is a Japanese
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
series written by
Nisio Isin
, often stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer.
Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his '' Zaregoto'' series), which ea ...
and illustrated by Vofan. The plot centers on
Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who survives a vampire attack and finds himself helping girls involved with a variety of apparitions, ghosts, beasts, spirits, and other supernatural phenomena, which often serve as proxies for their emotional and mental issues. Since November 2006,
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
published 29 volumes in the series under its
Kodansha Box
is the name of a book label published since November 2006 and a division of the major Japanese publishing house, Kodansha. The label published not only novels but also manga and critical review books, advocating a "hybrid label." The label was ...
imprint. All of the series' story arcs share the common title suffix .
Shaft has animated the ''Monogatari'' series several times since 2009. The "first season" of the
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
adaptation consists of 30 episodes, which were broadcast in Japan between July 2009 and December 2012. The second season consists of 28 episodes broadcast between July and December 2013, and the "final season" consists of 42 episodes broadcast between December 2014 and June 2019. A prequel anime film trilogy, ''
Kizumonogatari
is a Japanese anime film trilogy directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and Tatsuya Oishi and produced by Shaft. Together, the films are an adaptation of the 2008 light novel of the same name, which is the second entry in the ''Monogatari'' series wri ...
'', was released in 2016 and 2017. An anime adaptation of the "Off Season" and "Monster Season" novels aired from July to October 2024. A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation, illustrated by
Oh! great
, known professionally as Oh! great, is a Japanese manga artist best known for his manga series '' Tenjho Tenge'' (1997–2010) and '' Air Gear'' (2002–2012). In 2006, ''Air Gear'' earned him the Kodansha Manga Award in the '' shōnen'' categ ...
and titled ''
Bakemonogatari
is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Vofan. The plot centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who survives a vampire attack and finds himself helping girls involved with a var ...
'', was serialized in Kodansha's ''
Weekly Shōnen Magazine
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...
'' from March 2018 to March 2023.
Synopsis
Setting
Most heroines have an item that symbolizes their spectres, such as Hitagi's stapler (the claw of a crab), Mayoi's backpack (the shell of a snail), Suruga's arm (the arm of a monkey), Nadeko's hat and jacket (the head and skin of a snake), and Karen's
black and yellow tracksuit (the colors of a bee). Although it incorporates elements of fantasy, horror, and action, the series primarily focuses on relationships and conversations between its characters, which make heavy use of
Nisio Isin
, often stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer.
Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his '' Zaregoto'' series), which ea ...
's signature
word play
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...
and
metahumor.
Premise
The ''Monogatari'' series revolves around
Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who has almost restored his humanity after briefly becoming a vampire during spring break. One day, a classmate of his, the reclusive Hitagi Senjōgahara, falls down a flight of stairs at school into Koyomi's arms. To his surprise, he discovers that Hitagi weighs almost nothing, in defiance of physics. Despite being threatened to keep away, Koyomi offers his help and introduces her to Meme Oshino, a strange middle-aged man living in an abandoned
cram school
A cram school (colloquially: crammer, test prep, tuition center, or exam factory) is a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or university, univer ...
who helped reverse his vampirism. Once Koyomi helps solve Hitagi's problem, she decides to become his girlfriend.
As the series progresses, Koyomi finds himself involved with other girls afflicted by : a child named 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 apparitions, which feed on human emotions and often take forms symbolically represented by animals, Koyomi relies on supernatural guidance from Oshino and, later, from Shinobu, the once-powerful blonde vampire who attacked him and later assumed the appearance of an eight-year-old girl.
Production
As Nisio Isin's previous work, the ''
Zaregoto'' series, had been
accepted as a light novel, he decided to write the first ''Monogatari'' short story, "Hitagi Crab", with a more formal approach in mind.
It was not a simple transition from light novels to formal literature, but rather an experiment to see if he could write a light novel without illustrations. However, by the series' third story, "Suruga Monkey", it was decided that illustrations would be included in publication, and he changed his approach accordingly. He has stated that the atmosphere between ''Kizumonogatari'' and ''Nisemonogatari'' differed due to his knowledge that the latter would be adapted as an anime.
Media
Light novels
The ''Monogatari'' series was first written by
Nisio Isin
, often stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer.
Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his '' Zaregoto'' series), which ea ...
as a series of short stories without illustrations for
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
's literary magazine
''Mephisto''.
The first three stories were printed in the magazine's September 2005, January 2006, and May 2006 issues, respectively; they were later collected in a light novel volume entitled on November 2, 2006.
A second volume of ''Bakemonogatari'', containing two new chapters, was released in December 2006.
