We got our first emotional peak in this week’s Owari, and it was certainly something. These last few episodes have largely painted Oikura’s story as something that reflected Araragi’s issues, but this episode was all about Oikura for her own sake, and let her fill in the pieces through an oppressive recounting of her life to date. That was all well done, but it was the last third or so that really got to me, when Hanekawa, Araragi, and Oikura basically all offered their own personal reflections on depression and happiness. These were some of the sharpest exchanges of any arc of the show, and were just one more example of well Monogatari really gets its characters and people in general. I’m sure I’m not the only one who could relate to a discussion on the relative safety of a known unhappiness.
You can check out my supersized review over at ANN, or my notes below!
Apparently, Araragi and Oikura were childhood friends. And he didn’t remember this, and had to be told by his parents
And he still has no memory of it, even after being told
She even stayed with their family to protect her from her own family situation
But Oikura went back to her own home of her own accord
Oikura’s voice is always on the verge of cracking
Oikura’s apartment looks like an unfinished set. Bare walls, pipes, stepladders
Oikura refuses to make eye contact with Hanekawa, so we don’t see Hanekawa’s face
Matched shots of Oikura and Araragi sizing each other up
The shots are extremely quick and jerky in this scene
Hanekawa snatches the tea Oikura threw out of the air. The mediator here, and also a badass
And now the overhanging light blocks Oikura’s face. Constant avoidance of direct engagement
“I’m so embarrassed that I tried to save myself when it meant kissing up to a guy like this”
Oikura’s voice actress is killing it
Hanekawa steals all the things she could throw at him
“Everything that’s wrong with me is my parents’ fault”
Her parents abused her both before and after the divorce. Her mother, who got custody, was an emotional wreck who blamed her daughter
And then her mother just left
So then she threw away that life and its baggage, and now lives alone in a bare apartment
Scrubbing her identity/personhood visually and in this narrative
Telling this awful story but then saying she’s fortunate in this sing-song voice. Not at all genuine
Her mother left through another locked room. Hanekawa picks this up, not taking Oikura’s words at face value
Araragi and Hanekawa discuss the specifics of Oikura’s story, Oikura just wants to draw out the guilty parallel between her own life and Araragi’s
Seeing Araragi’s happy home only drove in her lack. Shots of Oikura just outside the light
Now we see how all these meetings formed a narrative in Oikura’s mind
“I know it’s not your fault. I know that I’m the one at fault.” Twisting the possibilities. It’s not Araragi’s fault, but it’s also not her fault
“I’m sorry, but please be my villain” Like Nadeko
“Why can’t I be happy?” “You’re not happy because you’re not trying to be happy. Nobody can make someone that’s not trying to be happy into someone that’s happy.” Hanekawa speaking from experience
The weight of unhappiness is easier to bear than the potential weight of happiness. There is a comfort in this pain, in sinking beneath it. “Someone else could make me happy” is easier than the struggle of being unhappy and knowing you need to fight, day after day after day
“Don’t overestimate what happiness is.” Also true. Happiness is not victory
“All the types of “despise” within your body… I’ll accept them all” Classic Araragi, and also reflective of Ougi’s “that portion of you that you hate is how much I’ll love you”
“Troubling those we care about is how we do things.” Hanekawa articulates a perfect Monogatari line
Hanekawa says she’s grown fond of Oikura, and then we finally see Oikura’s face above the ceiling light
And she asks them to find her mother
That was the most exhausting episode of Owarimonogatari so far – in a good way. Definitely the emotional highlight of the season so far and in my opinion on par with this year’s strongest episodes of any show.
I also really liked how the show deliberately draws parallels between Oikura and Hanekawa even down to little details. For example Araragi using his blood to heal Oikura’s bruise when he did that exactly the same way (using a safety pin) with Hanekawa in Nekomonogatari Kuro #1.
Also, on rewatch I noticed the framing and shot composition in which Oikura’s scenes often had a slanted camera or diagonal lines (the bookshelf for example) in the shot, underlining the feeling of anxiety and tension, while Hanekawa and Araragi more often had a focus on clear vertical lines (for e.g. the door frames).
Stupid trivia but Hanekawa’s line about happiness brought forth a memory of another Yui Horie character Toradora’s Minorin who said something similar to Taiga, my happiness can’t be achieved by anyone else but me (paraphrase). http://kissanime.animesubhd.tk/watch/episode/subbed/toradora-episode-23/
Marina did do great, and it’s one of the strengths of Monogatari has that when a seiyuu gets cast for a new role you know they get handed a meaty role which they can work with and be creative with. A Monogatari role isn’t your everyday archetypical role. So good for Monogatari to provide these opportunities (and as a seiyuu fan I highly appreciate this.)