Noragami episode 9

You better help us or we won't be friends anymore!

I can't even remember when I started typing this post. X___X It seems so long ago. I think it was the last Saturday I worked at my job. Yeah that long ago. Woe is my poor behind self. COUGH COUGH. But yes I still like all the series I started watching a while back so I can't just give up. So without spoilery adieu here is Noragami episode 9. Spoilers for Yuki reaching rock bottom and nearly falling into lava.

A sad little treasure named Yuki that's who.

Episode Summary: Recapping the last few moments of the previous episode....things suck. Yuki had a breakdown which lead Yato to getting blighted all over. Hiyori took them all to Daikoku and Kofuku's place only to have Daikoku put a barrier up. Hiyori is beyond upset as Yato needs help. He looks really bad. Daikoku allows in while Yato splats on the ground and Yuki is told not to move an inch. Hiyori is taken inside so she can use purified water on herself. She is told it is too late for Yato to use such a measure and it might be best if Yuki just died. Hiyori is like noooo poor Yuki. She knows Yato wouldn't have put himself through so much pain if he had wanted Yuki dead. Daikoku is pretty upset about the issue but agrees to help. He lowers the barrier so he can leave to find two other treasures to perform a ceremony on Yuki. Hiyori finishes getting cleansed and waits with Kofuku all worried like. Basically this ceremony needs other treasures as they were once human and can judge each other's sins. However this ceremony can be dangerous and people might not want to help. Case in point Daikoku goes to Tenjin since he has 15 treasures laying around. All of them gossip about possibly being killed off if the ceremony goes wrong. Tomone (who has a different name now but whatever) volunteers as tribute but no one else steps up. Daikoku visits shrine after shrine but no one wants to help since Yato is basically unknown and this is a suicide mission. Daikoku calls Kofuku with the less than stellar news and she gets super upset. Hiyori hears this all and takes off despite it being dangerous. And yes Yato is still on the ground dying and Yuki hasn't moved. Hiyori jumps around the city desperately trying to find help. She knows Nora will help but her solution would involve killing Yuki. So Hiyori goes to the first person who suggested killing Yato, Kazuma. Well really Bishamon's shrine. She starts screaming his name for help. Elsewhere Bishamon gets a ping while she is in a meeting (where it is daytime...) and Kazuma is given a message by someone that a girl is screaming his name. He ignores said message.

Yes. "Help". Lets think of a new plan now okay?

Daikoku and Tomone return but since there is only two treasures all hope is lost. Woe is the dying Yato. Yuki acts like he is going to leave and Daikoku yells at him, saying this is all this fault and Yuki needs to take responsibility. Suddenly Hiyori reappears with Kazuma. Tada he came even though Bishamon hates Yato. Favors are important ya'll. Basically Yuki is told he has to confess his sins or else. The three other treasures surround him and do a little chant and a barrier triangle engulfs him. Diakoku asks Yuki what his sins are and Yuki basically says he has done nothing wrong. Ever. That everyone needs to stop picking on him. Yuki is asked to take off his shirt and when he does it is revealed he has a Phantom growing on him. More like he is becoming a Phantom himself. Yuki freaks out and basically says nothing is his fault. The three make the barrier smaller when Yuki starts bashing himself on it. Yuki starts turning more and more into a Phantom, even growing some wings and flying around. Hiyori tries to stop this all but Kofuku says this is the only way. Yuki starts crying angry tears about how he didn't do anything and everything is unfair. He just wants what all the living have, friends. Opportunities. A future. He has nothing and Yuki's name starts to be consumed. Seeing that there is no hope it is suggested that they kill Yuki or Yato needs to rid himself of the boy. Yato thinks he can calm Yuki if he could just say his name but he is struggling to breath without coughing up blood. Yuki enters this state of awful, thinking about all the things he has done and how he doesn't care, Nora said it all, he was worthless so why bother trying. Yuki starts to “walk off” into the unknown when Hiyori starts screaming Yuki better apologize and make Yato better. That Yato really believed in Yuki and used words that a father would use on his son. If Yuki doesn't make it better she and him will no longer be friends. Yuki stops at the word friends. Yato manages to speak, saying he knows Yuki is upset that he's dead and can't be with the living but he will be with him. Just...sadness. Yato believes in him. Yuki starts sobbing and apologizes for all his sins causing him to de-Phantomize and Yato to not die. All the tears forever. Later though they look like shit. At least they are alive. Yato makes Yuki bow and give Hiyori forgiveness and thanks. Yato thinks to himself how Hiyori really saved the day and risked her life to help them both. Hiyori cries and hugs them both, happy they are still alive. Yuki and Daikoku cry, everyone is a big happy family. Well not Nora who is off somewhere being creepy and sad that Yuki wasn't Phantom food. But she has woken up a strange man and won't he be happy to see Yato again? Right strange man? THE END!!

