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Summary:
While Hitagi is gone, Mayoi and Koyomi talk about how he used to be a good boy who ended up struggling in high school and felt like he’d never grow up. They then get into another fight after Mayoi learns that Koyomi groped her during their earlier scuffle. Once they’ve calmed back down, he tells her about his argument with his sister, so she tells him about how her parents fought and separated. When Hitagi finally returns, she is able to smell that Tsubasa had been there, but more to the point, she feels that she should apologize to Koyomi. Oshino had told her that the way to be released from the snail is to leave it, but Hitagi applies this to Koyomi and shocks him by revealing that she can’t see Mayoi. Given this, Mayoi explains that about ten years ago, she tried to visit her mother on Mother’s Day, but she never reached her mother due to an accident.
Hitagi had only pretended to see Mayoi so that she wouldn’t seem strange, and by this point, Koyomi finally understands that he’s the one who met a snail. Oshino had explained to Hitagi earlier that the condition to meet a lost cow was not wanting to return home, and Koyomi realizes that Tsubasa fit that description too, just like him. Even after Hitagi makes it clear that Mayoi is already dead though, Koyomi still wants to help her reach her mother’s place because he knows how it feels to be alone. All this causes Hitagi to realize that Koyomi is the type of person who helps and saves others, and before leading Koyomi and Mayoi to Mayoi’s mother’s house, she confesses that she loves Koyomi. As it turns out, Mayoi’s mother’s house is no longer there, however Mayoi starts crying and disappears in a bright flash of light after declaring that she’s home.
In the aftermath, Hitagi wants an answer from Koyomi for her confession and admits that she was using the idea of paying him back as an excuse. She doesn’t actually feel very indebted to him because she’s realized that he’d help anyone, but even if he hadn’t helped her and had helped someone else, she’d still think he was special. She also admits that she had fun talking with him and wants to do it more often. Koyomi has a condition to add to their relationship though, and that’s that Hitagi doesn’t pretend to see something she can’t or vice versa. She agrees, but she also wants him to put their relationship into words, so he uses a phrase she thought up earlier in the day, tore (a higher form of moe), in regard to her. Koyomi then returns home to his sisters and promises not to leave during Mother’s Day the next year. The following day, on his way to school, he runs into Mayoi. She reveals that she’s gone from being an earth-bound spirit to being a wandering spirit, and she’ll be wandering around here for a while.
Preview
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Now that was a good episode. I had mentioned last week that it wasn’t clear to me what was important and what wasn’t, but it all finally makes sense now. In fact, everything came together incredibly well, from the main plot with Mayoi being lost to why Hitagi didn’t want to be alone with Mayoi to even little things like the tore line at the end (which, in case you don’t remember, is a reference to something Hitagi came up with near the beginning of episode three). The twist with Mayoi being dead was one I obviously didn’t see coming, but it was a good one, and as it was pointed out to me, it’s reminiscent of the one in the Sixth Sense. It’s a shame she reappeared though at the very end because it was much more satisfying to think of her as having reached “home”, a place like the afterlife where she’d be happy.
As if all that wasn’t enough, this episode also had Hitagi finally confessing to Koyomi. Part of me is just glad they didn’t beat around the bush for the entire series and were actually honest with each other. The other part of me can’t wait to see what will happen between them because the two have some unique interactions and are very fun to watch.
Unfortunately, it looks like the schedule for the next episode and next arc is somewhat complicated. Currently, TOKYO MX gets the first airing of Bakemonogatari on Friday nights. However, it and most of the other stations next week are airing a Bakemonogatari special instead of episode six. MBS is not following suit and will be airing episode six in its normal Saturday slot on August 8th. But then MBS is taking two weeks off while the other stations catch up, and it looks like Teletama may become the first station to broadcast episode seven the Sunday after that (August 16th). It’s hard to explain it any clearer, so you’re best off looking at the schedule. Regardless of what happens though, I like the series too much now to let it affect my watching and blogging.
good ep indeed.
