Review of Bakemonogatari

Short Review (Spoiler-free): For someone who really loved the "Rascal does not dream of bunny girl senpai" series, the experience of watching Bakemonogatari (which predates the Rascal series by a decade or so) is a strange and mixed one. In a way, I can somewhat imagine how would the Monogatari fans feel when they watch the Rascal series--"this thing totally rips off the Monogatari series and made it lame". Vice versa, Rascal fans could also say "Monogatari is just Bunny Girl Senpai but with extra ecchii and new-wave antics". In fact the two stories are quite different, and there are a lot to appreciate aboutBakemonogatari, namely, endearing characters, solid characterizations, themes grounded in real-life experiences, unique art style, fantastic character songs, some really strong episodes with melancholic and touching undertones and lots of fan-service (at least I am not totally against it).

However, there are equally plenty of factors that I find myself struggling to appreciate: out-of-line behaviors of the main character (recently I watched Jobless Reincarnation and read some harsher reviews here, and one of those reviews gave Jobless Reincarnation a 2/10 calling out the unacceptable lolicon and borderline hentai contents. Well I hope that reviewer can hold his noodles in when watching the Monogatari series because as far as outrageously perverted behavior is concerned, I think the Monogatari series takes the cake between the two). There are other issues too: over-reliance on avant-garde fast editing and endless monologue; Overly edgy and graphical presentations; Forced romantic rivalries; The harem fantasy factor is not as subtle as the author intended, etc.

The show aimed to be differentiated from most rom-coms and high-school-based slice-of-life shows, and it certainly succeeded in that regard. Otherwise it wouldn't become one of the longest running and most successful franchises. I can somewhat understand why hardcore fans go totally crazy with each new release and yell their heads off during live performances of "Ren'ai Circulation". Had I seen this show during its initial release, I would probably also find other similar rom-coms too "dull and lacking the kick". It's certainly the kind of show that spoils your palate with hard-hitting stuff and over-the-top seasoning.

Baseline quality: 8/10. weighed down to 7.4/10 due to issues that I cannot overlook.

Recommended to: fans of new-wave European movies, fans of Tarantino, fans of Kitano Takeshi, fans of Miike Takashi, those who look for extra edginess or ecchii in rom-coms.

Not recommended to: those who cannot stand ecchii or gore. those who find new wave European movies unbearable.

The positives: (or what I appreciate in the show) (minor character spoilers)

+ The unique art style mostly worked for me. Character designs are on the edgy side, but nonetheless very successful. From Kizumonogatari, Nekomonogatari to Bakemonogatari, Hanekawa is my favorite character. Other characters have their appeals too. The CAD (or Flash-based) looking backgrounds take some getting used-to, but they somehow allow the detailed and highly-stylized characters to shine in their respective arcs. Senjougahara is the absolute star in Bakemonogatari and the dedication to her facial, expression details shows. During funny banters, the characters often turn chibi, and the intended comedic effects work more often than not for me.

+ A bitter-sweet take on the growing pain theme, with the bitter side often larger than the sweet side. As playful and raunchy as the each arc's process usually is, the ending results are often compromises with lingering and potentially devastating consequences. This tone is a staple for the series, and I can see why it's so acclaimed for it. The grounded and painful perspectives on the experience of first love, loss, failures and childhood traumas are interesting and mostly well-rounded.

+ Endearing characters and effective characterizations. Taking Senjougahara for example, she begins as a typical tsundere who threatens people with staplers and other school supplies, but ends up the confident, far-too-premature, thorough and decisive girl. In other words, all that Koyomi Araragi needs and all that Tsubasa Hanekawa is not. No wonder that our MC Koyomi chose her over Hanekawa. However, that does not necessarily mean Hanekawa is a weaker character with significant flaws. Rather, it pains me to watch Hanekawa's struggles since I find myself resonating too much with her. Other side characters, although not as well developed, are nonetheless interesting enough to keep the story compelling and interesting enough.

+ Overall amazing soundtrack overseen by Satoru Kousaki, with not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 different opening themes. "Ren'ai Circulation" "Staple Staple" and "Sugar Sweet Nightmare" are all great songs well fit for their characters.

+ Some strong episodes. EP12 with that atmospheric ending represents the show's peak status when all cylinders are firing at full power in this anime.

+ In a more charitable interpretation, this anime captured the proverbial tone of classic ghost-story anthology from Qing dynasty--"Liao Zhai Zhi Yi" ("Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio") which recorded 18th-century Chinese urban legends and ghost stories often filled with extravagant and jaw-dropping erotic contents. In this regard I would say at least some of the ecchii and fan service in this show are tasteful and artistic.

The negatives (or what did not work that well for me): (with minor character spoilers)

- The show does not need to turn edginess and ecchii all the way to 11, but it did, and it became a double-edged sword. I can somewhat understand it if fans of the series suck all these stuff up like drug-addicts, but some of over-the-top contents did put me off. When the MC accidentally groped a 5th-grader for the first time during a comical fight, it was semi-funny. But when he did it intentionally for the 3rd time as if that is some kind of bliss, one would question if the show intends to turn their audiences into abusive lolicons (or pimps the audience into certain fetishes including but not limited to nekocon, siscon, etc.). Okay, how about the MC's uncontrollable impulse to do perverted things to a 14-year-old (who not-so-secretly has a crush on him)? The MC clearly has no boundary with the opposite sex, yet everyone constantly regards him as the best, most benevolent and reliable guy in the world. The show is somewhat self-aware of this, and has Senjougahara put a figurative leash on the MC.

- Over-sexualization sometimes hurt characterizations. Regardless of age, sexual orientation or their relationship to the MC, almost all female characters are sexualized to such a degree that the camera simply cannot help itself but fixing on fan-service angles almost half the time. Most other scenes also revolve around sexual tensions created by harem situations. Some reviewers call it borderline hentai, and it's not difficult to see why. What I am trying to argue here is a show does not need to go this far in order to flesh out characters or garner fans for its female characters. Rascal series' Mai Sakurajima, for example, is just as popular, multi-layered, well-developed and endearing as Senjougahara in this show, albeit without ever needing to go all that ecchii or edgy.

- The avant-garde stuff can be distracting. The show is already exposition-heavy enough without all the flashy stuff, yet those fast editing mixed with fast-flashing powerpoints simply overwhelm the audience. I sincerely want to appreciate the show, so I paused to read all the flashy powerpoints. But I think it's fair to say the show is a test of one's attention span in this regard.

- Pacing issues. Certain episodes, without the flashy editing, are really just 1-2 long expositions which can be drastically shortened with more focus and narrative momentum. But maybe some audiences find that cute. Your mileage might differ.