Nisio Isin

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**Nisio Isin** (西尾 維新, *Nishio Ishin*?), born 1981, stylized as **NISIOISIN** to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer.

Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel The Beheading Cycle (the first in his *Zaregoto* series), which earned him the *23rd Mephisto Prize* at twenty years of age. In 2005, he began his long-running *Monogatari* novel series, which was published in 28 volumes as of 2021, and was later adapted as a highly-successful animated series of the same name, produced by *Shaft*. His *Katanagatari novels*, *Medaka Box* manga series, *Jūni Taisen* novel, and The Beheading Cycle have also been adapted as anime. He has also collaborated with *Death Note* writer *Tsugumi Ohba* and illustrator *Takeshi Obata* to write the light novel *Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases*. Between 2009 to 2016, he ranked among the top 10 best-selling authors in Japan, ranking as the best-selling in 2012 and 2014. As of November 2022, his novels and manga had over 36 million copies in circulation.

Nisio's works frequently feature lengthy and witty dialogues. He is viewed as an author that blends regular novels and **light novels**, going through the genres of mystery, **sekaikei**, and **shindenki**, with frequent references to other manga and anime.

## Career

Nisio Isin was a manga enthusiast since childhood and wanted to become a mangaka. However, seeing a lack of improvement in his drawing ability, he decided to become a novelist, mentioning that it didn't matter if his handwriting was subpar. He attended the Ritsumeikan University College of Policy Science and left the university without graduating.

During his early career when he submitted work for magazines, Nisio's writing speed was a selling point, and he once submitted two or three works to a single Mephisto Prize. In 2002, Nisio debuted with the first novel of the Zaregoto series, Kubikiri Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense User, earning him the 23rd Mephisto Prize. He was twenty years of age at the time, and his slogan was "Nisio Isin, the 20-year-old from Kyoto". Afterward, he proceeded to write the second title in the series, Strangulation Romanticist, in three days.

He still works with the Mephisto magazine, and worked with Kodansha on the literary magazines Faust, and Pandora. He also published his Katanagatari series as twelve volumes over twelve months for the Kodansha Box line in 2007; Ryūsui Seiryōin was matching this output, and the Kodansha Box website stated that it was the first time in the world two authors had done twelve-volume monthly novel series simultaneously.
Nisio Isin is best known for the Monogatari series, which began as a trilogy of short stories on the Mephisto magazine in 2005, and developed into a series with 28 volumes. It has been adapted as anime up to Zoku Owarimonogatari, and it has also been adapted as manga. The series has consistently achieved a high number of sales, with the anime's first two seasons alone, Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, selling over one million DVDs and Blu-rays combined as of September 2012.

The first volume of Zaregoto, his Katanagatari and Medaka Box series, his Jūni Taisen novel, and the Pretty Boy Detective Club series have all been adapted into anime as well. Juni Taisen was also adapted as a Stage Play in Japan in 2018. His Bōkyaku Tantei series was adapted as a Japanese Drama in 2015. Several of his series have been adapted as manga.

In February 2008, his novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, based on the Death Note manga, was released in English by Viz Media. Del Rey Manga released the first and second volume in his Zaregoto series, which were revised for a rerelease by Vertical and followed by a translation of the third volume. Vertical is translating other titles and series by Nisio Isin, including Monogatari, Katanagatari, Pretty Boy Detective Club, and Imperfect Girl.

From 2009 to 2016, Nisio Isin was one of the top 10 best-selling authors in Japan, achieving a place in the top 3 for three years and, in 2012 and 2014, ranking first place as the best-selling author in the country. In those years, he sold 1,408,319 copies and 997,211 copies, respectively. As of November 2022, his novels and manga had over 36 million copies in circulation. The Publishers Weekly's Translation Database reported that from 2008 to 2018, 19 of Nisio's novels were translated into English, putting him as the second author with the most English translations of that period in the U.S.

## Style

Since Nisio's debut, wordplay and tongue-in-cheek dialogue have been characteristic of his works. When asked if his use of manzai comedy was related to the fact he is from the Kansai region, he replied "I think it's certainly because I'm a Kansai person." He feels that "dialogue is the character" and focuses more on dialogue than appearance. Nisio features many women in his works because "it is easier for them to express their individuality" explaining that "women are much more adorned as characters (e.g. fashion) than men".

His greatest influence comes from such things as Shōnen Jump manga and shōjo manga en masse. About manga, he is a passionate fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; in a dialogue with Hirohiko Araki, the author of the manga, he commented this is "a manga he would like all humanity to read." Among his references, references to JoJo are particularly common and in a novelization project of the series called "VS JOJO", together with Kouhei Kadono and Ōtarō Maijō, he wrote one of the novels that were published, called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Over Heaven.

His works are characterized by a sense of literature that is amid the so-called "Shindenki" (ja) mystery-light novel genre, in which insane characters attempt to solve a mystery in a situation that would be impossible or unlikely in reality; and inexhaustible quotations of anime and manga from the past. He is well regarded as an author who has blended the conventions of mystery novels and character-driven light novels. Tsunehiro Uno describes Nisio Isin as the only writer who has made a smooth transition from "Sekaikei" (ja) to "Shindenki".

