Posted by OP Sequence
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OP: 「二言目」 (Futakotome) by 斎藤千和 (Saitou Chiwa)
Watch the OP: Streaming ▼
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「かれんビー 其ノ壹」 (Karen Bii Sono Ichi)
“Karen Bee Part One”
If your taste in action runs more towards wordplay rather than swordplay or gunplay, then the premier episode of the sequel to Bakemonogatari is right down your alley. I haven’t been able to read any of Nishio Isin’s light novels yet, but I have watched both animated adaptations of his works. Needless to say, I was fully prepared for an episode packed to the brim with dialogue – just didn’t expect the some of the best repartee and meta-referencing humor I’ve heard in ages.
Just like Senki Zesshou Symphogear’s first episode, this premier also starts out in media res, with Araragi Koyomi (Kamiya Hiroshi) kidnapped and handcuffed to a pile of school desks, and Senjougahara Hitagi (Saitou Chiwa) teasing him in every way except the way he wants to be teased. Kinky. While I’ve always been a fan of Araragi’s internal monologues throughout the series (due in no small part to the brilliance that is Kamiya Hiroshi), for many people, the main attraction of this series is the one and only Gahara-san. Simply put, there’s never been a character quite like her. Her unique brand of tsundere makes her insanely alluring – even though any relationship with her would be immensely draining on your mental health, not to mention the constant threat of staple wounds too. I know I’d be coming back for seconds. With that cute face, witty mind, and devious temperament framed by purple locks, I could probably write a whole editorial on what makes Senjougahara so special in a world of cookie-cutter heroines, but I won’t (for now at least).
Seems like she’s lost a bit of her wit though, messing up her Muhammad Ali quote and throwing in an Evangelion reference that Araragi immediately sees through. Seeing the person she loves locked up has probably affected her more than she lets on, but then again, with Hitagi, it’s always hard to tell her true feelings behind all her verbal barrages. Just look at her “I will protect you” face. Or when she says she will take care of every inch of your body. Araragi definitely didn’t want to hear line that associated with diapers. All this dialogue, and we’re still no closer to finding out just how exactly he fell into his current predicament. I can never take what Hitagi says at face value, so my only clue is the bee venom that has apparently poisoned him, and given the episode title, I’m sure his sister, Karen (Kitamura Eri) has a hand (or stinger?) in things.
For an episode named for Karen, she actually never makes an appearance in this episode other than in fleeting images. I was looking forward to finding out more about Araragi’s sisters after seeing their short appearances at the end of Bakemonogatari episodes, so thankfully the episode fulfilled half of my wishes by introducing his youngest sister, Tsukihi (Iguchi Yuka). Now I know where Araragi’s taste in women comes from – his sisters. Both of them love to fight, and both of them are also strong-willed, just like Senjougahara. The difference is that most of the sisters’ communication with their brother comes in the form of physical fights, rather than verbal sparring like Senjougahara does. Even though we’ve only met one of Araragi’s sisters, it’s evident that he’s has been trained in masochism from the start. Wonder what his mother is like?
Usually when we have the premier episode of a sequel, most of the continuing characters make an appearance, but here, two of the girls in Araragi’s “harem”, Hanekawa Tsubasa (Horie Yui) and Sengoku Nadeko (Hanazawa Kana) only make their appearance heard through his cell phone. We were so close to seeing Nadeko too, with Araragi on the way to her house – only to be foiled by Hachikuji Mayoi (Katou Emiri). How clever of you SHAFT, doling out two of our favorite characters like a drug dealer deals crack, leaving us hanging dry and wanting more. At least Araragi’s encounter with Hachikuki was well worth it, turning out way more entertaining than his past meetings with her.
Seeing Araragi stretching in anticipation of a fight with Hachikuji was definitely amusing and reminded me of how often he resorted to violence with her in Bakemonogatari. Can’t say I expected him to use all those streches to plant kisses all over Hachikuji though, but seeing how vicious she can become, I’m surprised he even incited her rage in the first place. Araragi is a first class masochist, through and through. Even though the “action” didn’t last very long, I’m glad it didn’t because Araragi and Hachikuji’s battle of words was far more entertaining than 90% of the battles you see in those long running shounen shows. You could even see the color draining from his face in awe at Hachikuji’s skill at wordplay. The best moment was when he turned the tables on her – it was like watching a master martial artist being defeated by their secret move that they had passed onto their pupil.
I always knew that girl was good with words, even though she always mangles Araragi’s name. Before this episode though, Hachikuji never really stood out to me other than as a character that was there to appeal to the moe/lolicon demographic. This episode definitely made a fan out of me though – her meta-referencing humor was golden! She’s also a bit of a troll though – where’s that dancing you promised me in the ED? Hachikuji isn’t just good for laughs now either, she really dispenses valuable advice. For example, the advice she gave to Araragi, an ex-vampire, on coming out of the “coffin” to his family was wise beyond her years. Without Oshino Meme to guide him anymore, I hope that Araragi will continue to come to her for advice and counsel in the upcoming episodes.
