The ''

Monogatari is a literary form in traditional Japanese literature – an extended prose narrative tale comparable to the epic novel. ''Monogatari'' is closely tied to aspects of the oral tradition, and almost always relates a fictional or fictionalized st ...

'' Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

is based on the light novel series of the same name, written by

Nisio Isin , 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 earned him ...

with illustrations by Vofan. The anime is directed by several directors and produced by the animation studio

Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

. The series debuted with ''Bakemonogatari'' and aired 12 episodes between July 3 and September 25, 2009, on the Tokyo MX television station. Three additional original net animation episodes were distributed on the anime's official website between November 3, 2009, and June 25, 2010. A sequel titled ''Nisemonogatari'' aired 11 episodes between January 7 and March 17, 2012.As ''Nisemonogatari'' aired in Tokyo MX's Saturday 24:00 (00:00 JST) time slot, the premiere technically occurred on Sunday, January 8, 2012. A prequel to the original series titled ''Nekomonogatari (Black)'' aired four episodes back-to-back on December 31, 2012. Six further sequels were later adapted under the common moniker of ''Monogatari Series Second Season'': ''Nekomonogatari (White)'', ''Kabukimonogatari'', ''Otorimonogatari'', ''Onimonogatari'', and ''Koimonogatari'' aired between July 6 and December 28, 2013,As ''Monogatari Series Second Season'' aired in Tokyo MX's Saturday 24:00 (00:00 JST) time slot, the premiere technically occurred on Sunday, July 7, 2013. whereas ''Hanamonogatari'', which was originally meant to air with the others in 2013, was postponed and eventually broadcast separately on August 16, 2014. The "final season" of the novels were adapted as ''Tsukimonogatari'', ''Owarimonogatari'', ''Koyomimonogatari'', and ''Zoku Owarimonogatari'' which aired from December 31, 2014, through June 22, 2019. An adaptation of the prequel to ''Bakemonogatari'', titled ''Kizumonogatari'', was announced in 2010 but delayed for six years until finally being released as a film trilogy from January 8, 2016, to January 6, 2017.

Series overview

Television series

''Bakemonogatari''

''Bakemonogatari'' was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and Tatsuya Oishi at

, has animation character designs and chief animation directionCredited as in the opening credits. 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'' ...

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. The season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (''Hitagi Crab'', ''Mayoi Snail'', ''Tsubasa Cat'') and Muneo Nakamoto (''Suruga Monkey'', ''Nadeko Snake'') of Seven Days War under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. Episodes 4, 6, and 9 were outsourced to other studios by Shaft: episode 4 to

Mushi Production or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...

, and episodes 6 and 9 to

Silver Link is a Japanese animation studio. It was founded by ex-Frontline animation producer Hayato Kaneko in December 2007 and is based in Tokyo. History After the company's establishment in 2007, Shin Oonuma, who was previously a director alongside S ...

. The season features six pieces of theme music: five opening themes, and one ending theme. , the ending theme, was produced by Supercell and was sung by Nagi Yanagi. Each of the opening themes was composed by Satoru Kōsaki and written by

Meg Rock is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer and musician. Biography Megumi Hinata began learning to play the piano at the age of four, and said she first became interested in music in the latter half of elementary school, which she spent in the Un ...

, featuring vocals from one of the main female characters. The first opening, "staple stable", was sung by Chiwa Saitō (Hitagi Senjougahara); the second opening, , was sung by Emiri Katō (Mayoi Hachikuji); the third opening, "ambivalent world", was sung by Miyuki Sawashiro (Suruga Kanbaru); the fourth opening, , was sung by Kana Hanazawa (Nadeko Sengoku); and the fifth opening, "sugar sweet nightmare", was sung by Yui Horie (Hanekawa Tsubasa).

''Nisemonogatari''

''Nisemonogatari'' was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and Tomoyuki Itamura at

, has animation character designs and chief animation direction by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. The series' scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (''Karen Bee'') and Muneo Nakamoto (''Tsukihi Phoenix'') of Seven Days War under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. Episodes 5 and 6 were outsourced to other studios by Shaft: episode 5 to Digital Network Animation, and episode 6 to Doga Kobo. Openings 2 and 3 of the series were also animated with assistance from Point Pictures. The season features four pieces of theme music: three opening themes, and one ending theme. , the ending theme, was sung by ClariS and written by Ryo of Supercell. Each of the opening themes was again composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and sung by members of the female cast. The first opening, , was sung by Chiwa Saitō (Hitagi Senjougahara); the second opening, "marshmallow justice", was sung by

Eri Kitamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She was previously affiliated with Early Wing, but is now a freelancer. She is known for voicing prominent roles in anime such as and Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Saya Otonashi in ''Bloo ...

