#hoo boy i watch one episode and immediately start drawing these two specifically again
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all I know is that to me, you look like youāre lots of fun
or alternatively
brutus and antony get to know each other a little better
#and a four three two one#gabriel fucks around with hbo rome#hoo boy i watch one episode and immediately start drawing these two specifically again#what if i tried to write. what if. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. something to think about
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Monogatari Series Rewatch Part 4: Bakemonogatari [Nadeko Snake]
Iām doing it, Iām finally getting around to this, aah. Here we go.
Who else is ready for two episodes of āif only you could understand how much drama and pain your superficial understanding of Nadekoās emotional problems is gonna cause you down the line, Araragiā, cause I sure am.
Thoughts under the cut.
[This got way longer than expected. Can you tell that I really love Nadeko as a character, and love talking about her?]
PART ONE:
-I havenāt talked a whole lot about any art-related things in a while [since I never know how to phrase my praise for this sorta thing without being kinda repetitive and aimless], but I really love the plain colour/gradient effect used for stuff like the bamboo forest. Itās definitely a cost-cutting measure, but for some reason I really like it. I guess, in a weird way, I really like the simple backgrounds that draw more focus to the characters, and make the show feel like even more of a stage play where everything other than the characters themselves are just props.
-It still gives me the warm fuzzies, that Araragi and Kanbaru immediately got back to being friends after the last arc. Their friendship is a wonderful part of the series.
-And here she is! Snake girl! Hoo boy, this is where we get into the start of some of the extended story elements. Though from what I remember, you tend to leave this arc for the first time not thinking that thereās anything deeper to her character and that she wonāt show up again. LOLNOPE.
-Just to get it said right off the bat, Nadeko is honestly one of my favourite characters in the entire show, at least from my vague memories of my first time watching the series. I found myself relating to her and understanding her issues way more than I thought I would. I think it wasnāt until Otori that I paid much attention to her, but I feel like that goes for everyone. I totally get why sheās such a divisive character, though. I respect that.
-And here we have one of the single most iconic and memorable anime OPs of all time. Holy shit this song used to be EVERYWHERE. So many parodies and mash-ups and remixes. Itās weird to look back at the original. Especially since thereās so many little elements to it, mostly in the lyrics, that really bluntly hint at her various issues, and the direction her story takes. One of the very first lines in the OP is, more or less, āif words will destroy our relationship, then silence is fineā. Though itās hard not to see this entire OP as being really meaningful when itās so connected in my head to the Nadeko Medusa OP. I still adore how Renai Circulation is basically Nadekoās idealized view of herself and her unrequited crush on Araragi, while Mousou Express is a more objective look at how obsessive her feelings actually are. I love it so much. But Iām getting ahead of myself.
-Also, as a side note, I think this OP was my first exposure to the series before I actually sat down and watched it about three or so years ago, and for the longest damn time I seriously thought that Nadeko had green hair. It took me a while to get used to her normal hair colour.
-Oh yeah, this is the first time we see the shrine, as well as the talisman thingy. Huh. I at least thought that the talisman didnāt appear until as far as Nise or SS. Weird. It makes me remember how sorta surprising it was to see the shrine become such a recurring setting, and such a big element of the overall story. But it really does just keep popping up. Itās probably one of the things I have the least of a grasp of, though, especially with how the various goings-on with it fit into the timeline. But I at least remember that the whole deal with the shrine is that itās like the spiritual hotspot of the town, and that everyone wants to use it for their own purposes, mostly in terms of using it to maintain ābalanceā in the town.
-Senjougahara continues to be utterly savage even when sheās not part of the scene. NICE.
-Huh, I genuinely forgot that apparently Kanbaruās arm is gonna heal over the next five years or so. Huh. Thatās a pretty major thing to forget. I feel like they never bring it up after this point, though. So thatās probably why. I guess it slightly lessens the whole tragedy of what happened to her, but I guess it was probably a bit too fucked up of a concept for her to be stuck with a monkey arm for the rest of her life.
-For some reason I thought that the shrine was intact by this point in time and just got destroyed in a later arc. Guess not. [[If itās not clear already I have a surprisingly shit memory of a lot of specific story details with this show. Especially in the early arcs like this. Since I havenāt watched them in several years. Also Iāve only read the LN versions of the first three Bake arcs, and have been procrastinating about the rest, so this is the start of where I truly havenāt really experienced the story in years]]
-Obviously this is a bigger aspect of later arcs, and Iāll discuss it more then, but holy shit does Araragi have the WORST memory possible. Itās almost hilarious how many issues in his life are caused by it. I canāt exactly blame him for not remembering one of his little sistersā school friends who he hasnāt seen in six years but still. This is just a hint of whatās to come, I guess. And really his issue with Nadeko is less him forgetting her, and more him just not paying that much attention to her or trying to investigate her issues. Which, again, I canāt blame him for. Most of the things Araragi does like this are completely realistic and understandable even if we as the audience can see the dramatic irony involved.
