Nekomonogatari: Kuro

"You can come up with any number of reasons why you love someone. Like they are cool, or kind, or tall, or rich. There are all sorts of reasons you can say, but those are all... excuses you tell yourself to rationally justify your emotions." --Tsukihi Araragi Nekomonogatari Black is the third installment in the smash hit Monogatari franchise. It is a prequel to the events of Bakemonogatari, the first installment, and centers around Koyomi Araragi and Tsubasa Hanekawa as the latter becomes afflicted with an oddity over the course of Golden Week. My journey through the Monogatari series has been a pleasant if uneven one. The first installment roped me in, the second one sustained my enthusiasm while simultaneously creeping me out, and this one has made me hyped like never before to continue. Nekomonogatari is vivid, colorful, alive. It is also brooding and dark at times, and it manages to keep a healthy flow through its four episodes. The dialogue the series is famous for continues apace, with special mention going to the first episode, which contains some of the funniest moments the series has shown me to this point. Studio Shaft continues to amaze and trip out the viewer, as they always do, with rapid fire visuals, tense and captivating camera angles and pans, intense shots, and true-to-life sound effects. The voice actors continue to put their all into passionate portrayals of these characters. Storywise, the series moves at a quick pace while remaining very contemplative. The stakes seem low at first, but we learn more about Tsubasa's family circumstances. The bookish, perceptive Hanekawa, who got a bit of the limelight during the first and final arcs of Bakemonogatari, becomes a more sympathetic character and is more fleshed out than she was in previous installments. My only gripes with this one were with the OP and the rather off-putting conclusion to the story in general. While "Perfect Slumber" is a very listenable song, it doesn't quite fit the tone of the series, and compared to the other Tsubasa-centric OPs ("Sugar Sweet Nightmare" and "Chocolate Insomnia") it's a real disappointment. Also, I get that they were trying to tie in the conclusion of the series to its beginnings, with Koyomi reflecting on the meaning of love, but his monologue at the end didn't quite square with his actions throughout the arc. Nekomonogatari is still absolutely a worthy installment in the series, and definitely sets up the hype for Second Season. If you're watching the series in chronological, rather than release order, the last scene of this segues directly into the start of Bakemonogatari, so it works in that regard as well. Until next time, don't forget the donuts.

This is a review out of 100. 35/100 for Story, 35/100 for Characters, 15/100 for Sound, 15/100 for Animation. Story - 27/35 - This series is less like Nisemono and more like Bakemono, which is a good thing. There is even less fanservice in this series, and the pace is pretty fast, feeling like a movie (which it pretty much is). Because of time constraints, they couldn't add in any useless fanservice, unlike Nisemono which had too much time. I want to give the story a higher score, but I can't because it's a prequel where too much of the story was told to us beforehand. Bakemono told us too much about what happened during Golden Week, leaving for few surprises. Characters - 29/35 - We learn more about pretty much every character in the show, aside from the Fire Sisters. What we learn most about is Araragi and Hanekawa's relationship, in particular Araragi's feeling about Hanekawa. I think many people were wondering why he never went after Hanekawa in Bakemono, especially after saying all those nice things about her. It was still a little confusing at the end, but at least it gave us a reason. We learn more about Hanekawa as a whole and about what her aberration is. We even get to see more of Oshino, which is always a good thing. Sound - 11/15 - I feel like they made less use of the music compared to the other series. Aside from that, the music is still above average. Animation - 12/15 - It seems as if Shaft went back to using more of those stupid flashes again. I didn't like them in Bakemono and was glad they were gone in Nisemono. I feel like they were used a lot less here compared to Bakemono, so there is that. Aside from that the animation is a beautiful as always. The show still likes to oversexualize scenes, but since half the show is Hanekawa in a bra an panies it doesn't really matter. Overall - 79/100 - The lack of fanservice is what increased this score over the other shows in the series. Even though Bakemono got a lower score from me (77), it is still the better show in terms of Story and Characters. This show was just fortunate enough to not have any fanservice, while also toning down on the flashes. Overall this series could have been better if Bakemono spoiled less of it. It's a shame a show like this is hindered because of another show in the series but that is the burden all prequels have to bare.

