Graduation day is finally here, marking the end of Koyomi Araragi's eccentric high school life full of peculiar relationships with otherworldly beings.
However, Araragi is unexpectedly absorbed into his own bathroom mirror and trapped inside a bizarre world where everything he knows is completely reversed—the haughty Karen Araragi is shorter than usual, poker-faced Yotsugi Ononoki is brimming with emotion, and cute ghost girl Mayoi Hachikuji is a grown woman! But not everything is as it seems.
Zoku Owarimonogatari details the story of Araragi's endeavors in this new world as he struggles to return to his home and understand the nature of this bizarre dimension.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Boxwithcola
Edit: Just changed some bits after having watched Zoku for a second time Note: Watched this in Japanese cinemas. Japanese is not my native language and the monogatari series is quite complex to say the least. Therefore I might not have understood everything to the fullest extent. Luckily the BD release is just around the corner! Anyhow, this is still one of the best parts of the monogatari series in my opinion though. So how you do you make a sequel to the end? Well, Nishio Ishin managed to it again! In my opinion, Zoku Owarimonogatari was not really needed to wrap up the main story. However,it is a neat little extra storyline for those who wanted to know what happened with Araragi after his graduation.
As I hinted at before, this story is about Araragi. Even though the main story line is practically finished, Araragi's mind and thoughts has not reached the conclusion he wants. Araragi is kind of stuck in one place, he just finished high school but has yet to start college nor got any job, he became a nobody despite all the adventures he has experienced so far. Suddenly, a little bathroom mirror incident quite literally turns his reality backwards or "inverts" it if you'd like. The story is just as bizarre as one would expect from Ishin-sensei by now. All I will say is that as for someone who has been in the same shoes as Araragi regarding regrets in life and anxiety for the future, I can really appreciate this story. I really hope you will as well!
I won't say more story-wise for those who are really looking forward to watch this, but I really want to talk a little about how Shaft's anime adaptation of the novel is so splendid. Apart from the excellent story and the great characters we have come to love from the monogatari series (albeit a bit different this time), I really must talk about the animation and the effects in this movie. The animation and effects happen to be one of the best parts of this film, since they are in a sense so well adapted from the novel (Which makes no sense because novels do not have animation and effects). But hear me out! For those who has read the novel know the setting of this story, and the way shaft uses reflections to enhance the visuals and make the setting more trustworthy really blew my mind because it is something, I have never personally seen myself before in an anime. The amount of detail shaft has put into the "inverted/mirrored" reality, environment and characters really makes you further respect the love and effort Shaft has put into the monogatari series. I can’t wait to inspect the environment when I watch the film again.
The only thing that I think could have been slightly better is the background music, it is a slight step-down from earlier entries. It is worth to note that the music is still very good, but I expected much more depth from something like monogatari.
Overall, I really love this film, it is definitely one of the best monogatari entries but it's kind of sad that the main story has come to an end. The monogatari series will remain one of the best series I have ever watched, and I am glad it has gone on for this long. Now, we just have to wait and see which monogatari novel is the next to get an anime adaptation.
¡ᴉɹɐʇɐƃouoɯᴉɹɐʍO-nʞoZ ʎoɾuǝ ǝsɐǝld
PS: Sodachi is great freaking waifu material in this one.
終わり
AestheticOnion
“I feel thin… stretched. Like butter spread over too much bread.” - Bilbo Baggins, Lord of the Rings Every good thing must come to an end, or at least that’s how the saying goes. Not that it’s too good to continue on forever, but because it should end while it’s still doing well. If not, however, it is doomed to milk its already-explored ideas until it drenches all the quality from its previous work. Thus is the fate of the once beloved Monogatari series. Promise of the Premise: Zoku Owarimonogatari, captures the events that took place after the Second Season of Owarimonogatari, and before the epilogue to theseries, Hanamonogatari. We are, yet again, tossed into another strange story that begins with a seemingly unfortunate series of supernatural events; Arraragi Koyomi, who is dealing with an identity crisis upon graduating high school, and is now having problems with moving on with his life, somehow finds himself trapped inside what he refers to as “the mirror world.” In this inside-out version of reality, he encounters all the people important to him, who are now fundamentally changed. We soon learn that the nature of the characters in “the mirror world” is to serve as the polar opposites of the ones in the “our” reality; they reflect all the characteristics that the characters in our reality tried to shut in.
For the most part of the show, we are left to explore the mirrored reality through Araragi’s lenses, as he spends most of the runtime interacting with altered characters as he tries to figure out the nature of the world he is stuck in. He quickly realizes that not only are the characters changed, but their very position in the world is off. And as the story moves on, there seems to be a bigger mystery hiding behind the scenes.
The setting seems to offer a lot of insight, both regarding the characters and regarding the story of the franchise looking from the grand scheme of things, now that the franchise has reached its conclusion in the previous entry. However, the show does none of that.