Both volumes were published under the
Kodansha Box
is the name of a book label published since November 2006 and a division of the major Japanese publishing house, Kodansha. The label published not only novels but also manga and critical review books, advocating a "hybrid label." The label was ...
imprint and featured original art by Taiwanese illustrator Vofan, who would illustrate all following releases.
A prequel story to ''Bakemonogatari'' entitled was published in the February 2008 issue of ''
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...
'' magazine. It was later released as a light novel volume entitled in May 2008.
The next story arc, , was released as two volumes in September 2008 and June 2009.
The first volume of , subtitled , was released in July 2010, and consists of a prequel story to ''Bakemonogatari'' entitled .
The second ''Monogatari'' saga, referred to as the "Second Season", released between 2010 and 2011, delves further into Koyomi's relationship with each of the heroines. The second volume of ''Nekomonogatari'', subtitled , was released in October 2010.
It was followed by five story arcs published in five volumes: in December 2010,
in March 2011,
in June 2011,
in September 2011,
and in December 2011.
The third ''Monogatari'' saga, referred to as the "Final Season", released between 2012 and 2014, deepens the history of the character Ōgi Oshino, a supposed relative of Meme Oshino. It is composed of four story arcs published in six volumes: in September 2012,
a collection of 12 short stories entitled in May 2013,
three volumes of in October 2013, January 2014, and April 2014,
and in September 2014.
The fourth ''Monogatari'' saga, referred to as "Off Season", released between 2015 and 2017, contains side stories focusing on various characters. It is composed of four story arcs published in four volumes: in October 2015,
in January 2016,
in July 2016,
and in January 2017.
The fifth ''Monogatari'' saga, referred to as "Monster Season", released between 2017 and 2021, follows Koyomi's life as a university student. It is composed of six story arcs published in six volumes: in July 2017,
in June 2018,
in April 2019,
in October 2020,
and two volumes of in August 2021.
The sixth ''Monogatari'' saga, referred to as "Family Season", began in 2023. So far, only one volume has been published: in May 2023.
is so far the only announced sequel in this season, with its release date still to be announced.
In 2015,
Vertical licensed the novel series for English release. The company began its paperback line with ''Kizumonogatari'' on December 15, 2015, and later released the ''Bakemonogatari'' novels in three volumes: the first in December 2016, the second in February 2017, and the third in April 2017. As of December 2020, the novels in the series up to ''Zoku Owarimonogatari'' have been translated.
The English
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
version of ''Kizumonogatari'' was released on May 25, 2016, by
Bang Zoom! Entertainment
Unforseen Productions, Inc., doing business as Bang Zoom! Entertainment is an American audio post-production studio with its headquarters in Burbank, California, in Greater Los Angeles. Founded in 1993, it has worked on anime, video games, tel ...
with narration done by Keith Silverstein, Eric Kimerer, and Cristina Vee. The audiobook for ''Nekomonogatari (White)'' was released on April 9, 2019, with narration done by Cristina Vee, Eric Kimerer, and Erica Mendez. The audiobook for the three volumes of ''Bakemonogatari'' was released on March 24, 2020, with narration done by Eric Kimerer, Cristina Vee, Erica Mendez, and Keith Silverstein.
The Japanese audiobook version of the entire series began release by Kodansha via
Audible
Audible may refer to:
* Audible (service), an online audiobook store
* Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks
* ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player
* Audible finish or ru ...
on February 17, 2021. Each novel features narration by the voice actors/actresses of the anime adaptation. It released one novel each month until June 16, 2023, with the second volume of ''Shinomonogatari''.
Anime
An anime adaptation of ''Bakemonogatari'' was announced in April 2008, and broadcast between July 3 and September 25, 2009, on
Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...
. The 15-episode series was animated by
Shaft and directed by
Akiyuki Shinbo
is a Japanese animator, director, compositional writer, and storyboard artist. Best known for his works with Shaft (company), Shaft, he has attained international recognition for his unique visual style and storytelling methods.
Born in Koori, ...
and series director
Tatsuya Oishi, with series composition by Shinbo and Shaft staff under the collective pen name of Fuyashi Tō,
character designs by
Akio Watanabe
is a Japanese animator, illustrator, character designer, supervisor, director, dōjin artist and a member of the circle . His pseudonym is . He worked with Akiyuki Shinbo at Shaft. His representative works include key animation for '' Popotan ...
based on Vofan's original concepts,
and scripts edited by Yukito Kizawa and Muneo Nakamoto.