I believe in you Yuki!!!!

XO Alls well that ends well I suppose. Maybe I need to break down that sentence as I have heard that saying before but really never thought about it. Like things ended well but the stuff that happened before it was awful. But since it ended well we should be happy about it? Not so sure about that. I mean I guess people are happy for great endings but all the stuff in between can't be forgotten. Unless you are in a Disney movie. I was locked in a tower for 18 years but I am totally fine now. BEST DAY EVER!

This doesn't look promising...

So when we last saw people who are gods, dead, or otherwise not human...things were not looking so good. Yato was practically dead on the ground, Yuki is to blame, and Hiyori just got the big middle finger from Daikoku when she went to see Kofuku for help. I think that was a bit dramatic. Yes Hiyori was all blighty. But I don't think Hiyori or Yato were going to run up and give Kofuku a hug. Plus Hiyori was able to wash hers off later. So.....I think Kofuku was going to be safe. I think if Daikoku had just ordered them to stop they would have. But that wouldn't have been as dramatic or caused hurt feelings. No no we need to make sure everyone is on edge and to make this situation as awful as possible.

How can a god die....

Hiyori was eventually allowed to go inside and get the blight off via purified water. Since she just touched Yato and it was on briefly. The sin wasn't really in her. Yuki...well he was another story. Sometimes I think Yato does things the hard way. Sure Yuki is slicing through things great and mastering his new abilities with ease. However if Yato was that hurt....maybe he could have let him go. Like okay I release you like I did Tomone. Unless the blight was going to stay on there forever either way. But still Yato could have really explained the situation to Yuki before things got that bad. Because despite not respecting Yato and really focusing on his own pain I don't think Yuki wanted Yato dead. Now Yato is unable to do anything and has to depend on other people to save Yuki. Or kill him. And since Yato can't do anything like breath or lift his head he really can't stop him. So maybe next time Yato could be doing some splain.

err....whatever your name is...

The easiest solution would be to kill Yuki. Hiyori doesn't want that because hello Yato doesn't want that. While Daikoku might have feared the blight on Kofuku he seems to know and like Yato enough to want to help. With Kofuku's okay. Well orders. Off he goes to find more treasures. I thought this was going to get resolved by Yuki turning into a treasure herself. A half treasure anyway. And she was going to be so amazing at it despite being a halfer all would be well. Instead Daikoku had to go out and look for two other treasures to help with the cause. Since gods don't really operate under our moral system they can't judge treasures. You know, even though words like divine punishment are always getting thrown around. Daikoku was able to find one treasure to help him. His old pal Tomone. The reason no one else really wants to help is the ceremony is dangerous. There are rumors that if you help and things go wrong you can get eaten by a Phantom. Yeah that might deter some folks. Plus Yato is not that well known so who wants to stick their name out for a barely known god and a braty treasure? Not I said the frog.

Remorse is hard.

So Daikoku was very unsuccessful in finding enough treasures to help Yato. I am not sure why Kofuku needed to stay if she was afraid to touch Yuki or Yato and Hiyori was okay. Couldn't Kofuku gone out and asked for some favors? I mean I guess that would be pretty shitty. Look at me I am your master and my friend needs a favor and it might cost you your life go do it. I know only treasures could do the ceremony but maybe Kofuku could have asked. But she didn't. She remained at the house while Yato just...laid there on the ground looking awful. Yuki can you muster up some tears? A mumbled I am sorry? You know you did it. You might not like the guy but hot damn. Yuki didn't know what was about to happen to him so he could have oh I don't know tried to help. At least get Yato a pillow and some water. Just weird him standing there not accepting any responsibility. At least have some angry tears left over from the incident at the school. I wonder what would happen to a treasure if their master died. Would they die too? Not that Yuki would know since he isn't told much by Yato. That might have gotten some pep into Yuki's step to help out. I am assuming thought since nothing was said if Yato dies Yuki is a free agent again and perhaps people were wondering if that is why Yuki was doing nothing...so he could get rid of Yato. XO I hope that is not how he really felt. He could have a fleeting moment of that but no serious thoughts. Yuki is a sad kid, not sorta murderer.

