Noragami

After watching the anime version of Noragami, i couldn't sit still. I absolutely needed to know more of the story! And as a result, it has led me to read the manga, and i can tell you right now, it has become one of my favorite mangas.

Out of all the Supernatural/God/Phantom genres i have read, Noragami has surprised me. Not because it had a original storyline, but the depth of the plot, and the overall lesson it teaches you at the end of each arc.The plot balances the amount of action, comedy and romance (yes there's romance) well and most importantly, flashbacks don't last an entire chapter! Overall, each chapter gave me the urge to want more and after each arc gave me shivers of excitement. The plot is very well paced and the genre of Supernatural suits me. So if you are looking for a Supernatural/Shonen anime with a bit a Romance, then Noragami is worth a shot.

One of the biggest reasons why I love Noragami is because it reminds me of myself. It reminds me of the human experiences every human has faced. For example, some of us want recognition. Some of us want friends and not be lonely. Some of us thirst for adventure. And that my friends, is Noragami's characters in a nutshell.

Our lead character, Yato, isn't our natural goofball. He's funny, but can get serious sometimes and has a strong commitment to helping others. Despite a bad reputation and constantly betrayed, he see's the good in people and appreciates what he has. "Even if things are painful and tough, people should appreciate what it means to be alive at all."-Yato.

Our our second character Yukine, died an early death. He has no friends. he wanted to be loved and cared for. He is selfish. Despite saying mean things, he still has a caring heart. He eventually learns the importance of friends and how they can shape the way you feel and think. "It must be nice...having friends" -Yukine.

Our third character Hiyori is a typical person in the search for adventure. Like Yato, she loves everyone dearly and has a strong commitment to support her friends, even if it is dangerous. Despite the risks, she is a strong person and I admire her greatly. She also sees the good in every person and always tries to make new friends. "I will never forget you!" -Hiyori.

Overall, i believe the characters in Noragami were very special. It really related to experiences that I experienced myself. And having experienced these experiences, it was easy for me to relate to these characters and how they feel.

Now, for the Art, i can say one thing and one word only. Outstanding. The art is very good, and obviously, a lot of time put into it. The way the characters are drawn are eye-pleasing but nothing special.

Enjoyment? Really, is that even a question at this point? Of COURSE I've enjoyed this manga. I was hooked after Chapter 1 and continued on reading and I didn't stop until i was finished with the most recent chapter. Having a manga that was filled with my favorite genre (Supernatual/ Comedy/ Shounen) was one of the reasons why I loved reading this manga. However, having a manga that really relates to you was another. Overall, I really enjoyed this manga and if you liked the review, go check it out now! You wont regret it.

The first time I watched Noragami was in 2016, and I was so glad that I found this gem. Animes normally take few episodes to get hooked or to at least it's worth watching, this one took half an episode, and it's not just "worth watching", it's a masterpiece. I rewatched both seasons again around 2018 but didn't continue the manga thinking the 3rd season might come soon. But sadly it didn't.
So a week back, I started reading the manga from the start. And let me tell you this is one of the best stories I've ever read. Action, Storyline, Characters everything are topnotch. I just hope that the anime will follow the manga entirely and not be rushed in any manner.

I watched the anime and couldn't get the story out of my head, so I decided to check out the manga, and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Noragami has a very well-thought out plot. It's shrouded in mystery, it keeps on your toes and at the same time gives you enough to get by. I really like the comedy parts, and I love how they actually are a big part of the manga.

But if there's anything I liked a lot, it's the characters. The thing that decides whether a manga is good or not for me is its characters. If I get attached to them, that's it, I'm done for. I particularly liked Hiyori in this. You usually get Mary Sues as MCs in most mangas/animes, but the mangaka here really excelled in making Hiyori an innocent, cute and extremely "good" person, without making her annoying and too perfect.

I also loved Yato, Vaisravana and Kazuma. I have some mixed feelings about Yukine.

Anyway, this is definitely a great manga that I would recommend to just about anyone.

Even though i gave up reading/watching mangas/animes about 4 years ago, it seems that my interest was sparked again accidentally: i started with watching Code Geass which i really liked, with a few exceptions, and then i tried searching something i would enjoy reading, able to show something a little bit different than the Mary Sue prototype, the overpowered main character and a predictable plot or common subject.

