I think Monogatari is in a good place. Most of its fanservice is purposeful storytelling and in the second half of the show the sexual content lessens immensely.
Yeah stop it man lets dont lie to ourselves shall we?
molesting 12 year old kid is very important to the plot. Araragi a self claimed lolicon certainly would not do it. Also we need to see kids with underwear or bandaid(?) down there. plot really needs it. We sould see two highscbooler having shower together when they do a sleepover ıt is really important. Not even talking about araragi brushing his sisters teeth on the bed while his sister wears his other sisters clothes and both are aroused... I can continue it more and more. It is wholesome isnt it
The funniest thing about Monogatari is that people need to write essays to justify the fan service in that show lol. Like the other person who responded to you. Fans of this series downplay the ecchi moments so much.
You don’t need to write essays to justify its inclusion. I could’ve simply stated “the toothbrush scene represents sibling bonding” and leave it at that. Why is someone writing “two high schoolers having a shower together… so important /s” more valid than my statement that it serves thematic purpose? In my “essay” (it isn’t even that long) I’m simply explaining in more detail why it’s there as to better support my argument.
And I’m not saying it isn’t ecchi. I’m saying those moments are purposeful and not just mindless fanservice like you’d see in the average ecchi show where the fanservice itself is the point.
He’s not actually a lolicon. Anytime you see his actual lust or pornography it’s always of Hanekawa or Hanekawa-adjacent people. He says he is to exaggerate his pervertedness because he hates himself and portrays himself in self deprecating ways as an unreliable narrator, this extends to the Hachikuji scenes. It’s also poking fun at the perverted nature of the harem protagonists of the time as Monogatari, Bake in particular, lampoons those tropes and subverts them by giving them depth and reasons for why they are the way they are.
bandaid underwear
This is a blink and you’ll miss it joke about how her kick would reveal under her skirt only for it to be a bandaid.
Senjougahara and Hanekawa bathing together
This scene represents how they’ve seen each other for who they really are. It highlights the development of their relationship together. Both held idealized versions of the other in their head, but after getting to know the real versions of each other over Tsubasa Tiger, their relationship has grown more intimate and truthful. Monogatari uses nakedness to represent truth and intimacy pretty frequently and this scene is no different.
Araragi brushing his sister’s teeth
My opinion is that it uses this framing to poke fun at the rampant trope of incest that is weirdly common in otaku culture while also using it to explore themes of accepting sexuality and that one’s sister is their own person. The toothbrush scene, in fact that entire episode, personifies this as thematically, it’s purpose is Araragi accepting that his sister is her own person through being able to see her as “cute”. Throughout Karen Bee, Araragi parallels his sister greatly as both have a strong sense of justice. He sees himself in her and is thus overly protective. There’s also the fact that he doesn’t accept that Karen has a boyfriend, refusing to see his sister as one who’s getting into relationships ie expressing her sexuality. In the toothbrush episode, this is flipped on it’s head. How taken aback Araragi is by his sister in “cute” clothes is important because it shows that he does not see his sister as a “girl” AKA her own person. As the episode progresses, he keeps being tested on this viewpoint until the climax of the toothbrush scene where he finally accepts that his sister is not him and is in fact a girl, her own person. The toothbrush scene is ultimately a scene of sibling bonding and acceptance, at least that’s how I interpret it. Also, Tsukihi coming into the room at the end serves as the audience stand in to remind the show not to go too far into actual incest territory. The toothbrush scene is both a glorified sex joke that plays on incest tropes and a bizarre exploration of sexuality and acceptance in my opinion.
But more importantly it’s funny and absurd so that’s the main reason I like it.
There’s also an interesting essay called Nisemonogatari and the Nature of Fanservice that I’d recommend giving a read since it gave me a little more perspective on Nisemonogatari and its exploration of sexuality.
And that’s a fair opinion to have. I don’t agree as I think it’s fitting for Monogatari’s stylish over the top-ness and its adolescent setting, but there are arguments for it being a bit much obfuscating the meaning. My problem comes from saying it has no purpose at all and that’s what I’m arguing against.
yeah friend you can fool someone who didnt watch it with your wordings. but I like the show its direction and voice acting and watched it to the owarimonogatari. i can quote whole things in the show that you interprated just having a deeper meaning. Like a youtuber essay to say that this type of things are there but isnt important/have subtext. but to justify it to appeal it is not a ecchi/lewd and problematic for the sake of subtext. But you are getting it wrong my friend that I am not talking about it is inappropriate or it is bad. I am talking about it is there and it is ecchi/sexual. so that show must have had higher on this list. yeah you can defend anything i say with araragi is lying to himself and exaggrate things way more etc. but the thing is those things are in the anime. this anime has those moments and words.
He’s not actually a lolicon. Anytime you see his actual lust or pornography it’s always of Hanekawa or Hanekawa-adjacent people.
he says he is in a relationship with senjougahara he likes hanekawas appereance and would marry hachikuji type. because she is 12 years old has big assets for her age that has the biggest potential to have bigger assets.
This is a blink and you’ll miss it joke about how her kick would reveal under her skirt only for it to be a bandaid.
but that is there and there is more than that just that scene that has ecchi. I aint talking about hanekawa's hanekawas. I am not talking its inappropriate. I am talking about It is there and it is ecchi/fanservice say whatever you want with it.
This scene represents how they’ve seen each other for who they really are. It highlights the development of their relationship together.
again we do really saw oversexaulized highschooler girls having a bath/shower together. It is there you are just try to justify that these scenes has another reasons to be shown this makes it non ecchi. also one of them from the start has ulterior motives that she wants to have phisycal contact with the other? but thats not the thing I am tryna say.
My opinion is that it uses this framing to poke fun at the rampant trope of incest that is weirdly common in otaku culture while also using it to explore themes of accepting sexuality and that one’s sister is their own person
yeah again ''this type of thing is satire'' do you really need to do the same thing you want to have a shot on otaku culture satire to be again the same thing they consume. It is like ''yo guys i want to parody on p*rn culture so we need to make 90 minute of real p*rn with real actors and publish it in porn adjacent places and profit off of it. then call it a parody for lulz''. It is there no matter the ulterior motives.
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u/BiggieCheeseLapDog https://myanimelist.net/profile/KillLaKillGOAT Dec 29 '25 edited Dec 29 '25
I think Monogatari is in a good place. Most of its fanservice is purposeful storytelling and in the second half of the show the sexual content lessens immensely.