Nisemonogatari Episode 11 [Final]: Theory of Fundamental Evil

Nisemonogatari, forever <3

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Summary

Shinobu tells Araragi that Tsukihi isn’t really a phoenix, but instead a type of supernatural cuckoo, a Dying Bird that replaces an unborn foetus with its own offspring, living out its normal lifespan then reincarnating in someone else’s unborn child. When Araragi realizes that Tsukihi will always be his sister regardless of what she is, he goes out to fight Yozuru and Yotsugi with the help of Shinobu, who takes back some of her vampirism and becomes a younger Kiss-shot once more. While Kiss-shot manages to beat Yotsugi, Araragi takes a bad beating from Yozuru but refuses to give up, insisting that he will force his ideals on his family if he has to, to make them accept Tsukihi should they ever find out. Yozuru ends up losing her will to keep fighting and leaves with Yotsugi, allowing Tsukihi to live as an “exception”.

Impression

I think making Tsukihi the living embodiment of an actual phoenix would have been too over the top – though I think I would have preferred that over a brood parasite oddity, the Dying Bird. I dunno, I just feel uncomfortable with the concept of killing the original child and replacing it with your own. It’s definitely not Tsukihi’s fault since she doesn’t know anything, but it’s slightly chilling all the same.

Though this hasn’t got much relevance, I’d just like to say that teenage Shinobu/Kiss-shot is absolutely gorgeous as hell, as cute as her loli form was. Given her power increase she could technically have sucked out all of Araragi’s blood and become full Kiss-shot once more, but I guess she’s too attached to him now to kill him – not like it was any different in Kizumonogatari. I wonder if she’ll stay like that now, or whether she’ll revert to loli and return to his shadow. I wouldn’t mind either way, as long as she doesn’t disappear from future sequels. I’m sure Yotsugi had to go through a lot trying to beat her, but never as much as what Araragi often endures xD

It was brutal, but not unexpected. Other than to power up Shinobu, Araragi only probably went back to semi-vampirism to endure Yozuru’s inhumane hits, since he didn’t once punch back. It was pretty much the same back when he fought Kanbaru’s Rainy Devil – get Shinobu to suck some blood, and let the oddity beat the hell out of him. Oh wait, this time it was a human, wasn’t it? Who happened to be both Kaiki and Oshino’s clubmates at university – I swear everyone powerful is just a little bit insane in this show.

I knew Araragi would end up resorting to words to beat Yozuru, much like protagonists from shounen shows, though the Monogatari series is in a different league. Anyway, he’ll shoulder the possible hatred of the world his family in order to make them accept his ideals, since he’s fine with being Lelouch evil if it’s for the greater good. I don’t think Yozuru would have let Tsukihi live had Araragi not defended her, even after knowing what she was. Granted, he’s probably in the best position for any onii-chan to be in, myself included.

“Isn’t it hot, having a sister who isn’t your real sister?”

Yozuru’s “Theory of Fundamental Evil” was quite interesting. What she basically meant was that if theoretically, everyone was born evil, their attempts to do good would balance things out. However, they would be consciously attempting to do good, and thus it wouldn’t be real, it would just be a lie, a fake. Which comes back down again to the title of the show and its meaning – that a fake can be even more real than the real thing, since its deliberately tries to do so. Again, there’s that feeling of respect when everything comes full circle and you go: “Yeah. I see what you did there.”

I don’t want this to end. But as they say, all good things come to an end someday, and all I’ve got is praise for such an amazing series. Three months earlier, all of us were comparing this to Bakemonogatari and were unsure whether it would live up to the standards it set. But it did – no, it surpassed them, and is easily the strongest show of this season, without a doubt. It’s been an honour blogging Nisemonogatari, and if it airs in the near future you can be sure I’ll be back for both the Kizumonogatari movie as well as the next title in the series, Nekomonogatari. Director Shinbo Akiyuki has mentioned that he’d like to animate the entire series, so that’s definitely something to look forward to. Anyway, enough from me, I’ll give the final statement to Araragi while I go cry in my depressed corner. Ja ne.

“It’s time…for this monster to bow out.”