Hi everyone! I know that the Monogatari series started as a light novel before getting its anime adaptation. I assume it must have been an insanely popular light novel series even before the anime, right?

Since I only discovered this masterpiece recently, I'm really sad that I couldn't experience its peak era firsthand... I’d love to hear some stories from veteran fans who were there during its prime!

1. I heard that Sengoku Nadeko gained massive popularity when the light novel was adapted into the anime. Are there any other characters whose popularity exploded after the anime adaptation, or conversely, characters who became less popular compared to their light novel version?

2. Were characters like Senjougahara a common trope before Monogatari? Was the "tsundere + sharp-tongued/verbal abuse" character archetype already popular and famous back then, or was Senjougahara truly one of a kind?

3. For those who read the light novels first, were you excited when you found out that SHAFT would be handling the anime adaptation? Personally, I think SHAFT deserves huge credit for making the Monogatari anime such a massive success. Because of Monogatari, I even went back to watch other SHAFT works like Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. (Zetsubou-Sensei felt a bit disappointing aesthetically because it felt too dated, even though the content was super fun!). Anyway, I'm really curious how people reacted when SHAFT—with their very unique style—was announced as the studio for Monogatari.

4. Looking back at the adaptation from light novel to anime, are there any parts you felt were disappointing, or any moments/scenes where you thought, "Wow, this was absolute perfection/legendary"?

5. I know songs like Nadeko's "Renai Circulation" and "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" were insanely popular back in the day. How much of an impact did these OSTs and their OP/ED sequences have on the anime community when they first came out? How huge was the hype? (Personal note: I'm from South Korea and actually listened to these songs back when I was a university student, but I never searched where they came from at the time. Finding out recently that they were from Monogatari completely blew my mind!)

Please feel free to answer only the questions you'd like to talk about! You definitely don't have to answer all of them. I'd just love to hear any memories or thoughts you're willing to share. Thanks!

I just finished watching Toradora! It’s a classic from over a decade ago, right? I've been really into anime lately, and I binged the whole thing in a week!

I got way more invested after realizing that Minori shares the same voice actress (Yui Horie) as Hanekawa from the Monogatari series. At first, Minori was so hyper and cheerful that I didn't notice, but towards the end, when her tone got quieter and more emotional, I could totally hear Hanekawa in her voice.

Ryuuji was total green-flag boyfriend material too—caring, a housekeeping wizard, and good at studying! Personally, I was low-key rooting for Minori to end up with Ryuuji instead of Taiga... Hanekawa is my favorite character in Monogatari, so I guess my heart naturally went out to Yui Horie's character again. It breaks my heart that in both shows I've watched with her, she played the sub-heroine 😭

This got me curious—could you recommend some really good anime featuring the voice cast from the Monogatari series?

I know that in Madoka Magica, Senjougahara's VA (Chiwa Saito) plays Homura Akemi (their voices and vibes are literally identical lol), and Hachikuji's VA (Emiri Kato) plays Kyubey (which I couldn't catch at all!).

I really enjoy noticing these voice actor connections! What are your favorite anime featuring the Monogatari VAs?

Since I only started watching anime as an adult, I realized there are SO many incredible shows I’ve missed out on—which honestly just makes me super excited as a new anime fan! ~

I actually just discovered the Monogatari series this year. For some reason, I’ve found myself really fascinated by voice actors (VAs). In fact, the whole reason I started Monogatari in the first place was because I was looking up other works by Sengoku Nadeko’s VA.

So now, whenever I start a new anime and hear a voice that sounds familiar, I like to wait until I'm a few episodes in before looking up the voice cast. It’s become such a fun little game for me.

Here are a few voice actor realizations that blew my mind recently:

1. Araragi and Saiki Kusuo share the same VA (Hiroshi Kamiya) The very first anime that got me into this world was The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Before that, I used to think anime was just for kids, but Saiki made me realize that adults can enjoy it just as much. So when I looked up Araragi's VA and realized he's the exact same guy who voiced Saiki, I was so shocked and thrilled! I couldn't believe my favorite, Saiki, and Araragi are the same person...!

https://preview.redd.it/fkrvwfpv5egh1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2b3072c6b94d55767df19c75723b017f273e788

2. Sajuna (Juju) from My Dress-Up Darling I was watching My Dress-Up Darling recently, and when I heard Sajuna Inui's (Juju's) voice, I genuinely thought it was Hachikuji from Monogatari, so I had to look it up. Turns out it wasn't Hachikuji, but I found out her VA (Atsumi Tanezaki) is actually Anya Forger from SPY x FAMILY AND Frieren from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End! I love both of those shows, but I had NO idea Anya and Frieren shared the same voice actor as Juju. Mind blown.

