#noragami chronology

[elegyofthemoon]

okay a few came to mind, gonna put them in chronological order:

noragami mutual

amber mutual

frolicking mutual

(most recently) laurent mutual

LAURENT?!!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!????!?!??!?!?!?!?!

I think I peaked actually this is it for me

#answered #YIPPEEEEE FROLICKING!!!!! #i also miss amber actually :( my funny little man my not greg #i feel like i dont post a lot of laurent but the fact you picked up on laurent makes me sooOOOOOOOO happy you have no idea #Q _ Q i just wish he was more liked tbh #i figured maybe its bc i came intothe fandom late but im guessing most people think hes boring #HE DIDNT WAIT FOR 5 YEARS TRYING TO FIND HIS FRIENDS FOR NOTHING OKAY. LISTEN. #HE WAS ALONE. :( #zorua adorable

[noragami-ru-manga]

Chronology of Noragami

To match the events in Noragami with real-life data, we’ve used everything: festivities mentioned, important events that have occurred in Japan, natural disasters, seasonal flower blossoming, study trimesters, exams and school holidays, moon phases that have appeared in the manga, solar and lunar eclipses, Hiyori and Yukine’s birthdays, Hiyori’s diary, and even Yato’s clothes.

Several members of Noragami_ru Manga discussed the series and its time frames, armed with both inspiration and critical thinking. There was a lot of information to process; some of the manga events were very easy to match with the calendar, while others really fell out of the timeline. A prime example is chapter 73. It was impossible to reconcile with any given date and broke the straight string of the events that did line up. Sometimes Hiyori’s diary would cavort and list its dates at random. However, we do know that the events of Noragami happen within the time frame of a little over a year. This one’s easy to check and  prove. The manga started when Hiyori met Yato, several days later they found Yukine and a year later, right after his first birthday, Yukine was accosted by Mizuchi and ended up stinging Yato. Yato then decided to end his father’s attacks once and for all and went to confront him.

Adachitoka started working on Noragami in 2010, and the first chapter was published by Kodansha in January 2011. These dates were the first ones to come to mind. Naturally, other years were carefully examined; members of the fandom stocked up with “magnifying glasses” and “microscopes” and meticulously checked and double-checked several other calendars and tried to reconcile them with the events of the manga. But years 2010-2011 were the ones that fit the best, and very soon you’ll see why. Get ready, dear members, readers and (un)expected guests. We can’t promise you over-the-top fun times. But we hope that you will be pleasantly surprised and look at Noragami and its amazing universe in a different light. Let’s go!

This is our first main clue:

Hiyori says that it’s been two weeks since she first met Yato and became a half-ayakashi. The same day in the evening, they’ll find Yukine. “We had an early snow that day… I wonder if that’s why Yato named him Yukine?”, Hiyori will recollect a year later. It was 29 November, the end of 2010. The sky is overcast, it’s snowing, the moon can’t be seen so it’s impossible to match its phase with the calendar. But we will reconcile memorable dates with moon phases later.

Here we can see young moon behind the trees. It’s an early winter evening; Hiyori comes home and brings Yukine along. Judging by the moon phase, it’s sometime between 10-12 December 2010. Hiyori’s parents come home and say that they’ve been at the class reunion. Those are usually held on Saturdays. If so, the date is 11 December.

The encounter and the first fight with Bishamon happen during fool moon:

First signs of indelible blight start showing on Yato’s skin; Nora appears and tries to persuade him to give up on Yukine and use her instead. The fool moon at the picture looks like it’s been marred by dirt. Date-wise these coincide with 20-21 December 2010. A full lunar eclipse happened that night in real life. In Japan it could be seen in the evening, after the moon rising. Here is a quote from the Russian Wikipedia: “Since this lunar eclipse coincided with winter solstice, 21 December became “the darkest day” in the last 372 years. The next lunar eclipse on 21 December will happen only in 2094”.

The next is “Christmas” chapter (22-26 December). Yato is wearing a Santa cap, there’s a festive shop sign on the wall:

In chapter 9 Hiyori goes on a temple visit to Tenjin’s shrine and New Year’s celebration with her friends. She miraculously avoids death on 1 January:

7 January to 25 March is the last school trimester in Japan. Hiyori is wondering where Yato is. It’s the 3-4th lunar day, when there’s no moon yet, but there are signs of a very slim crescent.

Yato’s epiphany in girl’s bathroom

Soon enough, Yato and Yukine will have to go through misogi – the ablution ritual.

By the way, these two important events changed places in the anime. There, Yato was dying from blight sometime near the end of December, perhaps on that same “darkest day” of the lunar eclipse. Several days later, on New Year’s, Nora set her ayakashi on Hiyori.

Yato meets up with Nora during another full moon. Why can’t they just sleep on these moonlit nights?

Is it 20 January 2011? Or is it already 18 February?

Yukine meets Suzuha when the first spring flowers start blooming:

Hiyori is graduating from middle school and preparing to enter high school. Plumes are blooming (which means it’s either February or March), and Hiyori has her promotion exams coming when she is kidnapped by Kugaha. Yato and Yukine rash to Bishamon’s residence to rescue the girl:

Yato engages Bishamon in battle on the night of the crescent moon:

If we try to match first flowers blooming on the ground with plum blossoming, then it can’t be February, which means it’s the beginning of March. A crescent like this generally appears on 7-9th lunar day. Date-wise it lines up with 10-12 March 2011. The date that interests us is 11 March, since it was a memorable one for Japan. A huge earthquake occurred that day on the eastern cost of Honshu, resulting in a giant tsunami. Nearly 16 thousand people died and 2.5 thousand went missing.

In Noragami this event leads to the gods’ council in Takamagahara:

Bishamon manages to prove that her fall was the sorcerer’s doing, so the Heavens start their hunt on Ebisu. As a result, the actual perpetrator who’s used Aiha and Kugaha to set two warrior gods against each other goes unpunished, whereas Ebisu becomes a scapegoat.

Sakura starts blooming when Hiyori enters high school:

First trimester begins on 1 April. Hiyori is ignoring Yato. According to the calendar, it’s the new moon. Fujisaki enters the scene.

However, as soon as Suzuha’s sakura starts blooming, Hiyory gathers Yato and Yukine, Tenjin, Kofuku and Bishamon and their shinki for flower gazing. There’s even a date this time – 13 April.

The events of chapter 26 happen in early May. End of April – beginning of May are holidays in Japan, which Hiyori spends at home with her parents. Her diary, which we will examine later, is absolutely blank during this time. Hiyori’s mom says that it’s only May, but the water reservoir is empty. There’s also a newscast on TV about possible water shortage in summer, possibly due to abnormal weather conditions

This time Nora appears on a moonless night and kidnaps Yato. Two weeks later Hiyori is seen looking for Yato, asking Daikoku and Tenjin about him. She is doing it with a purpose, since she has plans for 8 May.

Hiyori’s diary here deserves special attention:  

It’s easy to match the dates with the calendar. For example, 10th is a Monday, January, therefore, 11th is a Tuesday. The next page of the diary has another Monday on it – 17th. The dates on the second frame are hard to match with anything, but there’s a mention of the picnic on the third one – 12-13 April, the days are Tuesday and Wednesday. On the fifth frame the pages with dates from 25 April to 7 May are empty. But there’s a trip to Capyper Land scheduled on Sunday.

Yato says he’s been living at his father’s for a month when he is sent to rescue Ebisu from Yomi:

Hiyori’s friends make her go to Capyper Land with them on one of the May weekends. Yukine has been in Takamagahara for a while, where the time flow is different from Earth’s, which is why he’s lost track of time for a bit and only realizes that summer is coming when he meets Hiyori:

There’s unrest in the Heavens. A storm is also brewing on Earth, as noted by Mayu:

2011 was an unlucky year for Japan. Typhoon Songda approached the country at the end of May. Here’s an extract from a real-life news article: “Disasters come treading on each other’s heels. Typhoon Songda, which has been raging near Japan, is approaching Fukushima-1 nuclear station. Bad weather might cause floods and landslides, which the experts fear might result in another radiation leak”.

During old moon Yato is still in Yomi with Ebisu. Storms are raging in Japan and in Takamagahara. A partial solar eclipse is approaching, which you’d think would bother the goddess of sun herself. In Japan it’s supposed to happen early in the morning on 1 June. But?.. Apparently off-screen, Amaterasu lifts her divine ass and goes searching for… the god of the moon, who went missing from the world of the living?

Amaterasu helps rescue the gods from Yomi. When Yato flies out of the vent straight into Hiyori’s arms, it’s already 15 June – there’s a full moon in the sky. According to the calendar, there was a full lunar eclipse that night. Yato is covered in dirt and blight:

After meeting with the reincarnated Ebisu, Yato releases Hiiro:

Judging by these frames, it was Hiiro who used to cut Yato’s hair. Sometime later it starts growing out, so Yato has to pull it into a ponytail since he doesn’t have his free hairdresser now. Though he will get one in Takemikazuchi several months later.

Yato misses Hiyori’s birthday on 28 June. However, he takes her to Capyper Land on one of the weekends. School holidays start on 20 July. Hiyori is seen wearing either dresses or sundresses. It’s also summer when Hiyori sees Yato’s memories and learns about the god’s greatest secret.

Hiyori starts going to school in chapter 48, so it’s September. The month does not begin well: Fujisaki asks the girl to leave Yato alone, and she challenges him. Right after that he uses the second brush from Yomi to summon ayakashi. Those cause chaos at the hospital that Hiyori blames herself for and starts turning into an ayakashi, going further away from the Near shore. It was also in the beginning of September 2011 that tropical storm Talas approached Japan, resulting in 59 casualties. The damage it caused is considered to be one of the biggest ones in the last 20 years. It’s no wonder Hiyori is blaming herself for the disasters; after all, as early as March, right after Yato’s battle with Bishamon and the unrest in Takamagahara and on Earth, Tenjin said to the girl that Yato did that because of her and nearly turned into an aramitama (raging spirit).

In chapter 53 Yukine is secretly reading Hiyori’s letters and says that they haven’t seen each other in two months:

Which means it’s the beginning of November. Fate brings Yato to another Iki and returns him to Hiyori once more. Their ties are written straight with crooked lines.

Yato starts preparing for Kamuhakari and makes clothes for Yukine and himself. Kiun appears and demands that he attends the divine council itself as well. It means that apart from feasting on free food, which was Yato’s intention, he will also have to participate in boring god meetings.

Tama the cat, who also appears at Kamuhakari, ruins this whole line of calendar match-ups. She died in June 2015, not long before chapter 58 was released, and Adachitoka honored her this way.

Bishamon misses Kamuhakari because she goes looking for the burial hafuri. Kazuma comes to Iwami. Full moon is shining through the window, which means it’s 11 November:

Hiyori goes back home from the festivities while Yato has to stay at the boring part of Kamuhakari. The girl notes that it’s been three days since she came back, and recalls that it’s been a year since she met Yato. It happens around 14-16 November. She also thinks that they should throw a party for Yukine, cause it’s almost a year since they found him (two weeks after she met Yato). Yukine’s birthday will be on 29 November. But a lot of events will happen in Takamagahara before that.

By the way, the time flow in Takamagahara is just as messed up as in Yomi. One day for Yato is the same as three days for Hiyori. The moon is old again. And the time in Takamagahara flows three times faster:

There’s also a peculiarity to Yato’s clothes.

“Yato comes to Kamuhakari in white clothes. But then the battle with the Heavens begins. Yato loses his divine white sleeve in his fight with Takemikazuchi. Then only the white cape remains. Finally, he appears in front of Amaterasu dressed in black.

