「ひたぎエンド其ノ伍」 (Hitagi Endo So no Go)
“Hitagi End Part Five”

I apologize for the late post — Christmas the Holidays are upon us and with them come an over abundance of work and family responsibilities. With my short apology out of the way, let’s jump straight into all the nonsense that happened with Kaiki this week!

While I would have loved for Hanekawa (and Horie Yui respectively) to get a bit more screen time, what we got out of her really shook up the foundation of the story we’ve heard so far. I mean, after listening to her describe Nadeko and her completely closed off world, you have to wonder just how much time Hanekawa has spent analyzing her — especially after she went as far back to describe Nadeko’s encounter with Oshino! Honestly though, it was quite something listening to her provide a completely different look on something that we’ve spent nearly two arcs analyzing. But what completely flew over my head was the way she nonchalantly mentioned Nadeko may not actually be in love with Araragi but trying to make up her own fantasy of sorts — something which if I had paid more attention to maybe would have prepared me for that abrupt surprise waiting for us at the end of the episode.

But before getting into that almost scary cliffhanger, I can’t help but feel that someone or something is working behind the scenes to ensure Kaiki fails his goal of deceiving Nadeko. Not only have countless characters mentioned the possibility of him failing even though they say his chance of failure is less than 1%, but something about the way Ononko was behaving this week really gave off a strange vibe. Almost seeming out-of-character, it felt like she was desperately trying to force Kaiki’s hand. Taking any avenue available and attacking wherever she could, it almost felt like she was trying to stop him out of the goodness of her heart (if she has one?). And after a while, I was almost sure that her whining was going to wear down his conviction. That is, until she revealed something about Kaiki’s past that I never saw coming. And while I wouldn’t go as far and say he’s “the hero we needed but didn’t deserve”, he’s definitely a closet tsundere with that tough-exterior of his. However, I believe he deserves a lot of credit for quietly trying to fix Senjougahara’s messed up family situation. And even though his actions may have not led to the outcome he wanted, it’s clear as day that he continues to move forward with Senjougahara’s request not necessarily out of pity but out of respect for her growth as a human being.

And with that, comes a huge and unexpected cliffhanger. Courtesy of SHAFT and their never ending tricks, I don’t think any of us expected Nadeko to look Kaiki dead in the face and call out his lie. Because if there’s something scarier than a little girl that has the power to kill you with the snap of her fingers, it’s a little girl with all of those things that knows you straight up lied to her. HOWEVER, seeing how Kaiki is the narrator of the story and is telling it somewhat in the past tense, it must mean he survives this ordeal. Right?

 

End Card

71 Comments

  1. Kaiki is an expert at lying. We won’t know until next week if someone acts as a deus ex machina to save him, Nadeko doesn’t care and won’t bother to kill Ararargi, or Kaiki’s lie is much deeper than what he’s told and that was just a smoke screen for the real lie he’s about to tell. I’m guessing the latter.

    1. Same here. I guess he will end up like he did before. He will end up being the dark hero taking the blame. The fact that he will fail means that he will succeed without taking any credit.

      banzemanga
  2. And here I was saying,

    “I knew it.”

    There’s just no way that this arc will just end that way.
    Maybe get our main protagonist involved?

    I want to ask though, is it until “Hitagi End Part Six”, or more?

    Citron
  3. I get the picture that Kaiki can’t really connect to people such as someone like Hanekawa for instance.But did he really consider Nadeko THAT stupid as to forget the fact Araragi is a half-vampire and wouldn’t die from a trafic accident? By his inner dialogue(the fast text one) it seems to indicate that he actually does.

    Then again this is Kaiki we’re talking about here so you never know.

    I also want to say that I’m really loving this arc.It renewed my interest in the Monogatari series after I was slowly loosing it during the Mayoi/Shinobu arcs.Besides that,it made me appreciate Nadeko’s arc that much more.

    MgMaster
    1. Nadeko doesn’t know about araragi’s condition.
      She obviously noticed that something was wrong when he didn’t die but like Kaiki said, she’s pretty dumb. I’m sure that lie would have worked if it wasn’t for this mysterious third party.

      Kaiki’s lie was never about something that made sense (car accident ? Kaiki could obviously make something up that’s way deeper), his plan was simply to shock Nadeko with the main information : they died.

