This arc made Kaiki my favorite character in the series, he's such a well-written character I don't know how anyone can dislike him, also now you probably get where the Kaiki best girl memes come from xD.
2021-12-23 04:11:19 +0000 UTC
Hanekawa saying she believes that "just because someone said they are happy, it doesn't mean they really are" is part of the parallels I trace between Nadeko and her. She knows those words are true because that's exactly what she did. Hiding her dissatisfaction and pretending to be happy is what brought forth Black Hanekawa to relieve all the stress from those bottled up feelings she had.
I have a different understanding of why Kaiki starts singing only from ep 3. I think it represents him getting more involved in the case and stopping dealing with it as just another one of his cons. He already admited to himself there's no money to be made there, but he's still doing his job, even after being offered more money to let it go. In ep 1 he starts off by having to find reasons and excuses to accept the job, which in itself is already a sign of caring, but now he continues with it even with all the reasons to pull out.
And talking about Kaiki and Gahara's relationship, from what I understand, while I do think that she fell for him (like herself pointed out during Nise that she would have fallen for anyone trying to save her), I don't think he was ever in love with her. That's not to say that he didn't feel sympathy towards her though. When Hitagi was afflicted by the Crab two years ago, she was an emotionless, cynical and sarcastic lady unable to shoulder, or more specifically care about any of her problems, so when Kaiki met her I think he could kind of see himself in her shoes. He felt both of them where similar and then tried to help. But then we hit an important point: he probably thought that she was better of that way. Just like he told Hanekawa he wouldn't try to save Nadeko becuse she looked happy as a god, he probably didn't want to save Hitagi from the Crab, instead going for her mother and trying to take her out of the equation by putting them in a spot where divorce was the only way out.
Then we can trace even more parallels on the way he acted in both cases:
-He didn't try to save Hitagi herself, and instead aimed at the things that caused her problems, making her father ask for a divorce and later destroying the cult that engulfed her mother;
-Just like he is not trying to save Nadeko herself, and instead is trying to make her think that the things afflicting her are out of the way. If he saved Nadeko, the situation with Gahara and Araragi being targeted would be solved as well, but he chooses to deceive her into thinking they are not a problem anymore.
Now, talking about the episode per se, one thing I always try to focus on when discussing this arc with other people is, once again, that Kaiki lies about certain details. Even if the content of his conversations are likely to be factually correct, it's hard to know whether the conversations proceeded exactly the way we're shown, and that's where I think his interactions with Senjou over the phone come into play. Not the parts when they exchange information, but I really think that the parts where she teases him are lies, like when she says the color of her underwear, or asks him whats the feeling of having a highschool girl doing everything he wants, etc... Him kinda of trying to push the idea that she still has some type of attraction towards him, a way to make her relationship with Araragi seem less stable. Some sort of revenge on his part. But hey, that's all open for interpretation and it is just my personal opinion. I just don't like how a lot of times people don't even take the lying into consideration and then start discussions (I'm looking at you, Reddit) saying how they "are disappointed with Senjougahara" and how "she is such a slut". An unfair evaluation of such a great character.
Also, adding the analysis of a guy that always comments in other reactors alongside me and that I really agree with: I think there's one exception to this ambiguity, and it's Kaiki's conversations with Ononoki. Of all the characters in Monogatari, Ononoki is uniquely incapable of deception altogether, due to her nature as a reanimated corpse. Her presentation style is ALWAYS monotone and matter-of-fact. She's capable of her own thoughts, but nobody speaks their mind as frankly as she does. So, whereas Kaiki may be an unreliable narrator, Ononoki can be seen as a constant of sorts, thus anything she says, even when retold by Kaiki, might be a bit more believable than the rest.
How reliable Ononoki's interpretation of Kaiki's actions are, is up for debate. But at the very least we can rest assured that Ononoki's words are likely her honest assessment of Kaiki, no matter how much he tries to deceive us, the audience, to the opposite
![Judgment Commentary! | Koimonogatari | Episode 5 "Hitagi End, Part 5" [Reaction + Discussion]](https://img5.samukata.com/storage/11/te/lo/4e9b88-019e8309-5d3c-748f-b0f3-1941a58d5f2f.jpg)
