Posted by OP3 Sequence
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OP3: 「もうそう♡えくすぷれす」 (Mousou <3 Ekusupuresu) by 千石撫子 CV: 花澤香菜 (Sengoku Nadeko CV: Hanezawa Kana)
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「なでこメドゥーサ其ノ壹」 (Nadeko Meduusa So No Ichi)
“Nadeko Medsua Part One”
Quick disclaimer – this is not a double post. Last week’s episode was another recap episode detailing what had already happened to Sengoku and due to a stressful week I decided not to cover it. But seeing how SHAFT still numbers the recap episodes, I thought it would be smart to keep things accurate. More after the jump!
So after the end of Hachikuji’s amazing arc, I wasn’t sure if SHAFT would be able to impress me with whatever offerings it had this week. I mean, when you have both a grown up Hachikuji and sexy full sized Shinobu in the same arc how are you supposed to top that? But somehow, through a colorful combination of an overpowered Medusa inspired Sengoku and tons of Araragi’s blood just spraying everywhere, SHAFT did a great job of grabbing my attention.
I mean, for those of you who remember (or watched the recap episode) what kind of person Sengoku was, you really have to wonder just how screwed up things got to cause a transformation like that. And while I’m willing to bet her jealousy toward everyone around her beloved Senpai is one of the main ones, this first episode highlighted something really interesting. And while this may not be the correct interpretation of it, I saw it as Sengoku not necessarily viewing herself as the victim but rather realizing how she’s always waiting for someone to come save her — almost like a damsel in distress.
And it all started with Ougi. And as creepy as she is, she’s always carrying some sort of useful information whenever she shows up onscreen. And while her short talk with Sengoku didn’t elaborate on much, I can’t help but have this strange feeling that the talk in itself may be the catalyst for what we know is coming. And while that might be a bit of a stretch to believe, you can’t think it’s only a coincidence that Sengoku started seeing snakes only after her talk with Ougi.
With a lot more to see, I can honestly say that I’m really excited for whatever is in store for us down the road. Because seeing how there’s going to be an all out battle between Sengoku and her beloved Araragi-oniichan, I really want to see the series of events that led her down this path. Because even though we’ve seen the countless times where emotions beat out the temptations related to these aberrations, I wonder if this could be the first time that the aberration wins out?
ED2 Sequence
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ED2: 「その声を覚えてる」 (So no Koe wo Oboeteru) by 河野マリナ (Kawano Marina)
End Card
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What have they done to poor Nadeko?!
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQ5AJtzmCfvXVNIs7MIHtKPem5A3NITTh64ILtt8qnFWrUy4LXGA
They’ve finally made her a much better character, that’s what.
My experiences watching Monogatari Series Second Season so far:
-Araragi patting Black Hanekawa & her crying afterwards.
One great arc.
-By a twist, Araragi meets adult Hachikuji & an alternate Kisshot in despair.
A better arc.
-Araragi getting stabbed through the heart by Sengoku with a bloody mess.
Okay, now it seems like Monogatari is getting better with every arc.
My only complaints so far are the 2 recap episodes..
and that I’m getting a headache trying to determine the timeline relationship between Nekomonogatari (Kuro) “Tsubasa Tiger”, Kabukimonogatari “Mayoi Jiangshi” and Otorimonogatari “Nadeko Medusa”..
Show Spoiler ▼
And that ED is great. Much more colorful than all the previous ED in the series so far, I think, and the one I can understand the easiest..
Something like Sengoku lying on bed as she is transported deep into the ocean, dreams of Shinobu (followed by a scared reaction), then a dream of Araragi (followed by an annoyed reaction), & then falls into a deep sleep?
IIRC, Otori isn’t directly connected with the others (at least, not that we know of at this point, not sure if anything will connect it later).
—–
Neko (Kuro) was during Golden Week (Kizu was Spring Break)
Bake was May/June
Nise was July/Aug
August 20: Araragi and Shinobu Timeslip to Route X [Kabuki]
August 21: Neko (White) incident begins in Route A; Araragi and Shinobu return to Route A [Kabuki]
August 24: Neko (White) incident ends
October 31: Nadeko meets Kuchinawa [Otori]
??: End of Kuchinawa incident (the fight we see at the beginning of this episode)
—–
And what happened in Kabuki in Route X
11 years prior, Mother’s Day: Route A’s Araragi saves Route X’s Mayoi
June 14: Route X’s Shinobu runs away, Route X’s Araragi is killed by Black Hanekawa
August 21-24 or thereabouts: Route A’s Araragi and Shinobu deal with the fallout in Route X…
Otori isn’t tightly connected to the previous arcs we saw, but it is an absolutely critical arc for the season overall, as you’ll see. Just remember, this franchise saves the good stuff for the end, and things will start coming together in the final arcs.