(Karen Araragi); and the third opening, , was sung by Yuka Iguchi (Tsuhiki Araragi).

''Nekomonogatari (Black)''

''Nekomonogatari (Black)'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe served as chief animation director alongside Shaft animator Nobuhiro Sugiyama. The season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episodes 1–2) and Muneo Nakamoto (episodes 3–4) of Seven Days War under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. , the ending theme, was written by Saori Kodama, composed by Satoru Kōsaki, and sung by

Marina Kawano is a Japanese singer from Kasuga, Fukuoka who is signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan, SME Records. She started her singing career after winning the 4th Animax All-Japan Anisong Grand Prix in 2010. Biography Kawano's interest in music began ...

. The opening theme, "perfect slumbers", was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and sung by cast member Yui Horie (Tsubasa Hanekawa).

''Nekomonogatari (White)''

''Nekomonogatari (White)'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe, Shaft animator Nobuhiro Sugiyama, and Taisuke Iwasaki served as chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episodes 1–2, 4–5) and Muneo Nakamoto (episode 3) of Seven Days War under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. One episode was outsourced outside of Shaft: episode 4 to Studio CJT. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. , the ending theme, was produced by Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) and sung by Luna Haruna. The opening theme, "chocolate insomnia", was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and sung by cast member Yui Horie (Tsubasa Hanekawa).

''Kabukimonogatari''

''Kabukimonogatari'' was directed by

Naoyuki Tatsuwa is a Japanese animator. He worked as an in-between animator at Studio Giants. In 2004, he joined Shaft, where he worked as a director for 11 years. In 2015, he went freelance. Career Tatsuwa joined the sub-contracting animation firm Studio Gia ...

and Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe, Shaft animator Nobuhiro Sugiyama, and Taisuke Iwasaki served as chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episodes 1, 3–4) and Muneo Nakamoto (episode 2) of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The opening theme was produced with assistance from Cyclone Graphics. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. , from ''Nekomonogatari (White)'', was again used as the ending theme for this season. The opening theme, "happy bite", was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and sung by cast member Emiri Katō (Mayoi Hachikuji).

''Otorimonogatari''

''Otorimonogatari'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe, Shaft animator Nobuhiro Sugiyama, and Taisuke Iwasaki served as chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. , the ending theme, was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by Saori Kodama, and sung by

. The opening theme, , was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and sung by cast member Kana Hanazawa (Nadeko Sengoku).

''Onimonogatari''

''Onimonogatari'' was directed by

Yuki Yase is a Japanese director and storyboard artist. He joined Satelight in 2005 as a production manager. In 2010, Yase joined Shaft as an episode director, and made his series directorial debut with '' Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb''. Career Yase beg ...

and Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe, Shaft animator Nobuhiro Sugiyama, and Taisuke Iwasaki served as chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Muneo Nakamoto of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. , from ''Otorimonogatari'', was again used as the ending theme. The opening theme, "white lies", was composed by Mito and written by

. This season features one of two instances in which a member of the female cast did not sing the opening theme, in both instances being Shinobu Oshino's voice actress Maaya Sakamoto.

''Koimonogatari''

''Koimonogatari'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe, Shaft animator Nobuhiro Sugiyama, and Taisuke Iwasaki served as chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episodes 1–3, 5–6) and Muneo Nakamoto (episode 4) of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features three pieces of theme music: two opening themes, and one ending theme. "snowdrop", the ending theme, was written by

, composed by

Hidekazu Tanaka is a Japanese composer and arranger best known for his work for anime and video games. He was affiliated with the music production company MONACA, but has since left to be freelance. Biography Tanaka was born in Osaka. He first became inte ...