The music for the series was composed by
Satoru Kōsaki
is a Japanese music composer and arranger. He is best known for his work on anime, including '' Lucky Star'', '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', ''Monogatari'', ''Beastars'' and '' The Apothecary Diaries''. He worked at Namco, where he prima ...
.
Only the first 12 episodes were broadcast on television; the remaining three episodes were distributed on the anime's website between November 3, 2009, and June 25, 2010. At
Sakura-Con
Sakura-Con is an annual three-day anime convention held during March or April at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. The convention, which is traditionally held over Easter weekend, is the largest anime convention in the Northw ...
2012,
Aniplex of America
Aniplex of America, or Aniplex USA, is an anime distributor based in Santa Monica, California that serves as the American distribution enterprise of Aniplex, an entertainment company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, where its goal is to ...
announced that it had acquired ''Bakemonogatari'' for release in North America. All 15 episodes were released on
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
with English subtitles on November 20, 2012.
An 11-episode anime adaptation of ''Nisemonogatari'' aired from January 8 to March 18, 2012, produced by the same staff as ''Bakemonogatari'', but with
Tomoyuki Itamura
is a Japanese director, animator, and storyboard artist. He joined OLM in 2004 as an in-between animator and left in 2007 to join Shaft. Itamura took over the ''Monogatari'' series from Tatsuya Oishi as his television directorial debut with ' ...
replacing Tatsuya Oishi as director. A four-episode anime television series adaptation of aired back-to-back on December 31, 2012.
Two Blu-ray and DVD compilation volumes were 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 to ''Koimonogatari'', aired between July 7 and December 29, 2013.
Aniplex USA later released the Blu-ray on April 22, and June 24, 2014. ''Kabukimonogatari'' and ''Onimonogatari'' featured
Naoyuki Tatsuwa
is a Japanese animator. He started off as an animator with Studio Lions and its parent company Studio Giants, and then spent 11 years as an animator and director at studio Shaft. Since 2015, he has been freelance.
Career
Originating from Hokk ...
and
Yuki Yase as series directors for those respective arcs under Itamura and Shinbo. Five episodes of the ''Second Season'', adapting the ''Hanamonogatari'' story arc from the novels, were delayed from the original broadcast due to production issues and aired as a marathon on August 16, 2014.
A four-episode adaptation of the first novel of the third series, ''Tsukimonogatari'', aired in a marathon on December 31, 2014. A 13-episode anime television series adapting two more novels of the third series, titled ''Owarimonogatari'', aired between October 3 and December 19, 2015. A series of
three films adapting the prequel novel ''Kizumonogatari'' were produced, with the first one, ''Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu'', premiering on January 8, 2016, the second film, ''Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu'', premiering on August 19, 2016, and the third and final film, ''Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu'', premiering on January 6, 2017. A web anime series adapting ''Koyomimonogatari'' became available for download on the
App Store
An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...
and
Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...
from January 9, 2016. A seven-episode anime television series, an adaptation of the third ''Owarimonogatari'' novel, aired on August 12 and 13, 2017. An adaptation of ''Zoku Owarimonogatari'' was released in theaters on November 10, 2018 and as two Blu-ray and DVD volumes on February 27, 2019 and March 27, 2019. It aired on TV as six episodes between May 18 and June 22, 2019.
In January 2024, an adaptation of both "Off Season" and "Monster Season" was announced, with chief director Shinbo, character designer Watanabe, and studio Shaft returning. Midori Yoshizawa is directing.
It aired on
Abema
is a Japanese streaming service that launched on April 11, 2016, under the name It is majority-owned by CyberAgent, with a 55.2% stake, and TV Asahi, with a 36.8% stake, while the remaining ownership belongs to various other companies, mostl ...
from July 6 to October 19, 2024.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
licensed the series.
The anime adaptation does not follow the order of the novels. ''Kizumonogatari'' was planned to be released in 2012 after ''Bakemonogatari'', but due to production issues, it was delayed until 2016.
''Hanamonogatari'' was originally planned to be animated in its original place from the novels,
but it got postponed to air after ''Monogatari Series Second Season''. In the Blu-ray box set of ''Monogatari Series Second Season'' though, ''Hanamonogatari'' is listed as the third arc. ''Koyomimonogatari'' in the novels was released before ''Owarimonogatari'', but in the anime adaptation, it was released on the
App Store
An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...
and
Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...
app after ''Kizumonogatari I'' and ''Owarimonogatari''.
Music
The several opening themes were written by
Meg Rock and composed by
Satoru Kōsaki
is a Japanese music composer and arranger. He is best known for his work on anime, including '' Lucky Star'', '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', ''Monogatari'', ''Beastars'' and '' The Apothecary Diaries''. He worked at Namco, where he prima ...
and
Mito, featuring vocals of the main characters.
