Noragami Aragoto
To sit here and say that I have been looking forward to the second season of this show is an understatement. The whole cast of characters in this show have amazing personalities that you can’t help but become attached to and there is never a boring moment it seems. If you haven’t seen the first season yet and you like fantasy animes then I highly suggest it. With the second season you get more of the same from your favorite characters and their personalities and mannerisms remain in one piece.
I was a bit worried given the time that had passed and the other anime that I had reviewed before this that I would forget key details of the show and maybe have to go through a little bit of a refresher. This didn’t happen at all however as the second season leaps into action right where the first season left off and before you know it you will remember everything before the first episode even ends. Some of the side characters introduced in the first season are now a more integral part of the story itself. There’s a lot more action and plot devices in this one as opposed to the first and the pacing of the entire show matches well with what one would expect having seen the first season. There’s more then enough comedy to go around, though I will say that this season takes a bit more serious turn as opposed to the first one. Don’t let that scare you away from it though as I think the second season is a lot better then the first overall.
The Characters
If you worried about some personality changes or characters not matching what you would expect from the first season then you don’t have to worry at all with this one. I can’t say enough about the depth that each of the main characters have and they really seem to flow with one another a lot better in the second season. Aragoto changes things up a bit by introducing some side characters as main characters and it even manages to enhance what’s already present. The flashbacks; particularly with Yato, are a lot more vivid and fluid this time around and the timing of the beginning and ending of each one fits well with the overall pacing of the show. You what certain characters break a bit emotionally only to have themselves built back up again. A lot of the back stories are now filled in and Yato’s past and the reason for Bishamon’s aggression becomes a lot clearer. As with the first season you get a sense that a lot of time was spent to make sure that even the unknown characters had some meaning to the overall story and in certain parts you feel a deep connection too them even though they have been hardly introduced. This plays a large part in creating emotional impact of events that I can’t discuss given that they would spoil the storyline, but when you arrive at them you will understand my meaning here. You will be hard pressed not to become attached to the characters as you did before and the increased depth makes it easier to understand why each character reacts and does the things that they do throughout the series. It helps you to piece together what happened in the first season and connect it with the second one fairly easily.
The Animation
Not a lot has changed with the animation style here and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think that the animators did a better job this time around with the fighting scenes and fighting angles to give you a better view of the overall background and they also spent a great deal of time creating a reactive environment. While the fighting scenes in the first season where not bad in any way, they didn’t have the same impact and movement that is present in the second season. This time around you get a more up close and personal experience and even when you are placed in a situation sort of as an onlooker you still feel engaged. Another thing to note here too is the fact that there is a lot more contact with Yato and his familiar while in combat which adds to the overall experience. It’s not so much just little tidbits as it is constant dialog between the two during combat. This in a way to me symbolizes both there growth as characters and as a symbol of their growing friendship throughout the series. Additionally, this plays a part in explaining the difference between him and other God’s later in the show. The animation itself keeps with vibrant colors and contrast which is something I would praise it for rather then knock it for. The change in color and contrast can be a bit drastic when the mood changes, but even then I don’t think it’s too bad. The facial expressions are much improved from the first season and there is a lot more variation when it comes to points of view.
Rating 9/10
For a second season you can’t get much better then this one, but there were a few small plot devices that seemed to be thrown in at the last second without much explanation. Normally this would cause a huge problem in a series, but I think here it recovers well. The filling in of Yato’s back story is perhaps the greatest example of why this season deserves such a high rating. The flashbacks went well with the development of the story and kept the flow at an even pace. I think that this season could have benefited from a few more episodes, but that’s probably my wanting for it rather then it being a necessity.
Source: http://blog.animeforums.me/noragami-aragoto-to-stay-on.html
To sit here and say that I have been looking forward to the second season of this show is an understatement. The whole cast of characters in this show have amazing personalities that you can’t help but become attached to and there is never a boring moment it seems. If you haven’t seen the first season yet and you like fantasy animes then I highly suggest it. With the second season you get more of the same from your favorite characters and their personalities and mannerisms remain in one piece.
I was a bit worried given the time that had passed and the other anime that I had reviewed before this that I would forget key details of the show and maybe have to go through a little bit of a refresher. This didn’t happen at all however as the second season leaps into action right where the first season left off and before you know it you will remember everything before the first episode even ends. Some of the side characters introduced in the first season are now a more integral part of the story itself. There’s a lot more action and plot devices in this one as opposed to the first and the pacing of the entire show matches well with what one would expect having seen the first season. There’s more then enough comedy to go around, though I will say that this season takes a bit more serious turn as opposed to the first one. Don’t let that scare you away from it though as I think the second season is a lot better then the first overall.
The Characters
If you worried about some personality changes or characters not matching what you would expect from the first season then you don’t have to worry at all with this one. I can’t say enough about the depth that each of the main characters have and they really seem to flow with one another a lot better in the second season. Aragoto changes things up a bit by introducing some side characters as main characters and it even manages to enhance what’s already present. The flashbacks; particularly with Yato, are a lot more vivid and fluid this time around and the timing of the beginning and ending of each one fits well with the overall pacing of the show. You what certain characters break a bit emotionally only to have themselves built back up again. A lot of the back stories are now filled in and Yato’s past and the reason for Bishamon’s aggression becomes a lot clearer. As with the first season you get a sense that a lot of time was spent to make sure that even the unknown characters had some meaning to the overall story and in certain parts you feel a deep connection too them even though they have been hardly introduced. This plays a large part in creating emotional impact of events that I can’t discuss given that they would spoil the storyline, but when you arrive at them you will understand my meaning here. You will be hard pressed not to become attached to the characters as you did before and the increased depth makes it easier to understand why each character reacts and does the things that they do throughout the series. It helps you to piece together what happened in the first season and connect it with the second one fairly easily.
The Animation
Not a lot has changed with the animation style here and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think that the animators did a better job this time around with the fighting scenes and fighting angles to give you a better view of the overall background and they also spent a great deal of time creating a reactive environment. While the fighting scenes in the first season where not bad in any way, they didn’t have the same impact and movement that is present in the second season. This time around you get a more up close and personal experience and even when you are placed in a situation sort of as an onlooker you still feel engaged. Another thing to note here too is the fact that there is a lot more contact with Yato and his familiar while in combat which adds to the overall experience. It’s not so much just little tidbits as it is constant dialog between the two during combat. This in a way to me symbolizes both there growth as characters and as a symbol of their growing friendship throughout the series. Additionally, this plays a part in explaining the difference between him and other God’s later in the show. The animation itself keeps with vibrant colors and contrast which is something I would praise it for rather then knock it for. The change in color and contrast can be a bit drastic when the mood changes, but even then I don’t think it’s too bad. The facial expressions are much improved from the first season and there is a lot more variation when it comes to points of view.
Rating 9/10
For a second season you can’t get much better then this one, but there were a few small plot devices that seemed to be thrown in at the last second without much explanation. Normally this would cause a huge problem in a series, but I think here it recovers well. The filling in of Yato’s back story is perhaps the greatest example of why this season deserves such a high rating. The flashbacks went well with the development of the story and kept the flow at an even pace. I think that this season could have benefited from a few more episodes, but that’s probably my wanting for it rather then it being a necessity.
Source: http://blog.animeforums.me/noragami-aragoto-to-stay-on.html