He has made no secret of his policy of not doing crossover or linking in his Zaregoto series. This is because crossover and linking was a technique Kouhei Kadono, whom he admires, excelled at, and so he decided to stick with the opposite style, but he replied he made an exception for the Ningen series because he began writing it as an homage to the relationship between the Kouhei Kadono's Boogiepop series and Beat's Discipline. He still maintains a steady writing pace and develops several series at the same time, but until Mazemonogatari, he did not link his works to each other. After fifteen years of non-crossover writing, he decided it was time to try a new pattern.

He has a unique way of naming his characters. He seeks to define his characters by their names, and he does not simply give them unusual names, but instead establishes some rules for them, although he will occasionally deviate from these rules. When it comes to naming, he has been described as "bizarre" and "extremely strange". Examples are Namanie Nienami, Kiki Kikitsu, Shibuki Shibushi, Mukae Emukae, Momo Momozono, Kajiki Kurokami, Kariteru Kanaino, Sukinasaki Saki, Shikigishi Kishiki, Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade, Backyard Bottomslash, Quarter Queen, Sagano Usagi, Byōinzaka Kuroneko (which translates roughly as "Black Cat of Hospital Hill") and Shikizaki Kiki.

He said he learned much from the novels of Kiyoshi Kasai (the author of Vampire Wars), Hiroshi Mori, Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Ryūsui Seiryōin and Kouhei Kadono. He has also stated the five writers were, metaphorically speaking, God-like beings, who had shaped and molded his writing style.

## Nisio and Light Novels

Most of Nisio's works are published by Kodansha Novels, a general literature imprint, but are sometimes classified as light novels. In a conversation with Tow Ubukata, Otsuichi said of Nisio, "I think he falls into the light novel category in a broad sense." The January 2005 issue of Nikkei Characters! introduces Nisio as "a new generation of writers who are breaking down the barriers between general literature and light novels." The Nisio Isin Chronicle describes his Zaregoto series as "often regarded as a light novel". Kiyoshi Kasai talking about light novels in the 2004 special edition of Eureka, commented that, although having the Zaregoto series ranked in a guide for light novels could be out of place, the influences Nisio had in his writing are easy to see, such as Kimi to Boku no Kowareta Sekai's academy romance, fighting pretty girls, moe characters, and Sekaikei-like settings, so it is not strange to see his works through the lenses of light novels.

In the 2004 edition of the light novel guide book This Light Novel is Amazing! 2005, the Zaregoto series ranked as the second most popular light novel series, but the authors wrote: "There are different opinions on whether the Zaregoto series is a light novel or not." Taking into account various opinions on "bunko is the light novel", "packaging", "age of the characters", and other factors, the book's Genre Guide refers to the Zaregoto series and Kimi to Boku no Kowareta Sekai as "borders" outside of the bunko. In the following year's This Light Novel Is Amazing! 2006, the Zaregoto series ranked first, and in an interview held to commemorate this, Nisio said, "I'm unsure if it's a light novel" commenting that "it's not a light novel in the sense that it's 'not a light novel label,' but it's part of a light novel in the sense that 'it's a collaboration between an illustration and a novel,'" and he also said that he has no qualms about his work being identified as a light novel.

## Works in English translation

### Novels

#### Zaregoto series

* Zaregoto, Book 1: DECAPITATION: Kubikiri Cycle - The Blue Savant and the Nonsense User (Del Rey. 2008. | 978-0-345-50427-2, Vertical. 2017. | 978-1-945054-21-1) – the winning work of the 23rd Mephisto Prize (2002)
* Zaregoto, Book 2: STRANGULATION: Kubishime Romanticist - No Longer Human - Hitoshiki Zerozaki (Del Rey. 2010. | 978-0-345-50578-1, Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-945054-83-9)
* Zaregoto, Book 3: SUSPENSION: Kubitsuri High School - the Nonsense User's Disciple (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-89-2)

#### Monogatari series

* KIZUMONOGATARI: Wound Tale (Vertical. 2015. | 978-1-941220-97-9)
* BAKEMONOGATARI, Part 1: Monster Tale (Vertical. 2016. | 978-1-942993-88-9)
* BAKEMONOGATARI, Part 2: Monster Tale (Vertical. 2017. | 978-1-942993-89-6)
* BAKEMONOGATARI, Part 3: Monster Tale (Vertical. 2017. | 978-1-942993-90-2)
* NISEMONOGATARI, Part 1: Fake Tale (Vertical. 2017. | 978-1-942993-98-8)
* NISEMONOGATARI, Part 2: Fake Tale (Vertical. 2017. | 978-1-942993-99-5)
* NEKOMONOGATARI (BLACK): Cat Tale (Vertical. 2017. | 978-1-945054-48-8)
* NEKOMONOGATARI (WHITE): Cat Tale (Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-945054-49-5)
* KABUKIMONOGATARI: Dandy Tale (Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-945054-84-6)
* HANAMONOGATARI: Flower Tale (Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-947194-06-9)
* OTORIMONOGATARI: Decoy Tale (Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-947194-14-4)
* ONIMONOGATARI: Demon Tale (Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-947194-31-1)
* KOIMONOGATARI: Love Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-33-5)
* TSUKIMONOGATARI: Possession Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-47-2)
* KOYOMIMONOGATARI, Part 1: Calendar Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-48-9)
* KOYOMIMONOGATARI, Part 2: Calendar Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-69-4)
* OWARIMONOGATARI, Part 1: End Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-90-8)
* OWARIMONOGATARI, Part 2: End Tale (Vertical. 2020. | 978-1-947194-92-2)
* OWARIMONOGATARI, Part 3: End Tale (Vertical. 2020. | 978-1-949980-22-6)
* ZOKU OWARIMONOGATARI: End Tale (Cont.) (Vertical. 2020. | 978-1-949980-44-8)