-[Oh man, now that Iām remembering more of Nadekoās story, itās just now dawning on me for the first time how similar a lot of her story is to that one character from Umineko who I wonāt name because of spoilers. Theyāre very different characters in general, but wow thereās at least some pretty overt superficial comparisons to be made. Huh. I need to remember to make a post about that character once Iām properly done with Umineko]
-Oh yeah, by this point in the story Nadeko was already going off into the mountains to ritualistically murder small animals. Yep. This sure is a thing thatās already happening. I forget the exact context of this, but yeah in hindsight this is a pretty clear indicator that she has some serious issues. Even if I can at least remember enough to know that she was trying to take the snake curse off herself. Still, stabbing hordes of snakes to a tree is messed up.
-I love all of Hanekawaās shifty/squinty expressions during the whole scene here at the bookstore. She really does have a way of coming across as really composed, even though you can always tell, especially in hindsight, that sheās not as composed as she might let on.
-Itās still interesting to me how Nadekoās hat makes her look a bit like a snake. Even her loose jacket kinda reminds me of shed snake skin. I know that basically all of the main girls have elements of their oddities incorporated into their designs, but I feel like Nadeko is probably the most subtle about it. Other than maybe Hanekawa. Either way, I really love this outfit of hers. I sometimes feel like wearing a jacket like that, but it always feels a little silly and pointless, and Iād probably worry about it not sitting still properly.
-I just got reminded by this one particular shot where he looks really nice, but, I really do think that Araragi is pretty dang attractive. I only really notice it with certain scenes, though. But when itās there, itās there. Obviously Iām sorta alone in feeling this way, lol.
-I appreciate Hanekawa taking the time to try and explain to Araragi that heās way too wishy washy with his feelings, and way too nice and open with girls in a way that can come across as a lack of faithfulness to his actual girlfriend. Itās a lesson that he really needs to learn, as do many such protagonists. You can really get why Senjougahara is so clingy and distrustful in her own way. [Although I also do feel like Kanbaru is a weird character to use to set up this topic considering that sheās, you know, a lesbian. Oh well. Hanekawaās point still stands]
-Huh, theyāre already bringing up her intentions to travel the world once she graduates. Huh. I thought that only got bought up around Neko:Shiro. Itās also making me even more antsy about waiting for the eventual adaptation of Off Season because I REALLY wanna see that one arc thatās apparently about her travels.
-Oh boy, all these not so subtle hints about Hanekawaās home life. My heart is not ready for when we actually focus on that.
-I seriously love every scene in this show that has red/orange lighting like this. It looks so fantastic. It really sets the mood.
-Of course the first thing Kanbaru does upon entering Araragiās room for the first time is to loudly search for his porn while taunting him about how much sheās aware of his kinks and fetishes. Isnāt she the best?
-Yeah this whole scene is just as creepy as ever. Christ. Although I still cannot fucking believe that they reference that one goddamn meme during this scene as well. Itās surreal. Though not quite as surreal as Attack on Titan referencing it for a recent magazine cover spread. Iām still reeling from that one.
-Iām pretty sure that Nadeko is still only like two or three years younger than him, but this whole thing is still . . . iffy. But obviously itās meant to be iffy and weird.
-Especially in hindsight, itās really sad seeing Nadeko talk about hating her body, and wanting to be saved by the person she has a crush on. Damn. Though the whole idea of her actively asking to be saved really sets up the big issue with this arc [so to say] and how it sets up Otori. I just feel bad for everyone involved.
PART TWO:
-Iām loving the shadow puppet hands going on that look like snakes. It really adds to the creepy atmosphere. Same with the really stark contrast between the dark shadows and the bright bluish-white lighting. Also, I dunno if Iāve mentioned it yet, but I love how Oshino is just the master of setting up school desks and chairs in increasingly elaborate ways, and sitting on them in increasingly implausible ways. In general I just love the use of props, staging, framing, and body language to construct a scene, in addition to the dialogue that makes up the meat of it. Obviously this is where Shaftās influence shines through the most, since this is exactly the sort of stuff thatās fundamentally not part of the LNs. Itās really interesting to me how they took something like the basic descriptions of Oshino sleeping on a makeshift bed made of desks and blankets and whatnot, and went completely wild with the imagery of it.
