"Noragami" Anime Review

 ***This is a spoiler free review***

Cute, adorable, fluid, funny, interesting; these are words that I would use to describe the anime Noragami. With loads of character development and amazing animation quality, this might just be the best Winter 2014 anime I have watched thus far.

Story: 7/10

The thing really holding back the show in my opinion is the occasional fluff (fillerish stuff) you encounter. I also did not necessarily enjoy the whole arc surrounding Yukine but overall the premise of the show really did grab onto me early on. The first episode explains the situation Hiyori finds herself in quite well and also shows you what to look forward to for eleven more episodes; the character interactions (see more bellow).

Overall the show kept me interested all the way through. The Yukine stuff was a little boringish to watch but the other characters help make it watchable.

Animation: 9.5/10

Loved, loved, loved, LOVED IT. Sleek and beautiful/handsome character models, amazing quality on background and snow shots, and really believable facial expressions really had me glued to the screen. Everything from how the characters looked to how fluid their eyes were just had me taking screen shots everywhere. If it were not for Nisekoi also airing this season, Noragami would be hands down the best looking anime of this season.

Sound: 9/10

Who cannot love the male voice actor that has contributed to so many awesome male leads such as Otonashi (Angle Beats!), Koyomi Araragi (Monogatari series), and Hiroomi Souma (Working!!). The second Yato spoke, my brain immediately screamed, "ARARAGI-KUN!!!". To my surprise, I also really liked the female voice actor for Hiyori. She did a great job of transmitting flustered and embarrassed scenes. The music for the anime worked well enough and was very fitting.

Characters: 8.5/10

First and foremost I loved every scene that focused on Hiyori and Yato. The chemistry between these two characters was so spot on. The supporting cast for the most part were also very well done. Kofuku, Daikoku, Nora, Kazuma, and Tenman-Tenjin did an amazing job of adding more character development for the main cast. The one snag in this though was Yukine in the first part of the anime. I get that he is a kid and kids do stupid stuff but the problems he causes for the main cast really made me start to loath his character. Thankfully once his arc was over, he became a much more likable character.

Overall: 8.5/10

This was a very nice catch as I was not expecting very much after doing initial research for the anime. The voice actors and animation are amazing and the cast helps put on some really interesting and funny scenes. While I did not like the middle part of the anime as much, I still feel like this is a very good and worthwhile anime. I recommend it to anyone that wants a semi-light hearted anime to enjoy.