Saturday
Aug152009
Bakemonogatari Ep6 - Signs
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 01:59PM
I am convinced that every frame of this show is planned to have maximum symbolic effect within the story. The settings, background signs, jump cuts and every single character of dialog seems planned to drive home with maximum effect the theme of the scene. Problem is, I'm way to dumb to catch any of that. Throughout this post, we will take some side trips to look at the symbolism that is blatant enough to wack me over the head, and try to speculate on what I'm probably missing.
Try to keep your excitement to Senjōgahara levels, please.
What do you want to do tonight, Brain?
Consider the opening conversation between Araragi and Hachikuji, where the setting is always around trains. In fact, a good amount of this episode is set around trains.
Interesting, but don't ask me what it means
Ignore the cultural reference, you'll have to wiki it yourself
Hachikuji acts as the sounding board so we can set up the premise of the episode. Araragi is headed to Senjōgahara place for "studying". Although, knowing Araragi, it really is for studying. Throughout the conversation, however, they are pursued, and eventually overtaken.
I can see - oh wait shorts
Araragi is now confronted by yet another female. This usually means bad things, but not right now. But again, the symbolism in the scene tells you what is going to happen. In this case, it's actually pretty obvious.
Read The Sign
Araragi is confused by this odd "chance encounter".
Included for the dumb look, couldn't help it.
The new kid is XXXXX, who just wants to chat with Araragi about the weather, local politics, world news. And that's not sarcasm. She orchestrated this "chance" encounter, obviously, but what is her goal? I'm gonna guess the arm has something to do with it.
This means something
Looks like Araragi has a full blown stalker on his hands.
Senjōgahara's place is just full of symbolism. The whole construction of the building confuses me. It looks like a stage, surrounded by an unfinished building. Throughout the study sessions, birds are visiting the site until they reach a critical mass.
Once again, WTF?
But you can attract birds?
As one may have suspected, Suruga and Senjōgahara are connected. They are old middle school chums.
But when Araragi speaks a little too familiar of her, Senojahara once again demonstrates her deep grasp of office supply-fu.
This girl could gut you with a three ring binder
Back to the symbolism game. The rage in Senjōgahara's eyes is portrayed thusly
And in the room is the advice we all want to give Araragi.
Don't play with fire if you don't want your eyeballs ripped out with a pen
The background between Suruga and Senjōgahara is pretty simple. They were the stars of the basketball team and the track team, respectively, and had a friendship based on respect of the others abilities. Until Suruga noticed Senjōgahara's weight problem, and Senjōgahara "asked" her to back off.
Like any normal person, that was the last they spoke. Most likely she is now stalking Araragi to check out her former friends new beau, but Senojahara thinks it's nothing to worry about.
The sounding board type storytelling continues with Araragi calling in his sources and interviewing Hanekawa, who knows the Senjōgahara's backstory. The conversation doesn't reveal much, so lets go into symbolism mode.
Hanekawa walks and talks, taking road and bridges past endless lines of identical cars and unidentifiable traffic. This seems to be a way to separate her from the rest of the story, show she really is an outside influence rather than a player in the drama. Where all the rest are surrounded with train images, she is all car images.
Sounds good in my head, at least.
Araragi proves once again that is not another anime idiot boyfriend, when he contemplates trying to bring the old middle school friends back together, and QUICKLY DISMISSED THE IDEA. Very refreshing.
Ya think.
Oh look, more trains, more mysterious strangers
A train gate closing. A scrap of bandage hanging from the sleeve. If you're brain is faster than mine, you know what's coming.
Well, OK, no one should have seen THIS coming...
MY BLOOD! HE PUNCHED OUT MY BLOOD!
Understatement of the year award goes to Araragi!
The following is less symbolism and more boot to the head, but we are ment to understand who the hooded figure is from this.
Told you it meant something
As if being beaten, broken, abused and trashed across a railway yard isn't enough, there's nothing like your girlfriend coming by as you lay there waiting for your vampiric abilities to sew you up.
Happens to me all the time.
Final note, I swear - these two screens keep popping up, sometimes for a single frame, sometimes seeming at random. Black more than red.
