Take a sexually frustrated, adolescent, vampire boy—Koyomi Araragi—and throw him at beautiful girls with some serious mental and emotional problems, which creates oddities (otherwise called apparitions) that Koyomi has to fix, and you've got the "Monogatari" anime series!
Like in any other anime where a male protagonist is surrounded by girls (in other words, a harem), Koyomi feels he has a duty to solve all of their problems, which leads to complicated and entertaining adventures. I mean, who doesn’t like a good harem, right? Thus, why isn’t the "Monogatari" series that popular? There are several reasons that might chase people away from watching the series, so let me explain in hopes that I’ll pique a little interest.
First off, the "Monogatari" series is extremely confusing! Most people will watch the first season called "Bakemonogatari" and then not watch the rest because the order of the seasons is unclear. In addition, the series is a lot like "Clannad" wherein Tomoya Okazaki goes around helping girls in the first season, but it’s in the second season, "Clannad: After Story," where things really get complicated. That’s how they make you care about the characters. It’s in the trivial events in the characters’ lives that you get to know them and grow attached, so if you’re willing to watch past the first season, then you’re in for a treat.
(By the way, Shinobu Oshino in the photo above will be your favorite character!)
Secondly, the "Monogatari" series is kind of an acquired taste. It is difficult to watch because of the unique animation and fast cuts in scenes in combination with the quick and complex dialogue. Ever watch a Chinese film where the character says, like, three syllables, and it’s translated into something like, “I remember watching Jackie Chan and Jet Lee fight in that one film with that white kid and it was super cool, but the film kinda sucked”? Yeah, the "Monogatari" subtitles are like that sometimes. Plus, the anime will randomly throw in blank screens with words too fast to read. This may be intentional, though, because the show is based off of a light novel by Nishio Ishin, and everything can’t be put into the anime. Nonetheless this is a challenge, but if you’re into philosophy, ethics, psychology, and you enjoy a good story, it’s worth the struggle. This isn’t a “sit back and relax” anime; you gotta pay attention. Once you get used to it, you’ll stop getting headaches like I did.
Thirdly, the "Monogatari" series is not for the soft-hearted or the squeamish because there is plenty of blood splattering, intestine ripping, face deforming, and arm breaking in the anime. I mean, for goodness sakes, a nekomimi licks Koyomi’s neck and blood gushes like a jet stream! This might turn some people off (so I decided not to include the gory photos).
Other people might be turned on (or off?) by the fan service though. What’d you expect? It’s a harem for goodness sakes! In all honesty, I want to say that the show could do without the fan service, but without some of it, the series would be missing an essential aspect such as Koyomi’s sister complex, Suruga Kanbaru’s snarky and sexual remarks (“I’m Araragi-senpai’s sex slave!”), Koyomi groping Mayoi Hachikuji’s tummy, and Tsubasa Hanekawa using her big boobs to make Koyomi pick the right choices. The thing I appreciate about the fan service in the "Monogatari" series is that it never leads to anything. It’s not like those fantasy anime where all the girls have big boobs and are constantly tripping and landing on top of the male protagonist or having girls get their clothes shredded up by monsters and what not. Koyomi, despite his sexual frustrations, still respects the girls, and it’s more funny than anything else. And it makes the characters unique. I am not ethically saying that I agree with these things, but at least it’s not pointless fan service like "Prison School."
These are the potential problems that the "Monogatari" anime series faces: It’s confusing, requires your full attention, covers complex philosophical issues, contains gory scenes, and has fan service (if you consider that a problem). However, if that still doesn’t persuade you, then watch this video of Black Hanekawa, the nekomimi, saying a tongue twister!
Here is the link to where I watch the anime series i f you’re interested with the order of the seasons (This website does not work with ad block, but the ads aren't annoying so no worries):
Also, the first film, "Kizumonogatari," just came out in January 2016 and is being aired in movie theaters across the U.S.! It is a prequel to the anime series. Here is a link to the list of times and tickets.
And here's a fun GIF showing Koyomi's being bitten by little girls:
