What do you think?
Rate this book
Monogatari #9
恋物語 [Koimonogatari]
「若能永遠單戀……不覺得比兩情相悅還幸福嗎？」
為了保護阿良良木曆， 和神進行生命交易的少女──戰場原黑儀。 約定「忌日」將近的寒假， 她選擇的是最黑、最惡劣的手段……
〈物語〉承受重壓而軋轢、扭曲、哀號──這就是現代的怪異！怪異！怪異！ 青春，是為了和你相戀。
為了保護阿良良木曆， 和神進行生命交易的少女──戰場原黑儀。 約定「忌日」將近的寒假， 她選擇的是最黑、最惡劣的手段……
〈物語〉承受重壓而軋轢、扭曲、哀號──這就是現代的怪異！怪異！怪異！ 青春，是為了和你相戀。
292 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2011
28 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
NisiOisiN
288 books967 followersNisio Isin (西尾維新 Nishio Ishin), frequently written as NisiOisiN to emphasize that his pen name is a palindrome, is a Japanese novelist and manga writer. He attended and left Ritsumeikan University without graduating. In 2002, he debuted with the novel Kubikiri Cycle, which earned him the 23rd Mephisto Award at twenty years of age.
He currently works with Kodansha on Pandora, the Kodansha Box magazine, and Faust, a literary magazine containing the works of other young authors who similarly take influence from light novels and otaku culture. He was also publishing a twelve volume series over twelve months for the Kodansha Box line; Ryusui Seiryoin was matching this output, and the Kodansha Box website stated that this is the first time in the world two authors have done twelve volume monthly novel series simultaneously from the same publisher.
In February, 2008, his novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was released in English by Viz Media. Del Rey Manga has already released the first volume in his Zaregoto series. His Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Katanagatari novels have been adapted into anime series. Nekomonogatari (Kuro) has been adapted into an anime TV movie, and Kizumonogatari will be release in theaters this year. Monogatari Series: Second Season, adapted from 6 books in Monogatari Series will air in July 2013. Another of his works, Medaka Box (manga), has been adapted into a two-season anime series.
He currently works with Kodansha on Pandora, the Kodansha Box magazine, and Faust, a literary magazine containing the works of other young authors who similarly take influence from light novels and otaku culture. He was also publishing a twelve volume series over twelve months for the Kodansha Box line; Ryusui Seiryoin was matching this output, and the Kodansha Box website stated that this is the first time in the world two authors have done twelve volume monthly novel series simultaneously from the same publisher.
In February, 2008, his novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was released in English by Viz Media. Del Rey Manga has already released the first volume in his Zaregoto series. His Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Katanagatari novels have been adapted into anime series. Nekomonogatari (Kuro) has been adapted into an anime TV movie, and Kizumonogatari will be release in theaters this year. Monogatari Series: Second Season, adapted from 6 books in Monogatari Series will air in July 2013. Another of his works, Medaka Box (manga), has been adapted into a two-season anime series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
April 20, 2019
Took me an embarassingly long time to finish this. Preordered the thing, so I got it around its release date, but I didn't even get to it until about two months later, and kinda really slacked after the first two micro-sittings in which I read it. Enough time had passed that I simply could not remember when Araragi got the thing from Gaen that led to Nadeko becoming a snake god....
Anyway, Kaiki is the narrator this time 'round, allowing us a deeper insight into his character after Hanamonogatari already "redeemed" him from his crimes in Neko-. We get some ambiguities regarding his feelings for Senjougahara, as well as the possibility he may respect Araragi on some level. Of course, the whole thing is that Kaiki is a liar, so he is the most open about his being an unreliable narrator. Then again, Araragi was pretty unreliable himself, so perhaps NISIOISIN could be doing a thing where the least trustworthy character is actually the most face-value narrator... in a paradoxically blatant sense. What I mean is, this being a "mere" light novel, and thus essentially YA fiction, and thus not really "capital-A Art," it may be that we are meant to "see through" Kaiki's covering for his truer feelings, or something. I don't know, maybe it's not so important, as Kaiki's a fun character regardless of how many layers of lies he has above his heart.
