Studio Shaft Releases Continuation Of Their Strangest Franchise
For fans of the Monogatari Series franchise, there is some amazing news. After five years, Studio Shaft has announced that they’re continuing the series with a new season titled Off & Monster. Not only is the series coming this year, but it’s set to air on July 6, 2024, and will offer a series of side stories and a direct continuation from the last season released in 2018.
Monogatari Series Is Coming
The new Monogatari Series: Off & Monster continues the series after Koyomi Araragi’s (Hiroshi Kamiya) story ends. The description so far is rather vague, but it seems to be the story of the struggles of the girls saved in previous seasons, including Nadeko Sengoku (Kana Hanazawa), Suruga Kanbaru (Miyuki Sawashiro), Tsukihi Araragi (Yuka Iguchi), Ononoki Yotsugi (Saori Hayami), and Mayoi Hachikuji (Emiri Katou).
A Complicated Anime
According to My Anime List, the season is described as such, “After graduating from high school, the story of Koyomi Araragi came to an end. This time, it truly ended. However, the story of the girls who were saved by Araragi was not over. It is a prequel, or perhaps a sequel to their struggles in youth.”
Confusing but not so surprising from Monogatari Series, which is known for being a little hard to follow. Monogatari Series mostly follows a high school student, Koyomi Araragi, who survives a vampire attack. After surviving this encounter, he goes on to help several girls struggling with other supernatural beings.
Two Arcs Fans Thought Would Never Be Adapted
For those who have read Monogatari Series written by NISIOISIN and illustrated by VOFAN, this season covers both the Off and the Monster arc, known as Orokamonogatari and Nademonogatari.
According to fans who have read the story, the Off part of the season should be a series of shorts and side stories. Though it’s made up of side stories, it has important elements and plots set up that influence further Monogatari Series stories, so it’s important not to skip them. Monster is a direct sequel, set when Koyomi is in college.
Fans Have Waited Six Years
This means Off & Monster is to be watched after Zoku Owarimonogatari, which was the last part of the Monogatari franchise released. For a few years, fans were worried that it would also be the final series, as it came out in 2018.
Thankfully, at the beginning of 2024, fans realized that the series wasn’t done yet when Off and Monster was first announced. However, it wasn’t until June that the exact release date and another teaser trailer were given to fans, sparking excitement all over again.
Fans Worried The Studio’s Lofty Plans Would Never Be Realized
Though Studio Shaft had announced that they would provide an anime adaptation for the entirety of Monogatari Series, there was some fear Off & Monster would never come out. This is due partly to the five years that passed since Zoku Owarimonogatari was announced, and partly because the announcement by Studio Shaft was made before Orokamonogatari and Nademonogatari were even written.
Available On Crunchyroll This Summer
Midori Yoshizawa (One Piece) will be directing the newest season of Monogatari Series, with Akiyuki Shinbo (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) as the chief director supervising Midori. This is Midori’s first time directing for this series, but they have worked in the series previously on storyboard and as an episode director.
The season is set to air on July 6, 2024, and it will be available on Crunchyroll, alongside the other Monogatari Series seasons. Off & Monster is the 12th anime adaptation of Monogatari Series by Studio Shaft.
