Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu (2016)

Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu is the middle chapter of a three-part theatrical adaptation of Nisio Isin's prequel novel to the enormously popular Monogatari light novel series, published in 2008. The film arrived in Japanese cinemas in August 2016, roughly six months after Part 1 (Tekketsu), with the concluding Part 3 following in January 2017. The project was a long time coming: the Kizumonogatari adaptation had been announced back in 2011, and the extended delay (attributed to the ambition of the animation) became something of a running joke among fans. Co-directed by Tatsuya Oishi and series veteran Akiyuki Shinbo, the film is produced by SHAFT, the studio whose distinctive visual language had already defined the television Monogatari entries throughout the preceding decade.

Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu (2016) doubles down on what made the first instalment both mesmerising and frustrating: breathtaking animation paired with a narrative that feels wilfully opaque. Shaft Studio's visual artistry remains the trilogy's undeniable triumph with fluid action sequences, surreal colour palettes, and inventive framing turn vampire confrontations into moving paintings. The core concept, Koyomi Araragi's transformation into a vampire and his fraught alliance with the enigmatic Kiss-shot, holds genuine intrigue, and there are flashes of the wordplay-heavy wit that defines the Monogatari series at its best. Yet for all its stylistic bravado, Nekketsu drags. The pacing slackens noticeably compared to Tekketsu, lingering on protracted dialogue exchanges and internal monologues that add little emotional or narrative momentum. Characters debate philosophy and power dynamics at length, but without the grounding of relatable stakes or clearer character motivation, it becomes easy to disengage. The film assumes familiarity with (and patience for) a very particular storytelling rhythm that prioritises atmosphere and abstraction over propulsion. A visually sumptuous but narratively inert middle chapter. It neither collapses nor ascends; it simply is. Beautiful to look at, difficult to connect with. For Monogatari devotees, it's essential connective tissue. For the average viewer, it's a gorgeous, slow-moving puzzle missing a few crucial pieces.

Rating: ★★½  | Year: 2016  | Watched: 2026-04-02

View on Letterboxd →

Where to watch (US)

Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More from Tatsuya Oishi: Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (2017) · Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016)
More with Hiroshi Kamiya: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (2017) · Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016)
More from Japan: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · Blue (1993) · The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More fantasy: Viy (1967) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)