Noragami

By: Robert Murphy

Long has it been since the days where people would devoutly pray and believe in the many Gods that governed the aspects of Japanese life but to this day shrines still stand in tribute to some of the more well known Gods of that age. For the other Gods though this isn’t the case, enter Yato, a lesser known among the Gods of Japan but none the less he is one and he hopes to one day have his name known throughout the land with thousands of followers. In pursuit of this goal Yato goes around taking on any job or request that someone may have and often times this means doing jobs that a teenager would do when he comes home from school. It’s during one of these mundane jobs that he meets a young girl named Hiyori and she will prove to not only be a strong follower of Yato but the girl who leads him on the path to being a well known and respected God.

Now when it comes to anime that I have watched recently they have missed that something, that unique balance of strong characters, comedy and story but Noragami does all this exceedingly well. When you watch the show you genuinely feel invested in everything that is going on and it just grabs you, I myself got so hooked that I watched the whole show in one sitting. Yato portrays himself as an awe inspiring God but when you look at him he comes across as your average every day guy and this definitely the thought that goes through Hiyori’s mind as she attempts to save his life. He later states how unnecessary this was in retro spec. Yato though is just an exceptional character overall, he’s has that casual demeanor to his character as he travels from job to job, doing anything that’s asked of him no matter how small. But he does this because he needs to survive, what I mean by this is in order for a God to remain in existence people need to believe that they exist, as long as there is one person out there who believes than they can go on living. This is why you see Yato all over town signing his name on bathroom stales, on the sides of buildings, he needs it if he wants to exist and one day get that shrine.

As for the rest of the Noragami’s characters there isn’t one that I don’t find myself liking no matter how small of a role they have. Characters aren’t defined by one element like you know ones the ditz or ones the fan service character; they all have their own personalities and all just work. Hiyori you would expect to be the annoying or nagging character who constantly scolds Yato but she’s not and she’s one of those strong female characters I like to see like Kagoma in Inuyasha. What great as well is they don’t spoil Hiyori in any way either, when you see her “tail” in pictures and in the show I thought they were going to make her be that sort of a character but she makes fun of it in the show and then moves on. The story moves along at a smooth pace and manages to carve out a lot in its twelve episode length and while most of the story is happy go lucky, it can get serious quick. Learning about Yato’s past was an especially well done aspect to the series and tops of the shows wide array of feelings throughout the show which mainly hits its high note with the comedy it has in store for you all.

In conclusion, I wish that the show was so much longer than the twelve episodes I had but the show had just released this past winter so hopefully we’re in store for more. I cannot express how enjoyable a show and experience I had watching Noragami and all that it has to offer, visual the show is quite stunning and it moves along with great narrative and story. All the characters were quite enjoyable as well and they don’t get placed into one group, no matter how long they were on screen or how small a role they had they were engaging the entire time.

Good:

- Excellent visuals

- The show moves along a solid pace and has a great engaging story

- Yato is such a funny character and the whole show is great for a laugh as well

- Does have its serious moments and fights that are spectacular

Bad:

- Only twelve episodes long and will make you cry out for another season

Scully Rating 9.0 out of 10