Noragami Aragoto – 13 [END]
All good things must come to an end.
Fall season was very short for me. I followed very few shows and moved houses again. Therefore, I basically marathoned Noragami this week and there were many laughs and tears. I am sad to see this one go but DAT ending sure shows promise. Anyways, to commemorate the end, I’m here to join my partner in crime for another Kara no Kyokai tag.
Ah, it’s over. I wish I hadn’t been so busy this season so I could have watched Noragami weekly, but luckily it didn’t take away my enjoyment when I did have time to catch up. But we’re at the ending now, and everything wrapped up pretty nicely while still leaving enough open to tempt people into wanting another season… Though of course, there are probably a lot of people like me and Kyo who wanted another season before this one even ended.
After all of the effort to kill Ebisu, it’s kind of weird that they would just let him have a succession and be done with it, but heaven doesn’t seem to be keeping such a strict watch on him. To be fair though, the kid is pretty innocent and from his conversation with Yato, he doesn’t remember anything from his previous life, so there’s probably no reason to. Plus Bishamon is hiding his old shinki, so they probably don’t think there’s going to be much to lead his astray this time. …Actually, considering how directly Bishamon and Yato opposed heaven, you would think that they would have some kind of punishment, but apparently not. Heaven is probably just satisfied thinking that their troubles with the magician are over now.
But it’s a good thing for Ebisu at least that he met Yato, since it finally seemed to convince him that if he doesn’t complete his mission this time, he can just be succeeded and move on from there. It’s always nice when a character learns that their life holds meaning. …It’s just unfortunate that Ebisu had to die anyways.
This mission also was good in that it was the last straw for Yato. It’s pretty cruel that his father and Nora just used Ebisu as a scapegoat so heaven would think they got rid of the magician, but at least Yato has finally ditched Nora. I’m glad he did it in front of Yukine too, since Yukine’s worries this arc were all about guiding Yato correctly and how Yato still hung out with Nora from time to time. This way, Yato definitely addressed and got rid of Yukine’s worries and now the two of them can start fresh together. Plus if they fight to get rid of disaster before it strikes like Yukine says, it’s the perfect way for Yato to stay true to his war-like origins, but use them for good this time.
Yay~! They left off with the reveal about Fujisaki that I was hoping they would end with. This makes Hiyori’s episode of forgetting Yato a bit more meaningful, since instead of hanging with just a guy from her school, she was actually hanging out with the guy pulling all of the strings. Of course, this also makes Hiyori and Yato’s relationship more complicated too. Fujisaki obviously knows about Yato and Hiyori, and he seems to have approached her on purpose. Since Yato has now defied him in such a huge way, that probably doesn’t mean anything good. Plus Hiyori has no idea who Fujisaki really is (though she seems to be avoiding him after he kissed her). Though the season is over now, so all we can really do is wait and hope for a new season.
And so we discovered some of the mechanics of how to become a god. With Aragoto majorly focusing on Bishamon and Ebisu arc with the much needed character growth of our main cast, it was interesting to find out the intricacies of the background cogwheels. In this verse, gods are not perfect beings and are flawed. Like Bishamon being blind to her clansmen trepidations and Ebisu’s misconstrued theory of using phantoms for good. Nope, Ebisu, just nope.
Even heaven’s punishment after being quite stringent on Ebisu senior seemed flawed when Bishamon and Yato weren’t reprimanded. The funniest thing was how Yato paper pushed his god registration and got a plot for his shrine? You would never have expected him to grow up like this but he has come a long way and things are just getting interesting. Yes, I am referring to Fujisaki’s reveal. I had been really looking forward to this part and I am sure as a viewer, this would puzzle anyone. How could a school kid be Yato’s supposed father? Well, Fujisaki doesn’t age like normal a human being, after all he is a Magician using dark elements of the shore. Previous Ebisu was a dabbler in comparison to Fujisaki, who pretty much has a full fledged Phd on using phantoms. I’m not going to spoil anything but hey, who wants another season? :3
On our main cast, they sure have grown up a lot from their juvenile selves. Though, Hiyori was never juvenile, she was always amazing in her perception and understanding of the two other idiots. Sure, not all her choices were correct–that whole fiasco at Capypa land, having her first kiss stolen… WAIT TILL YATO FINDS OUT–but she makes up for it by being there for Yato and Yukine, whenever they need her. I am SO GLAD that the staff didn’t elongate the drama of Hiyori forgetting about Yato for a bit. Seriously, everyone needs less drama in their lives. Yukine turned out to be quite a noble regalia and minus his angst, he was more than adorable this season. And last but not the least, with all his flaws, Yato has grown from his delivery god days, thrown away his dark past (Goodbye, Nora!), and take responsibility to be a better god rather than just rich and famous. Let’s hope we see him face off Fujisaki soon!
…Can I start begging for another season now? I really really enjoyed Aragoto. Of course, I knew I would enjoy this anime anyways since I like the manga, but seeing a manga I like animated is always great. Last season, there seemed to be a lot of one off or character establishing episodes at the beginning until Yukine drama started (plus the anime exclusive ending, which was kind of like an arc), where this season had more concrete storylines. It was nice to see the storyline expand this season, and have it introduce more topics about Noragami‘s world as opposed to just having Yato hunt down the monster of the week or whatever. I guess the storyline kind of strayed from having Yato fight monsters, but he wasn’t even in the human world for half of the season and it was entertaining nonetheless. Here’s hoping for a season 3!
