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!
