化物語 (Bakemonogatari) Opening Sequence
I instantly fell in love, and the typesetting is perfectly relevant to my studies, so I’m going to go ahead and translate all the text that you may find in the opening sequence of 化物語 (Bakemonogatari) – there’s a lot of it. If some group actually uses this translation well – I’d like to know, but I really don’t care ^^; If there’s any part of the translation that you would like clarified just leave a comment, the typed Japanese will be exactly how it’s typeset in the opening sequence, using classical kanji characters and classical katakana rules ^^.
You can watch the opening here btw.
Where you can buy the books: First half, Second Half.
Oh yeah, and something historical: for the first time ever I saw the double katakana symbol outside of a textbook setting in this episode: “ヽ”. o.o;
[{First Sequence}
Sign: 直江津高等學校前 (Front Entrance of Naoetsu Higher Learning Academy)
Building: 私立直江津高等學校 (Naoetsu Private Higher Learning Academy)
]
[{Type Frame}
キスショット・アセロラオリオン・ハートアンダーブレードノコトヲ、
ソロソロ語ラナクテハナラナイ頃ダト思フ。
僕ニハ屹度、其ノ義務ガアル
I think that it is soon come a time in which I must speak of that
“Kiss-shot, Acerola-Orion, Heart Under Blade” one.
That girl I’m surely responsible for.
動畫番號 ○○捌
Moving Pictures Number: 008/**8
]
[{Blood Splatter Animation}
血 (Blood)
]
[{Frozen Frame}
阿良々木暦 (Araragi Koyomi)
]
[{Frozen Frame}
街燈 (street lamp)
キスショット (kiss-shot)
動畫番號 貮拾壹 (Moving Pictures Number: 21)
]
[{Frozen Frame}
高校二年生カラ高校三年生ノ狹間デアル春休ミー
僕ハ彼女ニ出會ツタ。
During spring break, in the small interval between second year and third year,
I met her.
動畫番號 貮拾肆-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 24-1
]
[{Frozen Frame}
其レハ衝撃的ナ出會ヒデ
アツタシ、
マタ潰滅的ナ出會ヒデモ
アツタ。
There was a sort of “crash”
meeting, and
another sort of “catastrophic”
meeting.
動畫番號 貮拾肆-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 24-2
]
[{Frozen Frame}
イヅレニシテモ、僕ハ運ガ惡カツタノダト思フ
In any case, I figure I was just unlucky
動畫番號 貮拾肆-參
Moving Pictures Number: 24-3
]
[{Frozen Frame}
ーー勿論、僕ガ其ノ不運ヲ偶々避ケラレナカツタノト同ジヤウナ意味デ、
其ノ不運ヲ偶々避ケラレテヰタノダトシテモーー
–Though of course, “From time to time I can’t avoid bad luck,” means the same as
“From time to time I have been able to avoid bad luck,”–
動畫番號 貮拾陸-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 26-1
]
[{Frozen Frame}
僕デハナイホカノ誰カガ同ジ目に遭ツテヰタカト言ヘバ、
If you were to ask if anyone other than me has seen as much I have,
動畫番號 貮拾陸-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 26-2
]
[{Frozen Frame}
多分、ソンナコトハナイノダラウ
The answer would probably be no
動畫番號 貮拾陸-參
Moving Pictures Number: 26-3
]
[{Frozen Frame}
運ガ悪カツタナドト云フノハ或ハ
When I say my luck is bad
動畫番號 貮拾捌-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 28-1
]
[{Frozen Frame}
非常ニ無責任ナ物言ヒデアリ、
I’m talking about those ridiculously irresponsible things,
動畫番號 貮拾捌-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 28-2
]
[{Frozen Frame}
僕ガ悪カツタト素直ニサウ云フベキナノカモシレナイ
If I were to be honest I’d probably say they’re awful.
動畫番號 貮拾捌-參
Moving Pictures Number: 28-3
]
[{Frozen Frame}
忍野メメ (Oshino Meme)
]
[{Frozen Frame}
結局アレハ、
Basically,
動畫番號 肆拾參-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 43-1
]
[{Frozen Frame}
僕ガ僕デアツタ
ガユヱニ起キタ、
it started with a single meeting,
and consequently continued,
動畫番號 肆拾參-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 43-2
]
[{Frozen Frame}
サウ云フ一連ノ事件ダツタノダト思フ
into a full chain of incidents
動畫番號 肆拾參-參
Moving Pictures Number: 43-3
]
[{Frozen Frame}
戰場ヶ原ヒタギハ、クラスニ於テ、
所謂病弱ナ女ノ子ト云フ立チ位置を與ヘラレテヰル。
Senjougahara Hitagi, in class
is known as the typical weak sickly girl.
動畫番號 肆拾伍-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 45-1
]
[{Frozen Frame}
戰場ヶ原トハ、一年、二年、ソシテ今年ノ三年ト、
高校生活、ズツト同ジクラスダケレド、
僕ハアイツガ活溌ニ動イテヰル云フ繪ヲ
イマダカツテ見タ事ガ無ヰ。
戰場ヶ原ハイツモ教室ノ隅ノ方で、一人、本ヲ讀ンデヰル。
難シサウハードカバーノトキモアレバ、
讀ムコトニヨツテ知的レベルガ下ガツテシマヒサウナ
表紙デザインノコミック本ノトキモアル。
Senjougahara, in the first year, second year, and in this third year,
has always been in the same class as me,
but I have never seen her ever
really moving about.
