Finalemonogatari: Part II

      Welcome to Finalemonogatari Part II! This is the post where I reflect on the finale of the series, and it is FULL OF SPOILERS!

The audio version is finally here!

      As a preface, now that I've actually finished this post -- WOW, This is a doozy. This is going to take a chunk of time to read, and I'm sorry to ask for such a time investment from you. However, out of everything I've ever written, this has probably been my favorite experience. If you're a first time reader, I write in a unique, informal style, and I do everything I can to make sure my thoughts can come across clear and unaffected by needlessly wordy words, and my aim is to make this as little of a chore to read as possible. Regardless, the nature of this post, and typically everything that I post here, is going to be at least mildly thought provoking, I hope.

      That said, I went through some formatting hell in Finalemonogatari II. I completely lost the ability to format it once (2,000 words in), for seemingly no reason, and the transcription process was equivalent to rewriting the whole thing from scratch with the changes I had to make. I was forced to make other changes as well, and for some reason every time I come back, fonts are changed to completely different styles and sizes for no apparent reason, and I can almost guarantee that something slipped past me, so though I wish I could be confidently optimistic, I apologize in advance for anything I missed or unknowingly screwed up formatting-wise. ANYWAY, on to the summary.

      Whereas part I serves as a review for people interested in staring The Monogatari Series, part II offers up my impressions of specific elements of the show, and what I took away from it. Mostly, I want to dig into some of the specific aspects of the characters. As a disclaimer, I definitely do not know all that there is to know about this show, so I don't claim that this is all 100% correct. In fact, a lot of this show I believe is left up to interpretation and purposefully left vague, so what I take a way may be derived completely from opinion. I should not be considered a concrete source.

      If you take nothing else away from this though, I would really hope you realize that Nisio Isin writes a whole lot of really good stuff, and I'm so glad that he made the Monogatari Series, and furthered it past the original Bakemonogatari. I hope it makes you think long past when you finish the series, like it has for me. So, perhaps it's best to call this post a tribute to the series, or maybe even a catalyst for your own thought -- Maybe I'll say something that sends you down a thought tangent that you can really get into. I'd be very happy with that outcome.

      Finally, a disclaimer: The artwork posted here is not mine. All credit has been given where found.

      Check out the Spoiler Free Part I here if you're interested in starting this series, or just want to read about my initial impressions of it! And without further ado...

Part I: The End in General

Last warning, loads of spoilers

The Monogatari Series watch order
credit to /u/Maxdefolsch of reddit

      The Final Episode of the Monogatari Series (more specifically, of Owarimonogatari) sat, and is sitting strange for me. Maybe I wanted something more epic. More so, I think it has something to do with the overall tone of the episode; It was very light, but not in a comedic manner. It was simply a weird experience.

      Truth be told, it doesn't really matter that there wasn't a specifically comedic light tone, as that would have been the same "problem." Except for maybe Hanamonogatari, this series has always had a pretty routine formula in terms of what mood each episode in an arc would have. The first episode or two, for example, tended to err toward the Slice of Life feeling, oftentimes providing some [seemingly] pointless character interaction to build relationships, instead of focusing on the antagonistic force or characters. As the story moved along, tension rose, confrontations became more and more imminent, and the playful nature of the show changed from being the focus to serving as comedic relief.

     In my experience, this is exactly how Owarimonogatari's final arc "Shinobu Mail" differed from the previous arcs. The first episode didn't spend very much time being worry-free. About halfway through this episode, Araragi Koyomi and Kanbaru Suruga are attacked by an unknown enemy, and it all quickly turns south for them. As great as it was, we only got half of an episode to laugh at Kanbaru making Araragi squirm, and before that episode ended, two separate and unallied characters expressed their intent to kill our main character. 

Where is My Mind? Bakemonogatari (Chris Lejman)

      On the opposite side of that spectrum, I found no substantial tension in the final couple of episodes. Because Owari- takes place concurrently (and even before, in some cases) other -monogatari series, I was aware that not only does Araragi survive his encounters, he escapes unscathed and with no permanent damage. In other words, as this show moved on, the tense moments became less tense.

      I'm not unhappy with the finale at all; I don't want that to be misunderstood. It was conclusive, and it wasn't a cop-out "that's just the way it is" moment, either. In many ways, the ending was extremely appropriate. Even the lack of tension seemed to be on purpose, as Oshino Ougi eludes to in the final episode (This was more for clarity, not substance). I think what bothered me is that I didn't want more. I felt the characters were developed fully; the stories were told, and I liked how they ended -- And I had already received an epilogue in the form of Hanamonogatari.

