From Julian's shelf
Noragami: Stray God
Reading note
Why it is on my shelf
A personal reaction from wherever I currently am with this manga.
Noragami has that swashbuckler energy and shounen attitude, but it feels sleeker and more self-aware than a lot of other battle manga. It has the familiar demon-fighting setup, with a broke demigod anti-hero protagonist carrying that edgelord “I can do anything” attitude, but we love Yato anyway, warts and all. I think Noragami hits a lot of people as the shounen-adjacent series they can really stand behind: not overbearing, not too loud, and still redeemable in its whole aesthetic. It has this dark blue, sharp elegance to its design, and the humor is more understated and subtle than you might expect.
Premise
Yato is a homeless god. He doesn’t even have a shrine, not to mention worshippers! So to achieve his ambitious goals, he’s set up a service to help those in need (for a small fee), hoping he’ll eventually raise enough money to build himself the lavish temple of his dreams. Of course, he can’t afford to be picky, so Yato accepts all kinds of jobs, from finding lost kittens to helping a student overcome bullies at school. (Source: Kodansha USA)
Genres Action · Adventure · Drama · Romance