      That’s how I see it at least.

      KTNO
      1. Actually, she does know… or at least she did know.
        Do you remember Nadeko talking to herself / the snake god? (somewhere in episode 12, at the start of the nadeko arc) She mentioned something like ‘Koyomo onii-chan says that he is a vampire, but his healing powers …..’

        Anonymous
      2. Like Anon said, she does know about Araragi condition.

        More proof: just remember when Senjogahara talked to her on the phone, stopping her from killing Araragi and Shinobu right on the spot, she told her to pay attention to not kill them in the wrong order or Shinobu would get all her powers back and destroy her, implying all the vampire/half-vampire link being well known.

        Voyager
  4. The plot thickens and Nadeko seems to really show how much of a snake she is. I think.

    That aside… Ononoki really said some interesting things. Of particular intrest “… ex-girlfriend…” Is she making reference to Hitagi or Gaen?

    Anyway, this is for all you moral Gestapo. This episode firmly shows how loyal Hitagi is to Araragi and pretty much throws out all the “unfaithful and infidel” comments out the window. With the admission and confession that Hitagi said to Kaiki over the phone, I wonder how the moral police would act this week.

    Arrest me and deport me to the far reaches of the lands for all I care.

    Now it’s time for me to retreat to my well stocked fall out shelter while we wait for the moral Gestapo and their brutal clamp down on us. Though I’ll come out once in a while to invite people into my fall out shelter though…..

    c2710
    1. Not really

      do you actually believe hitagi hates kaiki?she loves him even now.She was forcing herself to end that chapter of her life because with kaiki there her relationship with koyomi has no future.

      Yozora
      1. I think this episode makes pretty clear that Hitagi doesn’t hate Kaiki anymore. However, saying that she feels something like love towards him is a bit hyperbolic. To me it looks like the “bad guy” image she always had of him started to crumble after seeing that he’s actually about to finish the job and hence, save her and Araragi. She slowly but steady realize that Kaiki can actually be a reliable “companion”, however, it’s not possible for her to be on good terms with him even if he saves her and Araragi’s life. Her obstinacy doesn’t allow her to forget about the things Kaiki did to her family in the past. So Hitagi is basically in a dilemma, but in the end, the past overweights. So in the end, she has to keep the grudge alive and thus, she can’t accept the image of a “helpful and reliable” Kaiki in her mind. At least that’s how I interpreted it.

        Crown
  5. Loved this episode and the ending was just perfect IMO. I was sure that whatever came unhinged in Kaiki’s plan would happen after he successfully deceived Nadeko (e.g. like Araragi visiting the shrine for some reason). Takaii astutely points out that Kaiki must have survived to narrate the tale, but how… IDK. If he can somehow turn things around and still deceive Nadeko, he is the ultimate con man.

    Watching Hanekawa verbally spar with Kaiki was also a lot of fun. To me, she’s the one person Kaiki can’t con, and I think he knows that which makes him a extra cautious, maybe even a little nervous around her.

    Said it before, but damn is SHAFT doing a great job with this show. Excellent job with all the subtle, little details that add up. Watching Nadeko down a big bottle of sake was funny as was watching her play games etc. It lulled me into a false sense of security whenever she an Kaike interacted. Then at the end… BAM! Dragon fully awake and ready to turn Kaiki into ash.

    REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hope the show doesn’t take a week off.

    daikama
      1. I’m well aware that the series is based on an LN considering I’ve read most of them (stopped so I wouldn’t spoil myself any further). With all due respect, so what?

        Just because an anime is an adaptation of an LN (or manga) doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to turn out well. This season alone, there have been a few shows where some viewers felt the adaptation did not live up to the source material. To put it bluntly, anime adaptations can be outstanding, terrible and everything in between. Even when using the same source material, one adaptation can widely be considered superior to another (e.g. FMA vs. FMA Brotherhood or Hellsing TV vs. Hellsing OVA).

        In a way, it is easier vs. original anime. I agree with that, but easier =/= easy. First, you have to plan out, and accurately do so, what you can fit in from the source into the alloted air-time. Some shows are better than others when it comes down to what is cut, what isn’t cut and how to put it all together seamlessly. Second, there’s a lot of “art” into creating the visual element – particularly for an LN which has very few illustrations (and audio as well – particularly seiyuu direction and BGM). Yes, scenes are described in the LN, but not to the extent as to make it “paint by numbers” for anime illustrators.