https://preview.redd.it/mkmufb146egh1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c46fbabb0523e80c77306c8a97226643ae36202

https://preview.redd.it/djvnc7py5egh1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=2e156b1282b6d24dced2d3a0183d9dc07443ad28

https://preview.redd.it/m0bq6itt5egh1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=908b74d8be606bf75fc950f2f2fb6441d3afe2b3

3. Toradora! and Hanekawa's VA A few days ago, I started watching Toradora! (I didn't even Google it beforehand, I just recognized the title since it was super famous 10 years ago, so I just clicked play on my local streaming app). At first, I thought, "Yeah, I definitely don't recognize anyone here." Even when I checked the main cast, none of their previous works rang a bell. But then... I found out that Kushieda Minori has the SAME voice actress (Yui Horie) as Hanekawa! I was completely clueless. Minori is super energetic, upbeat, and talks at such a fast pace that I didn't notice it at all. Hanekawa is literally my favorite character, so I thought I’d recognize her voice anywhere... guess I was wrong haha.

https://preview.redd.it/djm0rvtp5egh1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ce588907976e1bd174d381bc627484423cce461

I’d love to hear your favorite VA-related surprises or experiences!

P.S. Since English dubs are pretty common in western anime fandoms, are Japanese sub VAs as popular over there? Do most of you still prefer watching with subtitles?

Also, I heard Senjougahara's VA (Chiwa Saito) is super famous too, though I haven't come across her in other shows I've watched yet. If you've ever had a moment where a voice actor completely shocked you or made you super happy to hear them in another show, please share!

Hi everyone! The Monogatari Series has recently become my absolute favorite anime. It’s only been a few months since I first discovered it, but it quickly became the best anime I've ever watched. I know a new series came out this year, but it feels like it's not as wildly popular as it used to be back in the day, which makes me a bit sad... (I wasn't watching anime back when the novels and original anime first came out, so I couldn't experience that era firsthand......) Still, I’m really glad Shaft is committing to adapting it all the way to the end.

I remember watching an anime intro video on YouTube featuring Hachikuji’s arc from Bakemonogatari, and the top comment was: "Back in the day, this anime was on the level of Demon Slayer or Attack on Titan, and now there are intro videos for people who don't know it..." Since I only got into it recently, I feel like I missed out on that hype era!

Anyway, getting back to the main point—when I first started watching, I was completely captivated by Senjogahara because I had never seen a character like her before. I also loved Shaft's unique visuals and all the other distinct characters. So at first, I watched it pretty casually, but as time went on, I became deeply invested.

When I watched Nekomonogatari, maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but Hanekawa didn't really click with me at first. But at some point, she grew to become the most important character to me. And when I watched the movie trilogy (Kizumonogatari), she solidified her place as my absolute favorite character. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I think I just have a huge soft spot for characters with unrequited love / one-sided crushes ㅋㅋㅋ

After finishing all the anime, I really wanted to dive into the original light novels. So I started reading Musubimonogatari (which takes place after the anime), but I was honestly a bit taken aback by how dark and heavy the atmosphere was. An adult Araragi, characters growing distant from their past bonds, and what feels like one of the last conversations with Hanekawa... (I heard she appears again later at the wedding, but I haven't read that part yet.) It felt like Hanekawa wasn't the same Hanekawa I used to know, which made me feel really sad and heartbroken as a big Hanekawa fan.

P.S. To be honest, Hanekawa’s arc broke my heart so much that it became really hard for me to just read the novels casually. I think that’s part of why I’ve been putting off reading it even more lately. I almost wish I didn’t love this anime quite so much...

Of course, I’d love to read everything, but I'm quite busy with real life so I don't have a ton of free time. However, I recently found out that my older brother owns the entire series on e-book! When he heard I was into the show, he even bought all the latest volumes for me (even though he hasn't read them himself, haha..).

So my main question is: Should I start reading the novels from Volume 1, or should I just keep reading forward past Musubimonogatari?

❓ Question Details

1. Should I start from Volume 1 (Bakemonogatari)?
   • In another post, I saw a comment saying, "In the light novels, Araragi actually flexes and gushes about Senjogahara a lot," in response to someone saying their relationship feels one-sided on Senjogahara's part in the anime. When I only watched the anime, I often wondered, 'Does Araragi really love Senjogahara as much as she loves him? Is he just bad at showing it?' Honestly, scenes where he thinks about Hanekawa or sexually harasses Hachikuji stood out to me way more ;; Since I want to read his inner monologues about this, and also because my favorite, Hanekawa, has a much bigger presence in the earlier volumes, I wonder if starting from Vol. 1 is the right choice.
2. Or should I finish Musubimonogatari and jump straight into the unadapted novels (Off Season / Monster Season / Family Season, etc.)?
   • I heard that as you go further past Musubimonogatari into Family Season, adult Araragi and Senjogahara end up getting married, and their relationship/future gets proper closure. Even if Hanekawa gets less screentime, I wonder if it's better to quickly catch up on the anime's aftermath and their eventual ending.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!

