Aa! Megami-sama! (TV)

Introduction
Ah! My Goddess is a light-hearted, sweet, fantasy without serious romance or ecchiness. It's a great anime to watch if you are not looking for anything special but rather sit and relax to an easy viewing. As mentioned by other reviewers, I think girls will like this series more than guys because of the strong female lead and role reversals. However, those hard-core romantics who are seeking relationship development and ecchi harem loving guys should look elsewhere.

Story
The story starts out centered around the male lead, Keiichi, who has no luck but is still kind and generous to others. When given ... the opportunity to have any wish granted, he wished to spend eternity with a goddess. From that point on, his whole world changed and the series slowly started to shift focus to Belldandy, his goddess.

Throughout the series, Keiichi would get into trouble and Belldandy would always bail him out. Her love for him is the heart of the entire anime. There are many cute and touching moments that stem from their relationship but not much development takes place and they never really kiss.

Art and Sound
Overall, I think the characters were very well drawn and cute. Keiichi is really put in a fortunate position with so many beautiful female characters surrounding him. The special effects are not terrible either. As for the sound, I really like the opening sound track. It sounds very scottish. As for character voices, Belldandy's voice annoyed me because she sounded very old and mother-like. This is probably because Kikuko Inoue played a lot of mother/teacher roles in other animes I watched.

Characters
Unlike a lot of romance animes, this anime revolves around the female lead, Belldandy, who is the guardian/housewife. Her character seems like a symbol for strong, modern women. She is a strong heroine with incredible powers, has a caring and nurturing personality, is irresistible to men and machines alike, and at the end of the day she is the perfect housewife. With all those amazing qualities, its no surprise that she is a goddess!

With a strong female lead, it is only natural than the male lead, Keiichi, is weak. He is a normal human who lacks special powers and suffers from an inferiority complex. However, his attractiveness comes from his unconditional love for others. He is kind, generous, and protective of everyone; even if they are strangers. And on top of all of that, his only wish was to be with the one he loves. He's the kind of guy that girls can picture their husbands to be like.

Conclusion
Overall, I could not give this anime a rating above average because there were very few memorable moments. For the most part, it is a forgettable series that is too similar to other romance animes, but that may be a good thing if you need a break from a harder hitting anime. I would recommend this anime to those who just have to see every romance/comedies, but for those who are looking for a new experience, this anime will not satisfy you.

Ah! it was kinda painful for me to watch. A!MG is the story of Keiichi, a college student down on his luck and part of the Auto Club with weirdo senpais. That sentence in it of itself would lead one to believe that it is a very interesting anime but in actuality, it wasn\'t.

Don\'t get me wrong, some of my friends actually loved it because it was so sweet, I\'m just not one of them. The idea of a goddess agency in heaven to assist kami-sama in helping the unfortunate is great but I think the plot could have ... been a lot better. If there were more developments in Season 1, I\'m sure I would\'ve watched Season 2 but I was only oh so glad that I finished Season 1 so I could move onto a different anime.

When you're a guy who likes romance anime, but doesn't want all the ecchi/harem nonsense, but also dislikes how terrible the heroines are in more shoujo anime, there aren't a whole lot of options for you. Either the girl is super sexy or the girl is totally unattractive, leaving all the focus on the guy. there is unfortunately little middle ground in the romance anime world. This show is tending toward balance, but the male lead is severely neglected still.

The male lead is a wishy-washy guy with no confidence, who acts really pathetic. he does absolutely nothing to impress anyone, and proves totally useless in ... most situations. this is unfortunate, because the heroine is so well done

This show has one of the best heroines one could ask for. She's beautiful, kind, caring, and overall great. It makes perfect sense that she's a goddess because she's really the embodiment of a near perfect heroine. her only flaw is that she doesn't really seem to have one. One could easily just say "She's a goddess. That's intentional" and that would be a logical argument. However i don't wish to criticize her character. She really is a great character that warms your heart and puts a smile on your face.

The artwork in this show is awesome. I love the art style of this era and this fits in nicely with that.

My main problem with this show is that the plot is really bad. It never seems to go anywhere. I had expected to get far more romance, and for there to be a greater focus on Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship. but the good parts of that get swallowed up by the other characters' antics and stupidity.

Lastly, don't watch this in English dubbed. It is by far the worst English dub I have heard. That being said, I don't particularly recommend this show to anyone. at the same time i will not say that it's not worth watching. It is a perfectly good way to kill time between shows. It helps to lighten the mood after watching a very heavy show.