-This is just a matter of the version of the subs Iām reading, but man is it throwing me off how the dialogue subtitles translate certain terms differently than the on-screen text subtitles do. Especially since I can also obviously hear the Japanese term being used and I have a vague idea of itās inherent meaning, so I wind up with like three separate terms for the same thing being thrown at me at once and itās sorta disorienting.Ā
-[On the note of subs, I probably should have mentioned this before but itās so weird to me seeing Hanekawaās catchphrase translated any way other than āI donāt know everything. I just know what I knowā. Anything else feels kinda blasphemous, even though itās by far the most petty issue I could have translation-wise. I at least feel like any translation of that line should be consistent, to get across the fact that itās the same line being repeated. I feel like the subs Iām using have translated it inconsistently once or twice, and it bugs me.]
-OK I guess this is another sub note, but I must have glazed over the line of āLiving without words, no, dying, huh?ā in the OP the first time round. Huh. It comes across slightly mangled in English even though itās a kinda neat pun in Japanese [itās basically using āshi nukiā vs āshinu kiā. Iād use the actual kanji they use if I knew what they were, but yeah that gets it across well enough]. Either way, itās one of the various lines in this OP that really bluntly hint at how much of an issue it is for Nadeko to hide her true feelings behind a mask of cuteness and silence. I like how, via puns, it manages to effectively equate silence with death, which is pretty accurate and foreboding, considering that her repressed issues turn into murderous violence.
-Itās one of those things that makes me seriously wonder how much of Nadekoās character arc Nisioisin had planned from the start. I know that he kinda plays it off as āhaha, her voice actress wants to play an evil character, letās make Nadeko into the final boss lolā, but Iād be surprised if it was anything so spontaneous and unplanned. So much of this arc really blatantly hints at how disturbed and unhealthy Nadeko is, and her issues are left so blatantly unresolved in this arc in a way that feels almost counter to the entire theme of the story [which is exactly why it comes back to bite everyone later]. I at least like to think that he was planning it all from the start, and was kinda messing around with stereotypes to try and make both Araragi and the reader glaze over all of Nadekoās problems, and the logical consequences of this arc, while just seeing her as a cute girl. I dunno. Maybe Iām giving him too much credit. I know that it sometimes bothers me how much the series really, unironically plays up the ālook what a [superficially] cute and innocent and naive little girl she is! So moe!ā angle at times, even though pretty much the entire idea of her character is how damaging it is to ignore and glaze over a personās depth and their problems by valuing them solely for their cuteness or youth or purity or whatever, so . . . eh.
-Itās definitely interesting how it looks like Oshino never even sees Nadeko for himself in this arc, and just hears about her problem from Araragi. Given how good he tends to be at noticing when a person isnāt a pure, innocent victim in their whole story. I wonder how things might have gone if heād seen her up close. I could at least see him noticing the thing she does where she hides behind her hair.
-I just thought after seeing the scene describing the invisible snake thatās constricting her body and about to kill her, but thereās a lot of parts of the story that are interesting to examine if you want to interpret the oddities as mostly just being reflective metaphors for emotional problems. Obviously in the context of the story theyāre literally real, but still, I think itās valid to interpret things this way if only as a way to understand what role each oddity plays, and what they show about each character. [And it seems relevant to bring up with Nadeko in particular, since the entire twist of Otori is that the oddity in that was literally just a reflection of her emotional issues and not even a āreal supernatural thingā]. Itās interesting to look at how, at least thus far [I forget what else we learn about the snake curse incident later in this episode since I have it paused partway at the moment so Iām probably gonna feel real dumb in a few minutes lol], weāre dealing with a case of Nadeko being bitterly hated by one of her classmates for simply turning down a guy that the other girl liked, and now sheās off in the mountains killing small animals to try and lessen this horrible, constricting pain that makes her feel like sheās about to die, which is making her hate her body, and just want somebody to save her. I mean, I know Iām just literally describing whatās going on at this point, but itās definitely easy to not quite consider the extent of whatās going on here if you get caught up in the snake curse concept. Itās a bit too easy to get the order of events wrong and assume that this magical curse is the sole cause of her problems and her negative feelings, and that itāll be totally fine to just exorcise it. And itās kinda sad how even Nadeko, understandably, sees it that way too. Itās pretty obvious that she doesnāt want to examine her feelings and their root causes and how they affect her life and how she thinks, and as a young, sheltered girl she might not even have any real idea HOW to do that sort of introspection. Itās pretty depressing, really.
