Katanagatari impressions

Written on 11/04/26

I just finished this a couple minutes ago and wanna ponder on the ending, the final episode as a whole really. Will probably maybe most certainly possibly do a proper review at some point
Anywho, the stuff Togame told Shichika as she died perplexed me somewhat and I'm unsure if she truly meant it. She is indeed a schemer, hence such convoluted plans may not be beyond her, but given eeeeverything we see from her in that year long journery, I'd have a hard time believing that what she felt for Shichika during their journey was simply just for the sake of moving her plans foward.
It's sorta like she's denying her humanity in a way, forsaking the emotions she felt during the series as "pawns" in her scheme instead of accepting them as they are, though honestly I'm still stumped on that. I might change my mind once I think about it some more.
Anyway regarding Shichika himself, he sorta does the opposite of what Togame does. From the start he is very much just a sword, in the sense that he was a tool being used by Togame, and didn't really question much besides things that would be common sense for a regular person. Simply followed whatever he was ordered to do. As the journey goes on tho we see him start to think for himself and gain some humanity, taking his own feelings into account regarding what he has to do. We see this most prominently in episode 7 and in the final episode, contrasting Togame's denial of her own feelings. Shichika goes against what Togame ordered him to do and instead does what he himself wants to do, as a human, because of how he feels.
As somewhat underwhelming and anticlimatic I found the ending to be, I don't think its a bad one. Shichika ends up seperating himself from his perceived purpose by the end and goes about his days assumably doing whatever he feels like, free from his duty as a sword. I suppose in the act of breaking all the swords he freed Togame from her sole duty in a way as well. That whole sequence was pretty cool too. Anyway Katanagatari has provided me some good food for thought and despite leaving me somewhat unsatisfied, through this rambling I have come to appreciate a little bit more... I suppose. I might change my mind on all this once my thoughts have settled but overall Katanagatari was pretty good and I liked it a lot. I will miss my weekly viewings of this show.