If we want to provide a simple description of the series we can say that it is about smart-ass people talking nonsense in front of beautiful, painting-like backgrounds. And it is kind of true, you can criticise the show for having too much unnesseccary conversations that don’t push the main plot and that environments are so random that even a blank white wall would suffice. The almost entirely female cast has random encounters with each other and start talking about the issue at hand, but the dialogues usually take half of an episode to get a conclusion and have many sidetracks. They talk so fast that it is really hard to follow sometimes and the fast-cut stills burden the viewer with even more information.
The truth is that Monogatari is not possible to enjoy to its fullest if you don’t think hard about it. The unusual, supernatural main plot, although decent, is mainly used to start the witty, sarcastic and hilarious conversations which often have more layers of meaning. The seemingly random stills provide even more depth to the dialoguoes, especially because they are cut in at the perfect moments.
The result is a series of clever, interwoven dialogues that are incredibly fun to listen to. All of the characters are well-developed with their personal monsters and ghosts and all of them have their problems they understand in depth. They love to think in an objective way about very subjective topics and try to outwit others by getting a few steps ahead of them. This is what makes Monogatari incredible: it forces the viewer to think along with the cast, otherwise their motivations remain a secret and their actions lack any logic. What they do would usually make no sense in a real world setting, but the supernatural setting enables them to engage discussions that otherwise would never happen.
Monogatari is not for everyone, it really misses a firm storyline, action is rare and the dialogues require a rather certain taste. But if you enjoy the taste, it is something you must see.