Something easier to understand, Nadeko Medusa happens after Tsubasa Tiger and also, with the
Show Spoiler ▼
chapter, as Ougi’s remarks about
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while talking to Nadeko.
I’m not clear on this, but my thinking is that the talk with Ougi made her stop thinking of herself as a victim. That made her think she did something bad during that time to deserve punishment. As soon as she started thinking that way, she awoke the snake.
I also think Ougi’s not human, much like Yotsugi and Shinobu.
There’s a golden rule with snakes in almost every mythology: when they start talking, run away, otherwise shit gets real really fast.
Aw hell, Sengoku’s going all Sakura from Fate/Stay Night on us. Run, Araragi, RUN!!
I guess that would make
Show Spoiler ▼
“Ah, it’s spring again…”
Nadeko? Like Sakura? No way. Sakura didn’t want to hurt people, and Nadeko’s problem isn’t the abnormality. You’ll see when the arc is done.
Yandere Nadeko…
The HanaKana show, episode one
quietly evil in silent desperation?
I’m with Zephyr. Hard to top Mayoi’s arc ending, but if this last episode didn’t do that, it sure came close IMO. SHAFT is doing a phenomenal job. From the opening scene to the way those snakes were so creepy. A VERY “bakemonogatari” (i.e ghost story) atmosphere. This show deserves some sort of production award. Seriously, just get it over with and contract SHAFT to do the rest of the outstanding series LNs yet to be animated. NOW.
I haven’t read the LN for this arc so I’m really looking forward to watching the story unfold. Araragi gets beat up… a lot, but Medusa Nadeko is stepping things up a notch or two.
“Seriously, just get it over with and contract SHAFT to do the rest of the outstanding series LNs yet to be animated. NOW.”
SHAFT already announced quite a while ago that they’d animate all the Monogatari novels, so no worries in that. It’s become a studio-exclusive project now.
Meanwhile, spiderwebs & dust are gathering around me as I wait for the Kizumonogatari film.
Thanks for the info! That’s certainly good news. I hope it’s a priority project so we don’t have to wait too long for the rest of the series to be animated. :D.
Looks like this is going to be the horror arc. And I’m fine with that. As long as it treats Nadeko right.
Gotta watch this again.
Watched this while I was partially knocked out by my medications.
Watching monogatari while high on medications leaves a surreal and hallucinatory feeling
~(^_^~)
I don’t think you need to be high on medications for that.
True but being high on drugs enhances it
Dude, you high?
Sounds like you’re Jesse Pinkman from the Breaking Bad drama series :3
Did Ougi only appear as a character this season? I don’t remember her being in the show before and unless her “I’ve been here all along” insertion into the story is actually something that will be a plot point later (ala Dawn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) I’m annoyed by her.
I’m pretty sure that Ougi has only appeared this season and (more importantly) chronologically I’m fairly sure that she’s a fairly recent character. I don’t think the details about her have been fully revealed, but she’s not the same as Dawn. From I have learned apparently Show Spoiler ▼
Ougi is all new this season, yes. If you recall, her scene in Mayoi Jiangshi was a flash forward, long after the rest of the events had taken place. Koyomi mentioned the conversation only because he found it oddly relevant to the rest of the story. So it’s clear Koyomi met Ougi (introduced by Suruga, IIRC) some time after Summer break but before he graduated in Spring of the following year. It’s not clear that he has already met her by the time she ran into Nadeko in this arc. She could very well have been lying.
Is it just me, or does Araragi have a “Death by cute girls” flag?
Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade, Black-Hanekawa, Kanbaru, and now Sengoku… Got a feeling the majority of the monogatari girls are after his life.
Basically, that’s the gist of things. If you cant have something for your own why would you let someone else have it? Twisted logic that is very true, much of in this series.
It’s always the quiet ones.
Who knows what thoughts lurk behind those evil eyes?
What could she be plotting?
We may never know.
But honestly speaking, I like her new makeover.
While I’m at it, have some more cute little Nadeko scenes from previous seasons!
Show Spoiler ▼
the first time hanazawa kana voiced a villain character?
A little back story on that from the guidebook:
Show Spoiler ▼
It’s funny how the turning of events in this arc is kind of based just on that wish of HanaKana’s.
Not exactly a villain I think, but HanaKana did voice a rather psychotic person in Kamisama Dolls (as Hyuga Mahiru).
She voiced a villain in Phantasy Star Online 2
Her CPU version of Plutia is very S.
She voices the first villain in Shokugeki No Soma.
Also her role in Binbougami is pretty evil on the scale of things.
I for one like her ‘bitch’ voice where she looks down on others, she genuinely sounds like she’s having fun.
Iris Heart especially.
