Nisemonogatari - Episode 10

I have a sudden craving for doughnuts right about now.

Koyomi. Was brushing your sister's teeth and hearing her moan in pleasure not enough to satisfy your incestuous desires? Did you really have to randomly strip your other sister on the spot, using the excuse that you're looking for a scar on her body, in order to get the chance to sexually harass her? I seriously didn't expect Koyomi to behave like he did in the recent episodes. It's like something triggered a sudden change in his personality. Personally, I think the fanservice in Nisemonogatari has been slightly excessive as of late. The story hasn't been focused on enough and a lot of scenes are arguably insignificant to the progression of the story.

At first, I thought the trip to Mister Donut was just another attempt at increasing Shinobu's fanbase by showing how moe she can be. While that was partially true, the unexpected appearance of Deishū made the excursion significant. Although he was supposed to be gone by now, Deishū's presence at the store turns out to be of great benefit to Koyomi (though he lost quite a bit of cash in return). The obtaining of information about the two mystery characters, Kagenui Yozoru and Ononoki Yotsugi, prove to be interesting and enlightening. Assuming Deishū is telling the truth, both Yozoru and Yotsugi are possibly dangerous to Koyomi and Shinobu. The fact that Yozoru is an exorcist specializing in the extermination of immortal creatures, with Yotsugi as her supporting familiar, is enough to put Koyomi on his guard.

However, when the exorcist revealed that her target was not Koyomi, I instantly knew who she was after. With her familiar ringing the doorbell of the Araragi household continually, there was no doubt that Tsukihi was their target. Prior knowledge about phoenixes shows that they're immortal creatures, fitting the description of what Yozoru and Yotsugi specialize in exterminating. So when Tsukihi finally opened the door in frustration, I had already prepared myself for the worst. However, I was still shocked when, all of a sudden, Yotsugi used what looked to be a magic spell and disintegrated the upper half of Tsukihi's body. I don't think the utter shock and anger Koyomi felt at that moment can be put into words. Seeing your precious family member being killed in front of you, just like that, is definitely a situation no one wants to be in. But the nightmare didn't end there for Koyomi. After he is restrained by an agile Yozoru as he attempts to attack Yotsugi, Koyomi sees that his sister had not a scratch on her body. It was like she just got knocked unconscious. That was when he is told that Tsukihi is nothing but a "nisemono" (literally "impostor"), and that she actually isn't his sister. From seeing her seemingly die to finding out she's not really his sibling, Koyomi's world was probably spinning around crazily at that moment.

As the final episode of Nisemonogatari is on the horizon, what will Koyomi do? After the events of this episode, I certainly would be clueless as to what I'd do if I were in his shoes. Despite this, knowing Koyomi, he'll figure something out eventually. I trust he's a character who can overcome any obstacles he may face in order to protect his sisters. Although Tsukihi is apparently a fake, I doubt Koyomi will be able to forget about her just like that. The precious times in the past which they spent together will definitely influence his decision greatly. It's sad to see the series end so soon. All that's left to do now is to hope for a satisfying conclusion to the story.