We don’t know how long the battle lasted, but the time in Takamagahara flows differently than on Earth. It’s possible that it’s been two weeks on Earth between the beginning of Kamuhakari and Amaterasu’s trial. Also, during the new moon (when the side of the Moon facing the Earth isn’t lit by the Sun) the sun and the moon go side by side; sometimes the moon overshadows the sun a little, partially or completely. Yes, I’m still hoping an eclipse happened during the trial. Compare this: when Bishamon was at the brink of falling into the state of aramitama, her blight was dark. But Yato’s is black, and the stains it left on Amaterasu’s clothes are black”. (Ivan)

And the calendar? A partial solar eclipse happened on 25 November 2011. Japan was not supposed to see it. However, a black spot landed on Amaterasu and scared her.

“I think that’s the whole point, that the solar eclipse wasn’t seen in Japan. It could only be seen in Antarctica and partially in South Africa and New Zealand. So the picture in chapter 71 is correct. Amaterasu is showering every god and shinki present with her sunlight, then the eclipse starts. Yato, who is tired of the battle and tormented by his shinki’s sufferings, catches his “wave” and tries to make the eclipse happen in Japan as well (albeit figuratively – by striking down the sun goddess), but Take interrupts the moon god’s show of power. Amaterasu looks somewhat tired throughout the trial; maybe she isn’t feeling well, among other things?” (Yana)

The full moon in chapter 73 messes up all the calculations once again.

See, there has already been a full moon not that long ago. Hiyori had spent a day at the Kamuhakari, then waited for Yato’s return for three days, and there’s only one week left till Yukine’s birthday. There can’t be a full moon twice in two weeks’ time. Perhaps Adachitoka started the chapter with Ebisu’s kidnapping as an extra first and then turned it into a full chapter; they added the mention of Yukine’s birthday but either left the moon the way it was drawn for the extra or simply forgot about it.

The next chapter messes up the dates again.

27 November is on Monday in Hiyori’s diary and there’s a note “Fujisaki-senpai was absent again today”. The thing is, 27 November 2011 is Sunday. It was Monday in 2017, when the chapter was released. It was a hard year: one of the mangakas had to take a long sick leave, and the manga soon went on a 14 month long hiatus.

Sometime before the birthday the Heavens summon Yato and he’s questioned by the sacred treasures and then Amaterasu herself.

Yato wakes up covered in blight after Yukine’s birthday. Take’s shinki conduct another misogi, and Yukine admits that Nora kissed him the day before.

Yato goes looking for a shinki that can help him take down Fujisaki. Amaterasu has set a deadline for him on Ooharai, the Great Purification ritual (30-31 December). There has to be a crescent moon in the beginning of December – a very slim one, shaped as a bow. Kazuma comes to Yato and becomes his shinki.

In chapter 79 the dates in Hiyori’s diary are correct: 28 November is Monday, 29 November – Tuesday.

And it’s almost full moon in Chapter 81 when Yukine starts wondering about his past, with the crack on his name growing.

Please focus your attention on the top frames with the moon. Keep your hands on the table and lift your eyes off the bottom frames.

The next full moon is on 10 December 2011, and it’s supposed to be a lunar eclipse, too. Unfortunately, since chapter 81 there hasn’t been any other chapter that had a full moon in it. However, we do have Hiyori’s words in chapter 85 about missing the chance to spend Christmas with her friends. It means that the events of the latest chapters take place between Christmas and New Year’s.

Ooharai is near.

***

Author of chronology: Yana Tarasova

Inspired, came up with ideas and then checked and double-checked them: Darina Episheva, Yana Tarasova, Amoeba Proteus, Ivan Ivanov

Comprised into an article by: Ivan Ivanov

English translation by: Anastasia Bazheeva

#noragami #noragami manga #noragami chronology #noragami meta

[kaluawoo]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: ノラガミ | Noragami (Anime & Manga) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Iki Hiyori & Yato & Yukine, Father & Nora & Yato (Noragami) Characters: Yato (Noragami), Yukine (Noragami), Iki Hiyori, Nora (Noragami), Father (Noragami) Additional Tags: Non-Chronological, Found Family, Noragami Reverse Big Bang 2021 Summary:

Yato is bound by many ties - Those from his past, binding him to Father and Nora, and those from his future, connecting him to Hiyori and Yukine. Which ties will break? Which ones will hold and grow ever stronger?

-------------------------------------

My piece for the @noragamibigbang!

Art by @mochakat is here: https://mochakat.tumblr.com/post/663574894092632064/heres-the-second-piece-for-the-noragami-reverse

#Noragami #yato noragami #nora noragami #yukine noragami #hiyori noragami #father noragami #Fanfiction #noragamireversebang2021

[catboyyukineapologist]

Noragami 96/96-2 chapter thoughts

hey guys! I’m back from my month long break how’s everyone doing what’s been ha-

OH MY FUCKING GOD. OH MY GOD. HOLY SHIT. HOLY FUCK. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

two chapter double whammy under the cut because BOY do I got THOUGHTS and FEELINGS for y’all today

---

FIRST I GOTTA FREAK OUT ABOUT BOTH COLOR PAGES EXCUSE ME????? E X C U S E  M E ????????? M A ‘ A M?????????

Alright okay alright. okay. We’re doing this chronologically because i cannot DEAL RIGHT NOW

- 96 -

HIYORI OH MY OHHHHHHH MY GOD

MY GIRL IS BACK

She looks so tiny and I am 100% sure that is on purpose 

yeah hiyori your parents must be worried sick about you, huh

“And that right now, Haru was...” I mean she’s not WRONG

I am in SHAMBLES. I am NOT OKAY. I KNEW this was coming I KNEW HIS DAD WAS KEEPING THE LETTERS AND IT STILL HIT ME LIKE A BRICK TO THE FUCKING THROAT

See this is what I mean when I say I keep looking at Noragami like a western tragedy: That sense of knowing for certain the Bad Thing is going to happen: You know it is, you’ve seen it, the entire story revolves around it happening, yet you still feel for the characters and empathize and it still hurts when all the awful things inevitably come crashing down and why didn’t you see this coming? It’s literally right there in the cover.

Yes I’m in pain how could you tell :)

these character interactions are forcing my hand further into hurt/comfort fic territory every single month

Once again I am legally obligated to tell Kazuma to shut the fuck up

Not everyone has a weird codependent one-sided romance with their god bitch don’t go talking like you’re the paragon of god-shinki relationships<3

Again I love Kazuma but he’s uhhh Been A Bitch the last five chapters or so.

YUKI’S FACE PLEASE SOMEONE ACTUALLY HELP HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS EXISTENCE

So basically that entire fight between Yato and Father was functionally pointless. cool. good. alright. thanks.

excEPT IT WASN’T bc bOY OH MAN did everyone involved get nicely placed on the board like little chess pieces with a side of good good character development and PAIN

no i will not elaborate (coherent analysis? in my nonsensical ramblings? never)

- 96-2 -

Kagutsuchi thirsters where you at (it’s me I’m Kagutsuchi thirsters)

“The sorcerer’s true form”... lol

Well, heaven guy uttered Three (3) sentences and I’m already annoyed and terrified

“I have to keep damage to a minimum” *immediately turns into a giant fuck you spider*

NORA MY BELOVED I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER SHE DESERVES EVERYTHING I LOVE HER

zuko who? redemption arc of the century

Hiyori being an impeccable audience surrogate as always in this trying time

I like that this is the Sorcerer Task Force’s idea of “minimum damage”

it’s been a hot minute since we saw Kagutsuchi’s face!! heyy👁️

“BUT”???????👁️👄👁️

SEE THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THEY WANT TO FUCK Y’ALL UP THIS IS EXACTLY IT THERE IS NO INTERNAL COHERENCE AND YOU’RE GONNA GET ALL YOUR SHINKI FUCKING DECIMATED AND GIVE ZERO SHITS

Finally my fave gets some angst (my fave being Ookuninushi for no particular reason other than Chill Uncle Vibes)

I might be joining the heaven bad bandwagon after this-

NO GOD FUCK NO NORA WAIT- NOT- THEY JUST- THE SHINKI- NO

THEY JUST DISH OUT HIS FACE LIKE THAT HOW DARE HOW DARE HOW D A R E

I hate it here I hate it here I hate it here I hate it here I hate it here I ha

GIRL HELP MY FAVE JUST GOT FUCKING MURDERED

...Yeah so this is your monthly reminder that if you see this man it is fully legal and encouraged to commit manslaughter On Sight.

#noragami #noragami 96-2 #yato #fujisaki kouto #nora #I'M CRYING PLEASE #I hate this man i hate him so much #I have no further comment #i just #yeah. #i'm in pain. #sorry if this makes No Sense it poured out of my system in a fugue state #sorry again for dropping off the face of the earth #school and mental health have been A Lot #but needing to yell about The Pain Manga is a constant in life<3 #chapter reaction #chapter thoughts #lextpost #noragami spoilers

[blvvdyindustries]

when i first read ch 92, i kept looking at this panel:

bc i could just feel it meant something, i just couldn't tell what. but after reading this post:

https://noragami-ru-manga.tumblr.com/post/191003258242/chronology-of-noragami

i finally know what it means: yato will be suffering a major blow that will "shatter" him like glass. the chronology post draws a timeline of events in noragami using real life events but in the background of the post, it also links various lunar events with yato's state of being, especially the visually symbolic depictions, like when adachitoka draws the moon with something covering it. in the panel from ch. 92, i thought it was weird that the moon was overlayed with some sort of weblike ayakashi-darkness-thing that yukine is spouting bc it looked so much like shattered glass to me that i thought was on purpose. but after reading the chronology post i think it is on purpose.....in which case yato will be "shattered" in some way soon, maybe even by yukine's hand.

#noragami #tsukuyomi theory #yall know i need to add the tag #god i didn't pay attention to noragami until it started looking like the tsukuyomi theory was about to get confirmed #now all of a sudden im a noragami fan blog/literature analyst/and theorist

[pair-annoyed]

Anime I Watched in Quarantine

With some of the restrictions being lifted, I wanted to make a sort of master post to see just how much I’ve watched in my time off. Plus, I wanted to share something more lighthearted with everyone.

All of these anime will be rated on a 1-10 scale, 10 meaning masterpiece, 1 meaning complete garbage. I’ll also share what I liked/didn’t like about each show. This list will go in chronological order, and will encompass all anime from 3/13 - 6/13. Multiple Seasons will be grouped together. 

1. Beastars - 8/10 

I dig how human and down-to-earth Beastars is. The pacing was a nice and the animation was unexpectedly great! It’s driving force is its characters and their interactions. Felt a little slow at times, and Juno annoys me, but that’s okay. I’ll be watching season 2.

2. Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun - 8/10 

Oh my god! This visuals for this were absolutely wonderful! It did feel a little cliche at times, I won’t lie. But, I still loved all of these characters and the nice balance between creepy and comedy. 

3. Ao No Exorcist - 6/10 

I posted about this one after I finished it. The ending really pissed me off. I feel like if I had watched this when I was 13, I would’ve given it a higher score. Compared to some of the other shounen I’ve watched, this felt a bit basic. That doesn’t mean I still didn’t like it. Still have to get around to watching season 2...

4.  Kaichou wa Maid-sama! 6.5/10

Shoujo usually isn’t my cup of tea. Maid-sama was a nice way to ease into the cliches of shoujo. Misaki is a great protagonist and the ending Maid-sama was so satisfying. I’m only giving it a low score because of its slow pacing and lack of certain character development. 

5.  Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eien to Jidou Shuki Ningyou  - 7/10

I’m a big Violet Evergarden fan to begin with, so of course I liked this movie. It did not resonate with me as much as the series itself, but I still enjoyed it. Kyoto animation is never disappointing in their visuals and sound design 

6.  Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! - 8/10 

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren - 6.5/10 

Chuunibyou was a breath of fresh air for me. It was so different from all other romance anime I had seen at the time. It for sure has a slice of life vibe to it, but it was still so good! It reminded me of being in middle school and my “chuunibyou” phase. The second season was not as enjoyable as the first. I guess I just had higher expectations for Rikka and Yuuta. 

