Review of Bakemonogatari

I was so confident that I was going to enjoy Bakemonogatari. Like most other people's introduction to the series, I was promised an insightful, complex story that would change my outlook on anime FOREVER. What I got was... quite the letdown. Sure, I enjoyed the intertextual references constantly thrown about, it definitely added depth; it connected characters to more expanded upon ideas so at least there was substance in that regard. However, when placed in the show... every characters' interactions with Araragi were, quite simply, exhausting. Now, it's probably a stretch to call Araragi '(ex)Vampire Kirito' but it's just so tiring to watch the same short-black-haired-high-school-studentaloofly stroll around picking up every girl in eye's reach. Seriously! Those girls can hardly walk around without Araragi's help, please, give them some autonomy. For a show that is praised for its characters, most of them just exist for Araragi to fix then throw away. What a savior...

I did genuinely enjoy the style the show presented though, if you can ignore how poorly the characters are treated by the narrative, it could definitely be called interesting at the very least.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't look past it. Furthermore, the veneer of pretentiousness that the show tries to use to cover its lacking story (yeah, I get it, "it's not lacking, it's just abstract! You wouldn't understand!") turns markedly more distasteful when you consider the fanservice elements. I don't think it's entirely fair to blame the long-prevailing ecchi culture on one show, but it's pretty uncomfortable watching the gratuitous fanservice plaguing like, every scene. While I do agree that voyeuristic elements can be incorporated to help provide whatever commentary a show is trying to convey, the fact that Araragi is allowed to act- quite frankly- creepy as hell, without any pushback from the narrative implies that this behaviour is perfectly acceptable and meant to be celebrated.