So even though this episode really did nothing to show how Araragi was kidnapped, I didn’t mind one bit. I’m a fan of SHAFT’s visual style – I loved their use of color, framing, and distortion (like fisheye and depth of field) in this episode. There was a noticeable lack of one of Shibou Akiyuki’s trademark cuts of photos or text on a solid color background, which were sprinkled so liberally throughout Bakemonogatari. I can’t say I missed them at all. The animation was quite crisp and detailed throughout – making choosing screencaps even harder. The OP hasn’t quite hooked me as much as Staple Staple or Renai Circulation did and we still haven’t heard the ED yet, but it says a lot for the quality of this episode that those were the only two “letdowns” that I can think of. I hope that SHAFT has the “courage” to take their time and make this adaptation the best it can be, because I’m probably going to be hopelessly addicted to their drug.
hitagi reminds me of ayatsuji from amagami ss 🙂
Gahara is worse and sexier…
Oh ya thats sooo true. Where can i find such a gf irl.
Senjougahara is like Ayatsuji[amagami] + Yuno[mirai nikki]
Only reason I’d find a girl like that irl is to see what dude got pussywhipped by her and lolz.
OP: 「二言目」 (Futakotome)
二言目 – The Constant Burden of Some People’s Talk. Or so quoth Rikaichan. Now that’s a song title!
Anyway, episode was epic in all the expected ways, can’t wait for more.
Just a note, Oshino’s first name is Meme. Shinobu is the vampire ^^
Thanks for the fix, I rushed out the post while my head was thinking of happy hour, haha
No homo, but nice abs, Koyomi.
I am not a Shaft symbolism fan, but this ep. was pretty good.
Yes homo…
Guys, honestly stop with the homophobia. They are just gays. I have seen worse things to fear in life than gay people.
but saying no homo is saying that you just want to compliment your bro without any sexual intentions and misunderstandings. How can one say yes homo if one is not homo?
Nyahahaha, I expect more Horie Yui verbal action…..
Nyahahahaha
Nya no, she is gone for good. Never coming back. But she was damn sexy. Nya
The banter between Hachikuji and Araragi was absolutely priceless! As I watched this episode 3 AM, I was afraid I’d wake everyone up with me laughing!
I’m glad they got rid of the walls of text; made the episode flow a lot more smoothly. I hope they continue with this quality. And keep their promise of the dancing in the ending!
I think there were few cases where he has been accused of being a lolicon. I’m not sure if it was really apparent in Mayoi Snail but I remember the start of ep 13 was pretty similar to this episode with Araragi creeping up on Mayoi, groping her and asking her to see her panties.
Oh replied wrongly. Was meant to be directed at Xziled.
If you read kizumonogatari, you’ll agree he’s a perv.:}
Actually, I thought the walls of text was interesting. Sure you can’t watch it like most series where everything is shown to you. Here you have to slow it down, frame by frame to see the genius in the wordplay and how it connect to the conversation. It makes you re-watch the episode and see what you missed.
So in a way, it does work magic. Most people just assume you can watch Bakemongatari like every other shows. WRONG! This series is difference. That is why I like it.
I don’t mind if the walls of text are at the beginning of the episode. It’s only when they start implementing it in the middle of the episode that it starts getting on my nerves, cuz I really don’t want to slow it down frame by frame right in the middle of the episode when I’m really in to it, and I sure as hell am not gonna re-watch the whole episode just for bits of text!
Whoohoo! I’ve been waiting for this series forever, and its even better than I expected for a sequel! Great word play abound, and I’m super glad to see that Shaft has a thoroughly bigger budget for the show this time around.
looks like senjougahara took a page out of yuno gasais book “how to treat your man” O.o
also maybe its cause i haven’t watched the first season of bakemono since it first aired but has araragi always acted perverse with hachikuji? i really cant remember.
cant wait till karen shows up next week, unless they postpone it again in favor of nadeko.
When Araragi first met Hachikuji he didn’t know she was a ghost since he is one of the few people who can see her, but even then the the two repeatedly got into fights. Now he seems to have lost all constraints and will grab her, and molest her, every time they meet.
It should be noted that Hachikuji is older than Araragi, so I don’t think molesting Hachikuji makes him a lolicon.
By older, you meant it in a metaphor, then yes. She was around when he was younger so if she would have been alive, they would have been the same age right about now.
But according to the series, she is definitely in grade school. About half his age. So it is a lolicon thing going on there. Then again he is just messing with her and she know it.
You should really watch season 1 before watching anymore episode…
To answer your question, yes. But he is only playing around. He seem to prefer older, more mature women. Example: Gahara and Shinobu. He doesn’t pay much attention to Gahara’s junior or Sengoku despite the fact they literally offer him the opportunity to either date them or sleep with them.
But Kanbaru is a lesbian and Sengoku is in middle school(I think). So he doesn’t have much of a chance with them anyway.
He has seen it before, he said he hasn’t seen it since it first aired 2 years ago.
If you recall the episodes about Kanbaru, she literally offer to be Araragi’s sex slave and do whatever he wanted…if he agreed to break up with Gahara. He refused so she does the next best thing, beat him to a bloody pulp and tear out his guts (literally).
the kidnap scene was straight out of the LN… amazing how faithful it was… although I think the animated ver. actually spoiled a bit more than it supposed to with the mention of Bee poison… (there is a reason why Hitagi kidnapped Koyomi, and I promise you will find out)
and now I flipped through the LN again… and I found that the whole episode was almost straight out of the LN… Kudos to SHAFT!
