Review of Ah My Goddess! TV: Volume 1

Introduction

Ask the average anime fan who Natsumi and Miyuki are, and with the odd exception, you`ll get a blank look. Ask that same average anime fan who Belldandy, Urd, Skuld and Keiichi are, and with the odd exception, you`ll see their eyes light up. All are characters created by Kosuke Fujishima in his manga You`re Under Arrest and Ah My Goddess, but it`s the simple love story that develops between an average college student and his celestial visitor that has made the greatest impression on anime fandom. Yet it is You`re Under Arrest which has had the greatest exposure in anime, with four Original Video Animations, over fifty television episodes, a feature film, and a run of mini specials. Compared to that, Ah My Goddess has established its considerable anime credentials off the back of a mere five OVA episodes in 1993, one feature film, and the charming Mini Goddess spin-off series (which has little to do with the original story). Finally, after 12 years, the balance has been redressed with the advent of this Ah My Goddess television series, the second season of which is now debuting in America. MVM release the first 26 episode season here, and it goes back to the original manga to flesh out the story, which was heavily compressed in the original five episode OVA.

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.

This first volume contains 5 episodes.

1. Ah! You`re A Goddess?
Keiichi Morisato is a sophomore at Nekomi Institute of Technology who lives a luckless life. Unlucky in love, taken advantage of by his peers, and prone to misfortune, it`s amazing that he keeps a positive attitude. This outlook has brought him to celestial notice, and one day, when trying to phone his upperclassman, he gets a wrong number and a reply from the Goddess Help Line. The next thing he knows, the Goddess Belldandy is stepping out of his mirror.

2. Ah! Those Who Believe Will Find Salvation!
Belldandy explains that the divine Almighty has given Keiichi one wish. Keiichi, in a state of disbelief wishes that a goddess like Belldandy will remain forever by his side. The Almighty takes that wish all too literally, and suddenly Belldandy has a new mission in life. Girls aren`t allowed in Keiichi`s dorm, but Belldandy isn`t worried, as the System Force will act to keep them together. Sure enough, they both wind up evicted.

3. Ah! Apprenticeship, Home, and the Goddess!
Spending the night in an abandoned car on campus, gazing at the stars through the sunroof, may have been a romantic first date, but it isn`t going to do for long-term accommodation. Belldandy is coming to terms with remaining discreet as part of her human existence, but she uses her powers to find them a new home, the Tariki Hongan Temple. It`s just that the resident priest mistakes Keiichi for a lout.

4. Ah! The Queen and the Goddess!
Keiichi`s brief idyll is interrupted by the reality of classes, but Belldandy decides to accompany him to college. The girl about campus is Sayoko, who can have her pick of gentlemen suitors, and who once turned Keiichi down without a second glance. But now Belldandy is turning male heads, and Sayoko can feel her position slipping away. She finally turns her attention to Keiichi.

5. Ah! Living Under One Roof Together!
With Belldandy and Keiichi cohabiting, everyone at college is jumping to salacious conclusions. Even Keiichi`s upperclassmen are assuming the rights to name their firstborn. Keiichi isn`t even sure just what kind of relationship he has with Belldandy, let alone how to develop it.

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. The attention to detail in anime continues to astound. You may have seen on old films where a camera isn`t exactly in sync with a television on screen that you can see a black bar slowly scrolling vertically on the TV. This is replicated in a scene in the first episode. It`s completely trivial, has nothing to do with the story, but the animators did it anyway.

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 for this disc, complete with jacket picture, animated menus and DVD credits page.

There are a few more extras than the average anime disc though, but it wouldn`t be the same without a textless credit sequence.

The Japanese Voice Actor Introductions lasts 8 minutes and features an edited interview with the voice of Belldandy, Kikuko Inoue. Joining her on stage at the convention appearance is Yoko Ishida, who sings the theme songs. The chat is light-hearted, informal and fun.

The Japanese Voice Actor Outtakes comprise one scene that lasts almost 4 minutes. This isn`t a goof track, rather it`s a new mini story told from snippets of episode 4 re-edited together. Naturally it`s very tongue in cheek.

Conclusion

The original Ah My Goddess OVA enchanted me, and its gentle blend of romance and comedy was a delight. So it was with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation that I approached this reboot. I`m elated to say that the television series hits all the right notes, and does justice to the original animation. It would have been so easy to get wrong, but this Ah My Goddess retains the same mix of wonderful characters, the sweet story and the tender romance that so typified the first outing. It also helps that the original Japanese cast returned to voice their characters.

Naturally this version differs from the original, it would be pointless in making it otherwise. The five episodes of the OVA took the story and characters from the manga, and distilled them down to the heart of the tale (there was even a five month story gap between the first two episodes). As such, the emphasis was very much on the romance part of the rom-com. The television series has much more time in which to explore the story, and going back to the original manga means that it certainly isn`t padded out. The events of the first episode of the OVA occur over a leisurely 3 episodes on this disc, taking the time to properly introduce and develop the characters. The System Force, which was originally a passing reference, plays a much greater part in the story, and we get to see what it actually means.

It also means that the romance has time to develop, indeed by the end of this disc, while Belldandy and Keiichi are tied together by fate, they are really still in the `getting to know you` stage of their relationship. Consequently there is a greater emphasis on the comedy, which balances out the relative paucity of romance. This may not appeal to fans of the OVA, but I found the added humour entertaining.

The fourth episode on this disc offers something new, with the addition of the Sayoko character. She is the Queen on campus, and doesn`t take the addition to the mix of Belldandy well. Her innate competitive nature soon comes out. It`s also interesting to see that Belldandy also joins the college, something inevitable given the System Force, but glossed over in the OVA. Things slow down for the final episode on the disc, as Keiichi gets introspective about how he feels about Belldandy and what he should do about it. It is perhaps the weakest of the episodes, but it does show that he is developing feelings for Belldandy. It`s promising in a genre where most weak willed males will spend the entire series dithering on the question. It looks as if Ah My Goddess will at least reward viewers that will invest in the relationship.

I was in seventh heaven with the return of Belldandy, as this first volume of the television series delivers in every respect. I was entertained and charmed once again by these sweet characters and this gentle tale. Urd and Skuld are yet to make their appearance in the story, but 2007 has its first must own anime. Warmly recommended.