Nisemonogatari, Part 1: Fake Tale

Monogatari #3, Part 1

by NisiOisiN

Unlike ne’er-do-well former vampire Araragi, his two younger sisters Karen and Tsukihi, who attend a private junior high, are little balls of energy and charisma that their peers look up to. That the “ka” in Karen and “hi” in Tsukihi are both written with the character for “fire” isn’t the only reason they’ve come to be known as the Fire Sisters. Karen is the brawn and Tsukihi the brains of a vigilantism that the pair sees not merely as defending justice but as justice itself. They can’t encounter a harmful fad without trying to hunt down a specific source that had a motive for spreading it. In their big brother’s humble opinion, there is something fake and precarious about it all. In this first of two parts, the immediate sequel to the legendary BAKEMONOGATARI plunges us into the middle of summer vacation in the mostly peaceful rural town where the series is set. As our hero and narrator can say from experience, however, teenagers with too much free time on their hands can get stung pretty badly.

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Manga, Supernatural, Japan

343 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2008

About the author

Nisio 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.

Reviews

[Caleb Kovalenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very surprised that I have enjoyed this volume of the Monogatari series as much as I did! I heard many negative things about this arc, such as the fanservice being overly gross and weird, but it seems to be a thing that only happens in the anime.
I enjoyed the new characters we have been introduced to finally (Karen, Tsukihi and Kaiki), all very fun characters to read while the author doesn't leave our favourite characters from previous arcs behind. I think the character who had my favourite development was Hanekawa, as we finally don't see her in Araragi's previous perspective of her where she seems perfect, but now we're allowed to see more sides to her than before and I enjoyed every second she was on the page.
My main issue with the book would be the very weird pacing (compared to Bakemonogatari) and I felt that even if some ideas that were only introduced, they should have been explored more (for example the questions of what is justice and what is true evil, which Nisioisin has an interesting take on).

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Kizumonogatari took a step back from the banter I thoroughly enjoy in this series, Nisemonogatari Part 1 has brought it back in full force. It really is what makes this series such a super fun read. I also really enjoyed finally getting a true introduction to Koyomi's younger sisters, in particularly Karen whom is the focus of this first part. We also see some interesting developments within the triangle relationships of Koyomi, Hanekawa, and Senjogaraha that I wasn't expecting. I'll be jumping right in to Part 2 of Nisemonogatari, which will focus on the younger of the two sisters, Tsukihi.

[DarkChaplain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth be told, I was not very fond of the Nisemonogatari anime adaptation. In fact, After wrapping it up with Part 2's adaptation, I quite literally lost interest in the franchise for a few years, and did not even watch Nekomonogatari Black on launch, let alone the other sequels. Rewatching the series in tandem with my reading of the first novel, I'm still not quite sure why I had such a, not necessarily negative, but ambivalent impression of it.

Thematically, the book holds up. I cannot deny enjoying a lot of chapters throughout. But when Nisioisin's babble gets overbearing, or a scene overstays its welcome, it will keep doing so for a good while. The author commits to everything he does here 200%, which is a good thing under normal circumstances.... for me, it was a chore to get through sections that I did not enjoy much, however.

I will not deny that I had a good time with a lot of the depicted character interactions - which, after all, are the bread and butter of any Nisioisin work - or that the concept did not intrigue. Even the rather monotone, admittedly anticlimactic end to the arc (which the author himself will be the first to declare as such) has a point to make and highlights further discrepancies between characters and their perceptions of the themes on display.
Many of the individual chapters also revolve around varying perspectives, including the repeating question of whether a fake is so clearly inferior to the real deal as it may appear at first glance. To further those perspective issues, Nisioisin treats the reader with the full Bakemonogatari cast as well as the now properly introduced Fire Sisters.

Maybe that's what made me stumble, then. With all characters on display, from Hanekawa, Senjougahara, Hachikuji, Kanbaru, Nadeko and even Shinobu, time to actively develop Karen and Tsukihi is severely limited. With this being Karen's own entry, it still strikes me as strange (though not unreasonable), that she may be the motivating factor, but her presence is spread as thin as it is, with half the book over before the real conceit of the story kicks in.