7. Dr. Stone - 7/10

Dr. Stone is honestly such a perfect shounen for me. I’m a science nerd, and with taking AP Chem this year it was kind of nice to sorta apply my knowledge. This show also has some of the best reaction images ever. The tone, however, is a little inconsistent which made it hard to keep watching. I do love the relationship between Senku and his Dad, that whole sub-plot was so endearing.

8. Oshiete! Galko-chan - 6/10

This one only gets a low score because its so short and the op takes up like half an episode. This show had been in the back of my mind for a while. I decided to watch it after seeing a video essay discussing it. Its masterful subversion of tropes and stereotypes was refreshing. The message of this show is so positive, and everyone can benefit from watching something like this.  

9. Mairimashita Iruma-kun  - 5/10 

The second half of Mairimashita Iruma-kun was so much better. I’m not completely sure why I didn’t like this as much as I should have. Overall, its a really average show. The comedy (and musical numbers???) give this show and charismatic and chaotic vibe. I’m someone who focuses primarily on character-character interactions, and this show definitely had it. It isn’t monogatari levels of dialogue but it’s still nice. For the studio’s low budget, they were able to make a really bright and colorful show. I’ll be watching season 2.  

10. Byousoku 5 Centimeter - 8/10

Very. VERY. Pretty!! This one was another one that didn’t completely resonate with me emotionally. I still loved the story and the way it was told. Its not like Your Name or Tenki no Ko, it’s realistic and grounded.

11. Mob Psycho 100 - 8/10

Mob Psycho 100 II - 9/10 

Style alone made Mob Psycho 100 so impressive. By the second half of each season I was emotional invested in Mob and his whole journey. Season 2 is receiving a higher score because it was able to make me cry. That’s something I NEVER expected. I’m mad I didn’t watch this sooner. It is a great balance of action, comedy, and heart. 

12. Noragami Aragoto - 8/10 

Not sure why I put off Norogami’s second season for so long. I absolutely loved it. The focus on Bishimon was a nice change of pace and it was great to see Yukine develop more as a character and begin to loose his arrogance. Kazuma was my favorite character in all of this. His ability to affect the people around him was presented nicely. I was emotionally invested the whole way through, and I’ll probably pick up the manga. 

13. Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji - 3/10

Ah yes. My least favorite thing on planet earth. This is a wonderful example of Shoujo at its worst. Their relationship was incredibly toxic, and the characters themselves were poorly developed and generic. The whole time all I could think was that I was watching normalized Stockholm Syndrome. Our MC deserves so much better. 

14. Youjo Senki - 6/10

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting to like Youjo Senki as much as I did. I’m not usually one for iesekai. The action was great, but the use of CGI bogged down scenes. I do NOT really like the protagonist that much because she came across as apathetic. Towards the end, I started to like her more. This was also my first military/warfare-focused anime. If either a movie or second season is made, I will probably not watch it. 

15. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - 6.5/10

I wanted to like Madoka Magica more than I did. I really did. The style was compelling and the story was interesting. Especially in the beginning, a lot of the death and sad stuff didn’t feel all that sad. The last 4 episodes are a solid 8/10, I love time shenanigans. The emotions and character development really shined through in the end. Madoka is such an inherently kind-hearted person, I love her so much! 

16. Yakusoku no Neverland - 8.5/10 

I was expecting Yakusoku no Neverland to be more graphic, but I’m kind of glad it didn’t go that route. Like Madoka, the last four episodes had me really invested. However, the character development was not as rushed. It’s a smart show and welcomed change of pace. Emma is my favorite character and you bet I’ll be watching season 2. The more I think about this show, the more I appreciate it. 

17. Mo Dao Zu Shi - 9/10

Mo Dao Zu Shi 2nd Season - 8/10 

I know that is is technically a donghua, but I’m counting it as an anime because its on MAL. Amazing visuals and an incredibly layered story.  Censorship makes it difficult to fully appreciate this work and its original novel. Even though I was confused for the first 2 episodes, Mo Dao Zu Shi did a great job of developing the time period and character relationships. The second season wasn’t as satisfying as the first but still great! I don’t think I’ll be watching the live action anytime soon, but I believe that a 3rd season is confirmed for 2020.

18. Banana Fish - 8.5/10

I knew nothing about Banana Fish going into it. Although I didn’t cry at the ending, it definitely made me feel some type of way. Kind of... numb. Banana Fish is painfully realistic. So much so that I had to take a break after episode 15 because I felt sick to my stomach. I also praise Banana Fish for it’s healthy, non-fetishized relationship representation. Eiji and Ash have such a complex but healthy relationship. I hope Banana Fish is able to pave the way for better representation in media. 

19. Promare - 5/10 

Why do people praise Promare so much? I hated how predictable it was. The whole movie felt like a 2 hour animation flex for Trigger. The only character in this movie that didn’t manage to piss me off it some way was Lio. The only other thing I’ve seen by studio Trigger is Kill la Kill, so compared to that, this felt like such a step down. :( I was disappointed. 

20. Given - 6/10

Given made me both sad and made me want to start a band. Overall the animation is nothing special, I do like the reactions that some of the characters had. Especially that “It’s Mutual” gif set. I couldn’t get over how much Ritsuka looks like Kageyama. My only complaint was how rushed Mafuyu and Ritsuka’s relationship felt. More time should have been dedicated to Mafuyu dealing with and moving past the loss in his life. All that said, I’m still watching the movie.

21. Enen no Shouboutai - 5/10 

Generic Shounen, bad ending, great animation. Need I say more? I did not watch Soul Eater (made by same creator), but this was enjoyable. Really cool fights, not so cool character development. A lot of the explanations towards the end felt like complete bull shit. Same energy as using fancy sounding science words to explain things. 

22. Hataraku Maou-Sama - 5.5/10

This is another show I felt I would’ve liked more if I watched it when I was younger. The iesekai trope is so beaten down that classics like this don’t really carry as much weight as they originally did. A 24 episode season with more Slice of Life episodes would’ve benefited this series greatly.

23. BNA - 7/10

BNA, in my opinion, was so much better than Promare. Like Hataraku Maou-sama, BNA would’ve benefited from a longer season with more Slice of Life Episodes. Trigger’s newer animation is beautiful and I really hope BNA gets renewed for a second season. The ending was cliche as hell, but still really enjoyed this show!

24. Devilman: Crybaby - 7/10 

A.K.A. The one show I’ve got to watch when I know I’m alone. The use of multiple languages besides Japanese in the sub was a unique take. The animation was also a little jarring at first, but I came to love it. The themes in this are not the most positive. The end left me feeling numb, but also appreciative. Ryo pissed me off as soon as he tried to kill that cat, so it was hard to sympathize with him in the very end. It is a really good show, but also sickening, Watch at your own discretion.  

#devilman: crybaby #promised neverland #chuunibyou #love chuunibyou and other delusions #norogami #norogami arogoto #bna #brand new animal #hataraku maou-sama! #devil is a part timer #fire force #enen no shouboutai #given #promare #banana fish #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic arts #yakusoku no neverland #madoka magika #ookami shoujo to kuro ouji #wolf girl and black prince #mob psycho #mob psycho 100 #byousoku 5 centimeter #5 centimeters per second #welcome to demon school iruma kun #mairimashita! iruma kun #oshiete! galko chan #anime recommendation

[thekingofkeepers]

MY GENSAKU MASTERLIST FANFIC POST

Because I write so much of it might as well have all the links in a handy post for whichever unfortunate soul decides to read them. I’ll keep updating this post as I write more fics!

As additional info, any fic about a particular AU will have that AU written next to the title. Smaller things mostly canon compliant like what-ifs and such won’t be marked as an AU. Also this only includes oneshots as I plan to make more multichapter fics and give them their own masterlist post.

This post is sorted in chronological order, starting by the first one I posted. Enjoy if you do decide to dive into this!

Update: since I still can’t make up my mind on where to put my multichapter fics I decided to just split this list in two- at the top there is the list of all oneshots in order of posting, and after that there is now a list of all multichapters, also in order of posting. Now all the Gensaku fics are nicely grouped up together for you to read!

Oneshots

     - The scars we try to hide: It's the first time that Genda looks at himself in the mirror after the match that he really looks at them. The two scars are thin and jagged, running over his right eye and stopping at his cheekbone. Every time he sees himself in the mirror, Genda stubbornly tries to pull his hair over his eye, like that can be enough to hide those scars and shove the pain in a forgotten corner of his mind. It never works. Sakuma tries to help.

       - The will to fight: After the match to choose the Inazuma Japan members, something was wrong with Genda, Sakuma could tell, what with how he disappeared without an explanation after practice and came back the next day with bruises he couldn't explain. He was determined to find out what was going on.

     - Fever: A sick Genda is a grumpy Genda. Good thing Sakuma is there for him.

     - Captain: Being the Teikoku's new captain after Kidou left isn't easy, especially when you don't feel up to the task. They try anyways.

     - Eye patch: The story behind the eye patch.

     - When your friends aren’t together...: ... even though you and the entire team know they definitely like each other, what do you do? You try to set them up, of course. ... Though Fudou is definitely not the one you'd want to try and set you up. He just wants to win the bet going on at the Teikoku. Kazemaru is very tired of this.

     - Anything for you: Because Genda will never leave Sakuma to drown alone in his problems.

     - Homework: Just a normal study session.

     - Park: A date at the amusement park.

     - Anew: (Adoption AU) It all started when Genda met that kid in the park. It all went downhill from there.

     - Point of no return: Where one decision changes many things and hurts them in the process. Or: Genda makes a stupid choice to save Sakuma and ends up alone in Shin Teikoku instead.

     - Just more school problems: (Adoption AU) When they adopted a kid, Genda and Sakuma weren't ready for many things that came with it. School and mean kids were just one of them. They still manage.

     - Of coffee, salt and pastries: (Coffee shop AU) Retail work was far from ideal for Sakuma, even if it was just a coffee shop testing his patience and impulse control on the daily. Lucky him, Genda is there to help.

     - Birthday: It's Genda's birthday and the team prepares accordingly.

     - Bruised: After the Neo Japan match, their players didn't exactly come out unscathed, what with the hellish training they were put through. The Teikoku team is just worrying over their teammates- especially when Genda is being the reckless idiot they're all painfully used to.

     - Of coffee dates and plans: (Coffee shop AU) Ever since Genda started working at the coffee shop, everyone knew pretty well that there was something between him and Sakuma, as much as no one said anything on the job. Two coworkers very tired of seeing them just ignore the matter take action.

     - Healing: After their disastrous match against the Zeus, the Teikoku is doing their best to just heal and recover. It's not so easy knowing how much their keeper had to go through for their sake. Sakuma won't leave him alone.

     - Once a year: Sakuma's birthdays weren't always great or uneventful as he hoped, more often than not being nothing more than a mess he wanted to forget. Genda refused to let him be miserable like he expected, and Sakuma couldn't be any more grateful.

