Ah! My Goddess - TV

Summary: >

Keiichi Morisato is a good guy who has bad luck with the ladies due to being very short. One day while ordering food delivery, he mistakenly dials the Goddess Helpline in heaven. A goddess appears, and says she'll grant Keiichi one wish. With women troubles on his mind, Keiichi wishes someone as beautiful as her will stay with him forever. This wish is interpreted as the goddess herself, Belldandy; will now stay with him forever.

The two have a growing affection for each other, but when Belldandy's goddess sisters enter the scene, things get messy. They're only the tip of the iceberg for Keiichi's magical misadventures. Is having a girlfriend really supposed to be this complicated?

This review covers the Ah! My Goddess TV series, and second season Flights of Fancy.

Thoughts: >

Personal disclaimer: I' was a long time fan of the franchise (perhaps even before I became a true anime fan), but over time I burned out on it. I've always viewed the 90s OVA as a gem of anime, so with the current reality of anime budgets, no modern incarnation will live up to what I'd prefer this series to be.

Part of my burn out highlights what may be a fundamental flaw with the series. The relationship between Belldandy and Keiichi is intended to be sweet and pure, but it never progresses. Even after a year, the two are only in the hand holding stage. While described as a romantic comedy, the romantic progression is pretty limited. Neither are strong characters either. Keiichi is nearly a "nice guy" template; much happens to him, but little can be said about his personality. Belldandy is more a "girlfriend ideal" than character. In general the show has no strong characters, but it makes up for this with a wide variety of them.

Ah! My Goddess has a vast catalog of very good material to pull from. Even if there is no bigger plot, the smaller stories are very good, and their diversity keeps it continuously fresh. If you can overlook the end result never changing anything, there is plenty to keep you hooked. In this way Ah! My Goddess becomes something like a situation comedy (with a pretty weird situation).

If you're okay with a "development of the week" formula, this one has plenty to like. If you want the abridged version of the series (or haven't seen it), I'd still recommend the Oh My Goddess - OVA.

Also, Urd is totally hotter than Belldandy.

Screen Caps: >