Mini Reviews: Noragami and Tegami Bachi

Noragami #1. Kodansha Comics (Sept. 2014) Borrowed
Yato is a stray god. He doesn’t even have a shrine, not to mention worshipers! Hoping he’ll eventually raise enough money to build himself the lavish temple of his dreams, Yato accepts all kinds of jobs. Of course, he can’t afford to be picky; from finding lost kittens to helping a student overcome bullies, no job is too small for Yato, the god-for-hire! 

                            






I originally saw the anime of Noragami and loved it so much that when I had a chance to read the manga, I took it. All Yato wants is to have his very own shrine where people worship him. He has such a huge ego - The humor of his antics comes out from the story wonderfully. There was a lot more to this manga than the anime especially in the beginning where the story is introducing Yato. Yato helps out a girl by destroying this bad spirit/monster that causes people to see each other negatively. You can be consumed by this negativity and do some truly awful things or no longer become human. Then the story introduces Hiyori who I'm happy to say becomes a great companion to Yato. She is able to see Yato when others cannot. Events result in her being part of the spirit world and human world which isn't good because she's vulnerable to those evil spirits. She follows Yato around when he needs help as well as for a promise he makes to help her with her problem. Yukine is another character who is pretty complex. He is a spirit who decides to become a shinke or weapon for a god to use to destroy those evil spirits (I can't remember the spirits names!). He has a really big attitude but he is a spirit that can't remember his past life. I would be angry and confused too if I were him. 

The story and artwork are fantastic in this manga. I really want to see certain moments in the manga that I saw in the anime as well as continue on with the series as a whole. This manga is highly recommended by me. It's one of those mangas like Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, and others that is done well enough for me to enjoy completely. 





Tegami Bachi #1. VIZ Media (Sept. 2009) Library    
In Amberground, a dangerous terrain where a man-made star casts a permanent twilight, young Lag Seeing aspires to become a Letter Bee: a postman entrusted to deliver the hearts of people separated from the ones they love.


                 









I thought Tegami Bachi had everything going for it. My mom works at the post office so it was cool to see that a manga was going to be about mailmen.  It also appealed to me because it reminded me of a show about post office people whose job it was to send letters that have been lost and are precious. However, Tegami Bachi isn't a heartfelt, entertaining read. It went way too fast, I had the worst time understanding what was going on, and it was really really weird. I'll give you an example of the weirdness - there is a girl who is part animal or something and she has a moment where she flashes one of the characters. That character gives the LITTLE GIRL underwear and she agrees to wear it because he's the only person she trusts. Why would you need to trust a person in order to wear underpants? After I read this story I said out loud "What on Earth did I just read?" it was that mind boggling. 

Comments

  1. I love graphic novels and have been thinking about reading a manga book. This one sounds great. I like the illustrations and it sounds like you really liked it. :)
    ~Jess

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    Replies
    1. Noragami was pretty great - not so much Tegami Bachi haha.

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