Toll of Redundancy:
The main problem of every milked continuation is its inability to cohesively add new ideas without contradicting itself in the process. Zoku Owarimonogatari, however, dodges this problem by having no new ideas whatsoever.
To observe the characters from the inside-out perspective would generally be a great move, and a useful tool when it comes to character development. The problem is, however, that every information about the characters that this introspection gained us was something we already knew and were aware of. Throughout the franchise we followed the characters as they all went through a similar path of development: they were introduced along with their demonic apparition, representing their negative sides and the parts of themselves they want to reject and deny, and then we see them as they overcome their flaws, or simply accept them and move along. Having that transformation inverted inside-out is nothing more but going back to the stage of development the characters were in when they were first introduced. Nothing new was gained in the process.
So to cover-up for such lack of progression, the show goes for a solution that I like to refer to as “madlibs storytelling.” Instead of actually providing progress in character dynamics, the characters are given a bunch of random traits that are supposed to fit in with the setting, but add nothing of substance aside from gimmick. And instead of using that to explore characters on any deeper level, now that we are given the opportunity to see the mutual interactions of their inverted personas, we are provided with nothing but a charade of randomized Monogatari characters, self-referencing series’ previous works. It’s filled to the brim with beating-‘round-the-bush philosophy, horribly timed comedy and general lack of direction.
What we are left with is a thin idea that tries to present itself as a gigantic one by hopelessly connecting to everything that the series previously built. A story that pays more attention to browsing its own catalogue of characters than it does trying to write or develop itself.
The Pay-off:
Through-out the runtime of 6 episodes, or a 2-hour long movie depending on which version you’ve seen, Zoku Owarimonogatari has constant trouble keeping up the pace, and balancing out it’s weak story and its unspeakable urge to fill in with as many redundant characters that were most likely put into the story for a mere self-reference. However, the worst part about this redundancy, as I said, is the fact that after those 6 episodes (or one movie) we are at the exact same place as we were before watching the show. Not only is all the information provided one we already know, but all the progress done in the mean time turns out to be inconsequential, if there ever was one. Zoku Owarimonogatari feels more like an alternative spin-off of a sort, with value of an average Christmas special: it serves no purpose except for you to indulge yourself in the known universe once again. And the worst part about it is that it doesn’t use said universe as a platform for exploring ideas, but rather as a playground for already-explored ones.
I won’t dive too deep into the spoiler section on this one, even though I don’t think this is an entry that deserves to be watched. However, I have to mention that the “explanation” of the story-wise elements might be the most disappointing thing that the franchise ever did. It all boils down to “everything that pointed to a bigger story underneath was a cover-up by a mastermind X,” which itself isn’t too far from the madlibs storytelling I mentioned before. The problem with this Aizen-like ass-pull is that it not only makes a fool out of you, the audience, for trying to figure out the answers, but it also makes all the build-up up until this point just a bunch of cool tension-building ideas that were put for the sake of it. The show forcefully asks of you to follow its plot, and then punishes you for doing so.
Thematic Punchline:
It doesn’t happen very often that a continuation shows no understanding of its predecessors aside from the surface-level analysis. Zoku Owarimonogatari is not only failing to understand the main motif of the series, “people save themselves. No one could ever save anyone else,” but it straight-up contradicts it. What was once a self-centered story about overcoming your own flaws and accepting yourself, is now a one-man Messiah story. And this severe contradiction is not only subtly implied throughout the show, but is presented as the very conclusion, slapped across our screens through an overly-sentimental closing montage.
There seems to be an ongoing misconception where people think adding another ending to the ending is what makes the conclusion stronger. However, not only is that not the case, but doing so actually takes value away from the ending. After all, if the ending isn’t complete, it’s not an ending at all. If a character needs five “moving on” stages to actually move on, it makes all the previous 4 stages completely redundant and stripped off of value. This matter is discussed in the final sequence of the show, where Araragi states that he is always unsure whether he should step onto the road with his left or right foot, and is advised by Senjougahara to instead carelessly jump ahead instead of thinking about the next move. Not only a very flawed idea with barely any thematic weight, but also a hilariously cheesy, out-of-place symbol. A fitting conclusion for the messy, incoherent story that this apparition of a show rightfully deserved.
Technical Merits:
Nothing much to say here, as the audio and visual style remained the same as the rest of the franchise, which is ironically enough, the only coherent part about it. However, I do have a few complaints.
While the animation quality sure is great, the visual narrative was oddly off. Framing is rather more concerned about looking goofy and looking somewhat visually appealing than it does trying to actually say something, which is not common for a Monogatari show. What bothered me the most about it is the downright awkward use of certain visual tools, such as using the frame dividers to capture character’s breasts in the main plan of the shot. It is vaguely pointed out that the shot may be constructed like that for a reason, since that would exactly be the thing that would occupy Araragi’s attention, but it’s still a very dull way of using it.
The audio was hardly even noticeable, and featured no iconic tracks of the franchise, not even the character themes which would be the most fitting considering the direction of the story.
