I didn't know this going in, but I'm pretty sure it's the writer's take on a fan service anime. It isn't just that there is lots of fan service; it's that there are entire episodes devoted to fan service with nothing regarding the plot whatsoever. The long dialogue sequences are used for humor and fan service instead of mystery and character development. The dialogue was clever enough that I didn't get bored while watching it, but the aimlessness was frustrating. The two episodes in each arc that actually had anything to do with the plot I liked, but elsewhere it felt like the series was just a long filler episode.

Secondly, there are several things in the series that are just morally not okay. Araragi's character is lecherous, pedophilic, and incestuous. He routinely fondles Hachikuji, almost has sex with his sister after arousing her by brushing her teeth (which, along with its setup, takes up an entire episode), kisses his other sister and grabs her breasts. Then complains that their complaining about it could be heard and "taken the wrong way." There is no character development to make sense of this and seems to be utterly for the sake of cheap thrills.

I could see how the writer, as the writer of a "smart" show, was going for kind of a Tarantino-esque parody/celebration of a "low brow" style. But, in my opinion, not only was it badly executed, it just wasn't a good move to attach that concept onto a pre-existing story. It only managed to be a very skip-worthy series. You could watch the last couple of episodes in each arc and get the gist of the plot. Otherwise, it feels more like an OVA Special than an actual installment of the series.

I watched the prequel Nekomonogatari (Black) as well. There were still some bothersome remnants of Nisemonogatari's style, but it was better. There were some writing issues I had, namely that the dramatic dialogue sequences made little sense and the way they solved the problem was a bit contrived. It was mostly information relayed more effectively in Bakemonogatari anyway, but its worth watching, I suppose. There are some scenes that are very good, though its not as good as Bake. It felt like what they were trying to do with this was accomplished in the first part of Monogatari Series Second Season, Nekomonogatari (White).

Neko White was absolutely fantastic. They really stepped up their game on this one. They finally really pulled off Hanekawa's character (though the last arc of Bake did a decent job of it) and the visuals are better than ever. It's %100 worth watching. Solid character development, foreshadowing, not oversimplified yet logically coherent dialogue.