the visual storytelling in kizumonogatari is incredible. the opening scene, where araragi climbs to the top of the roof of the cram school, only to burn alive in the sunlight as a murder of crows silently watch him, and then fly away when he gets too close to them, all while the flag of japan waves in the breeze, emblematic of the sun that set him ablaze in the first place, might just be my favorite scene in any movie ever
araragi's enemy is japan itself. despite it being his home, he feels like a complete outsider. even when he suffers in a violent, spectacular display, society watches on in silent judgment, ignoring his pleas for help, in much the same way the crows do. he even jumps off of the roof, and the only person to save him is kiss-shot, a foreign vampire who he found on the verge of death at another common avenue for suicide - a subway station
araragi's feeling of being foreign in his own country is told almost entirely with visuals. his home is in the middle of nowhere, in an environment that resembles a savanna. all of the locations he visits are modeled in 3d - in stark contrast to the characters, who are animated in 2d - and each locale is huge in scale and entirely devoid of people. the opening credits are shown over a montage of buddhist symbols and modern industry, representing japan's past and present. these environments feel oppressive to him, and it's easy to see why
even all of the title cards are written in french, and araragi's own internal monologues are displayed in katakana. even his native language is foreign to araragi. no doubt, the words of others, imbued with double meanings he doesn't understand, have been one of the biggest causes of his alienation
there's also a visual theme that araragi's pursuit of "normalcy" is inextricably tied with becoming more integrated into japanese society. when he meets hanekawa, for example, and later has the urge to buy a porno magazine, it can clearly be understood as a pursuit of masculinity. as he embarks for the bookstore, he starts off with a slow walk, backed by the visual of a steam engine locomotive, before breaking into a sprint, backed by a visual of the shinkansen. embracing cisheterosexuality means he will be accepted into japanese society. this is even later expanded upon in his battle with kiss-shot, where he envisions himself becoming a celebrated athlete in a stadium as the people of japan watch him slay this vampire and regain his humanity
araragi wants so badly to be accepted, and the tragic truth of kizumonogatari is that he can't be; not like this. he has to learn to accept himself for who he is and find other people who understand him. it's a hard lesson, and one that takes a long time to learn, but kizumonogatari sets up all of the pieces for araragi's story in such a brilliant way
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