So the "Second Season" of the novel comes to a close, kinda. Hanamonogatari is set chronologically later (which kinda ruins the impact of the novel's ending), but aside from that blip the "season" has followed a rough trajectory of Shinobu exploiting her power near the Kita-Shirahebi shrine, attracting Gaen's attention, being offered the place of "god," having it deferred to Nadeko, and having the snake-god Nadeko try to kill Araragi (with Hanekawa's thing occurring roughly throughout the entirety of the Kabuki->Oni->Otori plotline, to end up in time for Koi). Both of Ishin's experiments worked well enough, the non-Araragi perspectives and the mixed-up chronology. Araragi's singular perspective limits our understanding of the other characters, to be better fleshed out by their own narrations in this "season" (tastefully excluding the enigmatic Senjougahara for the "twist" of using Kaiki). Bake- felt more or less self-contained, with Nise- adding a little more, but Neko- (Kuro) adding very little. The Second Season as a whole feels more adequately plotted, as if properly planned from its inception, and the shuffling of stories allows "foreshadowing" in a curious way of e.g. giving away the "final boss" of Nadeko before we get a proper conclusion to the time-travel thing.
Ougi is still mysterious, setting up Final Season, though at the minor cost of making the "epilogue" (or, though Kaiki doesn't say it himself, the "punchline") of the story come across as a) a little too "edgy" and b) somewhat hamfisted in its own foreshadowing.
Anyway, Kaiki is the narrator this time 'round, allowing us a deeper insight into his character after Hanamonogatari already "redeemed" him from his crimes in Neko-. We get some ambiguities regarding his feelings for Senjougahara, as well as the possibility he may respect Araragi on some level. Of course, the whole thing is that Kaiki is a liar, so he is the most open about his being an unreliable narrator. Then again, Araragi was pretty unreliable himself, so perhaps NISIOISIN could be doing a thing where the least trustworthy character is actually the most face-value narrator... in a paradoxically blatant sense. What I mean is, this being a "mere" light novel, and thus essentially YA fiction, and thus not really "capital-A Art," it may be that we are meant to "see through" Kaiki's covering for his truer feelings, or something. I don't know, maybe it's not so important, as Kaiki's a fun character regardless of how many layers of lies he has above his heart.
So the "Second Season" of the novel comes to a close, kinda. Hanamonogatari is set chronologically later (which kinda ruins the impact of the novel's ending), but aside from that blip the "season" has followed a rough trajectory of Shinobu exploiting her power near the Kita-Shirahebi shrine, attracting Gaen's attention, being offered the place of "god," having it deferred to Nadeko, and having the snake-god Nadeko try to kill Araragi (with Hanekawa's thing occurring roughly throughout the entirety of the Kabuki->Oni->Otori plotline, to end up in time for Koi). Both of Ishin's experiments worked well enough, the non-Araragi perspectives and the mixed-up chronology. Araragi's singular perspective limits our understanding of the other characters, to be better fleshed out by their own narrations in this "season" (tastefully excluding the enigmatic Senjougahara for the "twist" of using Kaiki). Bake- felt more or less self-contained, with Nise- adding a little more, but Neko- (Kuro) adding very little. The Second Season as a whole feels more adequately plotted, as if properly planned from its inception, and the shuffling of stories allows "foreshadowing" in a curious way of e.g. giving away the "final boss" of Nadeko before we get a proper conclusion to the time-travel thing.
Ougi is still mysterious, setting up Final Season, though at the minor cost of making the "epilogue" (or, though Kaiki doesn't say it himself, the "punchline") of the story come across as a) a little too "edgy" and b) somewhat hamfisted in its own foreshadowing.
April 16, 2022
The perfect finale to second season with my favorite narration in the series. Absolutely perfect in every way possible and my favorite arc in Monogatari for sure.
September 17, 2020
This novel marks the end of the Second Season of the Monogatari series. This novel had many moments that I didn't expect to play out like they did and overall this might be one of my favourite Monogarati novels of the Second Sesason and overall.
