Review of Bakemonogatari

[Rewatching the Monogatari Series] The forerunner of the Monogatari series. After reading some analysis, I've appreciated the series even more. Even if I'm not well-versed with actual literary pieces, I can say that the Monogatari series (anime) is literature, with Bakemonogatari highlighting it. I love how the story is sold in a supernatural narrative, when it is actually a very creative work on humans and our relational issues. In BROTTOY's blog, he expounds on the thematic analysis of the whole monogatari and mentions how escapism is heavily used in Bakemonogatari. I just can't feel anything other than be really amazed by how Shaft and Nisio Isinmanaged to present such themes in animation. Even the screenplay is very creative and imaginative. In every Monogatari, Shaft really knows how to make use of frames to convey the most subtle messages. Rewatching the series and recognizing these frames adds so much flavor to watching anime.

There may be times that a joke or a story gets over my head, but I would associate that to something being lost in translation or a difference in culture. This issue makes it hard to recommend the Monogatari series to light watchers of anime. Regardless, Bakemonogatari is a masterpiece that definitely has layers of rich in story telling and symbolism.