<3 mayoi
Love it !
First
Nooooo!!!!whatever
anyone know what koyomi says to hitagi in the end? it seems he cleverly twisted his words a bit.
Indeed this was a good episode. It felt like it gave off the same vibe at the end of Hitagi’s arc. I’m starting to like this series also.
Okay wow. This anime just went from “Shaft Being Shaft, but I enjoy it none the less” to “Bakemonogatari Fascination.” I love it. This anime has an incredible way of switching from lightheartedness to total seriousness in an instant. I’ll be following this one, and recommending it to my friends. Great episode.
Hahaha! I take it that’s supposed to be Family.
https://randomc.net/image/Bakemonogatari/Bakemonogatari%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
I feel that Senjougahara’s ending was “happier” than Hachikuji’s. I mean in the end for Hachikuji she still didn’t get to meet her mother and she was still dead. For Senjougahara at least she got a boyfriend out of it.
Damn, Koyomi, if she wants you that bad how in the hell can you say no. Atleast its better than them busting each others chops like other weird ass couples.
On a lighter note, that’s why I hate ghosts in anime. If they know you can see them, they…
1: get on your nerves until you want to kill them again
2: appear & disappear at anytime just to tick you off even more
3: If you ever try to help them move on, they get attached to you making your efforts mute in the end
Mayoi tries to make up for it by being cute but you pretty much knew where this was going when the title popped up. Now maybe she can take her “snail” tori-esque backpack & her biting fetish into the background where she belongs.
so in the end they become a couple!Tsugoi!
@Megas
I’m probably spoiling the story for people here, but from what I have heard Mayoi plays another role in a later arc and it has to do with her being a ghost. So yea…. she being a ghost is more important than you think.
>Damn, Koyomi, if she wants you that bad how in the hell can you say no. Atleast its better than them busting each others chops like
>other weird ass couples.
@Megas
You do realize he essentially said yes, right?
I don’t want to sound daft, but maybe they should check their English before showing it. Remember the PTA from last time?
Good episode, though!
They SHOULD really check their English! Interestin ep though.
I just noticed that Araragi’s sisters wear egg yolk hairpins. LOL what.
As expected, another satisfying arc! I wasn’t wrong that this anime will be the one that rocks this season (Especially that S2 Haruhi’s gone to shithole already.)
Anyway, Omni’s blog sure is nice – it’s more clearer than watching the fansub!
Ah, <3 Hitagi and her plans to make Araragi confess, though she failed. Such a nice girl that keeps moving and evolving and changing the term “tsundere”, or does she even classify as one now?
@omimon: yeah I know about that little story & she helps the situation, so I guess her being a ghost at that time was great & all, but I still hate them (not the scary kinda of hate, more like the hate give give to tsundere :P)
@Kamion: I meant it as sarcasm – you can even say she backed him into a corner. But he can definitely act cool as hell at times. That response was priceless.
Senjougahara has got to be the most awesome female character in history
That was the first time I’ve ever seen a confession like that
It wasn’t even like a confession, I can’t even describe it
Finally another show that doesn’t place the confession at the end of the series
On another note:
https://randomc.net/image/Bakemonogatari/Bakemonogatari%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
HNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGG
so what about the glasses girl then? she pretend to not see too?? o_O
Dude, that’s the first time I’ve seen a girl confess to a guy in an anime. Either way, I’m hooked
@ the_ents_are_waalking, they did that on purpose.( its sumthing they do in this anime(if that makes sense)
@foamer
Glasses girl was able to see and talkt to her, because she didn’t want to go home, like Koyomi.
This arc left me so confused, I do understand the lost cow is the more important thing to see now, but what I’m missing is how Hitagi refered to Mayoi as a Elementary student? When she mentioned her hatred of little children.
Senjougahara’s smile just blew me away. Man, this show is turning better than expected.
