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REVIEW: Noragami BD+DVD


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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 8:38 am Reply with quote
Worth noting that the final arc is somewhat anime-original. The author did release it as a separate manga, but only after the anime had already finished. Some of the more comedy oriented episodes were also straight from the comedy spin-off manga volume the author released.
As for the OVAs, one of them is an adaptation of a later manga chapter that only makes sense after the Bishamon arc, which season 2 will adapt. So maybe the Season 2 release will have the OVAs?
That aside, Noragami was my favorite of its season and one of my favorites of that year. Really excited for the second season as the manga's also one of my favorites.
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 2892
Location: California
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:13 am Reply with quote
First, a couple small corrections. First, "Kofuko" should be "Kofuku," which literally means "little luck," and second, "Thought it uses some regular instrumentation~," think you meant "though."

Most concerns in the review regarding loose ends should be addressed in the second season. As mentioned by killjoy_the, the story with Rabo is original to the anime, which is why it's not as well-developed as the rest of the series.

This is a great series and I hope they will eventually be able to animate all the material in the manga. I already have all the Japanese BDs but I'll have to pick up the domestic release next month when I visit the States.
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WashuTakahashi



Joined: 18 Mar 2015
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Location: Chicago, IL
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:34 am Reply with quote
This is one of my favorite series in quite some time. I watched it on a whim (a friend was over and we went on netflix looking for interesting anime) and am glad I did! The art was lovely, and the plot up until episode 9 was really strong. You could definitely tell the end wasn't as strong though, which makes more sense when others say it's anime-original. I'm assuming whatever arc follows the Yukine one was too long for them to finish in 3 episodes and have an anime that felt "over", so they made something up. But despite that, I still thought it was a great series and can't wait for season 2.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:56 am Reply with quote
Noragami is one of my favorite animes from last year, but I also think that it has some weaknesses and plenty of unanswered questions. B+ sounds like a fair grade to me; I gave it a Good rating.

I agree with most of the review, but I do not think the ending was that weak. If anything, I thank the production for creating a good stopping point with the anime-only material they made. If the producers had started another arc from the manga, season 1 could have ended in a terrible cliffhanger.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:29 am Reply with quote
GokuMew2 wrote:
First, a couple small corrections.

Could you explain why it is Noragami instead of Norakami? Or are those syllables regarded as the same word?

Nice review -- I just finished this on streaming last night in dub and everything in the review I pretty much agree with.

As for the story you have to sort of put down your frustration with Yato being so poor and at the same time charing only 5 yen for every job when he could obviously charge thousands. If I was his regalia I would also go nuts over that. I was expecting them to eventually reveal something like that he does this as a vow of poverty or something to keep his violent nature under control. But they don't and he just comes off as kind of stupid.

As for Hiyori she is a pretty decent character although I wish she would be willing to accept an embrace instead of acting all anime-girl-like. But at least she was willing to give positive voice to her bond with Yato and Yukine so I guess that's good enough.
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WashuTakahashi



Joined: 18 Mar 2015
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:33 am Reply with quote
HaruhiToy wrote:

As for the story you have to sort of put down your frustration with Yato being so poor and at the same time charing only 5 yen for every job when he could obviously charge thousands. If I was his regalia I would also go nuts over that. I was expecting them to eventually reveal something like that he does this as a vow of poverty or something to keep his violent nature under control. But they don't and he just comes off as kind of stupid.


It's not stupid...typically, visitors at shrines offer 5 yen to have a god hear out an individual's problems and possibly fulfill their wishes. Yato is simply charging that same 5 yen fee. That's why when he asks Hiyori for 5 yen to help her go back to normal and she gives it to him he says "Your wish has been heard, loud and clear!"
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:41 am Reply with quote
WashuTakahashi wrote:
typically, visitors at shrines offer 5 yen to have a god hear out an individual's problems and possibly fulfill their wishes.

I get that but at the same time his peer gods all look down on him -- Tenpin taunts him with a wad of cash and is obviously pretty flush. Kofuku seems pretty well established with her business and not in need of money. Bishamonten runs a corporate office in addition to her shrine and is obviously pretty well off.

In contrast Yato is not just listening to wishes which may or may not be acted upon. Instead performs corporeal services which have a well established higher value than 5 yen. Try getting someone to fix a faucet and not only that clean the bathroom AND tile grout for 5 yen. People will often pay 5,000 reward for finding a cat. And so on.

