Finished watching
Kizumonogatari Part 3: Cold-Blooded, which is the final film in the Kizumonogatari film trilogy. These 3 films put together really put an emphasis on when you can really deliver on the execution. On their Part 1 & Part 2 of the film trilogy are good, but have their faults. Part 3 takes all the strengths of the first two films and makes the overall trilogy itself into a masterpiece 10/10 experience. Kizumonogatari > Bakemonogatari, but Bakemonogatari is more fitting to get into the series and is less degenerate.
The biggest issue with part two is simply how could Araragi beat the 3 vampire hunters that took down Heart-under-blade? Oshino provides this lesson in the fact that she was missing her heart. As we know each component of a vampire brings a good amount of power. Now we know how knowledgeable
Oshino is, but how strong is he? Since that couldn't be an easy feat. Or more than likely he did that when her guard wasn't up.
Araragi is a good guy, but given that Heart-under-blade is a vampire, there are things he wanted to ignore. After all he made the decision to save her. The biggest reality is of her eating humans. The big moment when he sees her eating Guillotinecutter. At that point indirectly the guilt sets to him that because he saved her, whenever she eats a human it will be his fault. The guilts him real until Hanekawa mentions that why not stop her himself.
However, Heart-under-blade makes a great point of Araragi. He didn't save her for what she was, but rather he saved her because she was somebody in need of saving. Araragi the biggest virtue and sin is helping others. Like we recall in Bakemonogatari, this can get him into trouble. He almost pit himself into a corner. He saved Heart-under-blade because she was weak. But didn't think of what the consequences would be. This works great as we know this is a fault of his character that grows by the end of Bakemonogatari.
The fight overall really showcases what a fight between two immortal vampires is. It is simply a mental fight where the one who can stay off the road of insanity longer wins. As the reason why Araragi wants to take down Heart-under-blade being her eating humans. We get a big reveal she used to be human. Who was the vampire that turned her into one? She started the path of eating one human and believing she can never turn back?
Hanekawa's character is one where her perceptiveness to see the true beings of a character is where it shines. In her first conversation with Araragi, she knows the kind person who he was when he was a human was still there. For Heart-under-blade, she could see that she wanted to die so Araragi could turn back into a human. It really puts perspective in her first encounter for Araragi. She wanted to die back there and unlike her first servant, she didn't have the fortitude to go through with this.
Given Araragi's saving nature he saved her. Despite her tough girl act, it was clear she was upset she wasn't able to go through for it. Seeing Araragi do all of this for her was enough to steady her resolve to die so he can turn back into a human. If she couldn't do it this time, that meant Araragi would have stayed as a vampire. Also, it brings to light that the mistake from her first servant. Not realizing how she could have saved him. It all adds up to the misery of 500 years she has lived.
As Araragi learns the truth, he now feels the connection with Heart-under-blade. As so, he begs Oshino to figure out a golden miracle ending for everyone. But that doesn't exist as it shouldn't. The rules that we can see is that Araragi turning back into a human would imply Heart-under-blade to die. But one solution is possible. A miserable solution. Both Araragi and now named Shinobu are barely vampires. For Ararargi this isn't an issue as he would be almost completely human. For Shinobu it would be a misery. She would need to suck the blood out of Araragi to continue living.
Quite simply put Araragi couldn't let that go. Which again in his virtue and sin. He didn't want her to die. After all he knows how much she has enjoyed his time with him. That meaning is hard to let go of.
Sure Shinobu's life is miserable of sorts, but Araragi and Shinobu are inseparable at this point. When Araragi dies, so will Shinobu. They both are suffering, but they are suffering together. Honestly the best and most interesting endings are those that aren't a happy ending. But Araragi refuses to let Shinobu be alone, which is the bright spot in this suffering they share. The way Kizumonogatari ends where the roles of master and servant are flipped, is a nice touch as well.