This probably comes as not much of a surprise, but this is going to be the last blog post I write on Ore Monogatari!! I am happy to note that, really honestly, this isn’t directly related to last week’s burst of annoyance—that was simply the symptom of a deeper problem I’ve been having with Ore Monogatari!!, one that helped me realize the solution to the issue is probably to not blog the show anymore. Which isn’t to say I don’t like Ore Monogatari!! I really did enjoy this week’s episode. But there are shows that are good to blog and shows that are not so much, and it seems to me like Ore Monogatari!!—for me, at least—falls into the latter category.
My Love Story!!
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 11
Unlike the last few times I’ve been a been down on Ore Monogatari!! and not quite sure about how I felt about it, this time I’m very much certain in what I felt about the episode and why I felt that way. Hold on tight, folks. This is going to be a rocky ride. If you’ve been with me since my very hot-and-cold posts about last season’s Your Lie in April, you’ll know how much I find myself fascinated by shows that posses the capacity to simultaneously enrage and enthrall me. This episode of Ore Monogatari!! is very much the same—some moments of absolute brilliance, a lot of stuff that really got on my nerves. So. Let’s go to the beach!
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 10
Is this the week I finally get on the same page as Ore Monogatari!!?? After a couple of weeks of being kind of on-again-off-again with the show, everything clicked this week—and did so in a way that actually felt like my expectations and what the show’s goals were actually lined up for the first time in a long time. And, you know what? I kind of liked that. Oh, and the cute stuff. I liked that, too. Like THIS.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 9
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little unsure about my ability to blog Ore Monogatari!! through the end of its runtime. As much as I like it, I can’t really deny that there’s a gap between substance and depth in this show that was highlighted in this episode—plenty of teases at going deeper, but no actual commitment. Which isn’t, by any means, a terrible thing for a show like this, it’s just not all that conducive to weekly blogging.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 8
In which I shed many tears over the genuine love shared between a couple of friends.
So, wow. Yeah. That episode was phenomenal. Easily the best 25 minutes Ore Monogatari!! has done all season. Definitely among the best episodes of the season. Subtle, adorable, melancholic, touching. Special. I’ve cried over Suna moments before, but this…this was something else entirely.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 7
There are a lot of different ways to watch the same show. Myriad perspectives and ways of reading into a show’s text and subtext exist—and I don’t believe that all those different interpretations are exclusive to our particular headspaces. Why do I bring this up? Because my take on this episode differs somewhat radically from my thoughts on last episode. And that’s okay. I spent a lot of time thinking about what some of you guys said in the comments on my last post and I spent this episode trying to think about it in different, more positive terms. And, you know what? It made for a pretty great experience—much of it thanks to some of the cool things Ore Monogatari!! was doing this week.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 6
As expected, this episode of Ore Monogatari!! brought to a close the relationship tension between Takeo and Yamato—and, as I expected, Yamato’s “secret” was revolved around guilt induced by Takeo’s perceptions and expectations of her. It’s not like this is an uncommon thing; they’ve just started dating and still don’t really know much about the other person yet. But, while it’s nice to see the tension resolved in Ore Monogatari!!‘s typical adorable fashion, I had a few problems with both the execution and the content of the episode.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 5
So, I’ve kind of felt like I’ve been spinning my wheels with these posts for the last couple weeks, but no longer! Ore Monogatari!! is still super cute, but this episode’s escapade into the river of character secrets and insecurities has finally given me a reason to dive deep beyond the adorableness and really pull out some brainchildren to talk about…too much?
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 4
So, it’s time to venture into relatively unexplored territory, at least as far as romance anime go. What do you do in a romance anime after you already have a canon couple? It’s not like it’s never been done before, but even those that have (looking at you non-Ore Monogatari) don’t usually spend time on the implications of life after the courtship has ended and the relationship has begun. Happily, because Ore Monogatari!! is built with the relationship as its main feature, not just a related thread, we get episodes like this—and, other than (what is starting to becoming a troubling pattern of) diving into melodrama, it was quite lovely.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 3
IT HAPPPENNNNNEDDDDD!!!!!
Ahem. Sorry. I usually try to keep my more, er, effusive expressions of my reactions to episodes to Twitter, but you guys saw the episode! You saw the same things I did! YOU KNOW. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
Usually, I have some sort of idea of what I want to say when I start writing these posts—but I ain’t got no clue what I’m gonna say today. My brain is just a mush of warm, adorable fuzzy feelings. Because that’s just the sort of show Ore Monogatari!! is.
Mage in a Barrel 
