Anime: Aa! Megami-sama! (2005)

Keiichi makes a phone call and then suddenly a Goddess appears before him. Ah My Goddess is an instant girlfriend romantic/comedic slice of life that's actually done right. There are a few fillers here and there and it is not as plot based as some other romance series but overall it just gives a positive impression overall.

Animation:
The drawing style is very colorful with strong greens and blues creating a very peaceful (Earthy) feel that blends well with the music and OP. Though the drawing isn't as crisp as 2010 series, it is still fairly good. Belldandy and adult Sculd are drawn nicely and yes you can tell by Keiichi's looks that he wasn't going to get a girlfriend through normal means. There is some CGI usage but for the most part it is minimal and non-distracting. Oh, and this one is also light on fan service, which is great for a change of pace.

Sound:
The OP is calming but possibly a little too much and I didn't really like the light rock ED. The BGM is light and blends in well with the production (noticeable when necessary but otherwise in the background). The VAs are very good at bringing out their respective character's personality, especially Belldandy. I also can't believe how good VAs are at doing impressions of each other.

Story:
The series starts out strong with a very good opening arc but then soon becomes episodic with gradual introductions of new characters as the series progresses. As there isn't really a central plot line, the focus is on character development, and the series really shines for it. As one can tell from the many sequels, there also isn't really much of an ending to this one, though they do add a little climax near the end. But worry not for the entertainment in each episode is more than enough to keep going.

Character:
The interactions between the characters in this show go well beyond the average in this genre. You definitely see the characters bonding and growing, and not through upskirts and accidental grabs (*cough ichigo*). Belldandy is by far the most outstanding of the characters as she is capable, kind-hearted, patient, beautiful, and a whole mess of other pluses, despite there being other "goddesses" she really stands out, and in my mind cancels out Keiichi's bad luck a thousand times over. What is impressive is that even this seemingly perfect character is developed through the series, and in a way that truly brings a smile to ones face. In contrast, though he develops a bit, Keiichi is still rather pathetic, dwarfing the growth of Keitaro in Love Hina. Perhaps we'll see more development in the subsequent series.

Value:
This isn't the most exciting of series out there, but it's a good one to relax with after a stressful day. And one that does not require deep philosophical thoughts or worries about whether it is NSFW. Overall a great watch and an easy archive.

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.

Relaxing pace, no rush, but also not much progress.

Aa! Megami-sama finally got its own tv-series after an OVA and a Movie and they started all over from scratch with the tv-series. So no knowledge needed for the new series and that'll make fans happy. That'll also make newcomers happy, because they won't have to watch several other OVA's or Movies or whatever in order to be able to follow this, so it's a good thing.

Animation - Average, but detailed with mechanical stuff.

The animation looks – how could it be different – better compared to the old OVA and Movie, but nowadays nearly everything looks good, so that's not a good standard for animation. But while the style is not all that detailed (except for some scenes in which either the bikes or specific items get highlighted – mechanical stuff is always pretty detailed) it fits the atmosphere. It is clear that there was a decent bag of money available because I haven't seen any disturbing reused frames, but to say that the animation is really good – no. It's better than decent, but because of the atmosphere the animation had to fit, there is not much space for great animation.

Sound - Soothing music, good voices except for the protagonist.

The anime starts off with a nice OP-song, which uses both a beautiful voice and a sort of choir, which fits the anime really well, giving it a feeling of a church/angel-like choir. The ending song on the other hand is not really to my taste, but it's also not a bad song – just feels a bit off, compared to the OP. The animation for the ED is also not really astonishing, but does fit the easygoing pace of the series. The voices for the characters are done well, but to me, Belldandy tends to express not enough emotion in her voice. Perhaps because her normal voice is already so soft and tender, but there is not much variation in that.Skuld and Urd are –as always- excellent, imho. Also, the protagonist does a good enough job, but his voice is (just like his character) hardly appealing.

Story - Based on characters and slow pace, the series hardly contains any story of value.

Since they started all over, there is no such thing as a ‘story’. They progress from episode to episode, giving short ‘stories’ of the daily life, which does have a chronological direction, but hardly follows a certain direction. The series builds on the goddesses living with the protagonist Keiichi and his relationship towards Belldandy – and vice versa, but due to the nature of the manga, the series goes literally nowhere and builds mostly on the characters interaction, which results in a low mark for 'story'.Therefore, the short episodes are either quite plain or quite sweet, depending on your preference.

Characters - Very nice char-design, but not enough development to trigger interest.

