From our other sites
The story
On 5ch’s live-commentary board “Nandemo Jikkyo G,” a thread looking back at the 2009 anime “Bakemonogatari” took off. Based on Nisio Isin’s novels and produced by SHAFT, the series — centered on protagonist Araragi’s relationships with multiple heroines — is said to have rivaled “Haruhi” in popularity, and the thread drew plenty of nostalgic enthusiasm for that era. The conversation really took off around why Tsubasa Hanekawa, long seen as the frontrunner, ultimately wasn’t chosen, with posters speculating it came down to the precariousness of her relationships and her status as a vampire’s thrall. Other topics ranged widely too, covering the ending themes that change with each heroine’s arc, the manga adaptation’s art, and how confusing the series’ viewing order is.
What people said
Sengoku and Hanekawa are the top two red flags
If Gahara hadn't been chosen either, I feel like she'd have completely lost it
Gahara used to seem like a scary woman to me, but now she just looks like a normal girl who caught the eye of a scary guy
A woman who stabs people with a weapon at the drop of a hat could actually die unless she's with the protagonist — a vampire's thrall with regenerative powers — so she can't be paired off with anyone else. Plus she's basically distrustful of any man who isn't him.
LOL, even Yui Horie (her voice actress) has said as much
Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Darkness"
Shinobu Oshino: "Love is a Blood Oath"
Mayoi Hachikuji: "Love is Unknown"
Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is Stubbornness"
Nadeko Sengoku: "Love is a Diagnosis"
Karen Araragi: "Love is Every Person for Themself"
Tsukihi Araragi: "Love is Resonance"
Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love Melts"
Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love Continues"
Mayoi Hachikuji: "Love Clowns Around"
Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love is a Feeling"
Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is… Enough Already…"
Shinobu Oshino: "Love is Exhaustion"
Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is a Wish Fulfilled"
Nadeko Sengoku: "Love is a Siege"
Karen Araragi: "Love is Ferocity"
(These are the show's real pre-commercial title cards — all read the same in Japanese, but written with different kanji each time for different meanings.)
Mayoi Hachikuji: "Love is a Lost Child"
Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is Repentance"
Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Right and Wrong"
Tsukihi Araragi: "Love is Go (the board game)"
Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love Won't Back Down"
Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Atonement"
Shinobu Oshino: "Love is All in Your Head"
Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is a Charm"
Karen Araragi: "Love is Dangerous"
Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love is Body Weight"
Nadeko Sengoku: "Love is a Monster"
Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Obscurity"
Shinobu Oshino: "Love is Master and Servant"
Tsukihi Araragi: "Love is Complacency"
I love manga-version Hanekawa
Honestly might even be cuter than the anime version
It's called "White Sugar Nightmare" — a song that really hammers home she's the losing heroine
If you think about it, that's actually kind of understandable
Some sketchy local guy suddenly came on to her out of nowhere, so Gahara was desperate — can't really blame her
Ending on the date with Gahara is a better finish than dragging it out to episode 15 anyway…
Hanekawa with cat ears and glasses is definitely the best
I love the conversation between Araragi and Meme right before he goes off to fight Kanbaru
You mean pachi-slot. The original pachinko machine made zero sense so it wasn't popular, though the 'ama' version (a low-volatility, easier-payout type) got played a fair bit
"She burned with jealousy" — there is actually a Japanese expression like 'to scorch oneself with jealousy' (嫉妬で身を焦がす) that carries similar imagery
Same here, that character really wasn't necessary…
I'm stuck partway through 'Shinomonogatari' (Death Tale)
Wasn't the 'Toaru' series (A Certain…) also all over the place chronologically? If it still comes together cleanly in the end, I guess it's fine
I love the art in the comic version
I wish they'd do a comic version of Kizu too. Everything after Nise is… well, yeah
She's a lesbian though
Pretty sure it did get one
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
“Bakemonogatari” is an anime based on Nisio Isin’s “Monogatari” novel series, which is known for the fact that its publication and broadcast order doesn’t match the in-story chronology. As noted in the thread, the fact that the prequel “Kizumonogatari” comes after “Nisemonogatari” is a frequent point of confusion, which is why the series is often compared to “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” which had a similarly non-chronological structure. The tradition of changing the ending theme for each heroine’s story arc, performed by that character’s own voice actress, has also become a series staple. Additionally, only some entries in the series have been adapted into manga; “Kizumonogatari,” mentioned in the thread, has an anime adaptation but has not yet been published as a manga. The discussion in the thread mainly consists of commentary on the characters’ relationships and dialogue, with real people mentioned only to the extent of voice actors’ names coming up.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “‘Bakemonogatari,’ the so-called harem masterpiece anime lol.”
Leave a Reply