Noragami

Noragami: Stray God (ノラガミ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist duo Adachitoka. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine from December 2010 to January 2024, with its chapters collected in 27  volumes. The manga is licensed for English release in North America by Kodansha USA.

The story revolves around a minor god named Yato, who is down on his luck and struggling to gain followers. Yato's dream is to become a well-known and revered god, but he does not have a shrine or any worshippers. One day, a high school girl named Hiyori Iki saves Yato from an oncoming bus, but ends up getting hit herself. The incident causes her soul to become loose from her body, leading her to experience an out-of-body existence. Hiyori seeks Yato's help to return her to normal, and in the process, she becomes involved in the world of gods, spirits, and the afterlife.

A 12-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Bones was broadcast from January to March 2014. A 13-episode second season, titled Noragami Aragoto, was broadcast from October to December 2015. Both series are licensed in English by Crunchyroll.

By February 2024, the manga had over 8 million copies in circulation. The series has been well-received, with critics praising its plot, worldbuilding and characters.

Plot
Hiyori Iki was a normal middle school student until she was involved in a bus accident while trying to protect a stranger. This incident causes her soul to frequently slip out of her body, and she becomes aware of the existence of two parallel worlds: the Near Shore, where regular humans and creatures reside, and the Far Shore, where phantoms (demonic beasts) and human souls linger. Through her soul, she meets the strange, nameless god without a shrine, Yato. Yato is determined to make a name for himself out there by accepting any wish for 5 yen, including Hiyori's to fix her body. Alongside Yato's Shinki (神器) (or "Regalia")—a weapon forged from the spirit of a deceased human's soul—named Yukine, the trio go through many adventures struggling with their friendship, identity, and pasts.

Manga
Written and illustrated by the manga artist duo Adachitoka, Noragami was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine from December 6, 2010, to January 6, 2024. Kodansha collected its chapters into 27 individual volumes, released from July 15, 2011, to February 16, 2024. Extra chapters were published in the spin-off magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine+ since October 20, 2011. Seven of these chapters were collected in a single volume, titled Noragami: Stray Stories (ノラガミ拾遺集), on November 15, 2013, while other extra chapters were included as add-on content to the limited edition of the 20th volume, released on February 15, 2019, and to the limited edition of the 24th volume, released on October 15, 2021.

In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Kodansha USA in 2014. The first volume was released on September 2, 2014. As of September 5, 2023, 26 volumes have been released. Noragami: Stray Stories was released on December 1, 2015. Kodansha USA started releasing the series in a three-in-one volume omnibus edition, with the first volume released on September 13, 2022. The eighth and latest volume (consisting of the original volumes 22–24) was released on November 7, 2023.

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in June 2013. It was directed by Kotaro Tamura and produced by Bones, with character designs from Toshihiro Kawamoto. Prior to its television premiere, the first episode was screened at 2013's Anime Festival Asia on November 10, 2013. The series was broadcast for 13 episodes on Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11, and TVA from January 5 to March 23, 2014. Two additional original animation DVDs (OADs) were bundled with the limited edition of the 10th and 11th manga volumes, respectively released on February 17 and July 17, 2014.

A second season, titled Noragami Aragoto (ノラガミ ARAGOTO), was broadcast from October 3 to December 26, 2015. Two OADs were bundled with the limited edition of the 15th and 16th manga volumes, respectively released on November 17, 2015, and March 17, 2016.

In North America, both series were licensed by Funimation. They released Noragami on DVD and Blu-ray on July 7, 2015, while Noragami Aragoto was released on February 21, 2017. Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, the series was moved to the platform in 2022. Madman Entertainment licensed the anime for distribution in Australia and New Zealand.

Music
The music for the series was composed by Taku Iwasaki. Two original soundtrack albums were released by Avex on February 19, 2014, and March 25, 2016; the second album was originally released on November 25, 2015, but the Noragami Aragoto production committee halted shipments and recalled the discs from stores following a controversy surrounding an improper usage of sounds related to Islam.