So it sucks to be the marketing underdog. As I wrote you have to get past that. I suspect that an immortals (he's lived for more than 500 years) point of view the money and possessions are really not that important -- he wants worshipers more than bling or even a roof. The story never makes it clear if that is Yato's perspective or not.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:46 am Reply with quote
I really enjoyed the show when it was either comedy or action, the interaction between the different god and the rule that govern there world was also pretty interesting. But the teenage drama killed it for me, if I had a say in this show I would have just axed Yukine altogether and replace him with a less obnoxious character. No one likes moody teenager (even moody teenager themselves) why they always end up showing up in anime is beyond me. I can understand when its a show about moody teenager (flower of evil and all), but the middle third of Noragami felt out of place with the rest.
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
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Location: California
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:49 am Reply with quote
HaruhiToy wrote:
GokuMew2 wrote:
First, a couple small corrections.

Could you explain why it is Noragami instead of Norakami? Or are those syllables regarded as the same word?


Because there is no voiced consonant in the first part, "nora." In general, if the first part of the word doesn't have a voiced consonant (marked by a ゛ ) then the second part of the word will, and vice versa. Another example would be "aozora" (青空 / あおぞら / blue sky). It would not be pronounced as "aosora." On the other hand, "jishin" (自信 / じしん / self-confidence) has a voiced consonant in the first part so there is none in the second. Same with "genki" (元気 / げんき / energetic).

Of course there are tons of exceptions but you'll need to take a class on Japanese linguistics if you want all the details.


HaruhiToy wrote:
he wants worshipers more than bling or even a roof. The story never makes it clear if that is Yato's perspective or not.

Not quite true on the part I've underlined. It comes later in the series (vol.7 iirc) so I won't spoil though. (REALLY GOOD STUFF.) Remember that the reason why Yato wants money is so that he can get himself a big shrine. There's meaning in that.
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Shirohae



Joined: 19 Sep 2014
Posts: 776
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 5:03 pm Reply with quote
I seriously love Noragami. It was a great anime to watch. I loved the art, animation and action. I read the manga and still ongoing. I just wish there was more romance between Yato and Hiyori. Only downfall was how short it was!! and then when they announced season 2 i was so freaken hyped and excited!!! Smile
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PockyCrusader



Joined: 18 Dec 2011
Posts: 18
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:29 pm Reply with quote
@GokuMew2 - thank you for that informative post about the pronunciation. I always wondered why kanji pronunciation changed when in certain positions in a word.

I did enjoy Noragami quite a bit, and I'm glad there's a second season coming out. I just wish that last arc hadn't been crammed in there so clumsily.
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DangerMouse



Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 1:01 am Reply with quote
I also agree with the review that OP was fantastic.
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 9:21 am Reply with quote
I really liked how Noragami started out, but that horribly handled plot about Yukine just made me completely fall out of love with it, and it made me dislike Yato to an extent that surprises even myself.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 10:15 am Reply with quote
GokuMew2 wrote:
Of course there are tons of exceptions but you'll need to take a class on Japanese linguistics if you want all the details.

Thanks for the great pointer. I'm not spending a lot of time learning Japanese these days but every pointer is valuable.
SHD wrote:
but that horribly handled plot about Yukine just made me completely fall out of love with it, and it made me dislike Yato to an extent that surprises even myself.

I suspect what happened is that the characters reached a level of acting and directing that you aren't used to seeing. They did an amazing job with making Yukine act like a normal storming early adolescent would. Those of us who have dealt with them in real life could easily mark all the signs.

Not all kids are like that of course, or not even a majority. But it can be really rough for the kid and everyone around them when they get into an emotional lockup the way Yukine did. It is what you get when you have strong child personality elements mixed with newly adult ones and absolutely no perspective on life. It is easy to hate them for it and at times you just want to beat the s**t out of them but that is wrong and obviously wrong when you get enough experience to know what is going on. Yukine was actually a pretty mild case. So your reaction is actually not that surprising.
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 10:20 am Reply with quote
HaruhiToy wrote:
SHD wrote:
but that horribly handled plot about Yukine just made me completely fall out of love with it, and it made me dislike Yato to an extent that surprises even myself.

I suspect what happened is that the characters reached a level of acting and directing that you aren't used to seeing. They did an amazing job with making Yukine act like a normal storming early adolescent would. Those of us who have dealt with them in real life could easily mark all the signs.

Wow, I wonder if you realize how condescending you sound, which is especially ironic since you seemed to miss my point (psst, I grew to hate Yato, not Yukine). And I'd also appreciate if you wouldn't assume things about me. I've had quite enough experience with teenagers, thank you very much.

My problem wasn't with Yukine. As I said, it was with Yato, and how that whole storyline panned out, with Yukine getting blamed for being a troubled teenager in a difficult situation, while Yato who was responsible for the whole thing getting treated as a saint.
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