[NOT A REVIEW] [IGNORE THIS WRITING] [I'm writing this as notes for what I feel for this arc as I rewatch the Monogatari series.] I'm still not sure what to feel after watching this arc. For one, I am now clarified with the storyline (now that I'm rewatching by Chronological Order). I've come to understand Araragi and Hanekawa's relationship. There are still many mysteries that I've yet to understand. I still don't understand what Oshino Meme represents. The motives of the Sawari Neko are still muddy to me. The idea of the Kokoro Watari is not clear to me, but I've come to realize that it's something related about using our 'inner feelings' as a weapon or something. I'd like to once again appreciate the frames used to convey the story of Monogatari. I've got the reference of most of them, and it is still entertaining to watch.

This "review" contains minor spoilers (unless you watched Bakemonogatari and prolly knows what Nekomonagatari will talk about). From the very beginning of the Monogatari Series there was something uncanny about it that really caught my attention. After a while, I'm finally able to vocalize it: I really love the honesty. It doesn't mean that the characters are bluntly straightforward, it just means they don't hide things betweem themselves or at the very least to the watcher. I hardly see implicit things, there's no second intentions - when Araragi is horny and thinks about sexual stuff it's crystal clear. You don't have this looming presence of sexualization hidden beneath the sheets, it's open at your face. Whereas when such sexualization is absent, it is absent. There is no sexual tension or second thoughts in interactions genuinely lacking sexual intention. This is why, for instance, the extremely attractive Hanekawa Black in underwear isn't as enticing or erotic as it could otherwise be. This is why the bathtub scene with Shinobi from the previous installment, Nisemonogatari, isn't erotic at all - neither character thing likewise. Monogatari makes me trust it in a way that, if something is not explicit, then I know it simply doesn't exist. In the other hand, if it's said to exist, then it does. So far, for me, Monogatari is a universe where intentions are fully expressed through words, and words full express truth. Where there's nothing concealed, nothing inferred. That's why I fucking love it.

ill admit i didnt score this series that high because im not big on hanekawa. k but dont get me wrong, i love listening to the nyaa from black hanekawa weaved into every sentence. its actually pretty cute i liked the character development. i liked getting to know a bit more between araragi and shinobu. having watched this right after nisemonogatari it really gives context to their relationship. the sword was also pretty sick but i also didnt find the story compelling at all, or find myself invested in the events. i think watching this after bakemonogatari makes it less interesting just because i know the outcome already and the major plot developments dont hit as hard as a result. end of the day i think this series on its own is not the best watch, but i do think it is important and necessary to make later parts of the series hit that much harder.

erm what the frack did i just watch? The art style is unique to many anime i watch - The need to put "scene" ect on it for me every scene change made it very hard to follow the subtitles. Personally, the story was very confusing and had no real depth to what could have been a very good anime. It was far too short and had no concept by the end how the main character ended up in the situation he did. Hanekawa could have had a much deeper back story and the introduction on screen of her 'parents' would have made it easier to understand her struggles. Every episode didn't really lean on the last or continue to the next. For me it seemed like each episode could have been its own. The Vampire in the story which i think could have either been strengthened or even disregarded as it didn't really make much sense in the beginning why she was even there with her need to be silent pretty much throughout the story until the end and the guardian of the vampire though knowledgeable showed no strength in his character or abilities at all- he becomes injured but doesn't show any scenes of how . Its not as a bad as some anime i have watched, but the worst for a while.

The **Monogatari series** was an anime of my youth, and now in 2023, I've decided to rewatch it. For now, I'll give my review of the series **Nekomonogatari Kuro (2012)**. This anime is truly epic. But actually, all the Monogatari series are epic, hehe 😁 If we look at the timeline of the story, this anime takes place after **Kizumonogatari III (2017)** and before **Bakemonogatari (2009)**. Confusing, right? But that’s not a big deal in my opinion. If new viewers want to watch this series based on the release year, it's not a problem. In fact, the mystery element becomes even better. Nekomonogatari Kuro tells the story after Kizumonogatari, focusing on the MC Koyomi Araragi and the main heroine, Tsubasa Hanekawa. Here, I won't give too many spoilers. However, for new viewers, you will be treated to action and the unique comedy that is a hallmark of this series.