At first, I want to adress the elephant in the room: Nisioisin's storytelling. Throughout the Second Season of Monogatari, it has come more and more apparent that Isin loves to lie to us readers, to foreshadow and promise events that we never see played out in the series and basically tease us readers endlessly about certain things. At first I didn't know what to make of this until I became kind of convinced that he was doing these shenanigans on puprose by the end of "Onimonogatari". In the afterword of "Koimonogatari", Isin FINALLY admits that he was aware of all the jokes he was pulling on us readers; they were no lucky coincidences, all of them were Isin pulling your leg. After Isin kind of became a swindler about his own story and storytelling in this Second Season, it is - as he himself says - very fitting to have a swindler as the narrator of the final volume of the Second Season. There are still a LOT of VERY important things going on in the world of Monogtari that we readers do not know the details about but definitely know that they are imprtant for the story. I have to admit, I have yet to read another story in which the author basically gives us a glimpse of sidestories happening in the world and just teases the main story by means of glimpses left and right. At the end of this volume, you still won't know how the ending of "Nekomonogatari (White)" came to be, what excatly Gaen's endgame is, or - the most vexing of all mysteries in the series - what the actual deal with Ogi is. In my review for the previous volume, I stated that I would lose my mind if Isin wouldn't finally give us more information on Ogi - and I have to admit that I feel somewhat satisfied about what we learned about them, even though they are still as much shrouded in mystery as they were before. This only makes me want to read on and find out about them, of course, so you could again say that this is Isin's way of not only pulling your leg by having a character interact in the background for a complete "Season" of his novels but also his very own and definitely very compelling way of creating mystery. We are very used to mysterious figures in media being revealed to us halfway through the story - but wouldn't the most mysterious figures luriking in the background be those that work that efficient that we readers and the other characters barely know a thing about them, let alone notice their schemes?
Finally, a word to the story itself. At first I was very surprised that Kaiki instead of Senjougahara was the narrator of this novel (again: with her being on the cover and all - but by now it should be no surpise to the reader if the person on the cover of a volume in the Second Season doesn't end up being the narrator or even the focus of the story). However, he turned out to be one of my favourite narrators - if not my favourite one - in the Second Season. It was a cool move from Isin to give us a view on the psyche of a seemingly heartless and ruthless swindler and make him one of the most honest and genuine narrators of this Second Season. The small instances in which we see his true feelings shine through - his feelings for Gaen, how he truly things about Araragi and Senjougahara, and his short mentioning of a long-lost lover of his which truly broke my heart - made him more human than any of the other characters - but then again, he is the only narrator in this Second Season that has never been possessed by an abberation, so maybe Isin created his character that way to finally give us a glimpse into the mind of a "regular human". While the story could not be any simpler -Kaiki is hired to dupe Sengoku so that she cannot carry out what she has been planning since the end of "Otorimonogatari" - Kaiki and his interaction with the people around him made for a compelling story. Not to mention that this might be the volume of the Second Season that has the most going on story-wise: While "Nekomonogatari (White)" gave us flash-forwards to some events happening in the future without any context, this volume now gives us some context to events which have taken place over the course of this Season and gives us readers some information that we need in order to connect certain dots to an overarching story. Some people like to call Ryohgo Narita's way of telling a story "non-linear" - Isin's way of telling a story has something similiar to it, but I would go a step further and call it "non-focussed": Isin does not focus his story on events which would make for a compelling story in any other series but instead focusses on characters and the events which are important to them on a personal level, even though these might only be loosely connected to the overall story, while giving us glimpses of the overall story playing out at the seams of the novels. This was a very new way for me to experience a story and I enjoyed every second of it and am still longing for some more "Monogatari" in my life. The ending of this novel is not as anti-climactic as you might be used to from Isin's other novels; the last few pages harbour an actually pretty majour event and give us a new piece of information about a certain character that makes that person pretty menacing. Overall, this novel presented a very fitting ending to the Second Season of Monoagatari which made me feel like it brought this Season to a close but also layed the groundwork for the Final Season of Monogatari.
At first, I want to adress the elephant in the room: Nisioisin's storytelling. Throughout the Second Season of Monogatari, it has come more and more apparent that Isin loves to lie to us readers, to foreshadow and promise events that we never see played out in the series and basically tease us readers endlessly about certain things. At first I didn't know what to make of this until I became kind of convinced that he was doing these shenanigans on puprose by the end of "Onimonogatari". In the afterword of "Koimonogatari", Isin FINALLY admits that he was aware of all the jokes he was pulling on us readers; they were no lucky coincidences, all of them were Isin pulling your leg. After Isin kind of became a swindler about his own story and storytelling in this Second Season, it is - as he himself says - very fitting to have a swindler as the narrator of the final volume of the Second Season. There are still a LOT of VERY important things going on in the world of Monogtari that we readers do not know the details about but definitely know that they are imprtant for the story. I have to admit, I have yet to read another story in which the author basically gives us a glimpse of sidestories happening in the world and just teases the main story by means of glimpses left and right. At the end of this volume, you still won't know how the ending of "Nekomonogatari (White)" came to be, what excatly Gaen's endgame is, or - the most vexing of all mysteries in the series - what the actual deal with Ogi is. In my review for the previous volume, I stated that I would lose my mind if Isin wouldn't finally give us more information on Ogi - and I have to admit that I feel somewhat satisfied about what we learned about them, even though they are still as much shrouded in mystery as they were before. This only makes me want to read on and find out about them, of course, so you could again say that this is Isin's way of not only pulling your leg by having a character interact in the background for a complete "Season" of his novels but also his very own and definitely very compelling way of creating mystery. We are very used to mysterious figures in media being revealed to us halfway through the story - but wouldn't the most mysterious figures luriking in the background be those that work that efficient that we readers and the other characters barely know a thing about them, let alone notice their schemes?