The ending theme for ''Bakemonogatari'', , was produced by
Supercell
A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone, a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (su ...
and released on August 12, 2009, featuring vocals
Nagi Yanagi
, stylized as , is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Osaka Prefecture who is signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. After becoming interested with music in her childhood, she began singing and writing original songs. In 2006, she began ...
, and peaked at No. 5 in the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
singles charts.
The ending theme for ''Nisemonogatari'' is sung by
ClariS
Claris International Inc., formerly FileMaker Inc., is a computer software development company formed as a subsidiary company of Apple Inc., Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several program ...
and written by Ryo of Supercell. The ending theme for ''Nekomonogatari (Black)'' is , written by Saori Kodama, composed by Satoru Kōsaki and performed by
Marina Kawano. ''Monogatari Series Second Season'' features four ending songs: , produced by Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) and performed by
Luna Haruna for ''Nekomonogatari (White)'' and ''Kabukimonogatari''; by Kawano for ''Otorimonogatari'' and ''Onimonogatari''; "snowdrop" by both Haruna and Kawano for ''Koimonogatari''; and by Kawano for ''Hanamonogatari''. ''Monogatari Series Final Season'' features five ending songs: "Border" by ClariS for ''Tsukimonogatari'', by
Alisa Takigawa for the first season of ''Owarimonogatari'', "whiz" by
TrySail
A trysail (also known as a spencer) is a small triangular or gaff rigged sail hoisted in place of a larger mainsail when winds are very high. The trysail provides enough thrust to maintain control of the ship, e.g. to avoid ship damage, and to ...
for ''Koyomimonogatari'', "Shiori" by ClariS for the second season of ''Owarimonogatari'', and "azure" by TrySail for ''Zoku Owarimonogatari''. The ending theme song for ''Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season'' is "
Undead
The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...
" by
Yoasobi
Yoasobi is a Japanese pop duo formed in 2019. It consists of musician and record producer Ayase (music producer), Ayase and singer-songwriter Lilas Ikuta, under the moniker Ikura. With the slogan "novel into music", the duo originally released Y ...
.
''Utamonogatari''
The collection of theme songs, , released on January 6, 2016, ranked at No. 1 on
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
's weekly album chart at the time selling over 66,000 copies.
It was the fifth anime theme song collection to top the Oricon's weekly album chart since 2010's ''
One Piece
''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...
Memorial Best'' album. It also sold over 100,000 copies and was certified as a
Gold Disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by Japan Record Association. Disc 1 features the opening and ending themes for ''Monogatari First Season'': ''Bakemonogatari'', ''Nisemonogatari'', and ''Nekomonogatari (Black)''. Disc 2 features the opening and ending themes for ''Monogatari Second Season'': ''Nekomonogatari (White)'', ''Kabukimonogatari'', ''Hanamonogatari'', ''Otorimonogatari'', ''Onimonogatari'', and ''Koimonogatari''.
''Utamonogatari 2''
The second collection of theme songs, , released on May 10, 2019, sold over 16,000 copies in its first week and was ranked at No. 1 on Oricon's weekly album chart.
It feature the opening and ending themes of ''Monogatari Final Season'': ''Tsukimonogatari'', ''Owarimonogatari I'' and ''II'', and ''Zoku Owarimonogatari''. It also feature the ending theme of ''Koyomimonogatari'', the two ending themes of the ''
Kizumonogatari
is a Japanese anime film trilogy directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and Tatsuya Oishi and produced by Shaft. Together, the films are an adaptation of the 2008 light novel of the same name, which is the second entry in the ''Monogatari'' series wri ...
''s trilogy and the opening theme for the mobile game ''PucPuc''.
Manga
A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation of the series, illustrated by
Oh! great
, known professionally as Oh! great, is a Japanese manga artist best known for his manga series '' Tenjho Tenge'' (1997–2010) and '' Air Gear'' (2002–2012). In 2006, ''Air Gear'' earned him the Kodansha Manga Award in the '' shōnen'' categ ...
, started in Kodansha's magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Magazine
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...
'' on March 14, 2018.
Vertical began releasing the manga in North America in October 2019. The manga concluded on March 15, 2023, and released its 22nd and final ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volume in Japan on May 17. The final English-language volume was released on August 20, 2024.
Other media
A
drama CD
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
titled , a reference to the parlor game ''
Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai
was a popular didactic Buddhism, Buddhist-inspired parlour game during the Edo period in Japan.
