I have watched the first season of Monogatari. This includes Bakemonogatari Kizumonogatari and Nisemonogatari.

This shit is just weird to watch. The effects, animation, visuals are all genuinely peak, but the story is pretty retarded and the whole thing is really dependent on knowing japanese, which I don’t. I’ve read some explanations of just the names of the characters and how they are 200IQ triple meaning writing, but it doesn’t really come across at all in English.

The whole thing seems to be entirely symbolic and metaphorical. The main story is not the physical you see, but mental and psychological. The depictions, object selection, shot to shot differences in setting, it is really meaningful and I feel the thought and effort they put into it, but in the end, most of it goes completely over my head, even when I spend the whole season thinking about it. It probably clicks a lot better for japanese speakers.

That being said, the child porn really detracts from the viewing experience. Every girl the main character meets (except his actual gf) gets naked at some point in front of him. None of it is censored, they just don’t draw the nipples sometimes to get away with it. It’s usually completely unnecessary to the plot and they are mostly younger kids.

Overall, it’s super overproduced pedo shit, with a plot you won’t understand unless your japanese. Also it’s just boring. I really had to force myself to finish the season but every chance it just dissapointed me more.

4/10