Stapler Stable: aka, How I learned to love a fad

I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I have enjoyed Bakemonogatari. It seems like the series had many forms of twisting myths to create this modernized tale of intertwining narratives.

Normally, I end up spend a lot of time watching josei anime or more specifically I end up watching a lot of Noitamina. I would consider Bakemonogatari to be a step or three above the cut of regurgitated plot lines. Even if it does smack a bit of fan service and formulaic interactions between characters, there is a reason those character models/designs/personality types keep being repeated over and over.

I'm not going to hold back. Truly, all of the characters are pretty delightful. Whether we are talking about Araragi's heart of gold (underneath some pretty perv-tastic tendencies), Hitagi's blunt reactions as a result of her horrible past, Kanbaru's pretty hyper-sexualized yuri tendencies, or Oshino's enigmatic cure all for the oddity of the week, each character has something to offer to the development of the characters and their stories. The interwoven text and slides flickering through the episodes are reminiscent of memory and film slides. It all has an after the fact feel.

One of the stranger but enjoyable aspects of the series is the unique use of shading and highly stylized art. Regardless of whether I would have made the call to include things such as the purposefully uncomfortable neck angle shots in thoughtful moment (My GOODNESS, Senjougahara had her neck craning at some points) or the live action images/backgrounds, I appreciate the effort nonetheless.

I will curb my entry from degrading into a needless ramble. However, I definitely will be continuing with this show's second season which is currently airing in Japan: Nisemonogatari.