Monogatari (series): Difference between revisions

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[[Studio Shaft]] adapted the first series into an anime in 2009 under the direction of [[Akiyuki Shinbo]], the man behind the surrealism of ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei|Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]]''.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: In the light novels and Vofan's corresponding illustrations, Hitagi had brown hair. In the anime it's purple. There ''is'' the ending of episode six and the beginning of episode seven where everybody's hair is rather subdued and brown, but it's arguably due to lighting.

** In episode 13 her hair is quite visibly dark brown/black--even darker than in the original illustrations.

* [[Asshole Victim]]: While never actually portrayed on screen {{spoiler|it is implied that the people who cursed Nadeko would become cursed themselves and constricted by the same snakes. Not that there is a whole lot of sympathy for people who placed a rather nasty curse on a girl just for rejecting a guy.}}

* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]: Applies to most of the character designs; most invoke some type of [[Animal Motifs|Animal Motif]] while possessed by a monster which is removed once the possession is resolved. For example, Nadeko wears a cobra hood-esque oversize hat while under the effects of a snake curse but gains a completely different outfit after the curse is broken.

* [[Author Appeal]]: According to [[Word of God]], the reason for all the [[Brother-Sister Incest|fanservice]] in ''Nisemonogatari'' was that Nisioisin originally wrote it for himself and had no plans to publish it.

* [[Awesome McCoolname]]: Araragi considers one of Hachikuji's [[My Name Is Not Durwood|mistakes]], Shuraragi, to be one. For reference, "''shura''" means [[Hindu Mythology|"Asura"]] or "carnage".

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: In contrast to the happy endings of the other arcs, the end of ''Nadeko Snake'' in the anime has {{spoiler|Koyomi unable to defeat the Snake Constrictor. While he does manage to save Nadeko, Koyomi feels guilty knowing that the snake will attack the person who originally placed the curse.}}

* [[Black Comedy Rape]]: Even if it isn't exactly rape, it's certainly taking [[Refuge in Audacity]]:

** In episode 2 of Nisemonogatari, {{spoiler|Koyomi himself}} gets a taste of this.

* [[Blatant Lies]]: As would any child, Mayoi occasionally tells absolutely impossible lies. For instance, she claims to know three people named "Basugasu Bakuhatsu" (that's just a Japanese tongue twister, by the way).

* [[Body Horror]]: May count for some of the afflictions.

* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: {{spoiler|Invoked indirectly in episode 9, 20:20. Do you, the troper, [[Fetish Fuel|also have a secret fetish?]]}}

'''Araragi:''' Voice actress!? What is this, an anime!? }}

** Interestingly enough, the above line came straight from the original novel.

** This is also the reason why Oshino is often seen with a cigarette, but never with a ''lighted'' one. From the novels:

* [[Broken Aesop]]: Maybe. Araragi's anger when Hanekawa reveals that her stepfather hit her in a fight kind of loses its effect when you realize that Araragi earlier in the series not only beat up, but proceeded to "shamelessly molest" a fifth grader he had just met that day. [[Played for Laughs|But it was funny when he did it.]]

** It should be noted that even when Koyomi beat up Mayoi, Tsubasa reprimanded him--[[Harsher in Hindsight|it's abuse if you hit a child without giving a reason]].

* [[Catch Phrase]]: Koyomi gets a few catch-dialogues with other characters.

** With Tsubasa:

'''Tsubasa:''' I don't know everything; just the things I know. }}

** With Mayoi:

'''Koyomi:''' It wasn't on purpose?! }}

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]] in ''Nisemonogatari'' episode 6, where Hitagi speculates that the telescope Koyomi bought her as a gift will factor into the story's climax somehow.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: A good number of characters. Hitagi, especially, is seemingly incapable of speaking in a manner other than this.

* [[Debut Queue]]

* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: Whole dialogues are repeated with no apparent reason. There is also Senjogahara's habit of repeating the same thing several times with different emphasis.