     - Fangs: After the Zeus match, Genda knew he had to become stronger. For his team. Relying on a forbidden technique was not the best idea, though. He'd find a way to work with it without landing himself back in the hospital in the process. Day 1 of teikokuweek 2020: Victory

     - Future: (Adoption AU) Reiichi wants to make his parents proud and there might be a few scares involved in the process, but it's alright, because they're still a family. Day 1 of teikokuweek 2020: Future

     - By the sword: (Noragami AU) A god should never speak to a human, let alone try to befriend them. Someone should've really reminded Sakuma of that before everything went downhill. Sometimes he felt like a really selfish god. Day 3 of teikokuweek 2020: Alternate Universe

     - Cristalline waters: (Mermaid AU) Life changes a lot when you're welcoming a merfolk in it, especially when you're a pirate always on the run. Neither of them seems to care too much. Day 4 of teikokuweek 2020: Beach

     - Ache and comfort: Sakuma doesn't have it easy in the hospital between healing injuries and the constant fear of falling behind. He's not alone, and Genda will remind him of it. Day 4 of teikokuweek 2020: Hospital

     - Memories of scars: They have gotten plenty of scars over the years. Some have a deeper story than others. Day 6 of teikokuweek 2020: Scars

     - In the old woods: (Fantasy AU) Sakuma thought he was going to die in those woods. What a way to go for a prideful warrior, bleeding in some forsaken forest and about to be mauled by a wolf to boot. Too bad it's not his time yet, and the wolf is not all he seems. Those woods were full of surprises.

      - Inked flowers: (tatto parlor/flower shop AU) Sakuma had never really talked to the guy working at the flower shop in front of his parlor, too busy with his own work to even bother- he looked pretty intimidating anyways. Then, that guy walked into his parlor asking for a tattoo. There were many surprises that Sakuma didn't expect, but he didn't mind any of them.

      - Father’s day: (adoption AU) Sometimes it's the small things that matter. Reiichi still tries his best to show his parents how much he cares, even if it's just a child's little gift.

      - Hospital trips: As much as Sakuma loves his boyfriend, sometimes he has to wonder if the scares and injuries are worth it. Unsurprisingly, they are.

      - Rainy days: Even in the coldest days, they're alright because they have each other, and that's enough.

     - On the road: Of the many impulsive decisions in their lives, Sakuma liked the improvised road trips the best.

      - Ice rink: They're on a date at the ice rink when Genda realizes that skating might be harder than he expected. Sakuma doesn't really seem to mind.

     - First engine: Sakuma couldn't have been any happier after moving in with his boyfriend, now Genda deserved the best gift he could find for his first birthday after starting to live together.

     - Of pain and sacrifices: Shin Teikoku was nothing short of hell, between the training and injuries that kept knocking them down and trying to tear them apart and mold them once again into Kageyama's loyal puppets. At least they still have each other, even if it meant sacrificing anything they could just to keep the other safe a little longer.

      - Blessed: (Noragami AU) In which sacrifices are made, more than once. Sakuma doesn't think he could ever endure something like this again. Sequel to "By the sword"

     - Among nature: (D&D AU) It all started when he found that cat napping in his bag without a care in the world. Then, he found out that he didn't mind the cat, even when it turned out to be something else entirely, not exactly the friendly animal he had expected. Turns out, what came after that meeting was more than what he could've ever asked for.

      - Together: Between the newcomer in the team and Kageyama's return, someone needs to be there for Sakuma. He's lucky that Genda is that someone.

      - Parties and drinks: As any college student would do, they took some much needed time off to party and unwind after a tough week. Except for Genda it just meant being the responsible friend and making sure all of them would get back to their dorms. Not easy when they were that drunk. He's trying his best.

      - Early sickness: Sakuma is terribly stubborn when he gets sick. At least Genda knows well by now how to take care of him when even making him take medicine is a challenge.

     - New foods: (werewolf/vampire AU) In which a werewolf finds out that meat can, in fact, be eaten in other ways than just raw. The kitchen might end up being an unfortunate victim of this discovery in the future, though.

      - Haircutting: Maybe it's time for a little change after so many years.

     - Cake: Just Genda bringing a sweet treat to his boyfriend in the hospital. gensakuweek 2020 Day 6 - hospital

     - Festival: There is a festival in town, the perfect occasion for a much needed break and the date they had wanted for a while. gensakuweek 2020 Day 5 - festival

      - Almost kisses: Five times Sakuma almost kissed Genda and one time he did.

       - Beach days: Of all the things Sakuma expected to find on the beach that day, a shark was definitely not one of them. He wasn't expecting to befriend said shark either- but he quickly found out that he didn't mind any of it.

       - And there was only one bed: (secret santa gift for Tachifuro!) A reservation problem in the hotel they were supposed to stay at in preparation for their next match was nothing. Having to share a bed, now? Maybe that was a bit of a problem. Just maybe.

     - Fairy lights: At Sakuma's request, they get some decorations for the season. He quickly realizes that they're not as breathtaking as the one helping him with them.

      - Not a beast: (BNHA AU) When a chance encounter with a villains turns into disaster, there is a price to pay. They can only hope that it won't be too high. Or: Genda is still a self sacrificial idiot and may give Sakuma more than one heart attack on the long run. (sequel of sorts to Hero’s Road -first one was for the setting-)

     - Demon horns and angel feathers: (demon/angel AU) In which an angel meets with a very annoying demon, except said demon might or might not be his friend and crush.

      - Teamwork: Genda is lucky to have the friends he has, even if sometimes they need to remind him. Now, if only he would stop pushing himself and listen to them.

      - Homemade: In which Sakuma wants to surprise his boyfriend for the date, only to realize just how much he sucks at cooking.

      - It’s always a special day: Sakuma, Genda, and a look at a few of their Valentine's spent together through the years.

      - Date in the rain: Or the best they could make of a day ruined by gloomy weather.

     - Send me one more message: One day, Genda received a letter, an offer. Even when neither of them was prepared for what would come after accepting, they still decided to try, to push through the hardships. Even with so many hours and distance between them, they were trying.

     - It’s not empty day: With his birthday getting closer and all the distance between them, Genda was already expecting the day to be a lonely and empty one, just trying to forget about it for once. Except Sakuma was way more stubborn than he gave him credit for.

     - Of love rivals: Sakuma has found his greatest rival when it comes to winning over Genda's affection.

     - Seasons: A moment together for every season. Teikokuweek 2021 Day 1: seasons

     - Night: During the nights after Shin Teikoku, they find a way to help each other. Teikokuweek 2021 Day 5: Night

     - Long distance presents: Because someone has to make sure Sakuma's birthdays are celebrated as he deserves, no matter the distance.

Multichapters

      - Made an animal: (werewolf/vampire AU - complete) Sakuma was used to humans fearing him, trying to get rid of a foul creature like him- it just came with being a vampire. What he didn't expect was finding a wolf in need of help when the next hunters came for him. It's not an easy path, with more downs than ups, but they're trying.

     - Lion’s heart: (FMA AU - complete) It was supposed to be a simple scouting mission, nothing more. Of all the things Genda expected, the stranger hiding in the decaying, abandoned house certainly wasn't one of them. What came out of helping him wasn't something he expected either.

#inazuma eleven #inazuma eleven go #genda koujirou #sakuma jirou #gensaku #masterlist #this really puts into perspective how much i've been writing uh

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Happy Birthday Daisuke Ono (May 4)

Happy 41st birthday to the talented seiyuu, narrator, radio personality, and singer. Here’s his full biography.

There was a request to not use heavy gifs. Keep in mind that these aren’t my gifs. If the gifs are a little heavy, I’m more than willing to just use images (pictures) instead. If you can, let me know your thoughts on that!

He was just cast in Bungou Stray Dogs to play Ace! I’m so excited! My reaction: “SAY ‘YARE YARE DAZE’ OH! AND ‘I’M ONE HELL OF A BUTLER’”

The following video has quite a few of his roles. Not all of them had gifs so they weren’t included below. 

Notable Roles:

Sebastian Michaelis - Black Butler

Daikoku - Noragami

[He’s the one throwing something]

Shizuo Heiwajima - Durarara

[IZAYA!!!]

Sinbad - Magi

[They pronounce his name “Shindobaddo” (シンドバッド). It takes a while to get used to]

Riki Nendou - Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan

He also voices the mom of Riki.

Subaru Asahina - Brothers Conflict

Mitsuya Maeno - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Kyouma Mabuchi - Dimension W

Shintarou Midorima - Kuroko no Basuke

Killer T Saibou - Hataraku Saibou

[The blond guy]

Kaoru Hanase - Tamako Market

Jun Satou - Working!!

[I LAUGH EVERY TIME HE GETS FRIEND ZONED. HE’S TRYING HIS BEST]

Joutarou Kuujou - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

[ORAORAORAORA YARE YARE DAZE]

Erwin Smith - Attack on Titan

[SUSUME!]

Fafnir - Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

Kurou Yatogami - K

Kazuma Yagami - Kaze no Stigma

Zenji Banba - Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens

Kokkuri-san - Gugure! Kokkuri-san

Itsuki Koizumi - Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

Jyushimatsu - Osomatsu-san

[Episode 9B of the first season of Osomatsu was the pique of the whole series. He meets a girl and stuff happened.]

Sei Handa - Barakamon

[One of my favourite anime]

Videos:

*I recommend checking out the subbed Durarara events! Those are quite fun, and there are some subbed videos out there if you look around for them!

Here’s a full playlist of his stuff from Anokoe  (WARNING: THE LIST ISN’T IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. PROCEED WITH CAUTION)

I recommend watching episode 23 when they die eating durian (start at the 8-minute mark)! “THIS STINKS! // I’m trying not to breathe // *incomprehensible noises* // *runs and pukes in the bushes*”

He screams and yells for a lot of his roles. It’s like he has two drastic modes: screaming and yelling + smooth-talking charisma.

The Haikyuu cast are a bunch of idiots. We all know that.

Sugita has said for the record that he hated doing the dance. He said it on a radio show with the Gintama cast. Daisuke Ono slays it and tries his best though.

This was probably on Daisuke Ono and Hiroshi Kamiya’s radio show called “Dear Girl Stories”. Hiroshi Kamiya is the one laughing in the background.

Music:

I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of his singing, so I just linked a few videos...

Daisuke Ono - Song Compilation Roles

[Official Video] Ono Daisuke - Kinmokusei - キンモクセイ 小野大輔

[Official Video] Ono Daisuke - DELIGHT - 小野大輔

Daisuke Ono - Lunar Maria | 小野大輔 - Lunar Maria

#ono daisuke #seiyuu #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken #joutarou kuujou #jotaro kujo #barakamon #The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya #working!! #wagnaria #osomatsu san #gugure! kokkuri san #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #hataraku saibou #cells at work #Kuroko no Basuke #saiki kusuo no ψ nan #saiki kusuo no psi nan #durarara #drrr

[ryuukenden4]

I was talking to my roommate about how deeply anime openings affect me, and I have finally solidfied that Gintama opening 13 is the best anime opening ever created.

Sure you have your bangers like Bleach 13, Fire Force, Noragami Aragoto, Bungo Stray Dogs 2, and Black Clover 4 (those are some of my other faves), and I will accept those as your favorites over GT 13. However, no other opening I've seen conveys such a deep message as this one (at least to me).

It starts off showing Gintoki alone in a dark room (where he was during the Shiroyasha years). The moonlight softly illuminates him with silver light, showing off his silver soul (haha gin tama, right). Then we cut to Shinpachi and Kagura together on the balcony of the Yorozuya office. They're together but still in the dark. Their lives before Gintoki were difficult too, but they had people there for them. Nevertheless, they were really saved when Gintoki came into their lives. They were so touched by him that they became his kids (not really but still. LET ME DREAM). They are bathed in silver as well, showing Gintoki's effect on them.

Next we cut to Gintoki running through sakura blossoms. He stumbles once, showing that his path is not entirely clear and he's still overcoming obstacles from his past trying to knock him down. But he keeps running. And then we get glimpses of his past, namely the biggest regret of his life- when he failed to save his mentor and father figure. That haunts him to this day.

But suddenly, who comes up to remind him he's not alone? His kids Shinpachi and Kagura. They smile at him, reminding him of what's important- living for the now and not in the past. He smiles too, knowing he's not alone.

