Alright alright folks, settle down, let’s get to the business at hand. So far, Zoku Owarimonogatari has done a predictably solid job of justifying its own existence, applying Isin’s perpetually skeptical gaze to the very idea of Monogatari having an “ending” in the first place. Our lives don’t resolve into neat little Happily Ever Afters once we’ve tackled our immediate emotional problems; each ending is actually a new beginning, and writing the first page of a new story is often the hardest part. Through challenging the insubstantial relationship between narrative drama and human existence, and making the paralyzing diversity of potential futures literal through the mirror world device, Isin has successfully written a coda that feels both inessential and natural. There’s no new villain to face, just the stark reality of deciding your life’s path.
All that intermingling of personal psychology, life philosophy, and supernatural metaphor is what we’ve come to expect from Monogatari. But beyond that, incidental thought experiment arcs like this also serve a different purpose: introducing us to all the cool characters and potential characters that have touched this world, including imposing yet heretofore unseen figures like Kanbaru’s mother. Mombaru’s unseen presence cast an imposing shadow over Hanamonogatari, and I’m eager to finally get acquainted. Let’s get to it!