Also, I found Mayoi’s reaction to Hitagi confession funny
“Congratulations”
XD
I love this anime 🙂
Great, great stuff. Good all around and one of the better “confessions” in recent history. And those words of congratulations by the snail-cow-girl.
Maybe it’s because of the poor subs but I don’t quite get his response to her confession at the end… could some1 plz tell me?
Hmm, I’m looking forward to more Hitagi/Koyomi interaction now that a confession has occurred, so early too. Senjougahara keeps this show flowing so well, but I wonder how she’ll react to the other females left for Koyomi to help. >_>
Hey I just realized something relly scary that Tsubasa girl was clearly able to see and hear Mayoi and all.She must have some secrets too I think there will be an arc about her.
this episode is absolutaly awesome
Hot damn! that was a good story. This hits best anime of the season for me.
As for the kid returning – it’s obviously because she’s become a little attached to the nice boy/pervert/child abuser that was her first taste/touch 😉
@Yggdrasîll:
Koyomi was twisting his words. I had to watch it a few times in order to understand it. You don’t hear stuff like that too often. He really meant that it would be nice if he would want to talk with her more often…in other words, get to know her better. The way he phrased it was just much to screwy for the situation…but he was just responding to her saying that she would like to do the same. Now I’d better stop b4 I confuse myself 😛
I love the twists at the end of each arc, I don’t see them coming, which really gets me built up for the reveal portions. The slightly bizarre take on the animation put me off a bit, but now I enjoy the surrealism, which fits in very well with the series as a whole. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the direction this is going in more than once, and now I’m hooked
Amazing episode, as if I wasn’t already hooked on this series.
!!! tsudere-san !!!
that was a really good episode,i love the part where senjyogahara confess to araragi
Those egg yolk hairpins are ridiculously cute.
This was a great episode by my neck sorta hurts after seeing every character tilt their heads at strange angles all the time.
note to self; add a confession scene before end of series and everyone will love episode regardless of actual quality involved.
KyoAni should get on that shit post-haste.
@Veggies:
What the fuck is with people constantly bitching about the animation quality?
Whatever happened to people caring about STORY or CHARACTERS or GENERAL AWESOMENESS?
Seriously, animation quality is a non-issue here. It’s a SHAFT show anyway, what were you expecting?
So please, stop bitching and praise one of the few shows this year that actually deserves praise. Or if you don’t want to, stop acting like you have to inform everyone else that they’re wrong.
Please.
senjougahara didnt piss koyomi off that much in this episode…… which i enjoy watching….. but confessing isnt so bad 😛
Wow awesome episode, but there are a few things I don’t get. First of all, How was Senjougahara able to guide Mayoi and Koyomi to the mother’s “house” this time rather than getting lost like the previous attempts? Also, I know Koyomi replies to Senjougahara’s confession by saying “Senjougahara tore” (and tore is like we know higher than moe), but what does it actually translate to? In the subs it said something like “It’d be great if it came into fashion, Senjougahara fascination.” Is this right?
@SomethingLeft
I believe Senjougahara was able to guide them by taking old routes that Mayoi would recognize. They were getting lost because Mayoi didn’t recognize the new streets, and that would affect where they were or where they perceived they were. Once Senjougahara understood that Mayoi couldn’t accept anything that had been changed after her death, Senjougahara lead them down the old roads that would have existed back them, allowing Mayoi to comprehend the progression toward their goal, and thereby not exert her usual influence and get everyone lost.
“Seriously, animation quality is a non-issue here. ”
Then why not just read a book? YOU seem to of missed the point behind a visual medium if the quality of the visuals don’t actually matter. It’s one thing when people bitch about video games, because there’s interaction and that matters. In an animated show, of course the visual quality matters a great deal.
Also the story has been nearly non-existent so far, there’s been some character development and that’s it. Unless your definition of advancing the story after the first episode is just talking for 80 minutes without any real purpose.