Can’t wait to see how they introduce the actual Bee story… and BE AWARE OF TWISTER…
I mean BE AWARE of Nadeko…
“Teasing” like that spoils more than you think, so please refrain from that. It’s like I’m reading Mirai Nikki posts.
Yeah, it was a damn good episode i have to say. I think I actually liked it more than the majority of Bakemonogatari or maybe I was actually in the mood for wordplay humor. Don’t know.
Oh, he is on his way. No worry. He wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to see her in her tight pink outfit. I thought it was a see-through outfit when I first saw it. LOL! 😀
I find it so funny how dense Araragi really is. His sister basically went out and told him Nedako love him. That is why he need to go alone. And how does his reply? He think she “love” for him to come over. Maybe Gahara abused him so much, he lost all common sense. LOL! 😀
About the dense part. There is actually some more wordplay there, for when Tsukihi says “love” (literally ‘koi’), Koyomi hears it as the informal and command conjugation of “come.” (which is also pronounced as ‘koi’ and is also the kanji that flashed in his eye when he reiterated Tsukihi saying ‘koi’) which is why he mentions that Nedako is polite unlike Tsukihi and Karen. The translations of the next sentences were also a bit tricky with when Koyomi replied to Tsukihi and said that Nadeko never told him to ‘koi’ she just told him to simply come and hang out (said very politely). Lost in translation.
Aw…poor Nadeko, Araragi skipped out on her for harassing an elementary girl…
Would i have to watch Bakemonogatari to understand and enjoy this because this looks like an interesting series, but i never watched Bakemonogatari.
YES YES YES YES YES you should
it introduces the girls and their nuances
Yes because Bakemonogatari introduces all the characters if you want to know who they are and why their part of his Harem (lol yeah) you should see it.
You should. It’s awesome and you’ll miss out on a lot of character interactions and development if you skipped.
If I remember correctly it also had less word play than seen in this episode. There is significant plot on the first season that you should not miss.
alright Cool i’ll be sure to watch it 😀 thanks for the feedback!
You don’t have to per say. All the puns and wordplays are still there. The only difference is you wouldn’t know what happen up to now. It is like skipping the first half of a book and start reading in the middle. You wouldn’t get all the humors and storyline that took place. Plus it spoil what happen in the first season. The story build up on itself.
How dare you not watch Bakemonogatari!? Blasphemy! xD
and now winter has truly begun
i dont mind being treated like how koyomi was in at the start of the show. but i wonder why he keeps his legs apart during that duration. is he trying to ask hitagi to do something to HIM???? that’ll be interesting
wrt to hachikuji… i didnt quite like her in bake- but from that 15 min convo w her… she’s very smart for a kid. though i still do not like her as much as hitagi/nadeko
and nadeko’s smile…. hmmm… looks like still water runs deep
well… Maoyi is in fact more than 25-30 years old (if ghost continue to age after they die…) I think she is playing dumb half of the time just to “fulfill” her role as a loyal member of the “Araragi Harem” :3
as for Nadeko… we will wait and see what is up with her in another day :3
cant wait… the PV somewhat shows that she’s not all sweet and innocent
Actually, winter started 2 months ago…LOL
Because that is how a guy supposed to sit. Gotta let the mini-me and his two friends have some breathing room. Plus he wasn’t scared of Gahara. It is a dominate sitting stance despite his situation.
Couldn’t stop hearing Kyuubey every other line ‘-.-
Same, though that can’t be helped when Hachikuji and Kyuubey have the same VA.
Brilliant start, I’m thinking this might even be better than first season. And I absolutely loved the first season. After Senjougahara, Mayoi’s comes in second as my favourite out of the girls. I always loved her interactions with Araragi and he always looks so genuinely happy when he sees her. Those facial expressions and that the adorably abusive “kissing scene”, I don’t know why but something about their relationship is heartwarming to me.
Besides the things that others have already mentioned such as Araragi’s abs, no annoying flashing walls of text or SHAFT’s pretty pretty animation the ending of this ep. hit a little sad note about Hachikuji disappearing in the future :C.
I wish next week would come faster and the ED better have dancing.
A relationship like theirs would probably either have one of them dead or in prison in reality. It is a made-up relationship in my opinion. You rarely see them turn out with a happy ending. I tried a few in my past. They all ended horribly and made me cold and bitter.
Hachikuji was my favorite character in the original series. So far this new series seemed a little more talky then the original series I think.
Strange. I am sure you are one of the few ones. Here is the order from favorite to least according to people:
-Hitagi
-Hanekawa
-Nedako
-Kanburu
-Hachikuji
Ah, good, I’m not the only one. Hachikuji and Ararararagi (whoops I bit my tongue) 😛 have some hilarious interactions. This episode had one of the best yet.
Hachikuji > Senjougahara > Kanberu > Shinobu (!) > Hanekawa > Nadeko
Is how I’d rank the harem. I know I’m going have flak for placing Nadeko rock bottom, but she is most generic in my opinion. Shinobu will probably rise further ranks for me when we get Kizumongatari later in the year. I’m going to continue holding off from reading the novels for now.
Oh, and I’m glad I got and watched the DVD version in prep for this season; they’re really alot different and better than the original broadcasts and I didn’t even realise !!!
Was I the only one who picked up on all the main phrases. If you pay attention you can pick out why Araragi was kidnapped. I have not read the light novels either. The main words are from Senjougahara, being Protect and Bee, these next episodes as given by the title will be about Karen Bee, thus if you look at Araragi’s past actions, it’s easy to see why Senjougahara wants to protect him, essentially from being hurt…by well you can guess..
