OK first thoughts, Uh, what just happened? As the closing credits rolled on the last episode that was the exact thought I had. I felt like I had just been subjected to some sort of wild carnival ride after having had one too many corn-dogs! It was Intense! At the risk of possibly scaring off other viewers, this anime will require you to commit a much higher level of thought and attention, possibly over more than one viewing of an episode or even the entire series to get the most out of the show. I don’t think most of the concepts presented are that difficult to grasp in and of themselves, rather it’s the rapid fire delivery and or subtle meaning in a piece of dialog that will baffle or just blow right past a lot of folks. Oh yeah, and there is a lot of dialog. Even so I think this is one of those anime that is probably better in the original Japanese with subtitles.
Sub-categories
Plot/Story: 7
The plot of this series is, in a word, complex and as a result is simply not going to appeal to some. I watched this story for the first time about two years ago and then again several months ago but only recently decided to write a review after having a good “think” about it. I can say that I found this show to be one of the most cerebral stories I have come across in recent years. And while the dialog is sometimes convoluted, for the most part I thought it was witty, humorous, however as stated above you may have to watch it more than once to get it if you happen to lose focus. As such I do not recommend trying to marathon this one unless you really like being confused.
Character Development: 8
Development of the characters starts out a little vague but as the story progresses you do get more and more of a sense of the motivations behind the actions of each person. The story manages to give you enough of an idea while maintaining a sense of mystery, though at times you may miss a clue and have to backtrack due to the ever present “wait, what?!” factor. In my opinion it is the sheer preponderance of dialogue that does this. Throw in a liberal amount of repartee, “seemingly” obtuse comments, and flat out silly remarks and you had better bring your “A-game”. For me though this actually helped with my focus, but then again I’ve been told I’m weird all my life and I’m starting to believe it.
Sound/Sound track: 8
Though I did not at first realize it this anime has really good background music and sound efx, both of which set the tone for each scene and complement the action well. The musical accompaniment was very, I don’t know, I guess minimal is the best description I can think of. There aren’t any songs save for the opening and closing numbers, just short little musical “poems” that perfectly capture the essence of each scene, enhancing it without being distracting. I found the subtle but powerful sound work (both the efx and musical accompaniment) to be very good.
Animation/Art: 10
The art-work is top-notch and I think lives up to its hype without any reservations. In my opinion it’s flat out gorgeous! That combined with the sound made this truly a pleasure to view. And I think that is another reason why this series may not appeal to some. It may be just too much of an assault on the senses for many to deal with while trying to absorb the basic story from the subtitles.
Personal Enjoyment: 9
I thought this was a great series, period. It’s weird and quirky and funny and sad and more than a little thought provoking. I found it enjoyable on a lot more levels than many of the series I’ve seen lately. I even liked the occasional bit of fanservice that popped up. I know I’m going to get flak for this but to me it actually made sense in a lot of places whether it was just to titillate or to provoke or to give you some additional insight into a characters personality. Yeah I hear the bullshit coughs out there but consider this for an example, in the opening scene of “Hitagi Crab part two” as we see Senjōgahara showering in preparation for the exorcism later that evening there are random flashes of her nude form, at one point she even playfully smacks her butt cheek and there is what appears to be a shot of her nipple pressed on the glass of the shower. Now many will say “oh that wasn’t needed” but consider this, for someone who is as private and antagonistic as she has shown herself to be up to this point in the story the fact that she is comfortable enough to not only allow Araragi to be present in her very small apartment but while she is actually taking a shower, and that she chooses to relate a very personal story while she is in such a vulnerable state suggests to me that she is very comfortable with him. I think this is borne out by other instances of her confiding various facts and exhibiting other behaviors, some deliberate but many seemingly unconscious, that point to her innate comfort level with this boy who she really just met.
Summary
All of that having been said, please do not take any of the previous to mean that you should not give this one a go, quite the opposite. It's just that unlike a lot of other anime out there, you had better be prepared to really focus you when you cue it up, or it is liable to leave you in the dust. I think if you do that and don’t go in with too many preconceived notions you should find it enjoyable.
