Noragami
Episode 8 – Uncertainty & Destiny
If only Mum and Dad understood, right Yukine?
Communication seems to be a pretty common problem in families and such is definitely the case in this make-shift family of Yato, Hiyori and Yukine. It can verge on frustration at times even. Why can’t Yato just be frank with Yukine? Why can’t they just sit down and talk things through? Perhaps they are both too proud to put their feelings out there, but I think it runs deeper than that.
I think that Yato understands Yukine’s situation quite well, as evidenced by him saying “He is at a difficult dangerous age and he is stuck there forever.” This speaks leaps and bounds about Yukine and the dynamic between the characters. Yato is the father who understands his son but not enough to be able to get on the some page as him. That is the problem these two are currently faced with.
This episode is center stage for the Yato and Yukine situation. Yato and Yukine travel to Hiyori’s school to help a victim of bullying. Yato’s solution to the problem is somewhat questionable, but when has any of his decisions not been? He gives the victim two box cutters and tells him to do whatever he thinks is right with them. The kid threatens the bully but gives him one of the cutters so that he could atleast defend himself. Interestingly the kid doesn’t cross the line and instead simply walks away from it, not before causing the bully the piss his pants of course.
While all of this is going on, Yukine is lamenting over his lost life and lack of any real friends. He ventures around the school grounds and grows increasingly envious of all the happy kids going about their lives. We see that his recent bout of theft may not be purely just that, but it is underscored by Yukine’s core desire. That desire being to have something or someone in his life (or death if you’re talking particulars). But no matter what he does he can’t, he is detached from the world, permanently so. This is tragic and even though Yukine is somewhat painted in a negative light here. But I can’t help but sympathize with his plight.
Much faster than anticipated, the foretold ‘death’ of Yato looks to be quickly approaching. After Yukine flips out and smashes a bunch of windows at the school, Yato is overcome with blight. Hiyori turns into her spirit form and is accidentally blighted herself. Yukine turns up in time to witness it, shocked by what he sees. When Hiyori tells him it is his fault, it clearly cuts deep. Yukine falls even further into the darkness now and it is hard to know how much farther he has to fall.
Hiyori takes Yato to Kofuku as instructed but it confronted with a somewhat difficult situation. Daikoku uses a borderline to keep them out, rejecting them entrance and assistance. Yato is on the brink of death and the only two people in the world gods that even seemed to give a rat’s ass about him have turned their backs on the stray god. Where does this leave Yato? What happens when a God dies? It is intriguing territory and I’m interested to see Noragami approach it. I don’t follow the manga so I’m not sure what is anime original and what is source material at this point, but colour me curious as to where things go from here.
A moment I have neglected to mention thus far, but one that is quite important as we move forward is the confrontation between Kofuku and Bishamon. Bishamon inquires as to where Kofuku’s allegiances lie, she then threatens Bishamon that a storm will come her way if anything where to happen to Yato. So why is it that she and Daikoku reject Yato in the episode’s final moments? He is on the brink of death and things are looking dire. With nowhere left to turn, the stray god has reached his tether, will he live through this or will he wander off to the other side?
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