full page dedicated to stationmaster Tama in this Noragami arc where all the gods in Japan are getting together for an event

Chapter 106-2 thoughts

sorry this is LATE but this chapter did horrible things to my brain so let's all yell about it under the cut.

Daikoku continues to be the best character. And the Kofuku/Daikoku reunion I feel kinda got swept under the rug with everything else that happened but I'm glad they're back together. Even if the circumstances are less than ideal.

But before I move to talking about other reunions under less than ideal circumstances,,, I'm glad the shinki have rallied. It goes along well with the manga's message that shinki are responsible for shaping the morals of their god, and I would really hate to read a manga that ends with a massacre of the human race, besides.

On to the Father section, the meat of this chapter, I wonder why Kaya is nowhere to be found. Though her death was sudden, I suppose she didn't become a shinki nor an ayakashi, so Father's dimension can only create a facsimile. So was she satisfied with her life until that point? Or was she so afraid of Father she didn't want to become like him? The latter seems more likely to me.

The parallel between Father looking for Kaya to Yato wanting his shrine hurt me deeply. The difference, though, is that Father would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, whereas Yato had people to stop him and steer him. Like I speculated last month, too, I am not convinced that Father even believes in his own mission. It's more like he got drunk on power and enjoyed causing collateral damage, to me.

In any case, Yato was happy to settle and keep improving himself once he got his shrine, giving up his dreams of being the most-worshipped god since that wasn't really what he was after. Meanwhile, no amount of reparations could fix the damage Father has done, and unlike Yato, he wouldn't stop his behaviors even if Kaya was miraculously here. More likely, he'd try to force Yato and Hiiro back into their roles as his submissive children, and kill everyone who doesn't belong in his facade of a family portrait.

But Kaya is not here, Father has discovered that his will is not all-powerful, and now he's right back to where he started. Ruling over nothing.

The reminder of how Yato sees Izanami in the year 2023 was honestly so rude. And even more rude was that apparently Father knew Hiyori was here, and made an educated guess that Yato saw Izanami as her.

HERE'S HOW THE HIYORI SAKURA CONVERSATION CAN STILL WIN--

Okay so now we're at the Yatori reunion. I think "long-awaited" hardly covers this. It's been more than 5 years for us, and over a month in-universe, and even worse, Yato basically told Hiyori the next time he saw her he would have reincarnated. And now she sees him standing before her as a child. So. That's going well.

A couple things concern me about this. First of all, Hiyori's in poor condition, so something tells me she's going to believe he died and not find out the truth for quite some time. Which would break me beyond repair, so I hope that doesn't happen and I will not elaborate on what's in my head. Second, the reason she's like that at all is because of trash dad's interference. Yato still doesn't know about him setting wolves on her. He's going to quickly put two and two together, and on top of that, Yukine is also dissolving.

So, will Yato kill Father with his own two hands at long last? Will he revert to being an adult once he does? Will Hiyori realize the truth before they part ways forever? CAN WE HAVE A GOD DAMN BITTERSWEET ENDING? I'M GOING TO BE INCONSOLABLE IF WE DON'T.

I think. we will be fine. It's quite late in the game to kill any of the main characters now, but I never look forward to seeing how Adachitoka inevitably plans to hurt me. So with that in mind, I'll see you all next month for another round of screaming.

✨RECENT ANIME REVIEW✨

⚔NORAGAMI⚔

| don't actually feel like I have an incredible amount to say about Noragami, but it is the most recent anime that I've finished. So, I figured that I'd give a review on it next!

Season 1 unfortunately wasn't my favorite, but I knew that people talked about how good this show was. So I made sure to watch all the way til the end in order to give it a full chance for those who love this show.💙 As I started watching, I was slowly drawn to Yuki first - such a sweet, young kid who really was trying to figure himself out after realizing what he had become. It was an interesting story with his and Yato's relationship - but I enjoyed his development nonetheless. However, the main characters were not what drew me into this show. It was a side character that isn't seen much until season 2.👀

Kazuma was by far my favorite character of this show and the reason why I kept going. ❗SPOILERS AHEAD❗ When we first meet Kazuma🌸, we find out that he's the right-hand man of the woman who is single-handedly (with many regalia) trying to kill Yato.💀 As we get to hear bits and pieces of her story in the beginning, I couldn't help but wonder if she was actually justified. However, Kazuma immediately seems to take interest in Yuki and Yato against Bishimon (his god) and the other regalia under her command. However, never does it feel like he has malicious intent towards his god and neither does it feel like he has any ill intent towards Yato - which was what immediately drew me in. He was a gray character, almost appearing to refuse to stand on either side. Later on, when Yuki nearly befalls as a phantom due to "stinging"🐝 Yato many times, Kazuma is called upon to help in a ritual in order to "cleanse/ bear witness" to Yuki. At first, he appears to think better of it, but he has a kind heart and goes to help regardless. This again spoke to me because he was willingly helping his god's "rival" during a time that he could have just let Yato die.

Needless to say, the second half of Season 2 is my favorite. 🧡 It focuses quite a bit on Bishimon - and thus Kazuma. After episode 1 or 2 of Season 2, 1 found myself crying over & over & over again for these characters😭. I mourned for each of them as I watched so many things slip through their fingers as the god in charge was grasping at sand that she could no longer hold than control. The whole first half/arc of that season was BEYOND what I could have imagined & I've already thought about watching it all over again. Without giving too much away, the things I learned about Kazuma throughout that arc made me fall in love with him so much as a character and I found myself always asking, "when will I see him again?"🌸 He's so much I could have imagined and more than what I would deserve out of a character. Bishimon does not deserve to have someone as pure and loyal as him to be her right-hand man; in fact...! wouldn't imagine that anyone would.

The second half of Season 2 was also significantly better than Season 1, in my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I LOVED seeing the character development for Yato in that arc. 💙 I had already come to love Kazuma and Yuki at that point, and the end of Season 2 was when I finally started loving Yato for the character that he was as well. I'm a bit sad that it took as long as it did for me to enjoy the main character, but I am very excited to see what comes of him and his newfound destiny.

Overall, I enjoyed the show & would likely watch it again!😊💖

Happy 46th birthday Kamiya Hiroshi-san! | 28.01.2021

Alright I’m back to posting birthday celebration/top seiyuu roles stuffs (or at least for Kamiyan’s birthday). My last Kamiyan birthday post was in 2019, so let’s revamp my list now.

#1: Takashi Natsume - Natsume Yuujinchou

Soft Kamiyan is best Kamiyan. I’m sorry, but I guess I just love soft characters. I think I’ve gushed more than enough how much I love Natsume Yuujinchou, Natsume Takashi, and of course his small buta neko companion/self-proclaimed guardian. So here it is, Soft Kamiyan’s best cinnamon roll boi Natsume as my #1 favorite Kamiyan role (heck, my #1 favorite character, series, and performance ever). My heart expands three thousand times every time I hear Natsume speak.

#2: Kakushi Gotou - Kakushigoto

I’ll be honest. This is the reason why I’m coming back to making these posts lol. I just finished watching Kakushigoto and I am in love with it!!! Definitely one of the hidden gems of 2020. A story about a single father who’s trying to raise his daughter while hiding the nature of his job. And Kamiyan nailed Gotou. From his dramatic performance when he’s on the job to the soft and caring side when he’s with his daughter. Everything was just perfect. Hearing Gotou just feels so natural. 

#3: Izaya Orihara - Durarara!!

