Plot- People like plot, right? And I'm not talking about that kind of "plot" that you see saturate the anime industry as of late with fan service being the sole part of the anime. Well katanagatari has you covered, the premise of the plot may seem very simple at first: Collecting 12 swords over the course of 12 episodes. However below the surface this show captivates you with deeper meanings and moral's behind each 50 minute episode. Just make sure you're prepared for the epic finale.
Characters- As always Nisio Isin has characters completely nailed. In pretty much every episode a new character is introduced and yet they all feel solid and thought out. No copy and paste cliches and for all the recurring characters you are able to see some beautiful character development of some of the most soulful characters in the anime industry. Just like the rest of the monogatari series written by Nisio Isin there will be plenty of monologue to thicken out their personalities, asking themselves why they are fighting? (and the answer won't be a cliche of "too get stronger")
Art and sound- The art style is an acquired taste in my opinion, however for me it works perfectly. It is beautiful in it's own right, making it extremely refreshing and stand out. In terms of music and sound, I don't know how much you value opening's and endings but I unfortunately think that they are a little underwhelming for otherwise such a great show. In terms of OST however I think this show has overall one of the best, if not the best soundtrack I had the fortune to witness. It is truly a visual and auditory work of art.
Overall conclusion- Just like Nisio isin's other work I rate this show extremely high and stands proudly on my recommendations to friends and my greatest anime list. Despite getting such positive praise for me I do believe that others may not see this show as that great of a feat. As stated before the show, like the rest of the monogatari, is filled with heavy monologue and dialogue bringing each episode up to the 50 minute mark. Along side the quantities of dialogue, names will also be thrown around at high pace so a decent amount of attention will be needed to sit through a whole episode. That being said, the author makes these other wise dull scenes extremely entertaining to watch, making you think and question yourself at times about moral questions. In conclusion it's an outstanding anime that is often neglected and I would happily recommend people it and watch it myself again.
TL;DR- If you like bakemonogatari or nisemonogatari you will love katanagatari. Great music, art style, fight scenes and characters. Long episodes and monologue/dialogue may put of some people but the author kept it interesting, all worth the end.
