And so everything becomes clear this episode as to how it all started and why each of the episodes in the mini-arc was almost as equally important as the rest. I particularly liked the way this arc was represented throughout, especially at the end when it all gets clarified for the viewer, including Senjougahara deciding she was wrong, how Araragi felt, and the relationship between both of them. Also, Mayoi now is in the running for the Loli of the Year, my gawd she is cute, and I mean that in a kiddish way, not a lolicon way. -_-

 

I am pretty sure Shin and others are already requesting vectors for Mayoi, there were plenty of opportunities throughout the episode like this one here, where she declares she is one of the better developed girls.
 

Lolwut? There is a “first touch”? Srsly, wtf?

I am pretty sure Shin came during this scene in the raw, and he probably did it again after watching the sub. I already foresee vector requests in 4Chan for this particular shot as well.
 

Oh man, going by common sense, obviously an apology is the first thing that slips off our mouths, but I like his viewpoint too, though it will probably not win any points with the ladies. :\
 

Now then ladies, if you are there, and still somehow reading this blog, I must ask you this (because I am pretty sure few other males will want to ask a lady this) – does rubbing them really make them grow, or is it a superstition spread by some male with raging hormones that cannot keep his hands off females’ chests? Too many mixed views and opinions over this, so if I can get an actual honest and accurate opinion, that would be much appreciated. Kill the myths or show the truth, as it were.
 

Other than the obvious lolicon tendencies (this whole scene was probably a godsend to lolicons in fact), I felt the background music was really well chosen for this scene. The slow dancing as they struggled and then later fought, and that second screencap right above where Koyomi appears to be holding Mayoi in mid-dance, now that is style. Of course, his words right after that hardly helped.
 

People are picking up the Ararararararagi syndrome it seems, when it comes to spelling Araragi’s name.

Oh man, Senjougahara’s reappearance is in line with her personality indeed, but that ending with the “yue-hey-hey” laugh seriously had me hooked. Chiwa Saito is really doing what might even be her most fantastic job as a seiyuu to date, even if I am not in that good of a position to say for sure.
 

A deep moment here. This just reinforces my view that there can be no objectivity, because we all view things from the single opinion that we can be sure of and know – our own. In other words, seeing things from another person’s point of view, especially in this case, is next to impossible. Which point of view is correct or wrong, or is even asking that meaningful in the first place? There is no way to establish fact and fiction, right or wrong, when this happens. What may be a fact to one, may very well be fiction to another, as the case of Mayoi illustrates with the two of them.
 

I just wish to draw your attention to similar screencaps above, I certainly did not take note of the differences until after I finished the episode once and went back to get screencaps.
 

And the difference? Mayoi actually does not appear in any of the shots until Senjougahara ascends the steps. Take a good look. When Senjougahara first reappears, you could argue that Mayoi was still sitting on the bench and was thus excluded, but I believe that she has in fact been standing there the whole time during Araragi’s and Senjougahara’s initial exchange. However, we hardly take note of such things at the time; we were more focused on the exchange between the two of them, and one would normally think that Mayoi, even if one did take note, was still on the bench.

It was an awesome revelation, and by “awesome”, I mean it inspired awe. It just goes to show immediately why the first episode in this mini-arc was instantly relevant – Mayoi had first appeared before Senjougahara, and then again after Koyomi is reminded of his desire to not go home, at the end of their dialogue. Then the second merely added detail regarding the situation of Mayoi and the search for a solution, before we finally understand exactly why Senjougahara, then Hanekawa, acted the way they did, and why Oshino said what he said near the end of episode 4. Indeed, it was not Mayoi who had met the snail, but Araragi, and the snail itself was Mayoi.
 

Very interesting turn of events. Unlike the wordplay in Senjougahara’s case, this was more a meaningful play on the feelings of Araragi, which, in this case, mainly fixates on his strong desire not to go home. Senjougahara later illustrates this point by saying that “everyone thinks that way at times”, perhaps an allusion to the fact that all of us do feel this way at one point or another in our lives, but with Mayoi as a demonstration, it may be subtly hinting to us that we should never feel that way for long, for home is truly where we belong.
 

Episode 4’s phone theatrics also become rather clear. The “Walk” and “Run” parts were an allusion to Mayoi’s “pilgrimage”, the circumstances surrounding her death. It was all very sad – she just wanted to see her mother and not forget her, but an errant car must have not stopped on time and ran her over when she was just crossing the street normally at the green “Walk” light. And because of this, for the last ten years since she died, she has been lost, trying to find her mother’s home ever since.

If we think about it carefully, Mayoi did mention since the very start that she was a lost snail, and that she never referred to anyone or anything else as that. She did not run into any oddity; she is the oddity, as Senjougahara points out. Also, Katou Emiri’s voice was very well done at this part, and throughout the entire episode, so I just cannot fathom why she can do so well in this show and suck at the other one this season.
 

And we now also see Oshino’s references to all the pilgrimages mentioned earlier when he was in the phone chat with Araragi. Most interesting. I like how Hachikuji was used as her name and the meaningful wording and- so is this also wordplay? Maybe. This is why I said all episodes in this mini-arc were important. Got to love how the show presents things and information to the viewer.
 