       But why didn't I want more? This was the most I've enjoyed a show since Steins;Gate, and when I finished that, I immediately went out and bought the game (it's source material). I sunk countless hours into Steins;Gate, and continue to this day, learning all of the "what-if" scenarios that come with it. Just last week, I went on a tangent and stumbled upon a facet of a character that I had never realized before! So why don't I do that with Monogatari? Why am I not immediately on a hunt for more? Koyomimonogatari has already aired in its entirety, and I have no sense of urgency to hunt it down and watch it. 

      The only conclusion I can come up with is that Monogatari ended too perfectly. It reaffirmed everything I already knew, and it went out doing exactly what it always did  -- down to every last subtlety. 

Part II: Araragi is Nobody/Everybody

  Random change to the present tense.

       This final story of The Monogatari Series reaffirms a lot of things in the series, and doesn't really bring anything new to the table. The most flattering way to put this would be to say "If you weren't sure you believed what the series had to say about something, Owarimonogatari's "Shinobu Mail" will prove it to you."

      As this is the finale, let's start at the end: Owarimonogatari ends in a duel (not completely, there's an epilogue of sorts). Araragi Koyomi faces off with a Legendary Apparition Killer-turned-vampire... for Shinobu I guess? It never really explains why. The Specialists don't seem to want Araragi to die in this fight, they just want him to deal with this problem -- but they don't believe he can pull it off, either. 

しのぶと！ by Pivix user 田辺京

      Shinobu doesn't want him to prove himself, either. She already knows that she wants him to be her partner, and whether or not there are romantic undertones there are left to interpretation (though they are heavily implied). What's more, Koyomi cannot provide a single reason why his victory in this duel would benefit anybody, including himself. This brings up our first couple of points that Owari- reaffirms:

     First of all, Koyomi never affirms a romance between him and Shinobu.

The same point to a broader extent, he never specifies what exactly their relationship is at all. Throughout the series, Koyomi confesses to wanting to be with her through whatever may happen, as well as how he feels incomplete when she isn't there, but that can be easily credited as something other than love. The thought that "this is a romantic relationship that he's expressing," can be deterred by the facts surrounding their relationship. For starters, Koyomi and Shinobu are literally bonded by a complex master/servant relationship, where depending on which angle you view it from, either one could play whichever role. On top of that, Shinobu is very ideal for Koyomi, at least on the surface. She can keep up and even outwit him in playful banter. Appearance-wise, she looks 8 years old, but she is also very well endowed (like his idolized best friend Hanekawa Tsubasa) when "powered up," so to speak, playing right into many of his fetishes. But more than any of that, she is always with him. Is he fond of her, or just used to her being there? 

      I think Koyomi is aware of these things though. The anime tends to portray Araragi as a slow man, but I don't think that's the truth of it. I think he only appears slow in comparison to the intelligent and witty individuals he surrounds himself with. There's no reason to think that he hasn't considered these things, and that's why he never says outright that his relationship with Shinobu is romantic in nature. So, just as it has been throughout the entirety of the series, this is all left to interpretation. But since Koyomi can't define this relationship, just as I said earlier, he can't come up with a reason that the two continuing on together would be good for anyone involved, directly or indirectly, and this issue never gets resolved. 

      Secondly: Koyomi really is nothing special.

Am I just picking on him at this point? It seems like everyone in the show is always picking on him -- there's another constant that didn't change! But back on topic...

      One of the points a couple of characters try to drive home for Koyomi is that he's not someone who should be trying to fix these problems that appear before him. Namely, Oshino Meme lectures Koyomi on how he's not always going to be there for him, and that Koyomi isn't trained to deal with these things. Beyond that even, Koyomi doesn't seem like a real candidate for the job -- physically or mentally. Even his younger sister Karen (who is comedically taller than him) would be a better fit for this responsibility. 

      Regardless, I found myself rooting for him, and hoping that he would jump on these cases (except in Sengoku's first ark, "Nadeko Medusa" in hindsight, for obvious reasons). Of course, it's easy to credit this as a product of his biggest character trait, i.e. his sense of justice, but again, his sisters take this to an even higher level, forming the Fire Sisters. Even his vampire abilities that came as a result of his own misfortune are overshadowed by the fact that Tsukihi was born an immortal phoenix. 

