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The anime I was excited for the 2014 winter lineup were Buddy Complex, which turned out a disappointment, and Bones’ Noragami, an adaption of the manga with the same name. Bones can make some pretty stellar anime series. From Soul Eater to Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, they have a nice resume of making anime. Noragami is no exception.

Noragami takes place in modern day Japan. The story follows a minor god named Yato, who wants to be the most worshipped god in the world, but he is homeless and poor. Adding insult to injury, his shinki, an item forged from the spirit of a dead human, ... left him. A shinki can also take form as a human or a weapon. A good analogy is a demon weapon from Soul Eater. After the shinki leaves Yato, he takes a job to find a cat so he can build his shrine. he is looking for the cat, he almost gets run over by a bus. However, Hiyori Iki, a high school girl pushes him out of the speeding bus. Hiyori gets hit by the bus, which somehow disconnects her soul to disconnect from her body. After this incident, she realizes she keeps on leaving her body unwillingly and able to see dead spirits. She asks Yato to help her out, and with his new shinki Yukine, they try to solve Hiyori’s problem. The story gets much more complicated then this, and I love every single storyline.

Noragami deals a lot with the corruption of humans. Suicide is a major theme in the early episodes and the development of Yuki as a new shinki is a compelling storyline. My only gripe of the story is that the middle of the ending arc is terribly battle-heavy, losing the story aspect and the charm it had, though the ending is fantastic. Other than the middle of the ending arc, the story will engross your mind and you’ll want to watch the next episode as the previous one ends.

Noragami’s art is marvelous. Every establishing shot looks visually stunning. It sucks you in the environment and is one of the best artistic settings I have seen in an anime in recent time. I griped about the battle scenes dragging out the story, but the battle scenes look amazing as well. The characters are also designed well, but sometimes they look off a bit. The art is flawless and impeccable, and the best part of the anime in my personal opinion.

The characters of Noragami are definitely some of my favorite. All of the characters are likable, even side characters are memorable. The 3 main characters, Yato, Hiyori, and Yukine, play off each other wonderfully. These characters are all three-dimensional. I like to think of them as a family sometimes, since they function like one. Yato is the father figure of the leading characters. He is egotistical, focusing on himself becoming a more popular god. Later on in the series though, he starts to care more about Hiyori and Yukine, protecting them from dangers. When the series draws to a close, his character changes from narcissistic to caring. Hiyori is the motherly figure of the leading characters. She doesn’t develop her characters a lot, but she more or less portrays the audience’s reactions. She is kind and courteous. She is fond of Yato and protective of Yukine. She helps the both of them change into better people. Yukine is the most controversial out of the three main characters. Many people don’t like him, since he plays off innocent when he does terrible things. Despite that, I like his character a lot. I don’t see him as a manipulative person, but as a lost person, trying to find himself. People might call him greedy, but he never lived a full life, and wants to. He also changes to be less greedy, which makes me like him even more. The characters are crafted carefully and wonderfully, which creates some of my favorite characters in any anime.

The sound of Noragami is good, however, not as stellar as the whole anime. The voice acting Noragami is solid, I didn’t find anyone annoying and remember all of the voices ringing in my head. The opening, Overnight Appointment performed by Hello Sleepwalkers, and the ending, Heart Realize performed by Tia, are fantastic works. Overnight Appointment has an adrenaline rush that pumps you up for the episode, and Heart Realize is a nice medley that is mellow. The soundtrack has its hits and misses. I hate the techno styled songs during battles, but I love the traditional, orchestral songs. Overall, sound-wise it is not bad, not outstanding like the rest of the anime.

I cannot stress this enough, but Noragami is out of this world. The story is wonderful, the art is gorgeous, and the characters, though having a god status, are relatable. The sound is not bad as well. Overall, I recommend this anime to everyone and give Noragami a nine out of ten.