Conclusion:
Zoku Owarimonogatari is a painful exercise in redundancy, that serves as a great example of “stop while you’re still worth something.” It tries its hardest to keep the series alive by cramping as much memory of it as possible, but with little to no idea what is to be done with them.
From a long-loving fan, a somber goodbye to the franchise.
The-Observer95
Let me say this from the start that I like the opening and ending of this movie so much. Studio Shaft has done a phenomenal job once again , specially now because it was theatrical release, our man Akiyuki Shinbo has done a great job, I will say even that overall its an improvement on the previous seasons. I liked those numbers that showed that how many cuts have been shown from the movie but this time the cuts were reversed because that right Araragi was in the mirror world (by the way this not a spoiler, its right there in the description). It wasalso delight to see characters acting different in the mirror world, I liked this take on the characters. When its comes to animation on this movie, well how could I describe it in a one sentences because it pays homage to many different animation styles and characters that its hard to keep up, but I will say that animation is darn good and pure eye candy. This is the kind of animation I will take screenshot of and hang it on the wall of my house as art-piece, because look at those colors my man and tell me that its not art, yes you can not. Background art is something that so many studio's not give much thought to it and in many anime's it lacks the polish it truly deserves but Shafts is the exception because by the trickery of CGI it makes them look so beautiful. I wish series will get a new season in the future because I like this anime so much, if you are going to watch this, just watch it because you will not regret watching this movie.
inisipis
Perplexing has been the word to describe the world of the Monogatari series, and perplexing is how this final story of the series is gonna be. After a quick review of the different adventures our main protagonist have been through in his high-school life, he now finds himself graduated and in that crucial crossroad of life's waiting room of a doctors clinic. Waking up one day, Araragi ponders about this when he suddenly notices his reflection in the bathroom mirror to be somewhat disjointed to his person. Touching the mirror pulls him in inexplicably into it. He wokes up naturally in a world like his ownwhere everything is inverted, even the other characters are different to their real world counterparts.
Now, before we go "Through the looking glass" kind of thing of a simple total inversion of this world to the other, there's more to it than just a simple reflection of our workd. Anyway, Araragi must work his way around this delimma.
I like the look of movie in the openning part. It mimics the style of the book illustration of the series. Sadly it reverted back it's default look throughout the rest of it. The Monogatari series is well known for it's nonsensical exercise of visual display and shifting shots, Zuko is no different. It's like the Airplane movie of visuals "Don't like that graphics?! Dont worry we have 100 different more."
Watching the movie with a limited Japanese is a trial of forbearance, especially it running at 2 and a half so running time. Most of the film are static talking heads, so I do suggest to those language impaired to wait for a good translation of the film to come out. There are a lot of delightful moments to be sure, but not enough throughout the film to keep out the monotony of the long languid moments.
In the end I find it an intriguing film. The looking glass aspect is sure present, but not in a superficial sense, more of a personal and introspective one to Araragi. We never get to see our true selves when we look at a mirror, only a skewed and dim version of what others can see. At the very end, the reflection Araragi see is right in front of him in the beginning.
Intriguing, yes. Fun, somewhat. Perplexing, most definitely, .... as it should be.
nightcrawlercyp
So the only part I actually enjoyed where the last 5-10 minutes with Senjougahara. The problem is that: 1. they miss the whole thing that made Monogatari a cult anime: the mystery, the puzzle, the interesting interjections. There is none of that. It is all so boring that you feel the dread and want for it to be over 2. All the "reveals" are already well known by both us and Araragi from the previous installments but he seems to have forgotten them for no reason 3. The ending made absolutely no sense and made Araragi way too powerful In a word the show looks like a bad fanfic. There are times when story tellers lack inspiration and try to fake it. They produce a lot of low quality material like this one. A similar thing can be said for Stephen King recent novels.
Basically if you are the person that accepts a show only because it has you favorite characters and is created by the same creators as the previous work you may like this. But if you are someone that cares for quality and asks questions and wants something actually interesting you will find it as a way too long filler. If this would have been one episode 20-30 minutes I would have been ok with it. But stretching it to 6 20 min episodes is way too much for a filler.
veemon23
Did we really need this movie? Honestly I would say no, but as a fan of this series, I am glad it happened! I was wondering how would they continue after such a amazing conclusion to the series? But man... they pulled it off with a brilliant idea. Worth a watch for fan of the series and just wanted to see more. It doesn't really add anything to the main story beside just little things here and there. Mainly adding to their character development and relationship... especially to emphasize why Senjougahara is the best girl for our main boy. Not saying she's best girl overall,that still belongs to our Vampire Queen.
As for this story, it adds a unique element to it. Can't really review this without spoiler because it would make no sense at all how this will continue the series or add anything to the series? This movie basically takes place in a alternative reality or we should say, a mirror world... or at least that's what it wants us to think?
