Recap: In the months after Kaiki conned her and her classmates, Nadeko’s school life has been tense and uncomfortable. She starts to see small white snakes appear wherever she goes, prompting her to call Araragi for help.

Jel’s Thoughts: First things first, episode 11 is another recap episode. This time they give us a crash course on the events of Bakemonogatari, which was a lot more appropriate than the last recap considering that aired way back in 2009. Monogatari completionists may want to give it a look as there is some very, very small doses of new animation sprinkled in, but unless you’ve completely forgotten the story there’s no other reason to watch.

Episode 12 begins Otorimonogatari and Nadeko’s return to the spotlight. I’ve always thought Nadeko was misunderstood by a lot of fans. It’s easy to think she is just a cute, innocent girl with a simple crush on her friend’s big brother, but you don’t have to look too deep to find hints of her dark side. Caught between the younger girls who are clearly children and the older girls who are essentially adults, Nadeko’s advances make Araragi question his feelings and values arguably more than any one else. By extension the audience is meant to feel just as uncomfortable as we watch her pin snakes to trees or talk about her secret closet no one can ever go in – all clues to some kind of deeper obsession. To paraphrase Kanbaru, she is the Final Boss.

To dispel any doubt, this episode opens up at the climax of the arc. Nadeko is at the height of her emotional instability, willing to kill the person she supposedly loves. If you want to call it “yandere mode” go ahead, but I’m trying to avoid simple shortcuts like that. Even the new OP (watch it before they take it down) plays out as a brilliant, evil retelling of the iconic “Renai Circulation”, spinning that song’s original innocent determination into the mantra of an obsessive stalker. It is a definitely a gamble to start the story at the end and work your way back to it. I could see it being more effective starting from the beginning and showing her give in to her madness, totally blindsiding folks who didn’t pick up on it the originally. I could also see that method being much more boring though, so maybe raising the tension right away will be just as effective.

The horror vibe of the final scene was also a nice touch as that was a much more prevalent element in the original series that I kind of miss. Seeing all the dead snake parts pinned to the trees at that creepy shrine certainly set an appropriate tone for the events to come. After last arc turned into “Koyomi and Shinobu’s Excellent Adventure”, I think I’m in the mood for something more sinister and I’m hopeful this story will deliver.