The heartless little bastard that was probably the first Kamiyan role that stole my heart. Again, Kamiyan gave Izaya life. Still one of my favorite Kamiyan roles to this day. It makes one wonder how this is the same man who voices soft Natsume. Speaking of, I remember thinking ‘I know this voice!’ when Kamiyan used his Natsume voice as Nakura in episode 2 I think

#4: Yato - Noragami

Season 3 when lol but well in all seriousness, Kamiyan as Yato is just amazing. He showed a wider range of emotion in Aragoto after we learn about his past as the God of Calamity, his desire to be the God of Fortune, and finally seeing him with Father for the first time. Just imagine how animated and voiced Yato will kill me if they ever decide to make a season 3 T-T

#5: Koyomi Araragi - Monogatari series

It’s a talent in and of itself to be able to voice a wide range of characters and make each and every one of them memorable. Though he’s that type of seiyuu whose voice is very recognizable, I never get bored. Koyomi is one such case, and I just love him so much. (Speaking of Monogatari, I have yet to see Arakawa Under The Bridge and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Huh, so Kamiyan worked with Akiyuki Shinbou in three series, whereas he worked with Omori Takahiro in two - NatsuYuu and Durarara, one of which is still ongoing)

Well, seems like my top 5 still hasn’t changed (except for one) xD But really though, four of the five are indisputable, they probably won’t be dropping out of the list any time soon. It is funny how many of my favorite main characters were voiced by Kamiya Hiroshi. Whereas I usually associate a seiyuu with their popular characters, I never do so with Kamiyan. Somehow, he feels low-profile yet he manages to score big roles that end up being famous and/or iconic. His characters always feel so natural to me.  

Honorable Mentions

HM1: Kusuo Saiki - Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan

Don’t you just love when Kamiyan voices characters who talk a lot? I know I do, lol. There was Araragi, and then Saiki. I remember him talking in the DGS radio about when he got the role. He wasn’t actually too keen on it xD but hey I love him as Saiki lol

HM2: Levi Ackerman - Shingeki no Kyojin

To be honest, I’m not much of a fan of Kamiyan’s Levi. I love Levi, not a fan of his voice lol. But I still gotta put him on this list. Because, well, one of his most popular roles to date? Yeah, lol. I said how Kamiyan’s voice is usually recognizable. That’s not quite the case with Levi. I still can’t find any trace of his voice whenever I hear Levi speak that you’d wonder how is it possible that the man behind Levi is also the one behind characters like Natsume, Yato, Izaya lol. Sometimes it feels like he had to force his voice to go that deep. 

HM3: Choromatsu - Osomatsu-san

Yeah I don’t follow Osomatsu-san, even though I want to. All my favorite A-list casts, but the comedy is just not my cup of tea ^^;; Still, I do love seeing some episodes, and the series is quite the phenomenon, so I’m gonna put him on the list. 

HM4: Tieria Erde - Mobile Suits Gundam 00

Seriously, there are a lot of other characters I want to put here. Like Ao no Exorcist’s Mephisto Pheles (Kamiyan was awesome here) or BSD’s Edogawa Ranpo (minor, but eh, still a popular series), but neither (not the characters or the series) are a favorite, so I’m going with Tieria Erde from Gundam 00. I’m not a Gundam fan. Not in the sense that I watched all series. But I do love mecha and even though Gundam 00 is more of a spin-off from the bigger Gundam narrative, I loved it. Great casts, enjoyable story. I guess this was before Kamiyan grew famous? Still, I did love Tieria, especially in the second season. That deadpan character who occasionally show emotion. 

HM5: Machina Kunagiri - Final Fantasy Type-0

I never played the game, tbh, but I wanted to mention him in the list because, well, Final Fantasy (and I’ve always been fascinated with Type-0′s lore). I wish Square would cast him in a mainline game. Well, he was casted as a minor role in FFX, but seeing Square’s trend of casting A-list seiyuu’s as their main characters, one could dream, right? To be fair, 7R mainly used their original cast from back in the 2000s and the main XV cast was decided also in mid 2000 (back from when it was still Versus XIII, though they changed Gladiolus’s seiyuu). I do wish they’d cast Kamiyan as, even if not a main character, a major supporting character. He’s not even in XIV when XIV has a lot of famous seiyuus in it. 

well, that’s my list for now. I realize that many of my favorite Kamiyan roles are from recurring series. When I first made the list two years ago, I was surprised by how few roles I can list, because apparently all my favorites are from long ongoing series or ones that spawn many seasons. Look at NatsuYuu, Osomatsu, Monogatari, and SnK lol. No wonder it always feels like I hear Kamiyan every season xD

Not u calling out r*pe culture in fandoms but coincidentally watching noragami that happens to contain a content which sexualize a minor, yea yato might look young but hiyori’s still a MINOR

Now I’m about to take this apart in multiple steps and it is going to be very long so everyone let’s enjoy this ride.

Firstly, why are you on anon? You really approached me in an accusatory way as if you knew me. And if you did you know that I don’t take offense to people disagreeing with what I say. What I do dislike is people who come to my blog and try to do a little hit and run. You say something just shy of a personal attack and don’t have the courage to say it on main. When I have a problem with someone I don’t want to keep going back and forth over anon. it is boring and extremely underwhelming to “argue” with faceless and factless people.

Two, there is little to no correlation between the two. I criticized rape culture in fandom. AKA i used this site to criticize content made by other people on this platform and platforms like it and I did it in a way that was informative and critical but not an attack on anyone. There was no gotcha moment like you’re trying to do with me. I then proceeded to ask a question about an anime I had just begun watching, which if you had followed me you would have known because I had posted about me watching like the 5th episode of the series more recently and it would have been higher on the dahsboard. you know what that tells me? you either ignored most of my posts until you found something to leverage against me or you sought it out. lame

Let’s talk about Noragami because I have no problems with criticizing the media I intake, I did it with jujutsu kaisen, the fandom that prompted this ask. Does Noragami cross lines? Absolutely. So do a lot of animes and I’m willing to admit it. But let’s not act like the few out of pocket one off jokes make the entire series nor do they contribute to a larger problem like the desensitization of rape and pedophilia through fanfic’s portrayal of these things as acceptable because they come from someone you admire or a character you like.

Yato treats both Yukine and Hiyori as children. There are times when I’ll admit his overfamiliarty with the two of them blurs the lines but he does not sexualize Hiyori. When Yato blushes at anything involving Hiyori it is because she paid him a genuine compliment that he is most definitely not used to receiving as a smaller god who is only ever looked down upon or villainized. 

In fact many times Yato is not being perverted or sexual towards Hiyori at all but because in the show it is a running joke that he is a delinquent or a pervert his words or actions that appear totally innocent to the audience are twisted in her mind. When Hiyori feels threatened or sexualized she retaliates by kicking him or beating him up. I repeat, a running joke in the show is that if Hiyori feels threatened or sexualized by anyone older than her she is to retaliate violently. Not only that but Yato also tries to stop Yukine from violating boundaries as a hormonal preteen.

Yato is careless with his words on occasion but never does he try to peek at Hiyori, flirt with her, have her take her clothes off in anyway or sexualize her. She is the only person to show him true respect and he wants to keep her around. They build familial bonds. If and If the show had sexualized Hiyori I most definitely would be open to critiquing it and would probably stopped watching the show

Have you actually watched the show or did you see some clips and run with a half baked idea while trying to catch me off guard? 

How Yukine’s box closes and the upcoming Daddiest Heaven’s Arc

I must be the only one not currently into the Yukine’s past arc. Perhaps it’s because it kinds of happened before. I guess I have to re-read to catch on the emotional cue as to how he was driven to betray Yato. The whole “why don’t you trust me as a Shinki” thing. Of course Father, or to borrow the fandom’s terminology, Trash Dad™, manipulated the poor child into betraying Yato but the child also has heard about Trash Dad and what he had done to Yato, has he not? I know, I know, he’s an abused and manipulated child, and we literally cannot count on children all that much to know and do the logical thing. And that’s on Yato too for not... just communicate, man. Ahh, they’re all survivors of parental abuse--Yato, Yukine, Hiiro--displaying severe symptoms of trauma most particularly their inability to healthily and clearly communicate. I know, I know, I just get upset following this arc, because I know the tension is high for a reason but the narrative is a little trope-y with the whole “Main Character’s Precious Fluff Turned Evil Plotline™” I can’t remember where I have seen it but every time it happens I do not like it. The taunting of “ooh its me but I’m bad now I’m so much better without you” while main character has to beg them to remember what they share. I truly wish there was a way to advance the plot without having to go this route because it was foreseeable, at least for me.

