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 ^.~
Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Stray Gods Japanese: ノラガミ More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 27
Chapters: 109
Status: Finished
Published: Dec 6, 2010 to Jan 6, 2024
Theme:
Mythology
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Shounen Magazine (Monthly) Authors:
Adachitoka (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #2492 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #45
Members: 188,699
Favorites: 12,330 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 41 / 44
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Your Feelings Categories Apr 17, 2014
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 ... Jun 17, 2024
Open your eyes.
After so many years together with this amazing series it's over, and it pains me to even admit it because as many people previously said and will continue to say, it grew with me. But as a parting gift, let's leave a review. This manga was so profound and thought provoking, genuinely. There's one thing that made me so attached to Noragami all these years and it's Yato. Yato knows who he is, but who is he really? He's a god yes but should he fit in those strict standards of being a deity? He's always been an outsider, always seen as an outsider ... Jun 6, 2015
This is one of the best ongoing manga series, it has a great story that involved Gods and spirits. The story may have some funny moments but when the story becomes really serious, it will put you on edge of your seat.The main character is one of the funniest that make me laugh every time he does some wacky stuff. The art of this manga is superb for a month to month magazine, the clothing, the environment and the people are very well drawn. The fight scenes are entertaining, with some cool power up and awesome weapons that will make you super excited about the
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Sep 26, 2015
First of all, I have not seen the noragami anime. In fact, this might be the first manga I ever read without having seen the anime first. Despite that, the story completely swept me up, and I have been a loyal reader ever since.
Story: 10 It is very difficult to determine exactely which genre's Noragami belongs to. Yes, it has shonen characteristics, but it also has a seinen feel to it. The story is mostly devided into arcs, but they transition into each other very smoothly, and it often feels as though multpiple story-arcs are running at once. There are even some chapters that are ... Feb 1, 2020
When first looked at, nothing really stands out with Noragami. It does really seem like your average, run of the mill popular battle Shonen manga. And that is somewhat true. But when examined further, it can be seen that Noragami is exceptional and a very nicely crafted manga that will suck you right in.
Story - 8/10 The story is somewhat average, with elements that can be found in many Shonen manga like a power-up that is executed when on the brink of death, the "main character is very very gifted and exceptional" cliche, and so on. But these elements take a back seat for Noragami's actual ... Aug 11, 2016
Truly magnificent, Noragami is a manga fit for praise. The story is smooth and unique, the art is clean, the characters are all deep and 3D, and overall I was gripped by it to the end. It's hard to come by such a gem, especially one whose story connects from the very beginning. Many authors have a wobbly beginning that smooths out a bit at the end, but this one was polished the entire way.
It was successful enough to receive an anime of currently two seasons. Like most people, I watched the anime first, and while that's not the subject of the review, the anime ... Apr 20, 2022
A quick review for people who have finished the anime (no spoilers)
Noragami - it feels like each chapter has something important to tell and spice up the plot. It has a lot of mysteries and plot twists which make you read more and more. A lot of characters can grow on you and they become likeable. That said, it is a well-thought-out story as well as world-building. It feels like the author has thought of every single possible situation. The adaptation itself is quite strange. They rearranged a whole lot of scenes, but I also have to say that I very much prefer anime's order to ... Jun 21, 2017
Noragami is ... a good anime and a good manga. One of the only manga and anime I read, liked and read, good story, plot, characters, etc. ... but, as we know, the manga and the anime are not perfect, always have defects in them ... and ... Noragami I have many, I can say ... and a question that I have in my head for a long time. .. the father of Yato (who forgot the name) he is a god or what? Nora, why the hell does she do that, right? Pure will and free spontaneous will? How the hell can humans see
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Nov 21, 2015
I must say, I have been itching to write a Noragami review since the second season of the anime started, but ultimately I decided to go with the manga since I'm currently reading it, and I personally just think it's better.
I LOVE Noragami. I have been slightly obsessed with it ever since I first saw it. I really don't read much manga. The only time I do for the most part is if I love an anime enough that I want to continue on with the story. And I just couldn't get away from Noragami. I've enjoyed it a lot more than I originally thought I ... Apr 16, 2020
This is a... relatively spoiler-free review, although I advise having a bit of knowledge about it before reading this. Nevertheless, there will be no spoilers related to the actual plot. Warning: mention of trauma/abuse
Saying that Noragami is a comedy is so far from the truth. There is absolutely no chapter that is truly comedic by which I mean that there is something bad that happens in every. single. chapter, whether it be something small or otherwise. Although I did give it a 10 in enjoyment, I am NOT enjoying the ride for the sole reason that reading this feels like being beaten repeatedly with a ... Jan 6, 2023
Pleasant, well-developed characters with balanced realism, not only the protagonists but also the secondary ones, a non-obvious plot, creative in a way and with good twists that you can only discover when reading. As well as having beautiful artstyle.
