. I expect this will also remain true for some time.

Story 8: Sure it didn't explain every little detail or plot hole, it also did not have to. Its ending was perfect, satisfying and bittersweet.

Art 9: This is a series that has always given us high quality art. The color selections were revolutionary, and every scene came to life. Animation techniques were diverse. While we may not have gotten anything we haven't seen before in terms of animation or cinematography, everything we got was done extremely well and contributed to the story and overall tone; aesthetically speaking.

Sound 10: If it would be possible to give 20/10 here I would give it. Its OP and ED's were catchy and the opening artwork was extremely symbolic and foreshadowed events to come without spoilers. More importantly however, the OST for these 7 episodes was longer and more diverse than most 100 episode anime. Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood? In 7 episodes this series was more diverse. In terms of music theory, folks on,youtube are rapidly discovering that these OST tracks are technically complex and nearly impossible to arrange. They were really thinking outside the box musically. It might literally be the best OST in anime, pound for pound and I mean every word of that.

Characters 8: Incredible character development, formerly 2d characters show 3d natures and every single individual we care about has changed in some,way as a result of the events that took place here. This is basically the golden rule. The #1 thing we should look for in order to find a 'great' character, this series has ALOT of great characters.

Enjoyment 10: Enough said.. You need to watch this series. Preferably watching all of the "main" episodes last. First watch Kizumonogataro trilogy. Mark off Second season 6-9 and 14-17 followed by Owari s1 ep 8-13, koyomimonigatari episode 12 and this entire series to be watched LAST. Watch everything in the middle in order. You wont be disappointed by the HOURS of emotion and action that hit you when you dig into the Monogatari "main" plotline. Its worth every second of fanservice and painful dialogue to get there.

Finally, a conclusion to the adventure of araragi koyomi and his fellow friends.

I started this series at the start of this winter vacation, and I have to say, it really was a mind blowing experience. Owarimonogatari is the final story of the monogatari series, and it does it's job of summing everything up very well.

The introduction to the new character: Ougi Oshino was a way for araragi to finally confront his own weaknesses, as well as finally maturing and caring for himself.

Without going into spoilers, Ougi is in a sense used as a plot device for araragi to truly realize the words ... of Meme oshino from the very begining of this series. "The only people that can help you is yourself" The second season of Owarimonogatari truly takes the theme of self appreciation and love to transform into a final masterpiece of a closing act. For all those who loved the rest of the monogatari series, this is certainly a very happy conclusion that is also very satisfying at the same time.

I wish this wonderful series farewell, and thank it for all the lessons it has taught me, this was truly a mind opening experience.

Owarimonogatari 2 is, for all intents and purposes, one of the best conclusions to a story I've seen in media.

There's something about this conclusion that's just different from others. With most series that end, there's that sense of "Emptiness" you feel. If you can describe that feeling with a phrase, it would be, "I wish it never ended.". However, Monogatari's conclusion does not instill that feeling in me, contrary to other anime's out there. Its ending leaves me completely satisfied, and with a smile on my face. I have no regrets, and I can move on from the series without any trace of sadness, ... which coincidentally, is also this season's theme.

After a long running 8 years of Monogatari, the story of Koyomi Araragi finally comes to a close. Themes, narrative, and character motives all come full circle. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to a story.

Although this may be the ending to "a" story, it doesn't mean it's the ending to "the" story ;)

I did not think that this story turned out to be a blessing from "Koyomimonogatari" I even forgot that Araragi was dead.
but with the meeting again araragi and mayoi (even though in hell) this makes me more excited to watch this program.

figurative words that are often used, meaningful sentences, and things that make the audience think heavily is the extraordinary attraction of this anime ..

there may have been a lot of spectators who longed for mayoi jokes "sorry my tongue was bitten". really the charm of extraordinary comedy for me.