The opening theme for Noragami is "Goya no Machiawase" (午夜の待ち合わせ), performed by Hello Sleepwalkers, while the ending theme is "Heart Realize" (ハートリアライズ), with composition by Supercell and performed by Tia. The opening theme song for Noragami Aragoto is "Kyōran Hey Kids!!" (狂乱 Hey Kids!!) by The Oral Cigarettes, and the ending theme song is "Nirvana" (ニルバナ) by Tia.

Drama CD
The limited edition of the ninth volume of the manga was bundled with a drama CD, released on December 17, 2013.

Video game
A mobile game, titled Noragami: Kami to Enishi (ノラガミ—神ト縁—), was released by developer Sakurasoft for Android devices on October 29, 2015; an iOS version became available on November 14 of that same year.

Manga
Noragami was the 14th top selling manga series in Japan during the first half of 2014, with over 1.8 million copies sold. By August 2018, the manga had over 6.3 million copies in circulation. By February 2024, it had over 8 million copies in circulation.

It was nominated for the 38th Kodansha Manga Award in the category in 2014.

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave a positive review to the first volume, stating that it "feels like set up, but it's good set up." She praised the characters and artwork, but called the first chapter "fairly weak", and commented that not all the plot devices are used to their full potential. Silverman expressed: "With an other-worldly feel and some humor, as well as interesting use of Shinto mythology, this is one of those books that reads faster than you expect it to." In his review of the first volume, Ross Locksley from UK Anime Network noted that the first chapter has elements from Rumiko Takahashi's Rin-ne and Clamp's xxxHolic, but that it "didn't compare well to either", adding however that his impressions improved after the third chapter. Locksley also favorably compared Adachikota's artwork to Takeshi Obata's in Death Note, and concluded that the first volume is "an uneven start for Noragami, but overall a positive one."

In another review of the first volume, Matthew Warner of The Fandom Post made positive comments about the story and artwork, highlighting the backgrounds as "the best aspect of the book's art". Warner expressed: "With a nice bit of Japanese folklore and a likable pair of main characters, this volume brings the series off to a solid start." Danica Davidson of Otaku USA, likewise, gave a positive review to the first volume, calling it "a cute start with a nice mixture of supernatural and fun."

Anime
Theron Martin of Anime News Network made a positive review of the series, praising the story, visuals, and its well-balanced mix of comedy and drama, criticizing however the last three episodes, calling them "anticlimactic". Martin also compared the series to Beyond the Boundary, and noted similarities between the God/Regalia relationship and the Meister/Weapon relationship in Soul Eater, commenting however that both series are "fundamentally different." Martin concluded by saying: "Overall, when Noragami is good, it is very good, but it tapers off too much at the end and rushes its last arc." Gabriella Ekens, of the same site, commended the series, praising its plot, world, and characters, calling Yato the "big reason why Noragami works". Ekens also said that the series "balances both aspects of and  anime", calling it a "middle ground between shrine-focused slice-of-life romance" (like Gingitsune and Kamisama Kiss), and a "supernatural action" (like Bleach), also noting similarities to Inuyasha and Soul Eater. Ekens ultimately stated: "Noragami is just solid, all-around, well-constructed entertainment. It'll work for a lot of people, whether they're looking for romance or action or comedy."

Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post also praised the series. In particular, Beveridge commended the work of studio Bones, stating that they made it "a fully realized world in so many ways", and that "[w]ith strong background design and some solid choreography in the action sequences", they elevated the original material "just a bit more", concluding that Noragami is "an appealing show that knows how to work its magic well and the overall presentation is certainly a strong one." Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart commended the series as well for its plot and characters, commenting that it has a "nice balance of drama, angst, and humor that seems very natural given the circumstances." McNeil ultimately expressed: "It's a powerful anime. The story and characters touched me and will stay with me. I look forward to watching it again and for more to come." Kyle Mills of DVD Talk praised the series for its characters and humour, noting that the series never gets "too overly dramatic" and that it is "mostly lighthearted, bordering on the line of plain comical sometimes." Despite criticizing the "arc format" of the series and the "underdeveloped" antagonist of the first season, Mills ultimately called Noragami an "immensely entertaining show", and that it "built and established an incredibly rich world with well developed characters."

IGN included Noragami among the best anime series of the 2010s.