It exceeded my expectations in every way: it has amazing fights, a lot of comedy, but without overdoing it, good romance and approaches sensitive themes that helps to make the characters more human, with whom we easily end up relating to. By the way, it's much better than most Shounen that have. It's worth buying the mangas. •8.5/10 for the plot• •9/10 art• •10/10 characters• •10/10 comedy, romance and ... Oct 26, 2021
Noragami is one of the best written manga out there. It can get tedious (for me personally) but the investment is worth it for when it gets serious it commits to that, no deus ex machina here.
When tragedy strikes it does so brutally. The manga does take care to not be too dark a story, death does not always mean the end and is instead seen as a rebirth. The loss in the manga feels real and the callousness of divine beings as well as their indefference to sentimentality is very evident. The Good times are good and the bad times are bad nothing is watered down. A minor ... Jul 9, 2021
It's is the first manga which I have started reading in my life.after watching it's anime series I have fallen for this series and can't stop my self from Start reading manga of this series.the story of this series is really very interesting.it has clean story without any rubbish matterial.each and every character in this series is well defined.once you start reading it you can not stop your self from reading It again and again.i really honor the work of this series author.my thanks to the author of this series who have given us such a wonderful memories.
And I still hope that someday we ... Sep 4, 2016
I really love this manga. All the characters are charismatics and you feel so into the story. There is comedy, adventure, thriller, action, romance... And is very fun to read. I hope the manga continues good.
Noragami have a lot of arcs with different themes. So, you will never be boring because it's never a lot of fights nether a lot of comedy constantly. The anime is good to, but I strongly recommend to read the manga first. Another thing I love so much is the design feature of the manga. It's very clean and enjoyable. You can see the authors are hardworking to give ... Mar 13, 2018
I honestly loved this manga. It was enjoyable lovable characters ,and a nice story it doesn't get to dramatic. Its not some teen drama about love or a harem or anything like that Its funny in a weird way its like the more you read about the characters the more you understand them and when they do something funny or stupid you have a sense that you know them like family so when are main character is stalking his first ever believer you understand why it isn't creepy it hilarious It reminds me of Gintama for some reason like it can make you cry
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Sep 26, 2024
Noragami is for sure the best and well written manga ive read
From the very beginning, the storyline flows so naturally and it makes you want to read it more and more. I havent found a manga so far that has been this captivating as Noragami. It has a very interesting plot and i would say it is pretty unique- in a way that it feels really original and not similar to any other manga/anime. The plot revolves around japanese mythology and shintoism, and its very refreshing and interesting. The plot is very well-thought out and shaped, so that it always holds the attention of the ... May 4, 2023
I love how it always has you smiling or laughing due to the the comedy, or on edge due to how serious the scene is. It *almost* (and I'll get to that later) never feels boring or badly paced. There are small moments which add so much more depth to the story and to the characters which many people forget to appreciate. However, some chapters (mostly early ones) might bore you due to their sheer length, but this is uncommon in later chapters. The fights are great, but they are sometimes hard to follow. I love how Adachitoka adds depth to their artwork. And it's
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Aug 16, 2016
If you're not too particular, this manga's pretty good. I ruined any hope of my continuing to read this manga by looking into the actual gods the characters are based off of.
All in all, it's a really good, compelling manga if you overlook the blatant liberties it takes in mythological accuracy. (Though I digress, even the actual mythology isn't even all consistent.) -Story- This is a rather interesting manga about gods and their dependency upon people rather than the people's dependency upon them. It's an amusing thought. The manga has action, tragedy, hilarity, and mystery! So it offers a lot. Just, ... Mar 16, 2022
When I first saw this manga, I didnt really have too much high hopes for it. I felt that the whole supernatural God thing was a pretty hard story line to do good without being cringy or relying too much on religious background info and stereotypes.
I was pleasantly surprised reading it. It doesnt lean into religious stereotypes nor is it a one sided criticism on religion as MANY manga's or anime's seem to do. Instead, its a really original take on spiritualism and fate with just the right amount of fighting and overall really excellent character development. The story feels really grounded in its world, ... Nov 20, 2015
Story - 7/10
Gods and spirits.Minor and major gods.Noragami has an interesting theme(personal preference.I love mythology).However, the story-telling is inconsistent and weak.There's humor here and there, but the weakness of the plot irritates me a lot. Art - 7/10 Decent.but nothing too spectacular. Character - 5/10 ... |