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
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tale, which is the story of life and despite looking and acting very similar, just how different the life of a God and a Shinki/Human is. The world of Noragami fools you by showing you its Gods experience human emotions, have a human body and act like a human. You fall under the impression that a God and Shinki is on the two sides of the same coin, and soon after Noragami twists this idea on its head. The further the story progresses, the wider the divide between the existence of a God and a Shinki gets. It is genuinely heartbreaking what the world does to some Shinki, and how dark the story can get. Not as dark as actual Dark Fantasies or works of that nature would go, mind you, but darker than a normal Shonen would be willing to. It is also worth noting that even though this series is, in its core, a battle Shonen, most of the time you do not see fights or battles, most of the time is spent on dialogue and character interactions. When a fight is done, though, it pays off.
Art - 7/10
The art, while not spectacular, is a real treat to the eyes and can look really stunning when it wants to. It's somewhat inconsistent in the earlier parts but gets much better towards the latter part of the story.
Character - 9/10
As I mentioned in the Story section, this manga is not afraid to push very heavy weights onto its characters. The characters usually go through some hard tribulations to get where they are, and while there is usually not a drastic change in the way they act, the impact can always be somewhat felt. The main character, Yato, is very well thought out and any of his interactions is filled with smart writing. He is one of the selling points of this manga. Some side characters like Bishamonten, Kazuma and Kofuku are also among my favorites. Nora is also very well written and she is among one of my favorite antagonists ever, as towards the latter part of the story she turns from blank servant to a real character with properly understandable motivations and emotions. The story just started focusing on her so we may get some more of her, which I really hope we do.
Enjoyment - 9/10
I can't say much for this segment, as it is very subjective and I can't really explain why I enjoy it so much besides the reasons above, so I'll just let the rating speak for itself.
Overall - 8/10
Noragami is a manga that embraces its strengths and world in a very captivating way. It tells a story from multiple perspectives and as the story goes on, we start to see our main character Yato less and less often, and the side characters of the show get some much-needed attention, which makes its world feel all the more alive. I highly suggest you catch up with it, as it isn't that long at all. You can get through the entirety of the current chapters in maybe 2 or 3 sittings.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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