#22 Bakemonogatari!

        If you've been paying attention to any currently airing anime then you might have seen something about Kizumonogatari Part 3 or Owarimonogatari. If you have, then you probably know that they're a part of the Monogatari universe. I'm going to say right now that the universe is a little confusing when it comes to figuring out which order to watch the different shows in. Luckily there are some lists out there to help you. (which are listed at the bottom) This post however, is going to focus on Bakemonogatari, which is the first season in the Monogatari series and came out in 2009. (in airing order)

        Bakemonogatari follows a high school boy named Araragi, and his interactions with the supernatural world. He finds himself in dangerous situations when he tries to help others who are experiencing supernatural problems. Bakemonogatari would fall under the genres of supernatural, comedy, mystery and romance. (Although, it's not romantic in the way you might think.) If you want to read the official description click here!

       Bakemonogatari's art style is unprecedented when it comes to the background art and character movements. Studio Shaft is now known for this style and it's sometimes referred to as the shaft head tilt.


      One of the interesting aspects of Bakemonogatari are the differences between the originally aired version, and the Blue-Ray version. If you've watched Bakemonogatari, and you're not sure which version you watched, it's pretty simple to figure out. If the background looked like the picture to the right, then it was the Blu-Ray version. If you want to see a few more examples, you can click here. If you want to watch a side by side comparison of the TV version V.S the Blue-Ray version, click here. (just so you know, it does include spoilers)


        A few more really great things that make Bakemonogatari unique are the eye fixation, head tilts, body pans, screen flashes, weird color templates, abandoned locations and real footage and or pictures. (If you want to read more about them click here.) Bakemonogatari also has an amazing music score. We get some elevator music like "Date" and some synthesizer songs like "Uzu". We also get some cool percussive music like "Rainy Devil". Most of the tracks include either piano, Xylophone, or marimba as the base with multiple other instruments and electronic mixing. We sometimes get to hear some vocals. There's also a song that's reminiscent of Ghost In The Shell's  "Making of Cyborg" called "Kekkai". If you want to listen to the entire Bakemonogatari soundtrack click here. 

        Bakemonogatari is such a unique anime, visually and story wise. It's story doesn't have a particular end other than helping each person with their problems, but it's definitely entertaining and worth a watch. (Bakemonogatari is also the anime used in one of my favorite AMV's and it's amazing, you should go check it out here.) Just a side note Bakemonogatari does include some violent and unexpected gore, as you can see in this iconic scene. 

If you want to watch Bakemonogatari it's on crunchy roll, hulu, and amazon prime.

(If you're wondering what order to watch the Monogatari series in, here are a couple of choices (here) and (here))
















I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy

#21 A Centaur's Life!

     A Centaur's Life could fall under a few different genres, school life being the most prominent. It could also fall under comedy, slice of life, and monster girls. It focuses on our main character Himeno, or Hime, who's a centaur. We get to meet characters of different races and see how their society functions 'without prejudice.'

     A Centaur's Life has some subtle political undertones that we get to see in the first episode. The politics mostly focus on how the government pushes the equality between races and avoid 'hate crimes.' I'm glad that it's only addressed every once and awhile, otherwise it might alter the fun slice of life feel the show has going for it. (At the same time though, the undertones keep it from being just another monster girl school life anime.) If you want to check out some of the other undertones and or themes that both the manga and anime include, click here. (It's actually pretty cool to look at)

(just a side note I've also seen it translated to Centaur's Worries so if you're looking for that you're in the right place)


     One of the cool things about this show is how they address evolution and why their world ended up the way it is. Just like I said in the Made in Abyss post, I love learning about new worlds that stories introduce. It's awesome when the writers and animators take the time to explain the world the story takes place in. Although, I think A Centaur's Life takes place on an earth that's just evolved differently. (If you're confused this is all explained in the first episode.)

     Another great thing about this anime is that it shows you how the characters, who are different races, live depending on their differing sizes and limitations. For example, there are specific desks and cars made for centaurs. And there's a robot walking device made for mermaids. Usually in a monster girl anime or any anime that includes fantastical characters, it's never addressed how the society has to change in order to accommodate things like extra limbs or tails.

      One of the only problems I have with A Centaur's Life is the mermaids structure. As you can see, the tail starts much lower on the legs than a normal mermaid. I personally think it's disturbing to have a weird slit between the legs and then a tail. All of the other races look the way you would expect them to, except the mermaids. (Coincidence? I think not) 

     Another really great facet about the show is that the mermaids internal structure gets explained. There are a few other times where the structures of the different races are explained and we get to really understand the races themselves, instead of just accepting the characters as being fantastical. For example, in one of the episodes Hime explains why centaurs have to stay at a certain weight. (You're going to have to watch it to find out why)

     

     A Centaur's Life also includes a gay couple, which is fantastic! Especially since they're given actual personalities and aren't just there for extra fluff. When you think about it, on the surface A Centaur's Life looks like any other monster girl, school life anime but when you start watching it you begin to see all these little details that make it so much more interesting.

     If you want to watch A Centaur's Life click here.

     I've actually written a review about this one on anime planet if you want to check it out! (Click here.)

I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy 

#20 Made in Abyss!

When you look into and Abyss, the Abyss also looks into you - Friedrich Nietzsche

     The most important thing to know about the world that this takes place in, is that there's a gigantic hole that goes deep into the earth that everyone refers to as The Abyss. Inside of The Abyss are artifacts of old civilizations, along with incredible and dangerous creatures. The Abyss is split into different levels depending on the depth, dangers, and different flora and fauna found there.




     Decending into The Abyss is dangerous due to the creatures and environment, but ascending is even more of a challenge due to the 'Curse of the Abyss'. When a cave raider ascends they are struck with terrible and fatal effects. The first of which is light dizziness and nausea, which doesn't sound too terrible. But when ascending from, say, the 4th level, the effects are intense Full-body pain, dizziness from pain and varying amounts of internal and external bleeding across the body. (If you want to read more about the Curse of the Abyss click here. )

    One of the main characters of Made in Abyss is Riko, who is a 12 year old girl. She was orphaned after her mother, who was a renowned cave raider, died on one of her expeditions. 

     Riko is a cave raider in training, and during one of her raids she meets Reg, our second main character. He's a robot in the shape of a human boy. He has no memories of who or what he is. Riko take's him back to the orphanage and explains to him that she thinks her mother is alive and waiting for her in the abyss. This is essentially when their adventure begins.

     (The scenery of Made In Abyss is extremely complex and detailed, and I can't wait for season 2 so we can see more. It kind of reminds me of the Studio Ghibli movie Naucicaä of the Valley of the Wind. (which is fantastic and you should totally go watch it)

     The character art style is more childlike, they look more like video came characters or some form of chibi art style. However, don't be fooled by how cute and childish the characters look because there are abrupt and gory scenes. While they're not as extreme as Tokyo Ghoul, they're definitely not subtle.

     Personally, I love it when we get to learn more about the world that a story takes place in and it's history and Made in Abyss definitely delivers. We also get to learn about the creatures that live in the abyss and why, even though it's claimed so many lives, the characters are still fascinated by it.

If you want to read the Made in Abyss Wiki click here. If you want to read the official description click here. If you want to watch it you could go to gogoanime or kissanime.

I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy