Review of Ah My Goddess! TV: Volume 2

Introduction

Ah My Goddess was the 5-episode OVA series that proved to be the hit of the nineties, as countless anime fans fell in love with the elegant charms of the goddess Belldandy. Start an impromptu poll on any anime forum, and Belldandy will rate as most people`s ideal animated woman (Admittedly some think she`s a wet fish, but there`s no accounting for taste). A full-length anime series based on the long running manga has been a long time coming, but finally prayers have been answered, and MVM bring the series to the UK.

Ah My Goddess takes its cue from the sitcoms of the sixties, shows like Bewitched and I Dream Of Jeannie, where an average Joe would meet the girl of his dreams, only there would be more to her than meets the eye, causing his life to change in unexpected ways. Here Keiichi Morisato is the average Joe, but Belldandy trumps the witch and genie by actually being a goddess, a celestial being who comes to Earth to grant one wish.

Like the first volume, this second volume also contains 5 episodes.

6. Ah! A Blessing in Every Bargain
Nekomi Tech is about to welcome its newest student, but Keiichi and Belldandy aren`t expecting a knock on the door. Megumi is Keiichi`s younger sister, and she certainly isn`t expecting to see her brother with a beautiful girl. Keiichi needs to get Megumi out of the temple before she learns that Belldandy is a goddess, and quickly agrees to help his sister go flat hunting. The flat that they do find however hides an ominous secret.

7. Ah! Where to Confess One`s Love?
Would you believe that a girl could forget Valentine`s Day? Well Belldandy did, and now Keiichi is depressed. Help is at hand, as Megumi tells her how to make it up to him. It involves chocolate and a romantic location, but the naïve Belldandy needs help in determining the right place. Only she asks Sayoko, the campus Queen, who`s suspiciously willing to help. But Belldandy has bigger problems ahead.

8. Ah! Can You Pass the Love Test With These Low Scores?
The System Force has stopped working, and Belldandy`s older sister Urd decides to sneak down to Earth, to fix things in her own unique way. Keiichi learns that the only way to repair the system is if he donates a sample of DNA, which means he has to kiss Belldandy. When he can`t work up the courage, Urd decides to take a direct hand in proceedings.

9. Ah! The Queen and the Goddess` Secret
The queen of the campus Sayoko fears that her crown is losing its lustre, now that Belldandy has enrolled. When Urd gatecrashes the NIT beauty pageant, it is the last straw, and Sayoko is determined to act on her suspicions and unmask Belldandy once and for all, and at any cost. With the System Force on the fritz, Belldandy is at her wits` end when Keiichi is kidnapped.

10. Ah! Can the Auto Club Triumph?
The school gigolo Toshiyuki Aoshima`s obsession with the unattainable Belldandy pushes him to extremes, and he vows to steal her away from Keiichi. He challenges Keiichi and the members of the Auto Club to a rally. With their meagre resources, they`ll need divine intervention just to get to the start line, while Aoshima has bankrolled a professional rally driver to enter on behalf of his newly created Four Wheels Club. With a Goddess as his co-pilot, Keiichi shouldn`t lose, but Belldandy has her limits, and Toshiyuki has no qualms about cheating.

Video

The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer on this disc is clear and problem free to my eye. That`s with the usual disclaimer about digital banding and other such niggles that are usually associated with anime. This is as good as television anime usually gets. As for the animation, especially compared to the OVA, it`s a case of swings and roundabouts. The character design and world detail is simplified in comparison to the original episodes, but the animation is much more fluid, with CGI blended in seamlessly as is the case with most modern anime. The world is also more expansive, with a lot more of the background detail filled in.

Audio

It`s just your basic DD 2.0 English and Japanese for Ah My Goddess, with optional English subtitles and signs. The English track sounds a tad louder to my ears, otherwise there is little to differentiate them. I also feel that the English dub sounds a little goofy in comparison to the original language track, but I guess that`s a matter of personal preference. If like me, you prefer the original language tracks, it`s worth noting that the original cast reunite after 12 years for this series, providing a nice degree of familiarity to fans of the OVA.

I love the songs over the opening and closing credits. If you`ve ever wondered what the Corrs would sound like in Japanese, then this would answer that obscure question. As it is, they`re two charming songs that will most likely have you searching for the original soundtrack CD.

Features

The usual MVM presentation as always for this disc, complete with jacket picture, animated menus and DVD credits page.

However the extras on this disc are minimal compared to last time. This time you just get the creditless ending sequence, as well as the original Japanese credits.

Conclusion

Maybe I shouldn`t be reviewing this. That`s not an admission you`re often going to hear, but I have a smidgen of a blind spot when it comes to Ah My Goddess. I`ve been on tenterhooks ever since this series was announced, and now that the discs are arriving, I`m spending the run time in a state of transcendental bliss. I love the story, I love the characters, the music, the whole thing, and given the opportunity, I`ll watch it over again with the same silly grin on my face. Fortunately for the sake of this review, the cold heartless lizard hindbrain of mine is ticking away pointing out flaws and niggles. It`s the same annoying voice that says, "The shark looks fake!" every time I watch Jaws. It`s a voice I usually ignore when I wish to be entertained, but I heed whenever I have to review a disc.

So it`s with that cold dispassionate objectivity that I state Ah My Goddess Volume 2 is a disappointment compared to the first volume, although it is an opinion that only those who have seen the OVA can appreciate. When starting the television series, the OVA was the logical place to begin, and the events of the first episode were expanded and enriched for the first three episodes of the television series. This is all well and good to kick the series off, but in this second volume, we return once more to the OVA for inspiration, with the next two episodes revisited. Unfortunately neither of the episodes here does justice to the originals, although they are entertaining in their own right. Episode 8 revisits the Midsummer Night`s Dream story in the OVA, and once again heralds the arrival of Urd from up above. She meddles in Keiichi and Belldandy`s relationship to comic effect as before, but as we are still in early days, the emotional fallout of her meddling is absent. It`s just a cute comic episode, with the added benefit of the sultry Urd.

Episode 10 takes its cue from Burning Hearts On The Road from the OVA, and is much closer to the original source, with a rally taking the place of the drag race. The one difference is that the OVA episode introduced Skuld, but apart from an earlier cameo, she makes no such appearance in this volume. It`s still a fun episode though, that plays out in much the same way as the original.

The other episodes cover new ground, and as such are much more satisfying. Episode 6 introduces Keiichi`s younger sister Megumi, and gives her a fair amount of character development, revealing a playful and cheeky personality. The flat hunt also adds some mystical background to the story, and expands Belldandy`s world. We return to the romance in episode 7, with some good old fashioned, misunderstandings and crossed wires leading to some comic mayhem, as well as a sweet romantic moment. The beauty pageant in episode 9 allows for that prerequisite of anime, the fan service episode complete with beachwear. Belldandy manages to remain demure though, although she lets slip her divine powers, which leads to Sayoko`s goddess-hunt. Once again comedy abounds with some cruel and unusual tortures being applied.

Your mileage with Ah My Goddess will depend on how much you can invest in Keiichi and Belldandy`s relationship, and how much you can tolerate the usual false starts and awkwardness typical of rom-com anime. But Ah My Goddess is as sweet and adorable as you can find, and it makes it easy to lose yourself in the trials and travails of the fated couple. It`s a beautiful animation, which enchants and entertains by equal measure. This second disc continues with the quality shown on the first disc, and only those viewers familiar with the OVA may find reason to raise an eyebrow. Everyone deserves a little Belldandy in their lives, here`s your chance.