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「招かれた厄災」 (Manekare ta Yakusai)
“Bidden Calamity”
Noragami is such a great combination of comedy and serious themes. I think it brings together a lot of great points to progress the plot, but at the same time it tries to be lighthearted when it can. It even proves to be quite haunting when it wants to be, so I give the creators two thumbs up for being able to portray all these different emotions clearly and smoothy. It’s not every day that I enjoy a story that tries to be too many things at once but Noragami is one of those few exceptions.
The character dynamics definitely make this story so far. The three individuals aren’t the most unique ones that you’d see out there, but the situation that they’re put in brings out great interactions amongst them. Yato and Hiyori don’t quite get along, but they’re forced to help each other under these circumstances. It’s because of this that I think Hiyori tolerates him more than she’d care to. Actually, Hiyori on her own fits pretty well into your typical archetype of a school-girl (except for her love of pro-wrestling) so I don’t find her terribly interesting to watch. Yato and Yuki on the other hand, they’re like the typical duo that don’t get along, but still manage to stay together. I know it’s too soon, but this is probably the character development that I’d like to see the most. Yuki and Yato are so opposite, but they’re both cold and distant at the same time which makes me hope that Hiyori will break that down. I think Yuki has a bit of a crush on Hiyori too… I wonder where that will go because a little romance wouldn’t hurt.
This episode was terribly depressing with all the talks of suicide – especially amongst students. I feel like I relate a little more to Hiyori’s plea to help these people because some of the saddest sights to see are young individuals who don’t value their life. Students, who haven’t even lived their lives fully, feel so much pressure that they’d take their lives before even reaching adulthood. It goes to show just how valuable your life is. Yato brings up a good rebuttal though – If the students don’t care, then do they deserve to be saved? I like to believe that: if someone doesn’t care about themselves, then it’s a waste of my efforts to care about them too. And it follows the old saying that, you should love yourself if you expect others to love you too. So perhaps, there’s always going to be two sides of the story. In the meantime, I’m just glad that Yato softened up to Hiyori’s reasoning regardless. It makes him feel a bit more softer. It also made Hiyori realize that Shinki are people that didn’t want to die. Poor Yuki’s been fighting to live all this time and it just makes me more curious to his cause of death. That’s definitely what I’d love to hear about sometime.
I thought the girl at the end reminded me of Mayu, but apparently it’s a new character! Someone that also recently passed perhaps? Or an acquaintance of Yuki’s? I recognize the little triangle on her head as something that Fuyumi (Blood Lad) wore because she turned into a ghost, so perhaps this girl is too.
TL;DR – @RCCherrie: This episode made be feel bad for Yuki =( I wonder how he died then…? But the subject of suicide is pretty emo #noragami
Note: I wanted to inform everyone that I’ll be in Seattle next weekend and my post for Norgami might be will very likely be late. I’ll try and get it posted on Tuesday (latest) but no promises! Thanks for everyone’s patience =)
Preview
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Pretty much a standard “He’s a jerk, but then he isn’t” episode. Also I can feel a love triangle will be forming.
Loled a lot at Tenjin and his harem. Nothing like a god who has difficulty giving “pleasure” to his servants (mistresses). And his trolling of Yato was hilarious. Screw Hiyori, I want Tenjin for MC.
This episode was a bit confusing. I think it will make more sense if I hear the characters in my language, or if the subs were 100% correct. If Yuta thinks any human who decides to commit suicide should do it, he may not be a sympathetic character. Also, I’m a bit confused as to how this supernatural stuff works. How does Hiyori get killed if only her tail is injured? Is it not made of plasma or something?
Yato thinks that its because all the Sacred Treasure are people who still want to live but with their lives cut short. Yato didn’t want them to see people committing suicide in front of Yuki and his previous Sacred Treasure (forgot her name).
