Review of Noragami Aragoto

I went into Noragami Aragoto with low expectations especially with regard to plot, seeing as the first season was a letdown in that aspect. I was therefore pleased to discover that, while not perfect, Noragami has come a long way in terms of plot and (certain) characters' development. The story opens with the Bishamon arc, and while I don't want to drop any spoilers I'll admit that Bishamon and Yukine's growth here was enjoyable to perceive. The strengthening of trust between Yato and Yukine was really great through- up tiil episode 7 or 8 I'd say everything was close to perfect. Incidentally, the high quality ofart remains, and while I suspect the BGM from s1 has been recycled here it's not a bad match at all.

The second Ebisu arc was slightly more confusing, lapsing more into the narrative adopted by the first season which leaves a ton of questions unanswered and was generally quite annoying on a whole. Though it did have its moving moments, I also found myself skipping some scenes in a bid for them to just get to the point already and that's why I'm not giving s2 a higher score. That, and Hiyori's character growth is near-zero; I'm getting tired of her being the damsel in distress all the time and her inner monologue about how she can't forget them etcetc, and pretty disappointed with such a cliched, flat portrayal of a female protagonist. That coupled with the fact that the producers seem to be feeding the yato/hiyori and/or yato/yukine shippers by throwing in 'romantic' moments here and there, just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Given the obvious cliffhanger the season ended on (AFTER the ending song; if you're prone to skipping such things as I am DON'T), I'm pretty sure there'll be a season 3, and I'll probably give that a shot too. If you're wondering whether to pick this up, I'd urge you not to be put off by season 1's flaws (god knows I was) and give it a try!