The Fall 2022 Manga Guide

Noragami Omnibus

What's It About? 

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.​

Noragami has story and art by Adachitoka, and the manga inspired two 12-episode television anime series that premiered in January 2014 and October 2015. Kodansha Comics released the manga's 23rd volume in November 2021, and an omnibus of the first three volumes on September 13, 2022

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Is It Worth Reading?

MrAJCosplay

Rating:

There are a lot of stories about the blurring of boundaries between the living world and the spirit world, but Noragami's empathetic approach to the concept definitely made it stand out among them. Following the tale of a god trying to make a name for himself through good deeds, Noragami shows that even the gods can be just as flawed as people that put their faith in them. The vices that define us, whether they are our pride or insecurities, can give birth to dangerous forces and circumstances, but to what extent should we try to resolve matters on our own, and should we accept help from others? This is a message established from the very first chapter and persists even when we switch perspective to Hiyori, a human who gets to live the unique experience of existing between both worlds.

The artwork feels detailed and lush, finding an exquisite middle ground between the exaggeratedly comedic and the starkly terrifying. Some panels and facial expressions have this sense of intense weight that communicates the implied history that some characters carry, whether they themselves are aware of it or not. This omnibus volume definitely leaves you with more questions than answers about this world and its characters, but it doesn't feel like it's doing that in a cheap way. The character dynamics are interesting enough on their own to be entertaining, but there's also a confidence to the way Adachitoka sets up dramatic payoffs that makes reading through them worthwhile. Your time would be well spent getting started on this journey.

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Jean-Karlo Lemus

Rating:

Here's a nice urban fantasy! Yato's pursuit of higher station among the gods is a charming enough goal, and the sight of him wandering around the city with an empty sake bottle full of five-yen coins is a memorable image. Hiyori and Yuki getting roped into his quest makes for lots of fun stories, with neither of them really being on board with his self-serving personality. It's a shonen brawler, but the fights are quick and stylish: the Ayakishi have fantastic, massive, creepy designs that force our characters to fly around them as they cut them to pieces. It's a visual feast. The rest of the art is simiarly eye-catching: Adachitoka really brings cities to life with all of these big buildings and the Ayakishi snaking away around them in their shadows.

This one's an omnibus, so you're getting your bang for your buck. As a story, I have some reservations (I hate for shonen adventures to devolve into slugfests) but on the basis of the art alone? Screw it, man, strongly recommended. I just feel bad I confused this with Nabari No Ou before I read it!