I have not a single evidence about how it’s gonna be resolved, but this is my guess based on years of reading tropy shonen manga: the power of love, trust, and friendship (+perhaps other gods, probably Bishamon who just woke up, because of her tie to Kazuma, and Nana who recently was reminded that Bishamon is her benefactor) will lead to team Yato’s winning Yukine back. The God’s end-of-year Cleansing Party will coincide with this battle and Trash Dad will lose to Yato (or collective effort with the presence of other gods). In this process he will let known other information about his past and why he hated the Heaven so much. This information will implicate Yato or compromise his position, forcing him to be torn between the Father whom he wants to get away from but is still tied emotionally and the Heaven whom he knows is not just. Basically choosing between the lesser evil. It might make him wanting to renounce godhood. But Heaven will swoop in and take Trash dad away like they always do without letting Yato processing this information or learning more from him, and thus we will enter a new arc where the speed and stake are both heightened: who runs Heaven and how Heaven’s ancient wars (including the purging of Arahabaki) relates to the emergence of Trash Dad--how he came to be in relation to the loss of his loved one. The narrative point will move to explore those conflicts, and Yato might be forced to go against the heaven one more time to get to his dad (to rescue or access or otherwise) in order to find out the truth. Meanwhile the Gods™ crew finding out Ebisu’s old documents will come up with something related to this past. I’m guessing the underlying plot of heaven will be about the order of things, how the system of Shinki and Ayakashi are created or developed, to loop back into the brush that they stole from Izanami that Ebisu was obsessed over 2 arcs ago. This is just out of my ass and based on no indication whatsoever from the manga, but I’m gonna say that Heaven’s deep dark secret is that it could literally save all human soul after they die but they let Ayakashi run rampant so that Gods have something to do and Shinki can be created to kill Ayakashi. Hence their need to execute Ebisu on the spot without needing further investigation about what he was trying to get from Izanami. Because they K N O W the only thing that could be taken from there--a way to control Ayakashi. In Noragami’s world, since it draws from Shinto, hellish stuff doesn’t exist and it seems like the scariest thing is just a bundle of Ayakashi that is at best 5 slices away. So what other drama can it be, right? Trash Dad is trash but he by no means will be the last villain of the series based on the way he is portrayed. At this point, we kind of have to align with his view about how Heaven conducts things--based on the two events of Ebisu’s execution and the battle with Bishamon. Damn, talking about having no due processes.  A lot of people have theorized about Amaterasu being forced to reincarnate to carry out Heaven's will. My (mostly trollish) brain comes to a theory of another Trash Dad, the most trash of all what which is none other than Izanagi who has something to do with whatever bullshit is happening in Heaven. 

- First, it’s because Trash Dad and Child abuse seems to be having its moment and everywhere we look there’s a trash dad, and everywhere we turn there’s a kid being abused so why not go all the way. If Her Highness Amaterasu also has a trash dad who are we to demand better.

- Second, since Izanami has been introduced, Izanagi has to show up and in one of the tales about them he legit locked her in Yomi after seeing her decomposing body. The tale went something like this: 

Izanami passed away after birthing a bunch gods, and went into Yomi. Izanagi followed her but couldn't rescue because she already ate Yomi’s food. She pleaded with the gods but the waiting process was long, and Izanagi couldn’t fucking wait despite being instructed to do so. He charged in to see that she was a decomposed body and peaced the fuck out, leaving a large stone right at the gate of Yomi after escaping. After fleeing from Yomi, that’s when Izanagi created Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, Susanoo, and Shina-tsu-hiko.   

Husband of the year Izanagi is not--so I’m guessing our authors will do something with this tale concerning the brushes or Izanami’s ability to create Ayakashi (to be her friends since her husband sucks) versus Izanagi’s ability to create gods. 

- Lastly, the first child of Izanami and Izanagi was said to be Ebisu. They were doing a marriage ritual and fucked it up, with Izanami speaking first and thus the child being born is deformed they put it out on a basket and let it float in the sea. Since this detail was mentioned in the manga to a certain extent, I’m guessing we’ll meet the father, esp when Ebisu made it a point to come see mommy and borrow her creation. In a way he’s defying father’s rules (if we’re going with the theme of Trash Dad’s power trips) to create a world after his ideals rather than traditions. And since Ebisu has such an emotional punch (even tho he was there for a whooping few chapters) and played the greatest role in inspiring Yato to go against his own Trash dad, I assume that this character building means something.

OK I was only gonna complain a lil bit about this arc but here I am 2 hours later full into theorizing mode. Hello, I just started watching Noragami anime 3 days ago and now I have finished everything there is and read all the blogs and probably all the theories. I have the last question that I wanna ask: How the fuck did Yato’s Trash Dad get to Heaven in the Heaven Treason Arc??? If he’s not a god or not having a shrine, how did he get there, or did I miss something??

Calamity bears human face

These are my thoughts on the first half of 87-2. Spoilers ahead!

I really, really liked the second part of chapter 87. Adachitoka still refuse us Yukine’s entire past, but maybe that’s for the best. If what we’ve been shown so far causes this many emotions in the fandom, I’m scared to think what would have been if they revealed everything at once. But… this post isn’t about Yuknie. Not because I don’t like his character, but because I really want to discuss the first 10 pages of the new chapter.

As I expected, we got some of Father’s flashbacks this time. Except they were about the part of his life that had Yato in it, probably several years (?) after Sakura’s death.

Yato not wanting to kill people isn’t that strange, since he started “slacking off” because of Sakura’s influence, and we know that by this point Hiiro would take initiative whenever Yato wouldn’t put his heart in performing Father’s jobs, as shown in chapter 47. Interestingly enough, when Yato suggested that Father should kill people himself, the former answered that he “was killing gods, at least” – implying that he didn’t kill humans with his own hands.  Father’s words about killing gods do sound sinister but as we’ve already seen and will see later in the chapter, not all gods are warriors like Bishamon, Takemikazuchi and Yato himself, so I wouldn’t be too intimidated by this phrase.

His line about the uselessness of killing gods without killing people though … The idea is obvious and logical, so I don’t see the point in developing it further, but even now I think that Father did not choose the most efficient way to do it. Even if Yato stayed under Father’s total control, one god of calamity doesn’t seem to be that big of a threat on a global scale, contrary to whatever Nora has to say later in the chapter.

The thing that caught my attention on these pages is Father’s words about shrines. Yato already revealed before that someone would always tell him he didn’t need a shrine, that someone being Father. Up to this point I simply thought that this was needed to cultivate Yato’s fear of being forgotten – if he doesn’t have a shrine, it’s all the more easier for him to disappear without any chances to reincarnate. The idea that Father actually thinks that shrines are useless somehow never crossed my mind, although now that I see it on paper it makes total sense.

And since Yato raised the question, I’ll take it from here. He said he didn’t understand why did needed to destroy humans if life would be boring without them. I’ve always asked this question in regard to any character whose end goal is total annihilation – what’s the point? Sure, Father isn’t aspiring to be an evil overlord as to ask him a question “who are you going to rule over if there’s no one left”. But his goal, apparently, is killing all gods and also all humans so that old gods can’t reincarnate while new ones can’t appear. But what exactly is he going to do if he succeeds? Die while feeling the satisfaction of revenge accomplished? It’s just so hard to understand someone whose views  are so different than your own.

I wish I could say that the small local kami that attacked Yato proves that Father’s words about shrines are wrong, but what happens next actually corroborates his statement. Partially.

One the one hand, the villagers’ prayer was heard, and the local kami attacked Yato for destroying the village. But Father just crushed her. So in the end, the kami wasn’t able to so anything about these humans’ problem, so yeah, their wish wasn’t granted.

This scene also demonstrates that yes, Father can actually kill gods. The more important thing about it though is that Yato sees it. We have already seen just how much Yato used to fear death for the majority of the series. However, knowing that Father has the ability to kill Yato by forgetting him is one thing; but witnessing him kill a kami just like Yato really drives it home. And it’s all the scarier how Father simply intercepted Yato’s weapon – he just summoned Chiki, who moments earlier was in the boy’s hands. Just look at Yato’s face, you can see the terror.