You KNOW this means something, but I have not seen the pattern yet. It may be the mood of the characters, it may be the characters themselves each have colors, but I can't catch a pattern. And please, if you are going to laugh at my ignorance in the comments, at least also tell me WHAT this means?
Try to keep your excitement to Senjōgahara levels, please.
What do you want to do tonight, Brain?
Consider the opening conversation between Araragi and Hachikuji, where the setting is always around trains. In fact, a good amount of this episode is set around trains.
Interesting, but don't ask me what it means
Ignore the cultural reference, you'll have to wiki it yourself
Hachikuji acts as the sounding board so we can set up the premise of the episode. Araragi is headed to Senjōgahara place for "studying". Although, knowing Araragi, it really is for studying. Throughout the conversation, however, they are pursued, and eventually overtaken.
I can see - oh wait shorts
Araragi is now confronted by yet another female. This usually means bad things, but not right now. But again, the symbolism in the scene tells you what is going to happen. In this case, it's actually pretty obvious.
Read The Sign
Araragi is confused by this odd "chance encounter".
Included for the dumb look, couldn't help it.
The new kid is XXXXX, who just wants to chat with Araragi about the weather, local politics, world news. And that's not sarcasm. She orchestrated this "chance" encounter, obviously, but what is her goal? I'm gonna guess the arm has something to do with it.
This means something
Looks like Araragi has a full blown stalker on his hands.
Senjōgahara's place is just full of symbolism. The whole construction of the building confuses me. It looks like a stage, surrounded by an unfinished building. Throughout the study sessions, birds are visiting the site until they reach a critical mass.
Once again, WTF?
But you can attract birds?
As one may have suspected, Suruga and Senjōgahara are connected. They are old middle school chums.
But when Araragi speaks a little too familiar of her, Senojahara once again demonstrates her deep grasp of office supply-fu.
This girl could gut you with a three ring binder
Back to the symbolism game. The rage in Senjōgahara's eyes is portrayed thusly
And in the room is the advice we all want to give Araragi.
Don't play with fire if you don't want your eyeballs ripped out with a pen
The background between Suruga and Senjōgahara is pretty simple. They were the stars of the basketball team and the track team, respectively, and had a friendship based on respect of the others abilities. Until Suruga noticed Senjōgahara's weight problem, and Senjōgahara "asked" her to back off.
Like any normal person, that was the last they spoke. Most likely she is now stalking Araragi to check out her former friends new beau, but Senojahara thinks it's nothing to worry about.
The sounding board type storytelling continues with Araragi calling in his sources and interviewing Hanekawa, who knows the Senjōgahara's backstory. The conversation doesn't reveal much, so lets go into symbolism mode.
Hanekawa walks and talks, taking road and bridges past endless lines of identical cars and unidentifiable traffic. This seems to be a way to separate her from the rest of the story, show she really is an outside influence rather than a player in the drama. Where all the rest are surrounded with train images, she is all car images.
Sounds good in my head, at least.
Araragi proves once again that is not another anime idiot boyfriend, when he contemplates trying to bring the old middle school friends back together, and QUICKLY DISMISSED THE IDEA. Very refreshing.
Ya think.
Oh look, more trains, more mysterious strangers
A train gate closing. A scrap of bandage hanging from the sleeve. If you're brain is faster than mine, you know what's coming.
Well, OK, no one should have seen THIS coming...
MY BLOOD! HE PUNCHED OUT MY BLOOD!
Understatement of the year award goes to Araragi!
The following is less symbolism and more boot to the head, but we are ment to understand who the hooded figure is from this.
Told you it meant something
As if being beaten, broken, abused and trashed across a railway yard isn't enough, there's nothing like your girlfriend coming by as you lay there waiting for your vampiric abilities to sew you up.
Happens to me all the time.
Final note, I swear - these two screens keep popping up, sometimes for a single frame, sometimes seeming at random. Black more than red.
You KNOW this means something, but I have not seen the pattern yet. It may be the mood of the characters, it may be the characters themselves each have colors, but I can't catch a pattern. And please, if you are going to laugh at my ignorance in the comments, at least also tell me WHAT this means?
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