Anime Reviews ⇢ Noragami
Noragami
Noragami
Average Rating: 9 / 10

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Ratings: 3
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Content Overview
Violence: 4 / 10
Nudity: 4 / 10
Theo Theme: 5.3 / 10
Neg Theme: 2.7 / 10

Brief Description:
Yato is a minor deity who lacks even a single shrine. In order to build his own shrine, he scrawls his cell number on the wall of a downtown bathroom telling people he will help them in exchange for a 5-yen offering, becoming a self-styled "delivery god." Hiyori, the daughter of a respectable family, is almost in a traffic accident, but is rescued by Yato. This causes her to become a "hanyou," a person who can easily lose her soul. She chases Yato down, and they begin to work together. Yato also finds a boy named Yukine who becomes a "sacred treasure" that can be used by a god. The three of them battle "you" who bring harm to humans as Yato's hidden history is gradually revealed.

Genres: action, comedy, supernatural
Themes: exorcists, goddesses, gods, monsters, shapeshifting

Internet Streaming: FUNimation Entertainment

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=15585

Aired: 2014
US Release date: None Yet
US Distributor: None Yet
My Anime List Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Noragami is complete at 12 episodes.
User Reviews
05/01/2014: ForeverInspired [ Already Rated ]

Violence / Gore: It mostly is slapstick violence. However, one character gets hit by a vehicle early on, and the camera quickly flashes to a new scene. Also, there are some flashbacks to some samurai style fighting with people getting cut down. When one boy is having trouble with bullies, another character gives him a knife and the option to solve with violence (he doesn't in the end). Finally, there are a few fight scenes in the end where characters get mortally wounded.

Nudity / Sexual Content: There is a bath scene where barely anything is visible. One boy sleeps with a girl when he is scared of the dark and has some dirty thoughts. In fact, we learn when he is having these thoughts because it affects another character. Two male characters go into the women's restroom for their "job" while another female goes in. Also, towards the end we see one girl without clothes - but it's not detailed. I guess you can say that she was in this floating state of "unconscious".

Potentially problematic theological themes: Main character is a god, and the show revolves around gods. The gods' helpers are those that have "passed on" but are still "around" in this world. They take various forms. The gods have to keep the unclean spirits out of the world. One character is on the cusp of life and death and has both a spirit body and normal body.

Other potentially problematic themes: There is some drinking, smoking, and swearing. Also, when the bully finds himself in a corner, he wets himself.

FINAL VERDICT: This was by far my favorite show from the Winter 2014 season. It was able to stick to the plot and develop its characters so fluidly. The music and animation are pristine. Also, the ending is satisfying while leaving enough room for a sequel (which I would love!). The series plays the comedy well, and the serious and touching parts really pull on heart strings. Highly, highly, highly recommended!

April, 2014: faithb4sight [ Already Rated ]

Note: This is a review of the Funimation English dub of this anime. Also, this review does not include the OVAs.
Edit: This review does not include the 2nd season of Noragami (Noragami Aragoto). I have created a separate review for that.

Violence / Gore:
There are quite a few fighting scenes in Noragami. Usually swords/whips/etc. are being used to disintegrate monster-like creatures. Occasional blood. Some people are shown considering suicide (this is portrayed as a negative thing). There is quite a bit of comedic violence.

Nudity / Sexual Content:
A couple of characters are shown while bathing/ during out-of-body experiences. The times when they are shown are usually during a scene of thoughtfulness - in other words they "just happen to be naked." That said, a side/frontal view of a fully nude female body is shown once or twice. The important bits are not detailed. There are also a few shots of a bare rear end.
As I said, usually the females are alone and thinking during these types of scenes. They are not being peeked on or anything like that. One guy does talk to a woman while she is in an outdoor bath - but there is nothing sexual about the scene.
While the nudity in Noragami did not come across (to me) as too risque in nature, it is worth mentioning for younger audiences, and for those negatively affected by such.
One character does have what we assume are "dirty thoughts" - but he does not appear lecherous. He attempts to touch a girl's chest at one point, but does not. Emphasis is placed on how his thoughts and actions like those are wrong - which was surprising and appreciated (by me).

Potentially problematic theological themes:
Noragami's plot revolves around a god (lowercase), Yato, who wants to be worshiped by oodles of people. He imagines this many times - his greatest desire is for people to offer him money. In exchange for their money, Yato grants the people's wishes.
There are other gods who are prayed to and who grant wishes in Noragami.
Also, there are many demon-like creatures who are destroyed by Yato and other characters. They are portrayed as evil and horrible - and are created as a result of fear, hopelessness, and other negative emotions.

Other potentially problematic themes:
Some minor swearing. A couple of instances where people are drinking (no one underage). One character does smoke cigarettes.

*
Noragami was, for me, quite enjoyable. I found it to be a brilliant mix of Blue Exorcist and Soul Eater, with a splash of Kamisama Kiss on the side. Basically, the kind of series I personally love watching. It's not a slapstick comedy, but it does have great humor - plus lots of action and the nice bit of emotional meat thrown in there, too. Oh, and the artistry is gorgeous. I certainly recommend to anyone who enjoyed the series I mentioned above.

April, 2014: Rose Faerie [ Already Rated ]

Violence: There is violence, though it's mostly against creatures. There is little to no blood in these scenes. There are flashbacks to bloodier scenes and the last few episodes entail a fight with some blood. I gave it a 4.

Sex and Nudity: There is quite a bit of non-sexual nudity, as characters are depicted in the bath. A few bare rear ends are shown, though arms, legs, hair, and objects cover and block all other parts.

A male character talks to one of the female characters while she is in the bath, though it's presented in a non-sexual way. A character's nude silhouette is shown as her mind enters the spirit world. A male character has dirty thoughts. We don't know what most of them are, we just know that he has them, the only exception being when he tries to feel up a girl in her sleep. (He's stopped.)His actions and thoughts are portrayed as negative. Bishamon spends most of the season wearing a bikini and a mini-skirt. I personally didn't have much issue with the nudity, as it felt tasteful and not invasive or degrading.

Theological Themes: The story centers around Eastern religion. Yato is a god who seeks worshippers at his shrine. The spirit world is discussed, and the main characters fight corrupted spirits. Other gods are involved in the plot as well, and not sprits work for them.

Problematic Themes: I'm pretty sure Yato got drunk once. There was probably minor swearing.

Overall: Noragami is a fantastic supernatural shonen anime. I love the detail when it comes to creating a world based on Shintoism. It has a strong focus on character drama, which is a big plus for me. Seriously, the comedy and drama were amazing. The story was good, though the ending wasn't the best, which keeps it from being a perfect 10.

The series is a very lovely one, which made me think about Jesus's sacrifice for us. The parallels between Jesus's relationship with man and Yato's relationship with Yukine were very interesting. Probably unintentional, but interesting nonetheless. Sacrificial love definitely plays a part in this series.

All of the characters introduced were well written. Our three leads are all outcasts in some way. Yato is a homeless god with a dark past and many enemies, despite seeming very goofy and cheerful. Hiyori is a normal girl with a penchant for pro-wrestling, who no longer can keep her soul inside her body. Yukine is the spirit of a young boy who has to deal with all the pain of his new life. Most of the other characters are equally charming and compelling.

The soundtrack was amazing, and the opening song is my favorite that I've heard so far. I also like the character designs and the art. It's very pretty.

I definitely recommend this one. The nudity is the thing that keeps me from recommending it to people, so I shall follow the manga's age recommendation and say older teens and up.

Added: April, 2014