Bakemongatari was never into mystery and solving it like Yakumo or Un-Go. Sure there are a few mysteries here and there, but nothing surprising. It is more drama, character, and wordplay than anything else.
If you really want to do speculation, here is my take on it. He is tied up, so it is not merely to protect him, but to confine him. Because his sister is probably dangerous and he would throw himself into the heart of danger without a second thought, he need to be kept away from his sister.
The kidnapping took place by 30th so this was a day after. He woke up on the 29th. Something happen later on that day.
You can tie Nadeko into this because Karen is her best friend. So you can speculate that something will happen when he get there that infuriate his sister enough to want to killed him. I am pretty sure Karen is at Nadeko’s place.
I never said it was, it was just my observation because they don’t make it overly obvious, so it was simply what I found out that wasn’t explicitly stated in the episode.
Araragi is a first class masochist, through and through.
Correction: Araragi is a “gentleman”, through and through.
“Gentleman” (紳士) is a 2ch meme referring to an “active” pervert/lolicon, pretty much what we saw Koyomi did to Mayoi this episode. lol (“Active” as in they “actively” go out and harrass any girl they see on their own volition, rather than “accidentally” encounter the girls in all sorts of embarrassing poses, as with the standard “harem lead”)
https://randomc.net/image/Nisemonogatari/Nisemonogatari%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
As a middle-schooler, Tsukihi sure has a nice figure.
(Off topic: Besides offering us the most anticipated show of the season, Tokyo MX has also decided to give audience a “Shaft/Shinbo Festival” by airing reruns of Hidamari Sketch right after. )
Maybe he is a masochist gentleman. They exist, too. Later on, he will be an incestuous, masochist gentleman.
This series play around with imagery a lot. Some time making the girls and guys more attractive. Other times, cute and funny. Dark and evil. It really does varies as much as the colors being used and the words being said.
what i will never understand is how you people manage to like the obnoxious masturbatory dialogue in this show, or how you find the characters anything other than repulsive
its an acquired taste and more often than not, less fanservice is more fanservice
wordplay is a huge part of the show, and if you don’t like wordplay’s, you’ll get very little from this. I enjoy it a lot even if many of them are lost in translation.
For example: Hachikuji’s name is written as ‘eight’ ‘nine’ ‘temple’. There is a pilgrimage in Japan where the pilgrim must visit 88 temples, but since there is no 89h temple Hachikuji can never complete the pilgrimage, hence she became a wandering ghost.
What are you, a Catholic nun?!
It is all for fun and show. The target audience are teenagers. Of course, there will be sexual innuendos. If you don’t like it, why are you watching this show?
In fact, why are you even commenting about it?! Most people who don’t like things, they usually forget about it and walk away. Not talk about it some more. Not to sound mean, but We have name for people like you…Attention Whore. The web like to be nice and called you guys…Trolls.
Huhuhu… U Mad? This is an anime.
Well trolling aside, which part of the dialogue is masturbatory anyway?
arararararararararagi
Let me throw in something weirder..
LOL, technically speaking. That is not an “OK” hand sign (0nly in America). In japan, it means money.
When foreign comes to Japan and tell people it is okay, Japanese take it as an insult meaning you want money. In Italian, the “OK” sign means asshole. So be careful where you’re point that “OK” signs or some Italian guy will punch you in the face for insulting him. Just a little FYI.
I’m slightly disappointed you didn’t get a screen cap of Araragi’s ‘rape’ face. Now, if you excuse me, I must to go but some love from the nearest convenience store. I’m looking forward to future episodes of 2012’s Best Anime of the Year ;3
True fact: I started out with 90+ screencaps
Koyomi is the luckiest bastard in the Universe for having Hitagi as his girlfriend. On the other hand, he´s the unluckiest bastard in the Universe for having the scariest woman of all as his girlfriend. Seriously, even Satan might want to watch his back with Hitagi around. The main atraction of this show for me is the characters, there nothing more interesting to watch them interact with each other; the beautiful animation from SHAFT doesn´t hurt either.
Come on, she is not that scary, right? O_o
I think any hot girl combined with a characteristic is attractive despite how she is portray. Examples:
-Hitagi: attractive, psychotic girlfriend (Verdict: HOT!)
-Hanekawa: nerdy, wise girls with big boobs (Verdict: Not Hot)
-Nyan Hanekawa: Murderous, Half-naked cat girl with big boobs (Verdict: Very HOT!)
-Sailor Moon: Girly outfit fight dumbass badguy in tight clothes and naked transformation (HOT!)
-Yuno: Attractive, Homicidal yandere chopping people up (Hot!)
Basically, add any hot girls into a hellhole and she is still hot. God, men are so swallow. LOL! 😀
Hanekawa not being a Neko-girl is still hot for me! ~megane fetish~ >:]
hmmm… It seems you don’t remember her “live action opening” from season 1.
If she looks like THAT in reality then she is not hot AT ALL
It kinda confuses me that some don’t like the visual style of Bakemonogatari. It’s very minimalist but the shots are well composed and quite pretty in a modern design sort of way (Not a design major, I lack the vocabulary). It adds to the dialogue since the director probably knows that such dialogue heavy episodes need something to catch the eye.