That is not to say that I did not enjoy the strangely enthralling hogwash between Araragi and Hachikuji, Araragi's obliviousness to Sengoku's attempts at seduction, Kanbaru's dilemma or an overly dramatic bathing session. They were all fun and good in their own right, and contributed to the theme. However, it also made the overall read feel a tad disjointed and as a result easy to put down at the end of a chapter. Especially when your favorite characters get their dues at the start of the book and won't appear, or otherwise actively contribute, for the remainder of the novel.

I think it is clear enough having read this one that Nisioisin actually did write this one primarily for himself, rejoicing in having the time and muse to do creative writing for only himself and no publisher, as he claims in the afterword. While his works generally are a bit out there anyway, I feel this one's taking the cake, and may have as well been considered a short story anthology up to a certain point, when the meat, almost in novella form, kicks in and demands the short story components being placed in the frame alongside it.

Then again, Nisioisin is generally decent at framing his works, from spoiling himself in the first chapter to flashing back and forth throughout the narrative, and leading one event into the next. It's also true here, though a bit more obvious to the reader. But then, if you're considering to read Nisemonogatari, chances are you have at least read Bakemonogatari (published in three parts by Vertical in English) already. And if you've done that and still plan to read Nisemonogatari, you're obviously at least reasonably invested and entertained by the author's uniquely eccentric style. In that case, chances are you'll have a great time with Nisemonogatari as well. It's the real deal, rather than a fake that cannot hold up to the rest of the series.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing their love/hate relationship with the Monogatari series, D reads the first volume of Nisemonogatari for no good reason other than it being a Nisio novel.

Araragi and his harem are faced with the conundrums of life when a stranger named Kaiki Deishu arrives in town to take advantage of the surge in superstitious crap that rose with the rumours of a vampire being sighted in the boonies.

Araragi sisters Karen and Tsukihi try to stop him, but manage to fall into his trap instead.

All in all the way this story was set up felt a whole lot like a Steven Moffat story: the rising action is hyped through the roof, we're at the edge of our seats wondering what's going to happen next, and then bam. The climax happens and the action just flounders on before flopping into itself.

The difference? Well Nisio knew this. Araragi himself said the ending was an anticlimax. After that longass chapter of Karen pummelling her brother to the ground (Nisio's still no good with fight scenes), Araragi and Senjogahara meet with Kaiki and what we get is... well, think of it like a monkey bar. As kids we probably saw those things as huge, highass architecture that could hurt you very badly if you lose your grip or make a mistake. Going back to it now as an adult you realise it's not actually so bad.

That's pretty much all there is to it. The mind is a complex thing, and so is society's perception. Where Moffat failed by believing the hype and trying to follow through, NisiOisiN lets the hype flop and tells us perhaps the mind is the most dangerous thing in the first place.

[Rebeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

They may be girls of character, but that character is bankrupt

Nisemonogatari by NisiOisin is the fourth installment in the long running Monogatari series, which follows an everyman protagonist in his dealings with the occult.

Koyomi Araragi is an exceptionally perverted highschool boy who helps girls in trouble - but not as a vocation or a creed, they seem to stumble across him just living his life, begging for help from some supernatural omen. Araragi never declines, and always goes out of his way to save the damsels from some trouble that is usually of their own making and a heavy-handed metaphor for their personal flaws. Thus, Araragi slowly gathers a harem of incredibly hot girls who would do absolutely anything for him at the drop of a hat.

In Nisemonogatari Part 1, Araragi saves one of his little sisters. The novel constantly tries to evoke some contrast between what is a real trait and what is a fake one, albeit unsuccessfully. Perhaps its the fault of the translation, or just a cultural difference, but I simply could not understand what exactly is the fakeness of any of the characters save one, and why exactly said fakeness should be bad and shameful, and how exactly did they see meaning in that fakeness.