I know this is super dangerous but come help me

So while Daikoku is out failing and Kofuku and Yuki are doing a whole lot of nothing Hiyori is the one running around trying to fix things. One could argue and really should argue that Hiyori is pretty lucky. This could have ended very badly for her. Probably should have ended badly for her. She doesn't know too many people in this messed up world of Phantoms, gods, and treasure weapons. And if the people who like (sorta) Yato aren't really willing to help (touch him) why would going to someone who actively tried to kill Yato end any better? Now granted Hiyori didn't want Bishamon's help but Kazuma. But yeah...Kazuma belongs to Bishamon so this very, very risky. Yato might have died trying to rescue Hiyori if things went that south.

Yeah...that was super helpful....

But given that things are magical and usually end up positive when someone good is trying to help out (like a Disney movie) Kazuma is able to sneak away and help Yato and not get Hiyori killed at the same time. Add in Daikoku and his one helper Tomone and we got the three treasures ready to judge Yuki and save Yato. Surely this will end well. Or....or..not. I mean....this doesn't seem like a procedure one does if the treasure in question is being an asshole. It looks like something that could be done if the treasure was remorseful but had sinned really badly and hurt the master to this point. So I guess when one thinks about it it doesn't make any sense at all. If Yuki gave any damns he would have been helping. I don't see how putting three other treasures at risk for someone not sorry at all is going to help. In fact “hurting” Yuki made him more upset and more Phantom like faster. I think this whole ceremony was doomed to fail from the getgo. No wonder no one really wants to help.

:( Yuki needs a hug.

When things started to get hairy...Yuki did get a little ugly. Like I said he was a brat. Most kids that age are brats. But sometimes I stop and think...okay he has reason to be like this. He is DEAD after all. At a young age. He does have a right to be resentful. And Yato is basically making him his slave. With no real income to take care of said slave. And Phantoms are scary. Add in the fact that Yuki is still young at heart thus has “feelings” about the opposite sex and wants to have a high school life/friends too...I get the rage sometimes. Some of these sins are just way too...much to be fair. I feel as if he is getting extra punished. Like Yato can be as lecherous as he wants but not Yuki. So instead of helping Yuki confess his demons Yuki got pushed further to the edge and into Phantom territory. Like screw this, what is the point?

Everyone go BAWWWWW now.

In the end none of this really matters. What gets to Yuki is Hiyori going on and on about Yato trying to help Yuki. I think some of what saved Yuki was the fact that Hiyori was also trying to help him out when I think more of the focus should have been on Yato. Yes Hiyori was trying to help too but Yato was the one taking on all the pain of these sins. Trying to give Yuki chance after chance. Of course Yato could have saved all this pain and suffering had he opened his mouth and talked to the boy more. Yuki clearly wasn't going to work this out for himself at this point. No no Yuki needed to feel love. Tough love! Yato seems to have more than made up for it now. I mean I know that Yato is in charge but all these two boys really want are friends right? Well be friends with each other. Bring those boys together Hiyori.

Who wants to know?

Everything manages to wrap up in a nice bow. Yuki cries these big baby tears and Yuki doesn't die. Yuki doesn't become a Phantom which is a bit sad since he loses the amazing wings. And now that Yuki and Yato have each other...they can focus on the fact that Hiyori really, really had their back. That all she wanted was to be healed from this affliction but has focused on them instead. They are lucky to have her. Cry some more tears boys. Ya'll probably don't deserve her. Or you can cry because Nora is in the background looking a bit creepy there....You know, because other people being happy isn't good for her. She wanted to save Yato by making it rain in Yuki's blood. Looks like she has enlisted some help in this creepy department. What will happen to Yato and Yuki next? Probably something bad despite them just having a moment. Le sigh.