Sometimes you’re just in the mood for blending fantasy with
reality, for demons and Gods clashing on familiar streets and buildings, for
immortal deities dealing with problems so mundane as rent, for entertaining the
irrational notion that every-day school-kids and teenagers can wake up one day,
to find themselves roped into an adventure playing out in an alternate
dimension. It may be that you’re bored- sick of the routine each new day brings
and want a fresh outlook. Maybe you’re feeling a peculiar kind of guile. Maybe
you just finished watching Blue Exorcist and need something to deal with
withdrawal symptoms. It could be anything, really; Noragami is the kind of show
that can get you out of a funk.
Whether it’s the absurdist humour, the dead-end struggle of ‘Delivery
God’ Yato, the frustrating but, unfortunately, relatable adolescent sufferings
of his ‘Divine Instrument’, or the story of how they work to finally get it together
(with stubborn persistence and honourable friendships, in classic anime
fashion) that gets to you, this show wins you over with the comfortable ‘no-pressure’
vibe that comes with following the antics of a hero who still has to establish
a name for himself, simultaneously maintaining the anticipation of rising
action and slowly unravelling mystery.
The main character, fallen God ‘Yato’, is shrouded in
mystery. Though the two seasons reveal some of his dubious history, the loose
ends remain trailing here. The same goes for most of the main points of
conflict. What each season nicely wraps up, however, are the more personal
conflicts that would conventionally be considered subsidiary. Whilst heart-break
and tragedy are dealt with briefly, you largely leave the series with feelings
of security, shared camaraderie, and hopeful anticipation of the challenges yet
to come.
The story is not over; not by a long shot. The characters
still have far to go, but they’ve found a group of people that will help each
other to the end. This realization can make you appreciate the similar things you
have in your own life right now (or make you want start searching for them)
even if the place you want to reach seems unfathomably distant.
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