<<33 my tsundere-chuan is back!! <<33 and GO SHAFT!!!!!
gad. That 16 full length shot is godly made.
ZOMG *droooooooooooooooooooooooooooool* *sllllllllrrrrrriiiiiiippppppppppp* its a…. uh… go….. ddl….. what? oh yes godly made indeed SLIRP
Incest is okay in Japan, right?
😀
Seriously, why aren’t we brothers?
Yes. It is legal to marry your cousin in Japan, but it’s so rare. 4/1000.
But if it’s your sister, then you are better off in Alabama since it’s legal there while it isn’t in Japan.
Correction, my moondoggie brother…
It is legal to marry your cousin in Alabama. Your sister is still illegal. There is no laws about banging them, though. Trust me bro, I have a hot cousin with big boobs and curve to drool for. Plus she really like me. Even as far as offering me to take a shot at her. My only restrain was the stigma of incest. You can’t exactly wash that off the family name once you done the dirty deed.
Burn in hell, society! You are just too cruel sometimes. Sometime, I think to myself that I should have taken that offer. “Bang my cousin before I died…” would have been crossed off my list of things to do before I died. Damn it, I hate being good. F you society for brainwashing me.
OMG I only watch the 1st ep of bakemonogatari!!! Who’s tht kid again?
BTW, the visual reminds me of madoka w/h MORE drugs…
I am so glad that I finally have something to watch and this is one without
a doubt is one of my favorites shows of all time.
sad that I can’t read Japanese and have to wait for translation of the light novels.
Is nice to be back, I come and check but since stain gate completion. I haven’t post or really pick up any new series until now.
nice to be back
“I hope that SHAFT has the “courage” to take their time and make this adaptation the best it can be, because I’m probably going to be hopelessly addicted to their drug…” -Verdant
Are you out of your mind?! You probably wasn’t around when Bakemonogatari was running back in 2010. We literally had to wait 3 to 4 months for certain episode. The last one took 6 months. So Shaft, please DON’T take your time!
“I have a fever…and the only clue is more Senjougahara!”
I watched it when it was airing live. I guess when you end up waiting 8 months between Gundam Unicorn releases, anything shorter feels like a drop in the bucket.
…can’t help but feel like hachikuji’s saying goodbye to araragi… just like oshino did in bakemonogatari…
Strange, I remember liking Bakemonogatari for the most part (though it started better than it finished), but this first ep of Nisemonogatari was kind of annoying, for some reason. Maybe it’s because I remember the sisters being less bitch-like.
Still just an observation based on one ep. I’ll continue watching for a bit before forming a definitive opinion.
So I’m looking for some new shows to try out this anime season, and this looks interesting. However, I never watched Bakemonogatari. Can I pick this up without being horribly confused or missing a bunch of references I should know from the other show?
Nisemonogatari is pretty much a sequel to Bakemonogatari. You’ll want to watch the first season to at least get yourself familiarized with the characters.
Speaking of sequel, wasn’t they supposed to be releasing the prequel where Araragi first became a vampire and fought Shinobu?
@Chaos
Yeah. But that’s for next season.
what’s with senjougahara and araragi playing S&M?… hahaha… interesting second season!
First episode of this season already has me hooked. Feels better than the first season. The second half with Hachikuji and Koyomi will probably go down as one of my anime moments of the year, though this could easily change if the series keeps up the likability.
Also, from now on, I’ll use this in place of the troll face. https://randomc.net/image/Nisemonogatari/Nisemonogatari%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
If that first scene does NOT garner (at least ONE) parody in the next comiket, something in the universe is flawed. I loved this episode. I swear I’m not a lolicon but this makes me think otherwise, also that KanaHana tease was so moe. Araragi’s pedoswitch is only flipped on for Hachikuji LOL. Definitely wanting more.
I was trolled just as Verdant stated… expecting what would be the ED..
people who don’t understand the wordplay of nisemonogatari are retards, Nisemonogatari FTW!
Can this show be watched without watching its prequel first?
no
Awww…
Hachikuji-chan soo CUTE!!
i hope Shinobu got more role this season…
Watanabe Akio(character design) & SHAFT the BEST!!
this is what the monogatari series is all about, wordplays, lengthy fast & interesting dialouges, and dramatic camera angles.
Yup…plus psychotic girlfriend, hot masochist scenes, pedo innuendos, blood and gut fight scenes, weird ghosts, and lightning fast full-page texts. Did I missed anything?
I vote for the return of RC’s Senjougahara banner! 😉
Screen caps of Shinbou Akiyuki’s work are always very fun to look at. Thanks for the hard work, Verdant. Can’t say I was a big fan of Hachikuji previously but she did impress me greatly with her wordplay in this episode.
AGREED
Seconded!
Thirded!
Saber can’t hold a candle to the Queen of all Kuuderes!
I voted more new Gahara’s banner like:
http://53rg10.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/senjougahara_fascination_header.jpg
or this one:
http://www.wolfhurricane.com/images/screens/summer_2009/bakemonogatari/episode_06/senjou_eyestab.jpg
and this one:
http://27.media.tumblr.com/eO5rDDFIRqymjqi4W9nUfxJjo1_500.png
It’s worth to wait for sequel of bakemonogatari. I can’t get enough of araragi, senjougahara word exchange (verbal fight). It’s fun to watch their conversation..