In Aa! Megami-sama, there is always a character you like, if you can appreciate the series even a little. Either the perfect Belldandy, the mischievious Urd or the little Skuld, there is always one you enjoy seeing. But what is supposed to be the forte of the series, the relationship between Keiichi and Belldandy doesn't really feel great. This is mostly probably due to the slow pace of the manga, but when you have watched 24 episodes of a series, one usually expects something to happen, but since it follows the manga closely, there is also very little character development – and thus also very little relationship development.The points here are mostly earned because of the character design.

Value

Aa! Megami-sama is a series one can watch over and over just for fun, especially since there isn't anything like cliffhangers or storylines one can get excited over. It's laid-back, easygoing and just fun to watch – if you enjoy these kind of series, that is.

Conclusion

Aa! Megami-sama is a nice series for the fans and for people who are new to this and can appreciate this series, but for people who want a good storyline, characters with development or a good romance rather skip this series. Not because the series doesn't have any of this, rather because they have a little bit of all – but never excel in any of them. I would classify this as average in everything – if it wasn't just too good overall for that.

Ok let me start my saying that i liked the OVA much better than the series. Everything in the OVA was really good, however in the 2005 TV version i was a bit disappointed since there were quite alot of differences from the OVA to the TV series.

So let me started with...

Story: If you are a fan of the OVA, u might get disappointed about what's happening in the TV series.

Animation: i don't like the animation of the TV series. Its too clean, plus when u look at belldandy from different views, she looks fat at the neck cause of the shadowing. The OVA had a detailed drawing style which was really good.

Personal Notes: Hmm, the series started off good, almost like the OVA, but when thet cut out something that was suppose to happen to Keiichi when they arrived at the temple i was wondering why it was cut out. Cause that scene happened in the OVA it added to the relationship of belldandy and keiichi, but in the TV series since that scene didn't happy there was no real love for belldandy to keiichi so she was just following the contract.

Entertainment: Ya, ok it is entertaining for those who haven't seen the OVA.

(Writers note: If you read this review, RATE this review. Authors thrive on feedback, whether it be a simple happy face, or an in-depth critique.)

Morisato Keiichi has always had bad luck. No matter what he does or how he acts, nothing seems to go his way. His bike frequently breaks down, his senpais take advantage of him, women ignore and scorn him, and on top of all that, he’s only 5’3” (height is an attractive feature in Japan). In Heaven, when someone’s bad luck and good luck are so heavily out of balance, Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited, of the Goddess Assistance Agency comes to the rescue. Belldandy grants Keiichi one wish to make up for all of his bad luck, but when Keiichi wishes for Belldandy to stay by his side forever… the trouble starts. Can Keiichi keep Belldandy by his side, or will outside elements force her to return to heaven?

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of the original OVA, as well as the movie. That aside, AA! Megami-sama (2005) is a good example of a harem anime done correctly. It reminds me of a more innocent version of Tenchi Muyo!. Because of Megami-sama’s innocence, hilarious scenes of Washu trying to get a “sample” from Tenchi will not be seen. Innocence carries a charm of its own, however. There is a certain pleasure that comes from knowing the characters in a series are merely “playing around”. That no matter what happens, everyone will be alive and happy at the end (including the villains).

The animation in AA! Megami-sama (2005) is nothing short of spectacular. The characters are drawn and rendered beautifully. Belldandy and Urd in particular are exquisitely animated, with long flowing hair, intricate and exotic clothing, milky white (or in Urd’s case, brown) skin, and a body that just makes you want to… but I digress. Beyond the character animation, both the background and foreground are highly detailed, with plenty of eye candy for fast readers, or for those on their second viewing.

The 3-D computer animation reminded me of Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto (Someday’s Dreamer) with 3-D animation employed almost solely for when magic is used. Unlike Someday’s Dreamer, however, the computer animation in Megami-sama blends perfectly with the hand drawn images. Not that it is hard to tell when a scene has started to use CGI, mind you, what with the character and foreground animation suddenly moving more fluidly than before. However, with Megami-sama, it doesn’t matter, as the CGI is used to render magical scenarios of heart-stopping beauty.

One scene in particular comes to mind. In episode 3, we get our first glimpse of Holy Bell, Belldandy’s angelic guardian. As she rises out of Belldandy’s back, spreading her great white wings, both Holy Bell and Belldandy begin to sing. As they sing, the CGI begins, with swirling clouds of incandescent magic revolving around them. Saying that my jaw-dropped would be an understatement. I was absolutely floored. It was so beautiful that even though I was dying to see what would happen next, I couldn’t help but repeat this scene a couple of times first.

