AKA: Aa! Megamisama!, Ah My Goddess

Genre: Fantasy / divine girlfriend romance comedy

Length: OAV series, 5 episodes, 30 minutes each

Distributor: VHS and R1 DVD from Animeigo

Content Rating: PG (mild violence, some fan service, mild adult themes)

Related Series: Ah! My Goddess TV season 1 and 2 (prequels), Ah! My Goddess the Movie, Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings (sequel), The Adventures of the Mini-Goddess (comedy spinoff)

Also Recommended: Ai Yori Aoshi, Please Teacher!, Tenchi Muyo, Video Girl Ai

Notes: Based on the manga by Fujishima Kousuke. The original title was "Ah! My Goddess", which is a direct translation from the Japanese title of Ah! Megamisama. Kousuke Fujishima was originally unaware of the English-language pun that could be created by changing the "Ah!" to "Oh," but was informed and decided to go ahead with the pun. Due to name licensing conflicts in the US, Pioneer's release of the movie is labeled as "Ah My Goddess", but it is part of the same franchise. We have reviews of several other titles in this franchise listed under "A".

Rating:

Oh! My Goddess

Synopsis

Morisato Keiichi is just a normal college freshman trying to order dinner when, completely by accident, he dials the goddess wish-fulfillment hotline. Wherever an accident prone, golden hearted, otaku-identifiable dork goes, romance, comedy, and life adventures are soon to follow, as Belldandy, goddess on call, shows up to grant him one wish!

Review

To start off, I think this anime is mostly what gives AnimEigo it's reputation as being constantly good, without resorting to being "trendy." As one of the regulars on the THEM message board puts it: "AnimEigo ... is the Jaguar XK 120 of anime distros. Not flashy, not the fastest, not the biggest, but you'll never be dissatisfied with their performance." That also describes this series to a tee. Oh My Goddess may not be the biggest thing out there, or the most readily remembered title when someone asks for examples of favorite anime. However, when a description or opinion of this anime is asked for, however, it is generally regarded as one of the best titles available, even considering its age (it's already ten years old!), and the quantity of anime now available in North America.

Why? Well, from the opening to ending of this anime, I personally had a smile on my face. Starting with its first punch (the fresh-meat's the gofer for upperclassmen) and all the way through to the end, this title is thoroughly and completely satisfying, and definitely one of the best OVA series out there, Ever, Period.

Its only drawback: (or plus if money's a deciding factor in what anime you purchase) Length, or the lack thereof. The entire OVA series is five episodes, lasting a mere two and a half hours, or one movie night (whichever you prefer). One popular theory was that they ran out of money animating the goddess's hair, which, for this quality of animation in the early 1990's, is quite a possible explanation, or that they intended it to be an introduction so that more people would read the manga. Regardless of the reason though, the outcome is the same: Short.

Alone (without the movie) it's much too short and suffers from that. Take back another star if you refuse to fall in love with animated characters or if you don't like romantic comedy. The depth and beauty of the artwork, however, keeps this title at a solid four stars in my book. — Isaac Cynova

Recommended Audience: Very young children may be scared by some of the goddess's effects (lightning, etc). Urd's antics and the way she dresses may give some parents a pause, but it's all in character and usually done in a comedic way. Probably good for older children and above.