@Delwack
Great explaination! It was also said that, what should have only taken them 10 min to walk to (distance wise), actually took an hour or so, because of the way you explained that Hitagi had to take a very round about way as to not envoke the lost-cow powers.
On another note, do you think that Hitagi’s confession was sped up because she found out about Tsubasa’s visit? She did NOT look happy at all when she found out! LOL I think her character is so bold and up front, so unlike what we are normally used to seeing for our female leads in anime lately. I just find myself liking her more and more because of that. However, thinking about past anime, the norm for bold female leads, especially ones that start a romance with the main character early, end up becoming tragic heroines of a sort… of course there are plenty of exceptions, but you know what I’m talking about. I just hope this doesn’t happen to her. I would be crushed if this happened to Hitagi!
Here is to hoping that she continues to flirt/temp/bash/trash him even if they start their “more than friends” relationship. Hmm… is that “S” of me that I like watching her make him squirm? LOL!
@Veggies: This is a character-driven story. Go watch some anime with explosions if you’re bored with this.
I’d rather side with Veggies. Animation should be important in an Animation show, after all. We’re not talking about explosions or whatsoever action scene, but really animation by word. And bakemonogatari is really lacking of it.
It’s true this conclusive episode of Mayoi Snail summed it up greatly, but the awesome twist of Mayoi being “the snail”, cannot pay back of other two episodes full of nothing.
Solaris every blog you post at, you keep commenting about how much you hate bakemonogatari and theres no story since the first episode. Why the hell are you still watching it? As for me its a great character story, and something in it must be holding your attention.
I was at first put off by the animation also, but I think I’ve gotten used to it. The animation is really there to support and reinforce the surreal quality of the show. I mean if you think about a lot of the scenes logically, they make no physical sense. A completely white park in stark contrast to lines of color. The tracked bicycle like thing Senjougahara and Araragi were riding on and the positions they were in. The words appearing inside the bites in Araragi’s hand after Mayoi bit him. That’s only 3 examples off the top of my head, every scene seems to contain from some type of odd surrealistic quality, and the bgm definitely reinforces it. It’s all there to weird you out a bit, and I think to make you think a bit. The surrealism of the animation adds it’s own depth. While a bit of a shock at first, I think this particular style has its own unusual merits and adds the show nicely.
I believe it is also good to remember that the visual part of anime is just one aspect of it, though an extremely important one. I think in this case, they use it to put together a bigger package, one that you either like or don’t (or it weirds you out I suppose). Without a doubt, it is quite weird but I find that overall, I enjoy it.
@Solaris: Those two episodes of nothing are the reason this episode was so good. It NEEDED this setup.
The unique way the art is done is a plus, not a minus.
@Kaisos: I agree
I LOVE YOU
i lmao at Hachikuji’s reaction to senjougahara’s confession.:)
@Kaisos: the two episodes of nothing still sum to nothing (or less).
Were you satisfied by the cheap reason to Hitagi’s weird behaviour for the past episodes? She couldn’t feel Mayois presence and acted like she was there. She also spoke bad to her claiming she hated kids and didn’t want to stay with her. I thought she was jealous of the kid girl because she was in her way with Koyomi. It could have been a logical reason, more logical than “i claimed to see her not to look weird”. OMG, if i’d go insane and see pink flying elephants, you just tell me go to the doctor, cause i’m nuts without pretending to watch them. I can understand that if Hitagi would have claimed before she couldn’t see Mayoi, then the surprise could have been ruined. But that turn of event just didn’t fit Hitagi being there and make up those weirdness. Maybe the right role was Tsubasa’s this time. But what about Tsubasa? She appeared, said two words and parted as she knew what it was going on!