And Father didn’t really have the need to kill that kami. What could they have done with a chopstick anyway?  Maybe he god mad at this kami actually answering people’s prayer, disproving his point. Or maybe he just hates the gods so much he couldn’t stand even seeing one of them, so he just had to kill them.

(BTW, does anyone know what’s with the blindfold? I’ve tried looking it up but never found anything).

Nora and Hiyori’s dialogue is my favorite part the chapter, there are just so many things to unpack here. First, “Father would praise the god called Yato”. Is it just me, or is Nora jealous? We saw in Yato’s memories that Father actually praised both his children. Then again, we also saw that he punished Nora when he wanted Yato to behave. Considering that Yato grew increasingly reluctant to kill humans, and Nora had to take the lead and finish Yato’s work, this kind of jealousy is unsurprising. Nora was Father’s right hand girl and supported him all the way, but between the two of them Yato would receive more attention.

“But at some point, Yato started mourning the deaths of other people”.  Yeah, we know at what point – Nora must be referring to the time when Sakura was still alive. I’ll just throw in a couple of pics from chapter 47 to remind you why Yato started mourning people.

“When calamity strikes, people always become more devout”. This must be one of the most powerful quotes in the entire manga, because it encapsulates one of the foundations of the Noragami universe. Gods exist to grant human wishes, but who would have more reasons to pray – someone who has it all, or someone who’s in trouble? Remember the main reason why people start seeing the Far shore and things that relate to it.

Of course humans would turn to gods if they can’t solve their problems themselves; that’s the reason they exist. I’ve already mentioned it in the post about memory and memories – the idea of a being that isn’t bound by human constraints, is immortal and can help out when there’s nothing else left takes shape of a person, and that’s how a god is born. Although there’s another reason, too – people hope that if calamity is sentient, you can bargain with it. That’s how people started worshiping Tenjin – not to ask for something they don’t have, but to beg him not to take something they already possess.

It may be that, by sending Yato to obliterate villages, Father was hoping not just for thinning out people, but for a somewhat different reaction from them.

“That boy loved people”. This line is just so heartwarming. And Hiyori already said it before. She saw Yato’s past and how even back then he tried to help humans – like making snow shoes for people in need. She understood him and accepted him.

I don’t really have anything to add to Father wanting “to do something” though. I’ve already said before that Father is done with being the game master and wants to be an actual player. Apparently, he is waiting for Yukine to discover GGS completely before summoning him as a weapon.

The line about natural disasters having human faces caught my attention before the chapter was even translated.  When people die because of natural disasters, it’s horrible, but there’s nothing you can do about it. We can say that “we need to build sturdier houses/dams/etc.”, “we need to take better precaution measures”, and we try, but you can’t possibly predict everything. But in a world where the sun, the moon, the lightning, etc. are personified as gods, a.k.a “have faces”, not only there’s a way for someone to direct their wrath at those faces, but there’s the question of why these sentient elements of nature do these things that hurt humans.

Let’s look at some of the examples of gods harming Nakatsukuni, the world of humans.

Chapter 7 – Bishamon cuts down a grove to get to Yato

Chapter 8 – Kofuku’s vent releases a horde of ayakashi, which results in rising crime rates in Tokyo

Chapter 60 – Bishamon causes a local hurricane to locate Father

Chapter 66 – Takemikazuchi transforms into lightning to fight Yato

The gods harmed the world of humans, but it wasn’t for fun. Bishamon was guided by her thirst for revenge both times. Kofuku was helping her friend. Takemikazuchi became angry because his guide was hurt. All of them felt very human emotions. Except, since they are gods and their power surpasses that of an average human, the result of their outburst is a dead grove, rising crime rates, a damaged school. They aren’t actually trying to purposefully hurt humans but for those who suffer from these actions that’s hardly a consolation. And like I said, it’s one thing when you don’t really have anyone to blame, because the wind that destroyed your house doesn’t hear you, and another, when that wind has a face.

I think that when Father sent Yato to destroy villages, he hoped that the calamities would make people turn away from the gods. After all, people don’t always become more devout during trying times, sometimes they turn away from religion, which is what happened with Father himself. There’s a phrase going around the Internet – it was allegedly written on the wall of a Nazi concentration camp by a Jewish inmate: “If there is a God, He will have to beg for my forgiveness”. I don’t know how true this story is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s real.

And even with all this in mind, I still don’t understand Father’s logic. Suppose he doesn’t destroy all of humanity, but does manage to kill all gods. I don’t think it would change that much. Amaterasu, for example, is depicted as the sun incarnate, but… if she’s killed forever, will the Sun go out, too? I understand that I’m going off the rails and into the cosmogenic myth territory here, but I can’t help it. If there are no gods left, but the forces of nature continue to destroy human lives, then Father’s actions hardly change anything. (Look at me, trying to find a reasonable explanation for an unhealthily long revenge plan). Also, don’t forget that gods of other religions canonically exist in Noragami – what is Father going to do about them, I wonder?

As for “someone” being killed by the Heavens, I’ve recently made an assumption that the pock-marked girl’s death could have been a payment of sorts to bring Father back from the dead. I made this assumption knowing that Father’s words in chapter 60 imply that gods were more involved than that. What Nora said here about Father hating attributing gods’ actions to natural disasters makes it obvious that the girl died because of one of such catastrophes. I’ve looked some more at that page from chapter 60, and I still don’t see any visible damage on the girl. However, Adachitoka emphasize a skeleton lying in a field near a dead tree. Also, I’ve turned the page upside down to get a better look, and now this skull haunts me.

Was it a drought, a famine that killed her? Or the smallpox? If these are her remains, why didn’t Father bury them? Who then helped him return from Yomi? We know it was a soul summoning, after all. So many questions that are yet to be answered.

However, even if we didn’t get all the answers yet, these ten pages did reveal a lot.

-          Nora knows Father’s backstory, but not all of it. Apparently, it’s a thing so painful that Father can’t tell everything even to his most devoted supporter.

-          Sakura’s influence on Yato was even stronger than I thought.  It’s possible that Father changed his course of actions and started giving Yato jobs that involved punishing criminals soon after the scene we saw in this chapter.

-          Father, apparently, thinks of himself as some kind warrior of justice while ignoring the fact that he does as much harm as the gods, and that he is a calamity with a human face.

 P.S. that page with the human faces of nature absolutely rocks.

Behind the Blog - 20 Years in the Making

5 years ago, I wrote “Behind the Blog - 15 Years in the Making.” It was a post detailing how I was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2000 and the experiences that led to me starting this blog. 

Now it’s 5 years later and I want to look back at that post a bit. I’m also going to discuss further insights about my past that I remembered and recent thoughts learned over time.

In my recent post about Komi Can’t Communicate, I mentioned my parents being worried about me having a possible communication disorder at the age of 2 and their decision to put me through special education classes. I joke that my life was doomed from the start even though it turned out I was alright. My father recently told me that when I was in pre-kindergaren, he was stalked by two men who wanted to rob him. After going on a school trip, I was dropped off by the special education class at a certain spot and my father went to pick me up. Once he did, he realized he was being followed while taking me home. Thankfully, he went inside a store with a security guard at the front door and nothing happened.

I’m really glad that nothing bad happened in front of my eyes. I don’t know how I would have processed it all. My parents have told me stories of how bad New York City was back in the 1970s’-1980s’. They have been robbed several times when they first moved to America. Before I was born, my mother was pregnant and was chased by three men who wanted to rape her. She got away, but fell down to the ground while escaping. My mother had a miscarriage as a result. The funny thing is that a few months later, she was pregnant with me.

It’s so freaking surreal to me whenever I think about that. I would not be here if it weren’t for that incident.

I also think back to that time in 2001 when I decided to be hospitalized. I told a college guidance counselor back in 2000 that I was hearing voices. That was a big reason why I stayed at the hospital. In hindsight, I was faking it. I think I just wanted attention and did it in a way that hurt everyone around me. I never heard voices at all. A thing that people with mental illness sometimes like to do is to dramatize things to get the attention of those around them. While it’s important to address their concerns, caregivers aren’t gods. They’re human beings with boundaries. Caregivers are placed with unfair expectations on handling mental illness in their loved ones. Now that I look back at the situation, I wished someone was there to shut me up in a compassionate way.

