Noragami episode 1

<A Housecat, a Stray God, and a Tail>

Before I begin with this review, I would like to talk about something I just realised when I heard the main character, Yato, speak. The first thing that came to my mind was, “Hey he sounds exactly like Izaya!” I did some research and found out that the seiyuu (voice actor) for Yato is Hiroshi Kamiya, who is also the seiyuu for Izaya from Durarara! Why didn’t I see that when I was researching about Noragami for my first post of the year? So apparently, not only does Yato look similar to Izaya, he sounds exactly like him and has the same seiyuu! Wow! Their personalities are totally different though.

Okay, going on to the review…

This picture is just… wow. It got me so hyped up since Yato seems so cool. Unfortunately for Yato, this really is the work of his Sacred Treasure which decides to leave him. That got to the comedy of Noragami. I love comedy. In my opinion, whenever life stresses you out, the best way to deal with it is to watch a funny anime. The funniest part of this episode is after Yato receives a phone call and learns that “Milord” is missing. When I saw that, I thought that “Milord” is Yato’s superior since Yato is just a minor deity and “Milord” is a very respective way of addressing someone. What I found out the next moment, however, is that Milord is actually a cat.

That’s right. A cat. I’m not kidding. Anyway, this got me rolling with laughter.

That fateful encounter… Whatever happens after this was so shocking. Hiyori runs across the road to scold Yato for doing something so dangerous. Yato points out that Hiyori’s soul has been separated from her body, which has been hit by a bus.

 Yato… that can seriously scare anyone. I found the Hiyori’s reaction to this a bit odd – not the running away of course, that was normal. What I meant was the part about her bristling like a cat. At first, I thought it was just something she does, that maybe she was a little weird. However, later on, I realised that it was probably due to soul getting separated from her body again. When this happens, her soul goes to her cat-like form, with the addition of her pink tail.

I really like the animation of Noragami. The scene with Yato fighting the monster at the beginning had awesome animation effects. For scenes that require tension and horror, like the beginning with the girl being bullied and Hiyori being alone in the hospital room and hearing things, BONES really carry them out well. The animation for the opening song is cool too. I like the use of contrast between the colours.

In addition, I really like the main characters, Yato and Hiyori. Despite how Noragami is a considerably dark anime, it still has its funny moments, usually because of Yato. Yato is a penniless minor deity who dreams of getting a big shrine for himself one day. Right now he’s just spending his days taking on jobs by scrawling his phone number in a park. Not much of his background is known for now, but hey, it’s only the first episode! I have a feeling that he’s going to be a really cool character!

As for Hiyori, she’s not the typical damsel in distress. I like how she’s different from the other female protagonists I’ve known. Her idea of “idol” is interesting, with her liking martial arts. It’s cool how she used a technique she learnt from Tomo, her idol, in an attempt to defeat the lizard-like monster. She’s not totally helpless and whiny. I think it’s funny how she over-reacts by thinking Yato is charging her 50,000 yen for her wish.

Noragami has a really strong start! Compared to the other new anime I’ve been watching recently (including the fall anime), Noragami has the best first episode. It really makes me want to continue watching the series. I hope that Noragami will continue to be this great.

Watch Noragami episode 1 at http://www.animeultima.tv/Noragami-episode-1-english-subbed/

Zero to Hero Day 5: Love Your Theme

Today’s assignment: try out at least three other themes — even if you’re happy with the one you have. Include at least one you would never think of using.

Choosing a theme for myself is never easy. With so many themes available, I had spent quite a lot of time before I chose the Yoko theme when I just created Otaku Daydreams. For today’s assignment, although I tried out a few other themes, I still decided to stick to my current one, Yoko.

Why did I choose the Yoko theme?

To me, the theme of my blog reflects me and my personality. Yoko is simple but nice. I’m not a person who likes to stand out, so it fits my personality. Somehow, I feel that the Yoko theme matches my blog title, Otaku Daydreams. The header is big enough to fit a picture of my favourite anime, Fairy Tail. This represents “Otaku”. The default colours of the theme include white, blue and light grey. Since they aren’t bright, bold colours, they give a calm and relaxing feeling. You can only daydream when you’re calm and relaxed, so the colours represent “Daydreams”. Put the two words together and there you go, “Otaku Daydreams” is formed.

Nothing is perfect, and there’s always something about a theme that I don’t like. For Yoko, what I dislike is how the main text is written in grey. I would prefer to have it in black so it would be clearer.

I have been looking around the blogs I’ve followed to see what themes they have. Even without the prompt from Zero to Hero, I look at other themes very often. Yet, what suits other people might not suit me, so the Yoko theme is here to stay, unless I change my mind one day. I love my theme.