Im not the biggest fan of the Monogatari franchise. Granted I thoroughly enjoyed Bakemonogatari but was never really invested enough to follow the rest of the series religiously and I stopped watching after Nisemonogatari. That said Ive always thought that Monogatari would translate well into the film format. Its acute focus on a select couple of characters every arc coupled with its striking clean minimalistic imagery seemed ideal for cinema. 270https://i.redd.it/kimqqx4ozv5y.jpg Kizumonogatari I: Tekkestuhen is the first film in a threepart series that acts as a prequel to Monogatariproper. Directed by the oftoverlooked Tatsuya Oishihttps://anilist.co/staff/103552/TatsuyaOishi from Studio SHAFThttps://anilist.co/studio/44/Shaft the film in a nutshell impresses. Not only as a frontrunner to the rest of the Monogatari franchise but as an independent production in its own right. It is a glorious visual spectacle semioticallycharged and incredibly impactful. Its story whilst by no means the most intricate or deftlycrafted of narratives is charming in its simplicity graceful in its power and provocative in its subtext. Kizumonogatari I is a testament to the creative freedom animation and anime especially can afford and is willing to explore. So down the rabbit hole we go. 480https://i.ur.com/GR68H1s.jpg Your wife has such a beautiful neck Monogatari is a visually driven series. It is renowned for its minimalist stylised art which combined with the often unconventional camerawork is intentionally exhibitionist and everso effective. Whether its to supplement the humour emotional highs thematic subtext or gungho action sequences the highcontrast selectivelychromatic imagery usually impresses. Kizumonogatari I exemplifies this more so than ever. All the usual cheeky visual cues are here. The increased emphasis on the trademark red and black scenes the uniform car designs and gloriously overblown fanservice shots all serve to remind us that its core Kizumonogatari is Araragis story the advent of his journey into Wonderland and thus told largely from his perspective. The disorientating anachronistic many sequences are likely imagined structuring of individual scenes further complements this acting as another window into the confused adolescent mind. https://sakugabooru.com/data/ff6d13947fc39c2b62343c70d7b20a10. But Kizumonogatari pushes beyond this. Its the smaller visual details that give it so much charm. For example the seemingly nondiegetic outofframe clangor of a car crash which symbolically marks an unfortunate and regrettable choice of dialogue on Araragis part is followed up about five minutes later with the actual image of the aftermath. Its surreal absurd and tongueincheek but thats why it works. More generally speaking the visual craftsmanship is crisper unless the opposite can prove to be more effectivehttps://sakugabooru.com/data/b5a968adba91b7df45cd379ff4ed5492.mp4 and of a higher quality than the television series. This is especially evident in the polished and revamped character designs pun most certainly intended. 480http://i.ur.com/FdvFRZ9.jpg But its the more obvious visual details that give Kizumonogatari I its punch. The emotional peaks sakuga and action sequences are deliberately spread apart such that when they do occur they are all the more memorable. Two scenes in particular stand out. First when Araragi meets KissShot. The scene is beautifully crafted. It is tantalisingly built up and drawn out a chilling piano score accompanying Araragi as he begins his literal descent into darkness and madness. The image of KissShot as we first meet her is both terrifying and alluring. The peculiar combination of deadly sultriness and childlike vulnerability defines Shinobus character and its showcased to haunting effect here. She is both the fatale and the damsel. Props to Maaya Sakamotohttps://anilist.co/staff/95090/MaayaSakamoto for the stellar voice work. https://sakugabooru.com/data/ecdeca82b52f6ac7a74067419534c8a9. Second the very opening sequence. Again it is slowly built up. The camera tracking downwards around the emaciated dead tree sitting in the cram school mirrors Araragi as he descends deeper into the labyrinth. When he finally escapes the outcomes is explosive befuddling and somewhat slapstick. But thats all part of its power. https://sakugabooru.com/data/7b706f8ef96e1513b210f8f9a8a4b889.mp4 If theres one potential area of complaint here its the conspicuous contrast between the photorealistic CG backgrounds and the 2D handdrawn characters. Theres no real attempt to mask this and it can be jarring. However you could make the case that theres symbolic relevance here: Araragi finds it difficult to fit in in the world. 480http://i.ur.com/aw0wFnB.jpg Who buys pornomags these days anyway? As mentioned Kizumonogatari I is Araragis story. More specifically its his origin story. Even more specifically its about his loss of and quest to refind his humanity. And by extension his identity. As a side note I found it immensely compelling that Araragis most humanising moment led to his own physical dehumanisation. As mentioned the narrative itself despite being visually layered is actually fairly simple. The movie is only 64 minutes long while scenes tend to be elongated due to the stylised presentation. Central to the story are a couple of chance encounters. Then again chance encounters have been a cornerstone of the Monogatari series and the surrealism that defines it ever since Senjougahara literally fell into Araragis arms. And again this simplicity has a certain charm to it especially because of how creatively everything is handled. 480http://i.ur.com/aXquavJ.jpg Not to mention the subtext. Of course visual cues and motifs are both compelling and instrumental here. The prominence of the Japanese flag somewhat perplexing at first is soon clarified as Araragi bakes in the rising sun. Moreover it points to Japans troubled history and indistinct identity during rapid periods of industrialisation and modernisation as in the Meiji Restoration etc. This is supplemented by establishing shots of an industrial backdrop juxtaposed against Buddhist iconography in the opening credits. In this respect its fitting that the cram school is situated near the boundary between industrial factories and a golden open field. Indeed in this way Monogatari is very much about worlds colliding: that of the phantasmagorical the bakemonogataris and of Araragis very modern problems of identity. Children of the night what music they make Kizumonogatari I works on multiple fronts. It is a splendid introduction to the Monogatari series in general a snapshot of the best that it can offer nicely polished suited up and presented on a silver platter. It works well as the first of a threepart series where much of the same creativity production value and highimpact intrigue is retained in later installments. Finally and in my opinion most impressively it can stand on its own as an albeit unresolved film that exemplifies animes potential as a cinematic medium.