Speaking of college, there was one guidance counselor who I spoke with before I dropped out that said something that resonated with me. She said, “You know, I can see you being famous one day.” I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn’t pay much attention. After starting the blog, I went back to that college to attend an anime convention there and hoped to speak with that counselor again. I wanted to thank her because at the time, I felt that she was right in some way as I was going up the ranks in the manga blogging community. Unfortunately, she wasn’t working there anymore.

It’s funny because I’m not interested in chasing fame much anymore. I’m content with where I’m at.

I now want to think back to this passage I wrote in the 15-year post.

“But I’ve gone on to stay in good shape and I’m healthier than almost all of my relatives. I think it’s because deep down, I really wanted to live despite those dark desires. That or those good habits provided some physiological relief. I don’t think I’ll ever try to commit suicide. I’m too much of a coward for that. I’ve only just started to “live” a normal life honestly.

I was reading Noragami Volume 7 and it highlighted an important note about the main character, Yato. He is afraid of being forgotten. I think almost all depressed individuals have some fear of that. We want to be validated and we want people to let us know that they care. I also remember Great Teacher Onizuka Volume 17, where one of my favorite characters, Urumi Kanzaki, was going to commit suicide despite all pleas by her teacher, Onizuka, to stop doing so.

He went to great lengths to save Urumi and she realized how much he cared about her well-being. Do I want someone to sacrifice their own lives to save me? I don’t know, but I feel that I want to know that even in the darkest of moments, someone would come and physically stop me from going down a path where I never come back. In Noragami Volume 7, there was a moment where Yato saved a suicidal student and told him to never kill himself in front of him. I want to be the person to stop someone from ending their life.

It’s funny, right? I have thoughts about dying several times throughout my life, but I don’t want anyone to end their lives in front of me or other people. Maybe it’s because I don’t want them to understand how I felt. No one should. The thoughts I have can be warped and frightening to many.”

Here’s the sad thing - I considered suicide a year later after this post. I felt someone wanted me to go away for good. Someone did save me though. And then stuff happened that led me to question relationships (which thankfully got a lot better as the years went on). 

But after it was said and done, starting around 2017, I began to stop hating myself. I still have doubts from time to time and I realize that it’s okay to think about them. The world still treats people with mental illness and mental health problems like crap, so I decided to be more forward in learning how to best fight that kind of discrimination. I practiced self-compassion over self-esteem. That was the start of limiting my social media presence in an attempt to not feel pressured by external validation. This year, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I also stopped attending therapy with mutual agreement from my social worker and psychiatrist. I felt like I can finally start to manage things on my own. 

It took 20 years to reach that point and I have felt some shame that I’m not at the level of my peers that are the same age as me. I’m getting close to 40, but feel like a 30 year old. I try not to compare too much with other people because honestly, they probably have gone through tough times as much as I have. Maybe not to the extent of a mental illness, but certainly stuff that makes them question life.

Compared to how I was 5 years ago, I’m more reflective and compassionate. I’ve embraced all parts of my humanity. While people believe I’m a good person, I know I can be capable of hurting people in terrible ways in times of duress. I don’t have this highly inflated positive view of myself. In a way, that’s kept me grounded. I dislike it when people say that they’ll never be this way or feel that way. The blunt truth is that life will test you in so many ways and you’re going to make mistakes (sometimes horrible ones) whether you like it or not. Admitting that you’re wrong about certain things is something I wish more people were receptive to doing. Humility is truly a mind healer when cultivated properly.

I’ll end this with some lines from the video game NieR: Automata. I finally played it this year and the game left such a grand impression on me. I loved its emphasis on trying to find meaning even when everything about the world is questionable. NieR: Automata reminded me why and so many fans LOVE Japanese pop culture media. The game gets very depressing, but I found out that the game’s creator, Yoko Taro, received messages from fans who wanted to kill themselves, saying that NieR: Automata gave them hope to live. In the true ending and without giving out heavy spoilers, one character poses a question to another about the cycle of trauma happening again for a certain group of characters that went through so much due to story events, the responding character said this,

“I cannot deny the possibility. However, the possibility of a different future also exists. A future is not given to you. It is something you must take for yourself.”

I now feel that I got some strength to take a future for myself and hopefully people I care about. I finally understand what it means to take care of myself compared to 5 years ago. My “manga series” may end one day, but I’m glad to spend a good part of it writing here. I look forward to exploring myself further on this blog, thanks to you all.

Got any good recommendations for someone who is new to anime but has watched and enjoyed KonoSuba and Hataraku Maou-Sama (this one I watched bc you recommended it to someone else!!) Thanks x

Welcome to Anime! Here are some recommendations if you like The Devil is Part timer (I’ve actually never watched KonoSuba) but I hope these recommendations help!

Hamatora The Animation (9/10): The anime centers around people called Minimum Holders. These Minimum Holders live along side humans in secret, and they have special abilities. The main character, Nice, is a minimum holder. Nice has the ability to move at the speed of sound. Together Nice and his friend Murasaki works as a team of Private Investigators known as Hamatora. Soon Hamatora’s odd jobs turn into a serious situation where they need to find a way to bring peace between Humans and Minimum Holders. This show has silly moments and the characters are similar to The Devil is a Part Timer. Both shows have loyal sidekicks and similar pacing. Supernatural, Mystery, Action

Noragami (10/10): Yato is a shrine-less God and conducts odd jobs so he can one day buy his own shrine. One day while he’s trying to find a missing cat, he is saved by a human girl name Hiyori who can actually see him (most humans can’t see magical beings from the farshore). In the process of saving Yato, Hiyori’s soul becomes loose and sometimes slips out of her body. Together Hiyori and Yato work together to find the solution for her slipping soul. These shows are similar because they have powerful men performing basic jobs (that they take very seriously) in order to reach a goal. They also share similar comedy styles and great action Supernatural, Comedy, Slice of Life

Kaze no Stigma (8/10): Kazuma has been banished from his family for four years due to his magical ability to control wind. He learns that several of his family members have been killed by wind magic and he becomes the prime suspect. Desperate to clear his name he teams up with his cousin Ayano who can manipulate fire. Ayano and Kazuma hate each other which is similar to the devil is a part timer. Ayano and Kazuma both want to find out who is killing people and best the other in the process. This anime also involves the use of magic in the normal human world. Plus is has a powerful female lead Supernatural, Mystery, Action, Romance

Black Butler (9/10): At first glance these two shows might not be similar, but upon closer inspection they have a lot of similarities. First they both have someone who is a magical being serving humans. In black butler Ceil makes a deal with a demon, Sebastian, to get revenge on those who have wronged him. He works under the Queen of England to fight drug dealers and murders. Sebastian happily works as a butler for Ceil. Together they face off against supernatural beings like angels and other demons. This show is full of comedy and smart comments. This show has darker elements and themes than the devil is a part timer Action, Slice of Life, Supernatural, Violence, Mystery

A Good Anime, but Nothing Special

Over the past few months I have been watching anime that is quite well known and fan favourites among the anime community. The last anime I watched, Noragami, wasn’t quite as compelling a watch as some of the recent anime I’ve seen. I will emphasise that Noragami was a good anime. It had intriguing characters, a good concept and a fairly coherent storyline (for the most part at least - but more on that a bit later). However it didn’t quite grip me as much as other anime.

The story of the anime is told from the perspective of Yato, a demi-god without a shrine of his own. Being without a shrine, he agrees to grant any wish for five yen, which is about the equivalent of 4 pence. Yato grants these wishes, mainly by fighting and defeating demons, with the assistance of his Regalia, which is a human spirit that has the ability to turn into a weapon, such as a sword, that Yato uses. The first episode also introduces a middle school student named Hiyori Iki, who is the second main character. Hiyori has been involved in a traffic accident that causes her soul to frequently leave her body and giving her the ability to travel through town with amazing speed and agility without her human body limiting her movement. However, she is unhappy with this situation and asks Yato to stop her soul from leaving her body. Before Yato agrees he has to find a new Regalia, after the first one leaves him in the opening minutes of episode 1.