Let’s just say this last episode was rather nice, but overall this anime is a big stupidity. It’s full of holes and its stories can be summarized in one paragraph. IMHO it’s still far below sufficiency
If you still hate it so much, why the hell are you still watching it? All you do I ever blog is criticize the hell out of it, if it was so below your standards from the beginning why must you reiterate the same facts.
Nice engrish there. FAMIRY
Another great episode
@Solaris: They… they even explained why in this episode.
There are no wasted lines… aw hell. No point in arguing with you.
Heh, I actually quite like the animation style/quality. As for any complaints about any logical reasoning… heck… this is ANIME.
Is this a 13-episode series… if so, I guess that means we have two episodes each of monkey, snake, and cat (Hanekawa’s) then the last two would be vampire (Araragi’s, finally!)
I don’t know if there’s a better way to translate the “Senjougahara tore” line – but Senjougaraha fascination gets the point across, although it works better in Japanese, especially when you consider how she made up the word.
As for the inherent “illogical” behaviour in Senjougahara pretending to see Mayoi when she couldn’t, I don’t think her reasoning was too wild – she didn’t want to be seen as strange or weird anymore. Given how she spent the last two years with an impossibly low weight due to the crazy crab and everything that went along with that, I think her willingness to consider “alternative” explanations is heightened. As far she knows, if Araragi says he can see Mayoi, and she can’t, then it’s not outside the realm of possibility that something is wrong with her. She doesn’t want that, so she lied and pretended to see her.
@Carcharoth: They’re not doing Koyomi Vamp this season; it’s an entire, 300-page book. Way too long.
The season will be 15 episodes, as well (three released on the official website). Tsubasa Cat will be the last FIVE of those.
@Tia. I still hope it could get better. After all the stories aren’t that bad. They’re only filled by pointless details.
@Kaisos. I read the explanation. Was it reasonable? I found it stupid and illogical.
@Cacharoth. I don’t know how to say it without babbling about some boring literature lesson, but whatsoever story should be build on some kind of locic that tie events toghether, even if they’re basically fantastic. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief)
@Solaris. It’s an anime you fucking nerd and it’s obvious you are taking it waaaaaaay too seriously. GOD FORBID someone tries to make a show that doesnt fit the cookie cut build of other anime and isnt spoon fed into your down syndrome brain. I for one find bakemonogatari refreshing even with dailogue being the dominant aspect of the show.
Hmm, i like the series so far. methinks its gonna be kinda like gintama, with several ridiculous episodes before a very serious arc, then back to silliness.
Much thanks to Omni for blogging this show. I admit that the blog is great because it gives me the luxury of knowing when an arc is completed. All I have to say now is Wow! If I were to pick a favorite story arc in all the anime I have seen, I have to say that this arc puts several longer anime to shame. In three episodes, Bakemonagatari crafted a virtually flawless arc. They did a wonderful job tying together the lost cow explanation, and did a wonderful job of developing the relationship between Koyomi and Hitagi. The dialogue was wonderfully performed, and the confession was so endearing. The fact that the choice of wording was quirky, and not your standard formulaic confession a la Suzuka fits this show perfectly. If I were on the nominating committee for the Seiyu awards, I would nominate Chiwa Saito, as this is one of her best performances.
@Solaris
You dont understand anime dont you
That was great. Really unexpected turn of events. I’m enjoying this show a lot.
@SomethingLeft
To answer your question: “Also, I know Koyomi replies to Senjougahara’s confession by saying “Senjougahara tore” (and tore is like we know higher than moe), but what does it actually translate to? In the subs it said something like “It’d be great if it came into fashion, Senjougahara fascination.” Is this right?”
Basically in the beginning of the arc, Hitagi talked about how she wanted to dress differently everyday for him and she just so happened to dressed “moe” today. That is why in the end when he answered her confession he said it’d be great if it [her moe clothes] came into fashion, Senjougahara fascination [toe].
BASICALLY, he means it’d be great to enjoy her company and talk to her more, but in a more indirect way through witty exchange of words.