-They even point out that āthe curseā was mostly caused by Nadekoās whole ākilling small animalsā thing, but Araragi of course thinks itād be totally fine if Nadeko just did the animal-killing in a different place. In terms of the in-universe logic at hand, yes it might have prevented the supernatural curse placed upon her by it, but even with that in mind, weāre still dealing with someone whoās ritualistically killing animals to try and alleviate their psychological pain and the self-loathing tied in with that. The story even implicitly spells out the fact that Nadekoās actions werenāt caused by the supernatural cause, but by her own emotional pain, when it talks about how the animal-killing caused her curse. So the blindingly obvious issue at hand here really has barely anything to do with the curse itself. The curse isnāt really the cause of anything, itās the RESULT of everything else. Itās almost physically painful to see Araragi saying all this and obviously not even considering that thereās issues at hand that will persist even after this exorcism. But again, itās the sort of thing where itās just dramatically ironic that he isnāt noticing something that we can more easily see as outside readers. Still doesnāt make it any less painful to watch, though.
-I seriously cannot even state enough that the story is really openly talking about how Nadeko was *ritualistically killing small animals* before any sort of a life-threatening snake curse was involved. Again, itās super hard not to think that the author was totally aware of all this, and was planning her arc out from the start. I mean, the big thing with each arc, especially in Bake, tends to be about Araragi being mistaken about the order of events involved in a case, and/or not letting himself notice something about the girl in question that should be obvious to anyone else. But in each arc heās usually told about the things heās about about, and he figures out the truth in the end. So itās super obvious how in this arc that point just . . . never quite connects. Araragi gets his moment of pointing out that the curse came after the snake-killing, but nobody steps in to push him to consider what that actually MEANS. And honestly I know that I give him a lot of slack for not really trying to get deeper into her problems, but at the same time it feels like you should really look into getting someone actual, non-supernatural help when they start killing animals to cope with their emotions. JUST SAYING.
-And yeah hereās a big reason why I find Araragiās role in this to be kinda tragically realistic and understandable. He DOES, in his own way, start to consider Nadekoās own emotional pain and her unhealthy way of repressing her emotions, and he DOES tell her that she doesnāt need to do that, and that she can open up to him if she wants. I think he handles the situation much better than a lot of people might. So I canāt really blame him much. Really, the major issue is just that even after hearing all this, Nadeko still doesnāt really follow his advice. Which is realistic and understandable and tragic in itās own way. She clearly appreciates his kindness and dependability, but it doesnāt change the fact that she probably barely even knows how to comprehend and vocalize her feelings, and it doesnāt change the fact that she presumably doesnāt want to do anything more to violate her cute-girl image. She probably doesnāt want Araragi hating her, or being grossed out by her, or anything. Which just reminds me how much it also hurt me when she literally started crying when Araragi admitted that he felt kinda dirty seeing her mostly naked body. Like damn. I didnāt really talk about it at the time, but itās honestly kinda just sad to watch how even when she was at her most exposed and vulnerable, even when she was literally begging Araragi to save her from her pain and self-loathing and how much her body feels constricted and stifling, his and Kanbaruās reaction was mostly just to talk about Nadekoās bloomer shorts and whatnot. Again, not really casting any blame here, but . . . damn. I donāt really know if I would have reacted any differently if I was in her shoes.
-On a different topic, I love the shot of the winding path and the river looking like two intersecting black and white snakes when seem from above. Itās a really neat image.
-āI donāt really remember that much from my childhood. My memoryās not that greatā. Iām just gonna sit here and keep laughing at this whenever it gets bought up in the story. This is seriously the root of like 50% of his problems in life. Itās hilarious.
-But on a more serious note, we get yet another moment where he makes a vague yet sincere attempt at learning more about her and understanding her situation more accurately, but she doesnāt really tell him the whole truth [since he doesnāt really remember her and itād just make things awkward if she discussed it openly] and so he obviously doesnāt really have a chance to understand the true overall situation. He clearly just ends up seeing it as something he can forget about and not dig too deeply into because āit doesnāt concern himā, but HOO BOY is that so not the case. Itās seriously painful how accurate and relatable it is for Nadeko to be hiding the exact truth from him, though, even if itās unhealthy. Itās obviously worth pointing out that, just like Araragi, she also isnāt exactly aware how bad things will get for her and how much her own lack of action and communication will mess with her. And so she just continues to be evasive and quiet, while letting herself be happy that Araragi is at least being nice to her, and talking to her, and trying to understand her.