I really liked the concept behind this anime. I think it would be quite cool to be a demi-god and use a Regalia, although watching the anime has made me think about whether I would want to use a sword Regala, like Yato’s, or a gun that would allow you to shoot from a distance, like those owned by some other characters in the anime. I think fighting with a sword looks quite cool and I would love the ability to be able to do this, like Yato does in the anime. However I am pretty sure that I would spend most of the time with my Regalia, picking it up off the floor after trying to do some cool looking flourish and dropping it. So I think a gun would be a better choice for me, because at least it would mean I could hit something.

I mentioned above that the story was slightly confusing, and that is because it seems to have two endings. Usually an ending of an anime, or any TV show or film, involves all the characters you have met so far coming together to solve a problem. This happens in episode 8 and then again in episode 12, which is slightly confusing for someone watching the anime. In fact I was tempted to turn it off after episode 8 because I thought that was the anime over.

Noragami was a very good anime, however I just dont think it was up to the same standard as a lot of other anime I have watched recently, although it was quite a fun watch and I would not say that I regretted watching it. Obviously, this would be a recommendation, despite me not enjoying it as much as some others. There is a season 2 of Noragami, which goes under the title of  Noragami Aragoto, which I have not seen, but if season 1 is anything to go by, I wouldn't mind giving it a watch at some point in the future.

I’ve been getting rlly into anime lately and I’m not opposed but I do find that I like a lot of the more light hearted ones than the darker themed ones — do u have any other recs ??

oh boy oh boy DO I

idk what you’ve seen/not seen but these r like my all time fav ones hehe

say i love you: i’ve mentioned this one like a million times but i will never - NEVER - be over this. it is my favorite romance/drama anime of all time. it’s so sweet and the characters are so likable - you follow the main character, mei, as she learns to love and make friends.

fairy tail: i’ve also mentioned this one over and over but this is definitely one of the most light-hearted anime i’ve seen; it’s super funny and powerful and gets you pumped up to end (and, if ur anything like me, makes u really appreciate your friends)

blue exorcist: this one is Kind of dark? but it gets a lot lighter and funnier after the first/second episode. honest to god this anime makes me!! so happy!! the whole premise is the main character, rin, finds out that he’s the son of satan and goes on this journey to become an exorcist so he can defeat his own father.

kimi ni todoke: fuck dude. this one’s a close second to say i love you just because it’s so wholesome. this shit made me feel SO MUCH. sawako kuronuma is often seen as scary because her name sounds like sadako, from the ring, and she wants to try and make friends. luckily for her, popular boy shouto kazehaya is here to help.

noragami: another kind of dark one but it’s really not that bad, it just tends to have more serious moments. regardless, i really admire this one because you see so much character growth throughout the series (especially if you end up reading the manga). hiyori is a high schooler who ends up having the bad habit of being disconnected from her body, and she sends a wish to a lowly god of fortune - yato - to help solve her problem.

mekakucity actors: watched this one in august this year and it’s honestly in my top 5. i first found it through a bunch of this composer’s - Jin - songs that a whole bunch of people did english covers of (namely jubyphonic, my hero-) and the story is easily captivating. i can’t really summarize this one, but it’s simply beautiful. if i think of the last episode i still get chills. it has the tendency to be a little darker than the ones listed above but it is well worth the watch!!!

19,29

19. favourite anime ships

29. anime that deserves another season

Thank you so much for this ask! (I recognize you from some other asks so thank you for your continued support)

Since these asks are quite deep for me, I will be putting a line to hopefully spare people from having to read all my nonsense.

[Send me an anime ask!]

19. Favourite anime ships

I did make a top ten ship thing for my other blog, but I want some more here anyway! These are from both the post and from the other one on my other blog!

Wotakoi:Hirotaka x Narumi: Two noobs in love trying to figure it out (despite being childhood friends– which is one of my favourite relationship tropes)Koyanagi x Kabakura: They butt heads with no ill intent. You can tell they care deeply about each other.

Hotarubi no Mori e: Hotaru x GinIt only took me 45 minutes to get invested. So smooth, so heartwarming.

Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo: Urara x RyuuBoth of them are both intelligent. They solve mysteries together. One of the only good harem (ecchi) anime I’ve seen.

Toradora: Taiga x RyuujiGreat development, nice characters, and the supporting cast and ending all let this fall together nicely.

Fullmetal Alchemist:Edward x Winry: Childhood friends who have seen each other at rock bottom. They care so much, and their scenes together are fantastic.Roy x Riza: They fill each other’s weaknesses. They go through thick and thin. Same as above minus the childhood friends. They’re military buddies.

Boku no Hero Academia:Midoriya x Uraraka: Sweet pureKirishima x Bakugou: Pure and sweet plus tsundereTodoroki x Yaoyorozu: Power couple of great intelligenceKaminari x Jirou: Snarky remarks and memes

Gin no Saji: Yuugo x AkiJust watch the anime. It’s worth it. These characters have taught me so much. It’s from the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. You’ll see what I mean.

Koe no Katachi: Shouko x ShouyaYou know, their relationship grows, okay? People can change. I don’t view this as abusive. I’m glad it didn’t end up as being canon though (in the anime anyway)

Noragami: Yato x HiyoriThey go through thick and thin, they’re canon, the age gap rule doesn’t imply here because one is half-youkai and the other one is a literal immortal god.

Bungou Stray Dogs: Atsushi x Kyouka: Their relationship is so sweet (future romance is a possibility but I would rather have it platonic for now)Odasaku x Dazai: This ship is for similar reasons. I don’t want to get too deep as it seems to ignite feelings.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime:Zen x ShirayukiObi x ShirayukiCouldn’t choose one. They’re self-explanatory if you watch it.

No. 6: Shion x NezumiIt’s canon, it’s mutual, they both rely on each other, they both sacrifice everything for each other, but that ending…

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: Alibaba x MorgianaIt’s canon, it’s cute, it’s one of my first ships, get you a girl who can break you and toss you over a wall.

Fruits Basket: Kyo x TooruAs if anyone hasn’t watched this (I’ve only watched the 2001 version. Don’t hate me)

Assassination Classroom: Karma x MinamiThey both say that if they had to choose a person of the opposite gender it would come down to them. She gave Valentine’s Day chocolates too. How sweet. I also read a good doujinshi.

Yakusoku no Neverland: Norman x EmmaI’m basic. I’m not explaining beyond this because anyone who hasn’t seen TPN should.

29. Anime that deserve another season!

Honourable mentions that deserve a remake: Soul Eater and No. 6Where’s my brotherhood remakes? These are all Studio Bones. Come on fam!!!

Noragami: They left so many arcs hanging. Now that the hiatus for the manga is over, I don’t see why they can’t. All the main cast thrived off their roles here. The reception’s good.

Akatsuki no Yona: Left on a CLIFFHANGER. They develop everything just to say, “It ends on an epic battle. 26 episodes of build-up for nothing.”

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime: I think they can go further.

Barakamon: This is one of my favourite anime. I want to see some of the kids grow up, and I want to see Handa grow.

Gin no Saji: This one wasn’t left on a huge cliffhanger, but the point of this kind of anime is to see these blossoming teenagers graduate. Please, I want to see Aki and Yuugo fall in love even more.

Hinamatsuri: This anime made me laugh so hard. There were so many jokes left unsaid. 

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: There were some jokes left out, and it’s a little episodic. They can keep going with this, and I think all the voice actors liked working on this show too.

Kimi to Boku: This is one of my favourite anime too! The bros being bros in their laidback lives. The manga just resumed too! I really want another season.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: They still have over a hundred chapters to adapt, and the ending is absolutely paramount. I found the future arcs I read (about the beginning of life) absolutely brilliant.

