Ah My Buddha

Summary: >

Ikkou was sent Saienji Temple as a Buddhist priest in training. He's not particularly smart, nor does he excel in training - especially as he gets distracted by the six teenage girls also training there. Ikkou may be a sub par monk normally, but when aroused he gains a power making him the most powerful at the temple by far. This awakening happens to be linked to his... ejaculation. Can Ikkou master his power, or will hormones lead him down the road of destruction?

Yeah, I can't believe the premise either... Hard to believe it's not hentai.

Thoughts: >

From the title I expected Ah My Buddha to be a lame Ah! My Goddess parody / ripoff. The Japanese title is Amaenaide yo! (Don't Act Spoiled), so the English title was invented by the distributor and has nothing to do with Ah! My Goddess. It was bad as expected, but strangely got better; a little anyway.

Ikkou is a hormonally charged teenage boy, aspiring to be a monk, placed in a temple with six girls. Anime being what it is, I don't suppose I have to elaborate on the direction this is going. It's a pile of fan service strung together with stupidity masquerading as a story, and it's supposed to be funny. Bland characters don't help. On a rare occasion it's amusing, and sometimes even cute, but mostly it's dull, pointless and dumb. During all this there's also a secretive plot about Ikkou's power awakening. I felt relieved after 12 episodes that I'd made it to the end, then I realized there's another season. I might as well see how far down this pit goes right?

Considering all that's wrong with it, the last thing I'd do for season 2 (Katsu!) is up the fan service, and add ANOTHER girl. Which is what happens. The bizarre thing? It kinda works. Ah! My Buddha goes from bad harem anime, to okay harem anime. The new girl wants to awaken Ikkou's powers through seduction, bringing out the jealous streak in Ikkou's love interest (who'd been mostly pointless in the first season). The second season also goes farther than giving each girl "her episode", and digs into their background and source of their power. Although their personalities are weak, some of these back stories are decent. The comedy never grows beyond perverse jokes and slapstick comedy, but it fits together better.

So there you have it. A harem anime about a premature ejaculator eventually turns out okay. If you have the patience to wait through 12 dull episodes with only an occasional laugh, the second season of Ah! My Buddha becomes a fair harem anime. I wouldn't put this on a recommended anime list, but if seeking a harem anime, it's not too bad.

Screen Caps: >