Play
The game is played after nightfall in one of two ways.
The simplest form involves participants sitting in a circle in a room where 100 Tra ...
'', was released on August 3, 2009. The script was written by Nisio Isin and is bundled with the CD. A
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
visual novel
A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
titled developed by
Bandai Namco Games
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
was released on August 23, 2012.
Good Smile Company
is a Japanese manufacturer of hobby products such as the Nendoroid and Figma (toy), Figma product lines, as well as scale figures. In addition to production and manufacturing, its business includes design, marketing and distribution. Its product ...
has made several
nendoroid
The series is a brand of plastic figures created by the Japanese Good Smile Company since 2006. They typically depict characters from anime, manga or video games and are designed with a large head and smaller body to give them a cute appearan ...
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,
Karen Araragi,
Tsukihi Araragi,
Shinobu Oshino,
Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade (from ''
Kizumonogatari
is a Japanese anime film trilogy directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and Tatsuya Oishi and produced by Shaft. Together, the films are an adaptation of the 2008 light novel of the same name, which is the second entry in the ''Monogatari'' series wri ...
''),
Nadeko Sengoku in her Medusa form,
and Yotsugi Ononoki.
They have also made
figma
Figma is a collaborative web application for interface design, with additional offline features enabled by desktop applications for macOS and Windows. The feature set of Figma focuses on user interface and user experience design, with an empha ...
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 the light novel guidebook ''
Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!
is an annual light novel guide book published by Takarajimasha. The guide book publishes a list of the top ten most popular light novels according to readers polled on the Internet and votes from "collaborators" (critics, influencers, and other p ...
'' published by
Takarajimasha
is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books.
History
The company was founded on September 22, ...
.
It later went on to rank as high as second in 2010,
and 2017 issues, with the latter in the ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' category. In the 2019 issue, in the ''tankōbon'' category, the series ranked third. In the 2020 issue it was revealed the top 10 light novels of the past decade, and the series ranked in the 10th place. 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 combined as of September 2012. Across its 27 volumes, the series has sold over two million DVDs and BDs as of October 2015. The
Tokyo Anime Award
The Tokyo Anime Awards started in 2002, but was named in 2005. The first, second and third award ceremonies were simply named 'Competition'. The award ceremonies were held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) until 2013. In 2014, after the ...
held in 2017 selected ''Bakemonogatari'' as the best anime released in 2009.
Barbara Greene in her article "Haunted Psychologies: The Specter of Postmodern Trauma in ''Bakemonogatari''" states that the series critiques
otaku
is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...
consumption and the
objectification
In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person as an object or a thing. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire, is a subset of objectification, as is self-objectification, th ...
inherent in
consumer capitalism
Consumer capitalism is a theoretical economic and social political condition in which consumer demand is manipulated in a deliberate and coordinated way on a very large scale through mass-marketing techniques, to the advantage of sellers.
Thi ...
, using its fragmented narrative and visual style to reflect the collapse of traditional narratives in
postmodernity
Postmodernity (post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is the economic or cultural state or condition of society which is said to exist ''after'' modernity. Some schools of thought hold that modernity ended in the late 20th century – in th ...
. Otaku are drawn to
''moe-kyara'', stylized characters that allow for personal meaning-making, but this consumption ultimately perpetuates a cycle of suffering without resolution. She concludes saying that ''Bakemonogatari'' portrays a world where meaning is constructed but never truly fulfilled, serving as both a product of and a commentary on the traumas of postmodern consumer culture.
Christopher Smith's article "The Text Inside Us: Text on Screen and the Intertextual Self in ''Bakemonogatari''" examines how the anime ''Bakemonogatari'' uses disruptive on-screen text to create a
Brechtian alienation effect, emphasizing the
intertextual nature of the characters' thoughts, memories, and desires. By employing archaic Japanese orthography and integrating text deeply into the narrative, the anime not only highlights the constructedness of its story but also situates its themes within Japan's modern historical context. Smith argues that ''Bakemonogatari'' serves as a self-reflexive commentary on subjectivity in the postmodern world, suggesting that identity is not an authentic, isolated construct but rather an intertextual creation shaped by social and historical forces.
References
Notes
Citations
External links
''Bakemonogatari''at
Kodansha Box
is the name of a book label published since November 2006 and a division of the major Japanese publishing house, Kodansha. The label published not only novels but also manga and critical review books, advocating a "hybrid label." The label was ...
''Monogatari Series'' anime official website
''Monogatari Series Second Season''at Aniplex USA
''Bakemonogatari Portable'' official website
*
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