If you wanna go straight to the review, go to [REVIEW]
I see some people bashing this show for "poor writing" and "nonsensical characters" the Deities and Yukine being the target of most of these complaints.
I've watched about 350 anime and at least from what I've seen (and what has been coming out the last 5 years) Aragoto's writing is at least above average, I could be wrong but calling it "poor" makes me think that these people have really unreasonable and biased metrics (you can correct me by providing me with 100+ exceptionally written anime, in which case yeah Aragoto's writing wouldn't measure up beyond the "mean")
As for the character complaints, you have a teenage boy, coping with the fact that he is dead and will probably never get to live like a human while being essentially a human being with human needs, I'm not sure what people (who have met real humans)actually expected from Yukine's character.
And as for the Deities, they are beings literally brought forth by people's wishes. They are meant to be how they are, they are meant to maintain a certain personality, Aragoto even explores that fact through the reincarnated characters as they have to learn their history and even exhibit that their core beliefs always transfer over. With all that out of the way.
[REVIEW]
Story: 7/10
The story in Aragoto explores many themes & things, introduced in the previous season, as well introducing new ones. The story is divided in two main Arcs, the 1st one focuses on Bishamon and the internal struggle in her clan, things escalate and Yato is brought into the fold, this arc is rather juicy in terms of revelations and character interactions and does a great job of moving the characters forward. The 2nd arc gets us a bit deeper into Yato's dark past and what his life has been up to this point. We really get to see Yato's internal conflict all leading up to its resolution. While the story arcs are engaging and help the characters move forward, as well as making the story more exciting, I couldn't help but feel that the show was a bit rushed in some instances. I haven't read the manga up to that point, but I feel that the show could have benefited from a bigger episode count. The final episode was gratifying, it offered a resolution to a central plot point and it made me feel pretty excited for what's to come.
Characters: 7/10
In this season the show focuses heavily on the beings of the Far Shore, specifically the Regalia, while I can't say much without spoiling, I can say that character interactions have gotten better since last season, the main ( and some of the supporting ) cast really get a chance to shine in the various situations, and you actually get to see Yato and Yukine grow both individually and as a God & Shinki unit. Hiyori and the rest of the cast both go through their own minor character arcs, but Yato and Yukine are definitely the ones taking the spotlight. We get to know a bit more about the Heavens and the relationships between the various deities and we get some really nice new characters introduced one of which actually caught me off-guard !! It's nice to see the characters being explored on a deeper level, but much like the story some characters seem to not get enough screen time, which sometimes diminishes their impact on both the story and the viewer.
Art: 8/10
As expected by bones, presentation is top notch, backgrounds are detailed, lighting and color effects are put to great use, taking advantage of the variable settings,atmospheres and tones the show features. Combat & action scenes are fluid and well animated, with directing being the only thing that occasionally feels off.
Sound: 7/10
As mentioned above Noragami features a variety in settings, atmospheres and tone. The reason that it's able to pull it off so well is in no small part due to its soundtrack. Tracks seem to match their scenes perfectly, to the point where music might actually tip you off as to what may happen(which depending on the individual may bea good or a bad thing), tracks are used to reflect the characters' emotional states in some occasions which I found to have an enhancing effect on their interactions. Voice acting is pretty good, the seiyuus for Yato and Yukine make a really good job capturing the characters emotions and their intensity, the rest of the performances while good are not really anything outstanding, my only comment being that they "fit well" their respective characters.
Enjoyment: 8/10
As a fan of the series and the manga, I really enjoyed Aragoto, the show kept a consistent quality across the board. Story was engaging and decently paced ( even if ti felt a bit rushed at times). Characters were delightful and entertaining, the show did a great job showcasing the main cast and developing them further and very importantly gave us a gratifying ending while setting fire to our anticipation for the show's continuation.
Overall: 7/10