I've got mixed feelings about this short set of four episodes, though most of my feelings are positive. Most of my gripes come down to the story itself as it felt just a touch drawn out and redundant. Nothing new really got revealed by giving Hanekawa's story its own, full adaptation. For the most part, what you glean from Bakemonogatari is enough as far as the actual plot of these episodes goes (meaning: why make four episodes about this incident when all it's doing is rehashing what's already been said?). Now, that being said, what these four episodes were actually meant to be about was Araragi's feelings for Hanekawa--no surprise there: this is the Monogatari series, and character development is the entire point. Yes, you'll get some developments for Hanekawa, too, but I actually didn't find any of those particularly necessary beyond one big development that happens at the end. I suppose it all leads up to that big finish, though, so I'll digress. Anyway, what I think was well done and valuable about these episodes was seeing Araragi come to a place of understanding about his feelings for Hanekawa. Especially after having seen Kizumonogatari, I've been feeling like the depth of their relationship needed to be explored a bit more because of their history together. Nekomonogatari: Kuro offers that, and I was impressed with how Araragi came to the conclusion he did by the end of the fourth episode. In fact, I'd say that Nekomonogatari: Kuro shows the exact sequence of development Araragi went through that made him into the character that he is when he meets Senjougahara, so it ties in nicely to what comes next, as well. I wasn't crazy about this installment because, like I said, most of it was a rehash of stuff I already knew. But I still think it's good to watch to add more context to Araragi and Hanekawa.

tl;dr: A prequel that while pretty solid in and of itself feels too much like it’s retreading subject matter that’s already been explored and not really adding enough new to it. Nekomonogatari is meant to be seen after Nisemonogatari. It’s chronologically before Bakemonogatari however, thus filling in the gap between Kizumonogatari and Bakemonogatari. It’s primarily focused on Hanekawa, but it also makes the jump in Araragi and Shinobu’s relationship from the end of Kizumonogatari to her parts in Nisemonogatari less abrupt, though what was essentially a pause on that during Bakemonogatari still feels kind of strange. Like Kizumonogatari, it’s a return to before the beginning to further develop past events and the character’s involved in those events. However, I don’t think it works nearly as well when done with Hanekawa’s story. She isn’t like Shinobu who before Kizumonogatari was left incredibly mysterious and with very little on the events relating to her even hinted at. With Hanekawa, she already got pretty well developed in the last arc of Bakemonogatari, and this is pretty much just an expansion of the flashbacks that occurred in that arc. In doing so, those events are told better and at a deeper level and it also manages to flow well from the last arc of Nisemonogatari in that it carries forward the themes relating to family and blood relations but flips them on their head essentially in such a way that how unfortunate Hanekawa is greater emphasized. But it doesn’t really feel that doing so really added anything to Hanekawa’s characterization that hadn’t already been established. Rather than Hanekawa herself, it feels like this arc was more dedicated to Araragi, or more specifically Araragi’s relationship with Hanekawa, or even more specifically answering viewers who may be questioning why, despite everything that happened in Kizumonogatari, Araragi didn’t go out with Hanekawa. The arc very explicitly starts with Araragi himself confronting the premise that he is in love with Hanekawa, who then spends most of the anime going through why that isn’t actually the case and how his feelings more Hanekawa are much deeper and complicated than that. To a degree, I think this explanation is decent enough logically, but at an emotional level it didn’t really do it for me. I know that this was released before Kizumonogatari and thus they didn’t really know what they had to be working against when they made this, but despite the attempts at trying to make it more complicated and as something that’s going in a different direction, the bond between Araragi and Hanekawa still feels more right to me than the bond between Araragi and Senjougahara. And it’s really frustrating because I actually really want to get more attached to the relationship between Araragi and Senjougahara as it was made clear from the beginning that it was the definitive winner so there is absolutely no point in getting invested in other ships, but the anime keeps spending all it’s time focusing on Hanekawa and rarely on Senjougahara so I just can’t. This arc does show off Hanekawa quite well and I really enjoyed seeing her in it, but her being such an amazing character well above everyone else is actually getting kind of annoying at this point. That may well be intentional as her perfection causing problems for others is a pretty major theme, but that’s getting way too meta for me. In terms of art and animation it’s very similar in terms of style and quality to Nisemonogatari which is still quite excellent and a visual pleasure in and of itself. It felt maybe a bit more subdued in how extreme it got, though it could just be that I’ve gotten a lot more used to it and thus it simply isn’t having anywhere as much impact at this point. The soundtrack is solid enough but it didn’t really feel like there was anything new that was particularly memorable. The OP and ED also felt lighter and more subdued compared to those in Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, but I suppose that works well in terms of the aspects of Hanekawa that this arc was focusing on.