Hiyori’s tail is her connection between her real body and her spirit, if that is cut/severed then the connection is lost and the spirit would depart to the “Far Shore” and thus her physical body in the mortal world would die. That is why Yato is trying to keep her out of combat… But tugging on that tail doesn’t seem like a good move lol, but perhaps its tougher than it looks.
Sorry Yuki but I think its going to be Yato x Hiyori on the romance front.
Tenjin is an actual Shinto deity of learning, the deification of Heian-era scholar-politician Sugawara no Michizane.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenjin_(kami)
Many Japanese students pray to him for success in their entrance exams, so it would not be surprising for him to take interest in student suicides, if students are his core worshippers.
I had a feeling he’s a real figure from Japanese beliefs. He looked way to tightly designed to assume he was created for the show.
Yuki sounds like that crazy shorty from Valvrave, the red-haired one who wanted to kill everything. 😀
Same voice actor for both as far as I know.
Didn’t know that, thanks!
That new character has a lot of shinki markings on her arms, looks pretty dangerous.
as far as i know, she was a shinki of yato and has alot to do with the title “noragami”.
Hiyori is actually the main reason why I fell in love with this anime. I find it refreshing to have a typical schoolgirl who lived a safe and normal life. She’s naive, but not conceited or self-righteous. Like most people, she tries to learn and develop on her ways. I like how humane she’s portrayed.
I agree, I like that this writter is actually having a female be an actual HUMAN for once, and not some otaku fanboy pander-bait. It’s about time someone made a decent female character, without having to rely on panty shots, over-sexualization, or being all girl power and crap. Just a decent human living her life. pretty cool.
While i admit that it’s nice to have a show that’s been pretty consistent for three consecutive episodes, i really hope the main meat of the plot/some bigger conflicts will emerge soon in the next eps. I need some “hook” to actually get invested thoroughly to the show. Other than, it’s a pretty enjoyable episode and i’m grateful that Yukine didn’t turn out to be as annoying a some manga readers make him out to be
That ol’ man shrine god and his group of idols. +1
Anyway, this girls reminds me of an octopus hotdog (I’m seeing things, I know)
https://randomc.net/image/Noragami/Noragami%20-%2003%20-%20Large%20Preview%2002.jpg
when Yato was explaining their existence to Hiyori I can’t help but getting that
Monogatari vibe especially with araragi’s voice in it
Iwasaki Taku really proves that he knows his work. The soundtrack during the battle scene was so good.
As someone who has come close to suicide a few times in the youth, I can say the sense of hopelessness can be utterly crushing. Young psyche is a really fragile thing, and there are plenty of stories of bullying, learning problems or love failures leading to suicide. Survival instinct is quite a strong power in human heart and body, so if the person is close to overcoming it this shows how deeply disturbed he/she is…
great review Cherrie, I think you summed up most of my feeling toward this show, which is very good and demonstrate exactly what you said in the first sentence:”great combination of comedy and serious themes”.
indeed the themes are serious, varied and can be somewhat depressing, but the way Noragami presents them is just lovely and lively. Noragami’s nature is to be serious when necessary and make us think about various of stuff, but to keep laughing and enjoy with what you have now.
in a related matter:
I wouldn’t say depressing as much, other themes were stronger for me, especially all reflections via Yuko, but the inner-voice of those “shadows” whispering about all bad stuff, this is indeed hard but very true.
Japan is ranked high in suicide’s attempts and depression among teenagers, and that’s exactly why it was important to bring that up. I think Hiyori’s nature is great contrast to that. she is so lively and all, even when her current condition is totally weird being separates from the body and not getting sleep or whatever. in fact, it applies not only to her but for the dynamic between the characters. even Yato who may seem heartless with his statement, he does what he can and that applies not only to the depression of students.
the only thing that keeps bugging me is why Yato keeps avoiding his promise to Hiyori?I can understand if it’s hard to execute or there are some prerequisites that need to be done or something..but we don’t know anything about it, so why the delay in fulfilling the request?does he Hiyori forgot to give him 5 yen or something?
