Review for Kabukimonogatari

Introduction

I’m beginning to feel nostalgic for those old days of anime releases back about ten years ago. Mandated by Aniplex, MVM are releasing the second Monogatari series in single volumes on DVD and Blu-ray, each story arc getting a separate release. MVM are also releasing them on a monthly schedule. Last month we had the start of the series, Nekomonogatari White, and this month we get Kabukimonogatari. Next month sees Otorimonogatari, and then Onimonogatari in February, followed by Koimonogatari in March. All they needed to do was space them two months apart, and I’d be back in 2004, which for Kabukimonogatari would be just about right.


The Monogatari franchise has its fans, the combination of sexuality, SHAFT animation, rich storylines, vivid characterisation, and complex dialogue has fed a need in fans that comes as something of a surprise given most mainstream anime. Subtitle only Blu-rays are normally considered a hard sell, but not here. Following Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, there has been a lot of anticipation for the second season, a proper full length outing for the show this time. But when Nekomonogatari White arrived last month, the debut of the second series focusing on fan favourite Tsubasa Hanekawa, I was in the comparative minority of not really seeing the appeal. It must be said that the Monogatari stories are usually simple fare, ‘padded’ out with character interactions and that rich dialogue, but Nekomonogatari White seemed even more so, while it also seemed obviously engineered to re-introduce fans to the universe, which I felt actually did the main story a disservice. But that work has been done, and with Kabukimonogatari we can get straight to the story. We also get to finally catch up with Koyomi Araragi, who was absent for most of that first arc.


Koyomi Araragi has been enjoying his summer vacation a little too much, when he realises less than a day before the start of school that he’s yet to do his homework. Bright idea number one comes when Shinobu mentions that as an apparition, time travel is child’s play for her. Slipping back in time a tad to get a few more hours for that homework is a plan... That goes wrong when they end up 11 years and two months in the past, one day before Mother’s Day. Bright idea number two occurs when Araragi realises that it’s that Mother’s Day when the cute ghost with the oversized rucksack and the occasional speech impediment, Mayoi Hachikuji was killed in a traffic accident. Saving her life should be child’s play for him. Except that when they get back to the present day, the world has ended.


Four episodes of Kabukimonogatari are presented on this disc from MVM.

1. Mayoi Jiangshi, Part 1
2. Mayoi Jiangshi, Part 2
3. Mayoi Jiangshi, Part 3
4. Mayoi Jiangshi, Part 4

Picture

Kabukimonogatari gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer in the native PAL format on this DVD. It’s a clear and sharp transfer, rich in detail, with smooth animation, and an absence of artefacts or obvious aliasing. It’s just the image quality you’d expect for a Studio SHAFT animation, one of the Monogatari series. Expect inventive and varied visuals, odd camera angles, lots of characters looking back over their shoulders, and of course the fan service. Also, just like the Bakemonogatari releases Kabukimonogatari reveals signs of edge enhancement when scaled up to a large HD screen, making the Blu-ray the obvious choice for those who are capable.

Sound

You have a simple DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese track, with a translated (white) subtitles and signs track. This time the subtitles are removable, should you wish to take in the imagery without it being marred by subtitles. There is no English dub to this title, and dubbing that intense verbiage, all those witticisms and puns would be a colossal effort. The dialogue is clear throughout, and the stereo gives a little space for the music and action. The music too is pretty effective; I certainly appreciate the theme songs. Once again all the on screen text is translated, and you’ll spend a fair bit of time manning your pause button to get everything read.

Extras

The disc presents its content with a static menu screen.

You’ll find the Clean Opening and the Clean Closing in the extras, 2:18 of TV Spots for the show, along with trailers for Devil Survivor 2, Valvrave the Liberator, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, and From the New World.

By far the most substantial extra is the Omnibus 2 episode. It’s a useful addition to the set, as it quickly recaps the other character arcs in Bakemonogatari, including those of Hitagi Senjyogahara, Mayoi Hachikuji, Suruga Kanbaru, and Nadeko Sengoku. This lasts 23:12.

Conclusion

I find myself reconsidering my opinion of Nekomonogatari White. I’ve certainly appreciated all of the previous releases in this series, and while I may not have the strong passion for it that its ardent fans do, I can recognise strong writing and inventive animation, as well as rich characterisation. Bakemonogatari was a strong introduction to this world, and Nisemonogatari continued in that vein, albeit overcooking the fan service in the process. But I strongly disliked Nekomonogatari White, the opening arc of Monogatari Season 2, and I’m trying to understand why. Did I watch it on a bad day? Was I not in the right frame of mind to enjoy its circumlocution and apparent fan appeasement? Did I misjudge it entirely? I may have to watch it again, considering that I do a total volte face when it comes to the second arc in Monogatari Season 2, Kabukimonogatari.


This has to be my favourite story in the Monogatari franchise so far, better than anything I have yet seen, although I am a total sucker for time travel stories. Kabukimonogatari takes a leaf from Back to the Future 2’s book, in that a seemingly innocuous and indeed initially positive change has a wholly detrimental effect on history. Of course Marty McFly tried to change history for wholly selfish and financial reasons. For Koyomi Araragi, all he wants is a little more time to do some homework, but when he and Shinobu overshoot, he gets the chance to do something a lot more benevolent, save Mayoi Hachikuji’s life. Shinobu reminds him that it may not work, that she may be fated to die regardless, but Araragi believes that if she at least gets to see her mother on Mother’s Day, then when she does die, she won’t be unfulfilled, and won’t become an Earthbound spirit.


But when they get back to the present, the world has ended. The streets are empty, the cities abandoned, they’re the only two living things left in the world, or so it seems. The truth is actually a whole lot worse, and it all starts from the moment that Araragi saved Mayoi’s life. To tell you more would invoke a whole lot of spoilers, but what I really appreciated about this arc is the emotional journey that Araragi and Shinobu go on, the guilt that stems from their actions, guilt for Araragi for having saved Mayoi, and for Shinobu when she realises just why the world has ended. It’s brilliantly observed, brilliantly animated, and brilliantly acted. It makes the relief they feel when they work out a solution all the more palpable, and given what we learn about the characters, it makes the conclusion all the more moving and effective.


After what was for me, a faltering start, Monogatari Season 2 really delivers with its second arc, this second volume Kabukimonogatari. For me it is the best Monogatari thus far, and it bodes well for the next instalment of the series, Otorimonogatari, the one where Sengoku Nadeko becomes a god...