Noragami: That Freckled Girl!

Alright, so I noticed something when I was rereading the underworld arc and then chapter 60 raised my suspicions again. Fujisaki seemed to just be an evil human roaming around in different bodies who was being a creeper by running after Hiyori and he was terrible for tormenting Yato. But Adachi Toka's manga Noragami plays around with the meaning of good and evil. So, Fujisaki may just be a character trying to take revenge on someone. Why? That freckled girl. How many of you know what I'm talking about? The first time she was mentioned was in the Underworld arc when Izanami was telling Yato and Ebisu about the first brush.

Izanami mentions that someone took the brush before, Yato instantly thinks his dad. There's no proof for this though. Izanami continues to explain that the person who took the previous brush saw a freckled girl while looking at Izanami. Remembering that people see the person most important to them in Izanami, this could be Fujisaki's first weakness spotted. But we still can't prove that it was Yato's father.

And then Mizuchi (That is Nora, I stopped calling her Hiiro cause technically she isn't Hiiro any more) confirms our suspicions by saying that Father did come down to Yomi to take the first brush and that he only succeeded after someone call his name. Given what we know about father, who would call his name, a human on top of that (Hinting at the freckled girl on the sidelines)?  We also see the freckled girl that he saw on Izanami slightly.

Last but not least, in chapter 60, when Bishamon confronts Fujisaki, he calls her a 'mere god', I mean who calls a god a mere god? Well evidently Fujisaki. But if you noticed, he seems to hate all gods, even Yato, which we see from the abuse towards Yato revealed in the chapter. What could cause a human to hate a God? Then he seems to explain, but as we see him explain his hate we see him holding that freckled girl, she looked dead too, and crying and screaming. What is going on? Who is that freckled girl? What is her relationship with father? How can we use her against him? What happened? For some reason, it seems, the fate of Noragami lays in the hands of a dead character's identity. I feel if we discover who this freckled girl is, we'll be able to solve all the problems.

Noragami: Yato and Ebisu's Relationship

One of the relationships that I am particularly fond of in the manga is the relationship between Yato and Ebisu. We don't have much of these two yet, but it's really so nice to see them, I feel like they could become best friends. Both of them have taught each other so many lessons that it's beautiful. The part that breaks my heart is that the two of them are envious of each other in the nicest way possible.

I can't say that their first meeting was that great, I mean, would you be happy with someone who tries to buy Yukine from Yato? I was super pissed off at Ebisu and moreover there were suspicions running around that he was the sorcerer. I wanted to kill Ebisu because in my head he was an evil God who attacked Yato and Bishamon. Ooh...I was angry. Yato had mixed feelings. Ebisu asked to borrow Yukine and in return he gave money to Yato to build a shrine and we all know that that has been Yato's dream for centuries.

The second time Yato meets Ebisu is in the underworld when he is forced to go down by his father to save the sorcerer of the masks. He didn't expect it to be Ebisu at all. He actually expected it to be his father. Yato is more than confused, but Hiiro/Nora is calm and explains everything to Yato. Yato was obviously shocked and for a while he wondered if he should even be taking care of Ebisu or not.

And then Ebisu explains to Yato everything. He explains that he wants to save the human world, not destroy it and that makes Yato realize that Ebisu never attacked Bishamon or kidnapped Hiyori in the first place. Ebisu wasn't bad at all. This makes Yato ridiculously  jealous and it makes Yato respect Evisu at the same time because Ebisu is the kind of God Yato has always wanted to be and the funny part is Yato is the God that Ebisu had always wanted to be. So then, Yato sacrifices himself for Ebisu and tells him to get out.

But then Ebisu finds out that the entrances and exits are blocked so he has no choice but to return to Izanami the Goddess of the Underworld hoping that he can at the least save Yato's life. Yato is horrified that Ebisu would even think of coming back to rescue him. He asks if that is all to Ebisu's will and when Ebisu replies negative and gives his reasons, Yato grabs him and they both ttry to escape Izanami. Yato finds himself saving Ebisu not because his father wants him to but because he wants to save Ebisu and it gives him a certain pride. The trip to the underworld, teaches both Ebisu and Yato important lessons. Lessons that they learn from each other.

Happiness does not last forever and friendships do not last forever. When Yato wakes up after being saved from the underworld the first things he does is hug Hiyori and Yukin, cry his eyes out and ask about Ebisu who he rescued successfully from the underworld at the price of his own freedom. He finds out that because of his father, the heavens made a mistake and killed Ebisu and now he has been reincarnated. The horror and guilt that Yato wakes up to is too much to bear and he can't even look Ebisu in the eye or listen to Ebisu thank him. So he goes full out and yells at Ebisu's reincarnation who simply can't remember him.

Yato takes Ebisu to the place his last incarnation wanted to go to and then there they talk and Ebisu says that his last incarnation must have been bad because the heavens killed him. Yato is so filled with guilt that he yells at Ebisu telling him that he was a very kind God. Yato then apologizes to Ebisu, saying that it was all his fault. Yukine and Hiyori who are peaking through the window suddenly feel like Yato has changed after visiting the underworld and Ebisu was the reason for that change.

When Bishamon finds out about Yato's father she asks him how he can even face Ebisu and so Yato tries to ignore Ebisu, but who can ignore that adorable kid, especially after he was almost run over by a truck. I suppose Yato has accepted by now that he can't escape from Ebisu because he feels a responsibility and guilt towards Ebisu.