I am not sure if my style of writing is allright, as this would be my first review in terms of mangas, but i will also talk, in turn, about the matters that caught my attention and i consider important.

Story - 8

Good: It does not have that "mellow" feeling. It does know where it stands, from where it starts, and has a sense of going somewhere in a balanced manner. We have powefull fights, sub-plots, hidden enemies and unknown parts about the character's lives, and the whole "cat-theme" and comedy coupled with regret and realities are a great part.
The spirit and human world are combined interestingly.

To be Avoided: I feel that this series must stay away from loosing depth. When you read a manga, you get different feelings, you can see wether the writer intends to put effort and create something good. With this one, I must say i liked what i felt, but i wished all along for a bit more richness of feelings and emotions. The story of Bishamon was great. I love how Yato and the others have their own flaws and personality, and yet i wish to see more habbits, family life, more real world interaction, past memories and information about the Gods and sometimes, scenes with more warmth and magic to them. The battles are cool allright, and the epic feeling should never miss, although overpowering or making a big fuss out of common subjects and problems (cliches tackled in many, many mangas) won't be too great, i feel there are many opportunities for originality... and even a bit of mistery.

What Ii saw that many hope NOT to see, and me included, is a story that is forcefully pushed forwards, where characters rush, where the plot rushes and fails to touch certain points. I want to see how they develop, and laugh and cry and be stunned along with them...
Exagerration with certain scenes should also be avoided, such as [example] the town suddenly being destroyed by something or sudden drama before other things that could indicate the building of tension. Not that sudden realisations and happenings aren't sometimes good (if correctly infused, they are great! such as someone teleporting and "stealing" Yukine and Yato and the others having to search him with no clues as to what happened, but finding out some really deep things about the reasons behind doing something like this and time spent into planning the correct moment to do something evil; of course that's just a product of my loosy imagination :D)

Even though i can see them right now, i still wish for more depth and richness, comedy, sparks and sharpness, some tension but also a lovely atmosphere from time to time and something like a kiss on the cheek for Yato from Hyiori (at the very least, but definetly not cheering for tons of multiple love interests and supeficial feelings, huge dissapointment & such) I'll definetly read all the chapters until the very end. And, most important, i really hope this manga will have a lot of chapters we can delight with, and not end too soon or forcefully.

Characters - 8
Sometimes i feel they are sloppy realising certain things, because we are talking about people who have been living for hundres of years...
[SPOILER] such as the confusion and fight between Yato and Bishamon (Sometimes it feels as if the cat ate Yato's tongue, as he could have explained everything before battling, although the reasons for which they had to fight were big enough to actually overcome their reasons, well, this oen was a must) or Kazuma figuring out what's happening and who's the culprit. But maybe this is just my point of view. [/SPOILER]

I love how they have unique frames of mind.
To start with, Hyiori is not your typical Mary Sue and we see her literally growing up. I definetly love how she stands up for herself and her justice, and isn't that type who's all "he touched me, oh my, what am i going to do, i must do whatever he says" and becomes all mellow and fragile. I wondered on a few occasions how come she talked to so little people, even before meeting yato, but after that episode of him controlling her body, well, the matter was solved :)) (although, was it me or those scenes were a bit pushed? after all that happened, Yato acted like he didn't even know, repect or like Hyiori, he knew her body hurt and had normal reactions even if possessed, and yet showed her panties every 2 minutes and did some weird and outrageous things xD such as overly flirting with anybody, and how fast she became something like, how a character said, "ah, she was so well-raised, but she planned these all along to be popular" as if everybody thought she was cooking up a plan for becoming popular, and suddenly she showed it and their thoughts were confirmed, although it's good that there are 2 sides, the ones who like it and the ones who don't)

I also really loved the concept of Yato. The most "human of Gods" on a quest to make his name known and have a warm and cozy place so that he won't be forgotten. A lovely sad past. How he's not overpowered, how other characters desconsider him, and how he struggled with Yukine, but add all the time that comic flavour... I love the lessons this manga teaches, it really touched my heart. I'd like to see the relationship between Yato and Yukine being developped even more as Son-father like, at least for the fact that, well, both share feelings for Hyiori, and yukine seems to externalise them more, but Yato should be the one to get in the front. Become the most human-like God all the way at least :> or put all the God-like behaviour in his fighting skills where coldness and emotionless are something cool. I like how he's shown as still being ruthless, and still doing what he's not supposed to do. His character is really good and unique!