It had one striking quote:

"It's about that man who tried to violate you. Apparently he was hit by a car and died. In a place and manner that have absolutely nothing to do with you - and without any hint of drama," Kaiki reported indifferently as he started to walk away. "That's how it is with the past that's eating at you. It's not even worth settling. The man who hurt you won't be coming back as a worse threat, and the mother who left you will not repent and return. That is life. The past expires the moment it slips away."

And of course, Senjougahara's insults are always to die for:

"I'd say I never wanted to see you again - but I'd be lying. The truth is I never wanted to see you the first time."

Overall, this is for people who enjoy light novels and anime, and especially for Bakemonogatari fans. It has slightly different characterizations than in the anime in a way that enriches the world and lets you take a new perspective.

[Jordan DeMoura · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the afterword of this book, the author says that he did not intend to publish this while he was writing it but was convinced later on. And yeah, this feels like a book written without the knowledge other people would be reading it. Some interesting snippets of ideas here but not developed in a meaningful way; like sentence fragments but no full sentences. This series at its most self-indulgent and grating thus far only redeemed slightly by its occasional moments of greatness. I know this series will eventually return to the highs of Bakemonogatari but for now I have to continue through the slog of Nisemonogatari in volume 2.

[Rahaf. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the volume, but to tell the truth, I did not like Karen that much. She is annoying sometimes and stubborn, but yeah, she is still at that age where we believe that we are always right. I think the author illustrates the adolescent age very well in comparison with his creation of Mayoi. I still wonder who Mayoi knows so much? Yeah, maybe the children nowadays are very smart :)
The development of characters is also significant, especially Tsubasa and Nadeko. Nadeko frightened me a little bit, she was bold.

[Dokja]

PEAK PEAK PEAK
What's so wrong about doing stuff for other people? Is sacrificing yourself bad? If we're — so what if we're fakes? It's not like it causes you any trouble.
It causes me plenty of trouble but... I never said it was wrong.
If you're willing to go through life wrestling with a sense of inferiority, then even if you're fakes, you're as good as the real thing.

Just like the bickering siblings we were, we'd fought.
But what a right and fine, and gratifying, fight.

[Michael Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another witty, irreverent, thoughtful, and more than mildly disturbing tale from NisiOisiN! The concept of "Might vs. Right" is explored through the eyes of our slightly deranged and incredibly kind Araragi, and it was filled with a good deal of the insightful and hilarious banter that makes Monogatari what it is.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thought provoking themes, all of which are too deep for me to attempt rationalising, run rampant in this tale.

I may not have fully understood beyond a surface level the events of this book, but the witty banter and comedic (?) surreal fights/events kept it enjoyable throughout.

Onto the next!

[Aaron McAdam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual fun

[Sean Newgent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing these books is becoming gradually more and more repetitive and the more I read them, the more I forget where one book ended and the current one I'm reading began. I was thinking Senjogahara and Araragi's date was in this book, then quickly reminded myself that was the last volume of Bakemonogatari. In other words; this series is growing more and more flat the further it goes on and could use a bit of spice.

This volume does what the worst stories of Bakemonogatari did...relegates the main plot to a tertiary event and focuses more on the random encounters of Araragi and the other characters. While fine because the dialogue is fun and there is development (some shocking developments with Senjogahara, a cute one with Shinobu), it neglects developing the new characters. Karen Araragi is on the cover, she's the focus of the book for the most part (along with Keiki) but she is only kind of there. Unlike Nadeko where the fact she was a shy and introverted character could have made narrative sense for why she was second fiddle in her own arc, this book has no reason to neglect Karen till the last half.

And I say this partially because Karen is one of my favorite characters, partially because Keiki is one of my favorite characters, and mostly because it makes the purpose of the book feel more hamfisted than I wanted it to.

Because in the end, as Keiki explains, stories don't always need exciting endings. Things just kind of happen. Life happens without a heroes journey. And that's fine; I like that theme quite a bit. I don't mind a book about nothing if said nothing is compelling. But here, because there are new characters and there is a plot that's half-baked...it seems a paltry excuse. It's like a video game where the main quest is there missions but you get distracted constantly by the thousands of side quests. By the time you return to the main quest you forget what the hell it was to begin with and it only can be disappointing compared to that side content.

