No toothbrushes and no Senjogahara this week in Nisemonogatari. Worst episode ever.
Why exactly have we started to cycle back through the haremmettes again? I get why we did that at the start of this season. We needed to re-introduce the cast and demonstrate how they had changed in that time. The scenes with Kanbaru, Mayoi and Karen gave us nothing. There wasn’t even much Shafty-ness to look at. Giving someone a piggyback ride seems awfully weaksauce when compared to teeth brushing. In fact, everything ever done for the rest of humanity that is meant to be considered humourously erotic will be weaksauce next to teeth brushing. As for Kanbaru and Mayoi, all we did was rehash the same jokes again. Kanbaru walks around naked and Arararagi wants to molest Mayoi. I’d like to see a little bit of evolution here.
We did get 2 new characters, but eh…well OK I rather liked this girl and her incredibly fashionable high heels, but she didn’t do an awful lot. Stood around on a postbox and asked Arararagi in an incredibly roundabout way where Meme’s old hideout was. Wait, every character speaks in a roundabout way in Nisioisin stories, so I guess that means there’s even less original about her. As for the other girl, sticking a random phrase for her to say isn’t exactly riveting characterisation. Plus we’ve now got 2 episodes to let these two characters shine. Considering this arc is technically meant to be about Tsukihi and we’ve yet to even see her in this bloody arc yet (apart from one piece of Loony Tunes running) I somehow doubt we’ll be getting much characterisation done with these two at all.
I was only half-joking at the start of this post. This episode really was the worst so far. The longer I watch Nisemonogatari, the more I realise that it’s more Shaft’s presentation that I love than any input Nisioisin has. When Arararagi mentioned he thought Tsubasa was the ideal girl and idly fondles various other haremmettes, I realise how I’m not particularly invested in his relationship with Senjogahara at all, or else those scenes would piss me off more. Considering that duo is supposed to be the main crux of the story, it only further serves to highlight that episode 12 last season was an anomaly. Looking back at the other Nisioisin works I’ve come across, I really did not like Katanagatari and I’m pretty sure it was more a love of Death Note than his writing that got me through Another Note. Another strike against Medaka Box for me.
Yeah, short post. Hopefully next episode will pick up again.
The Cart Driver 
No doubt a weak sauce episode, given the immortal episode 8, but even the worst Nisemonogatari episode is clearly superior to any other show this season.
So quitcher belly-aching! 😉
Aquarion EVOL episode 10 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Nisemonogatari 9
And the Cart Driver officially jumps the shark!
:p
And Rinne no Lagrange is better than both of them, thank you very much!
Tsuki and Karen’s arcs are two separate books, so it isn’t a surprise they are introducing the cast again. But yeah, this was the worst episode thus far.
Yeah, it was obviously just going to be a ‘set up the arc’ episode. My expectations were pretty much zero.
The only good thing about the episode was Karen’s ass.
Now go watch Zeta Gundam.
The “villains” for the Tsukihi Phoenix arc show up easily an episode and a half into the four-episode stretch. Tsukihi herself doesn’t even make her presence felt.
Shaft and Nisio are not only dropping the ball, they’re dropping it in a vat of hydrochloric acid.
Where does the information that Nisemonogatari is 11 episodes come from? Wikipedia agrees but ANN thinks it’s 12 and Crunchyroll (who you’d expect to know best given they presumably need to arrange for professional translators) thinks it’s 13.
MAL says it’s 11, but I guess MAL is wrong on this point. When in doubt, doubt MAL
If it’s 13 episodes, I take it back, but I still feel the story is lagging. Perhaps it’s all comparison, as Bakemonogatari had five arcs over fifteen episodes. Nisemonogatari feels like it’s had two three-episode arcs and a leisurely ninety-minute stroll through the park.
ArararÂagi menÂtioned he thought TsubÂasa was the ideal girl and idly fondles variÂous other haremÂmettes, I realÂise how I’m not parÂticÂuÂlarly invesÂted in his relaÂtionÂship with SenÂjogaÂhara at all, or else those scenes would piss me off more.
Oh, I think that’s a little too chivalrous.
Senjougahara is a demanding black hole of wants and needs. She’s pretty and young, but that doesn’t make her morally good. She grabbed Araragi before Tsubasa could grab him, but Tsubasa was either crushing on him or in love with him before Senjougahara even met him.
Further, Senjougahara treats Araragi like a punching bag most of the time.
From my perspective, I also didn’t like Ep 9, but for different reasons. The previous jokes about groping Snail Girl seemed like jokes. In this episode, Araragi actually seemed to be more serious about it, somehow. Looking back at earlier eps, though, I guess he was always equally serious, but this is the first time I was forced to realize it.
This is bizarre. Heart-Under-Blade is a loli, and as far as I can tell Araragi isn’t attracted to her physically at all. Why is Araragi attracted to Snail Girl? I fear the only explanation is that Araragi is just an audience-insertion character, and thus his lusts are not internally consistent, but rather he can adapt to express any lust that will promote fan service.
Holy crap. A sustained critique of the inconsistent characterization of Araragi? On The Cart Driver?? What’s the world coming to?
But seriously, good point. More to the point – Araragi’s response to Shinobu’s demands when he was fighting Karen in Episode 7 about rubbing her breasts confirm your arguments.
I’ve said before that Arararagi completely changes personality based on the character he’s talking to at the time. It’s getting to a point though where each different character is starting to clash with his other ones, making all his actions seem hollow
He needs to meet with every character at the same time. His personality would explode.
You couldn’t be more right I think, Araragi is the epitome of a self-insert character if I ever saw one.
Scamp are you OK!? You spelled ‘Nis(h)io Is(h)in’ as ‘Nisioisin’ instead of ‘Nision’, that’s not like you.
Figured I should grow out of my Nision phase. Admit I was wrong and all that
Besides the introduction of 2 new characters nothing new about this episode so I can’t argue about it not being boring.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Karen cutting her hair though, it seems to be Nisio’s favorite way of showing characters that had some sort of development and to troll fans of the character on top of that.