Shtriga, vrykolakas, strigoi, vampire — they are mythical creatures of the night who feed on human blood, exist in a perpetual outward appearance of the moment of their transformation, and can live forever under specific conditions. Stories of their existence are told and retold across generations and continents, giving rise to variations which often explore the human condition as a result. One such series is Monogatari (物語), created by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Vofan, that began in August 2005 within the Japanese literature subgenre of light novel and has since spawned a television series and three-part prequel films subtitled: Tekketsu (2016), Nekketsu (2016), and Reiketsu (2017). Now, under the solo direction of Tatsuya Oishi (Kizumonogatari Trilogy), the three films come together as one single 142-minute narrative titled Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp- for audiences to experience as a new season of the series is set to come available on Crunchyroll under the title MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season. Having its North American premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival 2024 ahead of its single-day screenings on August 28th, Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp- is an intriguing experiment of a film for new audiences as it simultaneously compels viewers to seek out more information while also being so totally out-of-depth to truly connect to the events as they occur.
Koyomi Araragi voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya in KIZUMONOGATARI -KOYOMI VAMP-. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures Entertainment. ©NISIOISIN/KODANSHA, ANIPLEX, SHAFT.
While on Spring Break, Japanese high schooler Koyomi Araragi (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya) comes across the dismembered body of a still breathing woman asking for his blood. Initially embraced by fear with the realization that she’s a vampire, Araragi eventually relents and agrees to give himself to the woman as an act of self-sacrifice. To his surprise, he awakes a few days later and is now the servant of the woman who calls herself Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto), whose form is no longer of the adult woman he initially discovered, but that of a child. She agrees to help him return to his human status if she’ll do one thing for him: recover the limbs that were forcibly taken by vampire hunters so that she can reclaim her power.
L-R: Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade voiced by Maaya Sakamoto and Koyomi Araragi voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya in KIZUMONOGATARI -KOYOMI VAMP-. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures Entertainment. ©NISIOISIN/KODANSHA, ANIPLEX, SHAFT.
This review is going to be of Kizumonogatari itself and not draw comparisons to the original films or the series as this film is the extent of this reviewer’s experience. This is important to note as (a) being a prequel film, it should be able to stand on its own separate from the series, and (b) is its own thing as a newly-formed composite edit. For instance, the above summary of Kizumonogatari, based on research for this review, could also be described as the plot summary for Tekketsu itself, which runs a scant 64 minutes (according to Letterboxd). It is, however, an appropriate way to describe -Koyomi Vamp- as a significantly longer feature that covers a great deal more than just Tekketsu.
-Koyomi Vamp- is structured in a fascinating way as it strings the three narratives together into one cohesive story. From the start of -Koyomi Vamp-, scenes are either bookended or interrupted by frames with sparse writing that are similar to production reels, newsreels, or documentaries in which information like a date or simply the word “NOIR” on black or “ROUGE” on red is displayed for a second or two before going back to the film. This choice seems two-fold: to (a) lean into the fact that this is a composite film and, therefore, does need some measure or means to cut in or around portions of the source’s 211 minutes and to (b) create a sense that what we’re watching is a re-run of recorded history. This may be a decision by director Tatsuya Oishi who is helming this project solo (Akiyuki Simbo is listed as co-director on the individual features) to help -Koyomi Vamp- stand out as a singular work, but it’s an interesting stylized choice all the same. This second element solidifies into a strong theory as select distance shots drift as if the camera is anchored to a flying mechanism, the included whirring of motor blades making this seem like a specific and concrete conclusion. It’s possible that these moments are tied to the mysterious character Meme Oshino (voiced by Takahiro Sakurai), who acts as a go-between, a self-described negotiator and watcher of the human and vampiric worlds, but given the more idiosyncratic audio and visual flairs of -Koyomi Vamp- (more on that in a moment), it’s far more likely to be a stylistic choice that leans more toward the description of choice b than tied to any narrative character element. The use of the cut-ins cultivates an atmosphere where we’re getting the story, but obviously not the full story. As a stylistic choice, it helps maintain momentum, but a lingering feeling of missing something starts as a tiny niggle that grows larger until one is intrigued by the execution of the narrative even if unable to find themselves fully invested.