And then we get shots of the other characters. They've all got their own tragic pasts they're working through, and we're reminded of that as they're bathed in silver light as well. This shows us how many lives Gintoki has touched, regardless of how they feel about him or not. (We also get Madao on the lyric that sounds like Madao, so that's poetic cinema in and of itself.)

Then we get the fight scenes. They are the main focus of the arc (I believe. I'm not chronologically there in the anime yet, but I know a few spoilers, so I think that's it) These fights are rough on Gintoki, as he is nearly beaten again. And then we get his switch from present Gin to Shiroyasha, struggling with his guilt again. The amount of anguish Gintoki is going through internally is heartbreaking to me. He hides behind his humor so no one will be worried about him. But he really needs so much support and so many hugs I-

...but anyway. Back to the analysis.

Then we immediately cut to Kagura and Shinpachi running ahead through the cherry blossoms, calling back to the first chorus. They are the ones leading the way, not Gintoki. They are showing him the future he has, with them and for himself. They're giving him a reason to keep going, to catch up with their youthful innocence and drive. He follows them, smiling.

The last shot we get is of the trio standing in the silver moonlight, sakura petals dancing around them. It solidfies the trio's bond, and shows us they'll be together forever. The beauty of the sakura and the beauty of them as a unit is paralleled, and I think that is the cutest and softest shit ever.

No other opening ever has spoken to me like this. Gintama really is the best anime (besides Bleach, but I could go so in depth about my appreciation for that one).

#its 12:30 and i have a japanese test tomorrow i should be sleeping #here i am analyzing gintama lmao #ive never done an op analysis so go easy on me uvu #also feel free to add your own input! #i wanna know what you think #i just love anime ops so much andjdodlaksbdb #ryuu's thoughts #analysis #anime op #gintama #gintoki sakata #kagura #shinpachi shimura #sakuramitsusuki #gintama op 13 #for a comedy show this show is so beautiful and serious and I LIVE FOR IT

[maskedmuses-archived]

ABOUT THE MUSE. REPOST DO NOT REBLOG

GENERAL

Name: Lucille Constance Lark (Momone in Noragami verse)

Nickname(s): Lulu, Lili, Lucy, etc

Age: 18 physically, chronologically 322

Morality: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / grey / evil

Species: Spirit

PERSONAL

Sins: lust / greed / gluttony / sloth / pride / envy / wrath

Virtues: chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice

Primary goals in life: Proving herself among her fellow spirits, gaining enough believers to gain a voice or something similar

Build: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese

PHYSICAL

Height: 5′ 3″

Weight: Approximately 125ish, but literally nothing when she doesn’t want to

Scars/Birthmarks: One mark along her shoulder from an accident with some of her father’s antlers

Abilities/powers: Creation of papers to communicate, ability to adapt those papers to any feasible shape she can imagine, flight (with the assistance of wind), using wind to encourage others to make sounds for her (rustling trees, birds chirping, etc), and possession of living bodies.

FAVORITES

Favorite food: Fruit tarts

Favorite drink: Berry juices

Favorite color(s): Blue

Favorite music genre: Traditional ballads and anything with nice vocals

Favorite book genre: Fairy tales

Favorite movie genre: Never seen one; wouldn’t know

Favorite season: Winter

Favorite curse word(s): “Rantallion”

Favorite scent: The smell of paper and of rain

FUN STUFF

Bottom or Top: She’s a switch, but leans towards bottom

Sings in the shower: Unable to, but used to

Likes bad puns: Absoluetly

Tagged by : @hopelived

Tagging : @superpsycholcve, @withdoggoandregu, @bowlofyatos, @hafuriyuki, @harpcwn, @vexingvixens, @dawnblxde, and YOU!

#||Silent Spirit | Lucille||

[milimaaa]

The posts in the Noragami tag are suddenly not in chronological order. Showing 2 year old posts or more in the recent option...

#it's probably not just the noragami tag

[noragami-ru-manga]

Magatsukami. On Yato’s attitude towards his job

I might be a little late for the party with this kind of analysis (I mean, magatsukami who? we only know Yatogami-sama, the god of fortune). Still, have fun with this one *throws another lengthy-ass post at you*

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

It probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone that my favorite character in Noragami is the noragami himself. I mean, what did you expect? Yato is an excellent protagonist who holds the narrative focus really well and whose character development is interesting to observe. A lot of things can be and have been written about him, his relationships with Father / Nora /Hiyori / Yukine / Kazuma / Ebisu / etc. What I want to examine is his attitude towards his calling of a magatsukami, or god of calamity, throughout his known life.

Past

I think it makes sense to start from the beginning, i.e. from Yato’s childhood, when his job was nothing but a game to him. Father created him to “cull the heard” and named him Yaboku. He knew what Father’s wish was from the start, even before he got Hiiro as his instrument. Naturally, there’s nothing to say about Yato’s attitude towards his role as a magatsukami at this point – little Yaboku probably doesn’t even know the term.  Here, Father is teaching him how to be a god – in his opinion, anyway.

Rule #1: gods can do whatever they want. Father teaches by example: Yaboku can come and take anything on display in the market without paying for it; since no one can see him, no one will notice anything missing, and if they do, they won’t know who stole from them. A nice little lesson, isn’t it?

Rule #2: gods must fulfill human wishes. Father means his own wish, of course, but divine instincts show through, so Yaboku regards any request as a wish/prayer – like when his victims beg for their lives, for example. Except Father’s wish (or Yaboku’s own wish to make his father happy) is stronger, so those prayers go unanswered.

That’s how Yaboku starts fulfilling his role thinking of it as merely a game. What’s curious is that he seems to have had doubts about Father’s wish before the very first “game”:

But even if he’s had those doubts before, they are completely gone when Father praises him. After that Yaboku hasn’t given much thought to what he’s doing, cause the more ears he brings home, the more Father praises him, and what else can a child dream of?  And as a child he also asks his innocent questions that make your skin crawl – e.g., how come there was another human inside the belly of a woman he “played” with?

That’s how it was before a nameless shinki stumbled upon Yaboku – a shinki whom he named Sakura and who started calling him Yato by mistake. Sakura starts teaching Yato right away, probably without even stopping to think where he got those disturbing habits in the first place. It’s understandable though since she hasn’t been a shinki for that long. Sakura doesn’t know much about the Far shore, including things that are crucial to her survival – like how the water from a spring can heal her blight; it’s unlikely that the thought of a god having a parent who’s raised him to be way he was would have crossed her mind. But she has some very strong views of good and evil, and she starts conveying them to Yato as well, and with a nice and clear reasoning at that. Sakura doesn’t tell him that stealing is wrong “because she said so” – she explains that taking others’ belongings and disrupting the established rules of human interactions by doing so will lead to driving other people away and being left all alone. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have time to teach Yato the value of human life before he takes her to “play” with him instead of Hiiro.

Of course, Sakura is shocked that Yato’s used her to just up and kill an unsuspecting man, so she stings him and runs away. However, she comes back after her conversation with Tsuyu regarding the nature of the gods and keeps teaching Yato to love and have sympathy for humans. Nevertheless, the incident with the man who was dragged by his horse shows just how much Father’s lessons are engraved in Yato’s brain. The first thing to come to his mind is to slay the horse; luckily, Sakura is fast enough to tell him that he’s supposed to cut the rope,  so the man is saved and Yato gets his first show of gratitude from a living human (Father doesn’t really count). From this point on, Yato is not as keen to go and “play” with Hiiro, but he doesn’t abandon his games completely because he still wants to be praised by Father.

So Yato keeps “playing” with Hiiro while also helping out humans with Sakura. It’s the beginning of recurring future situations when Yato will have other shinki whom he won’t use to fulfill Father’s requests and simply disappear for a while to do his job as a magatsukami instead.

It’s pretty obvious that Yato has never got over Sakura’s death – he prefers the name she’s given him, and he also gives his new shinki a part of her human name. But there’s something else to consider. When Sakura explains to Yato what shrines are for, she asks him to be respectful towards any and every wish, and he remembers that.

It’s the same thing he tells to Rabo in “The clash of the gods of calamity”. It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly this extra takes place, considering the only historical reference here is the Toshima clan, which existed in 8-15th centuries, and there’s no way I can determine the time period by people’s clothes. Knowing that Yato was born in 10th century doesn’t help much cause it means that the events of “The clash of the gods of calamity” could take place anytime between 10th and 15th century.

Anyway, for a small extra like this, quite a lot of things actually happen in “The clash…”. Yato is seemingly working on his own now. For the usual payment of five yen he is asked to avenge a girl who was robbed and killed by a female thug from her own village. He and Hiiro come upon some ayakashi-possessed bandits while looking for that woman. They try to kill Yato but fail cause he kills them first, without hesitation or regret.

By the way, the “clash” of the gods of calamity isn’t that much of a clash, really – Yato and Rabo simultaneously slay the last gang member and that’s how they get to know each other. Well, sometimes that happens.

I find the next scene very interesting though. Rabo is pouring wine to Yato’s cup, not knowing that the latter has never drunk the stuff before since Father thinks he’s too young for that. As soon as Yato hears Rabo saying that if his father forbids then he really shouldn’t be drinking, he chugs down the entire bottle. It shows how Yato is already trying to defy his father, even if it is with small acts like that since he’s unable to do much else. And Hiiro calling him Yato and not Yaboku proves that at this point Yato is refusing to go by the name his father has given him and uses the one Sakura’s made up instead. And as they say, drunkenness reveals what soberness conceals; so when Rabo expresses the thought that Yato’s impressive battle skills could attract the attention of samurai, Yato says the same thing Sakura said before, adding a little more of his (or rather, his father’s) thoughts to it.

And yes, Yato actually finds the woman he was tasked to kill by the victim’s brother, and brought back a kimono. After all, the brother’s wish not so much about killing that thug as. It was about bringing back the kimono that was stolen from his sister’s dead body so that she may rest in peace. The drunken confession and the situation with kimono show that Yato, who was torn between Father and Sakura as a child, has learnt to compromise. He will be doing what his father demands of him and fulfill his role of a magatsukami because Sakura asked him to treat every wish with respect.

We don’t know what Yato had been doing for the next 300-800 years. Chronologically, the next event in his life we know of is the slaughter of the Ma clan, which happened sometime 200 years prior to the events of the manga. By that time, nasty rumors about him have been going around on the Far shore.

How true the rumors of Yato’s avarice were is hard to judge. Apart from the Bubble era, when his customers would pay him in thousands of yens, he is shown to only ever take 5 yen per wish. Granted, he’s had some side jobs as well since saving up for his shrine by granting wishes only is pretty much impossible. He’s tried to become a pop-idol, has sold rhinoceros beetles and Bishamon doujins, but even in those cases his prices, apparently, would always fall to 5 yen in the end (or maybe that’s the price he’s wanted to have and simply used the old marketing ploy of fake discounts).

Or maybe what Kazuma refers to as avarice is Yato taking the money for the prayers in person and for every one of them.  After all, renowned gods have a different approach to granting wishes.  They can’t possibly respond to every single prayer left at their shrines, so there’s probably no clear proportion to the number of prayers heard and granted in their case. People simply pray to them and hope that one day their wish comes true and the gods try to grant those wishes whenever they can, but unlike Yato, they don’t actually appear in front of their believers.

Anyway, when Kazuma pleads him to slay the Ma clan, who are turning turning into ayakashi en mass, Yato does ask whether he can actually pay for his prayer. But when Kazuma answers that he’d rather return his name to his mistress than become a nora, Yato agrees to grant his wish without down payment.