-I can just imagine Nadeko as a little girl, being pretty much alone, and envying the idea of having an older brother. Aww :C Especially when, as we learn way later in Koi, sheās pretty emotionally distant with her parents as well, and they also just mostly see her as being their cute daughter [Iām getting WAY ahead of myself and will discuss this more when we get to Koi itself, but I still vividly remember the moment of Kaiki trying to ask Nadekoās parents to actually describe her as a person and they just . . . canāt.]
-Along the lines of what I said about the scene at the end of part one, itās seriously uncomfortable and awkward how Nadeko gets put in a school swimsuit for this whole scene. Seeing her severe self-esteem issues and whatnot be framed through a lens of sexualization is . . . kinda disturbing. Even the fact that, even though sheās clearly not entirely comfortable with the entire situation, she still wants Araragi to look at her is kinda sad.
-Why you gotta twist the knife in my heart with all these flashbacks, anime? :C My heart just hurts so much for Nadeko on so many levels. I can perfectly understand how she so quickly and obsessively developed these feelings of romantic love and a broader desire to be seen and understood and cared for. [[Also this is a really nice instrumental remix of Renai Circulation]]
-Part of me wonders whatās going on in Nadekoās head while sheās sitting there, praying to have her pain taken away. Part of me thinks it might just make me feel even worse if I knew.
-Oh yeah, right, this ends with them just . . . throwing the snake away and being like āeeeeh itās not our issue anymoreā, doesnāt it? And then lo and behold, the snake goes back to itās sender who then gets manipulated by Ougi into attacking Kaiki. WELP. Like seriously so much of this arc is just āwell this surely wonāt come back to bite us, right???ā itās hilarious. In a sad way. Also, I forget, but wasnāt the person who attacked Kaiki a boy, implying that the sender of the curse was the guy who confessed to Nadeko and not her friend? I canāt remember, and I forget if itās ever even discussed. I guess it doesnāt matter that much.
-And then literally thirty seconds after I resume watching the episode, Araragi literally spells out that the guy did indeed send at least one of the snakes. Welp. I sure feel awkward now, lol. I guess I was kinda right, though, even though I forgot that BOTH of the other people sent her curses.
-Yeah this entire scene is just so goddamn uncomfortable to watch. Urgh. Seeing her writhing in pain like that is just disturbing.
-Itās still kinda surprising to me how this series manages to be more graphically violent and bloody than a good amount of anime out there. You really wouldnāt expect it. I always feel so bad for Araragi in these moments where he just gets the ever-loving shit beaten out of him.
-Oh yeah I forgot that Araragi is totally aware that itās a really bad idea to let the snake go but he has to do it or else itāll kill him. Huh. I guess itās yet another thing where Araragi isnāt necessarily stupid about everything going on and the consequences of certain things, but they still turn out in such a dramatically ironic and tragic way. Welp. Though I do also like how it furthers the recurring deal with how the answer is pretty much never for Araragi to just physically beat down or tear away an oddity and solve the problem that way.
-Also, mad props for my girl Kanbaru for stepping in to stop him from getting murdered. He seriously needs people like her around or else his hero complex would have gotten him killed a thousand times over.
-It really is pretty messed up that theyāre forced to perpetuate this cycle of curses and pain in order to save themselves and Nadeko. But itās perfectly fitting for the pretty damn tragic nature of this arc and how the consequences of it play out for all involved.
-So I guess weāre meant to think that the snake sent by the other girl got successfully exorcised, and it was just the snake from the guy that was still around?
-Oh boy, and here we get into Araragiās own issues with self-loathing. It really is sad seeing him feel undeserving of Nadekoās gratitude because of how he had basically tried to protect the dude that placed a curse on her, and had almost died in the process. And of course it gets into his issues with being not fully human and how that messes with his self-image/worth. But at the same time I also get why Nadeko is sincerely grateful to him for saving her.
-Of course, this also leads to a really awkward yet understandable scenario where the story just . . . ends here, with Araragi clearly too defeated and depressed to even think about whether or not this actually fixed Nadekoās root problems. Again, heās pretty much always entirely understandable and realistic with how he never quite figures out her issues in time or succeeds in getting her to completely open up to him. He doesnāt really have the time or energy to think that he might have stopped short of the truth, so to say. And Nadeko is obviously unwilling to talk about her deeper issues, and wants to just express her genuine gratitude to him for having āsaved herā, even if itās pretty much only a temporary measure, as we get oh so brutally shown down the track.
