Review of Bakemonogatari

Bakemonogatari is part monster of the week, part harem, part slice of life. This combination is served in a visual style so creative and pretty that if you're interesed in pretty backgrounds or visual storytelling it's worth watching the show for that alone. The openings and endings are also creative and fun, because this is Studio Shaft and I hope other companies are taking notes because the visuals of anime could use to be shaken up more. The songs and music are also great, so atmosphere-wise, Bakemonogatari gets two thumbs up. But yeah, the rest of it. The stories are fairly interesting, though nothing that hasn'tbeen done before. The characters are... special, alright, this show has it's own very warped view on human dynamics where you can totally be friends with someone that recently disemboweled you. I can barely even comment on that, it is what it is and it either works or doesn't work for you. Be prepared for lengthy verbal exchanges that get kinda lost in translation. One thing I really liked was that the protagonist wasn't an audience surrogate, he feels like a person with a mindset that's really his own and his actions surprised me. He is totally checking out all those girls around him and there is a lot of male gaze fanservice, but he also sees the girls as people and isn't looking for a reward when he helps them. It's nice to see a guy whose libido doesn't turn him into a creepy moron. Oh, except when they're dishing out the pedo-bait. Seriously, if you have a problem with lolicon (and you should) you have to mentally prepare yourself. Or fast forward and think of pretty pictures. I knocked one and a half points of off my enjoyment for that, but Bakemonogatari remains well-made and different, so do check it out.