© 西尾維新/講談社・アニプ
This is a great episode, one that ties the entire second half of the season together and expands on ideas first introduced in Kizumonogatari. But before we cover all of that, let's take a moment to talk about the episode's only weak point: the pointless plot.
In this episode, Araragi realizes that the culprit is not Souwa Kiseki but Kie Harimaze (who placed all of her belongings on Kiseki's mummy to make it seem like she was the victim). While this was a clever way for Harimaze to evade authorities, it was an unnecessary complication at this mysterious time. It wasn't because the vampirism process obscured her appearance by turning her into a blonde with red eyeshadow. Whether Kiseki or Harimaze, the identity is the same—the girl we see in the opening scene meeting with Suicide Master. Revealing her real name changes nothing about how we view the case or Harimaze as a character. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the good stuff.
The conversation between Suicide-Master and Harimaze reveals this plot for what it really is: a direct response to the events of both Kizumonogatari and Wazamonogatari. At the most basic level, all three stories are about people who choose to let themselves be eaten by vampires. Why do they do it and what do they do/hope to do afterwards.
In Wazamonogatari, Acerola fed herself to a vampire, trading one curse for another in the hope of finding even just one person she could actually help. Later, in Kizumonogatari, Araragi, an isolated child with a strong sense of justice and responsibility who doesn't quite fit the norm, gives up his life to save a dying vampire. regret—only to become a vampire himself and begin his journey to becoming a vampire. human again. And now in Shinobumonogatari, we have Harimaze, the girl who let a vampire eat her to escape her soul-crushing life as a high school girl in Japan. However, in contrast to Acerola and Araragi, who have clearer goals to strive for, Harimaze just goes out and gets revenge (not satisfied).
Of course, revenge is probably the wrong word to use here. As has been established throughout this season, the girls' basketball team doesn't bully each other as much as they bully themselves. In her own way, Harimaze is helping the girls she has raised by helping them escape their suffering, ending their suffering as if she wished someone were there to do it for her.
Like Acerola and Araragi before her, Harimaze was socially isolated and miserable. However, unlike the other two, she lacks a mentor to guide her and help her focus on what she really wants. So she wants to be a real monster—continue to do terrible things for no other reason than to feel free and in control.
Luckily, for her (and everyone else), Kagenui is able to calm her down, force her back into a human, and repair the girls' mummies. While Harimaze may think himself strong after taking down his former comrades, attacking Araragi will likely end in her death: at the hands of Shinobu and the kokorowari or literal god who considers he was like a close friend, they both joined the fight when Kagenui arrived.
In the end, the status quo was maintained and Suicide-Master left Japan, closer to his ultimate death from starvation. But while Araragi is certain that Shinobu and Suicide-Master will meet again, it's clear that Shinobu (and Senjougahara) still has many doubts.
Once upon a time, Araragi realized that vampires only considered humans as food. A revelation that caused him to fight Shinobu and end their odd relationship. After so many adventures, he wanted to see if her feelings had changed so he asked the question: “To you, what is a person?” Her answer is telling and shows how their time together—the experiences they had and the strange things they defeated—shaped her: “Monsters, right?”
To us, the supernatural is monsters. The unknown lurks in the dark. To the supernatural, we are true monsters—creatures whose natures are constantly changing, shaping the world in novel ways. In a world where humans rule, even immortals can be killed. Reunions are about unexpected joys and happy endings, something that is almost impossible to have. Although Shinobu eventually found his, Suicide-Master was unlikely to find his own.
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MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season is now streaming on Crunchyroll.