Noragami: The Stray God Vol. 1

 

 Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do get a small commission from any purchases through this link ( http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in some anthologies of emerging writers.

This post if a bit of an experiment for me, so please be patient as I figure out the best way to write a review for a visual medium like manga. As always my reviews are my own opinions and done for fun.

To begin, some of you may need a little background as to what manga is. The simple version is a Japanese style of comic book and graphic novel that is usually aimed at anyone from young teens to adults. Manga does have a long and interesting history that takes root in Japan's traditional art style, history, religion, and politics, but that's a post for another day. For our purposes today, just think of it as a kind of graphic novel or comic book.

Noragami: Stray God vol. 1 is a Japanese manga by Adachitoka published in 2011 by Kodanshan's Monthly Shounen Magazine and Kodansha Comic. It is Adachi and Tokashiki's, under the pen name Adachitoka, debut original work as writer and artist. They have worked on "Alive: The Final Evolution" with Kawashima Tadashi, and assisted Katou Motohiro ("Rocket Man") and Shimzu Aki ("Suikoden III").

Having only read the first volume, there isn't much i can spoil plot wise, but I'll do my best to keep this as spoiler free as possible. 

In volume 1, we are introduced to the homeless god (also called the delivery god) Yato through a short vignette of what he does for a living, taking odd jobs for a five yen (5 cents) offering. He has no shrine of his own where humans could go to give offerings or ask for blessings so he's saving everything he earns in the hopes of building himself an extravagant shrine. His weapon, Tomone, leaves him after an argument about his method of helping a high school girl deal with bullies and he is left to continue his work on his own. Going into chapter two, we meet the narrator, Hiyori. Another high school student, she sees Yato on a job and tries to save him from being hit by a truck. As a result, her spirit slips out of her physical body. Yato promises to fix her new half-alive, half-dead state once he finds a new weapon to protect himself from the corrupted spirits that feed off the living. Enter the young spirit, Yukine. Thus ends volume one.

Because this is the beginning of a series, it is a little dense in exposition (typical of a lot of manga) and has to quickly explain the rules and major elements of the story such as what does it mean to be a homeless god? what is an ayakashi? what's a shinki? how are these two things different? and what is the near shore and far shore and why can't everyone see the beings crossing between the two? With of all the explanations, my first reading felt a little dull. Every page seemed like something else I had to listen to a character explaining but this was probably due to the story's heavy reliance on elements of Shintoism that i have very limited knowledge of. Thankfully, the translators have end notes that explain some of the elements a little more and made it more enjoyable.

By introducing Yato like this before bringing in Hiyori, it gives the reader a chance to learn about the kind of world they're going to be in and gives them a chance to make a connection with Yato. All of the rules are in place. Yato pretends to be a non-nonchalant jerk but also proves himself to be kind-hearted and reliable and we forgive him for his attitude when we first encounter him.

The story has potential. I'm curious what it means to be a homeless god and how he came to be that way. Is there no system among the gods to handle homelessness? why is he the only one fighting the ayakashi? I have questions and I need answers. Those will likely be explained in volume 2. 

Yato is abrasive at first but quickly endears himself to the readers by his genuine desire to help others if they ask for it, including a small child asking him to find a missing cat. He may gripe and groan but he does it and does it well. Hiyori is the likable human character in a cast of gods and spirits and she does show a strong resolve to defend and help others. But she is also the new person in this world; a stand in for the reader to there is an excuse to explain new things to readers. This is also typical of manga. Yukime is the only one who we learn the least about, but he is young and argumentative and has a strong will that clashes with Yato.

Now to talk about the art style. Noragami is visually very sharp and crisp with heavy use of black and grey. White space becomes important and even panels that are mostly white seem to hold a lot of weight, though this may be because most of the scenes take place at night or indoors. Scenes that are outside are all city areas so shading helps differentiate between the buildings, signs, and stands. Reading wise, it's a pretty standard style with an easy flow. Adachitoka has some fun with the action scenes where characters overlap other panels, giving the sense they are trying to flee whatever is behind them.

Noragami's writing style is well done. Most scenes are great, though I did speed through most of Hiyori's individual scenes just to get back to Yato. Typical of any kind of graphic novel, this story is dialogue heavy but everything either reveals more about the world or about the characters. There are also a lot of puns that only really make sense in Japanese (thank you end notes) but the translators did their best to convey the humor. Lots of explanations, but that's expected at this point in the story. Some slapstick comedy and funny images but most of the humor is in the puns and references that non-natives might not understand, especially if this is their first venture into Japanese manga or literature.

Overall, I really enjoyed this manga. The first time through, I didn't like it as much but then I read the end notes and went back to the beginning. Once things made more sense, i found it more enjoyable. Yato is my favorite part so far. He's snarky and has an ego but is also a hard worker and invests a lot of time and energy into whatever he's asked to do. When he has a moment of peace, a quiet sadness is conveyed and this makes me love him even more. Also, he's absolutely gorgeous. She's likable and fun but until she serves more purpose than simply a reason to explain the world more, I'll reserve judgement on her. 

Noragami Stray God vol. 1 is definitely a manga I'd recommend, though probably  not to someone just starting out with manga. It's heavy reliance on language and Shinto references might turn people off if they don't already have some idea of what's going on. This manga is rated T (13+) and seems like it's going to have a more serious tone throughout with the possibility of a romance. I'd compare it to the early volumes of Black Cat by Kentaro Yabuki. I've already picked up volume 2 so expect another post on this series in the future.