        I wrote Excellent job with all the subtle, little details that add up. because that was why I was praising SHAFT. It’s not the fact Nadeko is drinking a big bottle of saki or playing children’s games, but HOW SHAFT illustrated those scenes, seiyuu voice direction (when applicable), and the overall direction/execution. Facial expressions, backgrounds, “camera angle”, lighting, voice inflection/volume/tone – all the subtle things that can make a scene great or mundane.

        IMO execution MATTERS a LOT – for original anime or adaptations. Yes, “it is based on a novel, in which the anime just based upon.” as you say, but even just following the LN shouldn’t be assumed or taken for granted. Some adaptations, for better or worse, deviate substantially from the LN (or other source material). This is NOT the reason I praised SHAFT in my above statement, but arguably they deserve some credit as well for deciding to closely follow the LN. They did not have to do so.

        daikama
  6. …seeing how Kaiki is the narrator of the story and is telling it somewhat in the past tense, it must mean he survives this ordeal.

    Well, this wouldn’t be the first time a narrator has died part way through a story – there are even entire novels written in the first person “from beyond the grave”, as it were.

    That said, I don’t think Kaiki will fail in his deception so easily, and so this must be some sort of feint. I mean, isn’t it Gainax’s job to ruin Christmas, not SHAFT?

    Angelus
      1. well several hints actually serve to show he’s not “that” bad, or evil.
        and those were when it turned out his bee sting was a fake and was gonna disappear eventually, other would be how he indirectly saved tsukihi with his opinion that fake>real. showed to me that he’s probably got some good things on him.

        amado
    1. There’s been a debate on MAL about that…
      Original context could have been
      “Kaiki-san, you too are trying to deceive me?”
      or “Kaiki-san, you are trying to deceive me too?”

      The former implying that other people have deceived her before Kaiki,
      the latter implying that she knows Kaiki has deceived others before her.

      Techim
  7. cara eu achei muito show pra quem acha a personagem é fraca e pra quem falo que ela era uma merda de vilã eu discordo pôs sempre adorei ela mesmo ela sendo fofa até o certo ponto.Sempre achei que a fofura dela sempre gerava ao torno de sua capacidade como dizia que ela usava a franja para esconder sua verdadeira personalidade como aconteceu no colégio para quem realmente presto atenção a cobra ela só queria que ela começasse a ser ela mesmo > e parece de se enganar com amor que nunca iria resultar em nada o cobra nunca pediu nada de mais e sim algo simples como auto ajuda como no vídeo game quando começa xD uma explicação básica para quem não entendeu

  8. Theory on Nadeko calling Kaiki’s bluff:
    Make your choices, guys.

    1) She knew who Kaiki is when he accidentally mentioned his name in the earlier part of the arc. She just played dumb, however.

    2) She had previously stabbed Araragi & Shinobu viciously, & yet those two still lived.
    A car accident killing them would sound bullshit to her.

    3) Sometime in between Kaiki’s trips to the shrine before the attempted bluff, Araragi visited Nadeko, & Nadeko talked about Kaiki until Araragi called out his identity.

    4) Sometime in between Kaiki’s trips to the shrine before the attempted bluff, somebody enlightened Nadeko about Kaiki’s true intentions. (The person who’s trying to stop Kaiki)

    5) (Opinion from MAL) At the end of the episode, Kaiki mentioned Araragi, Senjougahara and Shinobu with their full name. The thing is Nadeko never told him their names, she just said she wants to kill Koyomi Onee-chan and his girlfriend and his slave. So how on earth could Kaiki know their names if he wasn’t working with them? I even checked the previous episodes and she never mentioned their names. Kaiki screwed up BIG time !

    Techim
    1. About (5) it would be off character if Nadeko got that one, that’s a little too easy.
      Plus if it was true (that they die) he would probably have learned their full name in town or in the news paper.

      I really hope that there is something we don’t know yet and that it’s not just a mistake from Kaiki or that Araragi screwed his work.

