Is The Monogatari Series Worth Watching?
Hitagi Senjougahara
Monogatari is weird. Let’s just get that out of the way. You aren’t going to able to enjoy Monogatari the same way you’ve enjoyed other anime. Why you ask?
There is no other anime like Monogatari.
I’ll keep this extremely informal, almost like I’m giving advice to my fellow brethren of anime. If you have not yet been blessed by the holy sauce that is Monogatari, I’m sorry to say this but—you’re missing out. Monogatari is anime at its most artistic and creative. As a series, it pushes the medium beyond conventional story telling, and instead contains compelling conversations that drive plot home.
You are meant to watch Monogatari differently than other anime. It’s the only anime I’ve ever seen that made me feel at a disadvantage for not speaking Japanese. Word play is an extremely important part to the series. Beyond that, character building is also another big thing when talking about Monogatari.
You’ve probably heard about the legendary fandom wars about who Best Monogatari Girl is, and to be honest, everyone is a best girl.
It’s an anime that you should see, only after becoming familiar with anime as a medium. In short, I recommend that Monogatari is not your first anime. Still, you’ve been reading this post, and I haven’t exactly told you why you should watch Monogatari.
Best Girls
Aside from the fact that it has high ratings critically, Monogatari is just straight-up enjoyable.
I’m not going to lie, the first season makes things a little complicated especially if you’re “coming in dry.” If you aren’t prepared to watch and absorb this show, the first few arcs are probably going to turn you off. You have to take the Monogatari pill both figuratively and literally. By the first arc of the second season, I promise you, you’ll be a full fledged fanboy/fangirl.
If I had to break things down easily, the plot goes like this…
Koyomi Araragi is pseudo-vampire. Most girls he gets involved with have strange things happening to them. Due to his good-will and “teenage boy” complex, he ends up helping a lot of girls with their problems. Many of their problems are personified into forms of different creatures.
For example, one character who has hidden certain aspects of herself from society, turns into a promiscuous cat girl in the night time. Another character who constantly lies about certain aspects of her life, is characterized as a snake. So on and so forth.
That’s basically it. That’s basically the entire Monogatari plot right there. Koyomi goes on adventures, and deals with these problems up front. You might be thinking “This sounds a lot like another anime I’ve seen.”
Yes indeed, the nature of the plot is a lot like another popular anime called 'Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai'. However, “Bunny Girl” focuses more on the Slice of Life-yness of the characters, while Monogatari is an entirely different genre altogether.
Mai Sakurajima
In fact, I’m not even sure I can properly categorize Monogatari. It’s about high school aged teens, yet the story is very mature and immature at the same time. Maybe you’ve come across some scenes from the show on the internet, and you’ve looked at this series in utter disdain. “That’s disgusting.” “Too much fanservice.” “Isn’t she like 10?”
Yes, yes, and yes. It all plays into Monogatari’s very specific, and extremely dry/perverted humor. Monogatari breaks rules that aren’t broken in regular anime (or shows for that matter). I’ll just leave that at that. Looking at the “weird scenes” after you know the context of the show, makes them more hilarious than weird. As the series progresses, you become more accustomed to the humor, and accept it as part of certain characters.
Watching Monogatari is literally like reading a book. There are many cases when characters will refer to the audience as “readers.” On top of that, Monogatari breaks the fourth wall on many occasions, referencing many things that characters inside a screen should not know. It’s based on light novels, and it’s really like you are watching a book play out, page for page. I mean, it is a light novel after all.
Everything that I’ve just rambled about this far represents everything that Monogatari is. It’s weird, and it’s all over the place. That’s why people love it. That’s what makes Monogatari so dang good. The actual plot is not the most deep, but you watch the show for its moments and conversations. You get pulled into the universe by SHAFT’s incredible animation, and over the course of many arcs, you fall in love with all the characters.
In fact, I think that’s what I love most about this series. The characters. It’s hard to pick a “best girl.” With all the time you spend getting to know everyone, it’s hard to pick a favorite.
After reading this, if I still haven’t given you a reason to check this show out, you should at least watch it for the experience. That’s exactly why I’d tell anyone to watch it. Monogatari is an experience. It’s “out there,” and that’s exactly why I love this series.
Squad
Absurd would be an understatement. There is no other show that you can compare to Monogatari. Maybe you can draw similarities in certain plot lines and certain characters, but I promise you, you’ll never experience another show the same way you’ll experience Monogatari.
This series IS the checkpoint for all anime fans. It’s the temperature check. It’s the icebreaker question at any anime convention. “Who do you think the Monogatari best girl is?” It’s the gateway into better understanding anime as a whole because of how it pushes the limits of what can be entertaining.
Not everyone will like this show. I will admit, because it is so different, it takes some getting used to. However, once you become immersed, and you fall in love with the characters, you’ll find yourself never being able to look away. Monogatari is just, Monogatari. There’s no other comparison. In fact, anything that is remotely similar to it, will be compared to the legendary series that is this one.
If you are an anime fan…If you are interested in seeing how creative anime can get…Put this series on your list now. This is my highest recommendation for anyone who has been watching anime for a while, and wants to find something new.
Watch Monogatari.
How To Watch Monogatari
First Season
1) Bakemonogatari (15 Episodes)
2) Nisemonogatari (11 Episodes)
3) Nekomonogatari Kuro/Black (4 Episodes)
Second Season
1) Monogatari Second Season (26 Episodes)
2) Hanamonogatari (5 Episodes)
Final Season
1) Tsukimonogatari (4 Episodes)
2) Owarimonogatari First Season (13 Episodes)
3) Koyomimonogatari (12 Episodes)
4) Kizumonogatari (3 Films)
5) Owarimonogatari Second Season (7 Episodes)
6) Zoku Owarimonogatari (1 Film)
