Some time ago I got my hands on Bakemonogatari.  I never did a thorough watching of it, but it was impressively bizarre.  It was most notable for fast flashes of pages of text related to the scene going on.  I do mean to get back to it sometime.

I just spotted the first three episodes of Nekomonogatari (Black) in my feed.  The title was distinctive enough that I figured I should see what it was.  It's a prequel to Bakemonogatari.  I don't really know enough about the story to give a good summary of the situation, other than the hero is an ex-vampire, and there are a lot of normal-appearing monster girls in the cast.  But this first episode wasn't so much about that.  Basically our hero, Araragi Koyomi, spends most of the episode talking with his younger sister trying to figure out if he's in love with this girl in his class.  He has nothing to compare it to.  Eventually they conclude that he is, until he mentions her very generous endowments and what he wants to do with them.  Then she concludes that he's just very sexually frustrated.  There's a brief scene with his other sister, which is somewhat surreal, and finally, he runs into the girl and the scene between them goes right into the gutter, and then takes a completely unexpected turn.

It SOUNDS like a big nothing, but what is REALLY stunning about this program is the staging.  It is very artsy, in a good way.  The dialogue is crisp, fast paced, and very clever.  If it weren't five thirty in the morning, there's probably something I could compare it to, but I can't remember at this moment.  The visuals though are also amazing, and come in just as rapid-fire as the dialogue.  The characters don't just stand there and talk, but often find themselves in dramatic postures.  Quick-close-ups and silhouettes abound.  (Maybe Madoka?  But without the mixed media.)  You could perhaps liken it to a fast-cut music video, but it actually makes a certain kind of sense.  There's a rhythm to it.

And as much as you are tempted, at least the first time through, don't bother trying to pause or frame advance to read the title cards.  That totally disrupts the rhythm.

Because of all the fast cuts, in spite of the interesting art, it wasn't so conducive to screen shots.  Or, my excuse is that it's time for bed (I work second shift, so my clock is funny to begin with). But perhaps I'll see what I can attach to this later.

Update: Found a PV, which indicates this isn't a prequel, but a connecting story. Seems there was an even earlier series Movie called, get this, Kizumonogatari. I'm not sure what a Kizumono is. Vampire? Anyway, it's not available from the usual suspects.

Working on Pics.  Creating new subfolders is... arcane.

And the Pictures:

From the Series Preview kind of thing before the OP.
Yes, that is a SNAIL girl (check the shadow), and I think she's a  runaway.  So that's her entire life on her back.

The Curse Cat, maybe.

'nother cat girl.

When you're an ex-vampire and your sister is one of a pair of warrior girls, and easily excitable, you have to expect things like her trying to impale you with a crowbar.  Could be worse, she could try to kill you with a forklift.

They return to this pose several times during the conversation, trying to get it back on track.  Always preceded by a title card saying "Kneel".

Our Hero.  Note, they use non-black outlines for an arty look.

They don't stick to kneeling.  Dramatic postures during the discussion abound.

Seriously, it's like conversational Tai-Chi.

And there are frequent visual metaphors.  The signs were dubbed so well, I didn't realize it until I looked at the cap.  They say Hate, Neutral, and Love.

This was just nice, with the hair flowing all un-natural-like....

Foreshortening.

Ouch.  She tried to prove a point by inviting him to fondle her breasts, expecting him to refuse.  Big mistake.

BIG MISTAKE!  She couldn't shake him loose.

The other sister doesn't know her limits, went out jogging in the morning, and ended up running a full marathon.  She came home soaked in so much sweat she flooded the foyer.  She defined love as "Looking at their face makes you want to have their babies." more or less.
Curse you Price-Pfister!

On the other hand, this is the girl in question, can you blame him?

Student class president, knows his status, seems nice, but I have a doubt.  In the next series she gets possessed by the Curse Cat.

Did I mention it's Artsy?  They use a lot of things like fixed textures and gradients.  Also, there are no Extras.  Only the principal characters appear as far as I've seen.  Not an Anime for Agoraphobics.

Okay, enough.  17 pictures.  I'm trying to include them, but I'm not going to be making full-episode Fumetti anymore.

Posted by: Mauser at 05:48 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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