[SPOILER]Also, at one point, when Hyiori was looking with Yukine after yato, Yukine had a strong reaction and blushed and i don't really remember, but I wondered bak then how come Yato wasn't stinged at all (while being in the cave with Ebisu). Maybe he became used to it, and doesn't realise it all the time, or it coincided with the part when he wondered wether Hiyori forgot about him, as time goes on differently where Yato is than in normal world. [/SPOILER]

I also enjoy Yukine. I actually met someone in real life, male, 12 years old or so, with blonde messy hair and very nice features, and with the similar personality predispositions given by the fact that he had less happy moments in childhood, but was very talented in horse riding and had a good family but wished for more friends as well... it is always amazing when i feel i can identify [with] real life characters. He definetly was a prick at first, but he started evolving in the right direction.

Again, as the time goes by, i feel they each need even more colors to their personality and feelings around them (especially how characters mention how Shinkis were humans and in many ways still are ^^) and depth, and definetly, not too many clichés.

Art - 9
I definetly enjoy the artwork, it's pretty good. I'd complain about not adding too many naked or sexual scenes without more deepness first, but it's ok. The skills improve as the manga goes on, and the more detailed, the better.

Enjoyment - 9
I was close to voting for a 10 here, because for some reason, I really enjoy it, and i feel there's room for a little more. There's something about Yato that makes me cheer for him, and also for getting a more developped Hyiori and those two having feelings for each other but suddenly becoming less confortable as they learn about them and coming down to a cool sexual tension. It's there already but in very short burtsts from Yato, which in a way is good: as a shounen, it should't be biggest focus all the time. I simply enjoy it. The anime let me wanting for more, and so i came to reading the mangas, which i saw are even better.

Overall - 8.5
I already started to recomment it among friends. It will probably grow even more in my hart. If anyone had enough patience to read all of this, thank you ^.~

I'll say it straight - a good manga is very hard to come by these days, especially one which will keep you turning the pages without stopping. Good quality manga is now rare (with a few exceptions of course, I won't deny that) and those with good solid plots, balanced comedy and angst and good art are even rarer.

Noragami is one that pulls off all of these brilliantly, in my opinion. It's truly a gem.

Here are my thoughts on it.

I won't lie, I didn't start off with the manga. In fact I didn't even KNOW about the manga. I watched the anime first, because well... Yato caught my attention (he does, doesn't he? xD) and so it started. I ended up really liking the anime and after quite a bit of extensive research, came to know that the anime and manga differed in some respects. I'm not someone who will normally settle for an anime adaptation that's different from a manga, so I delved into the manga instead.

Boy, was I in for a joyride.

I won't say much here, but the things I came to love about the manga are these:

1. First of all, the art is clean and neat on the eyes. No exaggerated, over the top details - you see too much of that in shoujo manga these days, however Noragami is shounen - and it's very well presented.

2. The story is fresh, unique and one of a kind. I don't know about the originality since god-and-human interaction isn't a relatively 'new' concept in manga - but with the way Noragami is designed, plotted and drawn, you will definitely feel so. What i really love about this part is the mixing of modern day life elements with traditional shinto culture. It will make you laugh and fall in love with it, guaranteed. You want an example? A god is born from people's wishes, and their status is elevated with the amount of belief, trust and remembrance people put into them. A popular god has a home in the heavens. And a plot in the heavens is allocated to a god by the Office & Administration Department of Heaven. Sound awesome? It is.

3. The comedy. Oh god, the comedy. The days when you could actually laugh out loud while reading a manga are far and few in my opinion (again, there are exceptions) and well executed comedy in a storyline such as the one Noragami has needs some good effort. Well, I'll tell you that Noragami is FUNNY. The comedy is executed fantastically. It is FUNNY AS HELL so if you need some laughs, do read it. Adachitoka will not disappoint you.

