Review of Bakemonogatari

Anime is an artistic medium. This is quite easy to forget, as the amount of battle shonen series, shojo romances, fanservice comedies and...other things all have a tendency to swamp anime fans' viewing habits. When anime tries to be this shining example of art, some people, not knowing any better, would label it as pretentious and other words to that effect. Truth be told, I like anime done this way, being all experimental with its visual appearance. Now let's get down to reviewing this beast. To begin with, the animation is honestly a marvel. I can easily say in terms pure quality of design, it rivals that ofNichijou and the Ghibli canon.

Then there is our cast of characters. In Bakemonogatari, we're introduced to Koyomi Araragi and his not-quite-a-harem of troubled females. He's a decent lead character, likable in spades, even after you consider his quirks.

The not-quite-harem is interesting too, especially when you take into account that one girl (trust me, watch the first 2 episodes and you'll know who i mean) who is one of the most interesting anime characters i've ever come across.

The soundtrack is also enjoyable, never being overly dramatic, but always catchy enough to stay in your head for quite a while. I will have to mention the various opening themes, as their lyrics provide an insight to each character.

All in all, I believe this is the type of thing anime really exists for. The insights to each character are well thought out, and the whole thing just feels satisfying at its conclusion.

There is more to this series, and even though this chapter ends on a high note, you'll be back for more if you enjoyed it.