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I first got interested in Noragami after watching the anime show, which in itself is fantastic. The art is beautiful, the music is *chef’s kiss* and the storyline, for the most part, follows that of the manga. After I watched the two seasons of the series I decided to pick up the book because I needed to know how it continued and that’s when it happened. I GOT ADDICTED! I’m not joking. I binge-read all the volumes available (22 at the time + a spin-off) in a few days.
And this post is dedicated to my love for Noragami as a whole. I reviewed all of the volumes that are out till now, not only the first one. However, don’t worry as this will still be spoiler-free!
Title: Noragami: Stray God
Author: Adachitoka (Adachi & Tokashiki)
Pages: ~200 per volume
Genres: shounen, fantasy
Tropes: gods & demons, friends to lovers
Fifteen-year-old Hiyori’s life changes completely one day when she tries to save a young man from getting run over by a bus. As fate would have it, the young man turns out to be a god, one of eight million. Known as a deity of war, Yato’s doing everything in his power so people won’t forget him and thus, acts as a delivery god. This entails doing errands like finding run-away cats or babysitting for the price of five yen, in the hopes of earning enough money to build his own shrine. Hiyori becomes one of Yato’s customers as her soul temporarily leaves her body every once in a while after being hit by the bus she saved Yato from. Will Hiyori go back to normal before she gets herself killed running around with gods and dead souls on the threshold of this world and the next?
Life and death are like light and shadow. One cannot exist without the other.
Female Portrayal & Flawed Characters
Even though Noragami is officially categorized as shounen, which means it’s marketed towards young teen males, I’d like to think that it’s pretty unisex. Lots of mangas/animes, shounen and otherwise, don’t have the best or most realistic portrayal of women. However, Hiyori has got to be one of my favorite female characters in Japanese visual storytelling. She’s kind, strong, wise, mature, (mostly) knows when not to fight, is empathetic, and has a big heart. Hiyori is probably the best friend you could have. Unlike other women, she doesn’t have huge boobs or a big ass and although she does flash us her underwear every so often, that’s just what happens if you fight in a skirt.
Amongst others, Yato and Yukine, his godly weapon, are both somewhat flawed characters. They aren’t perfect, but that’s what makes them so realistic. They might do some stupid things, but you always empathize with them because you understand why. A big part of Noragami is the friendship the three of them share. It’s shocking how much it evolves throughout the mangas, but not in a bad way at all. It’s sweet to see how far they’ve come.
Action, Comedy & Romance
Noragami has the perfect balance between humor, action, and romance. It knows when to be funny and when to be serious. The romance isn’t really a prominent part of the story. At least not until the later volumes and when it’s first introduced is tinged with comedy. Honestly, the romance just gets me and is partly at fault for my addiction to this series! It’s safe to say that I can’t wait for the next volume to be translated in July!
Suspenseful, gripping, and totally addictive, Noragami swept me into the world of manga and anime again. It’s a story that you will want to reread immediately after finishing it because you can’t stop thinking about it!
Did I succeed in making you want to read Noragami by Adachitoka? If so, you can buy a copy here: Thalia | Amazon USA