      KTNO
    2. Interesting selection (nice post btw :D).

      #1) Possible since she was, however indirectly, involved with Kaiki’s scheme before and could have easily heard his name from classmates, Araragi, etc. Problem I have with this is that I have to believe that Nadeko is a good actress and not the baka god she appears to be. Can’t see her faking it for a month – at least not well enough to deceive Kaiki.

      #2) I have to admit, when Kaiki said that it sounded really lame. Kind of like “my dog ate my homework”. Senjougahara sure, Araragis’ taken a heck of a beating (cut in half) and still lived so not very believable, and Shinobu is just not credible IMO. She could just duck into Araragi’s shadow, destroy the car. Can’t see her dying from something so mundane. The one problem I have with this reason is that it seems awfully simple and straight forward for Mongatari.

      #3) Not buying this one b/c I have faith in Senjougahara’s ability to keep Araragi away from the shrine during such a critical moment.

      #4) Another viable choice IMO. I don’t think it would be Gaen since doing so would cause Kaiki to fail which is what she (allegedly) fears. However, I can see a certain niece who is directly involved with this whole incident stirring up the mix. I like this option as well since it makes things even more complex which fits the Mongatari style IMO.

      #5) Also very plausible IMO. Kaiki could spin his way out of it in part by saying that he heard the victims full names during a local news broadcast. Problem is that hardly anyone knows about Shinobu so where would he get her full name?

      Sorry, can’t decide XD which is one reason I’m really looking forward to the next EP.

      daikama
  9. Once again, thanks to Ononoki-chan’s revelation, we see Kaiki in another different light as his badass levels just went up even more, with him, for reasons known only to him, silently swindling the cult that swindled Senjougahara’s mom, and willingly taking on all her hatred for it.

    While Kaiki may be a great con artist capable of manipulating *most* people, it is Hanekawa that trumps him in perceptiveness, correctly guessing that Nadeko is not as innocently foolish as he would like to assume, with grave consequences, as Nadeko seemingly found out Kaiki’s deception with hardly any effort at all, leading us to wonder what will become of Kaiki as the cliffhanger dawns upon us.

    And then there’s Hanekawa quietly inquiring about Ougi’s true identity from Kaiki, revealing Ougi to not be Oshino Meme’s niece as she claims to be.

    The whole story is feeling like a giant chessboard between Gaen – Grand Master of the Light Side, and Ougi – Dark Lord of the Sith, battling for control over the spiritual energy of this town via their manipulation of their respective pawns.

    echykr
  10. that cliffhanger is damn good! even though we might’ve suspected it was coming with all those hints of the almost 100% that Kaiki will succeed..it’s like when someone is telling you he’ll do something, but eventually he is all talking. yet of course, I believe that our con-master Kaiki can handle this situation, and it’s safe to assume he took this possibility into consideration.

    everything was pretty calm until that cliffhanger. let’s talk about the “calm” (no, this isn’t KnK).
    I am starting to feel some sort of confusion (only now??LOL). Ononki appeared in almost every arc this season. this arc it’s her second appearance. and I wonder..what’s her role with everything that’s going on?fine, at first she was sent by Gaen..but all other times..like in Hackuji/Shinobu arcs..what is she doing here?is there a common element related to her?
    speaking of which, Ougi appeared in all arcs so far except for this. so it must be somehow related.
    I am not so sure that monogatari is going to answer or expose everything next time, but it must be connected and related to the big picture we are starting to see with the spiritual energy problem and how it’s linking everything together, including Kaiki.

    I was intrigued hearing Ononoki’s POV of what happened 2 years ago related to Kaiki and Hitagi. sure, maybe it’s not the complete truth. but Shaft induce a strong feeling that a lot of it is correct. that OP and the way Hitagi and Kaiki interacting with each other enhance that feeling.
    what’s the real truth?I don’t think there is one since it was implied as a complicated scenario and there are different POVs for each one. but I was intrigued to hear something more interesting about our con-master Kaiki.

    one more episode left and it’s messed more than ever as monogatari knows to do so well.
    I can’t wait for the finale. I hope we’ll see Araragi one more time.

    thedarktower
    1. Since Kaiki is a man who hides his true self within multiple layers of shadows and lies, it’s hard to say exactly what the truth is other than Gahara has some quality he admires (strength despite fragility?) and that Gahara had once held stong hopes that Kaiki would be able to save her and her family and is bitter and angry that he didn’t (in her view). I highly doubt it was a Lolita type thing- Monogatari’s too clever for that type of lame thing.

