Hanamonogatari is the 5th story in the Monogatari line. This show follows Monogatari Series Second Season and it’s main focus is Saruga. This is a story about Saruga after Koyomi and Hitagi graduated from high school.
The Monogatari series is one that I found myself enjoying, much more than I expected to. I didn’t think the avant garde style and the long monologues would be something I could get into but in every series up until now, they hit it out of the park. Hanamonogatari, sadly does not.
Saruga kind of became a lost character since she doesn’t have much of a connection to the main cast and it was great to see that she got her own series but how do you take her oversexualized, perverted character and turn her into a bland, not very interesting shadow of herself. When she was on the screen in the past series I would get a laugh from her actions or some kind of reaction. Here she is dry and the other characters who surround her are even drier, including her basketball rival. How can you have basketball rivals who are dull and lackluster.
There is almost 2 hours of all talking and very little action. They talk about subjects that on the surface are somewhat interesting but when you get down to it, it’s all philosophical. I can’t even say much about it because I might ruin the whole series with just one line. With this series, you can’t really describe the others with one line but with this one you can ruin the whole show, plot and everything with one line.
The art, music and other things that make this series great, are in place but the story is so dry. As usual, you can get lost in the art and the music with how good they are but the rest is dead. I can’t recommend this one but it is part of the story line and gives you some background on Saruga. I just wish they made a story where she is being her usual self. Make this story with her being her and maybe you have the basis for a good series. If you’re goal is to watch the whole series then you only lose 2 hours of your life so it’s nothing major and who knows, maybe in the 3rd season she’ll be back to normal and this story will tie in somehow. (I don’t read the books so don’t know if that’s the case or not.) Just be prepared to actually not enjoy one of the works in this series.
If you’re following along that’s Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, Nekomonogatari, Monogatari Second Series, then Hanamonogatari followed by Tsukimonogatari.
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