      Owari-, even throughout Sodachi's arc[s], really focuses in on this element. The fascinating things that are happening to him are but a product of the vampire that regenerated near him -- It could have been anyone else, but it was him. Even in spite of this, everyone around him chooses him over any alternative. There's no real reason why, other than that he has accepted the role, and these bonds are the result of that. To the point, this duel is the perfect summary of this role, but before I get to that, I want to analyze a more encapsulating theme in the show.

      So, secondly... uhh... point five: The Meta that's important.

Cropped screen-cap from the series.
Credit: SHaFT

      This should be obvious by now, but Nisio Isin really likes wordplay. It wouldn't be the most outrageous claim ever to say it was his favorite narrative tool. "Why do I think the crab is a god? Because in Japanese, crab is kani, and that sounds like kami, the Japanese word for god." (It's typically more creative than that, but the point remains.) What might be less apparent, however, is the more specific bits of meta hidden in the show. Monogatari acts, at times, as a show calling out the tropes in anime. There are many examples of this: Senjougahara calling herself a tsundere, and then being very much more beyond that trope, and in fact not fitting it at all, showing the value in a real character; Sengoku Nadeko being despised for the fact that she has no personality besides being cute (legit, I'm so tired of all of the Cute Girls Doing Cute Things anime) -- There are countless examples of this. However, the biggest one that escaped me was that Araragi acts as the stereotypical, maybe exaggerated (maybe not) anime otaku -- specifically the male audience. This is shown in scenes like the one in Tsubasa Tiger (Nekomonogatari: Shiro) where Senjougahara suggests that she and Hanekawa take a shower for Araragi's sake, even though he's not even present in the arc. Simply put, Araragi's perspective is our perspective.

      Why is this important? Let's recap a little bit: As smart and physically able as Araragi may or may not be, he is overshadowed by his supporting cast. He's also frequently subjected to perhaps coincidental wordplay, though because of the meta and the fact that he is the avatar for the viewer in the story, I guess it's not coincidental. 

      *Araragi is all of us though, and we can't all be special. We can't all be extraordinary, above average, or as Senjougahara would say, "Fascinating." BUT: We can learn. We can become more adept to telling this story than someone who shows up right at the end. We know how these things work, and we know how to make them work. Even Oshino Meme admitted, maybe not to us [directly] that Araragi Koyomi was the one thing he could never predict. This is why the duel acts as a perfect summary to the role Araragi assumes. He's the man who is accepted for no other reason than that he chooses to be there for others, even though the specialists don't actually believe in us, even though Shinobu doesn't need us to prove anything. He's the one who beats the Legendary-Apparition-Killer-turned-vampire and he does all of these things as us, and through the sly use of word manipulation, just as he and we have been subjected to throughout the whole journey. Anyone could have done it, but he did.

*tl;dr Senjougahara is the one waifu who does and will love you back.

 Part III: The Supporting Cast: Shinobu, Hanekawa and Senjougahara

     I'd like to start off by addressing that I'm aware that I've already mentioned Shinobu and some other characters above. I've got plenty of Shinobu, don't worry about that. I just thought that I needed to really sell that Araragi Koyomi isn't necessarily unintelligent, and that also seemed like a more important part of who he his (or rather, isn't) than what Shinobu is. Regardless, I may repeat a bit on Shinobu.

Shinobu and Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade

      ****** Omitted from Audio: If you haven't realized the brilliant wordplay that is Shinobu's name, I'll try to sum it up as quickly as possible: Her original name is *blah-blah blah-blah* Heart-Under-Blade. The Kanji "Heart" 心 and "Blade" 刃 are the important bits. Shinobu's name is derived phonetically from Oshino (Shinobu), since Meme was the one to name her. The Kanji for her name, 忍 (Shinobu) is literally the Kanji for "Heart" under the kanji for "blade" ******

刃 - Blade
心 - Heart
忍 - Shinobu 

      Shinobu is one prideful vampire, but the show took it's time to let that idea come into fruition. In fact, if we remember that The Monogatari Series started out as Bakemonogatari, a stand-alone collection of stories, with no initial intent to expand the universe, the only real thing established about Shinobu initially would be the observation that she examines women differently than men, and that she comes to Koyomi's aid if he asks it of her.

       That last point is particularly misleading, I think. Maybe it was originally supposed to be taken at face value, but if it hadn't been for Monogatari continuing past Bake-, we (and possibly Nisio Isin, who could know) would have never realized her as the proud character she is. Stand-alone, the nature of her involvement in Bake- is one of obedience. As we all know, however, that's not the true extent of her relationship with Araragi. In the scene where Shinobu saves Araragi from Black Hanekawa, Shinobu is acting on two things: Araragi Koyomi's life being in real danger, and more importantly in my opinion, that he humbled himself to ask for her help.

Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under Blade

      The main difference between Shinobu and Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade is her complete change in personality, and as it is explained by Araragi, "a change in the whims that she acts upon." Initially, I think there's a chance that a younger Kiss-Shot would be plenty willin to help someone, but after the tragedy surrounding her first minion, I think she became jaded and selfish. I can't say for certain when her prideful nature developed, but I think it's been a part of her for a long time. I would even go as far as to suggest that she was really willing to help back in the days of the apparition killer because she wanted to uphold her reputation as a god worth worshiping. Another possibility in that same mind of thought, perhaps being worshiped as a god mad her generous enough to look past what in that moment seemed like petty levels of pride.

      So back to Shinobu; what about her whims makes her different than Kiss-Shot? I try to avoid calling her childlike, because that's too easy, but in reality, there's some truth to those words. She gets flustered, and refuses to compromise her pride. She's pampered, gluttonous, obnoxious, you name it -- she even let's Koyomi talk her back up after having her head stepped on, as if she were a child. Unlike a child, however, Shinobu is wise, as her age would attest to (by the way, Shinobu's age is far closer to 600 years old than the 500 years old that she claims she is. Run with that as far as you'd like). She's very confident in her wisdom, too, always wanting to be the wisest in the room. 

      As the series progresses, however, Shinobu is forced to realize more and more that she is not as great as the legendary status that now proceeds her. Sometimes, she's forced to take the snide comments thrown at her about how she is "a shell of her former self." Furthermore, in the final two series, Shinobu is forced to rely on the people who should be her mortal enemies: the specialists.

      As I said to preface this blog, Owarimonogatari seemed to have a mission to reinforce the statements the show has already made before. As the title "Shinobu Mail would suggest, this story has a lot to do with Shinobu. Therefore, we need to see Shinobu humbled. Who better to humble her than the specialists who have been doing it all series? Well, as a matter of fact, why not Kanbaru? She has all of the traits to be a specialist, and is even related through blood to Gaen, the most impressive of the four, but she's still a kid. In one of the best scenes in the series, Kanbaru puts Shinobu in her place, and forces her to do the things Shinobu sees herself as too good to do. Once again, nothing new, but absolutely satisfying.

      Because I don't want Shinobu's section to end on a fallen note, remember that time when teenaged Shinobu kicked Ononoki Yotsugi's butt? 

Yeeeeaaaaaah! Love that side ponytail.

Hanekawa Tsubasa

      When I initially started Monogatari, and in Hanekawa's case, all the way through the first season of the show (in other words, up until Nekomonogatari: Shiro), there were only two characters I didn't really like: Hanekawa Tsubasa and Hachikuji Mayoi. Of course, this section is about Hanekawa, so I'll get Mayoi's case out of the way: I came around to liking her character really quickly. I think it was the conversation between her and Koyomi in Nisemonogatari that won me over.
       I can't exactly place what it is that bothered me, and to a small extent still bothers me, about Hanekawa. She reminds me a lot of Manami from Oreimo, and I had the same problem with her. I seem to have this unfounded distaste for the character type: the overly-sweet, modest, protagonist's best friend who will not admit their feelings. Strangely though, you could put Onodera Kosaki from Nisekoi into that same category if you're lenient enough, and I absolutely adore her character. (I'm bad about getting off topic.)
      You see, I still manage to stray away from conversation about Hanekawa, but in truth, she is one of the more interesting characters in Monogatari, and there's a lot of substance to who she is.

