Review of Bakemonogatari

SHAFT must have been very high when they created this anime.. It's full of weird stuff... Weird stuff that made me fall in love with the Monogatari series. Just keep doing what you're doing Shaft. It's what makes your company "Shaft". [Story]: (9.5/10) Koyomi Araragi is almost human again after briefly becoming a vampire. When Hitagi falls down the stairs into his arms, he discovers she weights almost nothing and offers her help from a middle-aged Hawaiian shirt man. Koyomi encounters different aberrations in a series of interconnected stories. I'm probably not the only one who thought this anime was very VERY weird when I first watcheda couple of episodes. It's not because of the SHAFT head tilts. Oh no, I've gotten used to the head tilts ever since Madoka but because of how everything was animated and the storytelling. It's kind of...unique but in a weird way. You really don't see this kind of stuff everyday in anime. For example, the classroom where Oshino usually hangs out or Kanbaru's room full of books. However, in a few episodes, I've gotten used to Monogatari's weird animation and storytelling so that's that.

The series is divided into 5 arcs and each arc features a female character who has a problem/situation they have to deal with. And this is where Ararararagi comes in. He helps the female characters solve their problem. You might be thinking that each arc is very dry and simple but they're not. Each arc has an interesting story and very-well written twist that explains why they're at that situation. For example, take a look at Hachikuji's arc. Hachikuji is lost and must find her way home. You think the story is that simple? Do you honestly think she's simply lost because she ran away or something and Araragi will just find her way home and happily every after? There's a reason why she's called the "wandering" snail. There's a reason why she's "lost". There's a dark story as to why she's lost and this is why I love the Bakemonogatari's writing and complex storyline.

The dialogue scenes are also handled very well and almost every line that comes out of the character's mouth serves a purpose in the story. In other words, this is not an anime for people who prefers action over dialogue scenes. While Bakemonogatari does have some action scenes, the show is bombarded with dialogues and you must listen to every word in order to understand the story.

While the show offers an excellent storyline, the show suffered from one issue. The pacing. I don't know if this is just me but the pacing was a bit too fast. For example, Senjougahara's arc only lasted for 2 episodes and Nadeko's arc also suffered the same fate. I really wish it could have been 3 episodes or more. I did watch Nisemonogatari before writing this review so I know how the pacing goes in Nise and it is a lot better. This is what prevented me from rating Bake a perfect 10.

Putting the story and pacing aside, the show is packed with fanservice. I've known some people who hated or dropped the Monogatari series simply because of the fanservice. Some fanservice are light, some are funny and some might have taken it a bit too far. Me... I hate fanservice with a passion because it's unnecessary and it does not add anything to the story. In Bakemonogatari, same thing applies here. However, the fanservice here is not that annoying and it doesn't affect the overall story. Some of them can be pretty funny like a third-year high schooler groping an elementary schooler. In case you didn't notice, I meant Aragi groping Hachihachiji. I can't believe I enjoyed this kind of fanservice.

Lastly, I just love how Bakemonogatari mocks other romance anime shows but sometimes the shows falls into them itself and the show doesn't even mention that they just fell into that trap. Talk about irony. Why make fun of other romance anime shows out there if you're going to fall into one yourself?
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[Art/Animation]: (9/10)
The show looks visually great and yadayada...I don't want to focus on the visuals of the show. I want to focus on the weird animation that Shaft animated. This weird animation contains SHAFT Head Tilts where the characters can tilt their head in an impossible 170 degree angle, the camera angles which are all over the place and often uses extreme close-ups, the fast flashing text that is impossible to read unless you look at it frame by frame, empty backgrounds and last but not least, the live-action scenes that somewhat adds creepiness to the show. I actually love it. It makes the show interesting to watch and it doesn't distract you from the story.
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[Sound]: (10/10)
I was actually surprised when the show featured 5 Opening themes. For a 15 episode anime show, that's a lot. OP themes aside, the show features an excellent background theme and an awesome Orchestrated OP theme songs.