Finally, a word to the story itself. At first I was very surprised that Kaiki instead of Senjougahara was the narrator of this novel (again: with her being on the cover and all - but by now it should be no surpise to the reader if the person on the cover of a volume in the Second Season doesn't end up being the narrator or even the focus of the story). However, he turned out to be one of my favourite narrators - if not my favourite one - in the Second Season. It was a cool move from Isin to give us a view on the psyche of a seemingly heartless and ruthless swindler and make him one of the most honest and genuine narrators of this Second Season. The small instances in which we see his true feelings shine through - his feelings for Gaen, how he truly things about Araragi and Senjougahara, and his short mentioning of a long-lost lover of his which truly broke my heart - made him more human than any of the other characters - but then again, he is the only narrator in this Second Season that has never been possessed by an abberation, so maybe Isin created his character that way to finally give us a glimpse into the mind of a "regular human". While the story could not be any simpler -Kaiki is hired to dupe Sengoku so that she cannot carry out what she has been planning since the end of "Otorimonogatari" - Kaiki and his interaction with the people around him made for a compelling story. Not to mention that this might be the volume of the Second Season that has the most going on story-wise: While "Nekomonogatari (White)" gave us flash-forwards to some events happening in the future without any context, this volume now gives us some context to events which have taken place over the course of this Season and gives us readers some information that we need in order to connect certain dots to an overarching story. Some people like to call Ryohgo Narita's way of telling a story "non-linear" - Isin's way of telling a story has something similiar to it, but I would go a step further and call it "non-focussed": Isin does not focus his story on events which would make for a compelling story in any other series but instead focusses on characters and the events which are important to them on a personal level, even though these might only be loosely connected to the overall story, while giving us glimpses of the overall story playing out at the seams of the novels. This was a very new way for me to experience a story and I enjoyed every second of it and am still longing for some more "Monogatari" in my life. The ending of this novel is not as anti-climactic as you might be used to from Isin's other novels; the last few pages harbour an actually pretty majour event and give us a new piece of information about a certain character that makes that person pretty menacing. Overall, this novel presented a very fitting ending to the Second Season of Monoagatari which made me feel like it brought this Season to a close but also layed the groundwork for the Final Season of Monogatari.
April 12, 2022
Kaiki's pov was surprisingly fun to read. I learned a lot more about this world and the characters in it. I liked a lot of those and didn't like a lot of them. But since it's from kaiki it could have all been a lie. All the fun characters that I like are not in this volume which sorely shows. It was boring to read here and there but it did come together well by the sixty percent mark. This marks the end of the second season. Can't wait to read season 3 or the final season as it's called.
March 20, 2019
This volume resolves the 'main arc' of the Monogatari 2nd season, which started with Otorimonogatari's surprise revelation of the dark side behind the cuteness incarnate, Nadeko Sengoku.
True to Nisio's continued streak of unconventionality, this is probably the most interesting book as it's told from the POV of the major antagonist of the 1st season of Monogatari, Kaiki Deishuu, as he is commissioned to stop Nadeko's rampage.
Kaiki has been pretty much presented as a heartless monster of a person, but Nisio paints a much different picture of him in this book, with a lot of hints that his actions may not be wholly for evil or selfish purposes. Well par on course for Nisio's penchant of exploring the multiple facets of people via his characters.
Towards the end of the novel, I admit I actually warmed up enough to Kaiki that I could feel a tinge of sympathy for him, due to his nature and his actions in the course of this volume. Definitely one of the best volumes of the series.
