Anime: Aa! Megami-sama!

I could explain to you my entire history with anime and where I stand right now and what led me to watch the original Ah! My Goddess OVAs in the first place, but I'd be fooling myself if I thought you were interested. Still, some qualification may be necessary here, so I'll keep it brief: I've been watching anime for almost 15 years now, and by "watching anime" I mean "aware of anime as an entertainment medium that I would indulge in from time to time but never really dive into, despite being heavily involved in an anime-centric online community for the better part of the last eight years". It's weird, in retrospect, just how little anime I've seen, and up until recently I didn't really care to watch any more.

But that's changed, and now I'm making up for a lot of lost time. Lately I've been spending my time on some of the classics. Ah! My Goddess is one of them, and it was only a matter of time before I decided to give it a go. Based on ratings from sites around the Internet, including AniDB and others, my hopes weren't that high. But given it's only five episodes...well, why not?

And now that I've watched it, I can think of several reasons you might not want to devote your time to this. It has its problems, and while none of them are bad enough to ruin the show, they're all worth mentioning and pondering.

One thing that becomes very clear very quickly is that everything in this show is compressed. Given that it's only five episodes, there's only so much that can be done, granted. But as you go through these episodes, big plot lines are introduced that simply don't have time to develop in a natural or convincing way. Episode 3 is particularly guilty of this; something that could have been sustained and developed over three or more episodes in a normal-length series is reduced down to a paltry one, and as a result character developments suffers, story suffers, and believability is shot. There's something like this in almost every episode. Suspension of disbelief (beyond the normal scope of your typical contemporary fantasy anime) is a must if you're going to watch Ah! My Goddess

Another direct result of the short length is that lots of things are left out. Again, this becomes apparent almost immediately, as at the start of episode 2 we learn that five months have passed since the end of the first episode. Five months! What in the world happened in that time? Especially given the way the first episode ends, it really seems like we as the viewers are being cheated out of a lot of potential plot development. This sort of time jump happens at least once more in the series. It was frustrating and fed into the ultimate dissatisfaction I felt by the end.

Actually, most of the major problems with this series stemmed from its length. Hanging plot lines, flat and undercooked characters, and an only half-explained ending all could have been fixed if only there had been more time to explore and expand. As it stands the anime feels rushed, almost from the very first minute. There's something to be said for being concise, to be sure, but just as much to be said against it when doing so sacrifices this much substance.

One other negative worth noting is that Belldandy's character is not handled very well -- she completely falls for Keiichi almost immediately, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense; however, basically her entire character is explained to (almost) satisfaction in the last 10 minutes of the last episode. Frustrating, to say the least, but I suppose it's forgivable. (Side note: the voice acting for Belldandy was baaaad. I did not like her voice at all.)

That said, I'd still recommend A!MG to those of you who have stuck with me thus far. As many things as it does wrong and as many missed opportunities as there are, it manages to do quite a few things right, and in my opinion these things make it worth watching.

For one, at least in my opinion, it has beautiful animation. Considering this is from the early '90s, it manages to have a very "modern" feel to it without being too generic. The animators utilized a more muted, realistic color palatte and the character designs are lovely. Really, from this era you're probably not going to find anything too much better.

From a story perspective, I especially appreciated that there were very few overused romance tropes that can ruin other, similar anime. For example, where in other anime the "misunderstanding" between the main character and his love interest is a common (and cheap) plot device used to create dramatic tension, there is but one instance of such in this series -- and it's resolved within five minutes. Beautiful. There was also a refreshing lack of the "will-they-won't-they" that drives a lot of other romance anime. The main characters' feelings for each other are pretty well laid-out from almost the beginning. Much of the tension in the series derives from other sources, and while the romance is central to the plot, the chacters' feelings for one another are never in question. I liked that, a lot.

On a related point, the ideas in this anime are actually pretty interesting. The interaction of the human and the divine, a romance developing between the two, an interesting spin on the way reality works and how divine beings influence and guide it. It's fascinating stuff, even if the details end up being shoved into the background or ignored outright. Again, this is the fault of the length of the series, but I can still appreciate the ideas and themes presented.

Perhaps most importantly, Ah! My Goddess is a classic, in every sense of the word. As imperfect as it is, when I watched it I couldn't help but notice all the proto-romance stuff that has since developed into what we've come to take for granted in our modern shows. Plus, A!MG was taken into the next decade with the movie that it spawned, as well as the full-series adaptation in 2005 (which I have yet to watch). How much influence it had on the medium as a whole I can't say with any confidence, but it's a pretty well-established staple in the romance genre. Take it as you will.

When it comes down to it, it's five episodes; about two and a half hours of your life. If you've made it this far, to the end of this review, you were probably already invested enough to begin with that you're going to watch it anyway. And you should -- it's good, if not great. It's a cute, feel-good anime that, I think, is worth your time assuming you're a fan of the genre.

And if you don't like it, it's only five episodes, right?

