Bakemonogatari , a portmanteau of bakemono and monogatari , is a Japanese light novel series written by Japanese novelist Nisio Isin and illustrated by Taiwanese illustrator Vofan; the series is published by Kodansha under the Kodansha Box imprint. The story centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third year high school student who has recently survived a vampire attack, and finds himself mixed up with all kinds of apparitions; gods, ghosts, mythological beasts, and spirits. An anime adaptation by Shaft started airing on July 3, 2009 and went through a total of 15 episodes. The prequel novel, Kizumonogatari was announced as being green-lit for an anime movie production, while the sequel Nisemonogatari had a TV anime production which aired from January 8, 2012 to March 17, 2012.