True to Nisio's continued streak of unconventionality, this is probably the most interesting book as it's told from the POV of the major antagonist of the 1st season of Monogatari, Kaiki Deishuu, as he is commissioned to stop Nadeko's rampage.
Kaiki has been pretty much presented as a heartless monster of a person, but Nisio paints a much different picture of him in this book, with a lot of hints that his actions may not be wholly for evil or selfish purposes. Well par on course for Nisio's penchant of exploring the multiple facets of people via his characters.
Towards the end of the novel, I admit I actually warmed up enough to Kaiki that I could feel a tinge of sympathy for him, due to his nature and his actions in the course of this volume. Definitely one of the best volumes of the series.
April 22, 2016
Last year I read this story without reading the first eight volumes of 'light novels' before it, perhaps it can explain why I can't give this book any more than 3 stars.
Parts of the story are interesting (mostly the mystery part) so I have no problem reading the whole thing in one go, but in the end I don't care too much for those characters despite the highly amazing situation they found themselves in and the awesome character's setting. Lack of depth and real emotion and too many backstories to catch on truly does ruin things for me.
Parts of the story are interesting (mostly the mystery part) so I have no problem reading the whole thing in one go, but in the end I don't care too much for those characters despite the highly amazing situation they found themselves in and the awesome character's setting. Lack of depth and real emotion and too many backstories to catch on truly does ruin things for me.
October 4, 2021
This book is conceptually interesting but didn’t work for me as I expected. I wasn’t invested in the plot, probably because of how season two was structured, but besides that I don’t think Kaiki was a good narrator either. Mostly because Kaiki’s appeal is in his interactions with other characters and, even though he interacted a lot with Senjogahara and Sengoku, it didn’t feel the same because the lack of unpredictability.
About this season as whole, it’s very difficult to say whether I liked it or not. Because even though some tales had interesting ideas, others were uninteresting. I don’t think this season manages to live up the expectations settled by season one(character-wise), though,couple elements introduced here were cool(plot-wise). In addition to that, Nisio’s writing skills improved. Which is the reason why I’m looking forward to “Final Season”.
About this season as whole, it’s very difficult to say whether I liked it or not. Because even though some tales had interesting ideas, others were uninteresting. I don’t think this season manages to live up the expectations settled by season one(character-wise), though,couple elements introduced here were cool(plot-wise). In addition to that, Nisio’s writing skills improved. Which is the reason why I’m looking forward to “Final Season”.
November 25, 2025
This and nekomonogatari are the best parts of the monogatari series in my opinion
September 13, 2024
My first Nisio Isin novel but not my first Nisio Isin story.
I wasn't very sold on the idea of reading his books. After all, why read when I can watch the anime.
I've seen snippets of the Monogatari series, my brother being a big fan. He'd rave about this character named, "Deishuu Kaiki". "Kaiki's really cool," he'd say something like that. Sure, he was cool. Within a cast littered with high schoolers, Kaiki was one of the adults that looked cool. But I didn't know anything other than him saying a few lines and doing whatever he did. So when my brother told me Koimonogatari was narrated by Kaiki, I thought, "Oh it's that guy. Sure, I'll try it."
The premise of Koimonogatari was simple. Normally, I would've probably given the plot itself a 3/5, it was solid but nothing very bombastic. Though, I'd like to point out that the ending wrapped the entire story very nicely. However, Kaiki's narration charmed me because of his specialty as a con-man. Narrating the story from the perspecctive of the con-man was unique to me and pulled me into his story.
Overall, I can see why Nisio Isin is a well-liked author. I would read his other novels, watch more of the anime (after reading the novels of course). As for Deishuu Kaiki, he really is a cool guy.
I wasn't very sold on the idea of reading his books. After all, why read when I can watch the anime.
I've seen snippets of the Monogatari series, my brother being a big fan. He'd rave about this character named, "Deishuu Kaiki". "Kaiki's really cool," he'd say something like that. Sure, he was cool. Within a cast littered with high schoolers, Kaiki was one of the adults that looked cool. But I didn't know anything other than him saying a few lines and doing whatever he did. So when my brother told me Koimonogatari was narrated by Kaiki, I thought, "Oh it's that guy. Sure, I'll try it."
The premise of Koimonogatari was simple. Normally, I would've probably given the plot itself a 3/5, it was solid but nothing very bombastic. Though, I'd like to point out that the ending wrapped the entire story very nicely. However, Kaiki's narration charmed me because of his specialty as a con-man. Narrating the story from the perspecctive of the con-man was unique to me and pulled me into his story.
