At the time of writing, there are still a handful of series difficult to find both physically and online.
That being said, we've comprised a list of confirmed avenues newcomers can go down to hop into Monogatari and the best order they should tackle it. Let's get into it.
The best way way to watch Monogatari in order is as follows:
- Bakemonogatari
- Kizumonogatari
- Nisemonogatari
- Nekomongatari: Kuro
- Monogatari Series: Second Season
- Hanamonogatari
- Tsukimonogatari
- Owarimonogatari Season 1
- Koyomimonogatari
- Owarimonogatari Season 2
- Zoku Owarimonogatari
- Off Season (coming this year)
- Monster Season (coming this year)
Bakemonogatari
"Third-year high school student Koyomi Araragi is human again. Cured of his vampirism, he seeks to help other supernaturals with their problems. Koyomi becomes involved in their lives, revealing secrets in people he once knew."
This 15-episode, two season-long, series kicked everything off and is also the best place to start if you want to watch Monogatari in story order.
Buy Bakemonogatari on Blu-Ray for £35.00 at Amazon
Kizumonogatari
This one is up for debate with people having different places they would choose to watch Kizumonogatari . But for us, we are going with the most popular choice on the table which is placing it here second on the Monogatari watch order - narratively we feel it is here that it fits best.
Buy Kizumonogatari on Blu-Ray for £17.29 at Amazon
Nisemonogatari
"A student who has survived a vampire attack finds himself mixed up with all kinds of apparitions" in this, your third watch as you make your way through the franchise. It's a relatively short series so it won't take you long to get through it.
Buy Nisemonogatari on Blu-Ray for £19.99 at Amazon
Nekomongatari: Kuro
And this one is even shorter. Nekomongatari: Kuro is only four episodes long and can be watched in one movie-length sitting quite easily. There is currently no way of viewing the series at the time of writing.
Monogatari Series: Second Season
Five sequels were adapted to make this show and if you want to know them all, they are Nekomonogatari (White), Kabukimonogatari, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari and Koimonogatari.
It is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Hanamonogatari
Originally meant to be part of Monogatari Series: Second Season, Hanamonogatari was eventually released as its own thing. As per the official synopsis: "Suruga Kanbaru is a high school student with a cursed left hand. She learns of a devil who can grant wishes and goes to search for this being, hoping they can cure her hand. However, Suruga discovers that she will have to confront the past to bring about a better future."
Buy Hanamonogatari on Blu-Ray for £25.76 at Amazon
Tsukimonogatari
This is the story of Yotsugi Doll and another brief one that only runs at four episodes - or again at a nice movie length of just over 90 minutes. "Koyomi Araragi's college entrance exams are coming up but he has a more pressing matter to deal with - after discovering he no longer has a reflection he realises he is transforming into a vampire. He goes to shikigami doll Yotsugi Ononoki for help"
Buy Tsukimonogatari on Blu-Ray for £15.79 at Amazon
Owarimonogatari Season 1
Naoetsu Private High School gains a new student in the form of Ougi Oshino and he soon befriends another student, Koyomi Araragi. Together, they stumble across a strange apparition that leads to Araragi discovering a long-forgotten memory that could change everything. The show was split into two seasons and when you finish the first, there is something else to watch before starting the second.
Buy Owarimonogatari Part One on Blu-Ray for £15.79 at Amazon
Koyomimonogatari
This is another one that can be quite hard to find. Koyomimonogatari is different to what has come before and is a series of short stories, 12 in total, focusing on Koyomi as he works to help the girls in his cohort in a variety of different ways.
You can order it online for £19.99 at HMV.
Owarimonogatari Season 2
Carry on with the remaining 7 episodes of Owarimonogatari now!
Season 2 is available to stream on Crunchroll.
Zoku Owarimonogatari
The final series in the collection, Zoku Owarimonogatari was one of the more notorious entries to find. It did enjoy a brief stint on Crunchroll but fell off for reasons we're not quite clear on.
Luckily for fans, you can pick up a Blu-Ray copy for £17.49 on Amazon.
Off Season
An anime adaptation of the Off Season light novel is coming this year. It consists of various short stories across the Monogatari timeline, told in four arcs.
Monster Season
An adaptation of Monster Season is also on its way in 2024! It will catch up with Araragi as he heads to university. The story is told in six arcs.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.
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