Reimagining the Monogatari Series – Inside KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp

KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp makes its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. This latest installment in the beloved Monogatari series brings together the creative genius of lead animator Tatsuya Oishi and producer Tatsuya Ishikawa, offering a fresh take on the franchise’s origins. With the Fantasia Film Festival celebrating its 28th edition, it provided an ideal platform for showcasing groundbreaking works like Koyomi Vamp, giving a taste of this new film in this long-running series.

Tatsuya Oishi, known for his distinctive visual style, returns to the director’s chair for this film. He previously helmed the original Bakemonogatari anime series in 2009. His unique approach to animation and storytelling has been a major aspect of shaping the Monogatari franchise ‘s aesthetic over the years. With this in mind, we sat down with Oishi and Ishikawa to discuss this latest addition to the Monogatari universe, exploring how it builds upon the franchise’s rich history while pushing the boundaries of anime storytelling . Join us as we delve into the creative process behind KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp and its significance within the realm of contemporary anime.

This is a question for both of you. How did you get involved with KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp , and what made you want to be a part of it?

Tatsuya Ishikawa: I got into the animation industry because I watched one of Oishi-san’s works, his first installment, Bakemonogatari , the TV series from the Monogatari series. From that time, I really felt connected to this work.

Tatsuya Oishi: The reason I got involved in the Kizumonogatari project is that I was the one who started and directed the original anime series, Bakemonogatari , in 2009. When I read the original source material, the novel by Nishio Ishin, I really fell in love with it. I was then offered the chance to create episode 0, a concept episode, and I saw it as an opportunity. I really wanted to make this work with my own hands. That’s how I became involved in the entire franchise.

Awesome. After watching KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp , I was struck by the unique art style that it brings to the subject matter—blending realistic backgrounds with rough, painterly characters within the world. How did the choice for that art style come about, and did it turn out the way you envisioned it?

Tatsuya Oishi: For the film, I always see myself as needing to try something new, to challenge myself. So, compared to the original TV series, Bakemonogatari, I felt that I needed to create something different for this movie. What I had in mind was the use of CG animation and technology. For example, I wanted to avoid using CG to simply present textures like metal or water. Instead, I aimed to combine CG with hand-drawn animation, thinking it would be fun to explore that blend. That’s what I decided to pursue.

Now, this is a franchise you’ve worked on for a while and know very well. However, when working on a franchise, there are always fans who have a strong connection to the work. How much of a struggle was it to bring something new to the franchise, adding new stories while still staying true to what was done before? Was it a challenge to ensure you had the freedom to do both at the same time with this project?

Tatsuya Oishi: In terms of the production of this movie, the Monogatari series is very long, with many installments. Did I feel like I needed to stick to the original style of what was created in all the previous series? No, not at all. I didn’t feel any kind of attachment or restraint in any way. The only thing I really felt was that I needed to look at the original novel by Nishio Ishin and focus a bit more on keeping some of that material.

While I focused a lot on the production of the original series, Bakemonogatari , after that, I spent the majority of my time on the production of the three movies, plus the recent Kizumonogatari movies. A lot of the other series were produced by my staff, and I wasn’t super involved in them. So, I was really focused on making sure that Kizumonogatari would properly display the style I wanted. The challenge was that the producers in the background were suffering because of that.

Now, as a producer, how much do you take into account things like fan reaction or critical reaction when working on a project like this, and do you ever have to step in and try to bring things back to ensure that everyone is happy in the end?

Tatsuya Ishikawa: As a producer, I didn’t feel like I needed to impose any control or restraints. Just like Oishi-san said, one of the things that was very important to me was looking at the original novel by Nishio Ishin and really understanding what the important parts of that novel were and what needed to be taken from it. That was a crucial part of the process—making sure we captured the essence of the original novel. A lot of Monogatari series fans understand that and can see the effort we put into it. So, we didn’t feel any significant challenges in that aspect.

Prequel films or films within a franchise often are hampered by the fact that they have people who do know the franchise already know what happens next. Was that a challenge on this project? And if so, how did you address or mitigate those issues?

Tatsuya Oishi: So in terms of creating the prequel—essentially episode 0, before the Bakemonogatari series—one of the challenges was that, as a fan, I looked at what I was going to make and initially couldn’t get excited about it. To give an example, it’s like when Star Wars announced they were going to make a prequel after episodes 4, 5, and 6, with episodes 1, 2, and 3. In my mind, it was like, “But why? We already know Anakin turns into Darth Vader ; there’s nothing surprising about that.”

I was more interested in what comes next—that’s the exciting part. So, when I was faced with making episode 0, I wanted to ensure that I created something new, something that fans could enjoy and appreciate in terms of seeing the story develop in a fresh way. That was something I really had to focus on.

How did you get past that? What did you bring to the project to ensure you could get excited about what was happening in the film?

Tatsuya Ishikawa: It’s very, very Japanese—a lot of the humour, comedy, and use of the Japanese language are deeply embedded in Japanese culture. One of the challenges, or aspects of the series, is that it’s pretty hard to reach an international audience. With this movie, Koyomi Vamp , we made an effort to ensure it would reach a wider global audience.

One thing that happened was that the Fantasia Film Festival reached out to Aniplex and the studio and requested to show the movie. At that time, we felt honoured to be invited by the film festival, and we thought, “The stars aligned—let’s do it.”

Awesome. Is there anything anyone watching KIZUMONOGATARI – Koyomi Vamp should look out for if they know the series? If they don’t know the series, are there Easter Eggs or anything else? And is there anything you’re particularly proud of about how the film turned out?

Tatsuya Oishi: One of the things that happened with the Kizumonogatari movies is that I took a lot of time to produce them. One of the things I hope people take away from this movie is that they can watch it and think, “Okay, now I have a broad idea of what this series is about.” If they’re interested, they can continue watching the series, but if not, that’s fine—they can stop there. They’ll still understand the tragedy this vampire has to experience. But ideally, I want people to see this movie not just as part of a series but as a standalone film.

Fantastic. Thank you so much for your time. I really enjoyed the film.

Tatsuya Oishi: Thank you. Thank you very much.