First Impression: Noragami

NORAGAMI: It’s good, but it’s too childish for me

Hiyori Iki is just your typical middle schooler -- that is until she saves a boy from a rushing truck. After being hospitalized, her soul now has the tendency to escape her body, and as if that’s not enough to confuse her, the boy she has saved is claiming that he is actually a god.

The pilot episode opens up with the impression that the anime is going to have dark elements, maybe something psychological and whatnot. It jumps to a battle scene to capture the interest of the general audience immediately. It’s a pretty good start, really. Yato and his Sacred Treasure are really interesting.

But then my general impression of the show suddenly changes when the comedic aspects start to resurface after the battle. To be honest, I would have preferred the show without comedy, because it’s interesting and entertaining on its own. The comedy just gives it a childish atmosphere, which is then slightly contradicted by the dark impression of the show.

Another proof that it could sustain the interest of the audience without comedy is Hiyori and Yato’s first interaction. It gives off a romantic yet mysterious impression. Add in the plot element about the missing cat and everything becomes more flavourful.

But it appears that comedy will be an inherent part of the series, as it has been present in the next scenes -- in the hospital, in the encounter with the Phantom, and everything else.

I admit that I watched this just because of BONES, but I really enjoyed it. The show seems to hold promise. The story seems interesting, and the pacing is good as far as the pilot episode is concerned. The animation and art style are also praise worthy. But sadly, even though I praise the first episode highly, the comedic aspect of the show makes me drop the series on my watch list. This is not my cup of tea. But I do recommend it to those who are looking for a slightly darkish Shounen that has a hint of romantic plot elements.