Arrrgghh. You say "to-MAY-to", I say "to-MAH-to"...
All this "debate" over how to classify Senjougahara is getting
nowhere. Call her what you like, whatever floats your boat. How about describing who she is, on her own terms, rather than trying to label her according to some arbitrary definition?
Why Senjougahara fascination?
Because, as fans, we can relate to her emotional problems, as they are familiar to many of us, especially teenagers.
Strip away the word play, the eccentric animation and the sexual innuendo, and you'd find a cast of characters in
Bakemonogatari with problems that many of us know very well: the yearning for love and companionship, the desire for self-esteem, the wish to be respected for who you are and not what others expect you to be.
Why are we fascinated with Senjougahara? Because she's flawed and we have a vested interest in seeing her redeem herself successfully. Because, deep down, we'd like to believe that we can do the same.
If any of you had even been paying attention, you'd notice that Hanekawa had already succintly summed up Senjougahara's problem:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hanekawa (from Ep6)
"Senjougahara-san is difficult... So, because of that, well, I don't want to say this as though I know her very well, but Senjougahra has built an impenetrable 'self field' around herself, just like the one you (Araragi) have.
"Everyone has a self field they call 'privacy' or whatever, but for you and her, it goes beyond that and turns into a siege mentality."
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References to
Neon Genesis Evagelion aside, it's interesting to consider how Hanekawa would know something like that. It's not hard to guess, because she drops an obvious hint:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hanekawa
"Receiving guests is the most difficult thing for me to do, but not if you (Araragi) are the guest."
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Couple that with what we already know about her from Episode 5 and we can easily put two-and-two together: like Senjougahara, Hanekawa also has secrets to hide. Hence her wise advice to Araragi:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hanekawa
"Wanting to know more about your dear girlfriend is normal. But it's best not to peer too deep into a lover's past. It won't be all fun and games, so try not to probe too deep too soon."
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One of the reasons I was getting increasingly irritated by comparisons between the novels and the anime was that, as TV viewers, we're not doing enough to evaluate the anime on its own merits.
Based on what I've seen so far, it increasingly appears to me that SHAFT (or Shinbo) had decided to build the show around Senjougahara and Araragi.
Yes, that's right, the star of the show is neither Araragi nor Senjougahara, but rather
their growing relationship. By a strange twist of fate, they were
made for one another. It takes the two of them to make
Bakemonogatari tango.
And, so far, Hachikuji and Kanbaru's arcs appear to be devices to throw focus on different aspects of the couple's relationship.
I haven't read the novels so of course I wouldn't know if they are constructed this way but, to me, that certainly appears to be the direction the anime adaption is going. I don't think it's an accident that
Staple Stable and
Kimi no shiranai monogatari contain lyrics that hint at the "weight" (
omoi) of Senjougahara's "feelings" (
omoi), and her desire to have them heard.
Her unique misfortune stems from the trauma she suffered two years ago, after she was betrayed by her own mother. It's no surprise, then, that she has had trouble trusting people ever since. When you can't trust your own feelings, when you aren't sure whether your behaviour is sending out the right signals, how confident can you be in expressing yourself?
That's why Senjougahara explodes into violent behaviour the way she does. Part of it is triggered by her own self-defence mechanisms. Another part of it stems from her frustration over her inability to express herself honestly (she hints that this may be her problem with Kanbaru), without losing her strong sense of pride and dignity.
And that's why she's fascinating, at least, to me.