Review of Bakemonogatari

(Minor spoilers ahead; included a TLDR since this was kinda long lmao) Monogatari was admittedly a franchise I held off for a long time despite being recommended to me on multiple occasions. Upon giving this another try after two years, I finally got around to completing this and enjoyed it tremendously, more so than when I first encountered it. It is important to first establish that Monogatari, specifically Bakemonogatari, is portrayed in the lens of Koyomi Araragi—a narrative predicated on his worldview and perspective. Hence, exaggerations about certain events were a common detail observed throughout the series. How the author delivers said narrative, however, is where itdeviates from convention. Most of the screen time is dedicated to the characters talking. It disregards the standard practice of ‘showing and not telling’ but this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The show puts emphasis on the interactions of the characters because of its importance on character development and plot. The use of nuances in the Japanese language also made possible an interesting exchange of words. It assumes a narrative approach different from what most are used to and ironically, made this perhaps the biggest selling point of the series.

The art and animation also complemented the plot, utilizing brief text cuts placed in between frames containing pages from the light novel. This adds depth to an already rich story. Pausing to read through is recommended but not obligatory. Animation was also very fluid (cue: Koyomi Araragi fighting Kanbaru’s aberration in episode 8).

Despite all these good points, however, this anime is arguably not one without flaws as one would find themselves barged with A LOT of fanservice. One could argue that fanservice is just a product of Koyomi’s exaggerated perspective as the ‘unreliable narrator’ and that they were done entirely for satire. Regardless, it would have been better if it were toned down even slightly. Everything is best done in moderation, and fanservice is no exception.

TLDR:
As a conclusion, its unusual and unique approach to storytelling, lengthy dialogue and yes, abundant fanservice, may veer some away from this franchise. It is the one anime that viewers either love to a great extent or hate for the very things fans like about it. As much as I enjoyed this franchise, I would be lying if I said that this was for everyone.

If you do decide to watch, it would be wise to start off with the first three episodes before deciding on continuing with the rest. There are many orders of which you could choose from but I suggest the LN order: https://i.imgur.com/nfiEEn3.jpg.