Monogatari Series: Beginner’s Watch Guide

The cult-classic Monogatari series has been in the anime zeitgeist for a while now, but new watchers may have trouble figuring out where to begin. Monogatari (物語) simply means “tale” or “story,” and this lengthy supernatural series spans around 100 episodes and three consecutive prequel films. The tale focuses on Koyomi Araragi, a high-school student who receives vampiric abilities after an encounter with Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade, a legendary vampire that becomes bonded with him. Bear with me, I know it sounds ridiculous, but this is far removed from a typical slice-of-life anime with supernatural elements. Here’s the watch-order guide to steer you through this wonderful series.

The anime is adapted in a way that stays true to its light novel origins: it’s very dialogue-heavy, with lots of introspection and discussion between the characters. Internal monologues are often flashed in a card-like format throughout the episodes. It’s a truly unique anime; surrealist, thought-provoking, and achronological. I’ll try to keep things as spoiler-free as possible.

Monogatari Season 1

Start with Bakemonogatari

Bakemonogatari is the first season in the airing order, and over the course of 15 episodes, it introduces you to the primary cast of characters. Each of these characters deals with supernatural apparitions tied to their insecurities, enabling us to gain an early understanding of each member of the cast.

Watch the Kizumonogatari Movies

Kizumonogatari comprises the three prequel movies, showcasing the origins of Araragi and Shinobu’s vampiric interconnection, as well as Araragi’s early relationship with Hanekawa. Chronologically it comes first, but narratively I feel like it’s best suited after Bakemonogatari. It’s more action-oriented and violent compared to the rest of the series. The art style is unique to the films, appearing more visceral and flesh-toned.

Nisemonogatari

Nisemonogatari centers around Araragi’s sisters, Karen and Tsukihi, and follows themes of lies, deception, and imitation. It’s generally considered one of the weaker arcs in the anime, but it does introduce a character that gets fleshed out a lot more down the road: the con artist Kaiki Deishu. Nisemono also has the famous toothbrush scene.

Nekomonogatari Black

Nekomonogatari Black centers around Araragi’s well-endowed and bespectacled friend, Tsubasa Hanekawa, as she struggles with abuse at home, her romantic feelings towards Araragi, and her own alter-ego. Technically, this takes place in-between the events of Kizu and Bake.

Monogatari Season 2

Nekomonogatari White

Nekomonogatari White continues to develop Hanekawa’s story. Hanekawa encounters a massive white tiger apparition walking through her neighborhood, and later that same day, her entire house burns down. The mysteries surrounding the white tiger and the fire are unraveled in this perplexing tale that simultaneously tackles the dualities of pure and impure emotions as well as the burning envy in Hanekawa’s heart.

Kabukimonogatari

Kabukimonogatari is a brief time-traveling escapade where Koyomi and Shinobu accidentally travel 11 years into the past. They decide to save the young Mayoi Hachikuji from her accident, but in doing so, they invariably screw up the future. It’s up to Araragi and Shinobu to figure out how saving Hachikuji has a run-on effect that leads to an apocalyptic future and how they can fix it.

Otorimonogatari

This chapter centers around Sengoku Nadeko and her peculiar alliance with the former god of the North Shirahebi shrine. I can’t say too much about this chapter, but the lines between fabrication, delusion, reality, and insanity are explored in this unsettling chapter.

Onimonogatari

After the time-skip hijinx in Kabukimonogatari, Araragi reunites Hachikuji with her backpack, but they then encounter a threatening, indiscernible entity that pursues them tirelessly. Shinobu’s past and Hachikuji’s ultimate fate are revealed in this chapter that really tugs at the heartstrings.

Koimonogatari

Koimonogatari follows the events of Otorimonogatari as Senjougahara is forced to employ an unlikely ally to assist with the life-and-death circumstances initiated by Sengoku. A lot of people really don’t like Sengoku because of this arc, but narratively I feel it’s one of the most vital chapters thus far.

Final Season

Tsukimonogatari

Karen, Tsukihi, and Kanbaru are all kidnapped by an unknown foe. Araragi, becoming more vampire than human after the Nadeko incident, resorts to reaching out to the specialist Yozuru and the doll Ononoki for help in rescuing his sisters and underclassman.

Koyomimonogatari

A series of short, episodic tales where Koyomi and friends investigate supernatural oddities across town (often resulting in the discovery that the occurrences are mundane nuances of life, not supernatural).

Owarimonogatari

Araragi and his enigmatic underclassman Ougi Oshino enter a classroom not mapped on the school’s blueprints and become trapped inside. The locked room is tied to Araragi’s guilt surrounding an event in the past, with themes of truths, fabricated lies, and the cruelty of majority rule. Owari also comprises several other tales that are quite spoiler-laden, so I won’t go into further details.

Zoku Owarimonogatari

The last season (thus far) to air features Araragi slipping into his own bathroom mirror and entering a mirror dimension, with all of his friends displaying antithetical personalities. Araragi has to navigate this weird mirror realm and find his way back home.

Hanamonogatari

There’s a lot of debate about where to place Hana, as it takes place chronologically after Araragi’s graduation from high school, but originally aired in season two. I feel like this tale is a weak one to end the animated series on, but I would still put this one last in the watch order. The Monogatari series is continuing its serialization, so there’s always a chance that more chapters will be adapted into an anime. Nisio Isin, the series creator, has indicated that he’s open to more Monogatari seasons getting created after Zoku. A remake of Bakemonogatari was announced back in February and features a teaser on YouTube.

For those of you that have watched the series, start to finish, would you agree with the order? I won’t claim it’s perfect or absolute. I don’t know everything, I only know what I know!

Now, if you’ve ever seen this meme and want to know where to start in the Fate series, you’re in luck: we have a guide for that too.