Monogatari author NisiOisin released two new short stories "Nadeko Past" and "Shinobu Future" on the official Monogatari website on Sunday. The stories are the basis of the MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season anime's theme song "Undead" by YOASOBI. YOASOBI released the song digitally on Monday.
MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season will stream exclusively on the ABEMA service in Japan starting on July 6.
Franchise veteran Akiyuki Simbo is serving as chief director and Midori Yoshizawa is directing the anime. Fuyashi Tou returns to oversee the series scripts with Simbo, and Miku Ooshima writing the scripts. Akio Watanabe is also back as character designer and chief animation director (alongside Nobuhiro Sugiyama and Kana Miyai). Satoru Kōsaki is once again composing the music.
NisiOisin's novel series began with the two-volume Bakemonogatari story in 2006, and it served as the basis for the first anime adaptation of the novels in 2009. The novel series' "final season" ended with Zoku Owarimonogatari in September 2014, but it featured a teaser for "Monogatari Series, Next Season Tsugimonogatari."
Four "Off Season" volumes — Orokamonogatari, Wazamonogatari, Nademonogatari, and Musubimonogatari — shipped in October 2015, January 2016, July 2016, and January 2017, respectively. The volumes tell a series of short stories set at different points throughout the series.
The novel series' "Monster Season" launched with the Shinobumonogatari novel in July 2017. Other novels in the season include Yoimonogatari, Amarimonogatari, Ōgimonogatari, and the two-volume Shinomonogatari novel, which shipped in August 2021. The novels tell a continuation of the franchise, taking place in college.
The latest novel in the franchise is Ikusamonogatari, which shipped in May 2023.
Sources: NisiOisin anime project's X/Twitter account, Comic Natalie