Recap

Yato goes to fight Rabou, but Hiyori accidentally comes along. Realizing she is the reason for Yato’s weakness, he destroys her mind, awakening Yato’s killer instincts.

Everything about this finale worked perfectly, and I can honestly say that there is nothing I really have to complain about it. The fight was so frenetic and engaging that it never lost my interest. It really felt like the fight between two old gods, duking with powers above mortal men. I especially liked the hard impacts whenever someone was sent flying. As we’ve previously noted in Kill la Kill, there’s nothing that shows both the strength of the attacker and defender than showing everything break behind them as they remain intact.

We often talk about how it’d be great if a production company had been saving up their money to make an amazing final episode. Usually this is said wistfully, and never comes to pass. That’s why I was so surprised with the amazing display of animation and art in this final episode. I suppose Noragami has already been above-par when it comes to action frames, but even the fighting art looked decent and worked well with the fluid fight that took place over the episode. It took what was already an impressive episode and made it feel that much more special.

Having her memories come back from his scent was a really smart move. It’s actually a fact that scent is the sense closest tied to memory. Naturally smelling Yato, a scent she always secretly loved, would bring her back to remembering him. Usually I find tsundere-like behavior somewhat grating, but with Hiyori it’s usually pretty cute. No one could blame her for overreacting a little when Yato is rubbing his face all up on her. I think this is one of the few scenarios where having the romantic pair hide their feelings makes the most sense. Yato is a god, so Hiyori isn’t even on his level. While pantheistic religions do have their share of pairings between mortals, it can’t be something that would come easily. That’s why I loved that she reaffirmed her commitment to Yato just short of full on confessing to him. It opens up a lot of possibilities for a future season, and I for one would welcome it with open arms.

Final Impressions

I believe consistent is the best you could use to describe Noragami. I was never disappointed with the story of Noragami, it was always consistently good. Going back and forth between serious drama or goofy slapstick, I never felt the show had a particular weakness. While the art was not always the greatest, it was still passable, and to make up for it the animation was always rock solid. This was a show I enjoyed getting into every week because I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed with the results.

While the action was a big part of this show, it would have been nothing without a good cast. Yato, Hiyori, and Yukine had fantastic chemistry that grounded the story about almighty beings and made it more human. Yukine’s arc was rough to watch, but only because of how easily I empathized with his plight. Hiyori gets taken out of the action after episode one, but through her role as the emotional rock of the group, it never feels like she’s out of the story. Her interplay with Yato was really cute. Even though I knew shounen titles never let their romances go anywhere, I was still rooting for the pair as they bonded over time. The emotional peak at the Ablution was definitely the high point of the show. Every character got to shine as Yukine worked through his problems, and grew closer from it.

I feel that in any other season, Noragami would be the show everyone is talking about. It’s a bit of a shame that it’s been overshadowed, but it’s hard to compete for best anime of the season when your competition is the likes of Kill la Kill, Space Dandy, and Golden Time. Noragami’s drama and comedy were always top notch. Even in the more serious episodes there would be a slapstick moment or face that would just have me in stitches. While it may not win any awards this season, come years end, I think Noragami will still hold up as one of the best shows this year.