DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ComedyBakemonogatari
MOVIE ActionKizumonogatari III: Reiketsu-hen
NOVEL ActionNekomonogatari: Kuro

REVIEWS

• 

  Grassman

  85/100
  A short, but in depth, analysis of one of the more interesting characters in the Monogatari series: Tsubasa Hanekawa.

  Nekomongatari Black contains the Tsubasa Family arc from the Monogatari series. This dialogue packed yet short 4 episode season tells the tale of how Tsubasa Hanekawa was possessed by the Meddlecat and delves into Araragi's complicated feelings for Hanekawa. And it does it in excellent fashion, through spectacular visual directing, as is common for the monogatari series.

  __Possible Spoilers for Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari__

  Story and Characters

  Nekomonogatari Black gives us a view into the nature of Hanekawa and Araragi's characters, as well as their relationship. It subverts our expectations that had been build up since Bake regarding their situation. The two previous installments in the series, Bake and Nise, had framed Hanekawa and Araragi as a one-sided love relationship. It had also been assumed that Hanekawa was a troubled victim of family problems and stress. But the reality is that their relationship and Hanekawa's character is much more unsettling.

  Hanekawa wasn't being possessed, she was her own monster. A self depreciating and emotionless monster with a fake front. She ends this season the same way it started (if not worse because now she will be eternally heartbroken by Araragi's rejection), living an abusive relationship with her "family" and with herself. It leaves us with a hope of growth for such a complex character. However, in the viewers eyes Hanekawa's character has seen changed from what we assumed from the last two seasons of the Monogatari series.

  Araragi on the other hand leaves Golden Week a changed man. Hanekawa was someone he used to idolize, so much that he wanted to die for her. But after discovering her nature as a monster (similar to him), and the difference between love and desire, he has to give up on the idea of loving her. Even if he was lying to himself about not living her, he comes to understand what unconditional love means. Leading us into his relationship with Senjougahara. We even see the difference in his relationship with Shinobu during Golden Week and the present.

  Very insightful character development for both in only 4 episodes.

  

  Visuals and Sound

  These two are trademarks of the Monogatari series. Nekomonogatari is no exception. The experimental art style with the unique soundtrack and editing make this an enjoyable watch. The ability to tell so much only by looking is remarkable as shown in the picture above, the color scheme referencing their similarities as monsters/aberrations. Even if the Monogatari series is dialogue based, its visuals still subconsciously transmit a lot of emotion and information.

  Conclusion

  Nekomonogatari is my favorite installment in the series so far because of its faster pacing and the presentation of more complex versions of already established characters.

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• 

  Vollerei

  86/100
  A short entry that brings to light the events of Golden Week while further developing Araragi and Hanekawa effectively

  “Know that falling in love with someone is as ordinary as a dog barking, so it's not worth worrying about so much.” -Tsukihi Araragi

  DISCLAIMER: The events of this entry are under the assumption that you’ve seen at least the first entry of the Monogatari series (Bakemonogatari). If you haven’t, then please read no further as it may contain minor spoilers. Nekomonogatari: Kuro takes place in the timeline before the events of Bakemonogatari, more specifically during Golden Week.

  Nekomonogatari. This entry in the series was aimed to provide a little backstory on what happened that fateful Golden Week we’ve heard mentioned countless times. It also had even provided the very nature of Araragi and Hanekawa’s relationship, and how they saw one another as potential love interests. Nekomonogatari was focused on developing the characters of both Araragi and Hanekawa, and further explains how she came to have the nickname “Black Hanekawa”. What seemed at first to be a single family problem for Hanekawa was soon revealed to be a lot more complicated than what was first thought. And the repercussions of it all were far greater than what Araragi or Oshino could’ve anticipated....

  Art and Animation: 8.6/10

  • Overall, there wasn’t much to complain about when it came to this department. No major mistakes, and there were only a few minor instances regarding animation fluidity that weren’t as smooth as I would’ve liked to see. The only problem being that I felt like something was off this time around. The usual mysterious and dream-like vibe that I got from the art style wasn’t as prominent, and I believe this might’ve been just because of the focus brought on Black Hanekawa. Don’t get me wrong, she is one FINE neko, but the usual mysterious apparition vibe wasn’t there any more. I did however enjoy her laid back, nonchalant attitude since it was a great addition that we haven’t seen yet. Even in action, Black Hanekawas acrobatic skills were true to the nature that one should expect from a cat. We’ll get more on this in the next section though.

