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It actually took me a very long time to get around to watching Noragami, as the impression I got from the cover image and the synopsis was, for some reason, that it was going to be a melodrama, slice of life type of deal. But since I'm a fan of anime that uses Japanese folklore in its supernatural/ fantasy element, I couldn't resist.

My first impression couldn't be further from the truth. Noragami was bursting with energy and humour from episode one, and it certainly took me by surprise. The premise was nothing astonishingly new, but I felt it was well delivered, and our star of ... the show Yato had a lot of wacky moments as well as darker ones too- he fit both, and I'll explain later, but he felt like an embodiment of the show's atmosphere as a whole.

The cast of characters, while lovable and entertaining, didn't seem to offer a further story line at first. I felt as though the show was a bit of sit-com, but an enjoyable one at that.
Hiyori, the middle school normal-girl character had me on the fence at first. Would she be a strong and unique female heroine? Or will she fall flat as just another spunky side girl. Unfortunately I'd say more the latter, but personally I didn't find anything she did unmotivated or unnecessary. She had her quirky aspects but she demonstrated strong will and wasn't the type to be easily scared or shocked.

Lightheartedness aside, it wasn't long at all until the deeper plot elements were being introduced bit by bit, and although the pacing to some might feel slow, it felt natural and grew well. Different sides to the characters were revealed in subtle ways, and I really appreciated that the show didn't go the route of "here is ___ character's backstory, it's here for the sake of it". The story telling felt smooth. But that being said I think Noragami had a lot of potential to do more and really make the most of its supernatural setting and cozily tight knit cast of characters. At some point the hints at darker pasts and the promise of things to come felt teasing.

If you're looking for an intense plot, thrilling action, heavy mystery- you won't find it here. If you're looking for a care free experience with a lot of slap stick and fanservice- you won't really find it here either. Noragami fell in a luke warm in between, which for some will be a perfect balance, but for others, it may lack in form and purpose.

In terms of art, music, voice acting and so on, I was in love with Noragami's delivery. The music was memorable to be despite there not being a lot of big dramatic moments to dish it out on. The OSTs never quite went together as a whole but with the scenes they were used for, it really helped solidify the show's shifting moods. As for voice acting, my only requirement is that the high-pitched female voices aren't obnoxious. I actually found that a lot of the characters had the more soothing, calming type of voicing which, looking back, is a surprise considering the best parts of the anime were its comedy.
The art work was great in terms of background, a lot of neutral but detailed scenery that the creators weren't afraid to show off, and the fight scenes came across as lively (although brief and not particularly invigorating).

Overall, I did thoroughly enjoy Noragami. There was never a dull moment, and our three main characters' dynamic felt ever changing and exciting, and the world the anime had to offer felt nuanced and broad. I think what'll make or break the experience is the expectation you come into watching it with. Be Prepared!

Having just finished watching Hotarubi no Mori e, I can say my lasting feelings are that of bittersweet "what if", a sense of loss, but in all gratitude for having experienced it anyway.

---storyline---
9/10
Hotarubi no Mori e felt so pure and simple, using it's short time well to provide only the most telling details, and crafting a well told and laid back narrative. A spirit boy and a human girl sort of love story is nothing new, and the challenges they'd meet when supernatural elements are introduced have been seen before. And yet, seeing it repainted without all the superfluous drama, tedious side characters, and ... the general disturbance of the world outside the characters' relationship was truly refreshing to see. With the mess distilled away, the subtle, sweet, funny and most cherished moments they had, the ones we as viewers relish in, are all that is left.
To some it may come across as lacking, but take this adaptation for what it is. In 40 minutes, you won't get an extravagant plot that has you crying out with emotion. The story didn't try to fake melodrama to be engaging, instead it took some time to draw us out of an otherwise our bustling lives to breathe.
As for the tone throughout, it felt appropriate and consistent, and although I was entirely in favour of this, some may feel it's slightly uniform. In many ways for those looking for something more striking and blatant, Hotarubi no Mori e will not delivery. For what it is though, I highly appreciate it. A pleasure to watch from start to finish.

---characters---
8/10
Our two main characters had distinct personalities, and their dynamic was innocent and heartfelt. Their development as individuals and around each other was given to us incrementally, with their dialogue flowing well and not imposing anything on the viewers. Often you might find the writers try to hard to make viewers feel a certain way at different points or when certain lines are said, but the candid nature of their interactions invites us into their world elegantly.
Gin, the spirit boy, has an underplayed charm that comes across in the small things he does for Hotaru, how he watches over her in both admiration and a somewhat parental attentiveness at first, while Hotaru is still a child. The way he speaks to her strikes a nice balance between being forward and playful with his feelings for her, and being modest- one that's hard to find in shojo anime love interests.
As for Hotaru, our protagonist, she grows up in this time by nearly 10 years, and yet nothing about that felt rushed or skimmed over. Her feelings for Gin develop from child-like fascination to budding into first love, which matures when she reaches high school age.
In all, I was fully satisfied with this small but lovable cast.