4. The emotions. I have read a number of manga and somehow - maybe it's just me - but not a lot have managed to pull emotions out of me. Noragami certainly has. At the outset there is the emotion of loneliness. Yato's sadness will definitely touch your heart - does anybody like loneliness? Being forgotten by people someday is a pain we can all relate to. Though the manga is a shounen fantasy, the emotions Noragami draws out are universal. I feel them and you will too.

5. The romance. Hey hey hey, I said it was a shounen manga, so what's this doing here? Romance? Well, it's subtle, but it's there. Romance isn't the main focal point of the manga however, and I appreciate the romance - light as it is. However the thought of romance will also make you incredibly sad. You'll understand why as you flip the pages.

I'm not very good with reviews so I'll end it here. All in all Noragami is a delight to read, I laughed and I cried, and I think I'll continue to laugh and cry. I can't wait for chapter 60 to come out because this manga is one I'm sticking with. Noragami is worth everything.

Haven't read it yet? Go read it!

If I had to say anything about Noragami it's that by far the best manga I've ever read.

Story (10)
Noragami's plot is fantastic. Personally I picked up this manga because of its unique plotline and it did not disappoint. Yato a minor god seeks to build a shrine and to become a famous god with a lot of followers. I do not want to go too into detail but I guarantee that the pacing of this manga will not disappoint; VERY GOOD pacing.

Art (9)
I enjoy the art style that the mangakan has. Very well drawned and very neat definitely something that won't hurt your eyes.

Character (10)
Each and every character in this series I have fallen in love with ESPECIALLY Yato if noragami does anything better than most manga's I've read thats character development. Almost EVERY single character in the manga grows with each chapter. Each character is interesting and so far noragami has yet to show a single character that was just dull.

Enjoyment (10)
Overall Noragami will keep you entertained, it might make you cry, it'll make you laugh, and it'll keep you wanting MORE. Please give Noragami a try because I've never loved a manga like this one.

As of writing this review 70 chapters of Noragami have come out.
Although a month between new chapters is a long time which
allows intense feelings to cool down, I find myself falling in love
with this manga all over again with each new chapter.
I cannot stress enough how highly I recommend it.

First of all, to get it out of the way, the art is beautiful and clean, and the
panel composition is quite fluent.
The characters are distinct, charming and really likable.
The manga really knows how to be funny when it wants to be, and how to
pull at your heart strings when it aims to play with your feelings.

Because I have, as of right now, read all of the 70 chapters that have come out
I feel the need to address new readers with a small comment to encourage them
to stick with this manga.
When you first start reading Noragami, you kinda feel like it lacks world-building,
that it doesn't really explain much of what is going on outside the little world
set up for our main characters. But I believe it was the authors intention to first focus
more on the characters and their relationships and make you fall in love with
them. With each new arc the world of Noragami gets exponentially larger.
Now, at 70 chapters I see how well thought out the story has been from the
very beginning. It shocks you with revelations and it's depth.

I love the the way this manga questions the meaning of divine gods being
just and them trying to understand and handle human emotions. I also love
the way it's really cheerful and has hints of romance but also deals with some
hard emotions in a really mature and realistic way.
It doesn't cut corners with it's story telling or the characters relations.

I believe the author's strongest suit in this manga is the ability to examine and question
really complex emotions, situations and relationships. While this manga is really
light-hearted on the surface, it deals with some really dark themes like abuse,
manipulation and loss. It portrays good people doing bad things, but also their struggles
to get back on the right path. As life itself is quite unfair the author is not yielding
on it's characters drawing the short straw.

I wholeheartedly recommend Noragami because it is silly enough to make you
laugh but also that much serious and deep to leave you overwhelmed with so many
complex emotions.

It would be hard for me to describe how Noragami was good, i haven't read the whole series yet but out of my 18 read books, i think it's probably one of the greatest manga i had to read.

Noragami is some paranormal and godly series, but it's not paranormal as a lot of seinen which only want to draw the most disgusting things ever (Straving Anonymous for example) without a really interesting plot and it's not godly as 90% of the manhwas with Sun-Wu-Kong helping them. Noragami wants to explore how being a god or a godess can be hard.

In terms of comedy, Noragami is here, it's funny, the jokes are pretty well finded and oh my god the emotions. In Noragami, you feel the loneliness of Yato who wants to be loved but doesn't know how, you feel the phobia of Yukine or just how he's acting at the beginning of the manga. Adachitoka made a great job in the art and the dialogs of her characters.