がはらさん by pivix user やどけろ

      Originally, I thought that it was strange that Nisio Isin and SHaFT would put the two Sodachi cours together with Shinobu Mail into one series (Owarimonogatari). They don't happen very close together chronologically, and Sodachi is far from important to the story that Owari tells and concludes. However, when I was jotting down some quick notes on Hanekawa, I stumbled upon one thing that Sodachi Lost really drives home that became quite important to some of Araragi's decisions in Shinobu Mail. That thing, is that Hanekawa is really good at eluding things to Koyomi, and she’s able to communicate with him in ways only a best friend could. On top of that, Koyomi's respect for Hanekawa is outstanding, even surpassing his lust-filled desires for her.
      In Sodachi Lost, there's a scene where Hanekawa and Ougi are arguing over who should accompany Koyomi to Sodachi's apartment. Hanekawa's winning statement was a promise to Koyomi to let him touch her breasts if he let her go with him.
      The moment it happened, I laughed out loud. On the surface, it seemed just like another perverse moment in the comedically perverse show that is The Monogatari Series. Koyomi, however, turns this thought away. He says:

"Many people may perhaps be misunderstanding me; 

it’s not that I chose Hanekawa as my partner over 

Ougi because I was drawn to her breasts...

Something was highly unusual with the situation if
it made Hanekawa go so far as to say that."

      The point here is pretty obvious; Hanekawa knows how to communicate that a situation is more important than Araragi is considering it. She knows how to do this, and convince him that she really needs to be the one to go with him. The offer never really existed, and like I mentioned earlier, Koyomi respects Hanekawa to the extent that he would never force her to honor that agreement. 

      In the first few moments of the final episode, Araragi returns to this facet of their relationship. Chronologically speaking, at that moment, the events of Tsubasa Tiger (Neko-: Shiro) are coming to an end, which means that Hanekawa has been out of touch with Koyomi for quite a while. She sends him a simple picture of her in his clothes, and he gathers from that alone that she needs him. He sends Kanbaru after Senjougahara under the guise that she could reach her faster, but in reality, he decides that Hanekawa deserves to have him tend to her personally. Yet again, we see his enormous amounts of respect for her, as he chooses to be by her side instead of Senjougahara, the girl he loves. 

      One last note on this, there should be no reason to think that Araragi acted out of love for Hanekawa in this instance. In Tsubasa Tiger, Hanekawa confesses her feeling to Araragi at this point and he turns her down.

Senjougahara Hitagi I really don't like when people spell it Senjyogahara

      Senjougahara is one of, if not the sole, favorite character of mine. Unfortunately, since Koimonogatari she's been very sparse. In actuality, since all the way back to Nisemonogatari, we haven't had a large quantity of her and Araragi together, either. Because of this, it's going to be really easy for me to get off topic in this section; I may start accidentally talking about her as a character in general, instead of her direct involvement in Shinobu Mail.

      Again, because of her sparsity, her involvement is going to be seeded very deeply in the earlier parts of the series. Though I am still confident that her roll in Shinobu Mail is important, to understand the impact we'll have to start elsewhere.

がはら by Pivix user えねりっく
I really like this particular picture a lot, because
it's one of the only pictures I've found of Hitagi that
Really makes her look frail, like she's described.

      I'm going to bring it up a third time; Bakemonogatari was originally intended to be stand-alone. Because of that, the romantic relationship with Senjougahara which was a major focus of that series is almost completely realized and establish by the time Bake- concludes. I could go into depth on how this relationship progressed, but in short, it's built on trust that was tested early and often, and the biggest threat to this relationship being revealed as Hanekawa Tsubasa.

      The most threatening Hanekawa ever was is during (and arguably prior to) the Tsubasa Cat story arc. By this point in the story though, real love and understanding has had time to blossom between Koyomi and Hitagi, to the point where Koyomi can be filled to the brim with lust for [Black] Hanekawa and deny her for Senjougahara, even though that act threatens his life. From that point on, I think there was no doubt in either of their minds that they were with the person they most wanted to be with.

      This was the most extreme test Araragi and Gahara's relationship went through, but far from being the only one; because of this, they're able to be individuals in a relationship. Senjougahara is able to do what she wants and needs to do without worrying about Koyomi and his harem, and Araragi, to a lesser extent, can do the same for Hitagi.

      The meta that is Senjougahara's character is excellent, too. In Bake-, Senjougahara refers to herself as a tsundere more than once. As I stated earlier, however, she is very much not that character archetype. 

      A tsundere is a character that is initially irrationally closed off emotionally, but who has a sweet, warm side that lies under that shell. On the very, very, very shallow surface, this tag could be haphazardly thrown onto Senjougahara, and I believe Nisio Isin wants you to make that mistake at first. 

