nellie.mcglynn - 2015-01-07 00:21:10

Yet another enjoyable arc in the monogatari series animated by studio Shaft.
This arc which was dubbed Doll story focuses on Araragi who learns that he has started to once again transform into a vampire and Yotsugi Ononoki , who has been given the mission by her partner/Master Yozuru Kagenui to help the vampire boy and Shinobu rescue his two sisters and Kanbaru Suruga from another onmyougy who specializes in exorcising immortal monsters.

This series like Monogatari second season, returned the series back to form.

Araragi is asked by his sister Karen to prepare a bath for her to take after she returns from her marathon run.

After preparing the bath Araragi and his sister Tsukihi bath decide to share the bath and help each other wash and during this, Koyomi notices that his reflection has disappeared once again, which signifies that he is becoming a vampire.

Koyomi asks Shinobu about this, however she know just about as much has me does, so Araragi goes in search for Kagenui only to find Yotsugi stuck inside a crane machine.

Once he had had finally gotten her out, she brings Koyomi and Shinobu to Kagenui who explains that because Koyomi had started having Shinobu constantly drink his blood so that he could use his vampire powers to fight monsters, he was starting to become a vampire once again.

Because of this Kagenui warned Koyomi that he must stop using his vampire powers and that if he should ever become a true vampire, Kagenui and Ononoki would be forced to kill him.

After that Koyomi learns that his Sisters who he made stay with Suruga and the underclassment in question were kidnapped by this other onmyougi.

Because Koyomi can't rely on his powers anymore Kagenui ordered Ononoki to go back him up, however this was all just a farce so that the Doll girl could kill the Onmyougi right in Koyomi's field of vision so that she could show him why he must never become a monster.

Once again the Monogatari series has produced and amazing Arc within 2014-the beginning of 2015.

The animation is standard Shaft fair along with the background visuals and truly brings the stories to life.

The characters are still the same characters that you fell in love with (With the exception of Suruga getting actually scene time and Hanekawa as well.)

The opening was just as entertaining as the rest of the arc and i can safely say that I am looking forward to more stories from the monogatari series.

hand.morton - 2015-01-02 00:13:57

So as a preface this is the first review I am writing for an anime, which honestly is surprising considering the wide array of titles I've had the pleasure of enjoying over my life. With that in mind I feel that Tsukimonogatari, yet another story in the ever growing universe of the monogatari franchise, is a good place to start since it is the most recent show I've finished, and is part of a series that I've actually watched every show of. 

Tsukimonogatari is told once again from the perspective of the love paladin Araragi Koyomi, who has recently found himself to be a full vampire. He discovers this in the midst of his incestuous bath with his sister, and it becomes the focus of the rest of the show. I'll avoid going into any further detail on what transpires after this, except that from here Araragi attempts to uncover why it is that he has become a full fledged vampire, and how he can reverse the process. The first aspect of this show, the story, is presented relatively simply. Araragi seeks out aide in discovering the root of his condition. 

The issues come in the animation department, and bleed through into the characters. The unfortunate aspect of the show is that it is once again produced by Shaft, and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. One would think that the return of the studio and director of the previous seasons would be something to rejoice at, and for consistencies sake when it comes to the overall franchise it is, however the problem can be traced to every single show in the Monogatari franchise. Shaft has a signature style of animating that was quite interesting to see at first, however with its continued use and dearth of advancing, it has become stale and obstructive to the overall show's message and story. The constant barrage of references to previous shows, overly complicated dialogue, flashing screens with inner monologues on them, and the notorious head tilt all serve as distracting aspects that draw your attention away from the content and out of the story. The problem of the show arises when you strip away all of these surface level aspects of the show, and get down to brass tacks. The story and characters, at this point in the franchise, are dried out and used up. Gone is the character development of Bakemonogatari, or the story telling of Second Season. Instead, we are left with a 10 minutes bath scene with Araragi's sister, and a story that honestly is unnecessary to the whole of the universe.  

Watch this installment felt like a chore, it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as Bake, and it feels rushed. My personal recommendation would be to skip it entirely if it was a long as a normal season, however with its length only being 4 episodes, give it a try if you've watched the rest just be ready for disappointment.

jammie47 - 2015-01-01 21:44:18

Summary

   I'm writing this review after having just finished this series, and I'm still not sure how I feel about this installment.  I think it has most to do with the opening five or six minutes of this episode.  To me, the Monogatari series is amazing because of its over the top visuals and interesting asides that make it almost a headache to watch.  This installment seemed to lack these elements, and instead seemed to almost be a poor parody of itself in the beginning.  Some of the characters also have seemed to change a little bit, namely Tsuki, who was fairly modest in Nise now seemed a little bit more liberal.  While character development is never a bad thing, the lack of reasoning in my eyes may be a factor into why I am confused.  I will admit that it has been a few months since I finished the second season, and I watched this soon after waking up, so my opinion may be factored by this.  Besides that, I felt that this installment had the best soundtrack of any of the seasons, and the story was well developed, leading to an overall pleasant experience.  Even though this season made some unwanted changes, I still think that this series is a must watch for any fan.