** Also, the quick flashes during dialogue of different coloured frames that display whatever colour they are. E.g. red frame, black frame, etc.

* [[Don't Explain the Joke]]: Lots of the great wordplay gets lampshaded or straightaway explained.

* [[Driven to Suicide]]: Cause of death for 90% of all vampires, including {{spoiler|Shinobu's only other subordinate}} and {{spoiler|Araragi, until Hanekawa talks him out of it.}}

* [[Dysfunction Junction]]

* [[Easily Forgiven]]: Koyomi is remarkably cool with {{spoiler|Kanbaru}}'s attempted murder of him.

* [[Evolving Credits]]

** Each arc has its own opening animation and song. Most of them weren't finished in time for initial TV broadcasts and were replaced by "Staple Stable" (Hitagi's OP) in all but one of the episodes in each respective arc. Later disc releases have the proper OP for every episode.

** The ''Nisemonogatari'' opening starts out as a charcoal silhouette of Hitagi surrounded by brightly-colored floating text. After giving Karen's opening a turn, it returns in episode 3 with Hitagi drawn in full detail, with both her and the floating text in pastel colors.

** The ''Nisemonogatari'' ending suddenly becomes very different in episode 4 (note that the old animation was too detailed to be a placeholder like the still of Hitagi in ''Bakemonogatari'').

* [[Hesitation Equals Dishonesty]]: Inverted, mostly. A good rule of thumb in this series is the more straightforward someone seems to be, the bigger the lie they're concealing. Nadeko is hesitant and lacks self-confidence, and her "big secret" is that she likes Araragi (secret only to [[Idiot Ball|Araragi, really]]); on the other hand, Suruga is quite forthright with her [[Girls Love|sexuality]] but no so much {{spoiler|with her violent hatred towards Araragi for "stealing" Senjogahara from her.}} As it turns out, her [[Girl-On-Girl Is Hot|provocative]] [[Fetish Fuel|teasing]] of Araragi is probably {{spoiler|a ploy to get Araragi to forget about Senjogahara, even if that means potentially having to seduce him}}.

* [[Hey, You]]: Araragi introduces Senjogahara to Oshino in this fashion.

* [[Hypocritical Humor]]:

** In "Mayoi Snail", Koyomi objects to Hitagi implying that he's an especially kinky pervert. It should be noted that he's been trying to look up her skirt the whole time.

** Each book is named "''Blank-monogatari''". Occasionally they form puns.

** Every story is named "[the afflicted's given name] [whatever monster is involved]," ''i.e.'' "Hitagi Crab," "Mayoi Snail," et cetera. The details are off for a few of the monsters in the titles (in the cases of "Mayoi Snail" and "Tsukihi Phoenix", {{spoiler|Mayoi and Tsukihi ''are'' the eponymous monsters}}, and "Suruga Monkey" {{spoiler|isn't actually about a monkey at all}}) and there exceptions for the second word even being a monster, such as "Tsubasa Family" (although it does [[Abusive Parents|makes one wonder]]) and "Hitagi End".

** Played straight with Hitagi and Hanekawa.

* [[Incest Subtext]]: Nisemono 8 could easily be renamed "In which Koyomi and his sister Karen get a little too close to each other" and no one would probably notice.

** A good portion of Nisemonogatari has this. Prepare to feel uncomfortable.

* [[I Regret Nothing]]: Araragi in Episode 14 when {{spoiler|[[Catgirl|Black Hanekawa]] accidentally energy drains him while [[Chivalrous Pervert|pressing her breasts into his back on his bicycle.]]}}

* [[Ironic Echo]]: In Nisemonogatari episode 2, Kanbaru tells Koyomi [[Black Comedy Rape|"Stop struggling! It makes it harder to remove your underwear!"]], exactly what Koyomi told Mayoi in episode 1. He even looks like Mayoi in a [[Wild Take]] while screaming.

