Noragami Aragoto

Episode 5

This episode was a step down from the last if only because it's difficult to top that intense a series of consecutive gut punches. While last week recounted all the ways that our heroes were currently screwed, this one contained about half the ways that they were going to get out of it. It's about what you'd expect – Aiha betrays Kugaha to bust Kazuma and Hiyori out of prison, the two have moments with their respective masters to stop the fighting, and Kazuma finally tells Bishamon the truth about the –ma clan's extermination. Yukine's heroic sacrifice is undone, because it turns out that he just took the required steps to evolve from Yukinemander into Yukinezard. Kugaha, meanwhile, is massacring Bishamon's weaker regalia with his phantom allies. In the end, Yato and Bishamon finally become aware that they've been duped and team up to fight their real enemy, Kugaha.

So when a shinki selflessly gives their life for their master, they don't die, but instead become a superpowered Blessed Regalia. This is also what changed Kazuma's weapon form from a nail earring to a GPS-targeting system. Post-noble-sacrifice, a bisected Yukine becomes two katanas. I wonder if one is his upper body while the other is his lower half? Meanwhile, Bishamon nearly succumbs to her corruption. The jury's out as to whether Bishamon's combat Regalia died in the end of this episode, although I predict they did not. That would be too many named characters dying. Bishamon finally accepts responsibility for causing both this present and the past situation, breaking out into tears of mourning.

It's not awkward enough to ruin the story, but I am disappointed that the villain was foiled mostly by his own careless idiocy, which goes unacknowledged. Basically he left Aiha alive AND told her where the hostages were kept AND let her wander around during the most crucial point in his scheme. His plan at this point was reliant on his faith in this obviously horrified young woman not betraying him. Since Kugaha's primary traits are ruthlessness and a lust for power, I don't believe that this is something he'd actually do. It doesn't help that his motivations aren't that interesting – he hates the weak and Bishamon's decision to shelter them. So he'll create a new Bishamon who lives up to his brutal and meritocratic ideals. That's kind of weaksauce. Hopefully, it's contextualized by a more interesting backstory. Either way, it looks like we'll get more focus on him next episode, when the show can dedicate its time to taking him down.

This episode also had quite a bit of clumsy exposition to hamper the emotional content. The best way to tell the viewer that Yukine has evolved into the superpowered Blessed Regalia version of himself was probably not to have Bishamon's internal monologue explain it in the heat of battle. There are a couple more awkward writing decisions after this; characters will often restate the status quo to each other and Kugaha has a bizarre penchant for explaining his motivations out loud to people. These aren't unusual flaws by any means (it's rarer for a show not to do these things) but they prevent the work from reaching its full potential. The story itself is fairly mature stuff, so I think it'd be better if the show were a bit more sophisticated in its methods of telling it.

I guess my lack of interest in this episode compared to the previous one has to do with the fact that it didn't surprise me. That's not a fair criticism – it did what it should have, for the most part. It's just that the solutions to these emotional dilemmas were easy to predict (everyone decides to be honest with themselves and others), and by now I'm just waiting for the next interesting development. Still, the Bishamon Arc, which concludes next episode, has proven itself to be a surprisingly raw, emotional, and mature work of animated storytelling. If this is the level that Noragami will be working at from now on, it'll turn out to be a fantastic little show.

Grade: A-

Noragami Aragoto is currently streaming on Funimation.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.