Monogatari Series: Final Season

There is no other way to preface this other than the "Final" Season of the Monogatari series being one of the strongest additions to literary cannon in the past 30 years, able to stand alongside other amazing works such as the the 'House of Leaves' or the expertly written 'The Book Thief'. It is likely it will never as much praise and critical acclaim as those works within the western sphere due to it's more odd scenes (Ie, Nisemonogatari's toothbrush sequence) and the constant slew of references, both those that fall within general knowledge and those which behold much more of an otaku flavour.It would not be an incorrect statement to say that Monogatari is simply one of the most unique pieces of media to exist and the Final season is the most direct determiner in that previous statement. Despite the Final season not being in fact the series finale it reads as such, and if Monogatari had ended here I would have no complaints. The main reason for this is due to focusing on potentially one of the aspects of the series that had fallen behind and bringing it to the forefront of the narrative. Each of the seasons of Monogatari has a distinct focus. The First Season involves itself with the idea of human connection specifically that of relationships and the negative fallout of them. A core for this is one's connection to family, for example take Senjougahara's and Hachikuji's differing attractions to their mothers or Araragi's love for his sisters. However the first season also explores the idea of relationships in terms of love and the toxicity of such, as is visualised in Suruga monkey, Tsubasa Cat (which also explores the theme of family(or lack of)) and Nadeko snake. KIzumonogatari acts as a furthering of the latter theme however it delves much more into desire instead of affection as is expected of a vampire story and, considering how immature Araragi was in that tale, it was all it could muster. Where the First Season consisted of Araragi rescuing others, the Second Season focuses on the very same girls saving themselves or in the case of Otorimonogatari 1 failing to do so. The great pressing through-line of the season is now broken down into one that explores the self, something that is exemplified by having the majority of the story narrated by characters other than Araragi. In fact, if not for Kabuki and OniMonogatari, he would be all but absent for most of the story. Moreover the season criticises the labels thrust onto the heroines by others, such as Araragi, and how they are in fact much more than that. Tsubasa Hanekawa is more than an "Angel" in love with Koyomi. Suruga Kanaburu is only ever a perverted idiot when dealing with Araragi. Nadeko Sengoku is more than just cute, the signage that forced her into complacency. And last but definitely not last, Deishu Kaiki is more than a villainous swindler, rather he is a human being who has forgotten any notion of love or in another interpretation is completely bound by it. One can easily notice that the name Koyomi Araragi has not been creeping much and if so only as a minor antagonist at points, feeling like a side-character in what should be his own story. This is why the subject of the third and final season is Koyomi Araragi himself. Each book explores a different aspect of Araragi. The first ,Tsukimonogatari involves Araragi's direct confrontation with his saviour complex where he is forced to place the life of his sisters in the hands of Yotsugi Ononoki. Furthermore it serves to highlight his growth as the Araragi in Kizumonogatari would never have imagined himself trusting another person to such an extent. The same goes for the issue of his ego which is now largely quashed due to his helplessness. This theme is further explored in Koyomimonogatari the follows 12 months in the eponymous characters life and his relationships to all the other important characters within the series. Moreover each section begins with Araragi asking them on their opinions on roads, a question that reveals their differing philosophies on life from which one can interpolate Araragi's own, this being up to their own interpretation, something that makes every readers view on Araragi slightly diferent from another. There are no oddities driving the conflict in Koyomimonogatari rather it is things that appear as such in the first place but are not so, serving to offer up mountains of philosophical diatribe, fanservice (not the booba kind) and a timeline of the lead's development to tie everything up into a neat little bow before you enter the endgame. Furthermore each story offers up a question for the reader to solve of their own accord, except for the final chapter which offers up the most suspenseful cliffhanger in the series so far. Where the first two books create a mystery, Owarimonogatari is one of the few times in the series where one is given clarity. From the first chapter it is clear that Ougi Oshino is the main object of the story going forth. Her unorthodox introduction in Season 2 gave her a rather ethereal appearance, not due to any particular flair in prose but rather the way she simply entered the story without any fanfare (Hehe) and engaged in a discussion with traffic lights, a conversation about supression and control. She totes that a world full of red lights is far safer than a world full of green ones where everyone is commanded to move at will. The red lights serve as a metaphor for Ougi, she herself being an imaginary restriction placed upon the world to subjugate and control Araragi from repeating the same mistakes that he committed before. But more importantly, as can be surmounted from the opening chapter of Ougi Formula, "Ougi Oshino is Ougi Oshino just like Koyomi Araragi is Koyomi Araragi" and that all there is to it. The first thing given clarity on is how Araragi lost his apparent sense of justice which he refuted to describe in Nisemonogatari and his subsequent reunion with the girl who he managed to let down not only once but three times. Sodachi Oikura is a character that embodies the nature of one sided relationships. She hates Araragi to such an extent it is comical, for actions which he barely registers committing. In fact the thing she hates him for the most is his silence and secondly that he still has the gall to continue his normal life despite not offering any hand to save her. The book ends with the strongest punchline of the series, with a letter. Similarly to Koyomimonogatari Nisioisn leaves the conclusion of the story to the reader's interpretation by offering a single question which both broke me and pissed me the fuck off when I read it for the first time, "What do you think?" The second book aims to give all the answers to Shinobu's story and the events within Araragi's "one week of hell" when returning after summer break. Plus it ties all of Shinobus arcs into a neat bow fulfilling the final act of the Kabuki theatre tale of flight and whimsy with her extending a hand of god down to Araragi in the climax, allowing the reader to fully understand Shinobu in a way they weren't able to before. Though Koyomi Torus suggests this already, Shinobu Mail demonstrates that Shinobu Oshino truly loves Koyomi Araragi. The third book is what finally sets clarity on the entire series and deals entirely with Araragi's perception of himself as is seen most clearly with Mayoi Hell and Hiatgi end, the former of which being my second favourite segment of fiction ever written right after Made in Abyss' Iruburu. A sense of maturity permeates the entirety of the final novel which unfolds almost as a mystery novel, a fact which Ougi Oshino addresses directly, right before the truth about her is revealed to the audience in Ougi dark. Owarimonogatari teaches us that it is extremely detrimental to be critical of oneself however, in typical monogatari fashion, this notion is morally grey. Nisoisn admits that self-criticism is the main way to improve ones self, making it a double edged sword. There is no solution gained from the story as there is really no real life solution to this. All Owarimonogatari provides is clarity and that is the nature of growing up. You are still the same stupid person you were before but now, at least you have more experiences to avoid making the same mistakes you had made once before. Zoku Owarimonogatari is something that I will not comment on, not due to its insignificance but rather that it is strongest gone into blind as it recontextualises the entire story before and after it. I find it important to keep in mind Ougi's monologue on traffic lights in that final scene, though Zoku's eding will be perfect even if you do not. In other words it is simply a masterpiece. I really don't think i managed to do this series justice but, here goes.