As I've saidbefore,Monogatari isn't just one consistent show - it is several very different shows, all of them awkwardly wound into a single production. Normally, that multiplicity reveals itself through the show's “brokenness” - an arc will be two thirds genius, one third garbage, or a smartly composed story of regret and impermanence interspersed with conversations about snails and randomfanservice. But here, at the end of season two,Monogatari leans entirely into its strengths. Koimonogatari is the substance that makesMonogatari one of my favorite productions - I wish I could recommendthis show to everyone, but it only usually exists in fragments and sequences scattered among longer, thornier stretches. It is a veryMonogatari choice for the show to wait fifty-odd episodes before revealing how good it can be, but I'm not going to look a gift Kaiki in the mouth.

As a show obsessed with how our perspectives filter our realities,Monogatari's “normal” is generally filtered through the very specific lens of Araragi's perspective. He is the default viewpoint character, and thus anything we know is first interpreted by his brain. Because of this, the usual world ofMonogatari is the world as a horny and self-involved teenage boy sees it - highly sexualized, often mysterious, simultaneously larger and smaller than you'd expect. But with Nadeko's vow to murder Araragi hanging overhead, Senjougahara realizes that only the master deceiver Kaiki can save them. And so it is through Kaiki's very different eyes that we finally see the end of Nadeko's adventure into godhood, as he returns to town for one last con.

Kaiki is the clear standout character of this arc, and his personality, voice, and values give it a very unique energy. This starts with his wonderful monologues, full of deadpan humor and a constant awareness that he is “performing” for an audience. The arc opens with him declaring “let's start the final story! Of course, this may be a lie, too,” and things only get less sincere from there. But the way Kaiki trips up the usual banter between the variousMonogatari characters is satisfying as well - seeing him shut down Yotsugi's character gimmicks, or glumly ponder whether Araragi is actually some kind of sex criminal, or even just respond to Nadeko's neediness with an unflappable blank stare, all feel like little rewards for the time we've spent suffering through Araragi's indulgence. Oftentimes, the conversations between Araragi and other characters can feel like Nisio Isin is simply talking to himself - characters slip into Araragi's rhythm naturally, and so conversations feel more like a comedy act than an exchange between two actual people. But Kaiki isn't playing games with these kids, and the resulting lopsided banter helps highlight individual personalities far more successfully than many of the show's earlier conversations.

Kaiki isn't just funnier and less skeevy than Araragi - his own personality and arc smartly reflect the ideas at the heart ofMonogatari. As a man obsessed with deception and the frailty of “truth,” his monologues reveal sharp nuances in the overallMonogatari message of “engaging honestly with the self is the only way to engage honestly with the world.” Kaiki doubts everything, but his actions and sideways language reveal that this doubt is underlined by a deeply held belief inpeople overall. His belief in Senjougahara is what drives him in this arc - the way she “always looks like she's falling in love for the first time” is something he fundamentally needs to see rewarded. This sets him up as the ideal opponent of Nadeko Sengoku, who doubts nothing people tell her, but could never trust anyone or look outside of her own self-obsession. His speeches articulate whatMonogatari has been slowly leading towards all along. In Kaiki's hands, a line like “no matter what the truth, the moment it's told, it becomes dramatized” come across both as a fundamental lesson ofMonogatari and a personal acknowledgment that points to his own underlying empathy, concealed through his language but clear in his choice to help Senjougahara. Kaiki is smart, complex, and effortlessly funny, and following him through Koimonogatari is a treat.

Beyond Kaiki himself, seeing the world through an adult's eyes substantially shifts our understanding ofMonogatari's other characters. Having moved from a helpless little sister archetype to a petulant "victim," Nadeko now emerges as a ridiculous yet strangely endearing villain. From an alluring and terrifying girlfriend, Senjougahara is revealed as a childish and deeply insecure girl - still scarred by the abuses of her past, she lashes out defensively in a way Kaiki both understands and sympathizes with. No longer a self-hating lost soul obsessed with Araragi, Hanekawa now proves herself to be the most self-aware and forward-looking of allMonogatari's main characters, the one protagonist who actually impresses Kaiki. Her cameo in this arc serves as validation for everything she's been through, and her “I only know what I know” catchphrase finally rings true - it's not a gimmick, it's the rallying cry of the entire show. We only know our own worlds, but by acknowledging the perspective and the pain that defines us, we can hope to look outwards, extend a hand to others.