Aragoto as a whole had better pacing than the first season. It seemed as if the crew knew the characters better to guide them how they should behave rather than just adapting manga chapter by chapter. I especially loved the pacing of Ebisu arc. Seriously, who could keep dry eyes during his deathbed scene and through Yato’s apology to his younger self? The ending was pretty much next season bait so here’s hoping for more. If you can’t wait for the next season however, you are welcome to continue with the manga. I highly recommend it.
See you next time!
Main pic credit – Noko
About Tag Team
We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
@Karakuri:
Then, can I have the audacity to ask if there’s an ending post for Seraph of the End: Battle in Nagoya/Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen? So much happened that I wanted to talk about but rarely could.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I can’t promise anything right now with my new semester starting (plus the winter season of anime just started so things will be busy), but I’ll try my best to make one happen!!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Here’s wishing you the best of luck!
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
what truly sells noragami for me is our three main characters; they really are quite the impeccable trio. Noragami is a narrative that i can truly say continues to get better with every arc and i think a big reason for that lies with the fact that our three main characters continue to get better themselves as people and as characters to the story. Their bond continue to grow with each arc in obvious and subtle ways (especially on the subtle). These characters do not regress and as long as that remains the case (since noragami is a character-driven narrative), neither does the quality of the arcs. It is because of this why i find this series to be soooooo good
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Indeed. They are the stars of the show and they have maintained there shine through the seasons. S2 a bit more than S1 as they have matured with time. Usually, you do have awkward drama in a trio of 2 guys but the age difference helps and with obvious shipping between Yato and Hiyori, the occasional nosebleeds by Yukine are ADORABLE. It’s hard to produce to such dynamics, that’s why this is brilliant.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
The Father’s origins, backstory and endgame are still an ongoing mystery in the source manga, although his personality and means of existing has been made clear.
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POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
The mystery behind Fujisaki is definitely going to be interesting to peel off.
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POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This arc, while not being as epic as the Bishamon arc, held its own in providing entertainment. After reincarnating so much, it’s amazing such a matter hasn’t instilled a deep rooted trauma in Ebisu. If it were anyone else, I’d imagine they’d have their sense of self distorted.
The very end of the episode really caused a sense to be alarmed. So not only is this mastermind who manipulated Yato is roaming free, he has a physical form in the Near Shore and has the missing Locution Brush to control Phantoms. A lot of ill-fated foreshadowing for our trio.
About time Nora received some form of penalty for her wicked ways. A moment long overdue but I still wish get something harsher than simply getting her name revoked because she totally deserves it. Yet, a glorious moment dulled since in the end, the little bitch again had someone to take her in. Honestly….
Overall, this second season of Noragami did much better than its predecessor. If another season does come along, I’ll be inclined to watch it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Bishamon is an amazing deity, which is clear from her powers but it was nice knowing Ebisu, this season, who had flawed reasoning but good intentions.
There is enough material here for another season and as the manga is ongoing, you can expect a lot of surprises still. Now we just need an OVA of the chapter when Yato and Hiyori go to Capypa land.
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
I forgive “Ebisu”, but thanks to him “Kouto Fujisaki” the “Nora Father” is now like an evil version of “Natsume Yuujinchou” LOL
I did not read the manga and not gonna try it, cause I’m sure they will a season 3 after all that popularity rate. 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Lol, that’s a good one. But Natsume can kick Fujisaki’s ass any day. His punch is quite strong and Fujisaki is all dark energy and such.
I hope we get the next season, sooner than later. 😉
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I just marathoned through the last ~6 episodes. Thanks for encouraging me to pick S2 up Kyokai! I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The dynamics between the three seemed to mesh better than the first season, maybe because there was some clear direction in the story, vs. S1 where I felt it was a bit adrift and aimless at times.
But there are so many loose strings, I want a S3! I want to find out what happened to Kuga, plus now you got Hiiro on the loose. And more on Yato’s backstory/origins~~~ I want more!!!
Hmm, the ending scene of Fujisaki reminds me of a Hyakki Yakou from Nurarihyon no Mago (the manga, I couldn’t follow the anime). I just can’t see Fujisaki as being truly evil, as we haven’t really seen much of “father”, to really know what his motives are, or what he’s been doing, or what he is really about.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’m glad you checked this season out! ^^
It faired even well with me on a marathon and definitely the characters were better portrayed. I think Kara and I previously pointed out in season one that the original character route was not a wise decision because the story was already pretty rich. I guess at that time the staff thought there will only be one season but now look, even a third season looks like a probability.
I hope we get that to expand on story as I’ve heard that Fujisaki’s history is quite mysterious. Not to mention, more background on the characters that we already know.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
And the twist! Fujisaki to Yato:
“Yato… I’m not actually your father. I’m actually… your son!!!” Dun dun dun.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Lol, that would be just weird. :0