, and sung by

and Luna Haruna. The opening theme for the first three episodes, "fast love", was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and sung by cast member Chiwa Saitō (Hitagi Senjougahara). An alternate version of "fast love", has additional vocals by cast member

Shin-ichiro Miki is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo.Doi, Hitoshi.Miki Shinichirou. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 13, 2010. He is a member of 81 Produce. Miki is known for his distinctively smooth voice and often calm delivery in the roles he has landed. He often ...

(Deishuu Kaiki), and was used in the last three episodes. It is the first instance in which a male cast member sang an opening. The arc's opening is unique in that it features Osamu Kamijou acting as a character designer, and is the one of two instances in the franchise to feature another character designer besides Akio Watanabe (the other being 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 writ ...

'' trilogy). The opening was also produced with assistance from Point Pictures.

''Hanamonogatari''

''Hanamonogatari'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Kei Haneoka. Watanabe and Taisuke Iwasaki served as the season's chief animation direcotrs; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episode 1) and Muneo Nakamoto (episodes 2–5) of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. "the last day of my adolescence", the opening theme, was composed by Mito, written by

, and sung by cast member Miyuki Sawashiro (Suruga Kanbaru). The ending theme, , was composed by Katsuhiko Kurosu, written by Saori Kodama, and sung by

''Tsukimonogatari''

''Tsukimonogatari'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Kei Haneoka. Watanabe and Taisuke Iwasaki served as the season's chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episodes 1–2) and Muneo Nakamoto (episodes 3–4) of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. "border", the ending theme, was composed by Ryōsuke Shigenaga, written by

, and performed by ClariS. The opening theme, , was composed by Mito, written by Meg Rock, and sung by cast member Saori Hayami (Yotsugi Ononoki). The opening animation was again produced with assistance from Point Pictures.

''Owarimonogatari I''

''Owarimonogatari I'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Kei Haneoka. Watanabe, Taisuke Iwasaki, and Shinya Nishizawa served as the seaon's chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa (episodes 1–2, 4–5, 8–9) and Muneo Nakamoto (episodes 3, 6–7, 10–13) of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. Episodes 3, 4, 8, and 10 were outsourced to

Diomedéa , previously known as , is a Japanese animation studio located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded on October 5, 2005 after a split from Group TAC. Productions Television series Original video animations Films See also * Group ...

. Opening 2 was also animated with assistance from Point Pictures. The season features five pieces of theme music: four opening themes, and one ending theme. , the ending theme, was composed by Alisa Takigawa and Saku, written by Takigawa, and performed by Takigawa. All of the opening themes were composed by Mito and written by

, and 3/4 of them feature vocals by members of the cast. The first opening, "decent black", was sung by Kaori Mizuhashi (Ougi Oshino); the second opening, "mathemagics", was sung by Marina Inoue (Sodachi Oikura); the third opening, , was also sung by Marina Inoue; and the fourth opening, "mein schatz", does not feature any of the cast's vocals.

''Owarimonogatari II''

''Owarimonogatari II'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Kei Haneoka. Watanabe, Taisuke Iwasaki, and Studio Wanpack animator Kana Miyai served as the season's chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were co-written by Yukito Kizawa and Muneo Nakamoto of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features four pieces of theme music: three opening themes, and one ending theme. "SHIORI", the ending theme, was composed and written by Tomoyuki Ogawa, and was performed by ClariS. The first opening, "terminal terminal", was composed by Mito and Satoru Kōsaki, written by

, and was sung by cast member Emiri Katō (Mayoi Hachikuji); the second opening, "dreamy date drive", was composed by Satoru Kōsaki, written by Meg Rock, and sung by cast member Chiwa Saitō (Hitagi Senjougahara); the third opening, "dark cherry mystery", was composed by Mito, written by Meg Rock, and sung by cast member Kaori Mizuhashi (Ougi Oshino).

''Zoku Owarimonogatari''

''Zoku Owarimonogatari'' was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Kei Haneoka. Watanabe, Shinya Nishizawa, and Kana Miyai (now freelance after the dissolution of Studio Wanpack) served as the season's chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Yukito Kizawa of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. It was originally released as a film to Japanese theaters on November 10, 2018. The season features two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, and one ending theme. "azure", the ending theme, was composed by Kōdai Akiba, written by Kei Hayashi, and performed by TrySail. The opening, "07734", was composed by Satoru Kōsaki and Mito, was written by

, and features lines read by cast member

Hiroshi Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor, singer and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. He is best known for the voice of Levi Ackerman in ''Attack on Titan'', Trafalgar Law in ''One Piece'', Mephisto Pheles in ''Blue Exorcist'', Izaya Orihara in ''Dur ...