Setting aside this thematic richness and Kaikiservice, Koimonogatari is also engaging on a strict narrative level. Unlike many ofMonogatari's arcs, the constant question of “how's Kaiki actually going to pull this off?” lends a real sense of suspense and urgency to the arc, with smaller through-lines like the consistent baiting of Hanekawa's arrival making sure the audience appreciates each reward and character arc tying-off as it arrives. And the ending is a stunner - full of dramatic reversals, unlikely humor, and rousing speeches, it showcases both Nadeko and Kaiki at their best while shining a light onMonogatari's ultimate entreaties towards self-awareness and honestly engaging with the world. Though Kaiki himself downplays the wisdom of his final messages (“I told her the obvious… things that adults tell children”), in light of all we've seen these characters go through, his last words cut deep.

Koimonogatari's visual aesthetic remains true toMonogatari's general style while introducing some distinctly Kaiki touches. As always, the show sets itself up as a self-conscious stage play - characters are highlighted against constantly shifting color schemes, lighting shifts on a dime for dramatic effect, and reflections in eyes or mirrors emphasize the show's obsession with perception and mirrored character journeys. But in keeping with the way Kaiki's viewpoint changes our understanding of the characters, his eyes also alter our view of the world. For the first time, we see the city ofMonogatari as an actual city - tall skyscrapers, twinkling streetlamps, taxis and tourist spots. His untrustworthy nature is visually articulated through twisting optical illusions, and the way the color work interacts with Koimonogatari's diverse landscape shots and creepily abstract interior backgrounds makes for a consistently arresting visual production.

The animation is unfortunately much less strong. Outside of occasional high points likeNisemonogatari,Monogatari has always been a bit of a slideshow, and that seems particularly true here. Pretty much the only animation highlights are a few scattered moments of Nadeko acting silly, and the show's attempts to visually portray the chaotic motion of its finale is a decidedly mixed bag. The CG work is particularly egregious, and unfortunately fails to gracefully integrate with the traditionally drawn characters. The underlying aesthetic and shot framing does pretty much all the visual heavy lifting here.

The music, on the other hand, is as strong as it's ever been.SHAFT are apparently in agreement with me over how much Kaiki improvesMonogatari, as his presence prompts the introduction of a whole set of personal theme songs. The classic off-putting strings of his first appearances are now accompanied by new tracks equally good at evoking his combination of menace, offhand arrogance, and humor. Upbeat horns jauntily undercut his deadpan jokes, new string tracks create a constant sense of off-kilter unease, and the big emotional moments steer back towards conventionally passionate crescendos to hammer Kaiki's earnest points in. The opening song is also a great joke - a gaudy retro ballad accompanied by visuals that shift in style between the modernMonogatari aesthetic and what I assume an early 90s Kaiki-eraMonogatari would look like. And the vocal performances ably match the dramatic material, with Senjougahara, Kaiki, and Nadeko all demonstrating new range asMonogatari approaches its greatest climax so far.

Koimonogatari gets the usualMonogatari packaging treatment, coming in a cardboard box with a collection of arc-specific postcards, along with a booklet containing character designs and transcripts of the fire sisters scripts. There are no on-disc extras, and the show's subtitles are unfortunately marred by some occasional typos, but the show itself looks as crisp as ever. Overall, Koimonogatari sends offMonogatari's second season with a story so good it makes me frustrated it took us this long to get here. All of the show's formidable strengths are put to use in an arc that's as intimate, engaging, and full of insight as the story has ever been.Monogatari is not a series I can unconditionally recommend, but Koimonogatari makes me wish I could.