About.com Rating

What They Say

The past can come back to haunt you.

Shinobu's past is coming back with a vengeance. Known only as the 'darkness', for its elusive and unidentifiable nature, this mysterious phenomenon utterly decimates everything in its wake. A victim to the 'darkness' 400 years ago, Shinobu seems to be a target to its attack once again.

Araragi, Mayoi and Yotsugi are there to help with Shinobu's dilemma but the answer to the problem may be more complicated than first believed.

Is Shinobu really the intended victim or is she just a ruse to hide the bigger issue at hand?

The Episodes

Originally a light novel written by Japanese novelist Nisio Isin, Onimonogatari is a collection of episodes (17-20) from the second season of the highly popular anime series Monogatari which began airing in 2009 and sold over a million copies on Blu-ray & DVD to date.

The Monogatari series revolves around Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who is almost human again after being a vampire for a short period of time. As his story progresses he meets other supernatural beings such as ghosts, zombies, clairvoyants (referred to in the series as “apparitions”) as well as other vampires.

The four episodes in this release, Onimonogatari span the Shinobu Time story arc, and see the cast on the run from an enemy which can only be described as “The Darkness”. This enemy is hard to see and seemingly unbeatable, relentlessly hunting them down. It turns out vampire girl Shinobu has dealt with this apparition before, over 400 years ago.

So most of this story arc is spent filling in Shinobu’s background, and revealing the surprising truth of what this darkness truly is and her relationship with it.

Incredibly dialogue heavy, Onimonogatari would be mind-meltingly boring without the use of vibrant color palettes, dynamic camera angles, original character poses and its instrumental music accompanied by haunting vocal effects. A feast for the senses, Onimonogatari expertly uses colour and sound to keep the viewer engaged throughout what would otherwise be a quite boring experience.

Blu-ray and Special Features

This is a Blu-ray & DVD combo release, with the discs housed in individual slim cases within a collectable cardboard slip case.

The visual presentation is extremely crisp on the Blu-ray with a full 1080p HD resolution and showcases the series use of color beautifully. The included DVD unfortunately suffers from the technical limitations imposed on the older technology, with blurred outlines and some color banding on occasion. Special features are identical on both discs, with clean ending credits, Japanese TV commercials, and trailers for other anime releases.

A single Japanese 2.0 audio track is included on both discs with english subtitles. The Japanese voice acting is spot on with the deadpan lines delivered by zombie girl Ononoki being a highlight. Those looking for an English language dubbed version will be out of luck as one doesn't exist for this series.

Who Should Watch?

It is a shame that Onimonogatari, with such a focus on inventive visual storytelling, devolves into juvenile fan service so often. The inappropriate sexual innuendos involving the young ghost girl makes the show inappropriate for younger viewers and uncomfortable for others. 

The series is also crammed full of insubstantial and seemingly unnecessary conversations which could put anime first-timers off. Those willing to stick with it though will appreciate the numerous deep character moments and smart word play.

Overall

Shaft Studio are well known for producing world class animation and Onimonogatari is no exception. Due to the dense dialogue though, dedication is required to enjoy this nuanced show to its fullest.

CONNECT WITH PETER: Twitter | Google+ |  Facebook | Read, Play, Review

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by Hanabee. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy. The Blu-ray featured in this review is the Zone B Blu-ray release by Hanabee which is identical to the Zone A Blu-ray release. Alternate releases are available in other regions.