Overall, I can see why Nisio Isin is a well-liked author. I would read his other novels, watch more of the anime (after reading the novels of course). As for Deishuu Kaiki, he really is a cool guy.
May 22, 2024
Kaiki is the best narrator in the series so far.
February 19, 2019
This book finishes off a sort of pseudo-trilogy revolving around Kaiki's major appearances within the series. From his initial introduction in Nisemonogatari as a conman low enough to trick middle schoolers out of their pocket change, we see him evolve and grow nuanced with each subsequent appearance. His next appearance, in Hanamonogatari, shows him in a completely different light (as it rightfully does since the narrator changes as well) and we begin to see Kaiki as more of a person than an evil caricature that Araragi originally painted him out to be.
This book finally brings it all home by having the man himself narrate a story on his own terms and gives further insight into his character in outright delightful ways (despite the fact that in the introduction he insists that you'll learn nothing about him by the time it's over). Kaiki has a flair for pettiness and dramatics that make his voice utterly distinct from other narrators in the series, and yet he's quite similar to Araragi in ways that are very fun to juxtapose. Because of that this arc remains my favorite, not only animated but also in print.
This book finally brings it all home by having the man himself narrate a story on his own terms and gives further insight into his character in outright delightful ways (despite the fact that in the introduction he insists that you'll learn nothing about him by the time it's over). Kaiki has a flair for pettiness and dramatics that make his voice utterly distinct from other narrators in the series, and yet he's quite similar to Araragi in ways that are very fun to juxtapose. Because of that this arc remains my favorite, not only animated but also in print.
February 19, 2019
Another amazing Point of View for this volume. Kaiki is written so well, that at times you definitely can't figure out when he's being honest or deceptive. NISIOISIN nails it. It was an interesting conclusion to Nadeko's story as well. And the way it ended just made me want to know what happened and who.
If people keep sleeping on this series of books, you are missing out on amazing writing and dialogue.
If people keep sleeping on this series of books, you are missing out on amazing writing and dialogue.
May 7, 2019
Great read as always and refreshing to have another book not from Araragi's point of view. I have a new appreciation for Kaiki now; his POV was a delight to read. Though I really could use a timeline at this point to keep track of the sequence of events from all these books.
August 28, 2019
A book narrated by a compulsive liar, whose job is to trick a God into not killing someone! This series is sooo weird. But hey, you pick up a book never knowing what’s going to happen... and I really like that.
March 10, 2020
At first I was a bit confused about what the story was actually about but so far this it's really good, especially the characters. I'm kind of wishing that the con-man didn't die since I really like him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2020
Kaiki carries this novel as one of the most mysterious and interesting characters in the series.
Expect to understand better his truths, and to learn of unexpected, hidden truths that Kaiki himself would never reveal.
Expect to understand better his truths, and to learn of unexpected, hidden truths that Kaiki himself would never reveal.
October 6, 2022
A great end to a great plot line, this book continued the theme of swapping narrators and gave a look into one of the most interesting characters so far, Kaiki Deishu. This narrator literally opens up telling you not to trust anything he says, and that the story will be a blend of truth and lies. Along with this, his inner monologue will often times be at odds with the actions he takes, making the reader constantly guess what kind of person he actually is. This may sound bothersome at a glance, but I personally believe it adds a lot of depth to his character. You can kind of make out the character he wants the reader to see from the character he actually is. Along with this, it keeps on building the understanding of other characters from the series, particularly Sengoku, and a deeper knowledge of what exactly went on between Senjogahara and Kaiki in the past. Overall, this book was incredibly fulfilling in regards to story and characterization, and it was just overall fun to read. This series continue to impress me with each new book I read.
February 23, 2025
Tied with Nekomonogatari(White) for best book in the series thus far.
Isin's embrace of unreliable narration is at its most rewarding in this book. Kaiki's influence as narrator and protagonist can't be understated: he fundamentally changes the way we view each of the other characters as well as how we view him. The pieces of inner monologue we get from him, whether brief asides or longer reflections are charming, funny, and insightful.
This book taps into some of the most important and critical themes of the series as a whole: the struggle of authenticity, sincerity, and honesty, the boundaries of personal perspective and subjective perception, and the difficulty and necessity of embracing other people and yourself.