The banter that I enjoyed from the previous season is back. Hitagi’s SM play was hilariously kinky. And of course, Araragi “harassment” of Hachikuji is back. They have an odd friendship and I certainly didn’t expect some profound advice from Hachikuji.
Also I noticed that the bizarre visuals look a lot better than before. It seems SHAFT has come a long way from the technical mess of the first season.
They used more bright colors as well as abstractions than the earlier season. In fact, the second most noticeable usage (beside full page text) is the use of pictures instead of texts. It looks like they slowed down a few things just long enough to let you see what it is unlike the lightning fast scene in the past. The characters’ personality seem a little different. More lively.
OH GOD TSUKIHI IS GORGEOUS. i was afraid i wouldn’t like her but now it is rather the opposite. too bad there was no karen in this episode, but at least we got some hachikuji goodness
There are 13 eps in a two part arc. That is 6 eps each unlike the 4 eps in the past. They have time to play around.
Man, this is better than I expected (and I already expected awesome things before). I guess I need to rewatch the first session just to warm up things.
And, this episode’s pun is awesome :
The courage to post your honest comment in RC.
The courage to watch the entire episodes of Bakemonogatari that you had watch before.
This is unexpectedly cool XD
To have the courage to be hated when you comment honestly on RC…
Yup, that is me. People on here hated me with a passion for being honest. All those thump downs are annoying. But it never slowed me down. I find it funny that people have time to vote a thump down for me despite how they don’t like the comment. When I hate something, I won’t even be bother with it. So a thump down is not necessarily a bad thing. They still read it…that’s hilarious.
Imho, you misread some of the things people here are saying and write off about it heavily, which is why you’re getting downvoted.
The “Yes, homo” comment for example was clearly taken in the wrong context. The guy was just making a statement that Koyomi is rather nicely ripped. That makes him a homo?
or a homophobic*?
Nope. I read it perfectly correct. You just don’t get my sense of humor. I like sarcasm and mocking the obvious.
I reply “yes homo” to his “no homo” because I also agreed that Araragi had nice abs. But instead of saying that, he added “no homo” implying that he feared public opinion that a man cannot genuinely complimenting another man without being deem as gay or weak. If a man fear judgement that much, then he is better off never saying it. My “Yes homo” means his statement was weak and make all men looked bad. Why would a guy say “no homo” in the first place? Exactly, because he doesn’t want to be deemed as gay or weak. A real man have no fear and can genuinely compliment another man. If people don’t like, go fuck off, weaklings!
So I will say it like the way it supposed to be said: Araragi DOES have nice abs! Period.
> The courage to be down-voted due to your beliefs.
> The courage to admit you’re a perv in a world full of closet ones
> The courage to watch Guilty Crown and like it in a site full of haters
> The courage to watch HSoTD without the lights on
> The courage to confess to a girl you like(and win)
….
Anymore?
The courage to be the moondoggie…
I added the “no homo” meme just for laughs. No need to look for anything else.
what was the reference to evangelion by the way? and I hope everyone got the read or die reference ^^ brilliant
It is from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Episode 06, when Shinji Ikari confides in Rei Ayanami, that they both may die in their upcoming fight with a nigh-invincible Angel (Ramiel). Rei simply announces that he won’t die because she will protect him.
Very stark and very moving, especially from a socially awkward, withdrawn and emotionless character.
Omg so long…..nice! I like it….very informative xD
some word play is hard to follow specially when they talk so fast, however that is why I re-watch it a couple time.
Maybe that how they want you to think. Talk so fast that you re-watch it again and again. GENIUS! 😀
The whole “courage” skit was awesome.
(But snail-girl did drilled me hard when it comes to the ED.)
“Drilled you hard…?!”
Somebody is a masochist…
No no sir. I was only ticked about how she played with my anticipation for the new ED song…
Great first episode. The unique character interactions I loved in Bakemonogatari are back and the characters are as fun as ever. I quite like Tsukihi as well, seems like a fun character and I look forward to seeing more of her.
Word plays… I applaud to people who actually understands them in first go. Don’t get me wrong, I like dialogues as much as action but English as my 2nd language and my Japanese level is intermediate, its hard to understand some parts. Nevertheless, I like the way how the show started.
i really missed this! hitagi’s craziness, araragi’s humor, sengoku’s cute charm, and hanekawa’s glasses! :3
Hanekawa’s glass?!
Say what? All I remember from Hanekawa is Big BOOBS and sexy Catgirl.
I loved the “Her love is too heavy!” shout-out to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.
Now that we’ve officially met Tsukihi, I’m really excited about her character. She’s too cute, and I love the yukata she was wearing.
ALL HAIL QUEEN SENJOUGAHARA!
Thanks for the great post, Verdant! Really enjoyed reading it after the ep.
It seems that the art style is a bit different from the original show. Not to mention the op was very similar to the original op as well..not that its a completely bad thing. I found myself humming “staple, staple” during the op.
I LOLed when the episode started with Araragi cuffed up by Senjougahara. Truly a trollicious moment….
I really admire Kamiya Hiroshi. Not a fan but admire. This is the reason why i watched Bakemonogatari and now Nisemonogatari. And yes, even we don’ see Karen appearance in this episode but it’s nice to see Tsukihi.
Fire sisters – ^^
Strange that it is a bee and phoenix instead of dragon and phoenix. Never recalled a bee having flame.