This isn't a bad book. Again, as a fan of the series I enjoy the interactions and I think, because of the fact NisiOisiN calls this a fun side project he never intended to release...it makes me go a little easier on the scattered quality. But as the first season of the light novel series is wrapping up, I only hope that it can somehow embrace its strengths, develop the new characters it keeps throwing in, and have plots that manifest early and pay off throughout rather than get tossed to the side and resolved quickly in the final pages.

Also, kudos to new translator James Balzer. Regardless of the quality of the story, the translation is the best of the series yet.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many years passed between the Bakemonogatari anime and the Nisemonogatari anime. In that time, I was made to see Nisemonogatari as a full sequel, its scenes revisiting Hachikuji, Sengoku, and Kanbaru serving as a means of playing catch-up with the girls after the long wait between shows, and all the development that had transpired in the time gap (namely, Sengoku pushing her hair back, Kanbaru growing hers out, as well as Hanekawa getting hers cut [Hachikuji didn't change too much, as ghosts don't seem capable of changing hairstyle]). Oshino was long gone, but now we have Kaiki as an aberration-savvy adult, playing an antagonistic role to counter Oshino's own good-guy role.

Turns out Nisemonogatari was meant to follow pretty closely after the Bake- novels, the only interruption being the publication of prequel Kizumonogatari. Indeed, this novel, subtitled "Karen Bee" considers itself "Chapter 6" to the Monogatari series, rather than being Chapter 1 of Nisemonogatari in particular. The girls' changes compared to their Bake- versions reflect "merely" their development in the wake of Araragi/Shinobu/Oshino's assistance for their aberration-related cases, rather than any truly long passing of time (it's only been a few months since the "Tsubasa Cat" chapter). I say "merely" because of course the characters made some great changes as a result of their getting saved, but it also really falls in line with the whole "Nisio Isin gives girls haircuts to show character development" meme.

One thing that bothered me with this novel that didn't affect me so much when I watched the anime almost 6 years ago, Araragi keeps trying to stress that Karen and Tsukihi are both the titular "fakes" of the novel ("nisemono"), brandishing their make-believe sense of justice when they're really just immature middle schoolers trying to have fun. The thing is, Tsukihi works better as a "fake" for reasons that will be seen in her own novel, and a decent chunk of this novel sets that up - in particular, all the references to her hidden rage that seems not to match her cute external appearance. Calling Karen a "fake" seems to only make sense insofar as she is the one afflicted with an aberration in this volume. The real "fake" is Kaiki, and the real focus of the Cinderswarm Bee aberration is Kaiki's apparent disbelief in aberrations-in-themselves but rather in the strength of belief which might fuel the autosuggestive powers of a person supposedly afflicted by an aberration. Kaiki's presence is more a case of building on Senjougahara's story than it is anything to really do with Karen.

This isn't really too big a deal, by the way. Kaiki's a fun character. The "anticlimax" of the novel highlights the mundane nature of the series overall. Monogatari is largely Isin writing silly banter, using supernatural elements as a backdrop to give him new reasons to get the characters bantering. Monogatari is to banter what Seinfeld was to idle chat. George Costanza tries to preserve a Frogger cabinet in order to keep his childhood high score alive and well. Karen Araragi gets tricked into thinking she was stung by a fiery bee. The point in either scenario is to highlight the banal, not necessarily to tell a great story about whatever. Kaiki dismissing Senjougahara's alleged attempts to add drama to her life seeks to bring the series down a level, to set it into a more "plain" realization, freed from the supernatural goings-on, limited to the exchange of words rather than high-stakes monster battles.

The fight between Koyomi and Karen is pretty fun, too.

[Keegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This managed to have less of a story than bakemonogatari. The first half has the better banter, but that's only because it feels obligated to hit every character after a meta joke about stories with too many characters being unable to keep up with all of them. This wasn't as much a problem in bakemonogatari because not part 3 had multiple stories with the purpose if introducing new characters, and their "screentime" was balanced fine. Here, it's just some sort of obligation. The first half of the story consists of koyomi dicking around until he reaches a fate involving being locked up. The second half starts off well with the story getting itself back on track, and the reason for every previous event makes sense. Then, the rest if the book besides the end is a bunch of interactions with one character that last about 10 pages each. It's like the author just wrote for like half an hour, got bored with that character, then ordered pizza and began proofreading or something and quit once the pizza arrived. After that session of the day, I'm unsure whether he then began writing kizumomogatari or just said, "all in a day's work," and knocked out for the day. The story makes basically no progress until the climax, but before the real climax, a fight scene was inserted for what I can assume is to serve the purpose of the climax. It makes sense because the next chapter, the real climax, simply begins with a line about how anticlimactic it was. That said, the real climax, as well as the story whenever it makes its rare appearance, is pretty alright. It's just that the book spends its time of meaningless conversations with the cast in what feels like a checklist like manner, and about a third of the convos can be summed up as sexual harassment. Honestly, if you want to get the story part just you can continue with the series, just read chapter 21 and move on.

[Felipe Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

That tasty development we love 🤌

Finally we have an expansion of the monogatari microcosm with the introduction of some of the most badass characters!
- Kaiki Deishuu (the best girl)
- Kagenui Yozuru
- Ononoki Yotsuki

Each one extremely unique and fun to watch in their own way. The interaction between each character we already know is simply wonderful and always makes for great entertainment.

The various disagreements that occur are due to the differences in personalities - but above all - the ideals that clash directly or indirectly. Sometimes with a contrast so great that they are opposites.

Even with several characters, it's not a mess and the central character, Karen, still manages to develop despite this. There are still several funny gags throughout the book and the ecchi, fortunately, isn't overdone (I have no idea what the hell Nisiosin did to make the second part the way it is).

Finally, I'd like to give a special mention to my favorite character: Kaiki Deishuu - a walking contradiction. Although at first he seems 100% pure villain, it doesn't take him long to show that he's complex and, in a way, put that into practice.

You're always faced with the question "What is right or wrong? What is 'good' or 'evil'?". A challenge of perspective both for the others around him and for the viewer, who ends up questioning his true character from his first appearance.

He's one of the characters you're going to think "what a crooked son of a bitch", but, ironically, he's one of the most honest you'll see about what he recognizes about the world, others and even himself.

I highly recommend giving him a chance if you've had mixed feelings so far. His development doesn't stop in the following arcs in which he appears, and the gigantic contrasts you'll see in Hanamonogatari and Koimonogatari.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

NisiOisiN is still in top form even when writing the equivalent of fanfiction for his own series. Tsukihi and Karen are really well characterized and the theme of false justice and fakes is strong, culminating in a fight between brother and sister that feels familial, while showing the lengths Araragi will go through to help his family—which, although his actions might be similar to helping a friend, feel distinctly different.

Nadeko is going through her own stuff, but the whole bit with her desperately trying to get Araragi to notice her while he is absolutely completely oblivious is hilarious. Shinobu finally returns and its wonderful, although the Hachikuji conversations are always the best.

Kaiki is a distinctly well-constructed character who is the epitome of evil in appearance, yet he is, arguably, entirely un-evil. A neutral force who works hard for selfish gain, but who doesn’t fit into the role of ‘villain’ that Karen so wants him to.

The actual climax and resolution come perhaps too quickly and the first act lasts for, like, 50% of the book, but these are the kinds of things Nisio can get away with writing in an intentionally rule-breaking, post-modern style. Conversations and individual character growth come first before plot, which is why it’s so impressive how he’s able to weave thoughtful themes throughout the book.

[John Ohno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nisemonogatari is my favorite arc of the show, because it engages with some of Nisioisin's most outlandish ideas. I picked up the books in order to see if those ideas are expanded upon better in their original form. In this first of two volumes I don't feel like they were, but nevertheless, some plot elements are easier to follow here, and certain points (particularly about Araragi's relationship to his sisters, rather than about the theme of the arc) seem to be made more explicit here (or perhaps are simply easier to catch than when they blew by in the show).