-So thatās it for this arc. Now onto Tsubasa Cat. No idea how long itāll take me to get around to it at this rate. Iām probably going to split it into two posts, focusing on parts one and two, and then three, four, and five. Iām not about to try and attempt five entire episodes at once, with this sort of set-up.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Inaction and miscommunication are pretty horrible, toxic things, but theyāre still fundamental parts of human nature that will probably never go away. People will always have things about themselves that they donāt want to share. Theyāll always have a constricting pain thatās too much to put into words. A personās body can become something that they hate, even if itās only so they can have something to direct their inexpressible, vague frustration and agitation and pain at. Especially when communicating and connecting with others on a deep level can be so painful. When it can lead you to just hurting them and burdening them with your feelings. When it can lead to them not properly understanding you [even if itās partially because you donāt let yourself be properly understood]. It can be so much easier to wrap yourself in comfortable, romanticized, unchanging silence, even though a life without words is the same as dying. Iāll get more into the topic of Nadekoās self-image and the concept of ābeing a cute girlā later on when it becomes a bit more relevant.
This arc is an interesting one, especially in hindsight. But even the first time around, itās still surprisingly dark and disturbing and uncomfortable to watch in a way that youād never quite expect from how incredibly fluffy and upbeat of an OP it has [at least on the surface]. Iāve been on the outskirts of the fandom for a few years now, and itās pretty obvious that this is among peopleās most commonly disliked arcs, along with ones like Neko:Kuro and Tsuki. Though Iāve also seen people have issues with some of the pacing/exposition elements of Oni and the second half of Owari S1. But back onto this arc, I totally get why a lot of people dislike this arc. Especially when viewed on itās own. Considering that itās mostly interesting to examine as the first section of the overall Nadeko story arc. And obviously itās not exactly clear to the viewer that there even IS an actual wider story arc for her until we get to about a third of the way into SS. It also doesnāt help that the TV version of this arc was apparently godawful, but I canāt really talk about that since Iāve only ever watched the BD version.
Personally I find this arc to be a fascinating start for Nadekoās character, even if I probably didnāt like it much the first time around. But in a sense, I like it in hindsight for the same reasons I disliked it at first. Like how it seems to subtly but noticeably go against the structure of the show by having Nadekoās issues not get truly solved. Especially if we look at it in terms of Nadekoās perspective of events and where sheās at by the time things end. I imagine I probably also felt that the whole idea of Nadeko killing snakes felt sorta pointless, and that nobody in the story really cared about it. But thatās what makes it so tragic, I guess. Itās another way in which it goes against the grain of how the past arcs worked in a way that feels really subtly dissonant. Even when the characters acknowledge that Nadeko was doing these fucked up, violent things BEFORE she even had a curse placed on her, they donāt really stop to think āwhat exactly would lead to someone doing that?ā or āwill those sorts of feelings and thoughts truly go away if we just get rid of this curse?ā. You canāt really blame Araragi or Kanbaru for not properly understanding, for not realizing how much is going on in Nadekoās head, and how much is festering in there and waiting to burst out in the most unhealthy way possible. She only lets people see a certain, relatively superficial side of her. And so this arc ends with the true issue not even being solved, and with only a temporary bandage put over it. And even then, the curse plaguing Nadeko just ends up stuck on itās sender, so even thatās barely solved or gotten rid of. And obviously we end specifically on the note of Araragi being depressed and unable to accept any praise for what genuine good he did, and Nadeko being genuinely grateful for what he did, while not even fully understanding for herself whatās in store.
So basically this arc doesnāt resolve anything, it simply introduces Nadeko and her problems, and sets the stage for how these issues become so much more serious and lethal later on. And in that sense itās pretty fascinating, even if itās divisive.
Nadeko is one of my favourite characters in the show and Iām really happy to have a chance to talk about her. Even if I worry that I might end up repeating myself a lot when the story gets back to her, since I covered so much here already.
#murasaki rambles#monogatari series#bakemonogatari#this was only two episodes long but it feels like this post is even longer than the last one#I think this took about four hours to do in full#maybe a bit more than that#I'm basically giving up hope on catching up in time for Owari S2#when each post takes this much time and effort#oh well#I'm genuinely happy to have a chance to ramble about how good this series is
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