If you really think about it, Yato didn’t have anything to gain from this particular job. Suppose Kazuma keeps his word and pays later, so what? He’s a shinki, not a living human; is there any point in granting the wish of someone who can’t help Yato spread his name among the living? The way I see it, Yato shouldn’t care whether other gods or their shinki know about him, as for him the only thing that matters is to be remembered by humans. It’s also not a job from his Father that he wouldn’t have the guts to turn down. And yet Yato takes the request anyway without even telling Kazuma how much he’ll have to pay. Maybe he thinks that Kazuma can figure out on his own that the price is 5 yen; or maybe he doesn’t intend to get the money at all.

The thing that caught my eye in the scene where Yato slays the Ma clan is his reaction to their deaths. He starts cutting them as usual but then stops and doesn’t want to continue, so Hiiro has to persuade him to keep going.

This whole situation is probably an unwelcome reminder that he had to mercy kill Sakura, who also turned into an ayakashi. I actually find it curious how Yato seems to make a distinction between shinki and humans. If we go back to his childhood again, he used to kill humans without giving much thought to the fact that dying kind of hurts. But he instantly recognized that Sakura was a shinki and helped her wash away her blight for no apparent reason. In other words, he knew what compassion was (which Tsuyu also noted when Yato came looking for Sakura to Sugawara-no-Michizane’s shrine) but he only felt it for shinki, not humans. Sakura was the one who made him extend that compassion to humans, too (I’m starting to think that this post should be renamed into “1000 and 1 reason why Sakura is awesome and deserves more love”). What I’m saying here is that maybe, apart from being reminded about Sakura’s fate, Yato is unwilling to kill Bishamon’s shinki because he’s started to value human lives less than shinki’s once again. After all, killing people is his job , and he has to do that a lot. Sakura may have taught him compassion towards humans, but at this point she’s been dead for the second time for like 800 years or so. Yato may have relearnt to not feel sympathy towards humans who he had to kill in order to grant other peoples’ wishes. Killing shinki deliberately, on the other hand, is not something he usually does, unless it’s in a fight with another god.

Anyway, Yato does finish the job and slays every shinki of the Ma clan but one, earning himself both a mortal enemy and his first friend.

Four years later Kazuma seeks out Yato to repay his debt, which only increases my suspicions that Yato had no intention of ever taking the money for killing Bishamon’s shinki. He even fails to recall who Kazuma is and needs to be reminded. Naturally, Kazuma has to ask why Yato, who was rumored to delight in murders, decided to help him. Yato’s answer is curt: Kazuma made a wish, he granted it, end of story. Later, when Yukine asks the same question, Yato responds with “because I wanted to”. I think that he says that automatically to protect Kazuma, who also acknowledges at one point that Yato could have admitted that he he’d killed the Ma clan because he was asked to but opted to silently run from Bishamon instead. It’s obvious that Yato doesn’t tell the whole truth on both occasions. It’s possible that he decided to grant Kazuma’s wish because he’d admired Bishamon since he was a kid and even was somewhat jealous of her power, so he wanted to help. But his main reason had to be Kazuma’s loyalty to Bishamon. Even back then Yato couldn’t keep his shinki from leaving him, and Hiiro has never belonged to him fully – not only was she a nora, out of all her masters she served Father first.

The last episode from Yato’s past before the events of the manga worth examining is meeting Daikoku and Kofuku. It happens around 1900’s; Daikoku is turning into an ayakashi because he’s got mad at Kofuku for releasing their surrogate son shinki Daigo, thinking that it would be better that way. Kazuma refers him to Yato saying that the latter can cut anything, even separate memories from their owner. Yato, who happens to have only a regular knife, not a shinki, pretends to do just that. The circumstances of their meeting are interesting to me cause they solidify a certain trend. It’s ironic that Yato’s job as a magatsukami gave him his first healthy relationships – first his unlikely friendship with Kazuma, who then introduced him do Daikoku (and through him with Kofuku) when Daikoku also sought help from the god of calamity.

In short, here’s a picture of Yato’s attitude towards his job as a magatsukami before the main plot of the manga. In his childhood, he was a god of calamity for a specific person and thought of his calling as a game and a way to please his father. Then Sakura made him reevaluate his views of his responsibilities as a god. The time Yato’d spent with her was not enough to change him completely, but the foundation was made. We don’t know for sure if he started granting other people’s wishes on Father’s order or if it was his own decision to do what Sakura told him, that he needed to answer any prayer no matter what it was. But if the story with the kimono is indicative of what sort of work he’s been doing, then it means that, for centuries now, Yato has taken to granting wishes that had to do with punishing criminals. Maybe the reason he didn’t pity his victims was because they weren’t all that innocent themselves.

Present

Yato is introduced as a “delivery god” in the beginning of the manga. The fact that he is actually a magatsukami won’t be revealed until chapter 27, To be fair, Kofuku does mention that he is, in fact, a warrior god, so he’s killed people, but Daikoku corrects her and says that he doesn’t do that anymore. However, in the very first chapter, when Yato learns that his client Mutsumi’s trouble is bullying, he offers to resort to violence.

Judging by Tomone’s reaction, she doesn’t take him seriously even when Yato says that slaying is the only thing he’s good at and proceeds to ask Mutsumi to list the people whose heads he needs to take. As far as she knows, Yato keeps saying things like that but actually slays ayakashi, not people. Would he really have killed students to sort a problem like that? Considering that later chapters show him only going after criminals, I think not. It’s just that old habits die hard, I guess.

Chapters 27-28 show in detail what kind of jobs Yato does as a magatsukami. Both of these he gets from Father through Nora. What’s interesting (especially compared to the anime) is that he agreed on the first one on his own – he wanted it to be his last job with Hiiro before stopping to grant these kinds of wishes completely. It’s a prayer from a woman who thinks that her daughter’s murderer’s punishment is not strict enough. Contract killing is a pricy thing, so the woman offers Yato a wad of cash that he refuses to take and only accepts his usual 5 yen.

Yato could have taken the entire bundle, which would have solved his financial problems for some time at least. Or he could have chosen any sum other than 5 yen to symbolically detach this job from the requests he takes as a delivery god – but he didn’t. He refuses to accept the whole wad because the life of that criminal has no value to him, but he takes his 5 yen because, for him personally, this wish has the same worth as any other.

The second job is a serial killer who supposedly killed four people and buried them in his garden without ever being caught by the police. This time Yato does not speak with the client directly, so he asks Hiiro if the information is 100% accurate. I personally wouldn’t trust her on that, but apparently Yato finds her words – that the one who’s asked to kill the murderer was his own mother – convincing enough. Except this case turns out to be more difficult that the first. The target has a son, whose mother, according to Hiiro, was the guy’s last victim. Yato decides to go through with the task, but first he locks up the boy in the next room. And again, it’s not clear whether he even gets paid for this job since it turns out that the client is long dead and the second part of her wish was for Yato to find a place where her grandson could live in peace.  The difference in Yato’s behavior in this situation and “The clash of the gods of calamity” is significant. He  felt no remorse in “The clash...” when he was killing those thugs. Here though, he is hesitant at first, just like with Bishamon’s shinki, because he doesn’t want to leave a child fatherless. He only makes his decision when Hiiro implies that the kid is also in danger. And Yato still tries to at least not traumatize the boy by killing his father right in front of him.

And now we’re at the point which was mentioned in the beginning of this post. In Yomi, Ebisu asks Yato why he exists and Yato replies that his job is necessary because the Heavens fail at doing theirs. There’s evidence to that: just before this exchange Ebisu says it himself, that he’s heard Yato’s name in some oral traditions, and Hiiro earlier called the kind of work Yato does “the Yatogami miracle”. So Yato the god of calamity actually has (or at least had) followers other than Father, it’s delivery god Yato that doesn’t. Father and Hiiro also do anything in their power to persuade Yato that people need his job. Of course, he doesn’t like that he has to be kept prisoner to fulfill his functions. He seemingly only agrees to do what he’s told because it’s the best course of action for him at the moment and goes berserk when he realizes that Hiyori might forget him if he doesn’t go back soon. Nevertheless, Father and Hiiro’s manipulations combined with genuine gratitude from those who need “the Yatogami miracle” have an impact on him, which is evident in his answer to Ebisu.

Whether Yato likes it or not, his words about the cracks in Heavenly justice (or more specifically, “the holes in Heaven’s net”, which is supposed to catch all evil-doers) mirror Father’s opinion of the Heavens.  Father’s plan to simply kill people and thus diminish the number of those who believe in gods seems to be really flawed to me. So maybe he understood that, too, and chose a different approach. I’ve written earlier that we don’t know if Yato started granting other people’s wishes on Father’s orders or Sakura’s request. But I can imagine that it was part of Father’s plan. Originally Yato was forbidden from even talking to strangers. However, having noticed that he was changing because of Sakura, Father might have started to teach Yato to answer prayers of revenge/restoring justice – to show him how often gods don’t respond to people’s wishes before it’s too late and the only thing that’s left is revenge. Yato may not have given a lot of consideration to that, thinking that he was doing what any god should be doing – answering prayers to continue his existence. But the number of wishes like those only grew, and so the idea that he really was a “necessary evil”, as Father puts it, became more and more ingrained in his mind.    

Another important aspect of Yato’s attitude towards his job as a magatsukami is that, in a way, he has an addiction to it. The last time he returned to this field of work he was literally kidnapped and held hostage. But he’s never actively tried leaving Father and Nora before.

There are multiple reasons why Yato wouldn’t leave until he was told he was free to go. Firstly, he simply didn’t have anywhere to go. Sure, we’ve been shown that his previous shinki weren’t completely unconcerned about him – after all, they would come to Kofuku looking for him. However, since no shinki other than Yukine (except Hiiro) stayed with him for longer than a year, he probably wouldn’t have much commitment towards them. (The official translators actually raised an interesting question in their blog; at least, I never thought much about it before. As we know, it’s established that there are lots of gods who are born from small wishes and don’t exist for long but still manage to name a shinki or two. Kunimi’s first master was like that – he was a doll-like god with his own miniature shrine, born from a game. This wasn’t enough when the children who made him up stopped believing in him. When that god disappeared, the name he gave to Kunimi did not, so as long as Kunimi has a master, he will always be a nora. Here’s the question: how many of Yato’s shinki thought that he simply stopped existing and went looking for another master? Kofuku says that sometimes Yato would go missing for years,  so the shinki who got the -Ne name not long before he’d return to Father (you know, the ones that would come to Kofuku) were either eaten by ayakashi or found another master and became forever noras).

Secondly, Father and Nora provided him with food and protection from “wild” ayakashi, so Yato didn’t need to think of places to spend the night. After all, he wasn’t always so lucky as to find a large shrine with a roof like Tenjin’s; sometimes he would sleep besides statues of Buddha.

Thirdly, he couldn’t go against his father’s wishes. Even though he’s had other believers (how else his name would appear in those oral traditions Ebisu was talking about?) he is convinced that Father is his lifeline. When Hiyori saw Yato’s reaction to those who commit suicide, she thought he hated them because they throw away the lives that shinki would love to have lived. That is true, but it’s not the only reason. Unlike renowned gods, Yato is in the position of someone who could die any moment. Unlike humans though, he wouldn’t have a second chance as a shinki, or go to the afterworld where he already is – he would simply stop existing and no one would ever remember that he was there. To him there’s no difference between gods who don’t appreciate their immortal lives or suicidal people – from his point of view, they all willingly give up on something that he’s working so hard to gain.

And if he wanted to keep that something, he had to work as a god of calamity.

Fourthly, no matter how different Father’s and Sakura’s lessons and approaches were, the one thing Yato’s learnt from them both is that he needs to grant any wish. Not because someone has to do the dirty work when the Heavens are idle, not because they support his existence as a god – it’s something he has to do because it’s the right thing to do. It’s ingrained in his mind. Even the actual plot of Noragami starts when Yato decides to grant Hiyori’s wish, even though she’s never finished her sentence, and takes her 5 yen on his own initiative.

