Glad you guys are talking about Monogatari as I've recently finished seeing the second season and man was it amazing. Every arc was great with each character besides Sugara getting some more character development. With the OP talk it sucks that Shinobu doesn't have her own OP as it'd probably be great. I'll probably write some more thoughts on the season here but man I did a complete 180 on Kaiki from thinking he was a jerk to becoming a wonderful character that carried the ending arc by himself. It's crazy that a show would even think to consider that but it worked as Kaiki elevated the show with his somber life about playing the role as a bad guy. I still think Nandeko is worst girl but their conversation at the end made it all worth it. I just love how all the characters talk with one another yet keeps it interesting with the art direction and cinematography that SHAFT is known for. Kaiki best girl.
And another one sees the light.
The whole reason I like Kaiki so much is because of how well Nisio Isin explored the concept of a card-carrying villain (and used his gig as a con artist to further develop his character). The funny thing was that, in the end, the fake was the one that managed to do what none of the real items could. Like the whole cast of Monogatari, Kaiki starts out like a generic anime stereotype but gets eventually fleshed out into a really interesting character that pushes the envelope of the tropes he represented.