There's a Girl That Rides a Lion So That's Cool

urgentneptune

Noragami

Recently, I've been watching more and more anime. So far I've seen some of the highly recommended ones (SAO, AOT, etc.), but this month I watched an anime that I knew nothing about.

The show's called Noragami, which means (I think) "Stray God."

I thought it was quite good, and I'm here to give you my thoughts on the first and only season that premiered in early 2014.

Story

Noragami's world is one full of gods and creatures called phantoms, both of which exist between planes of existence.

The "stray god" that also happens to be the main character in this show is Yato. Yato is a poorly dressed, goofy, and unpopular delivery god who is desperate to gain popularity and eventually build his own shrine.

Another main character is Hiyori, a girl who after being hit by a bus becomes half-human/half-phantom.

She has a pink tail.

Phantoms, by the way, are spirits from the "Far Shore" (basically the afterlife) that like to influence the minds of humans, normally in negative ways.

The final main character is Yukine, Yato's Regalia.

What's a Regalia you ask?

Well, funny you should ask. Regalias are "pure" spirits that have not crossed over to the "Far Shore." Once bound to a master, Regalias take a human-like form until called upon for battle. When this happens, the Regalias transform into weapons, clothing, and lions… I guess…

I'm sure I at least got some of that wrong. I apologize for my very limited understanding behind the magic of Regalias.

Anyway, Yukine is kind of a punk, and as it turns out, when you act like a punk, your master pays the price, that price being death…. eventual death.

Yes, as Yukine becomes more and more… terrible, Yato's health decreases, which makes combating the many, many, people that Yato has angered very difficult.

That's all I'm gonna say about the plot, because anymore might spoil some stuff. Let's just say that the story is diverse. Sometimes it's serious, sometimes it's funny, and it's always good.

Art Style

Noragami's art style is all about contrast. Most of the backgrounds are dull, dark colors, while the main characters and phantoms are colorful. The three main characters' eyes are bright colors (blue, pink, and orange) that kind of match their personalities.

It's a pretty show.

Voice Acting

At the moment, there is no dubbed version of this show. So I watched it in Japanese.

I don't speak Japanese…. So I guess that's all I've got to say…

Action

There are some cool fight scenes in this show, but for the most part, Yato kills phantoms in one slice. When Yato actually fights other gods, however, the action increases and some memorable scenes ensue.

But the final fight scene with Rabo could have been a lot better. Just sayin.

Award Time!

Best Episode: Where Happiness Lies

Best Regalia: The Lion that exists for no reason

Conclusion

Noragami is my favorite anime of 2014… mostly because it's the only anime that came out in 2014 that I watched.

But it's still good! I give Noragami an 8/10.

Watch it and enjoy.

score 8/10

urgentneptune 5 January 2015

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3156497/