To be honest, I initially got into the Monogatari series because of Nadeko’s voice actress, Kana Hanazawa. I was looking into her other works and that’s how I discovered this masterpiece.

However, at first, I didn't find Nadeko's character very appealing. I was much more drawn to Senjougahara with her sharp, unconventional personality, and Hanekawa, whose heartbreaking backstory really resonated with me. When Nadeko suddenly snapped and turned into a Snake God, I felt detached and couldn't really empathize with her character.

But watching Nadeko Draw in the recent Off & Monster Season completely flipped my perspective. Seeing her return to human form, fighting to reclaim her four shikigami clones to protect her dream of becoming a manga artist, left a profound impression on me. It was deeply moving to watch her literally hunt down and face her own past mistakes, regrets, and ugly inner desires. Instead of hiding behind the facade of a 'cute, helpless victim' like she used to, she finally broke out of her shell, took full responsibility, and chose to walk her own path. Her character development was incredibly powerful and beautifully written. It made me realize just how much of a genius the author is.

(Though, it was pretty hilarious how Ononoki caused the whole mess by suggesting they make the clones in the first place, yet acted completely casual about it! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ)

Skipping this arc would have been a huge mistake. Nadeko’s growth from a stagnant girl into an independent individual was genuinely inspiring

Hi everyone!

I recently finished making a fan-made AMV focusing on Hanekawa and Araragi. I really wanted to share it and watch it together with you guys, which is why I'm writing

this post.

I tried uploading it to YouTube first, but it seems like it won't go through due to copyright issues with both the video and the audio-even though, of course, it's completely non-profit and not for monetization.

The video is a mix of clips from Kizumonogatari, Bakemonogatari, and Nekomonogatari, and I used a J-POP song for the background music.

I was wondering if it's okay to upload the video file directly here on Reddit? I really want to avoid any issues, so I wanted to ask if doing so might cause any trouble or break any rules.

Thank you so much in advance for your advice!

I recently got into Monogatari a few months ago, finished the manga a few days ago, and Musubimonogatari is my very first light novel experience with the series.

I haven't finished the entire volume yet and just paused right after finishing Hanekawa’s part (Tsubasa Musubi) because I was so incredibly shocked. Hanekawa is my absolute favorite character, so this hit me pretty hard. 😭

Since I'm still relatively new to the fandom and currently in the middle of reading, I have a few questions about this specific chapter and would love to hear your thoughts.

1. How do you guys feel about Hanekawa being turned into this "Saint-like/Messiah" figure?

I searched through some older Reddit threads, and it seems opinions are quite divided on this.

Personally, I really dislike this direction. I just don't understand why Nisio Isin had to push her to such an extreme.

Hanekawa was rejected by Araragi, had to watch him date her close friend (Hitagi), and probably lived with the constant regret of not confessing sooner. Because of this, I completely agree that physically leaving Japan after graduation was the right choice for her growth.

But making her this global, untouchable entity who can barely ever step foot in Japan again? As a fan, I would have been happy to see her return in any capacity—whether as someone completely independent of Araragi or just living her own life. But turning a high school girl into a global revolutionary who transcends borders... I don't know, it just feels so jarring to me.

2. What was Hanekawa’s actual purpose for breaking into Araragi's house?

During the dishwashing scene, Hanekawa gives Araragi two reasons for her visit:

1. She was exhausted from managing world affairs, and since no one else in the world is like Araragi, she just wanted to joke around and fool around like the old days.
2. She wanted Araragi to become her partner.

To be honest, both reasons feel completely unrealistic coming from the current Hanekawa. (Maybe if she had just been a regular corporate employee working overseas, it would make sense, but not with her current status). Even if Araragi had accepted her offer, it would have caused massive problems.

Should we interpret this as Hanekawa proposing an impossible, unachievable dilemma just to finally get closure and move on from him?

In the end, Araragi concludes that her real goal (the 3rd reason) was to reclaim her old underwear and erase any remaining physical traces of her past self from his room—which she actually ends up doing. Did I break down and understand this scene correctly?