I would have given this a 10 if not for Bakemonogatari being more memorable and more enjoyable to watch. Maybe cuz waifu Senjougahara was in it idk. Nekomonogatari gives us an elaborate answer why Koyomi picked Senjou over Hanekawa since in Bake we were under the impression that Hanekawa was literally worshipped by him. Her character was incredibly fleshed out in this series and...what else can i say i loved this series. Bake is obv the GOAT though cuz c'mon i nearly cried in ep 12. The slow piano as they gazed at the stars while Senjou monologues is just fucking beautiful. I would also like to add that the opening and endings of Bake are far superior to Neko which is why i cant give Neko a perfect score too.

Nekomonogatari: Kuro, surprised me, especially after coming right off of Nisemonogatari. Nekomonogatari takes place between the short time between Kizumonogatari and Bakemonogatari, and expands on the relationship between Hanekawa and Araragi. The storyline in this short season actually turned out to be one of the most mature coming-of-age stories I've seen, which was pleasantly surprising, especially coming from the previous season, which was more fun and lax in it's tone. Now being a Kizu and Bakemonogatari Shill, I very much enjoyed this season's tone. The random walls of text are back and beautiful, and the music this time of round was very relaxing and contemplative. Overall a great short season, and really only works if you've seen the previous adaptions in order.

This is my third review on the Monogatari series. Nekomonogatari:Kuro is the third part of the Monogatari series. In this one we go back to the golden week that was mention in bakemonogatari were Hanekawa got turned into black Hanekawa. We find out more about why she turned into black Hanekawa and how she really is. I thought Nekomonogatari:kuro was ok. The thing that bothered me the most was Hanekawa. I really do not like her character, it annoys me. Characters like her that are fake annoy me a lot. I do know after reading some stuff her character development gets a lot better but right now she is my least favorite character. I recommend this because you need to watch this to understand how Hanekawa is. Spoiler below about a question I had from my last review. In my last review about Nisemonogatari, I had a question and it was answer in this one. Does araragi love Hanekawa. The answer is yes. She was his first love but he didn't understand love at all. He intertwined it with lust for her body. After he realized what his love for Hanekawa was, he decide to fall in love with someone else because Hanekawa showed him what love is being his first love. Because of that he is going to treasure Hanekawa basically forever.

Short little mini season but it really is packed to the brim. We get some of the good aspects from Bakemonogatari back like the pacing and structure, and then also the quirkiness of Nisemonogatari kind of resulting in its own thing. Nice to finally see the events of Golden Week that had been referenced so much before, and its conclusion being a fitting end/beginning. Black Hanekawa is a good character and with the whole season revolving around her and Tsubasa it really gave that chance to shine, final episode being my favorite. Overall I enjoyed this and am already getting into Nekomonogatari White.

Amongst the very confusing monagatari series timeline nekomonagatari sits just after the events of kizumonagatari and before the events of bakemonagatari. its a confusing series for sure and i would not recommend starting the series here as nothing will make any sense whatsoever to you. Now that the exposition is, its review time. Story: The story centres around Hanekawa's character and Araragis relationship with her. This is a darker story with the classic monagatari gore scenes still present and just as shocking. Its a great dive into Hanekawa's character and 100 % worth the watch for a new time watcher especially as its only 4 episodes of content. The main plot is that Hanawaka has been cursed by a cat spirit and every year on golden week her cat form or "Hanekawa black" comes out and steals energy from humans. It sounds silly but its a great story with lots of emotional impact and Araragis character is fantastic as a opposite of Hanekawa blacks ideals and as he's a vampire there fight is intense and bloody. Nekomonagatari strives in the uniqueness of the story and the character of Hanekawa and Araragis respectably. Though since this came after Kizumonagatari there are very limited characters to have in the series and for a series that strives on its characters that can get a bit stale every once in a while. 8/10 Characters: As previously mentioned there's a distinct lack of characters in this show which can be a problem as we spend 90% of the run time with either Araragi or Hanekawa. Monagatari feels off without having Senjougahara as part of the story especially as in Kizumonagatari and nekomonagatari, Hanekawa is seen as the main love interest of Araragi and its weird to see them so close together in this show and not the rest of the series. Though of course its for plot reasons to set up Bakemonagatari so I don't have a big problem with it. Oshino, Shinoubu or (heart under blade) for long and Araragis sisters are all returning characters which first time watchers will appricitact after watching bakemonagatari, kizumonagatari and god forbid nisemonagatari after the toothbrush scene. However for the characters that we do get to see there interactions are fantastic and well written and attempts at comedy almost always lands. We get some awesome character growth and a really badass moment with Araragi. 8/10 Art: The art in this show is the classic monagatari look with all the flashing images you could ask for albeit a tad dialled back for the sake of saving the viewer from having a epileptic fit. Its worth noting that if you watched Kizumonagatari first this show does not have the same level of quality the movies have, but this doesn't mean its bad by any means. The animation is perfectly fluid with no hiccups in the animation at all. It has the same level of craziness that the rest of the series has which can be a negative for some but personally I love monagatrie's style. There are no flaws in the animation but for first time watchers it can get overwhelming especially because there is no dub to make it easier to follow. For me the art in this show is a solid 9. 9/10 Audio/music: Music isn't a big focal point around monagatari and it has essentially 1 memorable song being the 4th op of monagatari "renai circulation." I hate that song by the way. But going back to Nekomonagatari, it really doesn't have a memorable soundtrack if I'm honest. The opening is ok and the ost is the definition of ok as well. This doesn't mean the music is annoying or is trash its far from it, its simply very forgettable and mediocre compared to other monagataries such as bake. The audio as a whole is great with the voice actors being incredible and fitting there characters scarily well. its a 7 from me. 7/10 Overview: Ill finish this of this a watch order so anyone trying to get into the series knows where to start and where to watch this. Bakemonagatari, Kizumonagatari, Nekomonagatari, Nisemonagatari, Monagatari series: second season, Hanamonagatari, tsukimonogatari, owarimonogatari Season One, koyomimonogatari, Owarimonogatari Season 2, zoku Owarimonogatari. and as far as I know that's the series so far all in order. If you want the chronological order of things go elsewhere because its a whole other tin of worms. Thank you for reading as I hope you enjoy !