It presents a unique idea of the characters in a different light as if you know, mirror reflect light which is why we can see our reflection, though not 100% accurate. This too is basically portraying that concept and it had a unique idea going for it. For the most part you'll be left wondering what the heck is going on? But it explains itself pretty well as you follow along. I say the first time you watch this, just let it explain itself and don't try to analyze stuff. I would do that on the second time so you can enjoy it better this way.
There's not much to talk about the characters beside a unique twist to their characters. How none of them are as they seem at all. Okay I probably get hated for this but dude I love the adult version of Hachikuji more! I enjoyed seeing her since I saw her in the second season one. So to see her in here again, I was glad to see her. But yeah I can't really say much for characters as you can see how they all have different personality or unique changes to them. And we also see a character who we have not seen before who freaking was awesome! I won't spoil this one...
Overall, I love that this happened though it doesn't add anything to the overall plot. It's kind of like a OVA and movies that's just there to add more enjoyment but not really canon as they kind of poke fun of it in the movie itself. So it was pretty self-aware. Worth a watch for fan of the series.
Otaku-no-Yatsu
Dude, 4 years have passed and there is no new season. Imagine a kid going to college and I was watching anime before that kid was born. And this is the only thing I've been stuck on for all these years that I never want to end. Please release a new season. My damn heart can't handle this anymore, I need to at least know the end of the story. And I don't want anyone in the harem to end up with anyone other than Araragi, especially if you make my Shinobu and Hanekawa unhappy, I will haunt you in hell.
hvdi
!!! ATTENTION: THIS REVIEW IS NOT AS IN DEPTH AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED BECAUSE I WANTED TO LEAVE OUT ANY SPOILERS. !!! Before getting into this review, I think you need to understand something. That something is: that a majority of the love for this film comes from a love of the series. It comes from a love of the directing style, the character dynamics, and the eccentric plot. If you don't love these things about Monogatari, then you won't love Zoku Owari, the ultimate Monogatari. Zoku Owari is the ultimate Monogatari. Why is it the ultimate Monogatari? Because it's the most Monogatari, Monogatari. Everything fromthe wacky artistic direction down to the stupid mannerisms is exactly what Monogatari is to me.
In my personal experience, watching any Monogatari just once is never enough. I feel as if I have to watch each Monogatari at least twice or even three times to truly digest everything. There is so much to marvel at from the perfect dialogue, to background art, to character designs, to the wide array of artistic styles within seconds of one another.
But on top of all that complexity is a deeply intertwined story that requires your full attention for the entirety of the series. It requires you to invest yourself in Araragi Koyomi's world and to devote yourself to seeing his story play out. Although Owari is the, "end," we get to see Araragi finally close the last chapter of his high school life in Zoku.
So now to specifically get into Zuko, I'll start off with possibly my favorite part of the entire film: the stupidity.
The stupidity of this film is completely overwhelming. I would, in most cases, criticize films for bringing up plot holes but then dismissing them as if they didn't exist but actually in Monogatari, I don't care. The story has set itself up as one which can just plainly excuse anything that might be seen as questionable and to be honest, that's fine with me. I think that I am most fine with this because it fits perfectly into the artistic, comedic, and storytelling direction that I have fell so much in love with.
But on top of the usual eccentric direction the story explores, it felt as if Zoku maximized the potential of this artistic style without being too overwhelming. I would normally insert an example here but I can't give mine because it would simply ruin this scene and spoil it for anyone who wants to watch the film. But, what I can say is that it uses something set up as a precedent in Owari, and completely flips it on it's head. Just like you may think you know what's going to happen then you don't as Owari does, Zoku uses an exactly opposite technique but achieves the exact same effect.
This is Monogatari. It sets up your expectations, then undermines them. And you know what? That's the beauty of it. That's what makes it so great to me.
For example, I had questions that were raised in my mind from recent seasons of Monogatari, as anyone would. Shortly after the beginning of the film, an energetic Ononoki Yotsugi appears and directly mentions my questions. But guess what? She doesn't answer my questions at all. She basically says, "Who cares?" and you know what? She's right. Who cares? This IS Monogatari, not some proper, rule-following film that's looking for critical acclaim, it's a film created simply to enjoy. So that's exactly what I did.
I enjoyed it and I think you should too.
Notes: Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to write about for the entirety of this review since I could ramble on and on about character dynamics and plot but instead I'd rather just give you what I enjoy about Zoku specifically. Every Monogatari has the character dynamics and plot (obviously, that's what makes it a great series and most enjoyable to me) but there really is only one Zoku, just like there really is only one Bake. So I do hope you enjoyed this review and I would love if you could leave a little, "this was helpful." Thanks and hope you read my future reviews. :)
Ratings-
Story: 10
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10!!!
tosnorm
I was more than happy with the ending of Owarimonogatari, so why continue the ending? I feel as though it wrapped Araragi's story near perfectly and is the clear endpoint for his character. Well, it's Monogatari, so the answer is always fanservice. The premise is quite intriguing to me, and the story itself turned out to be somewhat fascinating. There's only one problem: it's way too long. Does it need to be that long? No. Why is it that long? Constant exposition and recaps of the story and of course, fanservice. I do not know if this is only a problem inthe episodic format (the one I watched), but almost every episode has long exposition or recap scenes. I actually usually enjoy when all the characters explain what is happening from their viewpoint to Araragi, but there are just too many of these scenes in Zoku. He really did not need to travel around and hear nearly every girls' opinion, because ultimately, they all had little impact on the story. Their opinions are certainly all interesting and give an insight into the characters, but they just don't stop. These scenes unfortunately just feel like an excuse to see all the different versions of characters that we probably won't see again, and end up hurting the overall quality and viewing experience of the show.
