MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season

Episode 5

I have to say, I love a story that points out its apparent plot holes—addressing them and, in doing so, adding another layer of complexity to the story. After all, when you think about it, there are many people capable of cleaning up Nadeko's current mess. There's no need for her to shoulder everything on her own.

...Except that there is.

While Shinobu or Gaen could waltz in and end this all in a second, this is a story of personal growth—of Nadeko coming to terms with who she was, who she is, and who she should strive to become—and Nadeko is aware of this. Relying on others (well, others beyond her partner-in-crime Ononoki) would basically be her running away again.

And make no mistake, while she has been running towards her dream, at the same time she's been running from her past. This is why she became a shut-in—no longer going to school or meeting with her friends. She was trying to make a clean break from her past. But just because you turn over a new leaf doesn't mean that the crappy stuff you've done never happened. You've got to face it and accept the consequences. Only then can you actually move on. And that's what Nadeko is trying to do now.

The issue is that she still doesn't have a clear view of herself. This is no surprise, really. After all, how many middle school girls out there are capable of self-introspection on such a scale? By shunning her past self in her mind, she is unable to understand why she acted the way she did.

As I talked about last week, this has likely caused her to make a devastatingly hazardous false assumption. She believes that Meek Nadeko is helpless—being exploited by all the others—when in reality, she is likely the mastermind leading them all.

Meek Nadedo gives Flirty Nadeko her cute uniform and has her set a trap at school. She gives Wrathful Nadeko her chisel for a weapon and then uses God Nadeko's clones of herself to lure Current Nadeko into the trap at Araragi's house. Then she uses herself as bait to lure Current Nadeko to the shrine for God Nadeko to dismember—only to catch Ononoki instead. Finally, in this episode, she uses her perceived helplessness to try and kill Current Nadeko again. Only this time, she conveniently fakes her death at the same time.

At her core, Nadeko is a master manipulator: able to lie to herself and become whatever she needs to attain her goals. However, the reason that Current Nadeko keeps coming out on top is two-fold. On one hand, her experiences have granted her numerous allies—be that Ononoki, Ougi, or Sodachi. On the other, it's because she's learned from her mistakes that Meek Nadeko has yet to make. She, unlike these shikigami, is capable of real growth. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that she will grow.

Luckily, she has Ononoki around to force the decision-making onto her. We'll just have to see the next episode if Nadeko's newest reckless plan pays off in the face of a pissed-off god.

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