Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week.
read more
Advertorial
The Wonderful and Powerful Gods of Noragami
by FUNimation (Paid Advertisement),
Hiyori Iki was living a quiet and ordinary life until the fateful day that she crossed paths with a mysterious young man, dressed in a jersey and a fluffy scarf. Now she lives in a world full of powerful gods and their living weapons. In Noragami, modern Japan mixes with ancient Shinto and Buddhist folklore. Hiyori will not only be faced with mythical dangers, dropped in the middle of an ancient war of gods and phantoms, but will battle for her soul itself. FUNimation brings the first season to you at a special price, with a webstore Exclusive Edition that includes a Yato business card holder, and a bonus 5 yen coin to get you started as your own Delivery God. The set is ultra limited to 500 units, and can only be found at FUNimation.com .
On the outside, Yato appears as if he's a carefree teenage boy, known for wearing a jersey and fluffy scarf around his neck. Despite his playful exterior and aloof demeanor, Yato is a powerful and ancient Stray God. Now a self proclaimed Delivery God. He finds himself without a shrine and a Shinki, which is a loose spirit of a dead human, and can often be summoned into a sacred weapon. He dreams of becoming a well known god with a popular shrine, but is currently regulated to helping people for 5 yen coins. Yato has taken it upon himself to aid anyone who asks, no task too small or large. The question is whether he will be able to help Hiyori, and will he be able to escape his past and establish himself as a new god?
Tenjin
Voice Actor
English: Sean Hennigan
Japanese: Toru Okawa
Wise and poetic, Tenjin is not without humor. Although he is The God of Learning, assisting individuals who pray for divine intervention in higher learning, Tenjin still finds time to play jokes on Yato and take in attention from the ladies. The Shinto God of Scholars was originally a man by the name of Sugawara no Michizane, who was a politician, scholar and a poet. Directly after his death in exile, the capitol was severely damaged by storms, leading the emperor to have Michizane worshipped as the God, Tenjin. Today, many students and parents pray to the him, especially before entrance exams, and make offerings at shrines for their achievements.
The God of Poverty Kofuku, looks like your typical cute teenage girl. Whimsical and sweet, her greed for money is in sharp contrast to Yato, charging 5 million yen for her services, a stark contrast to Yato's measly 5 yen request. She has the unfortunate ability to bring luck to those around her, causing accidents and making people lose their jobs. Due to this, she calls herself Kofuku Ebisu, tricking people to think she is actually The God of Good Luck. Ebisu is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune in Japan, long being worshiped by fishermen to return with bountiful harvests and safe travels.
Beautiful and fearsome, Bishamon is a powerful God whose stunning looks are only surpassed by her desire for vengeance against Yato. The God of War commands many Shinki, however not through brute force, but by caring intensely for them. They manifest themselves as weapons of war, making her second to none on the battlefield. She is also known as Vaisravana, one of the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism. In Japan however, Bishamon is depicted quite differently as a guardian of Buddha's teachings and a punisher of evildoers.
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
60th, final episode of previous anime streamed on YouTube on Friday― The official Twitter account for the anime of Penguin Box's Odekake Kozame (Little Shark's Outings) manga announced on Friday that the manga will get a new anime series. Update: The staff revealed a visual for the new series in a press release on Saturday. The previous anime series debuted on YouTube last August, and its 60th and f...
Recently ended manga follows middle school student living with mysterious bird-looking creature― Shogakukan announced on Friday that Akira Konno's Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo manga is inspiring an anime. The "bird(?) home comedy" manga's story starts when first-year middle school student Arata Kōda meets a mysterious bird-looking creature named Kujima in autumn. Hungry and craving Japanese food, Kujima ...
Anime premieres in 2024― Adult Swim's YouTube channel began streaming a first look video for the Rick and Morty: The Anime series on Saturday. The show will premiere on Adult Swim and Max in 2024, and will also run on Adult Swim Canada. The anime will be an original work, with adapted themes and events from the main Rick and Morty animated series. Takashi Sano (Tower of God) is writing and directing...
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
2nd part opens in Japanese theaters on June 7― The staff for the four-part Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture (originally titled Gode Geass: Z of the Recapture, or Dakkan no Zetto) anime project revealed a trailer and a visual on Saturday for the second part in the project. The below video previews MIYAVI's opening theme song "Running In My Head." The anime's first part premiered in Japan on Friday. ...
James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY.― Yatagarasu Gets Violent! James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu, in which Wakamiya plays his hand to find out the truth behind his older brother's scheming to obtain the throne. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY; Hunter x Hunter manga is on its ...
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
The Switch sequel console is finally happening! The details are scarce, but you can find out more in this week's column. Also: an interview with El Shaddai's Sawaki Takeyasu, Microsoft layoffs, and more.― Welcome back, folks! What a wild week this has been for the gaming industry. We'll go further into it, but jeez. This past week also saw the disappearance of Capcom's Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. ...
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...