Bakemonogatari, a look back

Of the anime in recent memory, there are a few that have made it into the 'god' tier level, meaning they will forever be remembered as a classic. Apparently one such title that many consider to be in the 'god' tier is Bakemonogatari.

What is it: Bakemonogatari is an anime dealing with the occult with splashes of romance and comedy thrown in. As a growing trend with anime, Bakemonogatari is based off of a light novel. Bakemonogatari is a mashing of two different words bakemono (ghost or monster) and monogatari (story) combining to form a ghost story. Two volumes of the light novel were written by Japanese novelist Nisio Isin who also wrote a number of spinoffs dealing with the same universe. The anime was produced by the production company Shaft and aired between 2009 and 2010 with a run of 15 episodes.

Main Plot: Centering around a third year high schooler, Koyomi Araragi, as he deals with a number of instances where occult beings are disrupting girls lives. Araragi is also dealing with the fact that he became part vampire after an incident that nearly left him dead. In his journey though life, Araragi meets a number of girls who are suffering from spirits who are inflicting some sort of pain upon the girls. 

Why it's special: The art is a true Shaft style, meaning there are key distinct flairs known to Shaft. Of course no Shaft anime would be complete without the Shaft head tilt, which this anime does not skimp on. 

Shaft's iconic tilt

 Many claim that Bakemonogatari as a great show because of its ability to maturely deal with subjects, yet manages to parody itself along with other anime genres, and throwing in good comedy. 

 Plus One:
Plot: Bakemonogatari manages to be a slow show yet always keep the viewers interest up. Generally there are a minimal amount of characters per arch and each arch lasting a few episodes. Each character has their specific quirk, which is inevitably tied to their spirit that is bothering them. It is fun watching Araragi interacting with each person because it usually leads up into some sort of misunderstanding. 

Writing: The writing for the dialog is very well done. The banter between the characters is always fun to watch especially when it's Senjougahara with Araragi. There are always little puns and jabs here and there that make it enjoyable to watch.

Intro Songs: Shaft is known for changing up their intro songs from time to time, but for Bakemonogatari they did a new song and video for each arch. All the songs are catchy and represent the main girl of the arch. 

Fight Scene: The one major fight scene in Bakemonogatari with Araragi against Kanbaru was an amazingly well done fight.  The art direction and the whole fight was just really well done. Discoloring the blood made it seem more violent yet almost a parody because it made it seem fake.

Senjougahara: The first girl Araragi has to deal with, and by golly is she a handful. Yet probably my favorite character of the show due to her always poking and prodding Araragi for a reaction. Not only is she a strong character she manages to play a large role in Araragi's live after he saves her. After she is saved she unfortunately becomes a side character with some minor appearances and one episode for her near the end. Which is unfortunate for such an interesting character.  

 Dear lord those faces, I hnnngg so hard during this scene. So much win.

Minus One: 

Plot: For everything that Bakemonogatari is, it still feels unfinished. During our introduction of Araragi and his friend Oshino, they give a brief overview of how the two became friends. Not only did this leave me feeling confused because I thought I missed an important event somehow, they just kind of leave it open when talking about how Araragi came in contact with the vampire. 

Slowness: Perhaps this one is more due to how few characters are in the show. At any given time it feels as if there are only two maybe three characters on screen at once. It always feels like each scene is one scene too long. The time it takes for the plot to advance can sometimes be excruciating. Another thing is when a character's arch is finished it never fully feels finished, leaving a wanting to see more feeling.

Plot: Once again returning to plot. Another problem with the plot is the fact that it is nothing fairly new, guy has to save girl from death due to some mystical being. Yet for this fairly simplistic overview many people think the plot is something that stands out against others. This could be a more personal thing but it always feels like the conclusion to each arch wraps everything too nicely and everyone forgets about what just happened. 

One for all: This is a good series overall. While there are problems I do have with the series I do find it very enjoyable, yet I would not put it into a 'god' tier level. There are many things that are holding it back, mainly dealing with plot holes. Of course one could argue that this will be resolved once the prequel Kizumonogatari is animated. But a series should be able to stand on its own rather than needing a prequel to clear any holes. Also for those that claim the animation was superb, it is nothing too different from the usual Shaft style, watch some other series and one begins to notice many similarities. A 'god' tier anime needs to have very few blemishes to an otherwise outstanding series yet Bakemonogatari fails in that regard due to a number of problems. Yet it is still a series that I would place high on my list of favorites just not one that deserves top honors.