TV-Series
Description
Meme Oshino is a middle-aged man who works as a nomadic oddity specialist, positioning himself as a neutral mediator between humans and supernatural entities with the primary goal of maintaining balance. He has a lanky physique, unruly short blond hair, yellow eyes, and facial hair consisting of sideburns and a goatee. His distinctive appearance includes a pink aloha shirt typically left unbuttoned, dark cargo shorts, black sandals resembling traditional Japanese geta, and accessories featuring inverted crosses on both an earring and a necklace. He is almost always seen with an unlit cigarette in his mouth.
Oshino’s personality is laid-back and eccentric, which complements his unusual fashion sense and his choice to live in an abandoned cram school building. He speaks with a calm and measured tone that can come across as teasing or provocative, often using this demeanor to gauge the reactions of those he interacts with. A recurring verbal tic involves asking, "You look so lively. Did something good happen?". Despite his relaxed exterior, he holds a firm philosophy that individuals must ultimately save themselves, refusing to trust those who simply play the victim or blame everything on the supernatural. He dislikes farewells and tends to leave places abruptly without saying goodbye.
Oshino’s background includes graduating from Shinto studies in college, although he never pursued a career as a Shinto priest. During his college years, he was a member of the Occult Research Club alongside Yozuru Kagenui, Deishuu Kaiki, Tadatsuru Teori, and Izuko Gaen, and he participated in the creation of the artificial oddity Yotsugi Ononoki.
As a specialist, Oshino prefers to avoid directly meddling with oddities, believing that his role is to provide information and reinforce balance rather than to solve problems for others. He typically charges for his services but has been known to waive fees when circumstances feel unjust, such as when he provided assistance without charge as atonement for unforeseen harm. His method often involves arranging negotiations or creating conditions that allow the affected person to resolve their own situation.
In Nekomonogatari Black, which takes place during Golden Week, Oshino plays a crucial role in the incident involving Tsubasa Hanekawa and the Sawarineko (curse cat) that transforms her into Black Hanekawa. He warns Koyomi Araragi about Hanekawa’s possession and tasks him with finding her. Oshino attempts to deal with Black Hanekawa himself, engaging in multiple confrontations, but he is ultimately defeated and gives up on direct intervention. He concludes that an oddity capable of using its host’s full knowledge and intelligence cannot be resolved by an outsider, and that only the host themselves can confront and overcome the problem. Rather than simply defeating the oddity, his goal is to achieve a complete solution that saves the person entirely, a far more difficult task.
Oshino’s key relationship during this time is with Koyomi Araragi, for whom he serves as an informant and occasional mentor on supernatural matters. He lives in the abandoned Eikou Cram School alongside Shinobu Oshino, the weakened remnant of the powerful vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade, whom he refers to as Vampire-chan during this period. His relationship with Shinobu is complex, as he was the one who originally stole her heart, leading to the chain of events that transformed Araragi into a vampire.
His notable abilities include extensive knowledge of oddities, their behavioral patterns, etymological histories, and methods of engagement. He can perform Shinto rituals and exorcisms, and possesses considerable physical capability as demonstrated when he blocked attacks from multiple vampire hunters simultaneously. He is also an accomplished negotiator and mediator, able to establish balanced conditions between conflicting parties.
Oshino’s personality is laid-back and eccentric, which complements his unusual fashion sense and his choice to live in an abandoned cram school building. He speaks with a calm and measured tone that can come across as teasing or provocative, often using this demeanor to gauge the reactions of those he interacts with. A recurring verbal tic involves asking, "You look so lively. Did something good happen?". Despite his relaxed exterior, he holds a firm philosophy that individuals must ultimately save themselves, refusing to trust those who simply play the victim or blame everything on the supernatural. He dislikes farewells and tends to leave places abruptly without saying goodbye.
Oshino’s background includes graduating from Shinto studies in college, although he never pursued a career as a Shinto priest. During his college years, he was a member of the Occult Research Club alongside Yozuru Kagenui, Deishuu Kaiki, Tadatsuru Teori, and Izuko Gaen, and he participated in the creation of the artificial oddity Yotsugi Ononoki.
As a specialist, Oshino prefers to avoid directly meddling with oddities, believing that his role is to provide information and reinforce balance rather than to solve problems for others. He typically charges for his services but has been known to waive fees when circumstances feel unjust, such as when he provided assistance without charge as atonement for unforeseen harm. His method often involves arranging negotiations or creating conditions that allow the affected person to resolve their own situation.
In Nekomonogatari Black, which takes place during Golden Week, Oshino plays a crucial role in the incident involving Tsubasa Hanekawa and the Sawarineko (curse cat) that transforms her into Black Hanekawa. He warns Koyomi Araragi about Hanekawa’s possession and tasks him with finding her. Oshino attempts to deal with Black Hanekawa himself, engaging in multiple confrontations, but he is ultimately defeated and gives up on direct intervention. He concludes that an oddity capable of using its host’s full knowledge and intelligence cannot be resolved by an outsider, and that only the host themselves can confront and overcome the problem. Rather than simply defeating the oddity, his goal is to achieve a complete solution that saves the person entirely, a far more difficult task.
Oshino’s key relationship during this time is with Koyomi Araragi, for whom he serves as an informant and occasional mentor on supernatural matters. He lives in the abandoned Eikou Cram School alongside Shinobu Oshino, the weakened remnant of the powerful vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade, whom he refers to as Vampire-chan during this period. His relationship with Shinobu is complex, as he was the one who originally stole her heart, leading to the chain of events that transformed Araragi into a vampire.
His notable abilities include extensive knowledge of oddities, their behavioral patterns, etymological histories, and methods of engagement. He can perform Shinto rituals and exorcisms, and possesses considerable physical capability as demonstrated when he blocked attacks from multiple vampire hunters simultaneously. He is also an accomplished negotiator and mediator, able to establish balanced conditions between conflicting parties.