Nisemonogatari – Episode 4: Your Shadow, My Master
It’s official, Nisemonogatari is filled to the brim with badasses, and we’re getting to witness once again with this fourth episode!
A conflict of sorts between the Araragi siblings, and a Tsubasa Hanekawa to break it up before it gets physical. Hanekawa (sporting an adorable new look, by the way) is disappointed when Araragi raises a hand at Karen with an intent to harm, and the devious Fire Sisters know just how to push Hanekawa’s buttons in the right way to get her on their side. With no other choice, Araragi offers to hear Karen out, but the sisters can’t seem to stop their goofy antics against their older brother. Araragi decides to talk to Hanekawa separately in his room, but not before mentioning to his troublemaker sisters that until they know what true strength is as opposed to righteousness, they’ll never be the heroes they want to be.
You KNOW I took this image for Hanekawa, not her quote. 
From within Araragi’s ridiculous spacious and tidy room, the conversation continues sans a pair of sisters. The conversation starts off playful with Hanekawa teasing Araragi about how he adds the -chan suffix when addressing his sisters, but soon things evolve into more serious matters. It appears that by following a rumour that a curse was being spread the area, Karen has been pulled into something she never expected. The incident involved a mysterious man known only as Kaiki Deishuu; the same name that Senjougahara had mentioned before. Speaking of Senjougahara, what did Hanekawa say to get her so shaken up in the previous episode? “If you won’t be a good girl, I’ll ask Araragi-kun to be my boyfriend.” Clever girl. Very, very clever.
Shinobu has one of the best laughs ever.
Araragi leaves his sisters in Hanekawa’s care while he takes a bath in the world’s largest, cathedral-like bathroom. Who else should intrude this peaceful bath but Shinobu herself? Taking a sharp and prideful tone, she speaks to Araragi for the first time, which surprises him. Through their chatter together, it seems like both individuals have something in their past with each other that just can’t be forgiven, but can always be pushed aside. Shinobu continues to live in Araragi’s shadow for that reason alone. She continues on to explain that the curse that had struck Karen in her incident involves the Wreathe Fire Bee, a powerful and dangerous curse. The victim of said curse will continue to heat up slowly until they run a heavy fever, burn up and die. While Shinobu is able to find and eat away the original bee that brought about the curse, she can’t make the results disappear in the same manner.
So cute...yet so scary.
Let that topic take a temporary backseat as Araragi and Shinobu have a direct tete-a-tete involving the risks Araragi is taking by talking to what appears to be a young girl in his bathtub. While he is able to dodge Shinobu’s blackmail attempts, they are immediately caught by Tsukihi nonetheless. She frighteningly comes back with a pot lid and a sharp knife and waves it about as she realizes that Shinobu has disappeared into Araragi’s shadow while she left. Tsukihi plays off the incident as if it never happened, but when Araragi tells her to learn how to knock, we catch the unstable side of her personality.
Shinobu offers one last tidbit to Araragi. Being part vampire, Araragi will live on much longer than everyone he knows. His sisters, parents, friends and everyone he cares for will become sources of death and sorrow weighing on his heart for the entirety of his life. Shinobu suggests that Araragi kills her and becomes human once again, but it seems like that option will never be the path to take.
“If you won’t be a good girl, I’ll ask Araragi-kun to be my girlfriend.”
There’s something seriously wrong with this quote, my friend
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I love it. This is the best typo ever. xD
Horo voice, not bad at all. Considering she will also voiced when her form in age 10, 12,18 and 21.
Would you perhaps be talking about Spice & Wolf’s Horo? Her voice and Shinobu’s do sound very similar, but they’re actually two different seiyuus. If you weren’t talking about that, then I guess I went off on a different tangent. :3