Ouran Koukou Host Club: We want this. It’s been 13 years. Re-cast Tamaki’s Eng dub, and let’s get it rolling! We have stupid comedy to explore!

Sakamichi no Apollon: They butchered the manga from what I hear, but I still want their ending.

Senyuu: This anime was so fricking funny. It’s like a fantasy version of Gintama with a short-episode format. Just watch it. It’s not long. It’s hilarious.

fallenCorrin makes no sense to me, IMO.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cool that her fallen alt is based off of her grief-stricken rage that happens in the early game but it’s still an odd choice for me cause there’s another character in Fates that would be better and more interesting for the banner.

Gunter.

He was a pawn for the main villain, Anakos, destined to be his vessel. While his fate heh fate is unknown in Birthright and he’s perfectly fine in Conquest, he gets flat out possessed and brainwashed in Revelations, becoming the penultimate boss. Revelations also reveals that Gunter originally wanted to use Corrin as a pawn for his own revenge scheme against Garon after the king slaughtered everyone in his village, only changing after growing attatched to those in the castle. Because of these factors, I think Gunter would have honestly been more fitting given his role.

I know Takumi was essentially this in the previous fallen banner, hilariously enough Gunter’s fate in Conquest and Birthright is why Takumi got body-hijacked in the first place, but it’s still odd. Not to mention Garon’s dragon form is essentially Anakos. And then there’s the fact that we got Duma, and now fallen Berkut who is possessed by Duma after the god went nuts. So yeah. Gunter still could have worked.

Hell, IntSys didn’t even have to use another character from Fates. Lyon also would have been a fitting choice as he’s also brainwashed and possessed after being driven insane trying to help his kingdom. I think some of the children of the Genealogy parents also got possessed so there’s that. After some poking arond, I found another character if we still want a fallen hero who’s simply blinded by grief and rage and isn’t simply possessed; Sephiran. He isn’t possessed, being deep in his despair and having no faith in humanity.

Maybe I’m just salty that fCorrin got another alt and it isn’t her wielding the Yato, maybe I’m just salty IntSys in general missed a great opportunity. Maybe it’s both. Yeah. Probably both.

Noragami is a modern Japanese fantasy with roots in the Shinto religion. There are two layers to the world of Noragami: the layer that we all live in, and the spirit layer that exists in the same place at the same time, invisible to normal humans. The spirit world is full of gods, ghosts, and monsters and has a society built mostly around gaining more followers in the human world. Yato, the main protagonist who is a god, is first perceived as a lazy, incompetent and desperate god who has no shrine. The weapons of the spirit world are the actual spirits of deceased humans and thus Yato finds the wandering spirit of a young boy, Yukine, to be his sword. The opening arc of the series is mostly driven by the character development of Yukine. Yukine is an interesting character. He is a boy stuck in eternal puberty, never able to grow up. He will never truly live a full life. It is unfair, but he has to come to terms with the fact that the universe doesn't owe him anything—that his misfortune doesn't make it alright for him to do illegal and/or destructive things. He has to accept the hard truths of the world and repent for his sins. The scene where Yukine conduct his ablution is utterly... *speechless* The Ablution arc, however, was definitely my favorite part of the series, going into great detail about the psychological intricacies of Yukine's mind.

But while his situation is far worse than what most of us face, it's a lesson that everyone can identify with. Bad things happen to us all and you need to learn to deal with them in the right way and move on.

But Yukine isn't the only character struggling to let go of the past and make a new future for himself. Yato is also in the midst of a similar journey. Though, while Yukine's struggle is to let go of the past, Yato's is the exact opposite. He wants to move on but is continually haunted by his actions from over a century before. While the more prosperous gods tend to look down on Yato for his five-yen foolishness, they also fear him—as do the gods that he calls friends. One god actively hunts him, seeking revenge for Yato's past misdeeds. Another god and his spirit weapon, on the other hand, hope to bring him back to his former, violent glory for their own sakes. Thus, Yato's arc is one of a person who is desperately trying to become a new and better person, but who also realizes that past actions can never be undone. It's heartbreaking, but this is another hard truth we all have to face at one point or another in our lives. From that point, we get to see the real Yato, the god of calamity, emerging into a badass character. 

First Impression: Noragami

Okay, after that crappy “reviewlet” thing, I'm back with another show I actually feel like saying something interesting about:

Noragami (2014)

Episodes watched: 5.  Or... actually, 14, but this review is only based on the first 5 episodes of season 1.

Yato is a minor god.  A very minor god.  A god who has no worshippers, no shrine, and relies on doing odd jobs for people in exchange for offerings of ¥5, a service which he advertises with graffiti and hand-made business cards.  His Regalia — a human soul who temporarily takes the form of living equipment a god can use — just quit.  Things are looking down for him.

Hiyori Iki is a martial-arts-loving middle schooler who just happens to encounter Yato, whom she, reasonably, believes to be a regular mortal, on the street.  She is hit by a bus while pushing Yato out of its path and gets reincarnated in a fantasy world temporarily separated from her body.  Hiyori, understandably, has some trouble coming to terms with this, especially when Yato explains to her that she is not dead (or, not completely, anyway), but instead in an in-between state where she is able to repeatedly temporarily leave her body.  Much much more to her confusion and horror, her in-between state grants her the ability to see supernatural creatures usually hidden from humans, including Phantoms, eldritch abominations that often appear as psychedelically-colored flying sea creatures and possess humans, both living and dead, to induce them to do bad things.

Hiyori is now stuck between the “Near Shore” (the world of the living) and “Far Shore” (world of the dead) rather than a resident of either, and those from the Far Shore — Phantoms, human souls, and gods alike — will certainly notice this.  Yato and other gods frequently use their Regalia (what is the plural of “Regalia”?  “Regalias”?  That sounds wrong.) to fight Phantoms in addition to (or as part of) answering the prayers of their followers.  Since Yato needs a new Regalia, at this point, I was starting to suspect this will maybe be a quasi-magical-girl premise where Hiyori becomes Yato's new Regalia and then falls for him in a "please don't think about what is at bare minimum a several century age gap" uncomfortable romcom.  But... no.  This show goes in a more complicated and interesting direction than that.

Regalia must be sufficiently pure (and apparently fully-dead) human souls, so Yato, who seems to look down on humans even compared to other gods, simply drafts the first suitable soul he encounters.  That soul, a teen boy with no memory of his Earthly life, whom Yato names Yukine, luckily turns out to be a very talented Regalia and a quick learner, but also frustrated about his death and prone to sinful thoughts (more on that in a moment).  Hiyori takes an interest in Yukine, mainly to take care of him because Yato is certainly not doing that well, but I actually kind of get the impression she's attracted to him, especially given that, unlike Yato, Yukine is approximately her age (or was before he died... it's not clear how long he, or any other Regalia, have been dead).  She also takes an (academic) interest in the supernatural world in general, which is only partly what she expected or imagined, and she becomes a de facto member of Yato and Yukine's "team" as it were.  But also overwhelmed and mainly just wants her soul to be securely re-attached to her body so she'll stop accidentally leaving it at inopportune times — to her friends and family, it appears that she has now been having severe and unpredictable episodes and collapsing and losing consciousness since her bus accident, and she often leaves her body lying around in public without realizing it.  Or, in one case, draped over the top of a fence, which is... not an ideal sleeping location.  Yato vaguely claims he will restore her, but has no idea how to.

So far, the story has focused on the interactions between the three of them and on exploring the setting/what Phantoms are/how the gods work/etc.  This has revealed a fascinating detail which, beyond the scope of the five episodes I took notes on, becomes one of the main arcs of the first season: although the gods are amoral, or at least behave according to a totally different set of standards, they are still affected by human morality.  Morality, says Yato, is socially constructed by humans, but affects the gods vicariously by causing “blight”.  If humans decide an act is sinful, then a Regalia doing that thing causes a blight to both themself and the god they serve which must be ritually cleansed.  Yukine, despite being initially pure enough to become a Regalia, starts to cause blight to Yato because of his jealousy of the still-living and his attraction to Hiyori, and this proves to be... well... you’ll see.