* [[Jaw Drop]]: [[Up to Eleven|And]] ''[http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3l913kqPH1qzqnxxo1_500.gif how]''!

* [[Light Is Not Good]]: Black Hanekawa.

** Lampshaded by Koyomi after Oshino suggested calling her Black Hanekawa:

'''Koyomi:''' But she's white. }}

* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: All the background automobiles are the same model of white convertible sports car.

* [[Magic Skirt]]: Nisemono Episode 8. Karen, with a blue tennis skirt, stands on her hands. It's only after several seconds and a bit of coversation that the skirt even starts to fall down, just to stop short of revealing anything, after which Karen tries to hold it up. This is more just one of all ridiculous details that show up than any sort of censoring, as her panties are seen at other occasions.

* [[Male Gaze]]: I don't know where to start. From the aforementioned opening sequence to the series being a 20 second panty shot to the entire [[Buffy-Speak|messed-up ''thing'']] with Nadeko and the snake, this series is almost based on it. The most hilarious use of it is during episode 14 where Dark Hanekawa shows up and Koyomi is so [[Distracted by the Sexy]] [[Rule of Funny|that his jaw]] [[Up to Eleven|makes a crater]] [[Crowning Moment of Funny|on the pavement]].

* [[Meaningful Name]]: As might be expected from someone who loves wordplay as much as Nisio Isin. They're on the character page.

* [[Medium Blending]]

** [[Fullmetal Alchemist|"Copper, 40g; zinc, 25g; nickel, 15g; hiding embarrassment, 5g; and spite, 97kg."]]

** In episode 3:

'''Koyomi:''' Are you saying you're more powerful than Shen Long?! }}

** "Suruga Monkey" makes repeated references to {{spoiler|the short story "The Monkey's Paw" -- a misleading comparison, as the cast finds out halfway through the arc, as the "evil" wishes were really Suruga's own subconscious desires being granted in a [[Deal with the Devil]]}}.

** In Episode 11, when Nadeko gives Koyomi the swimsuit Suruga lent her, he does the standard [[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei|Despair Four-shot]].

*** She also makes a few manga/anime references so obscure that Koyomi goes on an all out rant a few times.

** Hachikuji parodies [[Detective Conan]] in episode 6 of Nisemonogatari.

** Nisemonogatari 9 has a shot of marching God Warriors from [[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind]]'s Seven Days of Fire and a sign with [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica|Kyuubey]] on.

** Three of the girls are fascinated by lame jokes from the same radio show.

* [[Surreal Theme Tune]]: Six of them in the first series! Let's see:

** Multiple clones of an extremely energetic girl populating a city? Check.

** A court in the middle of nowhere with floating basketballs and giant flowers (Easter lilies, no less)? Check.

** At least until episode 12, where she goes full blown "dere" in [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|the best way possible]].

** Episode 14 Senjougahara while on the phone with Araragi

*** This being Senjougahara, {{spoiler|she switches to being deadly serious halfway through}}.

* [[Twelve-Episode Anime]]: With three more episodes aired online, and put on DVD.

* [[Twerp Sweating]]: Koyomi's afraid Senjogahara's scary-serious looking father will do this on their first date. Subverted in that the father is actually extremely grateful to Koyomi for both curing his daughter's condition and making her happier than she's been in a long time.

* [[Unreadably Fast Text]]: Episodes open with excerpts from the novels that start off a little too fast and rapidly become totally impossible to read.

* [[Unreliable Narrator]]: Araragi is rarely, if ever, honest about his feelings (platonic or otherwise) for the various ladies that pass through his life. {{spoiler|This trope is more true of the women themselves, who tend to lie about the conditions under which they obtained their particular supernatural afflictions until it becomes ''absolutely necessary'' to tell the truth.}}

[[Category:Web Animation]]

[[Category:Light Novels]]