But Noragmi doesn't just want to make you feel emotions, it wants to go and put some incredible god stories with some atroceous punishment or just horrible decision making. "All act of a god is good and fair" tells you Noragami and it almost became an excuse, the gods and goddess seems like bastards and doesn't want to contradict themselves, their actions are good so why would they think about it? Noragami is just brilliant in the way it approach this question by putting you in the place of someone who's a unknown god not even registred in the god's list. Yato is not okay with this but what can he do? How can you fight against a hundred gods? Noragami is stressing you and just keep you hanging to the next chapters.

But, and i know i say a lot but in this review, Noragami is also an action manga, and the action is fucking great, the fights, the rivalty, the shinki, Yato who can't permit himself to die like other gods against gods with some incredible shinkis and that don't even fear death. The action in Noragami is great, well-drawn and always have those emotions.

In conclusion, Noragami is a flawless masterpiece and it deserves his 10, and i swear i don't put 10 to a lot of mangas, for everything it puts in place. Just read it right now.

STORY: 8
Yato is a minor god who hopes to one day have thousands of followers and a shrine dedicated to him. As of now, he pass by doing odd jobs like searching for lost cats and fixing leaking pipes. Aiding these gods of that universe are “Shinki”; spirits that were once living humans that now become weapon/tools for the gods. Yato’s shinki has recently quit. Now, he must work with his newest shinki; Yukine, who isn’t quite happy with severing a low-end god.
As you can tell from this summary, the story is quite original. The first time I read its synonym, it instantly pipe my interest.
ART: 7
The art is nothing unique, nor is it horrible. It’s decent.
CHARACTER: 8
Yato, Yukine, and Iki are the main characters. You may find these characters to be loveable with their odd quirks and personality. Yukine may be hard to digest in the beginning, but he gets I heard as the story progress with him. This is how character development are supposed to be anyways.
I found Iki to be the main reason I like this manga as she ties the story together. An incident that resulted in her gaining the ability to perform OBE (out-of-body experience) has force her to turn to the minor god Yato for aid. Until Yato can solve her problem, she stuck with him and Yukine, and mix in several of their adventures.
ENJOYMENT: 7
Story is quiet enjoyable with a good combination of actions and humour.
OVERALL: 7.5
I haven’t regret starting this series, and found the story passing to be good. The English translation of this manga is still in the early stages. The first chapter doesn’t instantly grab you but give it a few chapters. You may like it.

Noragami is probably the most well rounded, most inspired manga that I've ever read.

Story/Overall Enjoyment:

Without being overbearing, over dramatic, pretentious, or pseudo-intellectual (like so, so many manga/anime) it masterfully weaves a tragic story through comedy and well-fought optimism.

Even at its most grim, Noragami is a tale of resilience, perseverance and friendship in the face of death, afterlife, and the "somewhere in between." It's a story of the endless struggle for serenity and happiness, even against all odds, even when suicide seems like the only viable course of action.

For those of you who tend to stick to comedy- read Noragami.
For those of you who tend to stick to the grim and bleak- read Noragami.
For those of you who like to read- read Noragami, and be amazed that its able to straddle all genres fluidly, and with a grace that is typically reserved for universally beloved literary works.

This is a a manga that supersedes genre lines, expectations, and biases by leaps and bounds of the imagination, and one that can be enjoyed by all, through laughter, tears, and deep understanding of the human condition that we call "life".

Artwork:

The cover art work alone is brilliantly vibrant and beautifully coloured, mirroring the spirit and drive of the team of women who write, plan and illustrate this wonderful work under the pseudonym "Adachitoka."

The artwork inside is generally dream-like, well detailed, and always reflective of the feelings of each arc, respectively.

Unlike some "action" manga, the panels are never blurry and "out of focus", even in the more fast-paced action sequences- so you can always tell what's going on in any scene. I've noticed this particular issue in many manga lately, Aldnoah Zero being a main culprit, where the artist seemed to not understand how to clearly illustrate an action sequence, rendering it almost meaningless. Noragami never cuts corners.

During comedy scenes, Noragami switches styles a lot, similarly to how FLCL haphazardly switched to chibi, or sketched illustrations, but Noragami does this to a much more muted degree.