Reviews

At the time of writing this Kizumonogatari III is one of only two Anime's that I have rated a 10. It is very rare that I rate anything a 10 because I don't believe any movie/show is perfect. And this is no exception, it isn't perfect. However, the roller coaster of emotions and the astounding journey I was unexpectedly taken on took my breath away. Everything all the way down to the ending credits song I thought was perfectly placed and fit the vibe of the movie really well.

To anybody that knows nothing about the "monogatari" series, I highly recommend you to watch these three movies first -as I did. I actually don't like the "monogatari" TV shows but I loved the 3-part movie.

When I grade a piece of Art, I usually separate my rating into two categories:
1) The technical achievement/production value.
2) My personal enjoyment.
Even if I don't personally enjoy a certain show or movie, I'll always give it a higher grade if category 1 is fulfilled.

The 3 part movie starts off pretty average in-terms of story and characters, but since each were only 1 hour long, it kept my interest long enough to keep watching. As I got towards the end of the second movie I was hooked. The unique lens in which the director is telling this unusual story is very dream-like and excitingly chaotic. So despite the 3 part movie starting off slow (which I usually don't forgive and heavily criticise) once the movie gets into full speed it is something that is so unique it stands separate from any anime I've ever seen. So from the view point of category 1, it achieves an 8 or 9.

Now from an enjoyment point of view, as I said before, once it gets into full speed the momentum is so flawless it's almost palpable. It clearly draws heavy inspiration from french noir films and uses it to craft an action packed pessimistic romance adventure. When I use "roller coaster" to describe this film, I don't mean it in a "it has high's and low's". I mean it in the sense that you can feel the momentum of this film pushing you forward right until the end credits roll. As an artist, I've definitely been inspired by this movie. And to anybody reading, *this* is how you do "romance" correctly. "Romance" done right is not some soap-opera love triangle designed to create conflict... Done right, it is a gut feeling that pulls you were the director wants you to go.

I could right a 5 page long review about all of the small and big things I liked, however, I usually like to keep my reviews short and straight to the point -only talking about aspects of the media that matters.