And we also shouldn’t forget that, even though it doesn’t concern him anymore, up to recently Yato still wanted Father’s praise. Father doesn’t say a single nice thing to him now, but that’s not how it’s been before.

On the other hand, Father keeps newspaper clippings of mysterious deaths caused by “the Yatogami miracle” the same way normal parents have keepsakes made by their children. Except that doesn’t make Yato happy at all.

Finally, Yato reveals one more important reason to Yukine after he’s released Nora and decided to become a god of fortune.

On the surface, Yato seems to be quite full of himself. When he does something impressive or, alternatively, other characters question his competence, he responds with “how long do you think I’ve been a god?” Yet none of the hundreds, maybe even thousands of other jobs he’s done would give him recognition comparable to his work as a god of calamity. Sure, people would sometimes give him beer or food as a tip for his “delivery god” jobs. But Rabo told him that his battle skills could win him glory among samurai. People would offer much larger sums of money for contract killing than for cleaning bathrooms or looking for missing pets, even if Yato wouldn’t take them. The more he killed, the more praise he would get from his Father.

I think this quote from FMA describes his situation perfectly:

Yato keeps saying that the only thing he’s really good at is slaying. No wander he would want to keep doing something he thinks is his strong side. Getting praise and gratitude from others is important, but every person has the need in self-actualization. His job as a magatsukami has been giving him exactly that – not just the chance to know that hi’s good at what he’s doing, but to see it with his own eyes. Kazuma may not have been too far off course when he said that Yato delighted in atrocities: even when he would occasionally have doubts in what he was doing (like killing Bishamon’s shinki or the serial killer who had a son), some part of him must have felt that satisfaction and pride of a job well done.

  In short, Yato’s attitude towards his job as a magatsukami is very ambiguous. It would give him protection from his enemies (ayakashi), food and shelter, the absence of which may not be lethal but is still notable.  It would also deprive him of the possibility to have autonomy in his actions, to move around freely and decide anything in his life. It would bind him to Father, the man whose magnificent child rearing methods are the reason Yato’s mental state alternates between that of a thousand-year-old god, a bratty child, or a rebelling teen.  It’s also led him to Kazuma, Kofuku and Daikoku and later Ebisu, and each of these encounters has brought something good to his uneasy life. It would always remind him that killing is the only thing he’s good at while showing just how good he is.

Future?

Yato found his will to stop doing the job of a god of calamity when  Ebisu showed him that making others happy doesn’t always mean granting others’ wishes. He saw that a god can have their own will, like Ebisu having his own wish to decrease the number of disasters in the human world by controlling ayakashi. He released Hiiro after being unable to do that for a thousand years. Whether he knew that a god doesn’t get to name a shinki they have once released is unknown, but what’s done is done – he will never “play” with Hiiro again.

However, “god of calamity” is not a mere description of his previous functions. A god’s “profession” is also their nature. Kofuku can cause a pandemonium by the sheer force of her aura alone. Ebisu, a god of fortune, is tremendously lucky (well, safe for being falsely accused and executed he is a pretty lucky god). The problem Yato currently faces is that when he was working as a magatsukami he didn’t think twice about how his actions would affect other people. But now he can’t get rid of the thought that even if he isn’t a divine assassin anymore, his nature as a god of calamity hasn’t changed, so he is the reason of all the bad things happening to the people closest to him.

Hiyori says to Yato that he’s been her god of fortune for a while. That’s nice and all, but all the problems that Hiyori’s classmates list have been caused by Yato directly or indirectly. The accident? If Hiyori hadn’t tried to save him from the bus, the accident wouldn’t have happened and she wouldn’t have become a half-ayakashi. The call girl accusations? Yato was the one possessing Hiyori’s body and giving his visit cards to anyone he could find. And the fact that he calls himself a “delivery god” even in original Japanese only exacerbates the matter. In Japan, house calling a prostitute is referred to as “health delivery”, so the reaction to his visit cards is understandable. And though the hospital incident has been staged by Father, he’s done that because he got mad at Hiyori for trying to lead Yaboku astray from his true path of a god of calamity. That’s quite the food for thought. Moreover, even though Yukine and Hiyori go out of their way to make Yato a god of fortune, even though he tries his hardest to achieve that, he can’t get away from being reminded of who he used to be.

To make Yato a god of fortune, Yukine suggests that he keeps doing what he’s been doing, only with a different goal in mind – slaying ayakashi, not humans, and do all that without being asked. But if his methods haven’t changeв, is there a chance that we’ll still see magatsukami!Yato again? I’m NOT saying that this is how the story will end, because it would completely undermine the message of this series. However, when Bishamon nearly killed Father, it was Yukine who decided to strike her when he saw Yato passing out; it was his hafuri power that sundered the Heavens. But Yato also felt something in that moment– something he hasn’t felt for a long time.

So… who knows?

P.S. if you have a Yato overdose from this post, please don’t blame me

#noragami #noragami manga #Yato #magatsukami yato #noragami meta

[eerna]

~Challenge~ rank your top 6 favourite noragami characters go!!

HHH this will be hard and in chronological order cuz I just Cannot Choose OK OK SO I messed up and misread your ask. 

Here’s a list of my fave chapters:

1) Chapter 35, “Death” - I know the title and number and summary of this chapter without having to check if I’m right. Pain, beautiful character development, heartbreaking exit and Bisha in armor. It speaks for itself

2) Chapter 47, “Taboo” - In which we get to see the extent to which Yato is messed up. I love the story of how Sakura went from refusing to work for him to actually raising him like a human child. It tugs on my heartstrings yo

3) Chapter 51, “Salvation” - YATO!!!!! DEVELOPMENT!!!!!!! We get to see just how far Hiyori and Yato have come in their bond. And not only because Hiyori is ready to die to be with him, but that scene where she’s chillin at his house for no particular reason and he just arrived from the bath and they talk about her future??? How much more relaxed and domestic can they get???????

4) Chapter 57, “Where Loyalties Lie” - A Mess!!!! It seems like a chill casual chapter with reminiscing and all, but Kazuma is unravelling, and unravelling fast. He also appears ashamed for a panel or two, which is truly exceptional, since it’s Kazuma. Bisha and him just sitting down and talking feels good and I want more of that. Plus, we p much get conformation Hyiori is a part of Yato’s divine entourage, and not just a normal follower, which is SO ADORABLE!!!!

5) Chapter 63.5, “Beside the Crimson Stain” - I can use bonus chapters related to the main plot too, right???? Right???! Because this is one of my faves. Bisha and Kazuma a thousand years ago, at the very beginning of their messy partnership full of love. They too have come far, but not neccesarily in a good direction, which is heartbreaking every time I read it…

6) Chapter 72, “Negation”- THIS CHAPTER RESURRECTED ME???? Y'all, that arc was a year of non stop pain and suffering, and this chapter put a sticker on it (or so we thought, but whatever). All our faves survived the battle (or so we thught). The trio shared a beautiful, tender, amazing hug. People joined together for hugs, And then there was another hug between Yato and Yukine. Everybody was hugging in this chapter. And the end showed us Yukine in a new light, a pitiful scene, but with Yato and Hiyori there to back him up, leading up to another of my top 3 trio moments. Just. A great chapter.

Anddddds my fave characters???? Hiyori, Yato, Yukine, Bisha, Kazum, Daikoku. Kids

#eernask #eernanon #noragami liveblog #i've written so much tysm for letting me ramble abt this

[femme-malewife]

Do you have any anime recommendations?

Oh woah my first ask!! :0

Ok um. Ok. I mean, it really depends on what you wanna watch??? So, uhhh...here’s a genre list I guess.

Slice of life: Violet Evergarden, Given (which is a really good BL, very accurate with its LGBT portrayal), The Royal Tutor, Michiko & Hatchin, Number 24 (sports anime), and of course there’s the Honeyworks anime but you should start with the movies first before going on to the anime, the character arcs will make more sense if you watch them in order of when they came out, the movies and anime happen around the same time as each other but the endings go in a chronological order, so it’ll be less confusing that way anyway.

Fantasy: Owari no Seraph, Mekakucity Actors, Toilet bound Hanako-kun, Noragami, Kill la Kill, Akame ga Kill and Assassination Classroom.

Horror: Higurashi. They’re making a remake right now but only like 2 episodes are out right now, so I’d go with the original.

Idols: Uta no Prince Sama, BanG Dream, Argonavis (which is basically a male lead BanG Dream, same universe, different people, and no you don’t have to watch the other to understand what’s going on), Tsukiuta, and Zombieland Saga.

Hope these are good enough!! These are just some of the ones I really enjoyed!!

[ohmytheon]

real gods require blood (fma/noragami au, 1)

I’ve got a few ideas where this is going, hinted at in what I’ve written here, but honestly this isn’t as set in stone as my Fate AU. It’s more than likely going to be a series inter-connected fics like my Star Wars AU (I have so many AUs, oh my god), but with a theme. None of the scenes are in chronological order, but go back and forth. Kind of like how Noragami did. Seriously, that anime messed me up real good. I was not expecting that. This is mainly for @the-musical-alchemist and @scarfblogs who got me into Noragami. I know my AUs are weird.

“The Gods aren’t so much worshiped, as they are blamed.”  ― Terry Pratchett, The Color of Magic 

It was the smell of blood that always startled him awake.

Roy’s eyes snapped open. There were no rivers of blood around him, only rain, and so he laid on the stone floor in silence and listened. A chill hung in the air from the storm, but he made no move to pull the blanket around him tighter. Instead, he let it seep into his bones until he was shivering. Still, he didn’t move. The cold washed away the feeling of blood.

“You’re going to get sick,” a tired voice sighed from further inside the temple.

Finally, Roy moved, rolling over onto his other side to face her. “Gods don’t get sick.”

“You can get blighted.”

“Are you going to do something terrible?” Roy asked.

Riza frowned and sat down next to him, folding her legs underneath herself. “Are you going to ask me to?”

“What a terrible thing to assume of me,” Roy replied with a smile as he slowly pushed himself up. He gave her a sideways look  “What kind of god do you think I am?”

“A foolish one,” Riza grumbled under her breath. She turned away from him to look out into the rain and huddled deeper into her coat. He’d given her the heavier one. She was so small. The second she’d come out of her regalia form after he’d first named her and taken her in, he had been shocked. How could a spirit that was able to take such a fierce regalia form be so fragile-looking?

She wasn’t weak though. She was the strongest regalia he had ever had. He treasured her more than he could ever admit out loud and she had never blighted him despite all that he had asked of her. She could have and he didn’t think he would’ve blamed her. The things he’d done before, as a god of calamity… Another god, a better one with a better conscience, would’ve used a Nora.

Instead, he’d used her, burned her with blood, and she had turned into a Blessed Vessel for him.

After that, he could no longer be the same god as before. She wasn’t the only one that had changed, but whereas she found new purpose and direction, he felt entirely lost. As the years passed, his name was slowly forgotten until only a few remained out of his desperation to stay alive. It would have been easy to revive his name – all he had to do was go back to being what he was – but that wasn’t who he was anymore. She had changed him and he was determined to live up to her.

So yes, he was a very foolish god, maybe even a little broken too. Roy held out a hand, letting the rain spatter on his open palm, and looked up to the sky. But one day, they would know his name – all of them, those from the Near and Far Shore – and they would no longer fear it as they once did.

*

It was always the whisper of prayers that brought him back to focus.

Fire sang in his blood. It burned through him, vicious and hot, whenever he worked. The wishes that he fulfilled were very rarely spoken with good intentions. They were born out of hate, rage, grief, confusion, fear. Those were the emotions that made up calamity and they were what he answered to at the end of the day. They were whispers in the dark, words not meant for the light of day, and he knew them all.

