fav. anime of summer 2009..

BAKEMONOGATARI
A spotlight preview by AJtheFourth

"Not ignoring her was the right decision, I think...no, maybe I'm wrong..."

Passing by someone in the hallway, brushing past them on the sidewalk, or exchanging glances with them on the subway, you encounter people every day without ever actually interacting with them. You know of their existence, you may even know their name, but if someone was to point them out to you outside of your daily routine, you may not even recognize their face. Every day is littered with potential chance meetings, and it only takes one random occurrence to suddenly grab one of these people out of the background and thrust them into the forefront of your life.

The falling Senjougahara.

Araragi prepares to catch her.

For Koyomi Araragi, Hitagi Senjougahara is a faceless student in his background despite the fact that they've been in the same class for the past three years. Only after a startling event does Araragi become truly aware of her existence. This chance occurrence takes place in the school stairwell when Senjougahara slips and falls several stories down the stairs. Miraculously, he manages to catch her, discovering that she is nearly weightless in the process.

Senjougahara may look sweet... .but she's not ready to trust Araragi so easily...

This encounter with his female classmate’s lack of mass sets off a chain of events, all odd or supernatural, with Araragi at the center attempting to fix everyone's problems. It’s hardly an original premise for an anime: a high school kid comes across weird, often supernatural, things and has to solve them. In addition to this, all of the characters suffering from supernatural ailments happen to be female, offering this series numerous chances to become cliche. Fortunately, Bakemonogatari delivers this premise with intriguing characters, riveting battles of wit, and gorgeous animation, avoiding many of those pitfalls and traps that make many similar series unwatchable.

A faraway view of one
of their conversations.

More often than not, Senjougahara
makes Araragi uncomfortable

The witty banter that Araragi seems to invite into his life along with frequent otherworldly encounters is what helps drive this series and make it exceptional. Araragi himself has a fair amount of snark and a genuine desire to help others, which keeps him interesting, and again, helps steer the series away from falling into harem cliches. When this is combined with Senjougahara's intelligence and dry sense of humor, the two will keep most viewers eyes glued to the screen, despite the fact that all they are doing the entire time is talking.

Tsubasa Hanekawa, class rep
and Araragi's classmate.

Meme Oshino, an 'expert'
on all things supernatural

Unfortunately, although there are a few action scenes, Bakemonogatari could quickly become boring for someone who doesn't like their conversational style. Another slight drawback to this series is that it falls into a very formulaic rhythm right off the bat. Each person that Araragi helps gets a setup, a middle, and a conclusion. Fortunately, the characters don't drop off the face of the earth after their problems are addressed, and the dialogue and visuals are set up in such a way that even the most tedious things may come to be important later. This is fantastic for someone who loves to try to piece together the bits and pieces of the puzzle, but many viewers may become lost or bored, especially during the 'setup' episodes.

"Araragi-senpai, I'm never
bored during our conversations

"That makes one of us."

Aiding in capturing your attention and keeping you from becoming bored are the stunning visuals of the show. In Araragi's numerous conversations, no fewer than ten points of view are shown, including various title or written panels interspersed to show us his thoughts. This adds to the back-and-forth nature of their conversations and also provides the viewer with some eye candy to look at. Produced by SHAFT (Negima!?, the ef series, PaniPoni Dash! and Zetsubou-sensei series) the overall art of Bakemonogatari is well-designed and draws the viewer's eyes in a very precise way allowing the plot to have maximum impact.

Senjogahara through
Araragi's eyes...



...and vice versa.

Adding to each scene almost as much as the visuals is the background music. Consisting of repetitive piano melodies, the various pieces set a pace and tone for each scene and reflect the visuals and the story well. The opening theme occasionally varies depending on the story arc, although for now the series has settled on 'Staple, Stable,' sung by Senjougahara's voice actress, Chiwa Saito. I like the song because of it's relaxed pace and lyrics, although it's not something that jumps out at you from the start. The ending theme didn't catch my attention either, which makes this the first time that I've ever reviewed a series where the background music stood out the most.

Senjougahara in her opening..

And Mayoi in hers.

Each one of these elements; characterization, art, music, not only combine to make an interesting and intriguing package, but also bring the 'chain of events' element of the series to life. All of us can think of one time when we have thought, 'if I hadn't decided to talk to this person, then A or B would have never happened.' Or 'If I hadn't been walking by at that precise moment, then C wouldn't have happened.' Bakemonogatari resonates with this idea in each of Araragi's chance encounters, and has the power to make the viewer wonder what will happen next.

Araragi turns around...

he caught me."

Senjougahara on the offensive.

At an impass...

Final Scoring Summary

Episodes Watched: 7

Story: The premise is hardly original (boy sees and helps ghosts) but the way it's presented and handled is very well-done. Some viewers may become bored at the pacing and organization of episodes. 79/100

Animation: SHAFT does an amazing job with the animation of this series. Not only does it fit the characterization, pacing, and storyline, but it is also beautiful and fascinating to watch. 98/100

Characters: Both leads, Araragi and Senjougahara, are interesting and will keep your attention, especially during their conversations with each other. The periphery characters also remain interesting, and you never know when something in their pasts is going to turn out to be significant. 90/100

Music: The background music stood out more than any of the opening or ending themes, although 'Staple, Stable' is pretty good. 80/100

Overall: Bakemonogatari is definitely a good watch, and the best complete package out of all of this summer's series. It's still probably not for everyone, but give it a chance, you may just be surprised! 85/100

Recommended: For viewers who love supernatural series. Also for anyone looking for something new and a bit different, and for those who enjoy back and forth conversations, wordplay, and don't mind paying attention while they watch.

Not Recommended: Anyone just looking for something lighthearted and fun. In addition, there is not a lot of action in this series, so people looking for an action/supernatural story will be disappointed.