Except in Rockman Zero or Twin Bee. X3
Still epic.
https://randomc.net/image/Nisemonogatari/Nisemonogatari%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2006.jpg
I want this scene in gif form with the subtitle “Bam! In your face!” repeated over and over as she jam the rice ball in his mouth.
Bam in your face! Bam in your face! Bam in your face!
Choose your form of poison, boys and girls:
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4318/bakemonolabels.gif
Pedo… Probably because I am one by principle…
And I really couldn’t care less either way since everyone loves Nadeko anyway. X3
Buu..buut, I like Shinobu for Ararararagi…. you monster…
I would choose Shinobu just for the title of being one sick f^&k. LOL! 😀
That list is wrong because Shinobu is technically like 700+ years old. Also she is a pretty interesting character in Kizumonogatari so I don’t know why I would be a sick fuck for liking her.
strip away the style, and you have nothing left.
That what’s wrong with many people who call themselves fans: they have no regards whatsoever for style when 50% of anime is mostly PRESENTATION!!!
1) I never said I was a fan. I actually never finished the first season.
2) presentation is not equivalent to style. I watch anime solely because Japanese animators seem to know that. Without that knowledge, the big goo-goo eyes would have went out of style pretty darn quickly.
3) #2 does not apply to (low budget) harem/fan-service/hentai series (nor this one, apparently)
Strip away the style and you have awesome graphic…
I will watch it merely for the visual. It is so gorgeous. Verdant said it himself, there were just too many pictures to decide on.
The characters are awesome, too. The style only enhance the visual and presentation of the character. Senjougahara is still Senjougahara even with the style. A hot crazy girlfriend that many would dream to have.
1) I never said I was a fan. I actually never finished the first season.
>Not a fan? Then why are you here? GTFO!
2) presentation is not equivalent to style. I watch anime solely because Japanese animators seem to know that. Without that knowledge, the big goo-goo eyes would have went out of style pretty darn quickly.
>Style IS part of presentation! Really, how would you hold a presentation without deciding a style? Deciding HOW to present something is deciding the style.
3) #2 does not apply to (low budget) harem/fan-service/hentai series (nor this one, apparently)
>Actually it does. If the hentai has no style at all, it’s boring. Would you go for plain sex one after the other or would you go for an orgy then preggy sex then rape then NTR?
the above is meant as a reply to petitorenji’s post on my post above…
Another master piece! Senjougahara doesn’t change at all. ^^
Anyone else here feel Senjougahara is a “Manic Pixie Dream Girl?”
Depends…what is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl?
Wtf. Why didn’t they go to KanaHana’s house…?
Younger loli gets more priority to be sexually harassed in TV…
Super Jailbait > Jailbait… Though since Nadeko is Sexy + Jailbait, according to PV, it’s a pity the episode can’t go on longer…
I wonder if Senjougahara will win the character of the year again for the 2012 reader’s choice?
If so, she will be the only returning champion in the history of RC…O_o
I seem to be the only one that was a bit disappointed with this episode. I was expecting a bit more of SHAFT/Shinbo Akiyuki signature artistic animation style (SHAFTS detailed background use, creative use of stills, and I seem to be the only one who appreciated Shinbo’s walls of texts) which I enjoyed quite a bit in Bakemonogatari. The only thing that remained constant about the animation was overall quality of it (which was still great).
The animation was not the only thing that disappointed me. I felt like there was actually less wordplay. Given that yes, there was wordplay. But I felt less impact and mentally stimulated by it this time (and left with less suspense as well). Not as witty as before perhaps? The only parts I particularly thought were great were when Hachikuji gave Koyomi the pep talk and the “courage” sequence. Usually I think the whole episode is great but I felt a bit empty after watching this. Probably just me, probably because it’s been a couple of years since I last watched Bakemonogatari (but even then I had watched episodes throughout the year just for fun after the airings had completed). Or maybe I was just expecting too much.
Anyway, after all the bitching and moaning, I’ll talk about what I had actually liked throughout the episode.
Gotta give it to Nisioisin, still brilliant. “The Fire Sisters” because of the kanji of ‘fire’ in both of the girls’ names. (‘ka’ in Karen, ‘hi’ in Tsukihi). The wordplay of when Tsukihi talked of Nadeko’s love and Koyomi mishearing it is an informal command conjugation of come (both pronounced as ‘koi’). Nisioisin’s overall writing style. His style can be lost in translation so easily, so it’s nice to see it animated with audio as well to pick out little things like what I mentioned above.
Like the original it will only get better with each episode culminating into an epic climax of some sort. But I would rather not expect anything cause this series could end in the most odd and wonderful way. You never know which it’s actually gonna go which is the beauty of it! I’m just happy I’m getting more story until the Prequel Movie. Then I can go back and re-watch the whole thing! It’s pure genius I’m in Anime Heaven!
When Yuno chains her man up to a chair and changes his diaper/feeds him it’s creepy, but when Senjougahara does the exact same thing, it’s somehow hilarious.
=D
that’s what makes her unique
The difference is one “appear” to be crazy while the other is crazy. Tsundere to Yandere.
I’m quite curious about the new developments we might encounter in this season. While I try to avoid spoilers, the idea of seeing characters change or develop over time is something I look forward to especially with a series like Bakemonogatari (or the Monogatari series as a whole for that matter) where the stories themselves are pretty character-driven (also gotta love the wordplay).
