BAKEMONOGATARI, Part 1

By: NISIOISIN

Narrated by: Eric Kimerer, Cristina Vee, Erica Mendez, Keith Silverstein

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

There's a girl at their school who is always ill. She routinely arrives late, leaves early, or doesn't show up at all, and skips gym as a matter of course. She's pretty, and the boys take to whispering that she's a cloistered princess. As the self-described worst loser in her class soon finds out, they just don't know what a monster she is.

So begins a tale of mysterious maladies that are supernatural in origin yet deeply revealing of the human psyche, a set of case files as given to unexpected feeling as it is to irreverent humor. So begins the legendary novel that kicked off the MONOGATARI series, whose anime adaptations have enjoyed international popularity and critical acclaim.

This first of three parts introduces Senjogahara and Hachikuji, and fans of the blockbuster prequel KIZUMONOGATARI will be delighted to meet their favorite crazies again: the weirdly reliable narrator Araragi, class president among class presidents Hanekawa, shady problem-solver Oshino, and a certain pale, blonde former vampire.

©2019 NISIOISIN (P)2020 Vertical

Witty Chatty Fun

I recommend this book to fans of short stories, surreal realism, and witty, often humorous, dialogue.

This book consists of two short stories, Hitagi Crab and Mayoi Snail. The former is on the shorter side and the latter is on the longer side. But both are memorable and hilarious. They each also follow the same formula of introducing a character, their problem, and aiding them into solving their problem. Except the problem is never truly what it seems, there are twists within twists. Furthermore, though there are monsters and gods, everything is strongly grounded in reality… except when it’s not.

The greatest part is not the formula or the setting, but the character interactions and dialogue. The characters play off each other, play word games with each other, and just all around go on crazy entertaining tangents. I can’t count how many times I was laughing out loud.

So, this book is a great escape that will make you think and it isn’t too anime-like to put off people who aren’t a fan of anime/manga/etc.

such a good read and now a great listen

Such good choice of actors for these audio books. Own physical copies of the books but bought these to listen to at work. I pray to the universe they will keep doing these. Keith Silverstein such a good choice for Oshino. What a nice way to re enjoy something.

great book on tape

really great story especially after hearing kizu. the voice actors do a great job as well.

absolute joy

Loved everything about this.
Only wish would be to be able to get all 3 parts at once.

Awesome book!

Bit of a slow start, but kicks off into good quickly. I only just heard of this book from a coworker and I'm hooked to the series now!

You will not regret this purchase.

The production quality and voice acting are phenomenal, coupled with very well written dialog. I really hope the rest of the series is adapted like this!

a different kind of masterpiece

The unique dialog makes this novel a truly wonderful experience, it was translated well.

Just an absolutely beautiful story.

Like probably every western fan I was exposed to this story from the anime which I hold as one of my favorite of all time. The novel is even better. I’ve always loved how the series feels like the Epilogue to a story we didn’t see (even if we do eventually see it). Having Senjogahara and more so Mayoi’s story as the foundation is sets the perfect tone for who these characters are and the relationships they build. The ending of this novel is so fulfilling, it’s superbly acted out by the cast, and a wonderful Afterword by the author make this whole production one of the best audio experience I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. I wish all the novels were on audiobook. High recommend.

Wonderful

The cast is amazing!! There is the occasional flub when the main character will read someone else’s line but it’s barely notable. The performance was great and I loved it.

Wacky crazy Fun

The story was a fun read with characters that you never get tired of. This book had me laughing the whole time on how the the characters would interact with one another. Plus the voices who read the lines deliver it well. I would recommend this to those who would enjoy a story of an awkward guy trying to help those in need from the paranormal or in this case aberration situations.