The Art of (Verbal) War – Where Senjogahara/Araragi Fails and Lawrence/Horo Succeeds
by Moonlily on Jul.26, 2009, under Anime
Too hot for Araragi to handle!
The general opinion that people have of Hitagi Senjogahara from Bakemonogatari, at least, based on internet forums, various blogs, and IM chats is that she’s an awesome character who has wormed her way into people’s hearts. Looks are certainly one part of the equation, but the tremendous amount of power that she holds over Araragi through her carefully considered, if inauthentic, words (covered in greater detail by ghostlightning) is really what makes her appealing. She demonstrates mastery of language and nuance as she is able to flip back any comment with a witty zinger that leaves the audience in awe at her abilities.
That in of itself doesn’t cause any issues… if Araragi were capable of actually of holding his own in this verbal contest. The problem is that he isn’t and because of that, the exchange is far less interesting than it could have been. His passivity, while acting as a good receptacle for Senjogahara’s steady stream of abuse, means that he’s going to be outclassed and it’s a matter of time before it gets boring unless he can grab a dose of resolve and work himself to the point where he’s at least capable of deflecting the barbs coming his way.
Herein lies the problem...
After all, more witty repartees from two characters means double the fun and an excellent example of this can be seen in Spice and Wolf. The Gargron/Aizen combo post on Anime² highlights that Spice and Wolf also has a healthy amount of dialogue, but that in general, I find their exchange to be more engaging.
What you see between Lawrence and Horo is a good amount of give and take. Lawrence can pinpoint Horo’s weak points and exploit them when he’s wont to and Horo definitely has a handle on Lawrence’s weaknesses. The cycle of statement, retort, sly insult, verbal parry, feigned hurt to draw out the other person’s emotions, despair at the reaction makes for a riveting watch that makes apparent the very enjoyable sort of chemistry between the main leads that most shows can only hope to achieve.
Granted, part of that comes from the familiarity that both Lawrence and Horo have built up by going through so many experiences. Contrast that with Senjogahara and Araragi, who have spent three episodes talking to each other and that’s hardly enough time to build up any sort of meaningful rapport. They don’t have a handle on each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities (except for maybe Senjogahara, who has a wealth of information regarding Araragi’s background) so perhaps this is a time issue that we’re dealing with. I really do hope this is the case. Having Senjogahara be the aggressive one who doesn’t meet up with any sort of pushback from Araragi will make this pairing far less compelling because in anime, as in life, having two evenly-matched individuals present, whether it’s in a relationship, competition, or a simple dialogue, lends itself to long-term stability rather than the flash in the pan that we’ve seen so far.
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July 26th, 2009 on 1:21 am
Very good points here. My first impulse was to disagree, given how transfixed I am by Senjougahara’s text. But I considered your points, and even if I haven’t seen Spice and Wolf, I think a meaningful comparison can be made in the 5th to 7th episodes of Black Lagoon.
Senjougahara delivers speeches, lectures, and quite one-sided rhetoric. While this can be very interesting in itself, it’s not quite a dialogue. For more good examples, I recommend the Crest/Banner of the Stars shows – where there is an abundance of delicious bullying exchanges, as well as fulfilling, two-way conversations.
July 26th, 2009 on 11:43 am
First of all, I want to state that I hadn’t watched the 3rd episode yet, so my comment can have some points missing.
But in general, you are right. Equal mights are longer to stay in balance. (Like black and white on the famous sign).
As in Spice and Wolf, if my memory serves me right, Horo and Lawrence were on the same level of discussion from their first meeting on, so their relationship is not the cause, but the consequense.
Araragi is not the talkative type, that’s it. Like me. But I hope in his case, he’ll change himself.
July 26th, 2009 on 2:52 pm
@ghostlightning
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one entranced by Senjogahara’s text. She’s brilliant in her ability to manipulate language to lay out those subtle nuances that Araragi’s dumbstruck reactions are a less-fulfilling conclusion after watching Senjogahara’s masterful elocution.
But I guess per your recommendation, I’ll have to check out Crest/Banner of the Stars. Sounds like something that’d be up my alley based on what I’ve heard about it.
@Gargron
I’m not talkative in person either, but when someone dishes an insult my way, I’ll usually be able to dig up a zinger and fire back. And that’s the difference here in that Araragi seems a tad… slow-witted?
July 27th, 2009 on 2:38 am
Forgive my comment for going completely off-topic, but what’s with the sudden resurgence with Crest/Banner of the Stars? The show is rather old, and for the longest time I couldn’t find it anywhere so I gave up. A few days ago, lo and behold, I see the whole sub uploaded to an anime website I go to watch streamed episodes. It’s kinda funny seeing as I’ve had a craving for sci-fi recently and I was gonna recommend it to a few peeps around here despite how old it is, and now I see somebody else doing the same. Did I miss something or is it just coincidence?
July 27th, 2009 on 3:58 am
@Syke
Probably coincidence =D There have been quite a few people who’ve tossed Crest/Banner of the Stars my way in the past, but I just didn’t take heed due to a lack of time. Though if you and ghostlightning are going to recommend it, I suppose I’ll have no choice but to give it a go once I acquire it :d
July 27th, 2009 on 10:35 pm
Not a big fan of comparing relationships with characters. I think either Horo or Lawrence would be a bore if he or she was alone; together they make a show. I’m not so sure if that kind of a thing is something Bakemonogatari is really all that interested in.
I think Tsundere-chan is quite interesting all by herself.
July 28th, 2009 on 12:43 am
@omo
Horo… definite yes. She absolutely needs someone like Lawrence to bounce ideas off of and/or torment with her flirtatious antics. I think Lawrence on his own can be interesting though since he does take a merchant’s approach to problem solving (which usually comes in him haggling with other merchants) though I guess that too requires another party to make it happen.
But yeah, your point still stands with what Bakemonogatari is going after and even after all that, I’m quite pleased with how it’s turning out. Senjogahara alone is worth it (like you said).