Also is it just me or does the Monogatari series take place in the same universe as Charlie Brown and Ed, Edd n Eddy? Before anybody thinks I am crazy, allow me to make my case for these three.
First,
there are almost no adults, ever. When adults do appear, they are an inhuman, unusual, strangely censored force beyond whatever else the children cope with. In Charlie Brown this means they are the muffled voice of God. In Ed, Edd 'n Eddy this means they are freakish giants with massive sizes, and in Monogatari they're presented as beings who cannot be looked full in the face (Hitagi's father, Koyomi's mother), and the only grown ups we see full on in Monogatari are the ones who behave like children (Oshino, his friend, Kaiki, Suruga's sister).
Fig. 1, grown ups are Cthulu
Second,
school is an empty, unimportant place. Whenever we see school in Monogatari,
no one is there. The only people we see there are the main cast. The same is true of Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, where every named character is the only character to ever appear in a class room. While the cast is somewhat more expansive in Charlie Brown, the idea is the same: school is the only place we ever really hear adults, and mostly its just kids sitting in an empty room. No matter where you go, though, these kids are always out on the street getting into hijinks, even though by rights they ought to be spending the overwhelming amount of their time in a class room, being bored.
Fig. 2, school takes place in an empty, unimportant void.
Third,
the three series share similar characters across the board. I know this is going to sound batshit crazy about Charles Schultz' beloved classic with strong Christian undertones, but Charlie Brown and Araragi Koyomi are basically the same harem protagonist. Both are everyday guys who are widely referred to as losers by people who know them, but actually irresistible to the people they know all the same. I mean think about this: An annoying kid sister who is growing up to fast: Araragi Karen or Sally Brown? The protagonist's tsundere friend who delights in torturing him both physically and spiritually, but also provides him with valuable advice from time to time: Lucy van Pelt or Senjougahara Hitagi? The protagonist's athletic female friend who has feelings for him but fills more of a close friend role than lover: Kanbaru Suruga or Peppermint Patty? The brainy, glasses girl everybody overlooks and has a secret crush on the loser hero: Marcie or Hanekawa Tsubasa? The guy who doesn't act his age and serves as the spiritual mentor of the protagonist: Linus van Pelt or Oshino? I could go on, but you get the point.
Figure 3. A Harem Protagonist.
What about Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, though? Similar roles are filled here, my friend. In this case the Harem protagonist is split in three: Ed is the doofy everyman, but Edd and Eddy both share the negative and positive character traits (Edd is the kind-hearted nihilist that both Charlie Brown and Araragi are, and Eddy embodies the pervert with the hopeless crush of Araragi and Charlie respectively). Their harem is largely unwanted, but similar in a fair amount of ways. They have the violent imouto in Sarah, and the tormentor in the Kankers. Lee is the violent tease that Kanbaru is, Marie is the intelligent, unwanted love that Tsubasa is, and May is the hopeless fool that Sengoku is. Naz, the only wanted love interest, is also the one who plays hard to get and is thus a very vapid Senjougahara.
Fig. 4, quite possibly the worst example in my argument.
Each of these shows takes place in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world without much of a population, or rather, it is an element of the show that, while the pretense of a larger world exists (cars drive by in all three, but driven by who?), it is largely foreign to the youth who are the central and sole casts. The driving force of the plot is for these children, oblivious of an adult world which, if it exists at all, is peripheral at best, are on quests to attain something for each of them and therefore undergo simple, smaller quests to get them. Charlie Brown is in constant search of happiness, and his tasks often involve him looking for the meaning of a holiday. Ed, Edd n Eddy are aiming for Jaw breakers, and so they frequently seek to fleece the rest of the cul-de-sac kids. Araragi is looking to
get laid help others with their spirit issues and spends his time fighting various oddities as a result.
Another key element is that the protagonist is a social outcast. Charlie Brown is the perpetual underman, Ed, Edd n Eddy are social rejects for the entire show, and by Araragi's own admission he has only just recently begun to acquire friends. Their lesser quests bring about social inclusion as an unexpected, happy result: Charlie Brown's christmas tree, the end of EEE's movie, and Araragi's slow gain of friends by going around helping one another.
All three shows also feature an unusual character who is in many ways the mascot. Snoopy, Plank, and while I suppose some may find this insulting, Hachikuji all fill essentially the same role: they're oddball, quirky characters whose appearances may have an influence on the plot or may just be done for our entertainment.
So you see, even if
Charlie Brown,
Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, and
Monogatari aren't all taking place in the same post-apocalyptic universe in which males and adults are in short supply, I believe I have made a very strong case that all three pieces are
thematically linked along the same lines.
And you will never unseen Charlie Brown as a harem protagonist, ever, ever again.
but
