Bakemonogatari: first episode impressions
I admit, I’ve decided to read Bakemonogatari back in October only because I heard Shaft was going to animate it. Thanks to that, I’m in love with the series to the point I don’t even care about Shaft animating the series anymore; in fact, I’m really scared they’d screwed this up with their overly stylish direction. Maybe having Kyoto Animation (thanks to Endless Eight, I don’t think so anymore) or J.C.Staff do this is a safer bet…
…and I was right. No, it’s not bad. It’s just not as good as I want it to be. Koyomi, like Kyon, express himself using a monologue and most of the conversation relies on that. The staple scene, for example, is damn funny in the original novel with his monologue. It also shows Hitagi’s soft side that doesn’t make her looks downright batshit insane. Yeah, the anime omit all that out.
All gags, jokes in the episode are somewhat dull thanks to Kamiya Hiroshi’s voice. I was worried about Chiwa Saito as Hitagi at first because her high-pitched characters, but she did a really great job. Suzaku Sakurai’s acting as Meme is still a bit unnatural. I still prefers Fujiwara Keiji to anyone else for Meme.
The direction is somewhat annoying at places, especially the on-screen text and Gekidan Inucurry’s pasta head part. The visual, on the other hand, is extremely good and nicely matches with VOFAN’s original artwork, although I prefer a softer atmosphere, like in a split second scene at the end of avant title before the sponsor message.
Talking about avant title, I’m very pleased at the 90-seconds Kizumonogatari digest at the beginning; it is a perfect fan service. By fan service, I didn’t mean the panty shot but the whole fighting part with Kiss-shot. It’s amazing. I know Shinbo is more suited to action shows (his YuYu Hakusho’s episode is legendary) but I never thought Shaft is capable of doing this. Before anyone complains, the panty shot at the beginning is probably the most important scene of the series. I’m sure without that, there would be no Bakemonogatari today.
The best part in the episode is the preview by Koyomi’s sisters. A high-speed nonsense talk, that’s what this series should be like for all along. I’m still trying to believe this is the usual Shaft’s trial-and-error on finding definitive method for the show and the reason they cut down the conversation part simply because this episode was made before they decided to extend the series into 15 episodes.
I’m not going to judge the series so soon. Not until the third episode—when Mayoi Snail starts. Even if it turned out to be sucked, I’m going to watch until the end anyway, as my farewell to Shaft anime.
tl;dr the series need more talk, less overly stylish direction.
Is the pantsu shot in the novels as well? Does it have plot significance?
Diss
July 9, 2009 at 4:12 pm
@Diss
Yes. A very important one. It won’t be solved in Bakemonogatari, though.
sirn
July 9, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Well, I’m glad they kept it then. The first minute montage stuff was actually my favorite part of the episode. Do you mean they won’t solve it in the first arc or in the entire season?
If you keep on blogging about the show, I’d be interested in hearing more about the differences between the novels and the anime. What kind of dialogue did they cut that showed Hitagi’s soft side? I thought the stapler scene was more creepy than funny, until I realized the ex-vampire wasn’t in too much danger from a stapler.
On the whole, I liked what I saw, but I did feel like we were barely scratching the surface of the characters and the world they live in.
Diss
July 9, 2009 at 5:52 pm
@Diss
Probably won’t be solved in this season, I do feel the pantsu part in the novel is a bit forced, though but at least Nisio somehow managed to make it acceptable afterward. He spent full four pages to describe that scene and ends it with “all this happens in a split second” so anime portrayal is as accurate as you can do. (It has to be white, not pink, though.)
For Hitagi’s soft side, Koyomi’s monologue plays a big part on it. The stapler scene in the novel, while intense, is still funny thanks to Hitagi’s own action, such as trying to insist she is 40kgs tip, not 50kg as Koyomi described, conversation like this actually tuned her insanity-level down considerably.
But again, this series make me realized something is better as a printed media than any other format (since nothing is “defined,” Nisio described everything as vague as possible), so I don’t think anime watchers, which has “defined” visual image, will have the same impression of Hitagi as the readers.
Either way, I’m sure the second or third episode will make her a bit more likable, so it isn’t really a problem. Though, I don’t think can do an episodic blogging due to a day job, but I’ll try to summarize what they removed in the anime once each chapter ends.
It’s 2AM here so what I posted may not make any sense at all, sorry.
sirn
July 9, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I would have to disagree about your opinion on having another company producing it. If it was any other company the story just wouldn’t be as funny. It is because it’s SHAFT that the story has more of a comedic tone to it which is exactly what the story should be. The other company would focus more on the romance side of things. But that’s just how I see it.
omimon
September 27, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I won’t say the same after the last two episodes. They’re just so damn good and cinemascope makes everything magically better.
sirn
September 28, 2009 at 1:14 am