Terminal terminal songs (first opening) are still ringing in my head at this time.

the main star ... now is ougi-chan, a very mysterious character with a sweet smile and looks so smart and knows a lot of things.

this story is increasingly thrilling in each episode. so excited me.

the best part is when Araragi saves Ougi-chan.
this part makes ougi-chan look so smart by acknowledging that "she's not a woman". even so, I think he is not really that much because she is someone who will criticize Araragi so she certainly knows that all those who have been saved by Araragi are girls. ougi-chan who prefers not to be saved will certainly choose to lie to Araragi.

that's my view after seeing the nature of ougi-chan in the other monogatari series and the mindset of Ougi-chan itself.

I thought I would be very disappointed with her confession so that I sought the intent of the words and my conclusion was that she was lying.

but it was something like this that made me very happy with the monogatari series. which gives me the opportunity to think like this. XD
 
and lastly, I never thought I'd be so fascinated by the character of Ougi-chan. in the other series he looked normal and had no impact there. she is not a beautiful character. it's just that I just realized his specialness in her beautiful smile.

of all the anime characters I've met, only his smile seemed so sincere. many anime producers present beautiful, large-breasted, small-bodied (loli), twin-tail, or other distinctive characters.
but this character is very different. right, I really like this character. so is the mystery.

the closing of this series is decorated with beautiful sentences from araragi koyomi and shinobu. for me it was one of the most beautiful closing of all the monogatari-series covers.

I am very grateful to Nisio Isin for creating the masterpiece.
I can only support and pray that Monogatari series can reach the top rating rating.

i hope you understand what i mean. i just using google translate XD
My english is too bad, but i wanna review this anime cause i love this anime very much.. thankyou Nisio Isin for yous story. >.<

This was the perfect ending to a perfect show. I am very happy about how it was handled. I was surprised but it was truly genius.

Spoilers:

I have some remarks about the role of Ougi from now we will also dig into spoiler territory.

I didn't expected Ougi to be a product of Araragis self criticism. I expected Ougi to be the darkness that lies in everyone's heart's. The side that doubts the side that loathe the part of us almost everyone experiences.

The monogatari series is all about the representation of teenage worries represented in a physical form , they are called monsters in the show. When ... I thought about Araragies depression , it's only natural to expect shinibu. Everything about her design reeks of depression. The energy drain literally sucking the life out of you. The temptation that slefloath brings with it. When Araragie dies it means shinobh is at full power, meaning he killed him self and depression got the best of him. So I think shinobh as a stylistic choice is better fitted as the representation of dark Araragie.

It was clear that Ougi was the Endboss of the show. It wrapped things up nicely. Linking Ougi directly to Araragie was kind of genius, because in saving her meaning saving him self was a very important growth he needed. In the show he was willing to throw is life away every single time, having no self worth. But on the other side, he is saving the bad part of him the manifestation of his self criticism. And in the way he saved her he almost died again so growth that was intended contradicts itself...
Like I said , my interpretation of Ougi as the darkness that lies inside everyone makes more sense for myself, but it's only a personal opinion.

Other parts I enjoyed about the story:
There is a inner logic to explanations I very much enjoy. Like Ougi was created due to the Araragis powers as a vampire . Or Araragie is very attractive because of the immortal powers of a Vampire.

The world that gets built up little over the course of the series get tied up nicely later. Little details like kanbarus mother are used up seasons later. Observant viewers are rewarded.

I see many similarities to the "hero's journey" . For example "call to advanture ", when Araragie finds shinubu in the underground station."death" and "resurrection" are obvious.

The characters are realistic . They experience setbacks like hanekawa that turns to the meddlecat again. It prevents character breaks and make the characters relatable.

There are way to many things I love about this show.

