Oh wow, my post is on reddit? Thank you to whomever linked it there! And thank you for your kind words; I’m glad you liked it!
So that’s a very interesting analysis! I appreciate her perspective, and do think these POVs can largely coexist in that a major… theme, if you will, in Noragami seems to be the so-called Hedgehog’s dilemma: I want to be close to people, but if I get close I’ll hurt them. There’s really no way around that in relationships in Noragami. To connect with someone is to live, but it is also going to hurt. Shinkis quite literally physically injure gods sometimes (and it’s noted to be abnormal that Nora never stung Father), which is a not so subtle symbol for the emotional and even spiritual hurt connection brings. (Side note: Nora’s arc is about learning to be a human right now (like Yukine being challenged in the beginning to live like a human despite being dead) and part of that means dealing with hurt and connection.)
The question is then: is it worth it? Is connecting worth the pain? I think it’s a question everyone answers differently for their individual relationships with each other person–human, shinki, or god.
Is what Kazuma gets from his relationship with Bisha worth the pain of never being able to have entirely what he wants? Is it enough for Hiyori with Yato? It’s up to each of them to decide.
Is Kazuma even right in saying they can’t love humans, or is his understanding flawed? Because Kazuma is framed… antagonistically, if you will, this chapter. That’s not quite the right term, antagonistic, but just–the story is clearly frowning upon his actions. Is he projecting his own assumptions and fears onto Bishamon? Is it some mixture of truth and his fears? (Probably.) The story clearly doesn’t want to endorse Kazuma’s current perspective so, I would expect that to be broken down in the future.