Bakemonogatari

Bakemonogatari is the anime that started the long Monogatari series. It is based on light novels (short novels with some pictures, popular in Japan) by the writer NisiOisiN, with art by VOFAN, published by Kodansha. The studio Shaft made the anime, with Akiyuki Shinbo as chief director. It came out in 2009 with 15 episodes. Twelve aired on TV, and the last three were released online later. The title is a play on words, mixing the Japanese words for "monster" and "story."

The main character is Koyomi Araragi, a high school boy. Not long before the story begins, he went through a terrible event with a vampire, and he is still healing from it. His body is mostly human again, but some small traces of that time remain. A strange, easygoing man named Meme Oshino helped him. Oshino lives in an old, empty building and knows a lot about oddities, the strange spirits and creatures from Japanese folk stories.

After his own trouble, Koyomi keeps meeting girls who have spiritual problems of their own. Each problem is linked to an animal or creature, and each one grows out of a deep feeling the girl is hiding. The first is Hitagi Senjougahara, a quiet and sharp-tongued classmate who weighs almost nothing. Others follow: Mayoi Hachikuji, a young girl who is always lost; Suruga Kanbaru, a sporty and very open younger student; Nadeko Sengoku, a shy girl Koyomi knew as a child; and Tsubasa Hanekawa, the kind and very smart class president. Koyomi tries to help each one, often with Oshino's advice.

The show is famous for its talking. Long, fast conversations fill much of each episode. The characters tease each other, make jokes with words, and argue about life. Some of the humor is meta, which means the show jokes about itself. A lot of the meaning is in what people say and do not say, so the show rewards viewers who pay close attention.

The visual style is just as unusual. Shaft fills the screen with quick cuts, odd camera angles, empty streets, and bold colors. Flashes of text often appear for a split second. Some critics say this makes viewers step back and think about what they are watching. It feels less like a normal anime and more like a moving art piece.

Under the jokes, the story is about pain, guilt, love, and growing up. Each girl's "monster" is really a way to talk about real feelings. Bakemonogatari was a big hit. Together with its sequel, it sold more than a million DVD and Blu-ray copies by 2012. It also won a user award at Japan's DEG Japan Awards, and the Tokyo Anime Award later named it the best anime of 2009. It is the place to start for anyone curious about the Monogatari series.