Monogatari is the general name for a series of Japanese light novels written by Japanese
novelist Nisio Isin and illustrated by Taiwanese illustrator Vofan.
Kodansha has published 17 novels since November 2006 under their Kodansha Box imprint, with
one more novel planned.
The story centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who survived a vampire
attack, and finds himself helping some girls involved with all kinds of apparitions, gods,
ghosts, mythological beasts, and spirits.
An anime adaptation by Shaft of Bakemonogatari aired 12 episodes between July and September
2009, and released three more episodes online between November 2009 and June 2010.
An anime of the sequel Nisemonogatari aired from January to March 2012.
An anime of Nekomonogatari aired on December 31, 2012.
An anime titled Monogatari Series Second Season aired between July 6 and December 28, 2013.
An anime film will be produced based on the prequel novel Kizumonogatari.
Plot and setting
The Monogatari series revolves around Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student,
who's almost human again after briefly becoming a vampire.
One day, a classmate of his, the reclusive Hitagi Senjōgahara, falls down the stairs
into Koyomi's arms.
He discovers that Hitagi weighs nothing, in defiance of physics.
Despite being threatened by her to keep away, Koyomi offers his help and introduces her
to Meme Oshino, a strange middle-aged man living in an abandoned building, who cured
him of being a vampire.
Once Koyomi helps solve Hitagi's problem, she agrees to become his friend.
As the series progresses, Koyomi finds himself involved with other girls, each afflicted
by different "oddities", including the ghost of a child called Mayoi Hachikuji; his underclassman
Suruga Kanbaru; Nadeko Sengoku, a friend of his sisters; his classmate Tsubasa Hanekawa;
and his own younger sisters Karen and Tsukihi.
To deal with the spectres, Koyomi relies on guidance from Oshino and, later, from Shinobu,
the same vampire who attacked him, now with the appearance of an eight-year-old girl.
Most heroines have an item which symbolises their spectres, such as Hitagi's stapler,
Mayoi's backpack, Suruga's arm, Nadeko's hat and jacket, and Karen's black and yellow suit.
Although incorporating elements of fantasy, horror, and action, it primarily focuses on
conversations between characters, containing parodies of other series, as well as Nisio
Isin's trademark word play and metahumor.
Media Light novels
The Monogatari series was first created by Nisio Isin as a series of short stories for
Mephisto magazine.
While his previous Zaregoto series featured large casts of characters, each Monogatari
story tends to introduce only one new character.
The previously published stories of Bakemonogatari, and some new ones, were eventually collected
in two volumes as part of the Kodansha Box launch titles in 2006.
The first volume contains three stories titled "Hitagi Crab", "Mayoi Snail" and "Suruga Monkey";
the second volume comes with two additional stories titled "Nadeko Snake" and "Tsubasa
Cat".
A prequel to the series, titled "Koyomi Vamp", was published in the first issue of Pandora
magazine.
It was later released as a separate volume in 2008, titled Kizumonogatari, followed by
Nisemonogatari, which was divided into two volumes released in 2008 and 2009: the first
containing "Karen Bee" and the second "Tsukihi Phoenix".
The first volume of Nekomonogatari released in 2010, subtitled Kuro, contains another
prequel to Bakemonogatari, titled "Tsubasa Family".
The second Monogatari saga, released between 2010 and 2011, delves further in Koyomi's
relationship with each of the heroines, including a second Nekomonogatari volume, subtitled
Shiro containing "Tsubasa Tiger", Kabukimonogatari containing "Mayoi Jiangshi", Hanamonogatari
containing "Suruga Devil", Otorimonogatari containing "Nadeko Medusa", Onimonogatari
containing "Shinobu Time" and Koimonogatari containing "Hitagi End".
A third and final Monogatari saga which began in 2012 deepens the history of the character
Ōgi Oshino, a supposed relative of Meme Oshino.
It is composed of six volumes; Tsukimonogatari, containing "Yotsugi Doll", Koyomimonogatari,
containing 12 short stories, three volumes of Owarimonogatari containing "Ōgi Formula",
"Sodachi Riddle", "Sodachi Lost", "Shinobu Mail", "Mayoi Hell", "Hitagi Rendezvous" and
"Ōgi Dark", and Zoku-Owarimonogatari containing "Koyomi Book".
