When you get NISHIO Ishin and his well-known imaginative writing style with Oh! Great artwork, magic happens.

There's nothing to be said about Bakamenogatari really, it's as good as people expect to be.

... Last updated on December 31st, 2020, 9:38pm

I had blacklisted this mangaka. His illustrations are magnificent. And even the start and the universe of the series he creates are interesting. But he always destroys it all. The story and logic just goes to hell sooner or later.

But here I am again. Because he is not the original author. He does what he can do really well: Gorgeous drawings, very detailed and full of significance. And the result is wonderful.

At first you need to acomodate at the difference in style with the SHAFT anime. But then you can enjoy it. And, if you pay attention, within the last chapters Oh Great! is changing the characters' designs a little (less "roundness" on the face and more stylized features) and even adopting some of the wacky caricatures in the comedy relief sections of the anime.

Overall, if you enjoyed the anime, give this a try. And if you didn't, give it a try too!

We all know how well this mangaka can draw, hell he might be one of the best. But the recurring problems with his works were his narrative style, which mostly could become confusing and hard to follow, in spite of the gorgeous illustrations. Which is a shame because his art really does have a strong impact and gravity yet mostly it failed to complement and alleviate his story to greater heights. That's why his works left a bland impression on me, in terms of pure story.
Bakemonogatari, on one hand, is a well known franchise. Most of us already knows how it goes. So what is there to expect?
The narration and pacing so far is SURPRISINGLY good, and the main thing I noticed is that his illustrations complements the story REALLY well!
In comparison to the anime where we were bombarded with a machine gun pace of a dialogue and a stylishly unique yet bland animation style (which sometimes is tiresome for the eyes), this manga takes on a new perspective in the storytelling and feels like a completely fresh experience. His artwork, which was in line with the story leaves a box-cutter deep of an impression in me.
If I had to compare, it feels like reading the Vagabond manga after reading the Miyamoto Musashi novel by Eiji Yoshikawa.
I'm really looking forwards for the next chapters