Gods like Roy weren’t meant to be revered. They were meant to be feared. It had been a long time since he had known anything but that.

He deserves to die.  He took her… He took my wife. I want them both dead.

Roy stood in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall, while the man sat on the floor with his head in his hands. “Are you certain that’s what you want?”

“I want their hearts torn out of their chest like mine has been!” the man cried out.

He didn’t think the man meant it so literally, but if that was what was asked of him specifically, he would do it. This was easy work. It didn’t take much effort. It wasn’t pleasant and it certainly wasn’t kind, but someone had to answer these wishes, didn’t they? These humans prayed to someone. They prayed to him. What kind of god would he be if he did not answer them?

Sighing, Roy held out a hand and waited patiently until the man dropped the payment in his hand. All it ever took to fulfill a wish were some heartfelt words and a few coins. It turned out that even human lives were cheap. He never counted to make sure he wasn’t shortchanged. Everyone knew what would happen if they crossed him.

He was not a god to wish for – and yet people did.

*

Havoc jumped cheerfully in the air as he whooped. “We did damn good today!”

“We were adequate,” Falman replied.

“Damn good. Six phantoms all charging at once? That’s not adequate.” The sandy-haired regalia leaped over to Fuery, wrapping an arm around the younger man’s neck so that he could rub a knuckle in his hair. Havoc’s grin was almost bright enough to blind someone. “Our boy here got his first bit of action too.”

“I didn’t do much…” Fuery admitted, blush tinging his cheeks.

Havoc blew a raspberry. “Nonsense!”

“Coordinating all of my regalias is an important position,” Roy pointed out as he brushed past them.

Fuery turned even redder but said nothing in return. He was left to the mercy of Havoc and Breda piling on top of him with Falman sighing at the side. Riza followed Roy into the temple, leaving the four other regalias to hang back. It was beautiful outside, a sunny day, even more lovely now that it had been cleansed of phantoms hanging around the city after a vent was accidentally opened.

Roy paused once inside the temple, gazing at the shrines built inside. They were so shiny. Every inch of this place spoke of devotion and care – of being remembered and known. He could breathe in here. After so many years, he had forgotten what it was like to be known. The others didn’t know. They didn’t know of Roy when he was a god that only a handful of people remembered. Riza, on the other hand – she had known him through all of it.

Maybe that was why having a shrine now shamed him so much, even though he’d worked so hard to get it in order to be worthy of her.

“Do I deserve this?” Roy asked.

Riza peered at him. “Sir?”

“Do I deserve this?” Roy repeated. “To be beloved, to be wanted, to be needed.” When he looked down at his hands, he saw the blood that was no longer physically on them. It would always be there though. Blood followed gods of calamity. He would never be fully rid of it. “After all that I did…”

“Nothing will wash away your sins fully,” Riza said. But then she put a hand on his shoulder and he looked back up. A strong part of him wanted to grab her hand and yet he held back. He always did, but just barely. “But as long as you continue on the path you’re on, you will be worthy of this.”

Roy nodded his head and looked back at shrine.

But will I be worthy of you?

*

He was dead and he was dying – and there she was, the most beautiful soul that he had ever come across. She was lost and far from home, but she had nowhere else to go. Uncorrupted souls like her in this world either eventually moved on if they were lucky or were corrupted by phantoms lurking in the dark. It would not be long before she was taken and for the life of him he could not let it happen.

Maybe it was selfishness and desperation on his part because he needed her, but in the years to pass, she would always say that he saved her from certain darkness.

Blood poured from multiple wounds and he struggled to breathe as he stood before her bright soul, a god no one would want yet still needed anyways. But he could not be the god he was without a weapon. As terrifying and powerful as he was, his work on the Near Shore was worthless without a regalia and he was so well-known for his work there.

“You, soul, with nowhere to go and nowhere to return!” Roy called, drawing the appropriate symbol in the air as a phantom roared behind him. “I grant you a place to belong. Mustang is my name. Bearing a name after death, you will remain here; and with this name, I make you my servant. I use my life to make you a Regalia! You are Riza! Come, Hawkeye!”

And that soul, so beautiful and bright, turned into a beam of light, driving the phantom back. Roy threw out his hand as it shot into the air and into his grasp. When he opened his eyes, he nearly gasped. A long black whip, sharp as a tack, that he knew deep down was something so much more. He’d never seen a regalia take such a shape and yet somehow he also knew how to use it.

When the phantom gathered its bearings and leapt to strike, Roy leaped in the air and cracked the whip in the monster’s direction. “Rend!” he ordered. The whip squeezed and the phantom exploded into a ball of light. The regalia was incredible.

Landing on the ground, Roy closed his eyes and raised his face to the clouds. The regalia hung loosely in his hand, asking nothing of him. He could feel it patiently waiting. How unusual. Most Regalias were very talkative at first, confused about what was going on, especially if they were immediately used in battle. He had never been careful with them before. Something told him that he should be different now, but he had always been reckless by nature.

“Riza,” he said without a care and the whip glowed and transformed into a person.

He nearly choked at what he saw.

She was a young woman, a few years younger-looking than him, with wide amber eyes and short blond hair. The innocent expression on her face caught him off guard. She was so small, wrapping her arms around herself to brace against the chill of the night. He wasn’t prepared for her to be wearing a thin dress with no shoes or the way she looked at him expectantly as she bit her lip.

“You…” Roy didn’t know what to say.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?” Riza asked.

Roy took a sharp intake of breath, but then nodded his head. She took a deep breath and looked down at the ground, taking in the situation. He didn’t know what to say. Of course she was dead. Regalia were made of human spirits that had died and not passed on yet. Sometimes they did; sometimes they didn’t. Some avoided becoming phantoms, but most didn’t without the help of a god. He did not doubt her strength – he’d felt it firsthand – and he was grateful that she was a regalia and not a phantom.

“I’ll keep you safe,” Roy promised and Riza smiled.

He lied. She didn’t know who he was and for the first time he didn’t either.

*

Roy smirked to himself and turned back to face his shrine so that no one would see. He definitely didn’t want Edward to see the look on his face or the kid would blow a gasket. It was enough to watch him freak out as Roy’s regalias teased him about how much he’d grown in the past years since they’d last seen him.

“He looks so…young,” Riza sighed. “He’s barely aged.”

“Well,” Roy replied carefully, turning back to survey the scene, “he’s a child.” The look Riza gave him would’ve been strong enough to shrivel most gods, but he was a little more used to it, so he shrugged his shoulders. “He’s a god – in a sense. There’s a chance that he might look like this for a long time.”

Though he would never talk about it out loud with the other regalias and especially Edward so close, Edward’s appearance was troubling. Even worse was his brother standing to the side, smiling and laughing. Alphonse was an incredible soul, bright like Riza. He was of good humor, optimistic, and very protective. The fact that he was his own brother’s regalia was very disconcerting, however. Gods didn’t die like humans. Only humans could become regalia and only gods could make regalia. Edward’s and Alphonse’s existences were exceptional.

And the Heavens did not like exceptions.

Riza hummed thoughtfully. “You don’t want to spoil his happiness, do you?”

“His happiness?” Roy scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t care about that. But his hanging around might bring trouble on our doorstep.”

“Since when have you ever worried about trouble?” Riza asked, a slight smile on her face. “As your longest regalia, I know you better than that.”

Roy would’ve scowled if he didn’t know that she would comment on that as well. Of course she knew him better than that. She knew him better than anyone in his entire life – and he had lived a very long time. She had seen him at his worst, his best, his lowest, and highest. Hopefully, she would see him for many centuries to come. He did not want to be like one of those gods that reincarnated all the time. Somehow, he had lived through everything and become something more. Somehow, he’d outlived his old name.

If everyone could forget that he was truly a god of calamity, he could die in peace if he was forgotten, but no, he and Riza would never forget.

“A product of a god and human should not exist,” Roy pointed out.

“And yet you watch after him,” Riza said.

Roy frowned and watched Edward and Alphonse laughing in the courtyard. It did not make him happy or upset. To be honest, he didn’t know what it made him feel. Fear maybe – and he had not felt that for a long time.

*

To wish for the death of a person was no small thing. It only cost a few coins, sure, but very few considered the tax it took on the soul.

Now, to wish for the deaths of many? That was another thing. It still didn’t cost much physically – humans were so cheap, after all – but it was a price a person took to their graves. To Roy, it was nothing. He was a god. At the end of the day, what were humans to him but matter? He had been above them for as long as he could remember. All they had to do was forget him in order for him to die, but petty, cruel, and selfish as they were, humans would always have use of a god like him.

Even Riza didn’t blink. She might’ve been horrified at first, but she had never said anything against what they did. Any other person might’ve used a Nora – would’ve used a Nora – to do what he did, but she was his regalia and to be his was to know him and to know him was to do what he did. It was not pretty or pleasant. It was not kind or beautiful. It was nothing like she was. He’d stained her, but she had never blighted him for it.

He had been called upon to do many a terrible thing, sometimes in the name of revenge, sometimes in the name of greed. In the end, someone usually died. Once Riza had asked him if he enjoyed doing these kinds of jobs, but it was all he had ever known. He didn’t know how to want for something else.

“I’m a god of calamity,” Roy told her as they stood over a dead body. “I’m not meant to bring peace.”

Riza bent down to examine the body, the very one in which she had killed while as a regalia. “But this man killed the daughter of the woman who wished for you and got away with it. Did you not bring the mother peace?”

“Death never brings peace,” Roy said. “It only replaces the rage with emptiness.”

“And what do you feel?” Riza asked, glancing up at him.

Roy clenched his jaw. He’d never been asked such a thing. No one had ever asked him how he felt after fulfilling a wish. Many gods were able to fulfill light and wonderful prayers, but there were gods like him that were left to do the dirty work. Someone had to. No one talked about it, of course, and the other gods scorned them for it. The gods of fortune were so revered and so many more and the rest like him were expected to work and destroy and be hated and be content with it.

He didn’t know how he felt. It had never occurred to him that he might have that right.

#roy mustang #riza hawkeye #royai #fma #noragami #fmab #noragami au #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood #fma: brotherhood #fma:b #jean havoc #vato falman #kain fuery #edward elric #alphonse elric #fma x noragami #royai fic #fma fanfiction #fmab fanfiction #the things of songs

[stray-tori]

Mangas are hard guys

Somewhat old draft but still probably accurate

I think the experience of reading noragami showed me why i prefer anime and it's actually not what i thought.

I always used the standard arguments like "it has music/voices", "it's in color" and "it moves", and while those are all true to some extend, none of them are really dealbreakers.

I read KS and enjoyed it. I read Stand-in, a fan-comic, which is black-white as well, so even closer to a manga in concept.

So... And as stupid as this may sound, i actually think... It's a mix of simplicity and the actual reading in "reading the manga".

I never quite got used to comic layouts. KS and SI both usually use panels simply spread out vertically. Most manga are more complex than that. And yeah there are guides on panel chronology but when i have to think too hard and re-read some panels before i get the right order... That's taking me out of the experience.

There's also that i sometimes have such a hard time telling which characters are who and what is happening in certain panels. The stripped color and/or lack of movement can make it hard sometimes to do so, especially if the background is very detailed.

In all: i can't relax. Half of my time is spent looking at panels for too long and wondering what was happening. And that destroys any immersion i had.

I also tend to look at later panels too early and skipping some lines/panels because i (want to) see more interesting stuff down the line. I hardly ever skip anything in anime, but i catch myselr skipping panels all the time.

And i think that's the 2nd thing: KS and especially SI are simple stories that focus on a small cast that i care about.

That’s obviously on me, and might go away with time hah B)

#tori talks #tori has opinions #manga