We all know that “Monogatari Series” has already dazzled its audience by announcing its return with the production of a new animated project that will cover the “Off Season” and “Monster Season” books. Its community of followers has been patiently waiting for new updates about this new anime. Fortunately for them, their wait has finally paid off, as the official media of “Monogatari Series” have finally announced the new animated project titled “Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season“, which will premiere in Japan this coming July 6th, which is very soon. Along with this news, the official website for “Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season” has released an exciting promotional video, in which we can get a glimpse of what we will see in this anime.
In this promotional video, we can also appreciate a preview of the closing theme for “Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season“, performed by the renowned Japanese J-Pop duo “YOASOBI“, titled “UNDEAD“. Unfortunately, we still do not know who will perform the anime’s opening theme.
Let’s also remember that “Monogatari Series” announced the production of “Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season” in January this year, and at that time it was only known that the series would premiere during 2024, produced by the animation studio SHAFT. It had previously been confirmed that the overall project would be under the main direction of Akiyuki Simbo, while the direction of the anime itself would be handled by Midori Yoshizawa. Besides this information, we can now also add that Akio Watanabe will serve as the character designer and chief animation director, in addition to the involvement of Simbo and Fujoshi Tou as script supervisors.
Voice Cast
- Saori Hayami as Yotsugi Ononoki
- Yuka Iguchi as Tsukihi Araragi
- Chiwa Saitou as Hitagi Senjougahara
- Maaya Sakamoto as Shinobu Oshino
- Miyuki Sawashiro as Suruga Kanbaru
- Kana Hanazawa as Nadeko Sengoku
- Kaori Mizuhashi as Ougi Oshino
- Marina Inoue as Sodachi Oikura
- Emiri Katou as Mayoi Hachikuji
In our previous post about “Monogatari Series” we had mentioned that “Off Season” consists of a collection of side stories that will feature different characters, and includes the arcs Orokamonogatari, Wazamonogatari, Nademonogatari, and Musubimonogatari.
On the other hand, “Monster Season” tells the story of the university life of the character Koyomi Araragi in six different arcs: Shinobumonogatari, Yoimonogatari, Amarimonogatari, Ugimonogatari, and Shinomonogatari.
Synopsis
“Monogatari Series” is a series of Japanese light novels written by Nisio Isin that has been adapted into several animes. The story revolves around Koyomi Araragi, a high school student who survives a vampire attack and gains supernatural abilities. Throughout the series, Araragi becomes involved with various girls affected by “oddities“, supernatural anomalies that reflect dark aspects of their personality and circumstances. These oddities range from curses, cults, and divine entities to psychological syndromes manifested physically. As Araragi attempts to help these girls, he learns more about the supernatural world and his place within it, facing moral dilemmas and dangers that challenge his own nature and values.
The narrative structure of “Monogatari Series” is unique; it is presented through arcs that focus on specific characters, each named according to the peculiarity or the central problem of the character. For example, in “Bakemonogatari“, the first set of stories, Araragi helps Hitagi Senjougahara, a weightless girl, and Mayoi Hachikuji, a lost child who turns out to be a wandering spirit. Through intense dialogues and a distinctive visual style, the series explores themes such as identity, desire, and reality versus perception. As Araragi becomes more deeply involved in this world, he also faces the nature of his own redemption and recovery, constantly questioning what it means to be a hero in a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred.
In the most recent seasons, like “Monogatari Series Off Season” and “Monster Season“, the series continues to explore new facets of the characters and introduces new anomalies. “Off Season” consists of arcs that fill the gaps between the main seasons of the series, deepening secondary characters and exploring new dimensions of the known protagonists. On the other hand, “Monster Season” takes the series into even darker and more complex territory, challenging Araragi with conflicts and revelations that test his growth as a character and his ability to face not only external monsters but also the internal ones. These seasons maintain the series’ distinctive style, characterized by its layered narrative, a witty play on words, and a continuous exploration of philosophical and existential themes through its quirky and complex cast.
Now, whether you count yourself among the fans of “Monogatari Series” or not, we can all agree that there are enough reasons to keep an eye on “Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season” coming this next July 6th, right? Go ahead, be nice and stop by the comments, and let us know your opinion about this franchise. You know, we’ll be reading! 🙂
Images Source: ANIPLEX Official YouTube Channel, ANIME TIME MEDIA