The OP theme songs are "staple stable" by Chiwa Saito, "Kaerimichi" by Emiri Kauto, "ambivalent world" by Miyuki Sawashiro, "Ren'ai Circulation" by Kana Hanazawa, and "Sugar Sweet Nightmare" by Yui Horie". The ED theme song is Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" by supercell. Out of the 5 OP theme songs, there has to be that 1 OP theme song that I love. Well, there's actually 3. The 1st, 2nd and 4th OP theme songs. I love the 1st OP theme song because of the singer's wonderful voice, I love the 2nd OP theme song because of its tragic lyrics, and I love the 4th OP theme song because it sounded almost like a rap song but in Japanese and also the singer's voice. The ED theme sounds great because of supercell but it sounded a lot..A LOT better at the end of Episode 12.
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[Character]: (9.3/10)
So far, this is the only anime where none of the female characters annoyed the shit out of me. Even that loli elementary school girl didn't annoy me. In fact, her appearances just kept increasing the enjoyability of the show. What's her name again? That's right...Hachirojuki. The "lost" elementary school girl who keeps getting groped by Koyomi. Yea...you heard that right. A third-year high school student groping an elementary school girl. *sigh* Japan..

Koyomi Araragi is the male lead of the show and he helps other people (99.9% of these people are female) solve their problem. Koyomi is 1/10 vampire meaning he has vampire abilities like regeneration and et cetera. Because of his regeneration, the anime loves to show us Araragi getting f*cked up in the worst ways possible. For example, his mouth getting stapled, a monkey aberration kicking him in his stomach and all other kind of violent action scenes.

There are other female characters as well. Firstly, there is Hitagi. The main girl of the series. She is intelligent and she is not afraid to say whatever she wants and feels to Araragi. Hitagi and Koyomi eventually starts dating later in the series and it does not feel like they're a couple at all. It feels like Hitagi is a yandere forcing Koyomi to date her and this is why I love their pairing. It just leads to funny-ass situations. Koyomi obviously loves her back not because he feels like he is threatened.

Secondly, there's Mayoi Hachikugi. I already introduced her so I'm moving on to another character. Thirdly, there's Suruga Kanbaru. She's one year younger than Koyomi and has been friends with Senjougahara for god knows how long. She's a basketball player and she revealed her sexual orientation as a lesbian. Fourthly, there's Nadeko Sengouki. A green haired girl and she is Koyomi's little sister's best friend. Lastly, there's Hanekawa Tsubasa. She is a class president and a friend of Koyomi.

There are supporting characters as well. They didn't get a lot of screentime in Bakemonogatari but they will get a lot of screentime in Nisemonogatari and future Monogatari series. These supporting characters are Shinobu; a name given to her by Oshino and Koyomi's little sisters Karen and Tsukihi.

Out of all these characters, my favourite character is Senjougahara and Mayoi Hachiguki. Hitagi is easily the best girl, nuff said. Her dialogues just cracks me up. Mayoi didn't really become my favourite character until Nise.
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[Enjoyment]: (10/10)
After watching a couple of episodes, I was planning to drop the series because I didn't really get why the fans were praising it. By the 4th or 5th episode, Man...was I hooked.
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[VERDICT]
"Bakemonogatari" really nailed it when it comes to writing, storytelling and the characters. Not only is it clever but it's damn good. Believe the hype people. It is currently one of the best show that SHAFT has ever produced. I might change my mind once I watch all the Monogatari series.

[OVERALL]: (9.5/10)

Pros:
+Clever and Complex Storyline
+Great and Unique Animation
+Oustanding Soundtrack
+None of the characters were annoying
+Best Girl: Senjougahara
+Great use of jokes
+Fanservice wasn't annoying

Cons:
-Pacing is a bit too fast for Hitagi and Nadeko's arc