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In the episode 12 of the first Bakemonogatari season, there's a fence with an interesting pattern which seemingly has the word "KAWAK" in it:

In the first episode of the second Monogatari season we see the same place:

And another angle:

Looks like the words "CHICO" and "KAWAKITA"!

With the whole show stuffed with symbolism, subtle references and hidden messages, could this mean something?

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  • 3
    Interesting observation - I definitely agree that there's something written in the fence there, but I'm not sure it's "KAWAK". It looks like there might be some additional letters trailing off to the lower right.
    – senshin
    Mar 2, 2014 at 6:13
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    There's this "NISIOISIN" palindrome thing, so that's what I saw.
    – Hakase
    Mar 2, 2014 at 12:57
  • Maybe a reference to Kawasaki?
    – Dimitri mx
    Mar 8, 2014 at 13:23
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    It loos like the part of the left says "CHICO" and the right part (which is a bit cut off, says "KAWAKITA").
    – кяαzєя
    Mar 20, 2014 at 21:01
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    This is a likely to be a reference to Koichi Kawakita.
    – кяαzєя
    Sep 22, 2014 at 14:31

2 Answers 2

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Japanese boards read instead IICHIKO KAWAKITA and are not sure either, but the only trail they got that quotes both words is Kawakita Hideya (河北秀也), an art director out of the Tokyo University of Arts known for making beautiful art designs for a design company called "iichiko".

Another source: http://www.logsoku.com/r/2ch.net/anime/1254234423/

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    It would be great if you can cite the source of this claim.
    – nhahtdh
    Aug 29, 2015 at 19:46
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Hunch:

Could of been a sponsor who wanted to utilize subliminal messaging: http://kawakaviation.com/

An animator (or maybe I should say setting designer) got drunk and wanted to incorporate his Mayan horoscope somehow: http://weeklyhoroscope.com/features/asst/Mayan/Caunac.php?Haab=Mac

Or it could mean absolutely nothing and it was a design element that wasn't totally intentional.

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    Except this very frame is shown a suspiciously great number of times throughout the scene. And the show is known for hidden symbolism and subtle references.
    – Hakase
    Mar 8, 2014 at 4:42
  • Yeah there's a another fence behind them with the repeating element of the first fence but it's not like it's repeated throughout the episode or even the series. If you google "Bakemonogatari Episode 12 Kawak" you might find other boards freaking out over it with no real defined answer - except for maybe an alternative reading of "Chiko Kawaii" which doesn't really make sense to me.
    – Velda
    Mar 8, 2014 at 5:34

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