Following up on the high note of family ties on which the previous
installment concluded, but preceding it chronologically, we find Araragi
and his little sister Tsukihi, the heroine of the last volume, in full
sibling rivalry mode as they bicker about love. The conversation that
cannot end unfolds in its unabashed original glory herein.
Like KIZUMONOGATARI, which delved into our narrator's disastrous spring
break, Cat Tale (Black) is a prequel about another catastrophe,
mentioned often yet never recounted even in a foregoing chapter
dedicated to Miss H.: namely, the model student's rampage over Golden
Week, a string of holidays starting at the end of April.
Closing out what has come to be known as the "First Season" of the
series, this episode of 'GATARI, as rich as ever in silly banter and
poignant profundities, richer than usual in snide meta comments about
the anime, will make you laugh and cry, or just put a grownup smile on
your face, maybe, but is guaranteed to stay with you forever.