This is not to say that the fanservice is bad, because a lot of it is really good, even for Monogatari standards. Mayoi Onee-chan is a top tier waifu, my life feels fulfilled after seeing smug Ononoki, and the scene with Senjougahar almost makes up for her absence from the rest of the season, but when all these turn what should have been a 4 episode arc into 6 episodes, there is a problem.
Zoku Owarimonogatari ultimately falls onto the same level as Nisemonogatari: just a vessel to deliver more fanservice. Zoku is less hollow and better executed than Nise, but just not great. Although it did provide some context for Hanamonogatari and made Hana more interesting, it did little to change my perception of the season it is a part of, Owarimonogatari. Of course, you'll you like it if you like Monogatari, but it really does just feel like a bland and forgettable Monogatari arc.
All that said, the good easily outweighs the bad. 7/10
FrozenCappucino
Realizing the fact that the main story has ended feels really weird because i didnt feel fulfilled (in the first place). what i mean by that is i've been watching monogatari the same way as how i watch the simpson or family guy, i have this sense of "safetiness" from knowing that one day the show will ends, you watch one episode, u enjoy it, and then u go back to ur daily routine while thinking "i can't wait for the next 100 episodes". I dont read the LN, so i didn't really get how close the series months ago from ending, aside from the soongonna be released title obviously. But when the reality kicks in and the show really ends with such a beautiful scene, i found myself dumbfounded while asking "dafuq, dont u have another 100 oddities to meet?". Then i realize how small the appreciation i've been giving to this amazing series, thus i made this MAL account not to review, but simply to give my first step of appreciation of how much this simple ordinary office worker enjoyed every single episode of the series. While writing this "review" i finally feel fulfilled. I know there will be off seasons to be animated and released, but i'm sure it will not feel the same since it's no longer the main story. The series may came with lots of flaws but in the end it comes to how much one enjoys it. And for this series to be able to entertain me through the years of my ordinary life, that in itself deserves my 100 out of 10. Thanks for the entertainment arararagi-san.
whoops dont mind the typo shitsurei kamimashita~
hexashadow13
tl;dr: An epilogue that’s mostly just having fun but that manages to end on a pretty powerful note. Zoku Owarimonogatari is an epilogue to Araragi’s story, and thus all of Monogatari so far really. I know that there are quite a few novels after this, but they’re unlikely to get an adaptation, and it isn’t completely clear whether the novels will be translated either, so for now I’m just going to consider this as the ending of Monogatari. Everything that had been building up it had been resolved in the previous arc, and there was no necessity to build up things for the future either, sothis arc is pretty much just a self contained arc that’s playing around.
The premise is simply Araragi in a mirrored world where character’s are very different from how they normally are and Araragi exploring this world looking for a way to return to his world. Thus, the majority of this season is simply him interacting with strange versions of common characters. This is quite a lot of fun because characters were beginning to start feeling overtly familiar and so an arc that changes things up completely was exactly what was needed to keep things interesting. The writing for the majority of the arc is kind of stupid, in that it doesn’t even try to write around plot holes or inconsistencies. Rather, it just sets up the narrative such that such issues are simply allowed to exist and then goes full throttle in just rolling with them. Still, it’s not supposed to be all that deep, and it results in a lot of great humor and comedy, so overall I’d say it was quite enjoyable.
The exception to that is the last episode where it gets to the root of everything and the writing turns out to not be as stupid as it originally seemed, though still kind of stupid, and ultimately it does leave off on a really solid note. The final message isn’t all that complex or deep either, basically being that in the aftermath of the story there will always be regrets, and that’s fine, just keep moving forward. But it’s a message that I think is the perfect thing to end the series on, and the heavy handed way that it was delivered in the end felt absolutely perfect and got me quite a bit more emotional than the ending of the previous arc did. To be honest, I was somewhat disappointed with the previous arc as an ending, but this is a solid enough epilogue to make my final impressions on the series quite positive.
