Original Run: August 12, 2017 - August 13, 2017 Number of Episodes: 7 Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Supernatural Based on the Series Created By: Isin Nisio
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Owarimonogatari 2nd Season. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Koyomi Araragi (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya) wakes up in a strange, unknown place. For him, though, the strange and the unknown are nothing new. Koyomi has had enough experience with oddities to last a thousand lifetimes. For the moment, he just needs to figure out how to get back to where he needs to be.
As things are, Koyomi is on the cusps of his final battle. At long last, the greatest mystery he has faced is about to be solved.
Along this journey, Koyomi has saved, befriended, and made enemies of many.
Now, it is all about to come to an end.
Series Positives
To read my other Monogatari series reviews, please click HERE.
This has been a long time coming. Far too long in fact, and there is no excuse I can give to explain why.
The last time I featured a Monogatari installment – a series I claim to be a fan of – was back in December of 2016 with Koyomimonogatari. Between that and this post’s September 2019 release, we are looking at a gap just a few months shy of three years.
Granted, Owarimonogatari 2nd Season aired during the 2017 summer season, so, at least, part of the delay was not my fault. Too bad most of it was, and I wasn’t doing myself any favors. Since I have trouble recalling even fairly straightforward stories that have a linear beginning, middle, and end, forgoing my return to the Monogatari narrative to such an extent was pretty damn silly on my part. And on top of that, it would seem we have finally reached a conclusion* to this series.
*I am aware and intend to cover the handful of Monogatari films. Plus, saying Owarimonogatari 2nd Season is a “conclusion” can be misleading due to this story having not been told in chronological order.*
But let’s put aside all that for the sake of the review. Unraveling the timeline and complexity of Monogatari can be – and might be – a post of its own. For Owarimonogatari 2nd Season, I can describe it in a single word: Satisfying.
We can think of this installment as a finale because it brought things to a close. We were finally given answers to many long-standing questions, and the essence of what-in-the-actual-hell happened in this series was, at last, revealed.
And to that, I must ask: What else do I have to say? Or, perhaps the better question is, what more can I say?
You may be thinking:
But Odyssey. What of the characters? What of the story? What of the visuals, the dialogue, and everything else that makes Monogatari, Monogatari?
Well, that’s just it, isn’t it?
Owarimonogatari 2nd Season had all those elements. You have to remember, this marks the ninth post I’ve dedicated to this series, and every single installment has never failed to deliver.
This franchise has always been beautifully animated. The dialogue, while heavy and philosophical, has always been interesting. This story has been cleverly told and has proven to be a ton of fun follow.
If you are someone who wants to know the nitty-gritty details, I’ve already covered them. Besides, if you are reading this review to determine if the Monogatari series is right for you, why the hell did you start here? I can’t even imagine the person who legitimately decides to begin this narrative with Owarimonogatari 2nd Season.
And since this was, you know, the ending, do you really think there is anything I can expand upon that would be considered a non-spoiler? For instance, the climactic showdown of this season was excellent because it was the culmination of everything that has occurred. Koyomi had the clash with this show’s ultimate obstacle and…
That’s as far as I can go.
I can’t discuss what anything meant. I can’t bring up the whos, the wheres, and the whens of the situations and circumstances seen in this installment. Not here, anyway. If we are going to analyze and deconstruct this franchise, that will need to be its own separate post. And that’s already on top of just clarifying the timeline of events as mentioned earlier.
What I am trying to do right now is explain why I intend to give this show a recommendation or not. And to that extent, this is all you need to know:
Owarimonogatari 2nd Season was par for the course. And for the Monogatari series, that means it was excellent.
Series Negatives
The second verse is the same as the first.
I feel as though I should have a lot more to say given how overdue this review has become, but, frankly, I’m at a loss.
Like it was with the Series Positives section, what I could write here, I’ve written about before. But unlike the previous section, I think it would be beneficial if I do repeat myself.
I am not going to sit here and pretend I understood everything that was said in Owarimonogatari 2nd Season. That has always been a problem with the Monogatari franchise.
Here is an anime series that boasts some of the best-written dialogue in the entire medium. The conversations these characters have with each other are a ton of fun and engaging. However, there is a lot, and I mean, A LOT to take in. Monogatari doesn’t have a slow-mode, and this season was no different.
As is the nature of this series, unless you can maintain one-hundred percent attention one-hundred percent of the time, you are going to miss something. Although a few installments found ways to mitigate this, Owarimonogatari 2nd Season was not one of them.
But, if you are going into this show, then you should know full well this will be the case. I can’t see how the fast-paced dialogue is a deterrent at this point.
In fact, that’s all there is to it. If you’ve made this far with this series, why on Earth would you suddenly decide to stop here at the finish line?
While this may appear as though I am shrugging off this installment, I assure you, that is not the case.
Owarimonogatari 2nd Season was everything that has made the Monogatari series great. This, indeed, was a fitting end to a brilliant story.
Final Thoughts
Although I may have finished with the anime, there are still several films I need to get to. And that is fine by me. It will be a bittersweet day when I can no longer add any more posts to this site from this franchise.
As always, you can expect the same phenomenal level of writing, characters, dialogue, visuals, and animation. And for this installment especially, it did something that was not easy to accomplish. It put a cap to the one of a kind Monogatari series.
Thus, Owarimonogatari 2nd Season has earned a resounding recommendation.
But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? How would you advise Owarimonogatari 2nd Season? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.
My thoughts? Only one: “Yotsugi!” (I said, with a posed look. . .)