(a short opinion/review) I find this small part of monogatari fascinating, where we see fragments of important words from two essential characters, Araragi and Hanekawa, what do they really feel for each other? do I feel frustrated? do I like you? Am I just a depressing and very common boy? what's behind that perfection you hide, hanekawa? everything that is being told to us throughout these 4 chapters is an essential development of the plot, even lasting a short time, the plot is effective, direct, specific and perfect. see the characters telling us their stories, their perspectives on certain situations, their feelings and what they decide to do with the things that are hurting them, all the elements are related to each other, which gives meaning to everything, so at At the end of each chapter, you feel comforted by what you have just seen, I think this series is effective, efficient and subliminal, as "eccentric" as its characters, I think it is a work of art. the story clarifies and expands more as the chapters continue, the eccentricities are creatures built based on human beliefs, this means that if humans did not believe in the supernatural, the eccentricities could not exist, these concepts are more than captivating and interesting, vampires adapt to the expectations of what humans believe they should be, as in the upbringing of a child, children adapt to what their parents want, and from there will come the result of what we will be in the future. If there is something that I find really charming, it is that they take their time to develop the condition of each character and demonstrate this through inexplicable events, even bizarre and paranormal, symbolizing what we are by how we feel and how we act with each person, Hanekawa spends for all this because of how the world is with her, that's why she became what she is today. remarking that the agony of the character is much greater than the physical pain that goes away quickly. the depression and dissociation of the character and her strange perception of good and bad is difficult to change, so I normalize the deplorable state in which she finds herself, all this background makes us feel the suffering and realism of what we observe . With the whole situation, Araragi does not feel at all calm and begins to investigate in all possible ways, reflecting on his relationship with Hanekawa over time. and if there is something more charming about this anime, it is the clear allegory and joke that makes the cliche of the harem protagonist, "this high school girl with cat ears, that only one underwear, is driving me crazy with lust, if you continue Speaking ill of her, I'll be forced to kill you." Saying this in the most serious way possible, the series makes it look realistic, which I find appealing in a way. it's funny and at the same time intriguing the way this series has to represent each thing, that's why it's attractive. without much more to add, it must be said that the last chapter of nekomonogatari (kuro) is a genius and an essential part of the saga, it marks the importance, the consequences and the causes of the existence of hanekawa and the things he had to resort to araragi so that she is well, and it is not only about her, but about the vampire princess and the events that surround her, the actions of araragi that mark a before and after and the fantastic environment of the series, this The end is spectacular and we will see how this eccentric and strange story continues. a mixture between the supernatural and the most normal of life seems to be a good choice of genres. "One day I will fall in love with another person, for the first time in my life I will fall in love with a person other than you, you showed me how to sympathize with others, so surely there will come a day when I fall in love with one of those people, however I will always remember the nine days that you forgot, the nine days that shone like gold, with nostalgia, I don't think I'll be able to forget them, no matter what the future holds for me, these feelings that I feel for you are the same and I can never change them" - Koyomi Araragi I love this series, thanks for reading!