The English translation is great, and properly captures Nisioisin's circuitous style. I had previously read part of the baka-tsuki fan-translation, and as a result, I have an even greater opinion of the professional translation here: baka-tsuki is full of skilled and dedicated people, but the official English release blows it out of the water in terms of craft for this franchise.

The structure of this arc is strange, in part because Nisioisin originally didn't intend to release it. So, for instance, the inciting incident of the main plot of this volume occurs about halfway through the book. However, if meandering turns you off, Nisioisin is not the author for you anyhow!

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it's brilliant! Sometimes it's boring and getting nowhere! The author admits to having written Nisemonogatari for fun and not to be published.

The overarching story is there to setup the several scenes in which all the dialogue takes place. As with Bakemonogatari, NisiOisiN's style reads like a theater play. And it's got that balance between comedy and tragedy I really appreciate in some Japanese authors.

In Bakemonogatari (which translates to monster (bake) tale (monogatari)), the focus were the aberrations that destroyed the lives of the main characters. Nisemonogatari (fake (nise) tale (monogatari)) revolves around the concept of "fake" applied to many levels. It's a fun to see how much of what the MC perceives at first is actually fake.

It does lose 2 stars, 1 for some neverending dialogues that are clearly the author self indulging (it's his book, he's entitled to it) and another for some raunchy humor and sexual content that's clearly there for fanservice/shock value and doesn't add value (it does make it weirder though).

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit, at first I was a bit put off by how this volume started. In hindsight it was to be expected; this is Nisioisin, he is all about conversation - so why not start a novel with literally a hundred pages of nothing happening and people having conversations? I'm not even joking; we get a brief glimpse of the plot in the first chapter and after that see the events leading up to that situation, which aren't really loaded with plot or meaning, it's basically just Araragi living his day and having conversations with the other main cast. But, of course, these conversations are a blast to read and, frankly speaking, if you come to Monogatari for the plot, you won't be happy with this series.

Monogatari is about conversations, about people, about - in the end - the way people go about their lives and what different people with different mentalities value in their lives. All of this presented in the charming, lovable voice of Araragi, the most human narrator I've seen so far in a story of fiction.

[R. Prim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been reading volumes of Bakemonogatari and Kizumonogatari to understand that the main content of this first series of the Monogatari books provides an insight to our protagonist and narrator, Koyomi, is always in a given situation and chapter, in a conversation with one girl in a twist of word play that’s best read in its original Japanese of the ingenious NISIOISIN to fully enjoy to that I would give this five stars.

Reading volume one of Nisemonogatari: Fake Tale, just has similar vibes, but now two new girls: Koyomi’s young sisters, Karen and Tsukihi. This volume particularly focus on Karen, the girl in the front cover beautifully illustrated by the god tier work of VOFAN, incredibly energetic and active, full of spunk and ambition, yup she’s my favourite character after Meme Oshino that’s for certain. Like the girl knows serious martial arts and travels through back flips, crazy but awesome. Funny enough, she 5cm taller than Koyomi at 170cm to 165cm according to the anime height index I researched on Reddit, go check yourself if you’re curious.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, did I not care for this book.

300 pages and more than half of it nothing interesting happens unless you want to read a bunch of useless pervy banter. I don't mind a little bit, but this was excessive. And seriously, HALF the book had nothing to do with anything that was really going on, only to have the non-ending ending? I'm guessing there is another book to this storyline, but don't expect me to care.

Look -- these books have been very hit or miss for me. This one, by far my least favorite. So much so I have no current plans to read the next one. The previous ones weren't solid enough to get me over one stinking pile of fetid dingo's kidneys. Which, by the by, is probably of more use than this book.

If it was that bad -- why did I finish it? I don't know. Sunk Cost Fallacy -- I'm already half-way through, I might as well finish it (though I did read at least 5 other books from page 147 to 299 because it was that easy to put down). I hate not finishing books, but I really should have reconsidered for this one.

[Chelsea Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 Stars: ‘Nisemonogatari: Part 1’ (Book #4 of ‘Monogatari’) by NisiOisiN.
→ Age Range: Young Adult.
→ Genre: Fantasy, Light Novel.
→ Trigger Warnings: Nudity, Sexual Profanity, Fraud.

