The fake is of far greater value. In its deliberate attempt to be real its more real than the real thing. Daishu Kaiki From the very start of Monogatari: SS we get hit with one of the more interesting arcs and arguably the most complex character Hanekawa. She is one of the most complex and entertaining characters Ive seen in anime due to masterful way in which her personality is executed. It was at this moment that I knew: This season wasnt planning on messing around. The events to follow were nothing short of amazing. It may sound like Im over exaggerating or Im being COMPLETELY biased but when looking at the facts and crunching some numbers it would be SIGNIFICANTLY easier to point out the mistakes I saw instead of all the amazing parts. It managed to take all the strong points that made Bakemonogatari such a high quality anime and capitalize on it. Each story had even more depth to it the character interactions were far more complex in dialogue and the art/soundtrack was just as good as the original. The only mistakes I were able to pick up through it all were some slightly lower quality character sketches during zoomed out shots or a few slip ups when it came to lip syncing. These mistakes though scarcely showed up and were even harder to notice unless you deliberately looked for them. I really couldnt find anything that ruined the watching experience as it all kept my undivided attention till the very end without hindrance. Enough of this summary though lets get on with the official review Art and Animation: 9.4/10 As Ive said before this season had the same amazing quality as its original if not better. They really calmed down on the aggressive camera angles which made watching for extended amounts of time a lot less straining on the eyes. I noticed that they had given a lot more attention to detail when it came to the background settings with these being more creative and unique in location. The new character designs gave a fresh feel that signified a new school year was beginning the events of summer were over and winter was approaching. Even in moments of dialogue the use of inanimate objects to express a symbolic meaning was used very well countless times. This only further drove the point home and capitalized on the mood. Both in normal and comedic situations the animation was fit for the tone of the story at hand. Camera angels were now being used in unique ways that gave more attention to the backdrop of the scene which helped us to appreciate the effort that went into making them. Storyline and Character Progression: 9.7/10 Throughout the entire season this anime had complete control over its pacing of the storyline. You never felt like you were getting rushed into an event and cliffhangers were used appropriately to create just the right amount of mystery and suspense. With each storyline came a completely unique experience and no two storylines felt even remotely similar in comparison. The character development that was to follow blew me away especially when it came to Hanekawa. Her character had always been considered to be the most complex to me but this took it to a whole new level. With the task of using emotions to create symbolic meaning in someones divided and conflicted personality it wasnt going to be easy. And yet they NAILED it in such an unexpected way. Hanekawas emotions THEMSELVES started to run loose all because she was pushing away and rejecting what it meant to be human. Everything that meant being human: joy pain love loneliness envy regret. The symbolism used to express and develop Hanekawa was the most creative Ive seen of any character and it was a powerful moment to watch the last episode as you saw the buildup of her rejecting her own emotions. This is just one story of the 4 that you will encounter during this season and each story carries a similar amount of depth to it. When it came to my personal favorite Hachikujis story was as entertaining as ever. I was glad to see that she had received A LOT of development in an arc that featured both Shinobu and Hachikuji and how the two were affected by the events surrounding them. This one definitely carried the most emotion out of all the arcs and I was really satisfied with how things played out in the end. Another character worth mentioning is none other than Senjyougahara. I was quite surprised to see how much she had changed and Im not just talking about her hairstyle. Her interactions with people were still as entertaining as ever but without spoiling to much she was more considerate of the other persons feelings. I definitely enjoyed seeing how far Senjyougahara had progressed as a character and just how much Araragi had impacted her entire life as a person. The events surrounding Sengoku had almost perfectly reflected her personality: cute playful and deceitful. The interesting perspectives during this arc were very enjoyable especially with the introduction of a familiar face. This enabled us to really see what went on in their mind and their thought process as a character which was nothing short of entertaining. I really enjoyed this season because of its use in different perspectives which helped us to really see what made each character unique in their own way. All of these elements made the storyline one of the best Ive experienced in a long time and one that has a lot of rewatch potential for sure. One of the only things I had against it was the complete absence of Kanbaru but I think this is because she didnt really fit anywhere in the events of Monogatari: SS. So Im sure in the next installment well experience a more Kanbarufocused storyline. Soundtrack and Audio: 9.1/10 The entertaining and creative OPs that we experienced in Bakemonogatari are back From the animation and symbolic storytelling to the foreshadowing lyrics each OP accurately represented the events to occur in the coming arc. I especially appreciated the throwback art style of the final OP even though it was my least favorite. It was awesome to see again the playful side of the Monogatari series take effect in this OP. When it came to audio Monogatari: SS delivered in a way that far exceeded my expectations. The dialogue that took place between the characters had a measure of depth that couldnt be easily anticipated. Scarce were the moments where I felt like I was just receiving some unnecessary rambling that hindered the progress of the storyline. It all had a connection somehow to the development of the storyline and that isnt an easy thing to do at all. When character dialogue was in effect their conversations had a certain depth to them that I couldnt even explain. I could normally tell without much difficulty where a conversation is heading in an anime but this dialogue had me guessing the whole way through. To the very end one of the strongest points of this season was the engaging dialogue. All in all this season has easily become one of my highest rated anime and for good reason. For its solid soundtrack astounding dialogue versatile and entertaining storyline and nearperfect execution in character development Monogatari: SS has earned a highly respectable score of 9.4/10. An abundance of entertaining content had made this season one of the most enjoyable experiences Ive had in a while and further increases my anticipation for the rest of the series. Much love to all of you whove read this far your unwavering support is very much appreciated by me. As always see you in the next one Streaming Platform: Crunchyroll