Monogatari Series: Second Season (2013)

[〈物語〉シリーズ セカンドシーズン]

Director: Akiyuki Shinbo
Studio: Shaft
Starring: Hiroshi Kamiya, Chiwa Saito, Yui Horie
Episodes: 26

Synopsis:
Supernatural threats continue to swirl about Koyomi Araragi and his friends.

Impressions:
Unlike the arcs of First Season, which had significant gaps in their release, most of Second Season was released in a continuous run, with the exception of Hanamonogatari, which I will be treating separately. While there were multiple arcs within Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, it somehow feels like more ground is covered here. Your enjoyment of each arc will depend a lot on how you feel about the featured characters. I feel that Onimonogatari and Koimonogatari are the best of the bunch, especially the latter for the wonderful amount of development given to Kaiki. For the most part, fanservice is toned down compared to Nisemonogatari, which may or may not be a good thing for you. As I said before, your enjoyment will largely depend on how much you like the featured characters, so if there's anyone you really don't like, their arcs won't be pleasant for you. In my case, I have no particular negative feelings for most of the cast, and from my perspective at least, the more screentime they get for character development tends to improve my regard for them. A lot is owed to First Season for setting things up, but I really feel the storytelling is more effective here, so it should make fans happy. Give it a watch (especially Koimonogatari).

Rating:
Watch It