Bakemonogatari

Monogatari (物語?, "story") 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 (Kuro) 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

Main article: List of Monogatari characters

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 (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 suit (the colors of a bee). 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.