Learning about anime through AMVs

Usually when I hit YouTube to look for a specific video, I find all sorts of fan-edits and cuts that don't show the original I'm looking for. Man does that make me upset. When I'm looking for a funny video and all I can find is someone's dubbed-over version, it drives me mad! You think that would be the same with anime, but it's the complete opposite!

I don't often go to YouTube to look for anime footage, but I always find myself there when someone is showing off their own AMV. For example, that One Piece video we posted earlier today is a shining example of just how great some fan-made AMVs are. Anime fans seem to really get what a show or a storyline is about, and they find great ways to summarize that. I'm not saying all are great, but it seems that more are spot-on than are duds.

That leads me to the above fan-made video for Bakemonogatari. I had no idea what this series was until I happened upon the video above, and now I'm absolutely floored by it. It has made me sit up and take notice, and I'm dying to see what the actual show is like. Obviously this AMV was put together by someone that really knows the Bakemonogatari series well, and has some great editing and pacing skills.

I'm sad to see that Bakemonogatari is yet to receive an official English sub/dub and isn't available on DVD/Blu-ray. It doesn't sound like that move is going to happen, but I'm going to see if there's another, legal way to check the show out. If you've seen Bakemonogatari, please fill me in on what you thought and if it's worth hunting down!