@arbitrarywater said:
@redhotchilimist: I'm really specifically referring to some of the creepier stuff, not just with Hachikuji but also Shinobu and Ararargi's sisters. It's more than a little much, and I got very close to dropping the entire thing after the infamous "teeth brushing scene" because of how gross it was. Like, the rest of the fanservice is pretty egregious at times too, but I've become depressingly tolerant of your run-of-the-mill panty shot and probably wouldn't have raised as many objections. Where I draw the line is when it starts falling into the realms of lolicon and incest, which I am most definitely not okay with, even when it's played for comedy. As a result I don't feel comfortable recommending Monogatari to another human being who hasn't already gone all the way down the dark anime hole, which is a shame because I otherwise like it a lot. Some of the openings are soooooooo goooood.
But yeah, Konosuba, huh? That show's alright.
I too was very quick to turn on Nise because of what I perceived as heaps of fan service amongst an otherwise extremely well considered show. I thought it was out of place for a series that had such tight direction to just lump some sexuality in there but I think the more I watched the show, the more it became clear that the camera is very intentional about how it displays the characters.
Nisemonogatari isn't trying to distract you with naked or sexy scenes, the sexuality of these characters and araragi's relationship with each person is the subject. Accordingly each character is shot in a way which communicates to the viewer how they see themselves. Shinobu walks around naked for most of an episode and yet the camera doesn't really try to show it off or linger, it's like any other scene, except Shinobu is naked. To me this very much vibes with the way Shinobu views her own nudity, she doesn't care, she seems above it and the fact that araragi is there is really of no concern.
Then take the scene when Nadeko is trying to seduce Araragi. The camera is now very much interested in showing how Nadeko is really into Araragi because this is how Nadeko sees herself. On the other hand Araragi is very much trying to have none of it, so the male in this scene really isn't the one in the control of the camera, it's Nadeko. She is in control of the framing here, or at least it's consistent with her mentality It isn't being used to titillate or distract from an unrelated matter, this is how Nadeko wants to be seen.
The scene with Kanbaru is another scene with quite a lot of nudity or sexuality but again it's framed very differently from the other characters. It's playful and risky and it very much seems like Kanbaru is using her body to try to fuck with Araragi, again something very consistent with her character.
I think each person really has to define for themselves what fanservice is. To me fanservice typically tries to distract the viewer from the story where as the Monogatari series uses these scenes as a means of storytelling. It's purposeful and the framing in each scene is crucial to understanding the dynamics of a relationship between two characters.
The toothbrush scene in particular is very much about Karen finally getting Araragi to take her seriously as a girl maturing and with awakening sexuality and not simply as the eternal little sister. It's also being played for humour as the characters in the scene really seem to be turned on by each other but what they're actually doing is brushing teeth which is about the most mundane thing one can do. It's funny because it's emotionally honest. Like a comedian who gets a laugh out of a crowd because they seem to be genuinely angry about something, some humour requires the characters in them to be honest in their feelings and not simply in on the joke. I believe the toothbrush scene while quite arousing is counter to actual fan service which often chooses to portray characters as sexual objects despite their mentality. They may be confused or angry or sad but the camera chooses to disregard this and give us a cleavage shot instead.
Nisemonogatari is a show about monsters and spirits and demons but it's also a show about the nature of intimacy and the relationships araragi has with the various women in his life, how he sees them and they seem him in turn.
Also just want to be clear, i'm not trying to dunk on your experience of the show. If you're not comfortable with the scenes that's cool too, it just seemed like you were trying to like Nisemonogatari despite that stuff so hopefully hearing this perspective helps. :)
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