Nisemonogatari - Reviews

A lot of scenes and dialogue felt unnecessary, resulting in this season feeling drawn out. Most of the time, it was like watching a boring filler. On top of that, we got a lot of uncomfortable scenes with the siblings. Ecchi or fan service don't interest me, but I am usually pretty good at just ignoring it and enjoying other aspects of the shows. However, the whole middle schooler loli thing and the sister stuff just felt like an ewww for me. Araragi seems a lot more perverted here than in the previous parts of the series. If he keeps acting this bad in the next season, and everything keeps feeling dragged out, I'm probably just going to drop this.

On a positive note, Shinobu started talking and became a bit more active. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her. We also meet Kaiki Deishuu. People seem to like him, and I am curious about what role he will be playing in the future.

While I really liked Bakemonogatari, its sequel is just a poor slice of life with some incest thrown in. Only the last episode was actually worth it.

Straight from my blog!

***This is a spoiler free review***

 

Oh boy reviewing Nisemonogatari is a difficult task because it varies so far away in tone and execution compared to the first season Bakemonogatari. What this season lacks (IMHO the sense of tension and excitement) compared to Bakemonogatari, it makes up for in visuals and overall casual enjoyment.

Story: 5/10

Now re-read my last sentence up there ^^^^. Note that I stated "casual" enjoyment; this refers to how drastically different this show feels compared to Bakemonogatari. While Bakemonogatari was witty, full of tension, and loaded with brilliant character development, Nisemonogatari takes an entire 180 degree turn. Nisemonogatari comes off as a bunch of comedic and ecchi scenes that while executed very well will disappoint most people who enjoyed Bakemonogatari. The easiest way to understand the differences is to think of Bakemonogatari as a $500 bottle of wine and Nisemonogatari a can of your favorite beer. There is nothing wrong with beer (actually not my fav) but its target audience is much different than those who enjoy wine. This is why most of the episodes in this season feel very fillerish. The overall seriousness of the first season is replaced by laidback and comedic scenes with a fairly large emphasis of ecchi content (episode 8....). The recurring themes that seem present are Koyomi’s bonding with his sisters (who we did not get to know very well in the first season) and his will to remain loyal to his girlfriend. Koyomi’s sisters are for the most part the main focus of this entire season. As for the other characters, they are introduced every now and then but overall their screen time is very limited. The whole season is spilt into two main arcs, each focusing on one of his sisters. While they do a pretty good job diving into each sister, I felt as if they dragged too much on Karen's arc (especially since she was even the main focus of the other sister's first episode arc). Overall the story was very enjoyable but unlike in Bakemonogatari, I felt like this season was mostly a filler and not completely necessary.

Animation: 10/10

I didn’t think I would ever consider something “perfect”, that was until I saw the animation in this show. The animation in this anime is very well done. It’s not only the quality of each scene but also the angle of the shots, the transitions between text to shot, the lighting, everything is just so well done it’s very hard to understand how well the animation studio did. Each scene is drawn and produced so well that if seen from across the room you might think it was on par with a budget of a movie rather than an ongoing show. Each character is very appealing to watch and even the very action orientated scenes flow smoothly. This is by far one of the best looking anime’s I have ever experienced.

 

Sound: 9.3/10

This anime is about talking (some of the conversations literally last 15 minutes) so you're going to want to enjoy what you are listening to right? Good thing Nisemonogatari has your back. The opening and closing themes are all very enjoyable to listen to as it ranges from j-pop to jazzy songs (I especially liked Tsukihi's opening). The voice acting is also very well done as all the characters had corresponding voices that seemed to fit correctly with the main star being Koyomi's voice actor. He once again brings out Koyomi's every emotion flawlessly without it coming off as fake or forced. For a show that relies so much on just character interaction, the voice acting really helped these long conversations shine. Overall the sound for this anime was well above par.

Characters: 8/10

The recurring characters personalities are just as enjoyable as they were in the previous season. In this season, we are introduced to Koyomi’s sisters and get to know the vampire Shinobu much more in-deph. Koyomi’s sisters range from an athletic tomboy who fights for what’s right to a very clever and masochist girl. I especially loved Karen as the minute we were introduced to her I knew I was going to love her character. Each gets a plethora amount of character development time to fully develop. The vampire Shinobu plays a much bigger role in this season. She also has a masochist like personality that likes to play tricks on Koyomi. The new characters introduced this season are very well written and a joy to watch interact with Koyomi. If only the returning characters played a bigger roll in the plot; oh well hopefully in the upcoming movie we can get the best of both worlds.

Overall: 8.1/10

While Bakemonogatari will remain one of my all-time favorites, Nisemonogatari will remind me that something so different can be just as good. It just goes to show that even if the plot is dragging the show down, great characters, amazing sound, and beautiful animation can help it shine. The easy going nature and almost harem storytelling of this season to some may seem unnecessary and unwanted but to me was very enjoyable and a blast to watch. Unlike the previoius season where you watched the show for the tension and well written dialogue, this season is just a kick back and relax kind of watch. With the characters written so well, animation being perfect, and voice acting exceeding my expectations, this is an anime you do not want to miss out on. I do however strongly encourage watching Bakemonogatari first as you might be very lost not doing so when starting Nisemonogatari.

Enjoyment: 8.8/10

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Sincerely,
Awesome Drummer

I felt that the second season was a little less refined compared to the first season but still packs plenty of great character interactions and visual eye candy. We're introduced to quite a few new faces but they didn't bring that same spark to the table as the characters from the Bakemonogatari series.

Nisemonogatari had a lot more spicy moments compared to Bakemonogatari. even though some of it will make you feel rather uncomfortable, there is this balance of fanservice and actually having a purpose to move a plot forward.

The Araragi and Shinobu scene is a great example. We, as a viewer, will feel really uncomfortable by watching the two of them interact in the bathroom scene. Shinobu and Araragi are attached to the hip, their issues aren't physical but instead, their issues are more about trusting and appreciating each other.

Hanekawa and Araragi have a different type of relationship, there is sexual tension between the two of them but that's not what their issue is about so we never find them in a physical situation.

In the relationship between Sengoku and Araragi, we see a young girl that's trying to seduce an older boy who isn't interested but we see it from their perspectives which can paint a totally different picture.

Kanbaru teases Araragi because she knows it makes him feel uncomfortable and that he wouldn't give in because she understands the relationship that he has with Senjougahara. 

A bit more structured compared to the dynamic chaos compared we saw in Bakemonogatari but still an excellent watch.

I've only watched one episode so I have no right to judge, but the for some reason I feel like Araragi is waaay more perverted. Honestly the first episode just made me super creeped out, especially with the whole panty scene.