Prologue : first to say ... it's the first anime that make me discover the anime style and to look forward for other series. It has all the components of an unforgettable memory. It make you to search and see all the series released.[br][br]Animation: for that time I guess it was indeed good; for our time it feel a little "flat" ; but that doesn't matter for most of anime funs.[br][br]Sound: it has a good intro and the voices seems right on the scene[br][br]Story: maybe, one of the most best combination drama-comedy , that make you laugh or feel a peacefull thrill in every moment. It has fantasy, school life, emotions developement, battle scenes, humor (a great one), japanesse life style, love triangle, harem ... and all mix well.[br][br]Character: all the important character (and are more than the goddesses and Keichi) evolve more or less, but in a peacefull way.[br][br]Value: I think that the value of this series is great. This is related with what do you expect from this anime. If you want to see a peacefull fantasy with great looking female ( the goddesses of course ), a harem without ecchi, love development ( maybe a little slowly ) and a lot of funny moments ... this is it. For the newest animation fun ... eventualy begin with the movie or with the series to feel the story and if you like it ... you'll want to see even this old relese with plesure.[br][br]Enjoyment:  I rewatch the series many time with the same enjoyment. I liked the story, the peacefull life, the combination of hidden fantasy life with school life, the harem style, the character of the goddess ( three style of character ) and other ... [br][br]

The animation is dated and though to be expected from a series made in 93, it is still cumbersome and sub-par compared to the animes of today.

The soundtrack blends into the background, and I can't honestly remember one particular tune that stood out. The Japanese voice actors were especially fitting for their characters, however, and Belldandy sounded like one would imagine a goddess would sound like.

The story wasn't anything to involved or detailed, as you would expect from this extremely short anime series. In fact, one could easily understand the entire "story" merely by watching the first and last episodes.

As to the characters: it is obvious that Belldandy and Keichii were the main focus of the series as Skuld and Urd were not developed in any way and served merely as time filler and comedic side characters and had nothing to do with the plot. Belldandy herself also seemed pretty shallow: she was the typical housewife: content to cook and clean for Keichii and not expect anything in return.

We do know that they spent 9 months together by the end of the series, and perhaps Belldandy and Keichii did more together, but just from watching the series it appeared that all they did together was eat and talk to friends together. There wasn't much development or growth to their relationship on screen. In fact, by the end I wondered how they felt so strongly for each other when I hadn't thought they had much of a relationship at all.

I gave this anime an above-average value rating because it was the first of its genre: a tradition followed (though surpassed) by the like of Onegai Teacher.

I semi-enjoyed this series, but it was far too short to get me involved with the characters and by the end I still felt like I was attempting to get to know them when abrubtly the series ends.

Animation: To me was good but dated compare to some other titles that are out at even that time.
Sound: Was done very good. The music and sound was realistic and up lifted when need be. The voices fit the characters. They did a good job finding a voices to bring these characters to life.Each voice was distinctive.
Story: Was a good, but could use a lot of "fillers" but this is an OVA so we will leave that to the series that is out now. Story is good but unrealist in terms about young guy finds hot goddess and she stays cooks, cleans, and waits on his every need.
Character:They do have real problems that they over come. With help of a Goddess. Still show deepth and feeling well.
Value: Well yes I would watch it again. In fact I'm just finished the movie and now starting the series.
Enjoyment: For A good laugh and to take very mind off life. This will help. Yes, I did enjoy this OVA.

This is the first Romantic Comedy I've seen that was more bearable. I simply dont like the genre but this wasnt bad. Unlike others of the same I've seen this was more to the point and doesnt waste time in telling the story... unfortunately most of the story is wierd as for me it kinda goes against my religious beliefs, godesses and all y'know! So I guess there is that incompatibility factor that makes it beyond unbelievable, for me at least! Other than that I'll point out that this was really good for its genre and enjoyable.

I had left this one on the shelf for a long time...

Three beautiful, magnificent goddesses work their way into the home of a puny soul such as Morisato Keiichi. To one of them, Belldandy, her highest priority is to live with Morisato until he no longer needs her...or will he always need her?

With the above description, its quite easy to see that Oh My Goddess! is definitely a drama, and a romance. As a classic among anime, I see the background characteristics of many animes created nowadays as the base of this story.

The strongest point to this story is its character. It was a good development, giving each character their own specific qualities and moods. I also saw that hte three goddesses represented 3 different types of people. Belldandy is cute and simple-minded, Urd has much dignity, and Skuld as an impulsive teenager.

Other than that, the story becomes very fast-paced and attitudes are assumed. For example, certain characters had exaggerated reactions to pain and loneliness, as well as the story not truly making sense until the last 10 minutes of the final episode. Because of this quick pace and lack of story development, Oh My Goddess! fails to grasp its full potential as a romantic comedy.

Also, the music was fair, but the voices failed to sensitize the series emotional side. There are many reasons why the story fell so short; the sound could have had much improvement, which would've sufficed the story's dramatic element a little more.

I found Belldandy super-kawaii for some reason...she in my opinion would set as the ideal animated babe. Also, look at her similarities to many other animes' soft-voiced females (such as Mizuho from Onegai Teacher; probably because they are the same voice actress!!!)...its a doozy.

I might watch it again from time to time, depending on willpower and mood. There are plenty of other romantic comedies which were bred from the perspective of this one, and I would recommend checking other ones first. However, this animation would provide the viewer with a basic approach that they could apply to other romantic animes, so it's a great universal display.