Nisemonogatari kicks off with Araragi chained to what appears to be a melting-pot of chairs. Araragi isn't sure where he is. He can only recount the length he's been there. It's at this point that we're visited by our star heroine, Senjougahara. If you can remember how eerie she was from the previous series, then brace yourself, she's gotten eerier. Even with Senjou's odd, yet monotonous behavior, her interactions with Araragi always manages to rise a smile out of me. Having Araragi struggle to taste but a drop of H2O from her finger, expressing her "love" for Araragi through the words, "I love you, Araragi-kun...even if you were entirely covered in feces"; congratulations, Araragi, you've sure got yourself a catch.
But this little introduction is only momentary, as the series fixes itself into a more grounded reality, if such a thing exists in the world of Monogatari. Araragi is bored; his tutor for the day, Hanekawa, can't tutor him, and with a schedule devoid of activity, he's left to trudge his house, looking for any and all activities (ACTIVITIES). Little does Araragi know that Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki - Episode 1 was just released today, and he could easily satiate three minutes of his boredom watching that wonderful, sexy cat bounce around a poorly drawn city (shame on you, Japanese artists). Instead, Araragi ventures into the living room, where his sex-appeal-filled sister is watching television. Woe is you, Araragi. You can't touch that.
In the end, Araragi finds his calling for the day with an old acquaintance, Nadeko. She was the one who did this stuff in the previous series, which resulted in lots of other stuff happening... Yeah, she wasn't important, and still isn't. Rather, Nadeko is Araragi's catalyst for the day, spurring him into the sunshine filled streets, where the real episode can begin. An episode fraught with Hachikuji, a favorite of mine. Like always, Araragi introduces himself to her like a true gentleman, grabbing her and then throwing her repeatedly in the air, kissing her all over her body (chest not excluded), and screaming his pent up woes, "I missed you!" D'awww, they make such a cute couple < 3
This fated reunion between two friends, Hachikuji and Araragi, remains for the rest of the episode. Most of their encounter is expressed through silly randomness, but their encounter does serve a purpose, in the end. It's revealed that Araragi's been contemplating, for some time, on revealing to his family the true identity of his ego, his vampiric side. Actually, this contemplation was hinted earlier in the episode (nice foreshadowing there), but it isn't until Araragi nears the end of his encounter with Hachikuji that he reveals the whole effect of this consideration. And it's received in a pretty mature manner, which is surprising, because she's a 10 year old. In order to explain her side of the issue, Hachikuji juxtaposes the supernatural with the scenes behind a curtain. "Normally, you only need to see what's happening on stage, that's how reality works." Very true. What's behind the stage will only result in more questions. If Araragi's family is ever to discover what's behind the curtain, it's Araragi's job to guide them out, "but until then, the answer is to do nothing." ~slow clap~
Much like the previous series, the artistry and animation is top-notch, and used very effectively. Its avant-garde style, I feel, connects the viewer with the estranged voices on screen, leaving sanity to miscarry, and surrealism to flicker larger and larger. An excellent start to a series I have high hopes for.
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