Anyway I love the whole monogatari series it is philosophic it is interesting it is different it is one of my favourite shows of all time . 10/10

THERE ARE SPOILERS i think it was really good and ougi being koyomi was my guess personally if they released hanamonogatari later it could've had more impact because we already know survive so if it wasn't then we would we be like is ougi really gonna go away but overall i think it was good despite hanamonogatari spoling a bit so hopes shaft will do more highlight of this season mayoi is back as a goddess really happy about it wish we had more screentime with nadeko also cutting her hair definitely ...
P.S. i'll wait for zokuowarimonogatari and hope shaft animates off season and monster season BEST GIRL SHINOBU

The monogatari series is known for having an unusually high number of characters take important roles throughout the story. In fact, as we have seen, each character possesses their own arc (excluding gaen's group of apparition specialists), and in this second season of owarimonogatari, we got to see almost each and everyone of them. My initial expectations were that this season would focus primarily on Ougi, and while it did, it also gave some really nice closure to other characters as well. But no matter how much I may like them, after watching this season I came to have an overbearing interest for Ougi. Back ... in 2015 when the first season came out, she was already adored by many, being called the best girl by them. To me however, she was just another well-written character, not some candidate for the best girl of the whole series. From what I had understood back then, she was clearly behind some schemes that made Araragi's life even harder for himself, and her speech sounded really suspicious at times. At the same time however, she also seemed to help him understand of the problems that were at hand at that time. For this reason, I didn't know exactly what to think of her, and gradually became more and more curious about her real identity, without any real clues as to what it was. The reason I couldn't ask for a better ending to this arc, is because her identity turned out to be something a lot more meaningful than I could have ever imagined. She did not only become my favorite character of the whole series, but she also became the foundation to a spectacular ending to an 8 year long anime full of rich storytelling. The voice actress behind her voice sang the third OP for this season, and it also turned out to be my favorite OP of the whole series, taking tsukimono's Orange Mint's spot. If you have been a fan of Kaori Mizuhashi for one of her works before, I hope you may enjoy this amazing and conclusive performance of her for the monogatari series, and continue to support her outstanding talent in the industry.

Let's be honest here, it's hard not to give this show a great review. I wish I could rate it a 10 and be done. But the more I think about it, the less satisfied I am with Owari Season 2 being the "End" of the main story of the series. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of this season, but it didn't have the impact I was looking for.

Story: 7

Outside of the second arc of the show having no real point, the story was just as good as most of the other seasons. Most of the ongoing plots are wrapped up ... nicely, and it sets up for a great continuation. The fact that it sells itself as the "final season", however, is something that detracts from it in my opinion, as it is quite clearly not.

*spoiler*
While it does wrap up the ongoing background plot, it does so in a very open ended manor that left me wanting more conclusion. The ending itself seems rather sudden, and a lot of the lead up to it seems wasted.

But overall, it was still a solid end to the first two seasons.

Art: 9

The art itself was up to par with the rest of the series, however, there was some kind of touch that it was missing, probably due to having a different director. The monogatari series had been losing its uniqueness slowly over the years when it came to the visuals, but in Owari S2, they seem to be all but absent, or rather a shell of their former self. That's probably a harsh way to describe it as I still rate it a 9, but that is how I feel, nonetheless.

Sound: 10

They definitely didn't lose their touch here. Great ED, and dark cherry mystery was immediately one of my favorite OPs from the series.

Character: 8

For most characters in the show, this was a nice wrap up. I would have loved to give the show a 10 here, as I think the characterization in the series as a whole is fantastic, but I can't help but feel a little injustice being done to Ougi's character at the end. I won't go into detail here, as I would have to actually discuss the shows ending, but it seems like she goes against her entire principals at the end of the show.

Also, many of the characters are simply in the series to make a cameo type appearance. And while it is obvious that they could not include every character, some of these cameos seem random and/or unneeded.

Enjoyment: 8

What can I say, I have yet to dislike anything to come out of this series. While this season didn't quite live up to what I wanted it to be, I still had a blast watching it, and did enjoy the ending, though not as much as I would have liked.

Also, one of the best jokes in the entire show is in the first few minutes of episode one.

Overall: 8

As a conclusion to the series, I find Owari S2 to be rather unfitting. However, as a bridge to the later installments, I think it works out fine. As long as this season isn't treated as the end, it stands up well with it's piers. With interesting (if somewhat foreseeable) reveals and twists, a decent ending, and outstanding story telling, Owari S2 doesn't disappoint and works as a great bridge between the initial saga of the series and potential later installments.