Anime
The anime adaptation of Bakemonogatari aired between July 3 and September 25, 2009 on Tokyo
MX.
The series is part of Kodansha's Nisio Isin Anime Project and is produced by Shaft, directed
by Akiyuki Shinbo with assistance from Tatsuya Oishi, written by Fuyashi Tō and featuring
a character designs by Akio Watanabe based on Vofan's original concepts.
The music for the series is produced by Satoru Kōsaki under the supervision of Yota Tsuruoka.
The series was scheduled to be 15 episodes long, but only the first 12 episodes were
broadcast.
The remaining three episodes were distributed on the official website between November 3,
2009 and June 25, 2010.
At Sakura-Con 2012, Aniplex of America announced that they have acquired Bakemonogatari for
a North America release.
The series was released in North America on Blu-ray on November 20, 2012.
An 11-episode anime adaptation of Nisemonogatari aired from January 7 to March 17, 2012, produced
by the same staff as Bakemonogatari.
A four-episode anime television series adaptation of Nekomonogatari, "Cat Story") aired back-to-back
on December 31, 2012.
Two BD/DVD compilation volumes will be released: the first on March 6, 2013 and the second
on April 3, 2013.
A 26-episode anime television series titled Monogatari Series Second Season, spanning
five of the six novels from Nekomonogatari, "Cat Story") to Koimonogatari, aired between
July 6 and December 28, 2013.
A five-episode television anime series, adapting the remaining novel of the second series,
Hanamonogatari, will air as a marathon on August 16, 2014.
A flyer included with the release of the Nekomonogatari light novel announced that the prequel novel,
Kizumonogatari, would be adapted into an anime film.
Other media A drama CD titled Original Drama CD: Hyakumonogatari,
a reference to the parlor game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, was released on August 3, 2009.
The script was written by Nisio Isin and is bundled with the CD.
A PlayStation Portable visual novel titled Bakemonogatari Portable developed by Bandai
Namco Games was released on August 23, 2012.
Good Smile Company has made several nendoroid petit figures for the series, releasing them
as separate sets.
The first set contains the characters Koyomi Araragi, Hitagi Senjōgahara and Tsubasa Hanekawa.
The second set contains Suruga Kanbaru, Mayoi Hachikuji and Nadeko Sengoku and the third
set contains the Araragi sisters Karen and Tsukihi, as well as Shinobu Oshino.
The company also made a line of separate, 1/8 scale figures of Hitagi Senjōgahara,
Suruga Kanbaru, Nadeko Sengoku, Tsubasa Hanekawa, Mayoi Hachikuji, and Shinobu Oshino They also
plan to make a figure of the older form of Shinobu from Kizumonogatari.
They have also made figma figures of several of the characters: Koyomi Araragi, Hitagi
Senjōgahara, Mayoi Hachikuji, Suruga Kanbaru, Nadeko Sengoku, and Tsubasa Hanekawa.
They have planned to make the Araragi sisters, Karen and Tsukihi.
Alter, Bandai, Kotobukiya, and others have made figures of some of the other characters
as well.
Reception The light novel series ranked sixth in the
2009 issue of Takarajimasha's light novel guide book Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!.
It later went on to rank as high as second in 2010.
Koyomi Araragi ranked sixth in the Best Male Character in 2009, second in 2010, seventh
in 2011, third in 2012, and sixth in 2013.
Meanwhile, Hitagi Senjōgahara ranked seventh in the Best Female Character in 2009, fourth
in 2010, eighth in 2011, and seventh in 2012.
The anime adaptation won the Users' Special Award in the 2nd annual DEG Japan Awards/Blu-ray
Prizes.
Over one million DVDs and BDs of Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari have been sold.
Notes
References
External links Bakemonogatari at Kodansha Box
Bakemonogatari anime official website Nisemonogatari anime official website
Kizumonogatari film official website Nekomonogatari anime official website
Monogatari Series Second Season anime official website
Bakemonogatari Portable official website Monogatari at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia