Review of Bakemonogatari
The Monogotari series may be one of the best supernatural anime entertainment to be experienced. Few other shows will make folklore appear so alive. Monogotari with its first season “Bake” suffers from a slow start and requires time to adjust to its particular nature. However, once the viewer gets in tune with it, the series will only get better to a point of addiction. Narration. This one word seems to sum up the essence of the series. What seem like a bundle of random stories and excruciating long dialogues at first reveal themselves as carefully placed pieces on a giant puzzle tobe unfolded later on. Nothing is left to hasard, not a single dialogue doesn’t serve a purpose. The plot will reveal itself little by little, season by season, gradually making shocking sense of what seemed like utter non sense at first.
If narration is the core of Monogotari, characters are its body. As his name almost suggests it, Araragi is a quirky main character. Both naive and cynic, innocent and pervert, kind and wicked. This mix of opposites contributes to a relatable and believable character rather than a scripted one.
Despite his quirks, the MC has the necessary bland personality to avoid stealing the spotlight and enable the side characters to shine through his eyes. Quite literally. Each one one of them, who is purposely a female one, has been carefully written with a unique backstory. Not one of them is predictable, making each interaction a unique and memorable exchange. Monogotari has made romantic ships an essential component of its nature and doesn’t try to shy away from it. Any ship the viewer may fancy has a good chance to be canon or a possibility.
As a result, every single female character is indeed a possible love interest. In terms of execution, Monogotari doesn’t hesitate to push the boundaries of these relationships, often creating supernatural situations flirting with taboo concepts. However it is never achieved in a crude way, but rather always with a lightly insane poetic ton.
Unique storytelling and intriguing characters can only make for a memorable story. A story which only appears as a quirky slice of life at first. Monogotari isn’t clueless and pointless as it appears, it has a true story to share, an epic tale of modern mythology where Araragi will play the role of the contemporary Hercules or Thor. As mystery is a key element for the plot, it wouldn’t be serving the viewers’ best interest to share anything in that regards.
To sum it up in an crude manner, Monogotari is more than a anime about the supernatural, it is a supernatural anime.