There are a few hints about the Oddity (which I think is the best term for the things Araragi deals with) and its nature in this if you follow along, but it’s different from most of the others so you might not get it at first. And I don’t know the details, but apparently a few lines about Sengoku that would be very relevant were left out in the anime adaptation.
I don’t know if Ougi is a villain or not, but she certainly isn’t helping. Those black eyes they pierce right through me.
I can’t believe how well ‘snake’ fits Nadeko. Those smiles, those temptations, those feelings of compatibility but deep under that, lies the most dangerous thought. OP lyrics pretty much help that too:
The world isn’t going my way
And I won’t have it like that
There’s only one thing I want
Everything, everything, everything, everything
But as much as she hold the poison to kill you; you can’t resist looking at her. That damm cute little snake girl.
I’m mesmerized by that shot of Nadeko with her white snake hair.
she went all dark sakura!!!!
This I can tell is the role that HanaKana has been waiting for for a long time. This could very well be the highlight of her career as a seiyuu. Can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen next.
NOOOO! Not only did the Tainted Holy Grail turned Sakura Matou into a psychobltch, now Nadeko?! Curse you Holy Grail! Why did you have to make the loli a yandere?!
I’m impressed.
Shaft did very good job, honestly I didn’t expect Nadeko arc to be this good, after all she’s my least favored character in monogatari series (sl*t). but this episode she became quite an interesting one with all those mindfu*k monologues.
I wouldn’t go as far to use the censored S word when it comes to her, but that aside, I do agree that this episode alone did a huge amount of justice to her character, which is a very good thing considering she always felt like the fifth wheel of the franchise due to how under-utilized her character was until now. Her arc in Bake didn’t had enough room for her character to work with the efficency the other four arcs and their respective characters did, and her following appearences didn’t made things better either (especially in Nise), but I think the first episode of Otori alone was a redemption. Mostly because it goes further enough in her character to properly highlight the intented weakness in her personality, namely she being easily frightened due to the lack of self-confidence and how this results the inability to stand up for herself, even if this can lead people to misunderstand her intentions (or in the snake’s case, getting advantege of her lack of resistance).
To be fair her character had potential even in Bake, but I think Otori’s first episode was the first time where there was genuiene effort involved in her characterisation (with her being the narrator as the first step), and this makes me more curious what this arc has in store, especially with the way the first few minutes turns her character inside out and indicates a massive shit-hits-the-fan factor.
oh fucking god a sexually forward female… time to spam some rage. shut the fuck up dude.
Poor Nadeko. Like the Medusa of legend, she’s slowly becoming a tragic heroine, slowly goaded by that evil QB-like snake-god into doing its bidding, taking full advantage of her weak personality.
PS I’m still amazed by Shaft’s background art. Nadeko’s school at times feels more like an impressively designed airport terminal than a school campus. (As a design student, it’s so mesmerizing I’ve actually decided to go and write a thesis about Bakemonogatari’s background art design)
I’m surprised that SHAFT went ahead and changed Nadeko’s snake-apparition hair colour to white and eyes to red; I don’t recall that from the original novels.
HanaKana voice + Nadeko colour change = Kagerou Project animation by SHAFT confirmed?
Looks, Nadeko just killed Araragi, time to run for you life cause it gonna be Mayoi Jiangshi all over again. This guy never learns to fight carefully.
Kinda hard to avoid getting impaled on a weapon that can freely change its length, seemingly without limit. :/
So, why did Nadeko accept to “help” the snake? Did she feel guilty or was it because the Ougi talk?
Off all girl-oddities Arararagi had faced over the years, is this the first one he ever said “I’m here to kill you” to?
I can’t wait for the next episode. What did she do actually?
How is Araragi willing to die for the Rainy Devil-Suruga (Who hurt who knows a lot of people before using his intestines as a lasso) and Black Hanekawa (who also caused a lot of grief throughout the city) but is acting threatening to this one? (going so far to say “That’s right, she’s just an enemy, and a food for you).
Show Spoiler ▼
I do not recall how those white snakes get nailed on the sacred tree… is it Nadeko who did it? Can someone explain? 🙂
i think it’s from that time in Nadeko Snake. When she killed those snakes out of a misguided attempt to remove the curse that befall her
Bakemonogatari was a great show, Nisemonogatari had its perks though it was somewhat disappointing compared to the great precedent that Baek had set, but Monogatari 2nd Season just comes along and blows me away with every single new episode…it’s been quite a while since I’ve been this impressed with a series’ ability to continually set high standards and adhere to them. Indeed, I wasn’t sure how the series could top the amazing Tsubasa Tiger and Mayoi Kyonshi arc, but the first episode of this new arc had grabbed my attention from the getgo and held on to it the entire time.
An of course, SHAFT continues to impress with their visuals. It’s definitely my favorite anime studio by far in terms of the sheer creativity they put into animation directing and really making use of the medium itself.
Can’t wait for next week’s episode.