      You see, nothing about Senjougahara is irrational. </lie>
      Okay, Senjougahara's irrationalities are not the same irrationalities that would make up a tsundere. Strictly speaking, this archetype is characterized by being closed off for no real reason other than for the sake of said archetype. Senjougahara at the beginning, however is utterly incapable of being open emotionally. Her emotional capacity was taken away from her along with her weight from the Heavy Stone Crab god. This is not the same thing as being irrationally closed off, and when you really look at Hitagi's behavior, you see it took no time at all for her to get close to Koyomi when she had the emotional capacity.

      The other half is a little harder to disprove, because Senjougahara is absolutely a warm and caring individual, and this grows along with the relationship. Though she is quite literally mad at times, Senjougahara wants what's best for Araragi, and would even put her pride aside for his sake. Again, if you were being utterly reckless, you could call this tsundere, but that just not what it is. She's a girl in love expressing real love and real understanding.

Screencap taken from Bakemonogatari
Credit: SHaFT

      As the show moves along, the moments between Araragi and Senjougahara become less important. They're already established, and you, the viewer, have to be sold at this point that there is no real threat to that relationship. What we do see is Hitagi becoming a happy foundation in Araragi's life. Through Tsukimonogatari and Owarimonogatari, it's near impossible to deny that Koyomi has something really special and downright pleasant with Hitagi. She starts calling him Koyo-Koyo, the silliest possible pet name you could manage from his name, and making him chocolate, but perhaps the most telling of how fantastic she is as his partner comes in the form of a phone call in Shinobu Mail. Every single word they exchange carries a real weight to it. There's seemingly infinite substance.

"I'm sorry, I was feeling a bit helpless," he tells her.

"I see. Leave everything concerning Hanekawa to me," she replies.

      Of course, Senjougahara thinks he's talking about the events of Tsubasa Tiger, which are currently unfolding at this point. Because she knows how much Hanekawa means to Araragi, she's already taken it upon herself already to see to Hanekawa being taken care of -- before Araragi could even voice his concern or ask her to do anything, Senjougahara helped him carry what she knows would be a burden for him. She even directs Hanekawa to the Araragi household where she ends up staying in Koyomi's bed, again showing a lot of selflessness. 

      He had no clue she was in trouble. They're individuals in a relationship. They live their own lives, but take care of each other.

Koyomi: "This may be our last call, so can I

ask you something that might upset you? 

If someone with better qualifications were 

to confess his love to you, 

what would you do?"

Hitagi: "If that were the case, I think I would switch to the new guy completely... 

That's why you have to work for a relationship, 

or you'll get left for someone else. 

Even if you can't become someone special in general, 

you can become a special person for a specific person... 

Rest assured, Araragi, you're already plenty special enough of a person,

for myself, Kanbaru* and Shinobu, too."

Koyomi: "You really understood what I meant. Amazing."

Hitagi: "I am your girlfriend after all. I was very happy you called."

      Just as Araragi had no clue about what was happening with Hanekawa, Senjougahara had no way of knowing about what Araragi had been preoccupied with. 

      Remember how I mentioned I really didn't know why Koyomi agreed to participate in the duel with the first minion (the Legendary-Apparition Killer)? Even with that truth, I do know why he never backed out when he was given the opportunity, and it has everything to do with what Senjougahara said above. 

      "You have to work for a relationship," she said. You have to do the hard things. Even if you're nothing special, by doing things for someone that others wouldn't, you become something special to that person. I said earlier that [Araragi's] the man who is accepted for no other reason than that he chooses to be there," and that's absolutely what Senjougahara was telling him -- that he was already plenty special to them, just go be you.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Owarimonogatari - Credit: SHaFT 

      *Note: I don't think she means anything by mentioning Kanbaru. I'm pretty sure this should just be taken as reinforcement to the idea that Senjougahara has no idea what's going on, but she knows that Araragi is with Shinobu and Kanbaru, and that he doesn't think he's good enough for one of, if not both, of them.

Part IV: Kanbaru and Ougi

Kanbaru Suruga

      Kanbaru plays a really integral part of the plot of Shinobu Mail, but because of that, there's not a lot of interpretation to do concerning her. Instead, I'd rather look at what she contributed to the, as I described it, familiar feeling of the episode.

      I was really happy to have Kanbaru back as a main supporting character. The last time we saw Kanbaru Suruga in any meaningful role was in Hanamonogatari, "Suruga Devil," where she served as the protagonist (or depending on your definition, the perspective character). In all honesty, that was one of my least favorite Series in Monogatari to date, because without Koyomi, Kanbaru was just another character who was facing adversity. 