This was actually a touching revelation. Senjougahara pretended all the while she did see Mayoi because she did not want to lose her basic sense of self again after just regaining it. What would happen if the guy she liked suddenly saw her as strange again all because she could not see something she did, and that for the past 2 years, if anything strange or wrong happened to her or from her point of view, it would be normal to think of it as her fault? It must have been painful for her to finally admit to Araragi that she could not see Mayoi and had to apologize for lying.
 

Revelation, Araragi. You were the one who met the lost snail, not Mayoi.

Despite how Senjougahara (and the show in general) keeps trying to portray Araragi as dumb, he did immediately see the connection as to why Hanekawa could also see Mayoi. She too, had a hidden desire to not go home. Sometimes, our desires may be hidden, and manifest themselves in unusual ways. Our subconsciousness is more powerful than we think.
 

This makes us further realize just how painful the last decade has been for Mayoi’s spirit. She knows she already is dead, and that the people who meet her and can see her are the ones that, like her, are searching for a place to return to. Yet she also knows that if they follow her, they too would get as lost as she was and probably end up dead or led astray for life, and thus she had to reject every stranger she managed to meet throughout the last ten years. The pain must have been unbearable for a kid who remained a kid, unable to grow. One can only imagine at the kind of solitude she felt.
 

“Instead, you’ll simply save anyone.”

This is one part of Araragi that kind of redeems his character and puts him in a different light. I am sure many of us also feel the urge to just save anyone. Araragi though probably wants to do so because it stems from the fact that he can do little else, and that because he knows he is weak, he wants to save those who see themselves as weak and unable to help themselves as well. Perhaps it is even more so when you realize that he has been through such an oddity himself, when he was briefly a vampire, and that Mayoi and Senjougahara were in similar, almost supernatural situations.

Speaking of light, nice light effects at this point shining on Senjougahara.
 

The only thing I thought of at this point was “YOUR DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT SHALL PIERCE THE HEAVENS!“

I seriously laughed damn hard at this scene. The way Senjougahara declared her affection for Koyomi, then his tilted head reaction, and finally Mayoi slams in the hammer blow with her “omedetto gonzaimasu”. Oh gawd, truly awesome. If not for Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Bakemonogatari would have been the top of this season for me.
 

A very touching scene indeed when Mayoi finally finds her way back to where she originally wanted to, ten years ago. The music that played during this part was the instrumental slow version of Katou’s opening song, which we were “treated” to last episode. The title for that song, “Kaerimichi” (The Way Home) and its lyrics become very clear as to their meaning at the end of this arc, but I still did not like the song despite Katou’s cute voice and the cute music at the start. However, this instrumental version is really very nice.
 

Ha, so I did guess right. Not that it was not very obvious in the first place anyway.

What unlucky? I call this highly fortunate. Dammit, SENJOUGAHARA, DO WANT, NOW!

“If our viewpoints are inconsistent, let’s talk it over.”

I have no idea how many of you saw the truth and the meaning behind this statement by Araragi. Talking over matters helps a lot even in current relationships that already have developed, are developing, or will develop. Please, lots can be solved by airing your grievances with the other side, and this is not just in love relationships either. I also like the way Araragi put it across firmly to Senjougahara about this.
 

What are you talking about, idiot…Senjougahara fascination IS already in vogue.

OMG HNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH

I also really liked the instrumental piano version of Senjougahara’s opening song that was played during the dialogue right after Mayoi gets home. Very very nice, and her opening is a little above average, but a definite get.
 

And so Mayoi is still in the area, likely thanks to Araragi. The promotion though was a little humorous. So now I wonder, can just about anyone see her? Or only those that had been in contact with her before?
 

Impressions

Bakemonogatari continues to impress with both visuals and the storyline’s meaningful clarity at the end. I really like the interactions between Senjougahara and Araragi, and of course, Senjougahara makes the show that much better. Then again, for this particular arc, Mayoi was the true protagonist and the one that shined. The voice acting by Katou was just fabulous throughout the arc, which makes it all the more unseemly that she would fail so hard as Seika in Princess Lover.
 

As I also mentioned, the presentation of information to the audience is really superb so far, and I hope they keep this up throughout the remaining ten episodes. Further, Araragi’s and Senjougahara’s relationship development, so “fast” into the story, should prove to keep things interesting as we move through the other mini-arcs in this series.
 

It was not just Mayoi however that had quite a few vector opportunities during this episode – as you can see from my screencaps, Senjougahara had quite a few good ones too, like this golden shot of her. Finally, as Bakemonogatari has moved to 4 posts, there is now a separate section entirely for it under the Anime parent category in this blog. I am not going to do it episodically, just when I feel like I have stuff to say.

Related posts:

1. Bakemonogatari 03 – Senjougahara HNGH
2. Bakemonogatari 06 – In Your Face Part 1
3. Bakemonogatari 13 – Return of Fetishes
4. Bakemonogatari 06 – In Your Face Part 2
5. Bakemonogatari 12 – Hitagi X Koyomi