  Storyline and Character Progression: 8.9/10

  • I really enjoyed how much time was being given to Hanekawa this time around. Not only that, but her inner conflicting thoughts and feelings were finally revealed to us. It was as if we didn’t even know the “real” Hanekawa until now, and she’s now easily become one of the more complicated characters in the Monogatari series. Even when we think we’ve finally gotten a grasp on how Hanekawa works, it seems as though she becomes even more of a mess the deeper we look. I’ve always been skeptical of the whole “double personality” thing, but this anime managed to turn it into something that brought on powerful symbolic meaning, This apparition was the physical embodiment of emotions that Hanekawa herself wasn’t even aware of. It was more than just another personality that interferes with her daily life, but it was an actual part of her that she was scared of and was ultimately running away from. With Araragi in the picture, and him trying to figure out things, he soon finds himself questioning who Hanekawa is to him. The interactions that follow are really touching, as they both are wanting to do their best for one another. In the end, the character progression here is entertaining to say the least, it’s meaningful.

  Soundtrack and Audio: 8.4/10

  • The soundtrack in this was great to listen to, with no real complaints coming from me. I definitely enjoyed the OP, but nothing really had an emotional impact on me. There weren’t any musical moments that were able to really capitalize on situations and give them that extra kick. As far as audio goes, it was all still a joy to listen to. Unless you have something against an insanely beautiful cat apparition saying “nya” multiple times in a sentence, i can guarantee you’ll still love the audio in this entry.

  Overall, Nekomonogatari: Kuro was a great addition to the “present” storyline that satisfied a lot of the questions I had before starting it. I believe the storyline delivered the information that it was trying to relate, and the overall pacing was very good for just 4 episodes. The character development was far deeper than I was expecting, especially when it came to Hanekawa. Aside from odd change in “environment”, I think I was just used to the mystery and suspense of discovering new apparitions. This entry overall scored an 8.6/10 for its great execution in clarifying the events of the past and development of Araragi and Hanekawa. Until next time, see y’all soon!

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• 

  CreativeUsername39

  60/100
  The somewhat lacking Nekomonogatari: Kuro is not exactly Monogatari's strongest, but it is still perfectly watchable.

  Note From the Author: I've changed the rating from 55 to 60 and edited a few sentences ever so slightly as, even though I do still do generally stand by the opinions expressed here, I do think I was initially a bit harsh on NekoKuro.

  ---

  I’ll just come right out and say that Nekomonogatari: Kuro, also known as the Tsubasa Family arc, is my least favourite Monogatari instalment. Not because it’s bad or damaging to the series in any way. Frankly, it’s neither of those, it’s perfectly harmless and inoffensive. It’s just predictable and well...almost kind of pointless.

  

  NekoKuro is effectively the extended version of the Golden Week flashback from Bakemonogatari Episode 11 (Tsubasa Cat, Part 1). It tells the story of Koyomi Araragi and Tsubasa Hanekawa’s first encounter with the sawarineko oddity, and the original emergence of Black Hanekawa.

  As I mentioned before, NekoKuro does not do anything to the overall series' detriment. Koyomi and Tsubasa’s characterization in this arc is on point. We learn some very interesting new things about Tsubasa and her relationship with her family, and Koyomi’s development into the mindset that he is in in Bake is handled well, as are their very well-written and enjoyable interactions. In that sense, NekoKuro does its job.

  The problem is the fact that we already know like 85% of this story. We know what’s going to happen, we know how it will end, we…just know. It was all told to us in like ten minutes back in Bake. Why are we spending almost two hours on this now?

  The additional info that we get does not break the general feeling of predictability plaguing this arc, nor does it do much to justify its existence. Once again, it is interesting and adds depth to both of the leads, but it could have easily been delivered elsewhere. Instead, it is surrounded by an entire arc of which way too much feels like borderline hot air.

  

  All that said, from the technical stand-point, NekoKuro is solid throughout. Admittedly, I don’t think it stands out too much when compared to some of the other instalments, but it’s still Monogatari, so there is still plenty of charm to be found in its art style and directing, and the music is as good as always. Monogatari has an excellent track record with openings, and this arc is no exception. Perfect Slumbers is a very, for lack of a better word, elegant song. Slow, melancholic, and calm, it has a certain magic to it, which makes it one of my personal favourite Monogatari OPs. Voice acting-wise, I have already praised all of NekoKuro’s cast’s performances in their respective roles in my reviews of Bake and Nise, and here they are just as good.

  I don’t know how the Tsubasa Family arc was handled in the original light novel. Here however, it mostly feels like a placeholder. Something mainly released just to keep the audience thinking about Monogatari in between Nise and Second Season, while giving them some new information about the characters to not make it too obvious. It most likely was not the actual intent, but that is what it felt like to me as I was watching it. Still, it is certainly not bad, and it has paved the way for something genuinely amazing, in the form of the, in my opinion, far superior Nekomonogatari: Shiro. As for Nekomomongatari: Kuro, it is far from some sort of a horrific disappointment. It’s just a relatively average chapter of an amazing story.

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