Who is Nisio Isin, the Author of the MONOGATARI Series? What is His Age?

The latest installment in the MONOGATARI Series, titled "MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season," distributed from July to October 2024, sparked renewed excitement among fans as the "reboot of the Monogatari Series." However, among these fans, there may be people who only know the "MONOGATARI Series" through its anime adaptation, or those who are not very familiar with its original author, Nisio Isin.

Therefore, in this article, we will take a closer look at information about Nisio Isin and also introduce works of his that have been adapted into visual media.

Who is the Author of the "MONOGATARI Series," Nisio Isin? What are His Age and Gender?

Nisio Isin is a male novelist born in 1981 (Showa 56) from the Kansai region of Japan, though detailed personal information such as his real name, appearance, and exact birthday have not been disclosed. His notable works include mystery novels like the "Zaregoto Series" and light novels such as the "MONOGATARI Series." As a manga author, he also achieved hits such as "Medaka Box."

How old is he?

Nisio Isin made his debut as a novelist in 2002 by winning the 23rd Mephisto Prize for "Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregoto Tsukai." Because he was 20 years old at the time, he was promoted with the catchphrase "The 20-Year-Old from Kyoto, Nisio Isin." Therefore, as of June 2025, it is believed that he is 43 or 44 years old.

Exceptional Writing Speed

Nisio Isin originally aspired to be a manga artist, but since he did not improve in drawing, he switched paths to become a novelist. As a novelist, his most notable trait is his astonishing writing speed. In a 2014 interview, he stated, "These days, I generally write 20,000 characters a day. It takes two hours to write 5,000 characters, so I take a break every two hours."

Incidentally, since the typical word count of a paperback novel is roughly 100,000 to 120,000 characters, Nisio Isin is capable of writing a whole novel in 5 to 6 days. In a 2023 interview, he also revealed that before his debut, "I submitted manuscripts to the Mephisto Prize on a weekly basis."

Was He Scolded for Writing Too Fast?

However, this rapid pace of submitting manuscripts was considered problematic, and he said, "At one point, in the selection commentary, I was admonished for my submission attitude." Reflecting on it, he said, "They told me I should spend more time on each work. Since I was still a receptive teenager, I took their words to heart, and 'Kubikiri Cycle' was the work I wrote over two months as a result."

He also remarked, "I had the chance to reread it, and the depth of 'Kubikiri Cycle' is truly exceptional [laughs]. It's only fitting, since I spent two months on it. Spending time to write is important," emphasizing the value of careful writing.

Nisio Isin’s Love for Wordplay—Is His Pen Name Also a Palindrome?

Another hallmark of Nisio Isin as a novelist is his use of clever wordplay and puns, which result in light, unique, and distinctive prose.

This characteristic is especially prominent in the MONOGATARI Series. For example, the scenes where Mayoi Hachikuji playfully mispronounces Koyomi Araragi’s name each time they meet, or when cat-transformed Tsubasa Hanekawa, accenting "na" as "nya," repeats a line filled with the syllable "na": "Naname Nanajyunanado no Narabi de Nakunaku Inanaku Nanahan Nana dai Nannaku Narabete Naga Nagame," with 20 instances of "na" in one sentence.

Even His Pen Name Is Wordplay!?

This fondness for wordplay is evident even in his pen name, "Nisio Isin." When written in Roman letters, it reads "NISIOISIN," which is a palindrome centered around the "O."

Such wordplay, along with dialogues in all his works that always include witty banter or biting remarks, constitute a major part of Nisio Isin's writing style. With his philosophy of "Characters are their speech," he emphasizes the content of the dialogue over visual descriptions. Therefore, his writing style is also considered relatively approachable for beginners.

Does Nisio Isin, Author of the "MONOGATARI Series," Use X (formerly Twitter) or a Blog?

Currently, there are no confirmed blogs or X (formerly Twitter) accounts operated personally by Nisio Isin. There is an official X account that delivers news related to Nisio Isin, but it is managed by the Kodansha editorial department.

It is possible that he secretly posts under his real name or a different alias, but as of June 2025, there appear to be no SNS accounts managed and written by Nisio Isin himself.

Visual Adaptations of Nisio Isin's Works

From here, we introduce a chronological list of Nisio Isin’s works that have already been adapted into visual media.

MONOGATARI Series

First adapted into anime in July 2009. Set in a rural town in the 21st century, the story depicts supernatural incidents involving the male high school protagonist and the girls around him. This is Nisio Isin's most renowned work, with 29 volumes and one extra volume having been published since the release of "Bakemonogatari (Part 1)" in November 2006. The series has yet to conclude and has also been adapted into drama CDs, games, and theatrical anime films.

Katanagatari

Nisio Isin’s first period novel. The original novel was published one volume per month over 12 consecutive months, and the anime reflected this release schedule with one one-hour episode airing monthly from January to December 2010. The story depicts a swordless swordsman facing off against twelve swordsmen each possessing unique powers. A drama CD based on an original script by Nisio Isin was also released.

Medaka Box

This manga series scripted by Nisio Isin with art by Akira Akatsuki was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha), and consists of 22 volumes. The TV anime adaptation had its first season of 12 episodes aired from April to June 2012 and a second season of 12 episodes aired from October to December of the same year. Novelizations and spin-off novels written by Nisio Isin have also been published.

The Memorandum of Kyouko Okitegami

The first entry in Nisio Isin’s "Boukyaku Tantei Series" was published in October 2014. A live-action TV drama adaptation starring Yui Aragaki aired from October to December 2015. A manga adaptation with art by You Asami ran in Monthly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha) from the September 2015 issue to April 2017, with a total of 5 volumes released.

Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregoto Tsukai

Nisio Isin's debut novel, released in February 2002. It is also the first installment in the 7-story (10-volume) mystery series, "Zaregoto Series." From 2016 to 2017, an 8-episode OVA was produced. The decision for an OVA instead of a TV anime was due to concerns that a single-cour anime for such a lengthy mystery novel could confuse viewers.

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War

A battle royale novel depicting the "Juni Taisen," a lethal contest held once every twelve years among warriors representing the Chinese zodiac signs, betting on their dearest wishes. The original novel spans two volumes and aired as a 12-episode TV anime from October to December 2017. A manga adaptation drawn by Akira Akatsuki was serialized on the Shonen Jump+ web manga platform from Shueisha, and four collected volumes were released.

Pretty Boy Detective Club

The first entry in Nisio Isin’s coming-of-age mystery light novel series "Pretty Boy Series." The original novels were published in 12 volumes from October 2015 to May 2021. In 2016, the series was also adapted into a manga drawn by Suzuka Oda (total of 5 volumes), and in April 2021, an anime of 12 episodes directed by Akiyuki Shinbo aired. In the same year, the series was also adapted as a stage play.

Conclusion

We have summarized information about Nisio Isin, the author of the "MONOGATARI Series," as well as his main works that have been adapted into visual media. Aside from the "MONOGATARI Series," there are many other fascinating works, so for those who have never read Nisio Isin's novels, why not take this opportunity to pick up a volume?

(C)西尾維新／講談社・アニプレックス・シャフト

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