      When he failed, or at least was unable to get the result she wanted, I suspect that Kaiki intended Gahara to think he was only after money, a con she’s had to live with. And everything with Gaen makes me wonder what Kaiki was REALLY doing back in town before this. No way was he just there to con kids.

      In any case, was Kaiki involved with the Gahara family before or after she met the crab? I had thought his failure was to cure her of the crab, but he noe seems to be unaware of it when they later meet. Was he originally supposed to save her mom? Is this was Gahara is so deeply angry about? We’ve just learned she left the cult he curshed only to join a more powerful one.

      In any case, I love how complicated (and unromantic) this “love” story is. Don’t be fooled by shallow interpretations.

      Danny the dog
      1. @lanister
        nah its impossible to be after she got the crab, as it was stated that she was trying to forget/ignore the fact that her family was broken up which attracted the crab god’s intention, and kaiki seemed to have already disappeared and was hated by hitagi for breaking up the family, so its unlikely that he showed up AFTER her mom was gone.
        its said here that kaiki saw that her mom would hinder and stop hitagi from properly growing, so he pretty much did what he did not only to try to stop her mom from going to the occult(which failed as she just switched) but also to cut off the one causing the problems in the family.

        and as said, kaiki just underestimated how much a little girl may have loved her mother even after that almost rape scene.

        amado
    2. To quote the user hpulley from MAL:
      ”Did you mean when Ononoki said it near the end of their conversation? She said 昔の女 “mukashi no onna” not 昔の彼女 “mukashi no kanojo” which is the usual term for ex-girlfriend. “Mukashi no onna” usually means matronly “old woman” but it doesn’t make sense for it to be “old woman” there. Prior to that she says 他人の彼女 “tanin no kanojo” someone else’s girlfriend, referring to Senjougahara being Koyomi’s girlfriend so it was odd that Ononoki particularly said onna instead of kanojo and if you listen, she said exactly what is in the book. I think it actually meant, “girl from the past” here. At any rate, Kaiki says that’s a misunderstanding in his next lines so whatever she meant, Kaiki thinks she is mistaken. Page 229, Koimonogatari light novel, near the end of chapter 34.”

      Dingo
      1. Actually, no. I don’t know who told your source that, but “mukashi no onna” is clearly “Your woman from back then”. As in romantic sense. I don’t see any second guessing around that.

        The difference between kanojo and onna is the difference between girlfriend and woman. The second has more serious, deep tone, the first is more playful. Both do not necessarily assume sex. “Onna” may even be used metaphorically, e.g. it’s still possible they had no formal relations, Ononoki just trolls him for his parental patronage. But what she’s saying is very, very clearly “What reason do you have to help someone who’s not even your woman anymore”.

        himselfv
  11. Nadeko isn’t aware enough to engage in reasoning like ‘Araragi is a vampire, so he shouldn’t have died’ or ‘Kaiki knew their names, so he must be lying to me’. She’s taken Kaiki completely at face value up until now, he wasn’t wrong in his belief that deceiving her would be child’s play. It’s gotta be Ougi’s intervention.

    Sceptile
  12. Kaiki, the Hikkigaya of Koimonogatari.

    Before all the Gahara’s haters swarming to start some hell-fire (no time to read all comments here), just gonna say a few.

    The way i see Kaiki now is someone who really seeking for redemption. He was a good man before he becomes a con artist. But the failures in saving the Senjougahara family really made a bad impact on him. Looking back at Koimonogatari’s part 1 where he said having to listen to the same words twice, made him happy because he can somewhat redeem himself. Kaiki indeed carries a heavy guilt after what happen to Senjougahara family, and also to Hitagi. He knew he destroyed their’s family, took away their’s happiness, made them changed into different person, and cost them more than anything. Hitagi knew Kaiki didnt meant for this to happen, its easy to see that though she keeps on resenting him. That’s why she went to meet him again to give him a chance to set things right, to release the heavy load of guilt that forced him call himself a conman (and lying at most of the time or taking the blame) though he never was in the first place. Kaiki is taking all the wins as Monogatari’s best character!

