Title: Hanamonogatari (Flower Story/Suruga Devil)
Genre: Occult, Mystery, Drama
Animation Company: SHAFT
Director/Scriptwriter: Akiyuki Shinbou/Fuyashi Tou
Animation Director: Akio Watanabe/Nobuhiro Sugiyama/Taisuke Iwasaki
Character Design: Akio Watanabe
Original Music: Satoru Kosaki
Now I’m a huge Monogatari fanboy, and I’m just itching for Kizumonogatari (the movie) to come out. So I was expecting a lot from this, especially since Monogatari Series Second Season finished over 8 months ago. So was I pleased, or disappointed? Kind of both, really, to be honest.
Hanamonogatari does need a backstory though, which was shown in Bakemonogatari. Suruga inherits a monkey’s paw in which she uses as a replacement of her forearm to become the fastest athlete in school. But then she hears stories of a ‘Rainy Devil’ that attacks classmates she knows. After knowing Koyomi Araragi and Hitagi Senjougahara (her middle school crush) are dating, she begins to stalk him and thus the Rainy Devil attacks him. So the only way to resolve the situation is for Suruga to stop stalking Koyomi and for her to acknowledge that Hitagi does not share the same feelings she has for her.
This arc is set long after the events of Monogatari Series Second Season though. Koyomi and Hitagi have graduated, Suruga’s now a third-year, acts and sounds more grown-up, and still has that monkey paw for a left arm. Like in Suruga Monkey, she’s scared stiff that her paw will bring the Rainy Devil back and terrorise the town, so every night, she sleeps with her arm tied to a wall. Far from ideal, I know. But it’s something she’s just had to get used to.
But soon enough she hears more stories; another story concerning a Devil, and how it can grant any wish, no matter what. After some research into this urban myth, she runs into her middle-school basketball rival Rouka Numachi. Now unable to play basketball due to a broken leg, she claims that she is the Devil everyone’s been talking about, but instead of granting wishes, she acts as a ‘counselor’ only to boost her own ego…someone to listen to other peoples’ problems, but charges nothing for it. But then Suruga wakes up the next day to find her paw is gone.
Why is her paw gone? Who took it? And how is her rival involved in it all?
The art style is no different than any other of the Monogatari arcs; clean, crisp and bizarre architecture, split-second sentences on screen that hit you out of nowhere, and metaphorical backgrounds and scenes here, there and everywhere…basically all the things that make you desperate to watch it on Blu-ray. Not to mention every other little thing that SHAFT love to put in their shows; head-tilts, slow motion shots, 360 degree spins, etc.
But one thing that especially struck out to me was Rouka Numachi. A fantastic character, with a fantastic voice. And the fact that the seiyuu (Kana Asumi) has played predominantly uber-moe characters in SHAFT shows (Yuno in Hidamari Sketch, Marika Tachibana in Nisekoi, Nagisa Tomoe in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Rebellion Story) made my experience of watching this feel very weird. I read the preview sheet and was extremely impressed at how such a voice that is atypically cute and moe and frail suddenly turns moody and cynical. I know seiyuu are signed to do all sorts of roles for all sorts of characters, but Kana Asumi playing a character that can almost be described as antagonistic really hit me. In a good way.
This arc felt a little different to the other arcs from Monogatari Series Second Season though. It was like all of the things that incorporated a Monogatari arc were put in, except the script was, I felt, too overloaded with what I can only describe as nonsense. Sometimes it took me a few times to understand all of what was being said. But then that approach isn’t necessarily new when it comes to SHAFT; don’t know if it’s just me, but they certainly love to make the viewer stop and think.
Hanamonogatari wasn’t incorporated into Monogatari Series Second Season because of its length (the season was already 26 episodes long). But the idea of cramming the show into one, though, was…interesting, but it’s not like they haven’t done it before. Nekomonogatari (Kuro) did it back in 2012, and I actually liked how they’ve done it here too. It might be me, but watching an entire arc, one entire story, seemed more comfortable to me. But then I don’t think it’ll be something they’ll do anytime soon. There are many more Monogatari novels that can easily be adapted, so we might get another season possibly. Or maybe that prequel movie the fans have been itching for.
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Neomo
I’m British, and live about an hour outside of London. My first encounter in anime was with bargain bin DVDs at my local rental store, but it was only until around another 5 years later when anime took over me properly...so to speak. I used to turn to fantasy shows a lot (including magical girl shows) but now I’m more of a sucker for school and slice-of-life shows. Don’t even turn to me when it comes to mecha; can’t stand it. I’m also a Final Fantasy 14 addict. And I’m allergic to mushrooms.Latest posts by Neomo (see all)
- Hanamonogatari Review - August 22, 2014
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