AH! MY GODDESS!
It looks like Heaven's tech support is way better than AOL's.
Review by: Craig "In God's Own Image" Norris
Length: 5 episode OAV, 25-40 minutes each
Genre: Romance
Watched: 1-5, subbed
The number of romance anime seems to be growing almost daily, with title after title being deluged onto the television screen and into the video stores. But this title has withstood the test of time, and remains one of the first anime that comes to mind in conjunction with the word "romance." After seeing it, I now know why. It stays true to many of the conventions of a romance, but does just enough differently to make it stand out noticeably against all the others.
Plot synopsis: Keiichi Morisato gets stuck apartment-sitting for his friends one weekend, and decides to order take-out for lunch. After being denied by restaurant after restaurant, he dials a random number out of frustration, and accidentally reaches the Goddess Relief Help Line. They immediately dispatch the goddess Belldandy to grant a wish to Keiichi. However, when Belldandy arrives, Keiichi can only think of one wish: to have a goddess as a girlfriend! Belldandy grants the wish, and is now indelibly connected to Keiichi by fate. However, between Belldandy's sisters and the gradual deterioration of reality, Keiichi seems to have bitten off more than he can chew.
Artwork: The style of the artwork goes very well with the mood, besides being very nice on its own. It doesn't have jaw-dropping visuals, but the animation does just enough to please the eye. Characters are well conceived, and I must comment in particular on the fashions of the goddesses; some of those outfits are beautiful and imaginative. Backgrounds are also well done. As a whole this OAV impresses on a visual level, even though the art is not the real showcase.
Music: In true romance anime fashion, the soundtrack consists of nothing but syrupy fluff. And while that may fit the genre to a T, it certainly doesn't make for a chart-topping soundtrack. Those in charge of music didn't put forth the effort to make the tracks stand out, but did enough so that they don't suck. Mediocre is the perfect word to describe this collection of songs that are forgotten as soon as they end.
Characters: The characters seem almost too good for the anime. While some other aspects of the OAV are slightly above average at best, the characters immediately jump out and take everything over. Keiichi is the prototypical male lead for almost every romance anime ever made (including a first name that starts with a K). However, he gets to be very easy to like because his thoughts are grounded in reality, and are not overly introverted or extroverted. Normally pathetic with women, circumstances he doesn't fully understand land him the perfect girlfriend. That girlfriend is Belldandy, a first-class goddess. Despite her lofty status, she easily slips into the role of housekeeper for Keiichi, and is extremely devoted to him. Belldandy is sweet, friendly, and very beautiful; everything a goddess should be. Urd is Belldandy's older sister, and is a second-class goddess. She arrives in order to spark romance between Keiichi and her sister, but normally just messes things up. Urd is mischievous and impatient, and finds mortal life to be mostly very boring. Skuld is Belldandy's younger sister, and is also a second-class goddess. She arrives at Keiichi's house (during a very awkward moment) simply because she missed Belldandy so much. She is very possessive of Belldandy, and feels that Keiichi is trying to steal her away. As a result, they don't become the best of friends right away. As if a trio of goddesses wasn't enough, Keiichi's sister Megumi moves in with him, having been accepted to the same university that her brother attends. Megumi shares Keiichi's love of motorcycles and joins the university's motorcycle club, of which Keiichi is already a member. The characters are the most marvelous part of this OAV, and my only lament is that we only get five episodes to get to know them.
Plot: The premise is not very innovative: couple bound by fate must overcome all obstacles to allow their love to last. In this case, though, those obstacles are both earthbound and celestial. The romance has very far-reaching consequences, not the least of which is a complete disruption of reality. If that doesn't kill the mood of a romantic evening, I don't know what does. A couple of small twists in the last two episodes round things out nicely to a satisfactory conclusion. In fact, with the powers of the goddesses constantly at hand, the resolutions of all the conflicts are the most interesting aspects of the plot.
CHICKS!: They're goddesses! Goddesses, man! How can you not fawn over goddesses, especially Belldandy, who is the very personification of beauty and purity? She seems flawless in every way, down to her brilliant singing voice and her humble willingness to put her duties as a goddess aside to vacuum the floor. She has an aura about her that instantly sets you at ease, and a sublime beauty that has made me stare at her for lengthy periods of time. She is above an A-list chick; she has her own list. The only problem is, she's so perfect that I'd be afraid of sullying her purity by thinking dirty things about her. Belldandy isn't the only beautiful goddess we get to gawk at, however; her sister Urd is no slouch, either. With well-tanned skin and long white hair, her beauty is much more sultry than that of her younger sisters. Everything about her seems flirtatious, and she is much less reserved about topics of sensuality than any of the other characters. In short, she is walking, talking sex. Drool, drool, drool! As for the youngest goddess, Skuld is noticeably younger than her sisters, looking like she is in her early teens. She often acts her age, too, being immature and confrontational at times. But all that stems from her caring of others, and would probably grow up to be a very sweet girl. Megumi is very cute, but lacks a lot of the personality dynamics that make the goddesses so special. Which means that, as long as she shares a house with them, there's no way she'll ever get noticed. Which isn't fair, because she's a really nice girl. But this is a case where the better gets beaten by the best. Not just the best, but the best of the best. And the best is Belldandy.
Overall: Really, if you've seen one romance anime you've seen them all. However, this OAV adds a little spice that makes it stand out against most of the others. While it doesn't go into nearly the depth (or length) that the manga does, it offers a short but sweet look at the relationship between Keiichi and Belldandy, and is sure to please both fans of the manga and those who don't even know what a manga is. If you want to watch an uplifting romance anime that doesn't take all day to get through, I highly recommend this title.
IN A NUTSHELL:
+ Enchanting characters
+ Pleasing artwork
+ Good fusion of romance, comedy, and drama
+ Sweet, beautiful Belldandy
- Could have been longer
- Iffy soundtrack
- Some cliche plot devices
Rating: 8/10
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