unlike blood-lad in which we know there is a way and the journey is for that purpose.
sure thing, it gives Noragami the option to present a more episodic plot rather than stick to journey (which has some disadvantages TBH). but leaving it like that without any reason doesn’t sit right to me. well I guess maybe it’s just for now.
you talked about romance, how “a bit of romance wouldn’t hurt”. and I think Noragami giving us, in little dose, they are winking in that direction with Yuko’s crush or possibly Yato and Mayu (or the new character??at least from the OP). I don’t think we would get something bigger or more than that, and I think it’s good enough with the little dose every time.
moreover, this helps for the one of the various themes. like in Yuko’s case. when you wondered “how did he died” and maybe it’s somehow related. I tend to believe he died young, as he is now, and despite that he is having these feeling (even if there are perverted thoughts LOL). that’ another of one Noragami’s great good points.
Chapter 30 killed my interest for this series T.T
I’m sad
I must say that this is the show that I enjoy the most out of the current Winter ’04 anime. I thought Yuki would be annoying but he grew on me quite fast, much to my surprise. I like how well they mix both the funny and serious moments as you said. And haha, I also thought of Fuyumi when seeing the girl at the end. Thanks for the post, Cherrie!
… does this have the same composer as SOUL EATER?
Yes indeed, Iwasaki Taku.
I KNEW IT.
the little girl at the end gave me the creeps.
Yukine isn’t as annoying as everyone seemed to be saying last episode, and Hiyori is a lot of fun to watch 🙂
With only a year of seriously following anime under my wing, I have to admit I’m not able to memorize seiyuu’s, thus Kaji Yuki is the only one I know of due to his familiar annoying voice… That being said, He’s not that bad as Yukine, actually pretty decent.
Kaji is a good voice actor, people just project their annoyance with the characters he plays onto him, which they can do because he has a characteristic voice so viewers remember him. Notice how in shows where the characters he plays are not annoying (Satoru in Shin Sekai Yori, Yukine here) people are like “yes, he’s not bad here”. Duh, he wasn’t bad in the other shows either, you just didn’t like the characters he played.
It’s not Kaji’s fault that some of the characters he plays are annoying, and if the voice director doesn’t instruct him well that’s not his fault either. (Seems to me that most people don’t even know that voice actors don’t just do whatever they want, they follow the voice director’s instructions.)
I blame Guilty Crown.
I found this to be the best anime of 2014 so far
“Yato brings up a good rebuttal though – If the students don’t care, then do they deserve to be saved? I like to believe that: if someone doesn’t care about themselves, then it’s a waste of my efforts to care about them too.”
The problem here its that this people does not actually decided to commit suicide. The show spells it out – people who are being possessed does not act like themselves. Yes, they may already have tendency to do suicide in the first place, but that doesn’t mean they will actually do suicide if the last push wasn’t there. I can understand Yato’s resentment – I have a thing against suicide as well – but it was unfair in this case.
As for helping people who doesn’t care themselves, it may be that they do want to live but are not strong enough to do so by themselves at the moment or that it was momentary thing that will pass.
Is it that safe in Japan that you would not worry if you lose your consciousness in the streets? There are perverts everywhere you know!
Since the Japanese subway system provides “women only” subway cars because of harassment on crowded trains, you have a point.
Not to forget the “molesting is a crime” signs that you sometimes see at stations.
Yukine doesn’t show his “true colors” until probably episode 4-6, maybe even 7, unless they do what many anime adaptations do and change it to something anime original.
People still going to have Yukine’s side either way, he’s still a piece of shit to me, only a little bit more tolerable lately.
After watching three episodes of Noragami I think I like this show enough to watch it every week. It has good animation and the soundtrack is better than average. I especially like the one with the rap, that theme is catchy! I also like that it’s similar to past animes I’ve watched like Bleach and Soul Eater.