Yato then explains to Ebisu, he tells everything Ebisu, about his father and everything else and as Ebisu talks and explains the ways of the world to Yato, Yato realizes that Ebisu never really will change, he will always be that kind hearted God ready to lay down his life for others that Yato met in the underworld. This scene was definitely my favourite ever Yato and Ebisu scene. It made me cry. Then Ebisu turns to Yato and tells him that if he's not mad at him, neither was his previous incarnation and then he tells Yato that "It's Okay", Yato sees the older Ebisu and I was bawling my eyes out because maybe, Ebisu is what Yato needs.

This photo was an extra the author added but it speaks volumes and I've decided that Yato and Ebisu need to become best friends because they need each other, they teach other lessons they never could have learned from anyone else. They both make each other happy and feel better and I hope that we will see more of them in the later chapters of the anime.

Noragami Review: Character Analysis

So I recently started and finished Noragami. I got into anime after I started Sailor Moon because everyone was talking about it. When Sailor Moon got boring I started Fairy Tail and then my brother asked me to wait for him at Episode 48 so then I started Noragami. I loaded all the episodes at school and then came back home and watched everything in one night. I cried, I actually cried at how beautiful it was. So then, here I am writing a sort of review, sort of promotion for it. Let's start off with Characters.

1) Yato:

Say hello to the bummiest, laziest, useless, cutest, kindest and strongest God out there. (At least in my opinion). This is Yato who has a dark and confusing past but is always bright and happy no matter what.

2) Hiyori

This is Hhiyori Iki, the daughter of a doctor who was turned into a half phantom because she rescued Yato. She is loyal, cute, silly and smart as well. Hiyori is the kind of girl who is scared at first but over comes everything for the sake of those she loves.

3) Yukine

This is Yukine, Yato's Shinki who is bratty and cute, He can turn into a sword and s really powerful. The only problem is that he is young and doesn't understand how to handle things as a Shinki and faces tough times because of Yato's past.

4)Nora

Nora is a mysterious character with no actual emotions shown or personality traits revealed. She is a shinki in the most euphemistic way possible. She shares some of Yato's ugly and distant past and plays mostly an antagonist character.

5) Kofuku

Our most cheerful and carefree character, Kofuku, the Goddess of Poverty. Disaster follows every single one of her footsteps. With her ability to charm every single person out there and her happy-go-lucky attitude, Kofuku captures the heart of the viewers.

6) Daikoku

Kofuku's serious and aggressive Shinki who is extremely fond of children, Daikoku. If there is anyone who keeps the world sane and safe from disasters, it's this one man. He keeps Kofuku in check and everyone else, especially those who try to win her heart.

7) Bishamon

The fierce and attractive goddess of war, Bishamon. She has a soft spot for all her shinki and treats them like they're her children. She has a grudge against Yato and jumps at any chance possible to kill him. But she's actually quite soft despite her hard exterior.

8) Kazuma

He is Bishamon's loyal shinki who acts as her guide and most trusted adviser. He means the world to Bishamon, and he cares for her a lot too. He's serious, smart and honest. He is mixed up some way in Yato's messed up past as well, with a messed up past of his own.

9) Tenjin

He is the God of education who is very proud of all his Shinki and likes to degrade Yato in the most amusing manner possible whenever he can. He is wise, kind and solemn, although rather strange at times. He has housed Yato for quite a while.

10) Mayu

She is Tenjin's latest Shinki addition and also happens to be Yato's old Shinki who went under the name Tomone. She is short tempered, practical and intelligent. She's the kind of person who is also very strong.

11) Rabo

He's a mysterious character who only shows up in the last few episodes. He is a God of Calamity who is harsh, evil and merciless. He disappeared for a long tine but then reappeared with the one goal to get rid of Yato.

Noragami starts off with our self-styled God Yato losing his shinki and meeting Hiyori who he accidentally turns into a half phantom. Then he gets a new Shinki named Yukine who gives him a lot of trouble. Along the way we meet Kofuku and Daikoku who Yato can always turn to and we meet Tenjin and Mayu who are always playing the amusing side characters. Then we meet Bishamon and Kazuma, Bishamon has a vendetta against Yato because he killed her Shinki. Kazuma on the other hand owes a debt to Yato. Yato gets blighted by Yukine and in a heart-stopping test of loyalty and love, Yukine and Yato are saved by Hiyori. Nora and Rabo make their entry and hold Hiyori's memories as ransom. When Yato and Yukine go to fight Rabo and Nora, a clueless Hiyori tags along as well. In the process, Rabo turns Hiyori into a mindless and voiceless container by getting rid of all her memories. Yato goes berserk and nearly kills Rabo but then Yukine yells for him to save Hiyori from the falling rocks. Yato managed to shield Hiyori with his own body in the nick of time. Meanwhile inside Hiyori's head, she remembers Yato's scent and embraces him. It's a tearful and happy reunion. Yato finally gets rid of Rabo and then tells Hiyori it would be better to cut their ties, but then she tells Yato that she wants to be with him forever. Yato grants her wish for five yen.

There truly are no words to describe how utterly precious this anime is. It really made me cry and I felt my heart tearing apart and getting pushed to heights of unknown joy during this anime. I love Noragami!

"Your wish has been heard loud and clear, Iki Hiyori. May our fates intertwine!"