Review of Bakemonogatari

-Spoilers ahead, you have been warned- The Monogatari series is about a self proclaimed loner that in his own words "has no friends" named Koyomi Araragi. Araragi is a former vampire, to which is a category of "Oddity" in the series, but still has lingering side effects after being cured such as greatly increased healing and strength. In an ironic twist, Araragi finds himself surrounded by a large cast of girls. The Monogatari series IS a harem, with Araragi's growing relationships with the girls one of the main points sold along with the cast's working knowledge of the supernatural. Bakemonogatari is broken up into five characterarcs centered around a particular girl with each arc named after said girl: Hitagi Crab, Mayoi Snail, Suruga Monkey, Nadeko Snake and Tsubasa Cat in that order. The rest of the series follows this trend with only a few rare exceptions where the arc is named after Araragi, such as Koyomi Vamp.

The first girl introduced in Bakemonogatari is named Hitagi Senjougahara, who Araragi catches after she slips on a banana peel, yes seriously, and falls down a flight of spiraling stairs in their shared high school. He immediately finds out that she weighs next to nothing when he catches her. She proceeds to threaten him with a stapler to not tell anyone about her condition. After she walks off, he decides to run after her and offer her his help. He takes her to the very same specialist in Oddities that helped cure his own vampirism, Meme Oshino. After a fee of 100,000 yen, a bit of exposition and some praying to a minor god, the problem is solved and Senjougahara gets her weight back.

The Monogatari series is definitely not for everyone; the series is famous for being weird, and how much the characters like to talk. While both are true, if you enjoy witty dialogue and wordplay, you won't find any issue watching this series. I personally love the Monogatari series with one of my favorite characters ever, a sassy vampire loli obsessed with donuts named Shinobu, coming from Bakemonogatari. There are few action scenes, but the character interactions are what really make Bakemonogatari and the whole series going forward shine.