AH! MY GODDESS TV
I would gladly use my Sundays to worship these goddesses
Review by: Craig "Polytheism Is the Way to Go" Norris
Length: 24 episodes
Genre: Romance
Watched: 1-24, subbed
After reading most of the manga, I realized that the Ah! My Goddess OAV was kind of a disappointment. There was so much great material in the manga, and virtually none of it was addressed on the OAV. While I thought the OAV was a very respectable anime, I also came to realize the potential that was squandered. So when I caught wind of a TV series being made of it, I became very excited at the possibility of seeing one of my favorite manga finally put to cel the right way.
Plot synopsis: Keiichi Morisato leads a quite but unlucky life at Nekomi Technical Institute. So unlucky, in fact, that the imbalance has raised the attention of goddesses. As a result, Goddess First Class Belldandy is dispatched to grant Keiichi one wish to mitigate his misfortune. Keiichi finds her so captivating, that he wishes for her to stay with him forever. To Belldandy's surprise, Keiichi's wish is valid, and she becomes contractually bound to him. Now with a goddess at his side, Keiichi once again faces life. But it is not long before Belldandy's sisters arrive, as well as a malevolent demon, and it becomes evident that Keiichi's life will be anything but normal.
Artwork: The art was a big step up from the OAV, especially in terms of the character designs. All the characters just looked better; the goddesses were more beautiful, and Keiichi looked more like the beleaguered chump he's supposed to be. Even the backgrounds were noticeably improved. The animation of the goddess's powers were pretty convincing as well, radiating a combination of benevolent energy and unparalleled destructive power. For a romance series, the animation is about as good as I've ever seen.
Music: The soundtrack relies on mellow melodies and silky-smooth vocals. It is definitely a step above the cookie-cutter j-pop that often blankets a romance series. However, the music never took center stage enough to really be noticed. The really good songs weren't used enough, and sometimes not in the right way. In the end, the soundtrack is pretty good, but you have to listen closely to realize it.
Characters: What really made the TV series more successful than the OAV was that it was able to space out character development a lot better, and sufficiently flesh them out so that their personalities were a lot easier to discern. Unfortunately, 24 episodes still couldn't make Keiichi very interesting, in my opinion. He seems rather dull and uninspiring, and definitely not worthy of the personal attentions of even a single goddess, let alone three. But I suppose that contradiction exists as the main reason why his relationship with Belldandy constantly defies all expectations. Belldandy has much more of an edge to her than in the OAV. She transcends her expected role as a divine being and makes decisions that are decidedly human. The most amazing aspect of her personality is that she genuinely cares about everyone and everything. So much so that she will sometimes defy God himself to keep her loved ones safe. Belldandy's older sister, Urd, is a second-class goddess who is often given to rash actions, some of which earn her stiff penalties from God. She has little patience for Keiichi's wishy-washy approach to his relationship with Belldandy, so she often resorts to magic and trickery to speed their romance along. One of her greatest pleasures is teasing her younger sister, Skuld. Skuld is also a second-class goddess, and she believes that the budding romance between Keiichi and Belldandy will mean that Belldandy won't have time for her anymore. She enjoys working with machines, and creates very elaborate devices (only some of which work). Opposing the goddesses, and seeking to flood the world with misery, is the demon Mara. Despite being a powerful demon, the goddesses don't see her as too much of a threat. After all she is easily repelled by good luck charms, and rock music causes her to dance uncontrollably. Sayoko is the self-proclaimed Queen of Nekomi Technical Institute, and takes great joy in knowing she could have any man she pleases. So she is enraged when Belldandy supplants her as the most desirable girl on campus. Sayoko suspects that Belldandy is not normal, and she tries everything she can think of to get her to reveal herself. Megumi is Keiichi's younger sister who also enrolls at Nekomi. She's normally very cheerful and likes to tease her brother, especially when it comes to his relationship with Belldandy. All of the characters are given ample screen time to develop their personalities, and by the end of the series we have gotten to know them all fairly well.
Plot: The plot is drawn mostly from the first several volumes of the manga. It's good, in that the plot in the manga was very good, but it's bad because those who have read the manga already know what's going to happen. Some people might consider the episodes to be mostly filler, believing that the central issue is the goddesses versus the demons. However, the real central issue is the relationship between Belldandy and Keiichi, and how their feelings for one another evolve. Now that would bore me to tears if that's all the anime had to offer, but luckily there's some decent comedy, as well as the aforementioned goddesses versus the demons, to dilute the romance. In the end a good balance is struck between humor, action and romance. It's even got a couple of big robots. In fact, about the only thing it's missing is a mind-fuck, and for that I am actually pretty thankful.
CHICKS!: Belldandy is perfect. Period. Not up for debate. And anyone who contradicts me is a big poopy-face. In all seriousness, though, she is a truly wonderful girl. Not only is she beautiful and eternally optimistic, but she has the biggest heart of anybody–real or fictional–that I have ever seen. When she is happy, so is everyone else around her. When she is sad, everyone else cries alongside her. It's no wonder she's a goddess; no human could ever be that pure. She is my all-time favorite, and is why I spend much of my free time dialing random numbers on the telephone trying to contact a goddess like her. So far no goddess, but I have come under federal surveillance three times. Urd is quite a contrast to her sister, because she is not at all open with her feelings. But that's okay, because 1) her caring shows through when it's really important, and 2) because she's about the sexiest thing in heaven, hell, or all points in between. Her long white hair stands out against her tanned skin, and she's got a body that's hotter than any Playboy centerfold's that I've ever seen. Skuld is kind of cute, but noticeably underage, and her immaturity is often at the forefront of her actions. Maybe a little patience might pay off, though, as it seems she could grow into a truly desirable girl. Proving that the heavens aren't the only ones who can bestow hot chicks, Mara's pretty good-looking herself. Unfortunately, she often comes off looking ridiculous, either by herself or by someone else. Too bad she's so gung-ho about the destruction of humanity. Sayoko is rather devious and selfish, which makes me wonder how she became the Queen of the Campus, however unofficial that title may be. I sure as hell wouldn't go after her. Still, she is curvy, so if being played like a fiddle at a hoe-down is your idea of a pleasant evening, then by all means, take her. Megumi is a sweet girl with a decent figure, and is normally upbeat enough to make her pleasant company. However she is very independent, so winning her over may take a bit of effort. Probably the cutest girl to be had is Hasegawa, who is a member of the Motor Club with Keiichi. She's a little short, and her face is highlighted by round glasses and freckles. She doesn't have much self confidence, and perpetually seems like she needs a hug. And maybe I'd give it to her, if I wasn't so busy devoting myself to Belldandy. It's such a shame that Belldandy isn't real, and even more of a shame that she has fallen for Keiichi, whose pathetic existence before her arrival reminds me so much of my own. There truly is no god.
Overall: My excitement was more than justified. And the production certainly did justice to the manga that spawned it. Overall I would say that Ah! My Goddess TV is a rousing success, and is a great series for anyone who likes romance, comedy, or celestial beings doing battle, and especially for anyone who likes all three. Interestingly enough, all the gods and goddesses are based on Norse mythology, so it's a bit of a cultural lesson, too. All I have to say is, if the goddesses of legend were anything like how they were portrayed in this anime, it's no wonder Norse warriors were so eager to reach the afterlife.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Much improved over the OAV
+ Characters are given sufficient depth
+ Faithful to the manga
+ Belldandy, will you marry me?
- A bit more action would have helped
Rating: 9/10
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