The official website of the anime adaptation of Adachitoka’s Noragami manga has issued a statement announcing that the first Blu-ray and DVD volume of the second season, Noragami Aragoto, will be delayed indefinitely due to anime’s OST containing improper usage of sounds that relate to Islam.
The anime’s production committee is recalling all current shipments and discs, and stopping all future shipments, of the OST (~Noragami no Oto 2~) immediately. The track Push Buttons has been identified as the piece of music causing the recall and delay. The song itself features an improper use of the Muslim call to prayer, known as the Adzan.
The disc itself was released in Japan on November 25th. Due to the recall of the OST, the 1st Blu-ray and DVD volume of Noragami Aragoto has been delayed; it was previously scheduled for December 18.
The committee apologies to all concerned parties and further states:
At no point in the production process was it our intention to insult Islam or its followers, or to commit sacrilege, with this use of sound. However, we had not confirmed the meaning of these sounds, and the result was a lack of consideration for Islam and its followers.
The main cast of Noragami Aragoto includes::
- Hiroshi Kamiya (Levi from Attack on Titan) returns as Yato
- Maaya Uchida (Rikka Takanashi from Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!) will be back to voice Hiyori Iki
- Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan) as Yukine
- Miyuki Sawashiro (Shino Asada in Sword Art Online II) voices Bishamon
- Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch) will voice Kazuma
- Kazuhiko Inoue (Kakashi Hatake from Naruto) is back as Kuraha
- Aki Toyosaki (Yui Hirasawa from K-ON!) is voicing Kofuku
- Daisuke Ono (Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler) returning to voice Daikoku
- Tooru Ohkawa (Toshio Ozaki from Shiki) as Tenjin
- Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) will voice Nora
- Hisako Tojo (Albertina II in Himegoto) joins the cast to voice Aiha
- Takanori Hoshino (Natsume Kagiya from Senkou no Night Raid) will voice Kugaha
The main members of the anime’s staff lists:
- Director: Kotaro Tamura (Noragami, Wolf Children Assistant Director)
- Series Composer: Deko Akao (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream, Arakawa Under the Bridge)
- Anime Character Designer: Toshihiro Kawamoto (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain)
- Animation Studio: Bones (Hitsugi no Chaika, Cowboy Bebop)
Here is the first promotional video for the anime:
Noragami is a supernatural manga written and illustrated by Adachitoka. The series began in late 2010 being published in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine where a total of 12 main volumes have been compiled and published. The series received a Drama CD adaptation with the 9th volume in late 2013. An anime adaptation of Noragami was produced in 2014 for a total of 12 episodes, being directed by Kotaro Tamura (Wolf Children Assistant Director) and produced by Bones (Hitsugi no Chaika, Cowboy Bebop).
Here is a synopsis of the series from MAL:
Yato is a minor deity who lacks even a single shrine. In order to build his own shrine and gain recognition as a god, he scrawls his cell number on the wall of a downtown bathroom telling people he will help them in exchange for a 5-yen offering, becoming a self-styled “delivery god.” Hiyori, the daughter of a respectable family, is almost killed in a traffic accident, but is rescued by Yato. This causes her to become a “hanyou,” a person who can exit her body in soul form. She chases Yato down, and they begin to work together to help Yato be recognized. Yato also finds a boy named Yukine who becomes a Regalia, a “sacred treasure” that can be used by a god as a weapon to fight. The three of them battle phantoms who bring harm to humans as Yato’s dark hidden history is gradually revealed.
All copies of the OST, ~Noragami no Oto 2~, are being recalled and being cancelling in all further publications of the soundtrack. Due to this, the first Blu-ray and DVD volume of the anime will be delayed. The anime iself is currently airing on Saturdays at 1:05am JST on Tokyo MX.
You can visit the anime’s website here: http://noragami-anime.net/
And follow them on Twitter: @noragami_PR
Source Article – Noragami Anime Website
“Noragami Aragoto”, “Noragami”, images, and all associated brands and titles © 2015 Adachitoka, Kodansha, Bones and the Noragami Production Committee