(Koyomi Araragi).

Film series

''Kizumonogatari''

The ''Kizumonogatari'' trilogy was directed by Tatsuya Oishi under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

and Hideyuki Morioka, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Morioka and Shaft animator Hiroki Yamamura served as the first film's animation directors and the second and third films' chief animation directors; and the trilogy's scripts were co-written by Yukito Kizawa and Muneo Nakamoto of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The trilogy features two ending themes, both composed by Satoru Kōsaki and written by

. The first, "étoile et toi", was used as the ending for the second film, and was sung by

Clémentine ''Clémentine'' (pronounced ) was a 1985 French animated television series (in co-production with Japan). The series consisted of 39 episodes which featured the fantastic adventures of a 10-year-old girl (Clémentine Dumat) who uses a wheelchai ...

. The second ending, an alternative version of the first titled "étoile et toi �dition le blanc, features vocals by Clémentine and Ainhoa, and was used in the third film.

Original net animation

''Koyomimonogatari''

''Koyomimonogatari'' was directed by Tomoyuki Itamura under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo at

, has animation character designs by

, and features music composed by Satoru Kōsaki. Watanabe, Taisuke Iwasaki, and Shinya Nishizawa served as the season's chief animation directors; and the season's scripts were written by Muneo Nakamoto (episodes 1–2, 5–6, 9–12) and Yukito Kizawa (episodes 3–4, 7–8) of Write Works under the supervision of Shinbo and Shaft. The season features various pieces of theme music; all of the opening themes were used in previous seasons, either belonging to ''Bakemonogatari'', ''Nisemonogatari'', ''Nekomonogatari (Black)'', ''Onimonogatari'', ''Tsukimonogatari'', or ''Owarimonogatari''. One ending theme, unique to this season, was used: "whiz", which was composed and written by Shō Watanabe, and sung by TrySail.

Character commentaries

Audio commentaries are content available on the DVD/BD release of the series. Each episode features two characters having a conversation about the specific episode they are in. In Monogatari's case, the author of the series, Nisio Isin, has written each one of them. * ''Bakemonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2009) ** (Aniplex. 2009) ** (Aniplex. 2009) ** (Aniplex. 2010) ** (Aniplex. 2010) ** (Aniplex. 2010) * ''Nisemonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2012) ** (Aniplex. 2012) ** (Aniplex. 2012) ** (Aniplex. 2012) ** (Aniplex. 2012) * ''Nekomonogatari (Kuro)'' ** (Aniplex. 2013) ** (Aniplex. 2013) * ''Nekomonogatari (Shiro)'' ** (Aniplex. 2013) ** (Aniplex. 2013) * ''Kabukimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2013) ** (Aniplex. 2014) * ''Otorimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2014) ** (Aniplex. 2014) * ''Onimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2014) ** (Aniplex. 2014) * ''Koimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2014) ** (Aniplex. 2014) * ''Hanamonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2014) ** (Aniplex. 2014) * ''Tsukimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2015) ** (Aniplex. 2015) * ''Owarimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2015) ** (Aniplex. 2016) ** (Aniplex. 2016) ** (Aniplex. 2016) ** (Aniplex. 2016) ** (Aniplex. 2017) ** (Aniplex. 2017) ** (Aniplex. 2017) * (Aniplex. 2016) * ''Kizumonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2016) ** (Aniplex. 2016) ** (Aniplex. 2017) * ''Zoku Owarimonogatari'' ** (Aniplex. 2019) ** (Aniplex. 2019)

Series overview

Television series

''Bakemonogatari''

''Nisemonogatari''

''Nekomonogatari (Black)''

''Nekomonogatari (White)''

''Kabukimonogatari''

''Otorimonogatari''

''Onimonogatari''

''Koimonogatari''

''Hanamonogatari''

''Tsukimonogatari''

''Owarimonogatari I''

''Owarimonogatari II''

''Zoku Owarimonogatari''

Film series

''Kizumonogatari''

Original net animation

''Koyomimonogatari''

Character commentaries

Recap episodes

Notes

References