Noragami Episode 2: Regalia

Hiyori continues to slip in and out of consciousness, passing into the realm between the Near and Far Realms. Yato still hasn’t managed to find himself a new Regalia, which is the primary reason he also hasn’t been able to help Hiyori with her predicament. Trying to help Yato out, Hiyori seeks out a “spirit” to be Yato’s new Regalia, but mistakes a massive Phantom for one. Running for their lives, Yato spots a spirit he can employ as a Regalia named Yuki, and using his newfound weapon, defeats the massive Phantom.

Yato managed to bag himself a new Regaila, a teenager he names Yuki. It appears that Yuki has a bit of an attitude problem, or at least a problem with Yato. However, his past seems to be quite tragic, making Yato cry. From the various shots flashing across the screen, it looks like Yuki was perhaps abandoned and suffered major depression. It would appears these events also shape his form as a weapon, a naked blade. In one shot, we can see an arm wrapped in bandages stained with blood, with the person sprawled out. If we combine that with the form Yuki takes as a weapon, it implies Yuki perhaps killed himself or self harmed, which is pretty dark, especially given the light hearted tone Noragami has had thus far. Perhaps we’re headed in darker directions further down the track. I could be completely off, too, but obviously Yuki’s past was traumatic enough to make Yato cry.

This further shows us that behind the bravado and delusions of grandeur, Yato is a decent guy who does possess some level of empathy and compassion for those around him. After all, he does want a Regalia specifically so he can help Hiyori. He also goes above and beyond in completing the jobs he accepts (although, he does deface a lot of public places to get these jobs; the train scene in particular was hilarious!). So i’m pretty pleased with how hos character is shaping up; I’m definitely Team Yato.

Hiyori too is shaping up nicely as a character, and serves as a great foil for Yato, bringing him back down to Earth. I think I’m really going to enjoy her snarky remarks and no-bullshit manner when it comes to Yato. I just hope that she’s not relegated to tag-along status; seeing her flip and deliver blows to Phantoms would be really cool, so I hope the series capitalises on that!

For now, most of my thoughts relate to our cast, which is a good thing! I love character driven anime, so this bodes well. I’m also loving the humour in Noragami. If Yato’s quest to become a major deity and help Hiyori continue to be as entertaining and hilarious as these two episodes, I’ll be extremely pleased.

Also sorry for the lack of caps this week! The only (decent) subs out are hardsubs so… Hopefully next week FFF’s release will be out in time!