The art and animation aren’t too different from the previous seasons, but it makes good use of the mirror aspect for some interesting effects. The OP is kind of insane and one of those OPs that are trying to be more interesting and artistic than actually good, which I usually hate, but that I thought was pulled off pretty well here. The ED is pretty standard Monogatari and is decently solid but at this point not particularly memorable. The soundtrack was decent enough but also not particularly memorable.
petalferrous
I've seen enough anime with great setup and no payoff by now to not get my hopes up, but I'm still sorry to say that my biggest initial response to Zoku Owarimonogatari is disappointment, the gradual revelation that there was nothing behind the curtain. I suppose the theme that youth is full of disappointments and loose ends that will never truly be resolved isn't totally uninteresting, but that point was already made more succinctly and elegantly in Nisemonogatari. As always, I find myself tempted to give Nisio more credit than he probably deserves by positing that the fact that there's nothing behind the curtain ispart of the point, but...why spend three hours on it, then? Just to troll the audience? (And why bother finally introducing one of the most important and consequential characters in the series for...basically no reason?) If this were actually the end of the series it would be extremely unfulfilling, but given that Nisio did apparently have the post-high school arcs planned all along maybe there's still something there in Off Season and Monster Season? I guess we'll find out in 2030 or so.
I liked seeing Koyomi terrified and embarrassed by Mayoi and the spoiler character, because it's actually not a side of him we've really seen before. The Tsukihi face-washing scene feels like a de-sexualized, humiliating inversion of Nisemonogatari's famous toothbrush scene and is actually pretty disturbing, but...like so much else here, it doesn't seem to have really had a point.
Also I know Nisio loves giving Hitagi no screentime but couldn't we at least get some more Hanekawa??? Please?
Hydra_no_Mago
Overall: (9/10) Usually I would not rate an anime too high since nitpicking is a given past time of various viewers, but "Zoku Owarimonogatari" is a fitting end to the "Monogatari Series" which began airing in 2009. After a decade of Araragi and his companions' misadventures, this final installation (airing date wise) finally fills in any lacunas left in "Hanamonogatari" and leaves audiences with a bittersweet note. Story: (9/10) Although I was largely skeptical at first due to what seemed like a simple premise, the plot surged ahead at the very end, revealing hidden cards and tying all loose ends neatly with a bow. Senjougahara mentioned that"the message [of the story] was too strong", but personally I feel that this is one of the exemplary ways to show the ending of high school life. (No, it is not a spoiler, we figure everything out in "Hanamonogatari anyway.)
Many other animes end it with tearful goodbyes and bright shots against falling sakura, but in true Nishio fashion, Zoku Owarimonogatari takes a supernatural yet rational approach: time moves forward, and though we may be unsure of "which foot to start walking on" once the traffic life turns green, all we have to do is take a leap of faith with the people we love.
Not as big of a cliche as anyone would have guessed it to be, with the proper pace and storytelling methods which are employed to great emotional effect in this anime. With puzzling incidents and a ticking time bomb situation (which never felt oppressive), the story will surely rivet inquisitive viewers to the end.
Art: (8/10)
In true "Monogatari Series" style, the art is close to perfect. Not in terms of fluidity as in most modern shōnen anime or detail as in the architecture of "Ao no Exorcist", but the mash of typography, surrealism and even pop culture references (see if you notice the Marilyn Monroe one). The art style is snappy and comical, either made cartoonish or realistic depending on the situation. As expected of this series too, the art enhances the story yet never overpowers it, toeing the line like a talented trapeze artist.
Sound: (7/10)
While it may not live up to the soundtracks in "Bakemonogatari", "Zoku Owarimonogatari" has a larger repertoire of sound compared to most others in the "Monogatari Series". The sound was more carefully selected this time, with emphasis on highlighting several climatic scenes and wrenching questions in the show. They could have done better with it, but personally I am happy with how it turned out.
Character: (8/10)
As all our favourite characters take some twists in this particular show while retaining their loveable characteristics, the award for character development goes to none other than the titular character, Araragi Koyomi himself.
It was refreshing to see Araragi facing down his problems and admitting his remaining regrets as he graduates high school. Instead of him running around trying his best to fix everyone else's problems, and with the exception of "Owarimonogatari", this is the time for his character to shine. With Araragi's self-realisation, it certainly lends that finality to this series, and show that everyone should be saved, even the ones doing said saving.
Although due to the amount of characters, most of them had limited screen time, though it is understandable, especially since this arc basically focuses on the theme of: [Moving Forward].
Enjoyment: (9/10)
As a viewer who was utterly awed by the first instalment, I have been following the "Monogatari Series" for a long time now. To similar viewers, this is the sense of catharsis we have been waiting for, the final moment which is not the end of everything; just the end of the beginning.
To new viewers, though you may be skeptical about starting this series, fear not, for I guarantee that while you may be of the camp that does not prefer it, you would surely experience something different in this now saturated world of anime.
captain_101
The Monogatari Series is a wild ride that I recommend to anyone who is looking for a series to really get invested in. It is full of deep character development and fantastic dialogue that makes you really attached to each an every character and their stories and problems. Sure, the series has its slow points, but it always seems to pull me back in when I am starting to feel bored. Each character has an extremely unique story to tell, making them all enjoyable characters to watch. Throughout the story Araragi goes through a massive amount of problems and issues that he must solve,and I think that Zoku Owarimonogatari is a fantastic end to his story. It is the perfect way for him to move on from his life in high School and the regrets that he has accumulated throughout the series. In my opinion, there was no better way to end this story and I am glad that I was able to watch it.