      Objectively and from a critical point of view, there's nothing wrong with that. I tend to refer to Digibro's analytical views (of Monogatari) when it comes to anime, and he reinforces my thought that this is Kanbaru's most solid outing as a character -- but I didn't like it. At this point in the series, I recognized, in my mind, that Kanbaru was a character who feigned exhibitionism for no reason other than to make Araragi uncomfortable, because deep down, they both enjoyed the exchanged. These perverse situations were enjoyable in the least perverse way possible, by the viewers, and by the two characters involved.

      This was lost the last time we got any substantial amount of Kanbaru. She was dealing with some life-changing subject matter, and she was doing it without the help of her peers, for the most part. Kanbaru is a fun character because she enjoys her life and makes the tense moments light, but in Hanamonogatari, she wasn't given that kind of freedom.

      Of course, this isn't about Hanamonogatari. In Owarimonogatari, we get to return to a Kanbaru who can't be serious and spends half an episode telling Araragi he was a pervert for things he wasn't doing. After the two are nearly killed, she decides to let him walk around with a footprint on his face without telling him. These aren't the most epitomizing moments for Kanbaru, though.

Kanbaru Vector from Hanamonogatari
by Deviantart user Phluzzor
Additional Credits, SHaFT
(Kanbaru is a favorite Character design of mine)

      The moment that captures this most comes in the second to last episode of Owarimonogatari. In the episode before, Kanbaru has sent Koyomi off to go buy her a bra and erotic books, of all things, in part from necessity, and in part because that's what Suruga does. When he returns in this episode though, he observes a heated exchange between Shinobu, ever the prideful, and Kanbaru. 

      The topic of the conversation is irrelevant. What's worth taking note of is how Kanbaru is handling the situation. I've mentioned (and you should already know) that Kanbaru is Gaen's niece, and the confidence she shows is apparent. She criticizes possibly the most famous of aberrations to her face and calls her a coward. When Shinobu threatens to kill Kanbaru, she refuses to back down.

      As emotionally-charged as this conversation is, it's also cold and logical. This is very encapsulating of Kanbaru, and it could be any number of things that makes her this way. She's still young, and youth tends to bring passion and an air of confidence that there is always a right thing to do. On top of that, you look at who her most influential upperclassmen are: Hitagi and Koyomi, two very passionate people who tend to have a mind for justice, and doing what’s right -- maybe even more so when it's the more difficult thing to do.

      In Hana-, these two upperclassmen of hers are no longer around, and Kanbaru seems to be at a loss, and I think we catch her there in a bit of a soul-searching stage of her life. In Owari-, she hasn't faced this yet, and I think the fact that she's still acting without overthinking helps her be who she truly is. She thinks that Shinobu is being immature and heartless, and she calls her out on it. All of these things make up the Kanbaru I know and love, and I was so glad to see her back for the final arc.

      Note: It's weird saying we have this version of Kanbaru back for Owarimonogatari, when it takes place earlier chronologically than the Kanbaru I had trouble enjoying in Hanamonogatari.

"Oshino" Ougi I refuse to believe that she is an Oshino

      [4/16] A few days ago (After I had already planned this section, but not before I finished writing it) it was brought to my attention that the subject discussed here has, in fact, been answered in Monogatari's source material. I think this speculation still has its merit, however, as many of you (like me) experience[d] Monogatari exclusively through the anime medium. From what I understand, the points here aren't incorrect in either theory, but they're misplaced. 

"扇-chan" Credit: Pivix user OAS

      Since [s]he (for the sake of clarity, and ease of understanding, I will call her "she" unless referencing her in specific to Hanamonogatari) was introduced in Kabukimonogatari, Oshino Ougi has been an extremely unsettling character. I should just stop here, because there's not a single word or combination of words I could use to describe Ougi's presence better than "unsettling"...

      But this is Extra Pulp OJ, and by God, we're getting that extra pulp.

      Ougi is more than likely the main culprit as to why The Monogatari Series' ending refused to sit still with me. She's absolutely fascinating in the most uncomfortable way, so for this section, I'd like to talk about a theory -- One that I'm very interested in and makes much more logical sense than my original conclusion I came to while initially watching the series.

