Monogatari Series: Second Season Review

 

Calling this the "second season" is a bit incorrect considering we have Nisemonogatari to consider. But we'll ignore the title for now and focus on the show itself. I’d like to mention beforehand that I love the "monogatari" series and may come off as a bit biased but I will try and be as fair as possible.
The story this time is set some months after Nisemonogatari and the main characters all have something to worry about once again. One by one their stories are told and each one is crazier than the previous. From time traveling to fighting unknown entities, this anime leaves one wanting for more. At first it seems as though each arc has no collection witch each other, but as the anime presses on the stories all seem to connect to each other. The last arc closes everything but also opens many doors which will no doubt be explored in the next installment of this series. Just as the previous series the art is great and abstract at times but that's what makes it fun and interesting to watch. The character models seem to have remained untouched with the exception of some characters getting new haircuts. Music-wise it’s good to listen to. The BGM is solid and certain characters even have their own theme music such as Kaiki who appeared in Bakemonogatari as the con man who ruined Senjogahara's teen life. He makes a surprising appearance later on in the anime and a very important role to play. It goes without saying Koyomi is dealing with a lot on his plate this time around as well.

One of the main complaints anime fans seem to have when watching this series is that there is a lot of dialogue, which is true. However, the way it’s presented is what makes it entertaining. The "monogatari" series distinguishes itself from other series by mixing art, abstract art, philosophy, and intelligent dialogue all in one. In a sense you don't really know what it is you are watching or what is going on but its entertaining no matter how you look at it. It's almost as if the entire anime is built around educating its viewers in philosophy and other aspects of life that may seem inconsequential unless asked. Most of the time, the meaning of the dialogues are metaphoric and conveys too many ideas. If I have any complaints is that the show tried too hard to be very philosophical at times. I get that it’s supposed to be asking and answering its own questions with deep and complicated answers but at times it felt a bit forced, as with previous "monogatari" installments.

All in all I enjoyed this anime and truth be told it is not for everyone. Despite that I hope everyone who reads this gives it a try as it is a very interesting series with much more to offer. 

Score - 9.5/10