Story-

The monogatari series is very good at making its viewers want more (I'm looking right at you Kizumonogatari).  By this I mean that the order the stories are released leaves gaps or makes changes that won't be explained until a later series, leaving the viewer to go back and fill in the gaps.  In contrast to this, Tsukimonogatari's purpose is to fill in some of the gaps between Monogatari Series Second Season and Hanamonogatari (I'm pretty sure this is the right spot, feel free to correct me) while including an interesting side story, giving Ononogi much needed screen time.  Many of the filled holes didn't seem to be an issue before, but for fans like me, any more information about the Monogatari universe is a plus.  This series also introduces a new character, Tadatsuru.  My only gripe with his character is that he wasn't introduced sooner and (spoilers) it doesn't seem like he'll be coming back anytime soon.  His introspection into the meaning of his life and those around him easily comprises one of my favorite scenes in this series, and reminds me why I keep coming back for more.  Another character that makes a surprise appearance in this installment is Ougi.  Her character still complexes me, and I hope a future installment reveals more about her character as she has been important up until this point, and will most likely remain important in the Monogatari universe.

Animation-

   I have slowly come to realize that the reason I love anime so much is its ability to have over the top visuals that would easily cost millions of dollars to animate in live action movies.  One of the things that dragged me into the Bakemonogatari was its use of these over the top visuals, including the use of the "blank scene" and flashing words.  While Tsukimonogatari does include some of these elements, this is the biggest section where I feel this installment seemed to parody itself.  In the other series, cuts were very dramatic, usually backed by banging drums, quickly changing scenes, or well placed silence.  While Tsukimonogatari attempted to include these cuts, they didn't seem as well used as in the original.  There are also many times in Bakemonogatari and other series where the scene would be still frames of distant objects, rendered with ridiculous shadows and very few colors while the characters discussed whatever in the background.  Tsukimonogatari seemed to throw some of these scenes out, opting for more realistic representations of city features.  While the animation was in no way poor or inferior to other animes, Tsukimonogatari still has all the inherent beauty of the Monogatari universe, it just felt like it lacked some of the originality that is inherent in the Bakemonogatari series.

Sound-

   Oh my god.  Those words don't even begin to scratch the surface of the beauty that is this soundtrack.  When I watch many animes today, I feel like the animators do their part animating the show, and then a soundtrack is given to the studio, with them being left to fit it into the episodes.  But with this soundtrack I had the feeling that the animation was completed and the music was carefully crafted to perfectly match each scene, helping the viewer get the most out of every beautiful, meaningful second.  There are some soundtracks, of course, that get my hair standing on end, either from sheer nostalgia or the power they bring (AoT opening, for example), but even the soft songs in Tsukimonogatari help drag me deeper into the universe and get lost in the story.  Even the silence in this installment seems purposely placed to keep the viewer entranced.

Character-

   One of the things that stands out most about the Monogatari Series is its solid characters.  The show is long enough with enough thought put into it that each character gets enough screen time for the viewer to form a connection with them.  The fault in this series for me, though, is that some of the characters seemed to have changed without rhyme or reason.  For example, Tsuki used to be fairly reserved and saw anything close to incest or adultery as a capital offence.  This contrasts with her new character that (spoilers) almost makes out with her brother in the bathroom.  If a development like this was warranted from some previous event where she would have seen her brother as more of a man for some reason, than this would be acceptable, but nothing of that sort happened in my memory.  My biggest gripe, as I outlined in the Story section, with the Character is that Tadatsuru wasn't introduced earlier and seemed to be (spoilers) killed off rather quickly.  I understand that it may be hard to keep up a character as "big" as him, but I think at this point he may be one of my favorite characters.

Overall-

   I usually don't fill in this section, but I feel I need to for this installment.  I feel that one of the benefits and fallacies of reviews is that reviewers feel obligated to point out what a show did wrong and neglect to give proper appreciation for what a show did right.  Even though I did explain some of my gripes with this particular installment, I did still thoroughly enjoy my viewing. While it is not my favorite part of the series, it is good enough to warrant a 9/10 from me.   I think that Shaft has done this series justice, and I can't wait for the next story to be released.

raoul40 - 2015-01-01 01:33:37

not necessary to write a big review on this one the Monogatari Series are always amazing to watch the graphics are simply beautiful and this Season make me a good begin in 2015 xD lets go watch for a episode of 1h38 of anime so that it

eriberto77 - 2014-12-31 21:25:01

          Much like with western entertainment, there are certain TV series and movies that stand out not just as promising installments of new or existing franchises, but also as popular events that a large portion of the community with wait in massive anticipation for. In the world of anime, the "events" that captures the most attention are new additions to the Monogatari series, an anime that began back in 2009 and is continuously pumping out sequels to this day. However, during the past year, the formula for how new entries into this franchise are premiered has changed drastically. Rather than being part of the regular seasonal lineup, new Monogatari arcs are now released in large chunks, with one entire story being contained in each of these chunk. So, does the newest entry into the Monogatari franchise live up to its household name?

