Recap: Kaiki meets with Senjougahara to update her on his tedious and expensive plan to deceive Nadeko. The situation takes an interesting turn when he runs into Ononoki, who has an intriguing message from Gaen.

Jel’s Thoughts: For a series where most of its battles are fought with words, Senjougahara and Kaiki’s verbal sparring is arguably the best of it. They both put up a cool and witty exterior and yet neither can totally hide the other side of themselves. Senjougahara’s dash to the restroom to cry off camera was a great way to illustrate the gap between her proud, brave front and just how heavy the burden of Araragi’s life feels to her. Kaiki also can’t help but show his hand after (kind of) refusing Gaen’s hefty offer, proving he really isn’t just in it for a payday. Granted that meant totally taking the money and running, but he still has every intention on carrying out his plan despite the risk. All of it adds up to a psychological cat and mouse game where neither wants to reveal their true intentions for fear of getting too close, making for a very unique relationship that feels intriguing and even a little dangerous.

Ononoki’s unexpected appearance was also interesting as she presented the possibility that Gaen has been pulling the strings this whole time. If Nadeko is the Final Boss, will Gaen be the final, FINAL boss? It certainly would make sense for a character that claims to know everything and thus far has given no evidence that she doesn’t. It does make you wonder about her intentions, as ostensibly she seems interested in protecting the town but that also meant creating a dangerous, all powerful god at the shrine. As nothing in Monogatari is ever as black and white as “good” and “evil” (just look at our present narrator), I’m intrigued by the possibilities. I highly doubt we will get much more information this season, but someday, SOMEDAY we will find out.

On a weird technical note, I couldn’t help but notice a huge gap in animation quality between the first two-thirds of the episode and the final scene with Nadeko. Just compare the close ups of Kaiki’s face in the first half versus the second and see how off model he looks early on. Also, this cut into the quality shots of winter coat Senjougahara in favor of painstakingly animating Nadeko’s snake hair and flush skin and I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT… ahem, on a less weird technical note that has no bearing on my opinion of the series but must be said, the new opening is AMAZING. It’s hard to believe that a series so well known for great OPs we actually haven’t had one in nearly two months. They make up for lost time time though as I’d argue it’s the best one yet, perfectly encapsulating the aforementioned uniqueness and danger of Senjougahara and Kaiki’s relationship. As the details rarely go to waste in Monogatari openings, I do wonder why the went with the splashes of super rad 80’s/90’s throwback style. Is it just because Kaiki is old or does Senjougahara perhaps remind him of some long lost love? Hmmm, I wonder…