In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★
→ Character Development: ★★★★
→ Setting: ★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★
→ Writing: ★★

General Comments: Completely skippable; self-indulgent beyond all rationality. The ubiquitous sexual exploitation is shameless; for all intent and purposes, Nisemonogatari is fan-service. Thematically, the plot contains genuinely interesting ideas regarding the nature of mimicking reality, from truth. At times, it feels sadly under-whelming. The greatest accomplishment is the development of the original cast.

Favourite Quote: ‘To know aberrations is to become involved with them.’

Time Read: Two Days.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -

[Flávio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is being a fake intrinsically bad?
There’s duality to being a fake—one which strives to be like the real thing, and other which exploits being itself.
The make-believe defenders of justice, Karen and Tsukihi, love to meddle into affairs and enforce their philosophy of a fist to the eye, and a fist to the tooth. At the end of the day, “justice” may be simply an ideal, as long as one takes accountability for the consequences of their actions, striving toward an ideal can't be wrong.
But there’s also such a thing as being a fake for it's own sake. In Kaiki’s case, money is everything. If it leads to profit, he’s willing to be a conman, a swindler—a fake—and that can harm the lives of others.

Friendly banter, clever wordplay, psychological depth, three-dimensional characters, lyricism... and I could go on. Monogatari is truly in a class of it’s own.

[myinon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part one of a two-part set involving Koyomi and his sisters Karen and Tsukihi. Karen is the main focus of this book, and she is also my personal favorite of the two. It talks about how both of the Araragi sisters are make-believe defenders of justice and how much Koyomi thinks of them as fakes (hence the title). The book even helps to bring close a chapter of Senjogahara's past which surprise, surprise also follows along with the theme of this book in that someone, or something, is not what they appear to be. All in all, this was a fun read, and if you enjoyed the Bakemonogatari series, you should pick this one up as well.

[Peter Marendeak · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Kizumonogatarihoz képest sajnos nagyot zuhant a színvonal. A karakterek még mindig rendben lennének, de csak a saját, szokott trait-jeiket hozzák, valamint nagyon eltolódott az egész egyensúlya. A háromszáz oldalból gyakorlatilag az első kétszáz amolyan írói gyakorlat, amit nem is kellett volna kiadni, és csak a könyv utolsó harmada, ami tényleges történettel bír.
Sajnálom, mert szeretem ezt a sorozatot, ráadásul még nagyon sok kötet van belőle hátra; szóval remélem, hogy csak pillanatnyi megingás volt ez.

[Jorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this portion of the Monogatari Series novels was the "worst" part, yet still had redeemable qualities to it. Karen's arc was interesting and her characterization surrounding the concept of freedom was disturbing at times, though understandable.

My favorite part about this novel is seeing the connection between Araragi and Shinobu begin to blossom in a moment that can be overshadowed by its "disturbing" parts. Their relationship is one that I have an affinity for due to my love of these two characters, especially for what they went through in Kizumonogatari.

[Strider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice tale and we finally get to know the sisters of Araragi. There are some nice thoughts about justice and fakes in this volume. Senjougahara went a little overboard in this book and we are finally introduced to maybe the best character in the whole series, Kaiki. We also had the usual style and great dialogues from the previous volumes. So far its a really strong series.

[Yuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5. This was underwhelming. I had fun with it and Nisio’s writing style is great. Although the plot seemed off for me, especially because I expected to see more of Karen, who is supposed to be the main girl. Also disappointed in why it’s called “the fake tale”, my stakes were high for this due to how Araragi’s sisters were introduced. Nevertheless curious to see Nisemonogatari’s outcome.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I wish the fan service dialogue was toned down a bit but the character building is still very solid. Each character had some time to build in this book. The ending was a bit anti-climatic but the book even brings that point up. Karen is a decent character and I am excited to read about the other sister in the next volume.

[Benjamin Kass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good tale from Nisioisin. Not quite into how they did Shinobu's voice in this, and the pacing of the tense moments seemed a bit off (almost 20 pages on the fight with Karen?) but there's still so much here that no one else is really doing.