Debuting in 2005 and still ongoing, Nisio Isin's Monogatari light novels follow a high school student, Koyomi Araragi, and his many brushes with girls who have strange, aka supernatural, oddities. As cliche as that premise may sound, Monogatari is anything but ordinary.

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The same can be said about Shaft's anime adaptation, which ranks among the studio's greatest and most experimental works to date. Featuring three seasons that are split into 14 series that contain multiple arcs revolving around specific girls, Monogatari offers long-winded but mesmerizing dialogue, endearing albeit inherently weird characters, and a frantic but measured art style that sets it apart from any other anime. It is a niche series that is not for everyone but should be checked out by anyone fond of anime.

Although Monogatari never gets anywhere approaching bad, some series are naturally better than others.

10 Best: Nisemonogatari

The Araragi Sisters Are Being Playful

Primarily revolving around Araragi's two sisters, Karen and Tsukihi, Nisemonogatari is somewhat of a hard series to place. Despite having some of Monogatari's most famous moments like the toothbrush scene and being perhaps the funniest series in the franchise, Nisemonogatari's two arcs are just okay and meander at times.

While the introduction of Deishuu Kaiki goes a long way in elevating "Karen Bee," it does overstay its welcome at seven episodes. Although shorter, "Tsukihi Phoenix" dedicates a lot of time to fanservice that could have been used to explore the characters in more depth; that said, it is still an important arc for Tsuhiki. In terms of presentation, Nisemonogatari opted to remove establishing shots for new locations, a welcome creative decision that complemented Monogatari's pacing. Even compared to its subsequent sequels, Nisemonogatari is one of the most visually pleasing entries in the franchise.

9 Worst: Tsukimonogatari

A viewer's tolerance for Yotsugi Ononoki's deadpan humor will make or break Tsukimonogatari for them. As the first series in Monogatari's final season, Tsukimonogatari has an air of finality about it, and Shaft and director Tomoyuki Itamura went out of their way to make sure the anime looked better than ever. When Araragi begins to revert back into a vampire, he seeks the help of Kagenui Yozuru and Yotsugi, an expressionless tool created by humans who also happens to be a shikigami.

Tsukimonogatari fleshes out Yotsugi's character somewhat and has a few things to say about the connection between humans and spirits/oddities. It also presents an interesting conundrum for Araragi, whose repeated heroics are the very reason he begins to lose his humanity. Despite having many good points, Tsukimonogatari is an average entry by Monogatari's standards and ends on a rather unsatisfying note.

8 Best: Kizumonogatari

Shinobu is surrounded by crows in Kizumonogatari

A prequel trilogy set prior to the events of the entire series, Kizumonogatari primarily exists to explain how Araragi met Shinobu Oshino, the approximately 600-year-old vampire responsible for turning the protagonist into something not quite human. With each entry being better than the last, Kizumonogatari is more action-packed than the rest of the series, especially part two that revolves around Araragi's efforts to take down three vampire hunters.

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Due to being a trilogy of movies, Kizumonogatari is also the most visually impressive Monogatari project, which is saying something. At times, this series is more style than substance, but the former is so good that it does not really matter.

7 Worst: Nekomonogatari (Black)

Nekomonogatari (Black) anime

As the final entry of Monogatari's first season, Nekomonogatari (Black) ended this run on a rather underwhelming note. Chronologically, Black is a sequel to Kizumonogatari and takes place prior to season 1's previous two series, with Bakemonogatari's "Tsubasa Cat" arc revealing quite a lot of what transpires in Black.

Consequently, Black is a rather dull sit the first time around as viewers already have a general idea of how the story will progress. However, Black does a very good job of setting up Nekomonogatari (White) and even has a few surprises, even if these elements cannot be fully appreciated during an initial viewing.

6 Best: Koimonogatari

Covering the "Hitagi End" arc, Koimonogatari is Monogatari at its absolute best. Nadeko Sengoku, a Snake Goddess (among other things), plans to kill Araragi and Hitagi on their graduation day, prompting the latter to hire the con-man Kaiki to hopefully fix the issue. The end result is a six-episode storyline featuring a fantastic central mystery, an impressive amount of character development, and a ticking time-clock premise that adds tension to every scene.

Koimonogatari's protagonist is Kaiki rather than Araragi, a change that not only makes it stand out from the rest of the series but serves as a convincing case for the former being perhaps the anime's best character.

5 Worst: Hanamonogatari

While it aired as the final series in Monogatari's second season, Hanamonogatari is chronologically the last current entry in the anime. As Araragi's story is technically already complete in this universe, Hanamonogatari does feel like an unnecessary side-story; that said, it is worth a watch for fans of the upbeat Suruga Kanbaru and features a great Kaiki scene.

Hanamonogatari overstays its welcome at five episodes and lacks the energy of most of the other series, with even Suruga coming across as rather muted. While still watchable, it is one of those rare Monogatari series that feels almost skippable.

4 Best: Nekomonogatari (White)

Nekomonogatari (Black) should be watched simply because it sets the stage for Nekomonogatari (White), a contender for Monogatari's best series. Once again focusing on Tsubasa Hanekawa's repressed feelings for Araragi and her unhealthy relationship with her parents, White revolves around a series of fires that seem to hit in locations that inspire negative emotions in Tsubasa.

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White is human and emotional, with the series handling Tsubasa's growth extremely well. The final episode is particularly strong.

3 Worst: Bakemonogatari

Hitagi & Koyomi Monogatari

Monogatari's first series to air and one of the longest at 15 episodes, Bakemonogatari is not all that representative of the rest of the franchise. While most series center around specific characters, Bakemonogatari has various short arcs as it tries to introduce nearly all of the key players who will feature throughout the remainder of the anime.

While it does set up many of the visual techniques that would become staples of the franchise, Bakemonogatari is also the most fast-paced and unfocused Monogatari series. It is also likely to put off newcomers as the characters come across as pretty shallow, even if Araragi and Hitagi are great together from the start.

2 Best: Owarimonogatari

Billed as Monogatari's finale alongside the inferior Zoku OwarimonogatariOwarimonogatari acts as a culmination of the anime's narrative and represents everything great about the franchise. Although Isin decided to continue the light novels following Owarimonogatari's release, that does not diminish the brilliance of this series.

Lasting 20 episodes, the first 13 take place before the events of Tsukimonogatari and set up the character of Ougi Oshino, a key player throughout Owarimonogatari. This series answers a lot of the questions raised throughout the franchise and serves as a fantastic conclusion to Monogatari.

1 Worst: Koyomimonogatari

An ONA series set throughout the scholastic year covered by the other Monogatari stories and consisting of 12 short episodes revolving around different girls, Koyomimonogatari is generally regarded as the anime's worst entry.

Its episodes are perfectly harmless and get progressively better, with the final two being particularly good; however, Koyomimonogatari takes a different storytelling approach to the rest of the franchise. This time around, the focus is completely on world-building rather than the characters, even if the latter get their fair share of cute moments. Koyomimonogatari might be Monogatari's worst series but it is still pretty decent.

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