One development that has me curious which may not be touched on in Nisemonogatari and saved for a later series/season is…..
Show Spoiler ▼
I loved Bakemonogatari (I’d still put it in my top fave animes) and this already seems pretty damn promising. Can’t wait for the next episode. XD
that is kind of a big spoiler you have encountered… but it is more troublesome than just that… I won’t tell you the details in that book here, so let’s just hope SHAFT will be able to adapt all of the sequels despite the running joke the author made about how “this LN will never be animated” 🙂
Yeah it’d be great if the Monogatari series continues under the watchful eye of Shaft, though I’m definitely aware of how much ‘bigger’ the whole thing is (the spoiler I mean) where if I recall correctly, a whole arc actually focuses on that whole development. 🙂
i found this >>
http://animapple.blogspot.com/2012/01/nisemono-nisemonogatari-is-11-episode.html
Kudos to Arararagi for doing what every pedobear would since they can get away with the crime without no one noticing, best loli scenario in the past decade, well AnoHana didn’t exceed that particular loli scene.
Next target: Nadeko (I hope she removes her shynesss and goes snake to Araragi since the guy is too dense to notice her feelings.)
Can people who don’t understand Japanese enjoy this show at all?
It seems like all the humor is word-play based. When I tried watching Bakemonogatari way back, I got so tired of pausing and reading the translator notes that appeared every minute or to. I couldn’t enjoy the show. I felt like I was watching a show with privet jokes that I would understand only after someone explained them to me, not fun.
Do you people enjoy this even with the language barrier?
I think I do… can’t speak for others, but to me humor was only part of the appeal… those jokes and wordplay are just style from the LN (the author is known for those), but the story itself is also pretty interesting… but I guess you can say it is not everyone’s cup of tea… Hopefully you will eventually come to enjoy it 🙂
I definitely enjoy the wordplay (even with the language barrier), admittedly I’m used to reading subs really fast (or recognizing Japanese words/phrases) so if anything this series actually matches with my reading speed quite nicely. Also I’m quite fond of quick witty dialogues like these so it’s definitely something that caters to me. ^_^
Evangelion, Read or Die, Cat’s Eye, Bakuman, Phoenix Wright! This first episode was sooo epic with all the references!
Funny…
When Nisemonogatari uses it, we applauded. When Guilty Crown uses, we criticized it for being a Bubblegum Geass in a Shell. Irony. Maybe Bakemonogatari is sooo popular, the audience just don’t care and love it either way. 😀
I’m not watching Guilty Crown, but a reference is not something you can base a whole first episode on. That’s simply lack of ideas.
The courage to admit I don’t get the pie in the face thing.
Pie in the face? It’s an exclamation on the relationship these two share. Both of them love playing “straight man/funny man”. Only they like to switch up the roles to catch the other off guard, as most of the change up in their repartee follows.
The Pie in the Face was often a gag to make the frustrated straight mans positioning that much funnier and/or degraded.
Araragi-kun plays funny to Hachikuji-chan’s straight in his “let me see your panties” delivery. So….she changes it up. Gives him a chance to live up to the joke and……pie in the face.
And, as Arararagi-kun would say, “Why did you make me explain the joke?”
Since Araragi got a pie in the face immediately after he saw Hachikuchi’s panties, it’s a sexual allusion.
Pie in face + seeing a girl’s ladyparts = creampie.
Although I hear complaints about SHAFT’s visual style, I actually really like how simplistic some of the backgrounds are. I think they’re very under appreciated, and actually shows great care in the design aspect of the environments they portray!
They also referenced a real place as the location where Araragi and Hachikuji were having a conversation, which enforces more of their design and visual sense as they chose an architectural icon (somewhat). For anyone that’s interested, it’s the KAIT Workshop. I just found that amusing, and very appreciative.
As an artist myself, I LOVE Shaft’s visual style. I can enjoy detailed and fancy backgrounds (say like Ufotable’s “Kara no Kyoukai” film series) but I can also enjoy the stylistic minimalist approach Shaft tends to use for this series. It makes for very nice backgrounds and manages to set up the atmosphere quite nicely.
I can tell that Nisemonogatari will get over 100+ comments every episode. Thus, making it the single most popular show this season. Look like you made a good choice by covering this, Verdant. LOL!
I guess my anticipation for this show is really high and its primer really feels like its the ~monogatari that I love, great first episode! The dialogue is great, the animation is great and the best thing of all is that the flashing wall of text is a lot lesser this time 🙂
I love this show…
Very funny show indeed! I am really hoping for it to become just as awesome as its predecessor. That show is one of my favorites!
By the way, are you joining your images manually or are you using something automatic along the lines of Microsoft ICE to compose them?
Trade secret =p Actually most of the time, I just use Photoshop CS5’s Automerge feature, and if the image still needs tweaking, apply some manual tweaks like redrawing, etc.
The courage to popularise courage as a meme?
Hnnng. Looking forward to the ED. I was completely and utterly enamored by Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari. So I’m hoping the ED this season is something at least as addicting ^^;. Image 37. Lols. Gyakuten shouri!. Even if you did get a pie in the face. XD.
Looks to be another amazing story, even if we have to drown in a sea of words to get through it all. Worth it.
Tsukihi so cute >3<