Review for Tsukimonogatari

Introduction

I feel that they should get Limahl to sing the theme song to one of these shows, “The Never Ending Monogatari”... That joke was brought to you from the 1980s. But Nisioisin keeps on writing the light novels, and Studio SHAFT keeps on adapting them to anime form. The difference between this and other long-running franchises is that other than the odd blip, it shows no signs of flagging in terms of quality, and narrative strength. Even at this late date, it’s giving us stuff like last month’s Hanamonogatari, and if it manages that kind of excellence, then I can’t see anyone wanting this particular story to end. This release, Tsukimonogatari also manages to take the story in an intriguing direction, set after the events of Monogatari Season 2, adding a new twist to the life of Koyomi Araragi.


It’s been a few months since the Sengoku Nadeko incident was resolved, and things have settled down to normality for Koyomi Araragi; as normal as it can get when he has a relationship with the volatile Senjyogahara to pursue, and college exams to get ready for. He also has his usually edgy relationship with his sisters Karen and Tsukihi, even edgier when it comes to bath-time. Things could have gotten edgier still, if he hadn’t noticed his reflection missing in the bathroom mirror. It looks like he’s turning into a vampire again, unsettling but not too unusual, except that there isn’t anything too untoward happening in town when it comes to apparitions. Shinobu suggests asking Kagenui and her Shikigami Yotsugi for help. Sure enough Araragi is turning into a vampire again, as he has done on previous occasions. The difference is that this time it has nothing to do with Shinobu. He’s gotten so used to being an apparition that this time Araragi is turning of his own accord, and there’s no way to fix it. It’s impossible!

Tsukimonogatari is presented across 4 episodes on this disc from MVM, Yotsugi Doll: Parts One to Four.

Picture

Tsukimonogatari 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 Tsukimonogatari 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 a signs track. The subtitles are removable, should you wish to take in the imagery without it being marred. 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 contents with a static menu screen.

The sole extras on this disc are 2:35 of TV Spots. Not even textless credits this time around.

Conclusion

I suppose that after an impressive outing like Hanamonogatari, we might be due a comparative disappointment. Certainly you can’t be expected to hit the same high mark time and again, and indeed the story that’s being adapted might not warrant that. Certainly that is the feeling that I get with Tsukimonogatari, very much an in-between show, the kind of story that’s ties up a few loose ends from before, and sets into motion a new train of events for a story yet to come, but seems to accomplish very little in and of itself. Certainly, the promise of an interesting story is there, the worrying situation that Araragi will turn into a vampire, for good, and that this time it’s his own fault. Ultimately, Tsukimonogatari really doesn’t deliver on that storyline; indeed, it’s something of a misdirection given what it actually sets out to accomplish.


But it is a Monogatari instalment, which means it’s got that focus on the characters, on deceptively meaningless diversions from the plot, and particularly the dialogue and wordplay. Coupled with SHAFT’s animation, and deft direction, Tsukimonogatari is just as watchable, and stylistically compelling as the rest of the franchise. And there are plenty of over the shoulder looks to camera. As with most of the stories, the first episode is wholly inconsequential to the narrative, just pure fun with the characters, leading to the final scene where the actual story is set into motion. If you have fond (fond?) memories of the tooth brushing scene from Nisemonogatari, then you’ll appreciate the first episode, which actually tries to top it in terms of taboo eroticism, although it’s a little too straightforward a fan service slap in the face to succeed. Araragi and his sister Tsukihi share a bath. It gets edgier and edgier, pushing the boundaries of taste, all until the glimpse in the mirror that shows that all isn’t right in Araragi’s world.


He’s turning into a vampire again, only this time it has nothing to do with Shinobu. She suggests seeking advice from Kagenui, and the deadpan, narrating Shikigami Yotsugi, who as you might expect from the episode titles, is actually the focus of this story arc. It’s a touchy meeting between them, Kagenui is the ‘hunter’ of immortal apparitions that targeted Tsukihi in Nisemonogatari, and with Araragi turning into a vampire, he’s close to becoming such an apparition himself. It turns out that there is nothing that anyone can do about it, anyone except Araragi, who can halt the transformation if he stops using the vampire powers, quits cold turkey.


It isn’t long before he’s tested, as they learn that Tsukihi, Karen, and Kanbaru have been abducted, by another Apparition Hunter named Teori Tadatsuri, and he’s not as easygoing as Kagenui. Naturally Araragi has to rescue his sisters, but he’s already being put in the position of having to use his powers, a potentially fatal dilemma given what Kagenui will do if he does turn. Except there’s another twist at the last minute, and it turns out that Araragi doesn’t have to face that choice at all, that the story is actually about Yotsugi, just as the episode titles state.


Only dramatically it feels like an anticlimax. We don’t get to know Tadatsuri, understand his personality or his motivation, other than the fact that he’s acting very strangely, even for a Monogatari character. The last minute switch of focus from Araragi to Yotsugi, given that the story has been building and building the suspense and tension on Araragi through the episodes, very much feels like a cheat. Tsukimonogatari plays out like a series of bait and switches. Sometimes that can be very entertaining, and enjoyable, sometimes it can just be downright frustration. In Tsukimonogatari it is the latter. Of course the production value of the animation, the quality of the scripts, and the great characterisations redeem the show, and keep it watchable and indeed entertaining, but with that entertainment, there is the frustration. I guess we’ll have to wait for further Monogatari to see if Araragi is tempted to the ‘dark side’.