VeiledEdge
Zoku Owarimonogatari is an unseemingly fitting epilogue to Owarimonogatari Second Season. Whereas Owarimonogatari Second Season focused on wrapping up the plot of the Monogatari Series, Zoku Owarimonogatari focused on wrapping up the themes and feelings of the Monogatari Series. From a visual standpoint, do not expect Kizumonogatari visuals even though Zoku Owarimonogatari is a movie. Zoku Owarimonogatari looks and sounds just like a regular, high-quality Monogatari Series Arc. The notable thing missing is the sporadic flashing walls of text. I don’t know for sure if no other arc has completely taken them out like this, but this is the first time I’m noticing it. BeforeI get any angry comments about the flashing walls of text at the end, I wouldn’t count those. Fight me.
Zoku Owarimonogatari is a mystery arc much like the Sodachi Arc. Both arcs start with a hazy premise surrounded by mystery. This mystery then slowly and climactically resolves ending in an epiphany. Given, Zoku Owarimonogatari’s epiphany is actually wholesome, unlike the dark and gruesome Sodachi Arc epiphany. Surprisingly, both are a coming of age piece about coming to peace with the past but in completely different contexts.
Having said that, I believe Zoku Owarimonogatari is the first actual coming of age arc of the series. A few arcs feature a coming of age theme, but none are solely about it. This is a fitting theme to end the Monogatari Series on. Zoku Owarimonogatari, despite its name, is not a shallow sequel or cash grab. Zoku Owarimonogatari has as much of what I’d call plot and character orchestration and conviction as something like Owarimonogatari Second Season. Every part, every detail, every line is so well thought out and makes perfect sense not only within itself but within the entire Monogatari Series universe. This unique cohesiveness that is found in Kizumonogatari, Owarimonogatari Series Second Season, and now Zoku Owarimonogatari is truly the hallmark of the Monogatari Series. There’s an indistinguishable feeling of belonging and nostalgia the Monogatari Series provides that I value very highly. I can count on one hand the number of series I’ve enjoyed as much as the Monogatari Series.
Zoku Owarimonogatari is an absolute must-watch. It does a better job of giving us insight into the Monogatari Series world and characters than even Owarimonogatari Second Season. Zoku Owarimonogatari is the definitive epilogue we needed but did not deserve.
InB4: There’s actually more Monogatari. Bet.
A passing thought: I need to rewatch Hanamonogatari. Why is that the end and not this? It just spoils the ending to this telling us he did get accepted into the college. Tsk tsk. Much confused.
Ending thoughts: I will write these in my review of Bakemonogatari because that’s a more fitting place to attempt to encourage people to watch the series.
BabyGirl06301
I mean, if you're going to write what is, essentially, an epilogue to the Monogatari series, this is a pretty genius way to do it. The presentation of this final push into Araragi's adulthood was, I thought, pretty amazing. The concept of this film (Araragi getting trapped in an inverted world) is such a powerful medium to explain Araragi's feelings about his past and his future, and within that, every character gets a tiny bit of development. In fact, Araragi's relationship with himself and Senjougahara also get a bit of development throughout this story. As a bookend to this massive series (even considering the post-series,like the Off and Monster seasons), I don't think Zoku Owarimonogatari could have done much better than touching on everything that Araragi went through throughout his adolescence.
I won't get too into the message of this film because that's not really what a review is supposed to do, but I will say that I was impressed with how Araragi was made to realize what was going on with himself by the end of it. The structure of Monogatari is usually good for revealing new or shocking information, and Zoku Owarimonogatari was no exception. The breakdown of the phenomena and what that meant for Araragi was, for whatever reason, especially engaging for this specific storyline. Maybe that's because this is an epilogue of sorts or maybe it's because I've come to love Monogatari that much--I don't know. The bottom line is: this final (but not really) story was told brilliantly. If you want a better review of each element of this film, you won't find it here--I'm not a good enough reviewer for that--but I definitely felt like Owarimonogatari as a whole (and Zoku Owarimonogatari especially) brought a special quality to Monogatari. This film solidified it for me: I couldn't help but love this series in the end.
Lost_Hearts
"I have no idea what is going on" That is what you're going to be saying to yourself around the 10-minute mark of episode 1. Zoku has a very elaborate and complex story, which is great and all, except the writer uses ambiguous metaphors to explain things and nonchalantly breaks the fourth wall. "If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into you." "If you can't be the medicine, be the poison; otherwise you're just plain water" Those are two examples of complicated quotes from the anime that you can, stop, and spend hours trying to interpret just one of the quotes. I promise you that allthe other whack things that come out of these guy's throats can have you bewildered and have you wondering what the hell they meant. But if you can get over an anime that is ambiguous, philosophical, always breaking the fourth wall, and makes you have to wonder if they were being literal or metaphorical when they say nonsense, then you would like this anime.
