Monogatari (Hanamonogatari): Season 1/ Episode 5 "Suruga Devil, Part Five" [Season Finale] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview As this arc ends, it almost makes me sad that the next iteration of the series, Kizumonogatari, will be jumping back to when Araragi met Shinobu. Review (with Spoilers) It is a bittersweet end when it comes to our focus on Suruga. If just because as soon as you are really growing attached to…
Overview
As this arc ends, it almost makes me sad that the next iteration of the series, Kizumonogatari, will be jumping back to when Araragi met Shinobu.
Review (with Spoilers)
It is a bittersweet end when it comes to our focus on Suruga. If just because as soon as you are really growing attached to her, and she presents quite an interesting adventure for herself, you end up being cut off. Still, between her one on one contest with Numachi, and another sweet moment between her and Koyomi, it does make you hope, after Kizumonogatari, we end up right back from where we left off. For more on the season finale, look below.
Topic 1: The Exorcism of Numachi Rouka – Numachi & Suruga
Summary
With Suruga knowing Numachi is an apparition which, like most on the show, is surviving solely due to others misery, she decides to exorcise her. As for how? Well, by beating her in a one on one match in which the stakes are: If Numachi wins, she gets Suruga’s newly inherited devil’s brain part. As for if Suruga wins? Suruga would get to keep the part, smash it, and Numachi couldn’t collect anymore devil’s parts or other people’s misfortune. Though, to make the wager more interesting, Numachi was allowed to use all her devil’s parts [1] in competition.
Leading to a one on one possession match in which, solely due to passing the ball to Numachi and then taking it back, combined with a dunk, leads to Suruga winning. Then, after that, Suruga realizes, as she sees Numachi relieved after failing to defeat Suruga, how pretty she, Numachi, is and how, perhaps, she should have kissed her.
Commentary
The end to Numachi’s story I must admit felt a bit rushed. Mostly because we learn that Numachi had more than just the devil’s leg and a hand, but also the ribs, hip, and also an upper arm. And with us skipping straight to Suruga exorcising her, it makes me feel we miss the story on how she acquired all these parts. Which, to be honest, could have been an awfully boring story, but at the same time the people who she got the parts from could have been interesting for what we know.
That thought aside, I found the commentary on what leads good and evil to be opposed interesting. For while the Monogatari series can often seem like it appeals to those with visual ADD, if you really just read what the characters say there is such a strange amount of depth. Which, I’ll admit, sometimes I don’t understand likely due to the translation; however, I definitely think this show is much more than beautiful visuals and all the ecchi moments Koyomi has when it comes to the girls in his life.
Topic 2: One Last Conversation – Suruga & Koyomi
Summary
As the season wraps up, Koyomi comes over to Suruga’s house to help her clean her room and help her sum up what happened over the last few weeks. Leading to another big brother, little sister conversation. But, unlike the last one, while Koyomi still gives excellent senpai advice, he also talks about wanting to have relations with his little sister. So, for a few moments, old pervy Koyomi is on the scene. He quickly bounces back though and you can see some of the things he says in the quotes listed below.
Commentary
If there is one thing I hope to learn from Kizumonogatari, it is why Koyomi is such a pervert. For if he was like most anime guys who seemingly are all about woman’s breast, it would be annoying but understandable to a point. With Koyomi though, most of the time he has pedophile and incest aspirations which you forget after a while, due to him being sweet to someone, him being absent from an episode, or us following him on a journey, but damn if when he decides to go there you question whether you can still say you like this character. Especially because it isn’t like he has just talked about doing stuff, in the past we have actually seen him do stuff to his little sisters or Hachikuji.
That downer aside, I have to admit the idea of Suruga going after the rest of the devil’s parts seemed like an interesting story. Making me sort of wish, between her and Numachi, all the parts would have been collected and then they went one on one. Especially since, at Suruga’s request, Araragi was going to have Shinobu consume the parts. Meaning we would have gotten a short cameo from her. Alas, this season was but 5 episodes and whether we will see Suruga chase after the remaining devil parts is unknown. However, it does seem after a hair cut from Koyomi, she will be going back to playing basketball at least.
Collected Quote(s)
“Many people will have lots of different opinions on what you did. There will be those who will say you did the right thing, and those who will say you were wrong. You shouldn’t pay attention to them. Don’t worry about what they’ll say. What you did was neither the right nor wrong thing. You were just spending your youth.”
— “Suruga Devil – Part 5.” Hanamonogatari (Said by: Koyomi Araragi)
“It doesn’t matter whether wishes come true or not, […] but I believe wishing for something in and of itself has merit. [For] regardless of whether or not it’s possible to make it come true, I think it’s good to understand yourself and what you wish for. [For] If you don’t know what you want to be like and what you’d like to see happen, your life will be filled with doubt.”
— “Suruga Devil – Part 5.” Hanamonogatari
“The motivation behind good is usually the jealousy of evil. The motivation behind evil is antipathy towards good.”
— “Suruga Devil – Part 5.” Hanamonogatari
Things To Note
- Numachi collected a hand, an upper arm, the rib cage, the hip, and one leg.