Well, it started off okay with lots of laughs and touching moments but I don't really like weak wussy main male characters. After 18 episodes, it gets a little tiring. Then again, it's my own opinion so if you enjoy watching the same old cliches where the characters get embarassed easily by the most mundane situations, this is a must watch.

Sometimes I find there's no real plot, every episode bring about a new situation for the couple to overcome, their love isn't really tested and most of the time you end up feeling disappointed even though they succeed in getting through that episode's trial.

I am writing this review of my overall impressions of Ah! My Goddess Seasons 1 & 2, mainly because it felt like one long drawn out series to me. The show was very cute and enjoyable for a bit more than half of the first season, sadly I purchased both the complete first and second seasons before watching any episodes at all, based purely on the outstanding recommendations of others. Having bought all of the episodes (along with the OVA series and movie - neither of which I ever plan on watching) I forced myself to sit through the second half of season 1 and ... all of season 2.

Ah! My Goddess is of the cute romantic comedy variety with great character development that is enjoyable regardless of how ridiculous or unrealistic the plot or individual story arcs seem to be. This story revolves around Keiichi Morisato, a "university" student (keep in mind that he is a university student when reading the rest of the review) who seems to have no luck with the ladies, nor much of a social life, and lives in a dorm-like co-op with his fellow members of the mechanic club (which for some reason doesn't allow girls). As the summary suggests Keiichi makes a phone call one day and somehow gets a hold of the "goddess helpline" by accident. "A beautiful Goddess named Belldandy appears," before Keiichi and allows him one wish...

The reason why i disliked this anime was that it is aimed primarily for middle or elementary school kids. I generally like this type of romantic comedy (series like Lovely Complex, Toradora, etc.). While a show like Lovely Complex might have been enjoyed by a younger audience as well, it nonetheless was able to hold up to an adult crowd. The protagonists in Lovely Complex acted their age (for the most part). In Ah! My Goddess, on the other hand, Keiichi, who was attending university, acted like prude teenage girl. Unless Keiichi was secretly hiding in the closet, his actions towards Belldandy throughout the series were inconceivable and terribly frustrating. Likewise, at one point in the series, Keiichi's mechanic club actually gets angry at him for bringing a girl back to his room. WTF? These unrealistic situations and interactions often made the show painful to watch. Sure stuff happened, and the characters developed, it just seemed that as the show progressed, the maturity levels of the characters regressed. (see next paragraph for further reasons why I hated this stupid anime - contains a spoiler, but if you are a male over the age of 15 you shouldn't be watching this series anyways so read ahead).

Making a phone call and having a Goddess appear in front of you? sure, why not. The Goddess granting you a wish? I'll believe it. You wishing for the Goddess to be exclusively your possession? sounds conceivable. Keiichi (being in college) and Belldandy (being a Goddess who has been around indefinitely) going through 46 episodes, while living together, loving each other, and Belldandy doing everything that Keiichi asks of her, only kissing twice and never once having sex? RIDICULOUS.

I was disappointed with this anime since the concept could've been enjoyable, the characters and supporting cast were good, and most of the episode plots were great. Although the anime wasn't particularly mature, it was still fun and offered a lot of creativity and comedic moments. Both Morisato and Belldandy were enjoyable, but there were other goddesses that some people preferred to Belldandy. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone else could have been the primary love interest.

My major issue with Ah! My Goddes was that some of the episodes felt like they were struggling to come up with a main plotline. Although I'm a huge fan ... of character development, I don't think the story should suffer because of it. I remember a few episodes that I would have skipped to enjoy the anime more.

Another issue I had was that they revealed the fun mystery parts too early, and it became almost like a slice of life in a fantasy world show, which didn't work either.

Overall, I think the script could have been much better. There was so much more potential, but they took the easy road and produced a bunch of throwaway episodes that, while fun, weren't anything special.

This anime was certainly nice to watch, and it was innocent. Something I could watch with family around and not having to worry about them seeing it, but the main character is just TOO shy. Unrealistically. And I'm not a fan of this art style, but I watched it because someone recommended it for being good anyway.

Music:
Music was good with the environments. The intro is a bit old stylish. 90's style.

Characters:
The main character is too shy and just too innocent. There had to be SOME sort of character development. Hell, everyone else around him is developing in character. And once again, the little sister is ... over protective in a way that is too unrealistic and should've been stopped early on.

Story:
The story is cute, and there are some funny moments, but it's otherwise just the same story every episode of a worthless main character boy who is too much of a fucking coward to even kiss her or hold hands with her. Seriously, no development of the people. The only changes are that of story around the characters, and that's not really any fun to watch.