    It made me sad if you dont feel this one for Kaiki, as if you’ve misinterpret a great character, who is thousand times better than Araragi. For haters who look at this as “woww kaiki’s GF” or “they are lovers!” really doesnt understand the big picture of this story. Clearly this show is not for you and your narrow comprehension.

    btw,

    yikesss at Nadeko. We all knew this gonna happen consider the ending preview at Nadeko’s arc.

    Clock Work
    1. I completely agree. Indeed, Kaiki is even more interesting as a character (in my opinion) than an already great character like Araragi. The reason for this is everything you said: Araragi is a great hero, but his righteousness needs no further proof; we like him from the first episode.
      Kaiki is different: he started as a straight villain, albeit a very complex one, and after this long, we have grown more and more sympathetic to him. Of course, he may be lying, but that doesn’t change the fact that this arc wanted us to see Kaiki in a gradually redeeming light. That’s why we care more about and hidden heart of gold than an honest one like Araragi’s.

      lorenzo
  13. Ah damn, this episode makes me feel like such a hypocrite. I don’t bat an eye at Araragi’s antics but Senjougahara’s conversations with Kaiki make me uncomfortable sometimes, especially because if Kaiki wanted it, he could make SG do whatever he wanted and I kind of feel SG wouldn’t be againts that so much,seeing as she continues to state that fact over and over again. If I was in Araragi’s position I would feel disgusted at my own self for having my gf go behind my back and get help from her first love and put everything on the line for my sake and would (stupedly) feel betrayed. Araragi is most likely more mature but I look forward to see how he reacts.

    Sirius
    1. yeah except that araragi was pretty much cheating unlike senjougahara. oonoki could have been excused since she initiated it, but the ones like shinobu and his sisters(particularly tsukihi)…
      araragi has no right to feel bad when he’s already doing a lot of stuff behind gahara. heck, he nearly LEFT her to keep mayoi company forever. if anything he should be expecting that something could happen to their relationship considering how he’s frolicking with other girls when he already has a girlfriend.

      amado
    2. What in the world gives you the idea that, even if Kaiki turned completely OOC and made Gahara ‘do whatever he wanted’, that Gahara would enjoy that? That is reading soooo much more into their conversations/relationship it’s a little ridiculous.

      I do think that the Kaiki/Gahara relationship is being purposefully cast in a semi-romantic light, to play up the hard-boiled feel of this arc. Ononoki is correct in referring to Gahara as Kaiki’s old flame if only in a thematic sense; if you’ve seen any film noir, the cynical PI being dragged into a case by the request of an old paramour is not an unusual set-up. But like most things in the Monogatari series, this angle isn’t being played quite straight. Kaiki’s feelings for Gahara are affectionate but not sexual. It’s surprising (and touching) how much he actually respects her as a person, and maybe if she were 10-15 years older she’d even be his type. But his lack of interest in any of the young female characters is reflected even in the way this arc has been shot; why do you think the trademark fan service has all but disappeared?

      And I also do think Kaiki was Gahara’s first love and she has a lingering attachment to him. But so what? She deserves a history. It gives her depth. A lot of the flack Hitagi has been getting is indicative of a very unfortunate double standard IMO. Having an innocent first love with an unattainable adult when she was fifteen or so? Slut. Having some semi-flirty dialogue with said unattainable adult while putting everything on the line to save the love of her life? Whore. Meanwhile Araragi gets no flack not only for his sexual shenanigans but his very emotional relationships with all the other girls? Really?

      Blah blah blah Kaiki is awesome, Senjougahara is awesome, I wrote too many words.

      shimadajoe
  14. The cats out of the bag. Ougi really isn’t Oshino’s niece. I know it was pretty obvious, but the thing I want to know is why would everyone think that in the first place? She kind of just Showed up out of no where. Oh well hopefully we’ll get some answers this season.

    sealouse
    1. Uhm… perhaps because she introduces herself als Oshino’s niece?
      Sure it now turns out that she may have been lying the whole time, but before the conclusion of the Nadeko arc there wasn’t that much reason to assume she was a fraud…

      Anonymous

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