One thing that certainly helps the audience stay engaged is the layering of hand-drawn animation style character creation and 3D computer-constructed worlds. Much in the same way that this style served the thematic elements of Jérémie Périn’s Mars Express (2024) by providing a visual framework for the difference between the human and artificial beings, -Koyomi Vamp- utilizing this structure helps to illustrate the separation between the characters and the world around them. This enables the animation studio SHAFT to keep the physical world rigid, weighted, and distinct, while giving the characters that inhabit the spaces dynamism. Sometimes this means that characters like Araragi or Kiss-shot possess expected articulation of humanoids or they may get extended, twisted, ripped, or shredded in ways that are only reasonably possible if the animation removes its rules. There’re no available press notes to determine if a similar multiplane animation style utilized by Heavy Metal (1981) is applied by SHAFT, but there’s certainly a quality about it within -Koyomi Vamp- that feels less like a modern anime from MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen) or BONES (My Hero Academia), which infuses the animation with the energy of a classic and adult animated adventure. This translates to hilarious moments (for the audience) like Araragi experiencing his first healing regeneration when he loses his left arm and there’s an audio cue of a baby’s cry as a tiny hand emerges from the shoulder joint. As this is his first regeneration and he’s still getting used to his power, it doesn’t just pop out. Nope. He’s gotta give himself a handshake and yank it. Later, Araragi is once more getting violently beaten, but this time it’s his face being ground into a concrete wall, and the audience is treated to the sound of grinding like with a chainsaw hitting metal — it’s visceral yet silly as Araragi’s face is drawn with extended articulation to indicate abrasion and the speed with which his opponent continues to hold his face in position. There are countless moments starting after the plot of Tekketsu in which Oishi infuses bizarre, even morbid levity into a tale that’s deceptively about the human condition, control, and sacrifice. The issue is that it’s hard to really care when it’s so clear that elements of the story that should mean something don’t bear the weight of intention.
Meme Oshino voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in KIZUMONOGATARI -KOYOMI VAMP-. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures Entertainment. ©NISIOISIN/KODANSHA, ANIPLEX, SHAFT.
In a way, -Koyomi Vamp- shares more in common with recently-released -EPISODE NAGI- (2024) from the BLUE LOCK series than Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021) from the Jujustu Kaisen series. Both -Koyomi Vamp- and -EPISODE NAGI- don’t require the viewer to have any prior knowledge in order to understand what’s going on, but it will help to emotionally connect. Araragi is frequently shown to be concerned for fellow student Tsubasa Hanekawa (voiced by Yui Horie), but their relationship often comes off as truncated. There are certain presumptions one can make about the pair who seem to have their first real conversation/meet cute after the film’s initial prologue, but beyond the very male gaze character design (costume, figure, and personality), there seems to be little reason for Hanekawa to be as invested in Araragi as she is. Her frequent arrival into the narrative is important for Araragi, but, as presented here, almost entirely as fuel for his mission and not consisting of her own trajectory. This is just one aspect of what one senses is missing from the larger story -Koyomi Vamp- is cut from. Even the conclusion, taken from Reiketsu, doesn’t come across as emotionally powerful as it may in the original trilogy simply because the audience hasn’t had the proper time with the characters in order for the eventual ethical dilemma that sets up the later Monogatari adventures. We should feel *something* about Araragi’s situation beyond general curiosity and, yet, that’s about as far as it goes given the obvious negative space that doesn’t get filled by what remains.
Tsubasa Hanekawa voiced by Yui Horie in KIZUMONOGATARI -KOYOMI VAMP-. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures Entertainment. ©NISIOISIN/KODANSHA, ANIPLEX, SHAFT.
As an experiment, -Koyomi Vamp- is fascinating and certainly serves to make audiences intrigued by this world and these characters. That this rendition is releasing around the same time that Crunchyroll is adding MONOGATARI Series OFF & MONSTER Season is both timely and, likely intentional. What better way to get people to tune into the new season than to bring a trilogy of films from roughly seven years ago into the present. It not only gets older series fans ramped up, but it creates the opportunity for newer ones to be sired. Thankfully the action that’s on display in the film is absolutely worthy of the big screen, as is the animation itself, both made more impressive and easier to appreciate when projected large. But as a standalone feature, -Koyomi Vamp- is difficult to recommend and, despite the additional time investment, this reviewer might advise tracking down the other three films instead. Put another way, while one can watch the Evangelion Rebuild films without having watch the series and two films that followed first, you won’t get the meat of it. One can certainly jump into -Koyomi Vamp- without having experienced any of the other iterations of Araragi’s story and enjoy it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the full scope.
Screening during Fantasia International Film Festival 2024.
In theaters for one-day-only in North America and Mexico on August 28th and in Australia on September 5th, 2024.
For more information, head to either the official Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp- Fantasia International Film Festival 2024 webpage or theatrical release website.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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