We also learn from Kofuku Ebisu, goddess of bad luck and poverty, that Yato used to be a war god, with a past darker than Hiyori is willing to accept or think about.  He will grant anyone's wishes to remain relevant, and this may come back to endanger people.  Yato is also dating(?) Kofuku, and seems to have had a previous romantic relationship with a Regalia named Nora who served him and gives off a serious yandere vibe.  Or actually (spoilers), as it turns out, not named Nora.  "Nora", we learn, is a derogatory term for an entire category of Regalia: those who serve multiple gods and generally do jobs normal Regalia would refuse.  This, in connection with the whole thing about gods being corrupted by their Regalia violating human-made moral standards, raises a worrying question I hope we get an answer to: do noras corrupt their gods, or are they somehow unable to produce corruption because they themselves do not believe anything they're doing is wrong?  This is the sort of question this show raises, and it seems smart and thorough enough to try to answer it... if it doesn't, there's the ongoing manga series to turn to, and this is yet another show I've enjoyed so much that I might start reading it.

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Revised W/A/S Scores: 7 / 3 / 3 / !

Weeb: Pretty high on this scale mainly because of its very Shinto background, including very specific patron deities of concepts, gods physically residing in shrines, its specific forms of prayer, the dead just sort of... wandering and acting like still-live humans, and of course the presence of shrine maidens because how can you not have shrine maidens?

Ass: Occasional nudity, but not fanservicey.  Ep. 2, for example, has partial nudity in situations like contemplating in bath and locker room that are not framed sexually but probably would be in a different tone of show.

Shit (writing): I have a weirdly specific translation complaint (because of course I do).  I accidentally learned via Wikipedia that "nora" means "stray", and this seems like information that maybe should've been dropped in the subtitles at some point?  It might actually have made the reveal about what "a nora" is work better in English than in the original Japanese because this meaning would be a surprise to the English subtitle-reading audience.  Anyway, enough about that.  I find the characters enjoyable and their arcs pretty believable.  A main plot conflict between Yato and the nora is clearly forming by the end of the five episodes I cover here, and I'll cheat a bit to say that the first season successfully plays out two story threads while leaving others open for the next season, but not in a cliffhanger or "we clearly didn't know how to wrap this up" way.  An advantage of adapting a popular ongoing manga, I suppose: you can pace things better and also be reasonably sure that there's enough interest to get you another season.

Shit (other): Pretty ending, meh opening.  Great reaction faces.  Moods are accentuated well by variations in the art and animation.  I love the design of the Phantoms because I'm a sucker for surreal depictions of the supernatural.  It's not as dramatically bizarre and imaginative as, say, the witches in Madoka Magica, but still excellent.

Content warning: It is a recurring point that the gods' duties include saving people from suicide, and multiple suicide attempts are depicted (although they are thwarted by divine intervention by Yato).

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Stray observations:

- Yato starts out appearing to be a magnificent bastard, but it becomes apparent quickly that... uh... maybe he’s just an asshole.  

- I have no idea why, but Yato sneaking into Hiyori's house and mirroring her dad's actions is one of the funniest things I've seen recently.

- You'd think at some point Hiyori would develop a plan, or at least a cover story, for abandoning her body, even if she remains unable to control when she leaves it.  Not to mention that she'd sometimes come back to an injured body or find that someone has moved her or called an ambulance or something.

- The background music includes rap in English with autotune, which is... surprising, but neither good nor bad.

- This setting raises the same set of troubling questions about the concept of an afterlife that a lot of afterlife concepts do, since it appears that people are "frozen" at the age they were when they died but also have the ability to learn (and later, outside the set of episodes I covered here, to mature mentally at least somewhat)... do child Regalia or children's souls in general ever mentally mature in the same way that real children do as they ender adolescence and adulthood?  Are there baby ghosts hanging around with no concept that they are dead, unable to ever gain that concept because they will never age?  (I feel like this is turning into a literary criticism of religion, and that's waaaay outside the scope of this blog, so I'll end this here.)

The Main/Main-ish Characters And How Likely They Are To Die so i can cope with the pain of the current arc:

Yato: Boy I sure hope not but I gotta admit it doesn’t look good. I don’t think he’ll disappear if Father dies as long as Hiyori still remembers him, but I’m slowly becoming convinced the story will end with him cutting their ties. In that case he will die and ruin my life. The only way I can see us getting out of this is if Father somehow survives. Rating: 4/5 Death Flags and a prayer that I’m wrong

Yukine: Things look bad for Yato but they look even worse for my poor boy. Even if nothing terrible happens in the impending battle with Yato & Kazuma because of how thin Yukine’s stretched himself (and I’d be very surprised if that occurs), he’s going to find out the GGS anyway... and I hate to say it but I’m just not sure he’ll survive it. We’ve seen Yukine’s grief over never getting to grow up several times before, and when you add his new knowledge about his death/how his life really was, the picture it paints is a grim one. I don’t know how the despair couldn’t overwhelm him. (It’s possible that his new ability to influence the living could give him something to care about more than his own death, but that’s a slim chance at best and still doesn’t give us a happy ending since he can only use that ability with Father.) However, we haven’t seen a shinki in Yukine’s position learn the GGS (I’m not counting Mizuchi because she had no real life to remember), so it could turn out in an unexpected way. Rating: 4/5 Death Flags because I can’t bear to give him 5/5

Hiyori: On a more positive note, I’m not as convinced Hiyori is actually going to die. (Yes I know she’s dying as of ch. 93-1 when I made this post BUT I’m being optimistic.) There are two options for Hiyori at this point, death or returning completely to her Near Shore life. The latter means she will forget everything, possibly leading to Yato’s death, but I think that’s the happiest ending we’re getting at this point. Yato cutting their ties would be heartbreaking but I honestly want to see it happen. It would be a satisfyingly cyclical ending to both their relationship and the story, and would also give Adachitoka an excellent chance to show us how much Yato has grown. Unfortunately, if that doesn’t happen then Hiyori is going to die so I have to add points for that. Rating: 3/5 Death Flags cause it ain’t quite a 50/50 chance

Kazuma: I’d like to preface this by saying I really need this fucker to live. The main trio is doomed in at least one regard so I need Bishamon’s estate to make it through (mostly) unscathed. Anything else would be catastrophic for my mental health. This wouldn’t be such a problem if I could decide whether I think Kazuma’s gonna live or not. I’m really not sure what’s going to become of him. When characters break like that, they either come out the other side better for it or they don’t... and I can’t tell which option Adachitoka is gonna go for. BUT Yato said he wasn’t gonna let him die so I’m going to take that as proof he won’t and bury my head in the sand. Rating: 2/5 Death Flags cause it ain’t quite 50/50 but in the other direction

Father: I’d love to say I think he’ll for sure kick the bucket but sadly I cannot. I’m like 98% sure it’s his soul/spirit they’re fighting, not Fujisaki’s body, but that doesn’t necessarily mean mortally wounding it will kill him. He shouldn’t even exist! He’s a walking cheat code to life! We still don’t know enough about how he works as a being to definitely say what will kill him. Furthermore, if Amaterasu and her death squad get there before Yato can finish the job, they might not try to kill Father at all. He escaped Yomi once; conceivably he could do it again. It’s possible they wouldn’t risk that and would instead sentence him to never-ending life. The problem with that is we don’t know his name, nor do we know of someone who knows his name (except maaaybe Izanami). It’s also possible that punishment only works on shinki. Despite all of this, I’m still rating him as highly likely to die because that’s where I feel like the story is going from a narrative standpoint. Rating: 4/5 Death Flags and a prayer that I’m right

Mizuchi: I think she’ll be fine. In my dreams she plays an important part in Father’s defeat, gets adopted by Daikoku & Kofuku, and lives happily ever after. Rating: 0/5 Death Flags thank god

Bishamon: She’ll live. Period. It’s possible she’ll show up somewhere near the danger looking for Kazuma, but I doubt anything will happen to her. (But even if I thought otherwise I’d still say this. I accept no other reality than one where Bishamon lives.) Rating: 0/5 Death Flags or so help me jesus I’ll-