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?
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.
Panty & Stocking bounce back from the previous week's stumble to take #1, just a hair ahead of The Summer Hikaru Died. Find out how your favorite shows fared in our weekly user rankings.― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind...
Mitsuru Adachi’s short and sweet baseball anthology is an absolute home run!― While piecing together Slam Dunk's English publication history last year, I spoke with a few industry veterans about the challenges faced by sports titles in the North American market. One of those experienced pros was Ed Chavez, the publisher of Denpa. As we chatted about these sports-specific hurdles, Chavez and his team...
Can Jadress hold her own against this formidable foe, or will they need to call in back-up?― Surprise, it's a special comic celebrating Anime News Network's 25th anniversary. Artist Robin Sevakis returned to draw a short series of comics focusing on Anime News Network's mascots of the past and present and what would happen if they all met. Enjoy a new comic each Thursday for the next week! In which...
There may not be a Top 40 "song of the summer" for 2025, but Coop and Chris have some good anime options!― There may not be a Top 40 "song of the summer" for 2025, but Coop and Chris have some good anime options! Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Undead Murder F...
Satsohi Inotmata, Nao Tōyama star in anime about high level villager meeting daughter of demon lord― Kadokawa announced on Thursday that Koneko Hoshitsuki's The Villager of Level 999 (Level 999 no Murabito) light novel series is inspiring a television anime adaptation that will premiere in 2026. The story is set in a world of swords and sorcery called Earthqualia, where everyone is born with a desig...
Price changes go into effect on Thursday― Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced on its PlayStation Blog on Wednesday it will raise the suggested retail price of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. beginning on Thursday due to "a challenging economic environment." SIE will raise the price of the PS5 from US$499.99 to US$549.99, the PS5 Digital Edition from US$449.99 to US$499.99, and the ...
Minor Myths and Legends’ second volume may not be quite as fascinating as the first, but it’s still a good read.― Any creative writing teacher worth their salt will tell you that a writer needs to know eighty percent more about the story's world than the reader does. The reason is that the author knowing all the details about their world allows them to write a story where everything makes sense, eve...
We thought Edgerunners was done. Then came the stunning announcement that Lucy would be coming to Guilty Gear -STRIVE- as a fully playable DLC character. How does the anime character translate to a fighting game?― Bet you thought Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was done! The highly-regarded surprise collaboration between CD PROJEKT RED (CDPR) and Studio Trigger was a bright spot in the tumultuous early years...
This anime had me eating good in more ways than one.― For moe junkies and slice of life fanatics everywhere, this spring season has exemplified all the reasons why we keep coming back to the genre in the first place. If mono tickled the more comedic side of slice of life through its sillier, at times hyperbolic gags, then Food for the Soul is all about the genre's calming, cozier side. This is a cha...
Steve and Lucas discuss HBO Max 's surprise influx of anime titles.― Steve and Lucas discuss HBO Max's surprise influx of anime titles. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. @RiderStrike @BWProwl @LucasDeRuyter @vestenet Lucas Steve, I'm constantly floored when I re...
Based on the garage kit sculpted by Shibi, this completed PVC figure has been fully redesigned and painted! It has been crafted with meticulous attention to detail, making it a must-have item for all fans.― What on earth? So cute!
A cute non-scale figure of Falin (Chimera) from the extremely popular Delicious in Dungeon TV anime series is here! Based on the garage kit sculpted by Shibi, this comple...
Tōru Kitahata helms anime adaptation at TROYCA― Kadokawa announced on Tuesday that Kureha's Bride of the Barrier Master (Kekkaishi no Ichirinka) light novel series will get a television anime adaptation, and revealed a teaser visual and the anime's main staff. The light novels' original character designer Bodax, and manga adaptation artist Odayaka both drew illustrations to celebrate the anime annou...
The story continues strong in the second half of the series, and central to that is the idea that being a team is a major facet of the way these Cures function.― From one perspective, it's a good thing that Yes! Precure 5 has two sequels. Although the middle series, Yes! Precure 5 GoGo, remains legally unavailable in English as of this writing; the adult third series Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloo...
Light novels/manga based on Metabo Hagure's web novel debuted in May 2022― Hobby Japan announced on Monday that author Metabo Hagure and illustrator masami's A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires (Buchigire Reijō wa Hōfuku wo Chikaimashita. ~Madōsho no Chikara de Sokoku wo Tataki Tsubushimasu~, also known as The Furious Princess Decided to Take Reve...
We talked at length about the adaptation process, potential influences, and how the politically fraught world of Leviathan resonates with our own.― When I sat down to watch Leviathan for review, it wasn't long before I was swept up by the series' rousing score, gorgeous visuals, and poignant storytelling. Studio Orange and Qubic Pictures crafted a tale that constantly put itself in my own mental con...