RATING: 3.75/5

Originally a Shonen manga created by Adachitoka, this year Noragami was finally animated into a 12 episode anime, and has already proven to be one of the best of the year.
The show follows the tale of a small time, jersey wearing stray god named Yato, who is struggling to become a big time god with his own shrine and followers. However things don't quite go like Yato plans as he ends up making a human girl, Hiyori Iki into a half-phantom, while Yukine is as talented as he is the epitome of a teenaged boy's angst.
Overall the story is pretty easy and simple to follow. The highlight of it is Yato being the comic relief as well as the protagonist of the series. Among the trio, Hiyori constantly serves as the voice of reason but mostly remains unaware of the strange world that she has stumbled into; Yukine, too, struggles to adjust which results in Yato, who has his own secrets to keep, constantly looking out for the two. However as the anime progresses, the three of them develop a strong bond along with quite a bit of character. The battle animations are great and the characters also serve to make light right after heavy moments. In fact, comedy is an important factor in the series. The visuals for the anime are amazing too, starting from Yato's ghostly blue eyes to the creepy, slimy one-eyed phantoms that the main trio need to fight off, all of it has been clearly made with precision. Moreover, the best part of the anime is how it remains consistent; every episode turns out to be better than the last.
However the possible drawback of the anime is the realisation that they might have spent a lot more time building relationships than on the actual action. I usually am not the one to complain about the character development, but Noragami has an ideal premise for intense battle scenes. In fact, every battle that does take place is portrayed brilliantly yet has the potential to be even better. Nevertheless, if anything, season one of Noragami felt like one great build up for another season, which I personally will be impatiently waiting for.
Honorary mention: The soundtrack of the series is incredible and adds to the mood of the battles and the anticipation that the show brings.