Noragami Aragoto Blu-ray Review

By: AlanV[yasr_multiset setid=9]Noragami Aragoto continues the story of the calamity god Yato, his Regalia Yukine, and Hiyori; a teenage girl that is able to interact with Yato and Yukine after the events of the first season. Yato is still trying to solidify his place amongst the gods, but it won't be easy.The first story arc involves the god Bishamon, who is incredibly powerful and has amassed a large amount of Regalia over the years. She harbors animosity for Yato after a run-in they had in the past. While Yato would prefer to avoid her, a clash between the two is inevitable.The fight leads to revelations for both sides. Bishamon learns more about how to deal with having so many Regalia to look after and increasing the strength of their bonds. Meanwhile, Yukine is able to ascend to the level of Blessed Regalia because of his tight knit relationship with Yato.As all of this is going on there are other forces working behind the scenes. The god Ebisu is putting his plan of acquiring an item that will allow him to control phantoms, evil spirits, into action. Ebisu hopes to be able to help people through these efforts. Yato will end up getting roped into the scheme, which will lead to more revelations about his past.The main draw of Aragoto are the characters, which possess a strong chemistry and play off of one another well. It was interesting to be able to get a deeper glimpse into how they tick along with getting to know more about their pasts. It’s a continuation of what made the first season so solid.It also continues to blend a mix of different genres just as it did with the first go around. Some of the elements can fall flat, though, such as the rather uninspired fight sequences. It might have been a better idea for it to be more focused.Moreover, the plot itself didn't seem to be heading forward towards some grand conclusion, as the ending is rather open ended with just enough closure to not make it wholly unsatisfying.Video QualityThis is a nice looking show and it is able to shine in 1080p. The bit rate is healthy, too, mostly staying in the mid 20mbps range with occasional spikes into the 30mbps range. The only drawback was some banding that appears, but it's not a deal breaker.Audio QualityThis release comes equipped with an English language track in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and a Japanese language track in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. Regardless of what language is selected the experience will be sonically solid, and both voice casts do an admirable job,ExtrasThe extras are spread across both discs. There is commentary from the English crew on episodes six, eight and thirteen. Alongside the commentary there are promo videos for Aragoto and clean openings and endings. Trailers for other Funimation properties are also included.Noragami Aragoto serves as a good follow up to the first season, continuing to expand the characters and sticking closely to the formula it laid down. Seeing it go back to the same well is both rewarding yet disappointing as it feels a bit stale. It's definitely worth watching for those who are already invested in the series.