Maybe I shouldn't have read these right after Bakemonogatari anime because after reading them post finishing the entire Monogatari anime, those stories foreshadow a good amount.

Hitagi Buffet - Htagi doubles her weight
Mayoi Room - Mayoi loses her backpack
Suruga Court - Kanbaru plays basketball
Nadeko Pool - Nadeko buys a swimsuit
Tsubasa Song - Hanekawa goes karaoking

Although the writing feels somewhat crude to for all of these stories, they are a great companion piece that I am now obsessing over where all these short stories fall in the timeline for Monogatari instead of continuing my read-through of Second Season in the LN.

Spoilers for later parts of the Monogatari series so continue reading at your own discretion

There 5 stories are split into two time periods: Post Bake (Song, Buffet) and Post Nise (Room, Court) with Pool somewhat of a toss up on where in the timeline it falls.

Song comes after Bake as Hanekawa gets her hair cut off, but what is really special about this one is the fact that Hanekawa tries to do normal things like Karaoke but it becomes perfection as she doesn't miss any marks and sings the entire time while Araragi is with her. Even when she tries to relieve stress in a normal fashion, it is not so normal and makes sense how this eventually manifests into future problems for her in Second Season.

Buffet has really rude remarks like Araragi calling Hitagi fat (as a joke) but still very boorish and my least favorites of the 5 but the emotional hook of this one hits because someone who had to moderate every little thing in their life due to the crab for Hitagi when it comes to clothes and even food anything that weighs upon her weight is felt 10 times as well. Having that girl pig out essentially is very wholesome to see and I love Hitagi.

Room is weird. Araragi has a kidnapping spell put on him and this has Mayoi end up in his room which is again very odd. But that emotional hook of letting Mayoi change into her PJs and get a well deserved rest after all of that wandering around as a lost cow is cute to read. Also the fact that this sets the stage for the second arc of Second Season is awesome as we see the aftermath of Mayoi Room from two POVs: Mayoi Jiangshi EP 1 from Araragi's POV or Tsubasa Tiger EP 1 from Hanekawa's POV.

Court happens after Room because of the chronic illness that led to kidnapping in Room in Court is Araragi getting his ass beat in basketball by Kanbaru. Apparently this is their second date so I am assuming their Mountain walk with lunch in Snake Arc is their first date? But Kanbaru also mentions a date in Second Season (Tsubasa Tiger EP 3) so idk which one is attached to this. The wholesomeness comes from the fact that Kanbaru can actually go all out for the first time in forever in a sport that she excels in and this feels like a Prototype for the 1 on 1 match in Hanamonogatari.

Pool is very Nadekoesque. No bangs and revealing clothes and Araragi being dumb like forgetting that Vampires can't swim. I feel like this can take place either before or after Nise because this moment feels like a prototype for when Araragi goes to Nadeko's house in Nise. There she also has her bangs pulled up and wearing revealing clothes; however Pool seems to take the intensity up even higher so that's why I would place it after Nise. This timeline places it after Room but I don't really see any way the story indicates this unless I am missing something.

The reading order seems very intentional as everything is with Isin. Buffet and Song bookend the post Bake pre Nise material while Room and Court both have a reoccuring disease.

Overall, these short stories are a blast and you are missing out if you are a Monogatari fan and aren't reading them. It's extra character interactions!