I adore Senjougahara and Kaiki as characters and their interactions in this are a consistent joy to read. And Araragi is barely in it which is always a plus.
Isin's embrace of unreliable narration is at its most rewarding in this book. Kaiki's influence as narrator and protagonist can't be understated: he fundamentally changes the way we view each of the other characters as well as how we view him. The pieces of inner monologue we get from him, whether brief asides or longer reflections are charming, funny, and insightful.
This book taps into some of the most important and critical themes of the series as a whole: the struggle of authenticity, sincerity, and honesty, the boundaries of personal perspective and subjective perception, and the difficulty and necessity of embracing other people and yourself.
I adore Senjougahara and Kaiki as characters and their interactions in this are a consistent joy to read. And Araragi is barely in it which is always a plus.
August 11, 2023
By far one of my favorite monogatari books to date. I really enjoyed the narration by Kaiki in the pacing of the story. At first I was never really sure what was true and what wasn't true but it all came together for a fitting end of season 2. I will admit that the last volume Onimonogatari was a bore fest to me but this volume put things back into view. Without giving any spoilers the story resumes during the period that Araragi and Senjougahara are counting down the end of their days alive due to Sengoku being a god and wanting to kill them. The story focuses around a theme to trick Sengoku and spare the lovers lives. If you have a chance check out the story and thanks for sticking with the series for so long.
August 28, 2023
Kaikikaikikaikikaiki
Best character, best narrator, best entry in this series so far. I loved everything about this!
I kind of want to add a favorite quote of mine but there are so many it's hard to choose :,D let's just go with the one that made me laugh out loud the most:
"Have you ever played a game called Dragon Quest? It's an RPG where you save up gold pieces on your way to beating a demon lord. But if you get killed by a monster, you lose half the gold you worked so hard to save up. When you get married, the same thing happens. So marriage is the same as death."
Best character, best narrator, best entry in this series so far. I loved everything about this!
I kind of want to add a favorite quote of mine but there are so many it's hard to choose :,D let's just go with the one that made me laugh out loud the most:
"Have you ever played a game called Dragon Quest? It's an RPG where you save up gold pieces on your way to beating a demon lord. But if you get killed by a monster, you lose half the gold you worked so hard to save up. When you get married, the same thing happens. So marriage is the same as death."
February 13, 2022
Nisioisin has done it again, writing perhaps my second favourite Monogatari book I've read so far (it's going to be hard to top Neko Shiro for me). Kaiki functions surprisingly well as a narrator, and the book a lot of insight into both his character, but also many others. Connecting the dots from previous volumes made this to be a fitting conclusion to the Second Season, while also laying the groundwork for the Final Season excellently.
September 26, 2020
This book perhaps the most adult and distinct narrator thus far this series, which should certainly not be confused for the most virtuous. Particularly exciting, this ]setup resulted in more Senjogahara than we've seen in some time, in part because she plays exceptionally well off the narrator.
March 23, 2022
Certainly one of my favourite books of the series and my favourite season of the anime. Kaiki is definitely my favourite narrator, definitely best girl and definitely the most interesting character. I loved it all!
February 14, 2023
Quite easily one of the best parts in the monogatari series, with one of the best narrators Nisio has wrote yet. Absolutely amazing and the most pages I’ve ever read in a single sitting, I was so engaged.
November 6, 2023
my comfort book.. favorite arc of monogatari, even have this arc anime adaptation in my flashdisk.. god love koimonogatari and otorimonogatari the most. Kaiki and senjougahara’s interaction.. mmm chef’s kiss. Their chemistry is just amazing
July 10, 2024
Deishu Kaiki taking over narration was a surprising but welcome twist: freshens things up while maintaining a solid link to early Monogatari entries. Balances humor, character drama and gut-punching moral lessons really well.
June 3, 2025
will be reading the physical copy when i feel as though that i've forgotten the story (so i can experience it fresh again) but from watching the show, this is one of my favorite arcs. kaiki is so engaging as a narrator and it was so fun experiencing him and senjougahara interact with each other.
March 21, 2019
Kaiki was definitely an excellent narrator, and this book changed my perspective on him quite a bit. A simple story can be quite entertaining with the right narration.
August 2, 2020
I love men
December 28, 2020
Los mejores siguen siendo los que no narra Koyomi y no sé cómo sentirme al respecto. El caso es que muy bien llevado y resuelto un tema que arrastraba desde hace unos cuantos libros.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews