So if you're considering Noragami, please read my review as I think you may find it helpful :)
So, without further ado, here's the full review.
Story -- 8/10
Noragami follows the God Yato in his quest to build his own shrine by raising money and gaining popularity/followers. He works for the money by doing odd jobs around the city and charging a mere 5 yen.
During one of these odd jobs, he happens to be saved by a young high-school student known as Hiyori Iki from a bus accident. However during the process of saving the God, she ends up being stuck between the living and the afterlife, which consequently means she is forced out of her body as a spirit on occasion. And so, she demands of Yato to return her to normality.
The story ends up being a large collection of occurrences that drive the characters forwards. But really, the only 'end goals' presented seem to be the fact that Hiyori needs her body back to normal and Yato needs that shrine. Apart from that there is little plot. There are the villains that are introduced and the dramas that follow, so really there isn't this stereotypical massive end goal that the characters are all working for such as world domination or the such.
And maybe you'e thinking that it seems bland. But it surprisingly works very well! The darker undertones and the comic relief give you enough angst without it being tasteless and mystery enough to keep you watching more and more. Simply put, it's a concoction of different events that work beautifully together to provide a sense of purpose which the anime has definitely done a good job at.
Characters -- 10/10
Normally in an anime you will get a protagonist who will or has gone through a major event in his/her life which has ultimately affected him/her (in a positive or negative way). The change in character is often what is called 'character development' and usually is either shown to happen before the anime timeline (ie in the anime, they will show that the character was different in the past) or during the duration of the anime- (ie at the beginning of the anime, the character is one way, and at the end, he/she is different).
However, one of the best things about Noragami's protagonist is that his development is a combination of both before and during the anime :-
The main character, Yato, is a God of Calamity (disaster). Or at least he used to be. Yato was once a God who wore resentful eyes and killed both humans and shinki (also known as Regalia) without second thought. However, when the anime starts, he is a different man and no longer kills but he still holds some of his previous beliefs (as seen in some episodes with his opinions and threats). But as the story progresses, we see him mature a much gentler view as he tackles his past. In the manga -as it's further on - this is much more true.
Also, Yato is such a unique character; he serves as comic relief but yet he's also introduced to us as a character with a shady past who maybe we shouldn't trust. Mystery surrounds him and he's certainly the most interesting character. Without doubt, he's the best character in Noragami, and to me, one of my favourites of all time.
Then we have Yukine. He's the sarcastic, broody teenage boy who suffers to accept his death. At such a young age, he is taken away from his previous life and forced into an existence where he cannot interact with the living. Therefore he feels excluded and alone as he has no friends or family left. This leads him to a dark path where he rebels against the people who are consequently trying to help him (very teen-like behaviour). But you know what? That's exactly what he's entitled to act like- and although there is some hate for Yukine for acting this way-overall, it's completely understandable. And in fact, it adds a sense of realism to the anime and darker undertones of loneliness and despair... which personally, I love in an anime.
Hiyori Iki, the female lead, is arguably the least developed of the three- but by no means does that make her less likeable. She's the kind hearted character who acts like the mother-hen at times as she truly feels attached to both Yato and Yukine. But this kindness is not her weakness (as many females in other anime seem to fall under). It's actually a strength in many cases - her martial arts love helping her to not be the useless 'damsel in distress' character - which is brilliant because I personally hate those characters... (mind you contrary to what I just said, because the last 3 episode ish didn't follow the manga, she does end up becoming a bit of a damsel... but I digress. 90% of the time she's pretty bad ass and down to earth.)
The minor secondary characters are all also great. They all have their own individual quirks and they are introduced well. I really have no complaints, they are all very good.
Art - 9/10
Firstly, character design in brilliant. Noticeably the eyes of each character is given special attention and often stands out from the background -*insert fan-girl squeak here*- and I love it. Especially with Yato and flashbacks. Excellent.
As expected from Bones, Noragami gets solid art; with beautiful design and animation. The battles are also spectacular, with fluid motions and especially beautiful in HD. Especially the last battle which was very well done - applause.
Backgrounds are also very pretty/eerily when push comes to shove,delivering the right setting for the theme.
The only possible negative would be the overuse of Yato's move with Sekki, but it didn't bother me that much because it looked good anyway! (why replace something that looks good, right?)
Sound -- 10/10
Perfect. The sound went well with the setting, with a wide mixture of rock, pop, techno, classic and sometimes having Japanese influence infused in the music. And even though, I never listen to techno or pop, it went incredibly well in context; delivering fast pace music in battle to slow melodious piano solos in heartfelt moments.
My favourite OST must have been 'Roar of God' or 'Conversation Heart'.
And then there are the Opening and Endings, which are probably one of my favourites ever. I never skip them, where I usually would skip openings and endings in anime. They are just too good; getting you pumped for the next episode and just so excited!
Personal Enjoyment -- 9/10
With so many disappointing anime's this year so far; which either start out promising and lose their way, or can't even manage that much, it was such a breath of fresh air to find Noragami.
I marathoned it all in one night and then watched it again the next week! So if that doesn't show how much I enjoyed this anime, I don't know what else will.
I will say though that I haven't given it a 10 as I want a second season (for such an amazing anime, I was hoping it would last longer! >.
