MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season

Episode 4

Much of this episode is an extended conversation between Nadeko and Ononoki. The two discuss what has happened so far—namely, Nadeko capturing two of her past selves while Ononoki was being dismembered by the other two. Nadeko and Ononoki then worry about the worst-case scenario—that Meek Nadeko will ascend to godhood due to her proximity to God Nadeko and leave them with two gods to face. However, looking at all the clues, this feels like a red-hearing: a setup for a climax that will never happen.

All of Nadeko and Ononoki's plans and fears are based on the assumption that God Nadeko is pulling the strings. But what if it's Meek Nadeko who is the puppet master? Suddenly, a lot of things make sense. Everything has been a series of traps for Nadeko. Rather than being forced to strip, Meek Nadeko gave her clothes to Flirty Nadeko and sent her to school to capture current Nadeko with her charm powers. In case that didn't work, Meek Nadeko ran around topless to lure Nadeko to Araragi's house where Wrathful Nadeko would lie in wait. And then, as a backup to her backup, she swapped to a swimsuit to appear as defenseless as possible but not technically in crisis—using herself as bait so that God Nadeko could get the drop on Nadeko.

To put it another way, Meek Nadeko is using her perceived helplessness as a weapon and shield. She manipulates both her other selves and our heroes by appearing to not be a threat. After all, when it comes down to it, she is the core Nadeko: the one all the others spring from (including Current Nadeko). It makes sense that she'd be the most knowledgeable about how to trick herself on the most basic level—especially because only a single year of time max separates them all.

Current Nadeko probably would have realized this if Wrath Nadeko's words about her current dream hadn't blindsided her. In escaping one obsession—i.e., Araragi—Nadeko simply replaced it with another. But more than that, going all-in on becoming a manga artist is (at least in part) a way of her running away from her past actions. She knows this deep down and is afraid she's not trying so hard out of passion for her art but because she can't come to terms with her past and move forward.

All that said, there is one thing that separates Current Nadeko from Meek Nadeko and the others: she has learned from her past mistakes. This is why she can defeat them. She knows where they went wrong and how to exploit that. Hopefully, that will continue to be enough as she chases down her final two copies next week.

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MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.