Review of Bakemonogatari
When an anime series likes to screw with your mind, it often throws in plot twists or shocking revelations to keep you engaged and entertained. Bakemonogatari, on the other hand, screws with your mind by throwing blatant fan service, witty dialogue, and off-the-walls art and animation at you. Does it work? Well, let's find out. Under normal circumstances, I should hate this anime in its entirety. The dialogue can bore you to death, fan service sexuallizes teen and pre-teen girls, the main character is a total pervert, and there is no flow or rhythm to the plot. Fortunately for Bakemonogatari, it is anything but a normalseries.
The plot follows Koyomi Arararararararararagi as he builds a relationship with Hitagi Senjougahara while building his harem. Despite what myanimelist.net tells you in its synopsis, this series only uses supernatural forces as plot devices to fuel the dialogue, an element that Bakemonogatari depends on. The dialogue in Bakemonogatari is intriguing, clever, sarcastic, and funny at times. The dialogue is what makes up the relationship between characters and is what the series focuses on. Sadly, sometimes the dialogue becomes boring, which the series knows. When it does become boring, that's when the fan service and visuals kick in. I often compare this series to an adult trying to entertain a baby. When the baby gets bored from the adult talking, the adult waves keys in front of the baby's face to distract them from the dull as hell words coming out of their mouth. But instead of keys, Bakemonogatari shoves fan service and whacky colors and shapes in your face to keep your attention. And surprisingly enough, it works.
The characters in Bakemonogatari are all interesting and unique. I couldn't hate any particular character (besides Hanekawa), which is a relief since this IS a harem series after all. The main character, Ararararagi, has his bad and his good moments. You'll want to punch him in the crotch during his bad moments, while you will want to hug him during his good ones. His moral side and perverted side often clash, making him a somewhat unstable, yet entertaining character. Senjougahara is the heroine who always managed to put a smile on my face whether she was harming Ararararagi (he deserved it at some parts) or revealing her true nature. Overall, the characters in Bakemonogatari are great, and there's little to complain about them (besides Hanekawa who I refuse to talk about).
When the characters are not throwing around dialogue like it was rice at a wedding, they are...posing for the camera. Bakemonogatari is loaded with fan service (although not nearly as loaded as Nisemonogatari, the sequel) and, although I hate to say it, it's good. If you're a heterosexual male, at least one girl in the series will have you drooling for them at one point. If you're into outgoing girls with a sweet heart on the inside, you'll like Senjougahara. If you're into innocent nerds with a wild side, you'll like Hanekawa. If you're into lolis, you'll like Nadeko. If you have a sister complex, you'll like either of Ararararagi's sisters. And if you're a female, you'll like Kanbaru.
The art and animation are what truly makes this series unique. The art style constantly changes, giving you an experience similar to a rainbow punching you in the eyes. The sound is also excellent, and there are quite a few songs that you will get addicted to. For me, the ending song, "Kimino Shiranai Monogatari" by supercell had me downloading the song 5 seconds after I first heard it. Similar to how the art and animation can make your eyes orgasm, the music will have your ears gushing...something.
Overall, the Bakemonogatar series is great, although I only recommend it to people 17 or older, as there is brief nudity, a few graphic and violent scenes, and sensuous language. There is at least one thing in this series you will like, whether it be the romance, the dialogue, the visuals, the sound, or the girls (seriously, you have, like, seven to pick from). I give this series an 8.5 out of 10, which is a solid A on my scale.