Well this show definitely surprised me. I didn't really know what to expect when going into this show. I thought it would be about just a normal guy that goes around helping these girls like I did in recent shows I have seen. But bakemonigatari does a fantastic job of making this no ordinary show and has such a unique and interesting storyline and characters. There really are no other shows like this.
Story 9/10
One day araragi (such a fun name to say) goes to school and sees a girl falling and he decides to run and catch her, little did he know that she was very light and didn't feel heavy at all when he caught her, and she has an "oddity" and helps her get rid of it. But all before this happened araragi was turned into a vampire. And I felt this was the only weak part of the story. I felt like they didn't explain very well on how araragi got turned into a vampire, I think they did some explaining in the first few minutes of the first episodes, but it didn't seem to clear things up for me, it seemed confusing (maybe I just forget, because its been a few months since I finished this show) and this is really the only weak point in the story, well for me it does, and maybe I didn't listen well enough or something. Anyways, throughout bakemonogatari, araragi and senjougahara (I think that's how you spell it?) are the main characters of this show and we see how they grow in relationship with each other all the while araragi is helping out these other girls with their oddities and we see what he and senjohara do to help them out. The pacing seems slow to some, but overall good constant pace throughout the show. I'll leave the rest to watching the show. And one thing to keep in mind is this show is heavy on the dialogue so you really have to be focused to understand what's going on, so this show isn't for everyone.
Characters 9/10
The characters are all excellent. They all have their roles and play the roles well. Really no dull characters, everyone is well developed, except maybe for araragi's characters but get more development in the sequel. Araragi really wants to help everyone and will do what it takes to help the girls get rid of their oddities. Senjougahara is a very interesting character, seems frightening at first but actually cares about people and how her actions impact others. Hanekawa is a genius and might actually know everything, but says she doesn't. Her and araragi are real good friends and we get to see her always helping out araragi when he doesn't know what to do. There are much more interesting characters and you'll have to watch to see how amazing they all are
Sound 8/10
I did enjoy the soundtrack a lot. I liked the eerie music they played when the conversations were serious and prolonged which really fit into the scenes perfectly. I felt they were lacking the action songs during the action moments, or maybe its just me. But overall the soundtrack is great. They also have different openings for each arc (person). Endings were good. I also liked the air sounds you could say when the characters moved the arms or something or when moving the camera from one person to the other. Probably the weak point of this show for me but still really good.
Art/Animation 9/10 (close to a 10/10)
This show has one of the best animations and art. I loved all of the weird camera angles shaft does, it can feel over excessive at some points but it really has a huge impact on the show. Like one example is that one person will be talking on camera, just statically, and then when the next person talks they'll zoom in a little, then the static person, then zoom in more on the zooming in person, and does for a few lines for each people and gives a very unique view of camera angles. The character art was just stunning. They all looked very proportioned and highly realistic. Well the only un realistic part would be when someone's arm gets cut off and about 100 gallons of blood spurts out and I say to myself, is that even possible? But overall animations were great. Especially the fighting scenes, they were very fluid and the visuals were amazing. Also this show is pretty darn graphic so be prepared.
Overall 9/10
Very unique and highly interesting storyline. Extremely nice art. Great characters with great development. Decent soundtrack. Highly enjoyable, all makes this show amazing. I definitely felt for each character at the end, all very likeable. I probably could of watched the whole show in one go or day but couldn't cause of time restrictions (school..). One of the more interesting and fascinating storylines which made the show highly enjoyable for me. Recommend this to anyone wanting an amazing story, characters, art, and a little romance here and there, not much comedy but still there.
+Great unique storyline
+Stunning visuals
+Senjougahara is in this
+Araragi is fun to say
+Awesome camera angles
+Never gets boring (not for me)
-A little weak on the soundtrack
-Unrealistic amounts of blood
Did I make you want to watch this? I hope so, you wont be disappointed
