Sorry this took some time to get a post. I was contemplating on whether I could do this series or not. Anyway, A sequel to Bakemonogatari (Bake for short) has been hyped up for ever since ended airing last 2010. And to that, Nisemonogatari ( nise for short) has hailed our calls as a direct sequel. So here we are beginning a new year with an awesome piece of art. But will this second instalment by Nisio Isin live up to our expectations? Before that, Bake has been famous for its characters and their personality shown in a unique and beautiful art style complemented by some dynamic camera angles and cinematography. All this compensates for some very long and deep conversations. Not to say these conversations are boring, in fact, these deep talkfests are the purpose of the series and it is in fact one of the most redeeming features of the series and can be very entertaining. So yes, if you’re not into word play, and profound conversations then this won’t be your cup of tea.
In the end, all the elements of Bake come together to make an entertaining and memorable ride! So back to the main question, does Nise live up to the hype? Nises producers, Shaft, took the series and pitched their first episode with a home run. That’s right, episode one of Nise was, in my opinion, quite the success, keeping all elements of the first series and even taking it to another level.
But the first episode we have right now is, as you might have already noticed, more of an introduction of characters. The scene quickly introduces us to our protagonist, Araragi, and his girlfriend, the self-proclaimed “tsundere” Senjougahara. The episode begins with our couple in a situation that I guess is something they would call a date... or something like that. They have quite the unique relationship and their difinition and ways of romance is just different. They don’t have that lovey-dovey thing we see everywhere but this subtle yet passionate chemistry hidden in what look like acts of sadism. Romance in the series has been somewhat discreet but is shown in such a manner that you can’t help but want to love and support the couple.
On another note, we meet Araragis youngest sister, Tsukihi. Unlike the first series, where Shaft didn’t pay much attention to who the sisters were, here we get to know more about one of them in a conversation with Araragi. Now let me draw your attention to the sister in this scene since the art, cinematography and character if Tsuhiki just steal my intrigue. The director made sure to get the animation, personality, and camera angles perfect for a very subtle yet fantastic fan service. Yeah I like her, just as I like all the other female characters. The next female heroine we have is Sengoku but she wasn’t introduced much in this episode. Next we got Hachikuji, and her intro scene was absolutely hilarious! The scene was a well-played cross between introducing a character and the comedy of both Araragi and Hachikuji. Personally however, I don’t want any romance or whatever between them, I love the unique relationship they have right now, and I’m no loli, kinda, I’ll go into detail some other time.
Over all this was a great start to the series and to the year. But now that we were given an awesome start, we expect an awesome continuation towards the end, right? Meh, this is just me saying they can still destroy the series. But I’m confident that they will pull this off flawlessly. I mean, Shaft can’t and should not fail at this; the series’ story came from an already established writer with a whole list of other good novels. So yeah, nice!
OkamiSan~
On another note, if you wiki the writer of the series, Nisio Isin, you’ll find that Bake and Nise are from his Monogatari series. And surprisingly the series does not end with either Bake or Nise. Nisio Isin has got a dozen of other novels surrounding our protagonist, Araragi.
