One thing about anime generally, but especially ones that you’ve been kind of on the fence with – it’s nice to have a favorite character.  Not always enough, but it helps.  In the case of Mononogatari it’s Haori who’s emerged in that role.  It certainly helps to have Sawashiro Miyuki voicing her.  She’s a great actor if not especially a chameleon, but more than anything she just has a fantastic voice.  She’s one of these seiyuu where you always know it’s her immediately – and while that’s not always a good thing, in her case it definitely is.

Haori has slowly been gaining importance over the past couple of episodes, and it’s become clear she’s very much the leader (spiritually at least) of the Nagatsuki tsukumogami.  Kushige is clearly a very important figure (even if he has been relegated to Kai’s sacrificial drinking partner) but he never says anything, so it’s hard to connect to the character.  Haori is the most recognizably human of the group  (though they all are to an extent, one of the interesting elements of this series).  You get the feeling we’ve only scratched the surface with her.

The meat of this episode surrounds Hyouma’s determination to fill in the blanks of what he learned about Botan last week – specifically the “Yorimashi” power Aogi referred to.  With his usual social cluelessness Hyouma makes it sound like he’s hitting on her, but she’s too focused on a college deadline to care much (at least at first).  Haori recognizes that the time has come to let him in on the truth (or whatever portion of it she deems necessary), and sets about doing so.  But she does it in a cheeky manner that clearly reflects her sense of humor as much as anything else.

Seeing what Botan deals with on a daily basis whenever she leaves Kushige’s barrier is quite an eye-opener for Hyouma.  The gist of it is that tsukumogami are basically the physical manifestations of marebito – in Shinto folklore visiting deities who bestow wisdom and good fortune.  At some point someone (we’re not told who) decided that if a marebito possessing a comb or pot could become so powerful, what would happen if they possessed a human being?  Botan is the result, and her still-latent power has the potential to alter the dynamics of Kyoto forever.  Which is, of course, why every tsukumogami (and human who knows about them) in the area is obsessed with her.  And why a non-interference pact was necessary to keep the peace.

I’m not completely sold on setting up Botan as a classic damsel in distress, but the basic premise here is quite interesting.  Mononogatari is growing into that premise, albeit slowly, but I think the next hurdle is Botan coming into her own as a character – someone more than a china doll for Hyouma and Haori to protect.  There’s no guarantee that will actually happen of course, but I think it has to if this show is going to realize the potential inherent to the larger story.  The next couple of episodes are going to have a lot to say about that.