#### Katanagatari series

*Omnibus 3-in-1 volumes.*
* KATANAGATARI, 1: Sword Tale (Vertical. 2018. | 978-1-947194-32-8)
* KATANAGATARI, 2: Sword Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-56-4)
* KATANAGATARI, 3: Sword Tale (Vertical. 2019. | 978-1-947194-91-5)
* KATANAGATARI, 4: Sword Tale (Vertical. 2020. | 978-1-949980-23-3)

#### Pretty Boy series

* Bishōnen, Book 1: Pretty Boy Detective Club: The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone (Vertical. 2020. | 978-1-949980-87-5)
* Bishōnen, Book 2: The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys (Vertical. 2020. | 978-1-949980-87-5)
* Bishōnen, Book 3: The Pretty Boy in the Attic (Vertical. 2021. | 978-1-949980-88-2)

#### Other books

* Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (Viz Media. 2008. | 978-1-4215-1883-1)
* xxxHOLiC: AnotherHOLiC (Del Rey. 2008. | 978-0-345-50518-7)
* Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (Viz Media. 2017. | 978-1-4215-9750-8)

#### Short stories

* Magical Girl Risuka (Faust 2. Del Rey. 2009. | 978-0-345-50357-2)
	+ This is the English translation of "Yasashii Mahō wa Tsukaenai" (lit. "Easy magic cannot be used"), the first story of Risuka series.
* Kyōko Okitegami in STAY HOLMES - Bōkyaku Tantei series.
	+ A short story published on May 2, 2020 in a project titled Day to Day on the website tree.
* Street For You
	+ A short story published on August 28, 2020 in a project titled Story for you on the website tree.

### Manga

#### One-shot

* After School: 7th Class (Faust 1. Del Rey. 2008. | 978-0-345-50206-3)
	+ This is the English translation of Hōkago, Nanajikan-me. one-shot story.

#### Imperfect Girl

*Adaptation of the Shōjo Fujūbun novel.*
* Imperfect Girl, 1 (Vertical Comics. 2017. | 978-1-945054-60-0)
* Imperfect Girl, 2 (Vertical Comics. 2018. | 978-1-945054-61-7)
* Imperfect Girl, 3 (Vertical Comics. 2018. | 978-1-945054-62-4)

#### Juni Taisen: Zodiac War

*Adaptation of the Jūni Taisen novel.*
* Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (manga), Vol. 1 (VIZ Media LLC. 2018. | 978-1-9747-0250-3)
* Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (manga), Vol. 2 (VIZ Media LLC. 2018. | 978-1-9747-0249-7)
* Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (manga), Vol. 3 (VIZ Media LLC. 2019. | 978-1-9747-0251-0)
* Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (manga), Vol. 4 (VIZ Media LLC. 2019. | 978-1-9747-0563-4)

#### Bakemonogatari

*Adaptation of the Monogatari series novels.*
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 1 (Vertical Comics. 2019. | 978-1-947194-97-7)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 2 (Vertical Comics. 2020. | 978-1-949980-02-8)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 3 (Vertical Comics. 2020. | 978-1-949980-16-5)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 4 (Vertical Comics. 2020. | 978-1-949980-40-0)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 5 (Vertical Comics. 2020. | 978-1-949980-50-9)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 6 (Vertical Comics. 2020. | 978-1-949980-68-4)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 7 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-949980-69-1)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 8 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-949980-70-7)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 9 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-949980-99-8)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 10 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-647290-07-8)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 11 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-647290-64-1)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 12 (Vertical Comics. 2022. | 978-1-647290-65-8)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 13 (Vertical Comics. 2022. | 978-1-647290-87-0)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 14 (Vertical Comics. 2022. | 978-1-647290-88-7)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 15 (Vertical Comics. 2022. | 978-1-647290-89-4)
* BAKEMONOGATARI (manga), volume 16 (Vertical Comics. 2022. | 978-1-647291-54-9)

#### Pretty Boy Detective Club

*Adaptation of the novels with the same name.*
* Pretty Boy Detective Club (manga), volume 1 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-647290-47-4)
* Pretty Boy Detective Club (manga), volume 2 (Vertical Comics. 2021. | 978-1-647290-76-4)

## Source

1. *Article source is from Nisio Isin's Wikipedia Page.*