---art & sound---
8/10
Although not dazzling and carved with details, the animation in Hotarubi was perfectly fitted to the atmosphere of the storytelling. The settings, while not entirely memorable, were drawn with a kind of warm and vibrancy that puts you at ease while you take it all in. Much like the predominantly outdoor settings, it felt fresh and inviting. Especially so the scene towards the end of the spirits' night time festival.
The designs for the forest setting felt expansive and times, but intimate too when necessary, and the briefly seen array of yokai/ spirits felt enchanting and avoided feeling overwhelming or breaking the mood of the scenes. The character designs for Hotaru and Gin may be ordinary, but as the story progressed I felt as though they had idiosyncrasies of their own, befitting of their personalities.
As for music, nothing stood out boldly, but perhaps the story was better for it. The soundtrack was atmospheric and appropriate without fail.
Voice acting in particular came across well to me. Kouki Uchiyama as Gin gave a memorable and very lively touch to his character, one that otherwise would have been lost in the fact he almost always wears a mask covering his expressions, and Ayane Sakura's narration as Hotaru has a wistful quality.

---enjoyment---
10/10
I can safely I'll be re-watching Hotarubi in the near future, it's able to feel so precious in such a short length of time whilst somehow evoking so many softly felt emotions. A real gem, and one that i would recommend to virtually everyone.

I'm re-watching this anime for the third time now and it really never loses its charm. Easily my all time favourite anime, and here's why.

Story -- 10 /10
the one thing the story of this anime does so well is starting off simple without overwhelming us but leaving so much room to develop into something complex, morally conflicting, emotional, and deeply intense. The pacing is great considering the length of the anime. although the smaller infrequent arcs do feel a little slower, they're still entertaining and meaningful nonetheless. This show really doesn't wast any time but also doesn't shove everything at you a once. the comedy ... feels more endearing than anything and mostly comes out when the characters' bonds develop. it isn't just there for no reason, they really feel like moments the characters will remember.
from the get go the anime feels like one huge adventure. young Gon sets out to become a hunter in his overall goal to find the father that abandoned him at birth. Every arc feels a step closer to that goal, which in itself becomes more and more weighted as we learn more about the characters involved

Characters -- 10 /10
Gon is an excellent protagonist. He often feigns being simple minded but is quick thinking, charming, thoughtful, and actually strong. he also doesn't start out as a loser or someone with no talent like most, which most protagonists do to give room for growth. Yet this anime reminds us that there is so much more to a person than just "am i strong?" and "am i persistnent?". he's highly gifted from the start which is usual and refreshing for this genre, but his young age really balances him out. he learns to become maturer and more considerate as the show goes on and he only really gets more loveable.
The friendship between Gon and the eventual best friend he makes during the Hunter Exam, Killua, feels so real, innocent, and genuine, it really contrasts with how dark the show can be at times but doesn't feel over done and cheesy at all. It's clear how well the two's differences and similarities compliment one another, and the moments they look out for the other feel very real and motivated. Not only that but there's a layer of rivalry between them as they try to develop their skills at the same rate despite Killua's years worth of experience ahead of Gon. The writers keep all of this in mind and you can see these smaller things take relevance and build up.
These main two characters aside, there are far too many memorable characters to count, and none of them ever feel like just "the good guy" or "the bad guy". someone who was a villain in the first arc comes back three arcs later aligned with our protagonist, while at some point you'll question to what extent the good guys really are doing the right thing. Characters don't get forgotten in this show, each one counts and many have compelling stories behind them who sometimes feel like the main characters of certain arcs.

art -- 9/10
i was incredibly stupid at first in that i put off watching this anime for over a year just because Gon's hair annoyed me at first and made the anime seem childish. WROnG. Msot character designs are memorable and creative, very fitting of each of their personalities at the very least, and they do actually change outfits from time to time which is a much appreciated touch.
i have no complaints on the animation, but like with most it does have room for improvement. However the show really will not let you down when it comes to fight scenes. They're brilliantly and fluidly animated, a really pleasure to witness.

sound -- 9 /10
personally i loved the soundtrack, it was really memorable and rarely felt out of place, although i must admit that some of it sounds a little odd and jarring which is my only complaint. Some of the OSTs are really intense and create such a strong sense of atmosphere, and are never misused. The opening song remains throughout the whole show and it becomes a great way to get you fired up for each episode, and quickly you'll find yourself knowing the lyrics for for word. the ending songs weren't my thing though, but they were never bad.
music aside, the voice acting is what really makes this show. each actor does a superb job of filling characters with life and personality, no complaints at all. The casting was just spot on.

overall + enjoyment -- 1000 /10
i mean it should be clear a this point how much i enjoyed this show. it'll keep you wanting to watch more and more and is good to watch either over time or to binge away (i've done both..).