          Before diving into the actual story, I want to briefly give praise to Shinbo and Studio Shaft for finally recognizing a formula that works best for Monogatari, and that is giving us a single adaptation of one of the novels all at once. With a story as complicated and complex as Monogatari, pacing out each story over the course of four to six weeks felt incredibly prolonged and not very engaging because it practically requires a recap every time a new episode came out. However, by releasing it in feature length film-sized chunks, we can get the entire story all at once, making the loss of certain details over time less acute. This might sound like a very minor detail, but presentation is hugely important, especially with something as eclectic as Monogatari, though I can't say with zero reservations that I would be all for continuing this formula for the rest of the franchise, as it would also mean that the hype levels would fluctuate uncontrollably over the course of releases.

          Getting back to the matter of Tsukimonogatari specifically, I wouldn't say that this is one of the worst stories to come from the franchise, but coming off the heels of Hanamonogatari last summer makes it feel a bit weak by comparison, though there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with the main story of this arc. My biggest problem, however, lies in the introduction. While I did very much enjoy the beginning scene that contained a prolonged philosophical discussion about the nature of life and "not" life, despite taking up the entire first five minutes of this four-episode series, my true problem lies in what happens once the story actually begins, as we are treated to nearly fifteen minutes of what I can only describe as a self-congratulatory revel in Monogatari-style fan service. To put it bluntly: Araragi is messing around with his sisters' naked bodies again. While I wouldn't say that it reaches "toothbrush" levels of perversion, it still reminded me of a lot of things that I didn't like about Nisemonogatari.

          Once we get into the meat of the story, however, Tsuki immediately kicks it into high gear, and we spend the rest of the series enveloped in the "talking heads"-style intense discussions and schemes of Araragi and the other characters. This one isn't so much a character study like Hana was, but instead has more emphasis on the actual story, and the thrill of following Araragi and the others as they plan and debate over the most minute of details is just as thrilling as it was way back in Bakemonogatari.

          While the characters don't necessarily take center stage for this arc, there's still quite a bit of interesting development that occurs. Araragi surprisingly ends up getting more development than he's gotten since Nekomonogatari, as we watch him struggle with the changes in his vampiric powers and how that's affecting him on both a strategic level and an emotional one. Yotsugi Ononoki also takes on the main character role once again, and while I initially didn't really see them being able to do much with a character that wasn't very interesting in the first place, she ends up being surprisingly compelling, both for herself and for Araragi, and discussions centered around her that focus on what constitutes true life and the difference between true and artificial life give this series its trademark introspective edge. As for new faces, there is one new character named Tadatsuru, and while I can't go in detail into how he plays into the plot due to spoilers, I will say that despite his short appearance on-screen, he ended up being rather fascinating. Finally, we have Ougi Oshino, whom the series has been continuously teasing us with since the beginning of Second Season, and while her appearance is rather brief this time, much like in Hana, she still manages to interject a new perspective into the discussions being had.

          As always, the animation was produced by Shaft, and, to be honest, there's very little need for me to discuss the animation by this point, assuming that those of you still reading are up-to-date on the series. The massive contrasts in color, surreal CG that manages to fit rather well despite being very obviously CG, random "black screen" cuts, and as many head tilts and you can snap your neck at are all still present, though in terms of symbolism, I still think Hana, while still a bit on the blatant side, did a much better job with attempting to convey the overall message of the story.

          There is still no dub for this series, and, once again, this series stands as one of the few that I think would be significantly hindered by a dub, simply because of how much talking there actually is.

          The soundtrack seems to be firmly stuck in the hands of Kei Haneoka now, who took over for Satoru Kōsaki starting with Hana, and while I wouldn't say that the soundtrack has changed significantly from its usual eclectic nature, it did feel a bit more "traditional" and less overtly stylized. I can't really complain about any of the tracks specifically, and some of them were actually rather moving, but I would certainly hate to see the usual Monogatari style soundtrack disappear completely. The opening theme "Orange Mint" was performed by Saori Hayami (VA for Ononoki) and opens with a techno-inspired song with the usual Monogatari flair that puts it a step above the average, while the ending theme "border" by ClariS plays us out with their usual energized J-pop sound.

          Overall, while I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite stories from the franchise so far, Tsukimonogatari is yet another welcome addition into the franchise, though to be honest everything I'm saying right now is rather pointless when you think about it. If you like Monogatari as much as I do, then you probably already finished watching this new story before I could even post this review, and if you don't like Monogatari, then this is certainly not going to change your mind because it really is just more of the same.

wisoky.cristian - 2014-12-31 18:47:04

Another great entry in one of my favorite animes of all time. The fan service is plentiful, the animation is great, and the story progresses at a good pace. I loved it from beginning to end and am now sad that I cannot wait.