3. The scene where Araragi tells Hanekawa he used to love her back in high school.

I’m reading the Korean translation, so I translated this specific dialogue into English. I’m a bit confused by Araragi's response here:

> "Hey, Hanekawa. In return for telling me something good, should I tell you something bad?"

> "What is it? I want to hear it, I really do."

> "Back in high school... I loved you, Hanekawa. Did you not notice?"

> "Ahaha."

> Hanekawa let out a dry, empty laugh. Beyond just being vacant, her eyes were completely hollow. It was a stubborn, carefully guarded emptiness.

> "Araragi-kun, is that a line you’ve always wanted to try saying, too?"

> "No."

> I shook my head, turning my eyes away from her. In truth, it was no different from how I had been turning my eyes away from her all this time.

> "This is my... 'the line I regret the moment it leaves my mouth' line."

> And it wasn't just a story from the past. Even now, it remains a regret in the present progressive tense.

The story transitions right after this, so I couldn't quite grasp what Araragi meant by "the line I regret the moment it leaves my mouth." What exactly is the nature of his regret here?

Since this is my first time reading the light novels, I was quite surprised by how much more mature and toned-down Araragi’s personality has become. This entire chapter feels like a bittersweet farewell to their high school memories, which leaves a bit of a melancholic aftertaste. Am I misinterpreting these scenes, or is this a sentiment shared by others when they first read it?

P.S. Since I translated the dialogue directly from the Korean version, please let me know if there are any issues with the translation!

Hi everyone! I’m a working professional from South Korea. I barely watched any anime during middle or high school, so I’m a latecomer who just recently stepped into the anime world.

Thanks to that, I’m incredibly grateful that there are still so many masterpieces left for me to discover. Coming into such a massive, well-adapted franchise like the Monogatari Series at this point honestly feels like a huge stroke of luck.

The reason I first discovered this anime is actually a bit funny. In Korea, the song "Pretender" by Official HIGE DANdism became a massive viral hit through YouTube Shorts. I found out that this band also wrote a song inspired by Steins;Gate, which got me curious enough to watch it. While watching Steins;Gate, Mayuri’s voice actor (Hanazawa Kana) completely stole my heart.

Naturally, I started looking up her other works, which led me to "Renai Circulation". I was shocked because I realized it was a legendary meme song that had been popular in Korea about 10 years ago! That was the moment I decided, "Okay, Monogatari is my next anime."

I started watching without knowing absolutely anything about the plot. Since it's such a long series, I initially planned to watch it casually, but it has quickly become one of the best anime of my life.

When I first saw Senjougahara, she felt so incredibly fresh. In Korea, the term "Tsundere" is widely used in daily life due to the influence of Japanese anime. However, I had never seen a character who combined the "Tsundere" trope with such sharp, venomous tongue-lashes. While watching Bakemonogatari, I kept wanting to see what kind of witty vitriol she would spit next.

Since Araragi and Senjougahara started dating almost immediately, and because I watched Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp much later, Hanekawa wasn't really my priority at first. I was solely focused on the scenes between Araragi and Senjougahara.

However, right before watching the Kizumonogatari anime, I felt an urge to read the manga version. I realized the manga covers this part early on, and as I binged it, I became completely hyper-fixated on Hanekawa’s tragic narrative.

They say love is all about timing. But considering what Araragi did to Hanekawa in the gymnasium... and how she was essentially a savior to a friendless Araragi (they were saviors to each other, really)—it breaks my heart. If Senjougahara hadn't appeared, wouldn't they have naturally started dating?

Back when I preferred Senjougahara, I used to wonder why Araragi kept fantasizing about Hanekawa in his internal monologues. But now, Hanekawa just feels so tragic, and I find myself deeply empathizing with her and wanting to cheer her on. 😭

Hanekawa desperately needs a real family. Araragi’s warm, harmonious household would have been so perfect for her, and his younger sisters (Karen and Tsukihi) would have absolutely adored her like a real older sister.

I haven’t watched the Off-Season yet where they become university students. Will watching it make me root for Senjougahara more again?

Anyway, I have a few questions for the Reddit community:

1. Did the author intend for Senjougahara to be the "endgame/main girl" right from the very beginning?

2. Does this fandom have intense "waifu wars" (Shinobu vs. Senjougahara vs. Hanekawa)? (Personally, I viewed Shinobu's bond with Araragi as something closer to a blood-tied, inseparable kinship, but she seems surprisingly popular!)

3. What are your overall thoughts on Hanekawa as a character? Whose relationship with Araragi did you find yourself rooting for more?

I really want to engage more with this subreddit, but since English isn't my native language, it's a bit challenging for me. Still, I would love to talk about Monogatari with you all!