In a critical sense this show isn't something profoundly original. But, i do think it does a lot of things well and really feels like a melting pot of a lot good shonen anime elements. Above all it was an enjoyable experience with a lot of fun and energy packed it despite how predictable much of it was.


Story -- 6 /10

the story isn't bad the way many people say it is. it seemed pretty solid, i didn't see a lot of problems with it but it did feel a bit cookie-cutter. loser-ish boy wants to be the world's greatest hero despite having no means ... to do so because he lacks a super power or "quirk" as they're called in the show. he goes to a big academy and enrolls in the hero course, a dream made possible by the world's top hero All Might, who becomes his mentor of sorts.
if you've watched even a few shonen anime you'll quickly see that there really are no surprises in this show. nothing even remotely caught me off guard, i saw everything coming from episodes away, which for me personally is unusual because i don't tend to think ahead that much whilst i'm in the midst of watching a show, but this anime made it too easy. sorry, but the story isn't the most engaging part of the show so far.
however, i am just judging from these thirteen episodes alone. i have a feelings things will pick up a whole lot in the manga or in a second season. think back to any major shonens you've seen- the first thirteen episodes were never all there was to it.
as for the overall tone of the show, it felt consistent and light hearted and pretty gung-ho. The comedy definitely fit that and while it wasn't anything awfully clever it was easy to take in and didn't break the mood.

Art -- 7 /10
i honestly really liked the art style of this show, i think the comic book style was totally suitable and added a lot of energy for the viewer while watching. A lot of the fight scenes were also well animated and felt fluid. i also felt like the colours popped out a lot which was good for the most part but sometimes felt a bit over done.
as for character designs, a lot of the superhero costumes were great and pretty cool, and i thought the very main cast was pretty memorable too. But, some of the classmates like Izuku's friends felt almost strangely ordinary by comparison. But, their quirks do make up for it and their designs fit their personalities to a T.


Sound -- 5 /10
i really don't remember much of the soundtrack at all. like none. it wasn't memorable by any means but i don't recall it ever bothering me either. it fit the show and complimented each scene and definitely added to the hype but it much else.


Characters -- 8 /10
not sure how many people will agree but i liked Izuku and most of the other characters quite a lot. They felt really distinct and had their cool moments, i felt like they had a lot of potential and the story didn't waste any time on characters we don't care much for. The rivalry between two of the main characters felt very real and has a lot going for it, although i'm not too sure how the show is going to make every supporting character relevant at some point, as there are quite a lot of them. the characters' quirks weren't too interesting for the most part if i'm honest but they were made use of quite well in the show.

Overall -- 7 /10
this anime is too short to pass up to be honest, i thought it was a solid exposition to a story with a lot of potential and i'd recommend it to anyone who's eager for a chase-your-dreams you-can-do-it sort of shonen with a lot of flashy superhero action

Rather than a review, this is more of a forewarning.

Having played and thoroughly enjoyed the visual novel/ game version of this anime adaptation, I sort of began watching this show with the expectation that there would be a ton of missing content, and I could almost smell the disappointment and confusion of new viewers.

A fact: the plot for Norn9 makes zero sense being told just once. From the get-go it has a complicated world and story line, with each characters' individual stories having huge effects on others'.

Logistically it's pretty impossible to cram hours and hours and hours of character development and backstory ... into a measly 13 episodes. So what you end up with is a sort of commendable mish-mash of scenes from the directors/ writers desperate attempts to somehow get it all to work. To be honest I was expecting this anime to be a train wreck, but i was pleasantly surprised as it seemed like a some key plot elements were decently conveyed, and there was just enough random fluff, romance, and light humor to bring some balance.

I would recommend watching this anime if you've got time to kill. Expect to be casually entertained, something to lift your mood with. But, if you're looking for the expansive mystery, heartfelt romance and compelling sci fi fantasy setting- the anime adaptation isn't where you'll find it.