Final thoughts:
I only watched the first season, but I am not interested in watching the second season or the movie. I would barely call this garbage romance. I WISH there was romance in this show. Hell, there is more romance between two of the guy friends who are roommates and leaders of the auto club than there is between the two main characters. Like... Fuck man... She invited you into a co-ed bath AND YOU REFUSE? THATS NOT MODESTY, THATS IGNORANT STUPIDITY. But yea. Cute show, maybe for innocent 7 year old kids. I wouldn't really recommend it. Also, not a fan of all these weird faces of anime made in the 90's and 00's.

Studio AIC does a wide variety of anime be it something like Tenchi Muyou or Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. If one aspect is clear, the studio is pretty solid when it comes to female characters and some sort of romance element involved. Director Hiroaki Gouda, whom is usually in the role of key animation got his first real shot in the new position. This is an interesting anime simply from the fact that the manga started in 1989 and didn’t finish until 2014 making it a total of 48 volumes. It is all very fascinating, but how good is it?

Our main character is a sophomore ... in college by the name of Keiichi Morisato. He is simply a guy down on his luck with a love for cars and bikes which is why he is a member of the motor club. One day, Keiichi accidently calls the “Goddess Help Hotline,” so a beautiful young blond woman suddenly appears to grant him a simple wish. Jokingly, Keiichi says he would be happy if the goddess would stay by his side forever, and surprisingly enough his wish is granted. This begins a funny adventure from Keiichi and the goddess, Belldandy, to find a place to live together, and learn all aspects about one another. It really is a funny, awkward, simple, sweet comedy about a normal guy being with a beautiful goddess.

The show itself is loosely based on Norse mythology such as the elements of Belldandy, the heavens, and the powers that be. This is mixed into the real world causing comedic scenes, episodes, and some fun interactions between Keiichi and Belldandy. The episodes range from the motor club competing in a stock car race of sorts, to meeting Belldandy’s sisters, to an evil enemy trying to exact revenge on the gods. All the while still maintaining that slow romantic relationship build between Keiichi and Belldandy.

As stated before, the manga started in the late 80’s and the earlier episodes match that. Character designs and writing are very much of that era. However, half way through the series it seems the animation gets a bit more crisp, the writing changes in a more chaotic sense (coincides with the sisters arriving), and there is more action compared to building romance. The theory is since the manga stretched out over decades, so did the style and direction of Ah My Goddess based on the anime era. Literally watching this first season is almost a representation of the late 80’s to the late 90’s in anime.

Now to compare romance anime from the past and present, where Ah My Goddess shines the most is convincing the audience of Keiichi and Belldandy’s relationship is more than just their contract with each other. Truthfully, this is one of the most touching and sweet examples of two people building romantic feelings for one another over time. Another strong suit is actually the supporting cast surprisingly enough. Side characters consistently added to the comedy from start to finish. For example, fellow motor club members always cause Keiichi some sort of grief, and even how when one character says Keiichi’s name, the audience knows something good is going to happen.

No, the show is not the best written for dialogue. The animation is dated for the time of release. Music in the show is essentially as low budget as a studio can get. When the sisters arrive in the anime, the two bring an entire other element to the show. Some could see this as bringing something different and fresh or seen as simply over-the-top and chaotic. There is some back story and a different entertainment value which has a place, so it really is up to the viewer if this is good or not.

Basically, Ah My Goddess feels like two different anime across the 24 episodes. This anime also seems very reminiscent of Tench Muyou in romance, animation, and characters designs from that early 90’s period with some 2005 technology on it. It is a simple romance done right, but not ground breaking in any way. Ah My Goddess knows what it is and at least worth a single watch for fans of romantic comedies.

After a long time, I decided to rewatch Ah!Megami-sama, to remember the feeling of nostalgia for the time when I was just a student who got home tired from school, dying to escape reality, and I remember that this anime was one of the many that resonated with me.

And I wasn't disappointed, that good feeling I get when I open the episode and watch it, even if it's just following Belldandy's day to day, singing the opening and ending songs. All of this made the time well worth it.

But rewatching it now, I became aware of things that in the past hadn't bothered me. Keiichi ... bothers in many moments of the anime for his cowardice, and Skuld seems to have been created with the purpose of preventing Belldandy's relationship with Keiichi from going forward, which is sad.

But I don't regret it, I liked it and maybe I'll rewatch it one more time in the future.

This is the title that initiated the Magical Girlfriend subgenre and it’s also amongst the oldest and longest harems ever, with multiple adaptations and OVAs. This adaptation happens to be the best work of studio AIC and is also an improvement over the original material by rearranging the order of events so the pacing will not get bogged down by several minor events. The director decided to take out lots of racing and engineering events which were fine to show how much the mangaka loved racing but would otherwise be completely boring in anime form.

