Anime Review – Kizumonogatari (2016)

Kizumonogatari is an interesting title in the franchise. This anime adaptation, while based on the second light novel released, is also a prequel to Bakemonogatari. What makes this adaptation stand out is that, before adapting the second novel, Studio Shaft had already adapted about 11 other Monogatari light novels (light novel releases are somewhat irregular, so my count might be off). The franchise was already fully underway before this adaptation was even released. So, in 2016/2017, when the Kizumonogatari films—Part 1: Tekketsu, Part 2: Nekketsu, and Part 3: Reiketsu—were released, Araragi and his friends had already experienced many adventures together.

However, I decided to watch this series in book order, so after Bakemonogatari, I loaded up these two films with no idea what to expect.

The film follows Koyomi Araragi, a socially isolated teenager with few friends. He encounters the class president, Tsubasa Hanekawa, who mentions a rumor about a vampire lurking around their area. Araragi brushes it off as a myth. However, while walking home, he notices a blood trail. He follows it and finds a blonde woman at the train station platform who is missing both her arms and legs. She is very much alive, as she is the vampire from the rumor.

I feel that discussing Kizumonogatari’s plot in more detail would reveal too much. Similar to its predecessor Bakemonogatari, these three films are filled with rich and methodical dialogue that oozes from the screen. Kizumonogatari continues the idea of using its monsters to explore real issues affecting the characters. This film is about living life and accepting that it is okay not to be a perfect being, as we are beautifully imperfect. At its core, the film is about real-world emotions wrapped up in this modern fantasy.

Shaft continues to work its magic with this series, producing moments of animation that are simply breathtaking. The blend of 2D and 3D works very well and is never jarring. Colors pop, and moments of sheer violence and brutality are elevated by stunning visuals. It is utterly gorgeous from the first frame to the end of the credits.

However, where it lost me was with its fan service and how it presented key plot points. The fan service starts off fine but becomes more and more unbearable as the films go on, culminating in an 11-minute scene in a gym storage room that is just painful to watch. It also doesn’t help that some scenes are just weird. In Part 1, when Araragi meets the vampire, it is mind-numbingly confusing and odd. While the aftermath leads to an interesting plot progression, that scene also goes on for way too long.

In all honesty, they needed to shorten the three parts. I believe they have done so with Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp, which has been shown at festivals. However, Parts 1-3 are widely available on Blu-ray, so I don’t know when or if the edited-down version will become available to the public. At the moment, I don’t feel it justifies its 3-hour and 31-minute runtime.

I still enjoyed it but compared to Bakemonogatari I felt this left a lot to be desired.

★★★

Available on Blu-ray / Hiroshi Kamiya, Yui Horie, Maaya Sakamoto, Takahiro Sakurai, Miyu Irino / Dir: Tatsuya Oishi, Akiyuki Shinbo / MVM Entertainment / 18