SingularBear
Toda a moral dessa parte da história baseia-se no primeiro monólogo dado pelo protagonista, um monólogo sobre a incerteza do rumo de sua vida a partir de agora, visto que, diferente de quando Araragi Koyomi era um aluno do ensino médio, ele não tinha nada planejado de sua vida adiante A história começa com o Araragi sendo absorvido pelo espelho na sua primeira manhã como graduado doensino médio, por conta de algo de incomum em seu reflexo; o que mais tarde é explicado como o abandonodo seu "eu" anterior, visto que ele planejava deixar para trás tudo no qual ele se arrepende de ter não terfeitono passado. Zoku Owarimonogatari então, apropria-se de uma moral semelhante, mas não igual, a Owarimonogatari
Araragi Koyomi não conseguiu se desfazer dos seus arrependimentos do passado. Ao invés disso, ele se aproximou deles naquele momento em que tocou o espelho; isso acabou fazendo com que todas as pessoas relacionas ao seu passado sofresse por mudanças que, como é revelado mais tarde, refletiam o seu lado verdadeiro ou que elas queriam que fosse o seu lado verdadeiro
Um ótimo fechamento para a história e altamento reassistível; eu ainda vou assistir isso uma outra vez para ter certeza de absorver todo o seu conteúdo
10/10; recomendo para os fãs da série
Kararagi
Zoku Owarimonogatari is the unnecessary yet enjoyable enough epilogue to the Monogatari series. The story concerns Koyomi entering a strange mirror world where all of his friends are 'reversed'. Or that's how it appears at first anyway, but there might be a little more to it. Personally I thought that the ending of Owarimonogatari Second Season was the perfect way to end the series, but Zoku kept my interest until the end either way. At the very least it did not go and ruin anything. But like I said, this epilogue feels largely pointless. Many of the revelations that Koyomi has in the mirror world arethings that could have easily been already inferred just based on the previous seasons. This feels like an author trying to over-explain their own work rather than letting the reader interpret it on their own.
Zoku also lacks the emotional impact of Owarimonogatari or even the seasons preceding that. The part in Owarimonogatari when Koyomi re-stated his desire to share his fate, whether it's to live or to die, with Shinobu made me tear up and would have been such a perfect way to wrap up the story as it ties back nicely to Kizumonogatari where it all began chronologically. Nothing in Zoku comes even close to something as moving as that scene, which is a shame. I was ready for another story to play on my heartstrings, but all I got was a somewhat entertaining arc that did not really strike me as all that dramatic.
If you're a fan of the Monogatari series you will probably be entertained by this epilogue. It will most likely not make you cry, but you likely won't be bored or terribly disappointed either. The gags, visuals and fanservice are still there. Also, the ending theme is fantastic. Zoku Owarimonogatari is a decent enough conclusion to a great series.
Edit: Upon further reflection, I decided to drop my rating from 7 to 6, because Zoku left me wanting more than what it delivered. I have not yet read the original light novel for this particular entry, so I'm not sure whether these complaints apply to the source material. I will detail my story gripes below with minor spoilers:
[SPOILER WARNING]
- Not seeing Princess Shinobu was such a tease. If they had initially hid her behind the veil, then shown her later on, the payoff would have been much more satisfying after all the build-up. Shinobu is the most important character in the entire series, so reducing her to a voice behind a curtain is a letdown to say the least.
- Both Black Hanekawa and Loli Hanekawa are under-utilized. Even if they were not central to the main story it would have been appropriate to give them more screentime. For example, it would have been amusing to see Koyomi's reaction to drunk Loli Hanekawa.
- The whole plot point of Koyomi trying to enter Kanbaru's bath to get in touch with the Shinobu of his world was pointless. This would have been a good way to tie to the Koyomi Water episode from Koyomimonogatari, but since this plan turned out to not work, that makes the Koyomi Water episode completely pointless.
- Grown-up Hachikuji was cute, but I would have liked to see Koyomi interact with the Hachikuji of his own world after he comes back from the mirror world (kind of like the ending of Kabukimonogatari). The same applies to all the other 'reversed' characters. The whole point of the mirror world was to present a different reality and contrast it with the actual reality, but we never see Koyomi interact with the 'real' versions of his friends in this story arc. Isn't the point of presenting us with a different reality that when he sees his old friends again, he feels like he's back home? Wouldn't it be more satisfying if he shared his experiences with the people whose alternate versions he actually met in that parallel world? Instead, all we get is a pretty lame epilogue with Hitagi, who wasn't even relevant to this particular story arc as she was not present in the mirror world. If the epilogue had involved all the relevant characters reflecting on Koyomi's adventure with him, this ending would have been much more memorable.