SCRIPT

The story is about a teenage dork dialing the wrong number ... and ending up with a beautiful goddess, ready to fulfill his wishes, of which his is to stay with him forever (wish fullfilment). Soon afterwards her godly sisters pop up (harem creation) and his life becomes complicating as he is constantly surrounded by supernatural hot chicks and has to keep using his talents to save the world from cosmic horrors (action) without messing up his personal life (comedy). The story is one big pile of comedy, romance, and drama that also blends mythology with science fiction. The core premise is always about Keichi and Belldandy being in love and staying true to each other, even when the cosmic forces conspire against them.

Unlike most harems that are hardly trying to flesh out their characters or provide internal logic to all the madness in the story, AMG is actually trying its best to make everything seem logical and excused. The girls are all there for a reason, react somewhat logical with the restrictions of the premise, have powers that are somewhat excused through science and every event has technology and mythology to back it up.

Also, the story never forgets to still be easy-going and funny, where nothing major or deadly ever happens. There is no clear plot development, other than introducing more secondary characters and ephemeral threats every now and then. But if stand-alone episodes and stale stories don’t bother you, this is not a problem. There is no objective or even a conclusion, it just goes on and on indefinitely. It is wholesome and cheery, with some parts being more exciting or funny than others. Most of the duration may feel like dead time but overall it is still quite enjoyable.

CAST

Belldandy used to be amongst my favorite anime girls. Too gentle and good to be true, but then again she is a goddess and that is enough of an excuse. Her sisters Urd and Skuld are also interesting in their own way and flavor the harem nicely. The combination of great visuals, ethereal music and unearthly nature makes them feel far better than the average harem bimbo out there.

The harem lead Keichi on the other hand is, was, and still is a typical male dork that is swarmed by beautiful girls without him being anything special. Oh, sure, he is gentle, kind, good-hearted and the like; but let’s face it, girls don’t really notice such males. We can always justify it with Belldandy being a goddess that can see people for what they really are. But since I am not a god, I say he is a sissy for feeling embarrassed every time he has the chance to make some lovey-dovey. He and all other males like him in most harem anime are despicable! They give the male gender a bad name, he is the driest and worst character amongst the cast. But if I am to give him a few redeeming qualities, I can say he is actually using his brain from time to time to solve some problems and even finds the courage to fight for his harem. Too bad he isn’t bold enough to do anything other than that.

That aside, all characters have quirks, backdrop stories and goals that go beyond their stereotypes as sex-bombs, edgy lolitas and shy male virgins. The secondary characters are all likable and color to main ones. None of them were bad or unneeded in the story. I can’t say the same about Keichi (and to think he is supposed to be the protagonist!). Obviously none of them develops or finds some sort of catharsis because of the lack of an overall plot, so that could become tiresome after awhile.

PRODUCTION VALUES

The animation is great if you compare it with other similar series.
-All Slice-Of-Life series don’t use flashy visual effects (they don’t fit there). So, the graphics here are catchier, by default.
-Almost all comedies don’t have so detailed character figures. They are usually simplistic and go chibi all the time.
-Most Harem/Ecchi series turn their female characters into obnoxious, panties-revealing sluts. The girls here retain an air of purity and gentleness. The naughty scenes are few but worthwhile, as the focus in the series is not waiting to see boobs every 10 seconds.

Music themes and voice acting are very good. The women voicing the goddesses are also the singers in the songs (a thing that was kept intact in the remake as well). Very likable voices and backdrop music that fill your heart with happiness. Even the funky sound effects during the action parts feel cool as they are usually attributed to technology or mythology.

LEGACY

Like a sunny day, it is enjoyable but also rather passable. It helped to mainstream Harem and Magical Girlfriend stereotypes and thus deserves a spot in history just for that. Despite not being original or unique anymore, it is still amongst the best of its genre. It’s still watered-down and far shorter than the far bolder in erotism manga. Rewatchability is medium-high for fans of slice of life, while for most others there is very little to gain from a second watch.

Some issues that can ruin your enjoyment.
-The relationship between Keichi and Beldandy never goes beyond hugging, making the whole deal stale and without further development. The story itself has no development, other than introducing more secondary characters every now and then.
-There is a lot of character fleshing out, but very little character development. You get to know more about them but you won’t see them change.
-There are lots of uninteresting episodes, where the goddesses and/or demons rival each other, just for laughs.
-There is no conclusion.