Neko kuro is a perfect anime for Hanekawa simps, but sorry i aint one Neko kuro is a short yet indulging anime about Hanekawa (thats it i dont wanna include spoilers) You may say "oh he doesnt care about Hanekawa" that is correct xD I feel like Hanekawa's story isnt that interesting as the other girl's story (Again no spoiling) Still i feel like the anime is enjoyable, But, for a show with only 4 episodes it really made me more interested to Hanekawa herself the anime really made me understand and like Hanekawa more, down part, its kinda short only 4 episodes, a solid 8 for me Neko kuro is a good anime i just didnt find myself really enjoying it that much compared to the other monogatari shows

Nothing added to the story. I watched this according to most of those "correct way to watch monogatari" lists. This didn't seem like a very smart way to tell the story. Generally a prequel has to work on giving new substance by exploring areas that weren't covered already. This prequel just reiterates on all the stuff that we were given bits of information on, during the Curse Cat arc in Bakemonogatari. Everything was awfully predictable. It's a waste of 4 episodes in my opinion so I'd urge you to skip this one. It cheapens the Curse Cat arc from Bakemonogatari too by just repeating the same information. The style and everything is there, so if you just need to scratch an itch for more Monogatari content, give this a watch. Otherwise, if you hate when something is just predictable and doesn't give anything new, forget about this one.

Nekomonogatari Kuro (Black) is a good addition to the Monogatari series, serving as a solid prequel to Bakemonogatari and the story of Tsubasa Hanekawa. Despite being a prequel, the narrative will keep you engaged, even though you are already familiar with the outcome. The prequel provides a deeper understanding of Hanekawa's character, making her more of a integral character within the broader series. That being said as much as i do like this anime and am amused it exists, i find it wasn't at all necessary. I feel it's a very nice cherry on top of an already great cake of which being Hanakawa's story in Bakemonogatari. The anime's pacing being only four episodes does not have the luxury of lingering on unnecessary filler content. This concise storytelling contrasts sharply with Nisemonogatari, which i found to be overly extended and padded at times. This is to the benefit of Nekomonogatari Kuro that it ensures every scene serves a purpose. This prequel was handled very well pace wise and gives me more belief in director Tomoyuki Itamura. As with other entries in the Monogatari series (up until this point), the monologues are prevalent. The monologues here are well done and feel a lot more interesting than the vast majority in Nisemonogatari. That being said a lot of this feeling may be down to either: 1. Me being in a better frame of mind watching the anime 2. The specific arc being shorter than Nisemonogatari or possibly a mixture of both. Although Bakemonogatari was fifteen episodes and was better than both so i feel it's more the former point than the latter. But i did prefer the character's chat's more in this than in Nisemonogatari. Another positive i believe director Tomoyuki Itamura made was the not as egregious Fan Service. Now it is still in this anime that is a given, however it seemed to be toned down to far more acceptable standards. Fan service isn't always a negative, but i find Nisemonogatari went overboard with this and here it is used far better. That being said it is far shorter than the eleven episodes of Nisemonogatari thus maybe that is a reason for this seeming change. The action scenes (though limited) are executed with the same creativity seen in previous instalments. The fight sequences are visually nice to look at not only because of good animation but well done choreography. It is interesting in these instalments that one of the seemingly least important aspects of the Monogatari series is one of the most impressive as action is not what the anime is known for. The unique visual style of the series is known for is showcased here rather well. There wasn't a single time i gazed upon a scene and was negatively impacted by what i saw. Just as good as anything found in Nisemonogatari if not better than. While the opening sequences of Bakemonogatari set high expectations, the opening of Nekomonogatari Kuro i find didn't quite hit those heights. Although it may not reach the brilliance of earlier openings, it is still fitting for the tone of the arc and complements the story’s focus on Hanekawa well enough. I also find it more visually pleasing than any Nisemonogatari opening sequence. Overall, Nekomonogatari Kuro is a well made prequel that not only complements the existing story of Hanekawa but also the overall narrative. For fans of the series it offers valuable insights into Hanekawa’s character, while it's well paced storytelling ensures that it remains engaging from start to finish. Although not necessary, i am happy knowing it exists. Final Score - 7/10