      In the beginning, I had no idea what I was getting into with Monogatari, so some of the meta (okay, a lot of the meta) flew over my head. I mentioned that a major bit that I missed was that Araragi plays the viewer's point of view often, if not all of the time. But by the time I started realizing these elements were present in the show, Ougi was already introduced. 
      When I finally faced the question I couldn't stop asking myself, "Who is this Ougi character?" I came to the (probably not too unique) conclusion that she was the viewer in the story -- or in other words, what Araragi actually is. It made sense, I thought. That's why she's so undefined, black irises instead of an actual eye color, she doesn't show a lot outside of her ill-fitting uniform; she became an ideal character for you to project yourself into. This was further reinforced by Koyomi frequently explaining story elements to her and how he seems to have a loose tongue around her. Furthermore, she seemed to know more than a normal character should know -- Like Gaen, but on a somehow more mysterious level.

      As much as I liked this theory, and I still do entertain the thought, because why not, I was introduced to an even more convincing theory by an anonymous internet friend. "Oshino" Ougi is the "darkness" that chased Mayoi. Of course, this is the same darkness that caused the story of Shinobu's first minion to occur.

      So what are the elements to this theory? It's pretty simple, and the more you think about it, the more sense it makes. Simply, the "darkness's" soul purpose is to seek out oddities that need to be addressed in one way or another -- It threatens them to either become an oddity again, finish their job, or be destroyed. In Mayoi's case, she had no reason to be around as a ghost any longer, as her problem had been resolved, and Shinobu was targeted because she stopped being what a vampire should be. Ougi acts the same way, seeming to facilitate or move characters toward problems that need resolving. A couple of these instances include Ougi informing Nadeko of the charm that eventually turns her into a god, introducing Suruga the rumor of Sir Devil, and there are a couple of other instances. 

      Even more obvious than that, it explains her appearance. Besides her face, we don't ever see much of Ougi, but what we do see is black on paleness. I would imagine darkness personified being more of a silhouette (see the heartless from Kingdom Hearts), but it's a very little stretch to suggest that it could take a form like Ougi if it could at all be personified.

      The most convincing bit to me personally has to be her personality. More specifically, how she makes people feel, including the viewer. All of the characters seem to be extremely cautious and suspicious of Ougi, and that's part of it, but not the major part. Again, she's incredibly unsettling, and it has less to do with her appearance and more to do with how her interactions affect people. The "darkness" makes people feel the need to get away, and Ougi makes people very aware that she is there. It's a bit of a stretch, I guess, but it's such a big part of who she is, and what the "darkness" is.

Monogatari end Card - Credit: SHaFT

      However, I have some minor problems with this theory. They're nit-picky, but they're where my though process tends to lead me. For starters, why would the "darkness" suddenly decide to be indirect in how it works? The darkness threatened its targets' lives immediately and aggressively, but Ougi doesn't seem to work that way. She tend to point people in the direction she wants them to go, and when things don’t unfold exactly how she wants them too, there's still no aggression, and because of her personality, hardly a sign of disappointment at all. 

      The other big problem comes from my first theory -- why would the darkness loosen Araragi's tongue? He' terrified of the darkness's presence, and he seems to be very comfortable (and even welcoming) with Ougi's. I suppose you could argue that it's targeting Araragi in this unique way, but that just leads me back to my first point: the darkness has never acted that way, and Koyomi is hardly someone worth changing your proven strategy over -- especially when Hanekawa can beat you in a "battle" for Koyomi's attention.

Monogatari end card. Credit: SHaFT

      Another, more abstract problem I find it that Ougi can change genders -- or rather, that (s)he does. Whereas the darkness is very memorable (Shinobu could recall, in detail, an event around the "darkness" that happened 400 years prior), Ougi is so out-of-the-minds of the characters that (s)he can change something as absolute as her gender without people questioning it for more than a moment.

      Whatever the case may be, I'm incredibly interested in what becomes of Ougi, and I think this lack of information on her is a large cause of my mixed feelings about the ending. I want to find out more about her, but I also never want to have to see her in the show ever again.

Final Thoughts

As you can probably tell, there's a lot I has to say about this series. It was, and continues to be a wild ride to follow. The Monogatari series has done a lot of things for me, including the fact that I started Extra Pulp OJ as an outlet for my amazement with the show. Writing this post has furthered my love for the series, and been being able to go back and watch some of my favorite moments from Monogatari again (for clarity's sake and direct quotes) has been something I've loved every second of -- even the second time around! All of that said, I'm about 3,000 words past my initial expectations for this post, so I'm going to cut it short here. Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to visit me here!