Rather she would always sit in a corner of the classroom alone, reading a book.
There were times when it was a difficult looking hardcover book,
and there were also times when it was a comic book with a cover design,
that looked as if it could lower your intelligence just by reading it.
動畫番號 肆拾伍-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 45-2
]
[{Parking Garage Sequence}
Above the circle (written right to left): 構内制限速度 (Inner Speed Restriction)
In the big red circle: 伍 (5)
Below the circle (written right to left): 最高速度 (Speed Limit)
]
[{Freeze Frame}
頭ハ相當イイヤウデ、
學年トップクラス。
She was pretty smart,
in the top class of the year.
動畫番號 肆拾漆-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 47-1
]
[{Freeze Frame}
試驗ノ後ニ張リ出サレル
順位表ノ、最初ノ十人ノ中ニ、
戰場ヶ原ヒタギノ名前ガ必ず
記サレテヰル。
Whenever the ranking notice was
posted after a test,
Her name, Senjougahara Hitagi
was always within the top ten.
動畫番號 肆拾漆-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 47-2
]
[{Freeze Frame}
動畫番號 肆拾漆-參
Moving Pictures Number: 47-3
]
[{Gym Equipment Room Scene}
參 (3)
]
[{Freeze Frame}
友達ハヰナイラシイ。
一人モ、デアル。
She didn’t seem to have any friends.
She was alone.
動畫番號 伍拾陸-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 56-1
]
[{Freeze Frame}
勿論カト云ツテ苛メニアツテヰルト云フコトデモナイ。
イツダツテ戰場ヶ原ハ、其処ニヰルノガ
當タリ前ミタイナ顏ヲシテ、教室ノ隅デ、
本ヲ讀ンデヰルノダツタ。
己ノ周圍ニ壁ヲ作ツテヰルノダツタ。
Of course, this wasn’t because she was being bullied or anything.
Whenever Senjougahara was around,
she would be in the corner of the classroom,
reading a book with a face as if to say it’s obvious she should be there.
She had built up a wall around herself.
動畫番號 伍拾陸-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 56-2
]
[{Freeze Frame}
其処ニヰルノガ當タリ前デ。
It was just natural for her to be there.
動畫番號 陸拾壹-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 61-1
]
[{Freeze Frame}
此處ニヰナイノガ當タリ前ヤウニ。
In that it was natural for her to “not” be “here”.
動畫番號 陸拾壹-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 61-2
]
[{Freeze Frame}
マア、ダカラト云ツテ、ドウト云フコトモナイ。
Well, whatever I say, it doesn’t really matter.
動畫番號 陸拾肆-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 64-1
]
[{Freeze Frame}
タトヘ三年間クラスガ同ジナンテ數奇ナ縁ガアツタトコロデ、
其レデ一言モ交ハサナイ相手ガヰタ
トコロデ、僕ハ其レヲ寂シイトハ思ハナイ。
其レデイイ。戰場ヶ原モ、屹度其レデイイ筈ダ。
Even if you happen to be in the same class with for three years,
and there are people you haven’t said a single word to,
I wouldn’t think of that as a bad thing.
It’s fine, and I’m sure Senjougahara feels the same way.
動畫番號 陸拾肆-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 64-2
]
[{Freeze Frame}
サウ思ツテヰタ。
That’s what I thought.
動畫番號 陸拾漆-壹
Moving Pictures Number: 67-1
]
[{Freeze Frame}
然シ。
ソンナアル日ノコトダツタ。
However.
There was that incident that one day.
動畫番號 陸拾漆-貮
Moving Pictures Number: 67-2
]
[{Freeze Frame Titles – in succession}
[note: all names included refer to a character in Bakemonogatari]
蟹=crab (hitagicrab=Hitagi(‘s) Crab [“hitagi” relating to agriculture])
蝸牛=snail (mayoi maimai=Mayoi(‘s) Snail [“mayoi” meaning “midnight”])
猿=monkey (suguramonkey=Sugura(‘s) Monkey [“sugura” meaning “swift river”])
蛇=snake (nadekosnake=Nade(shi)ko(‘s) Snake [“nade(shi)ko” meaning “caressable girl”])
猫=cat (t(s)ubasacat=Tsubasa(‘s) Cat [“tsubasa” meaning wings])
吸血鬼=vampire (koyomiVamp)=Koyomi(‘s) Vampire [“koyomi” meaning calendar])
開始＝start (kaishi=start)
原作西尾維新=Original Work: Nisioisin (“Nishio Ishin” meaning “Western Tail (a common name)”+”Restoration (like the Meiji Restoration)” (read left to right)
監督新房明之=Director: Shinbou Akiyuki (read right to left)
]
[{Title}
軸制動畫=”Pivotal” Animation
化物語=Bakemonogatari
原作西尾維新=Original Work: Nisioisin
監督新房明之=Director: Shinbou Akiyuki
]
kafka-fuura 
軸制動畫=shaft Animation
軸 means shaft, the animation company