Sound is yet another high point in the series. The opening song is one of my favorites; A sort of fast paced Celtic soft rock with an excellent Japanese female vocalist. I have now seen AA! Megami-sama (2005) twice, and in 48 episodes of viewing, I have skipped the opening theme a grand total of zero times. There are two ending songs: One for the first 13 episodes, and another for the final 11. The first is pleasant enough, though easily skippable after it has been heard a few times. The second song is… not so good. I listened to it once, but only once.

The music played during each episode is, for lack of a better word, chipper. It is light, fun, just like the series itself, adding to the humor and overall playfulness of the series. The sound effects are excellent throughout, with special attention paid to the scenes where magic is used. Some of the magic battles (there aren’t many) would have been a little too intense if the sound effects artist hadn’t deflated them with some well chosen playful sounds. Megami-sama is not about intensity, but about humor and fun. In that respect, I found the sound effects choices to be just right.

Belldandy. The character of Belldandy not only saves AA! Megami-sama (2005) from being “just another harem anime”, but elevates it into something special. Every scene she is in feels as if it is enveloped in a warm glow. With her long and wind-swept light-brunette hair and her exotic Goddess clothing, she gives off an aura similar to that of an attractive young mother. She is sweet, innocent, caring, and very much in love with Keiichi. The seiyuu (voice actress), Kikuko Inoue, is another reason why Belldandy is so mesmerizing. What a sweet, angelic voice she has! Kikuko’s voice fits Belldandy’s character like a glove, adding a reality to the character that is extremely rare in anime. Kikuko first got my attention when she played Belldandy in the 1993 Ah! My Goddess OVA. I noticed her again in Ranma ½, as Kasumi, and yet again in Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water, as Electra. To this day, she is the only voice actress I can pick out with ease, and the only one I know by name. She’s an old pro; a voice actress since the early 90s, and it shows.

Belldandy isn’t the only thing Megami-sama has going for it. Belldandy’s older sister, Urd, is both interesting and very funny. Also a goddess, Urd spends a lot of time either lounging about watching anime, or making yet another potion to try to get Keiichi and Belldandy together. Urd has one weakness though, which I will not spoil. Suffice to say, it will toss you into fits of laughter whenever it is used. Skuld comes in at the halfway point as the younger sister of Belldandy, who desperately wants her beloved Onee-sama to leave Keiichi and return to Heaven. Skuld is a mechanical genius, whether it be computers or automobiles. She too, has an amusing weakness, stemming from her love for complicated mechanical devices. Finally, there is Marller, Demon First Class, Unlimited! Fitting with the theme of the series, her demonic antics focus more on trying to annoy the three goddesses back into Heaven rather than harm them. Like the other goddesses, she has several weaknesses, all of them hilarious. My only complaint is her voice actress, who tries a little too hard to sound evil.

Keiichi, unfortunately, is a problem. He is a cliché harem anime male lead, and throughout the series, he follows the standard clichés of his character type, even when it makes no sense for him to do so. Wimpy, overly apologetic, with no idea how to handle a woman’s advances, going so far as to freak out every time Belldandy so much as brushes up against him. This is part of the innocence of the series, and of the genre in general, but in AA! Megami-sama (2005), it goes too far. Many Hugh Grant films have suffered similar criticisms. When a man confesses his love for a woman, and has that affection returned in kind (both in words and in actions), it is time to stop acting like a wimp. The man should be able to hold hands with her without getting all clammy. He should be able to be embraced by her without running away in panic. To summarize, Keiichi gets more and more annoying as the series progresses, as his relationship with Belldandy advances while his reaction to it remains the same.

The story is more or less what one would expect from a fantasy based harem anime. With the exception of the first 3 episodes, which deal with Keiichi and Belldandy’s “meet cute”, and the last 3 episodes, involving the attempted destruction of the world (done with the same innocence as the rest of the series, thankfully), the story is mainly episodic slice of life, with each episode answering an amusing question, such as “How does living with a goddess effect your school life?”, or “The Ultimate Force (a heavenly device that makes sure wishes are not broken) is not working! How can Keiichi keep Belldandy by his side?” or “Marrler has turned Keiichi into a motor scooter! How do we turn him back?” The series plays a little fast and loose with cause and effect, what with the goddesses frequently using magic in public. This would be detrimental in a more serious anime, but not so much this one. The most important question is this: Is AA! Megami-sama (2005) funny? The answer is a clear and resounding yes. If you’re not laughing out loud, you will at least be smiling quietly to yourself.

AA! Megami-sama (2005) is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, thanks to rock solid animation and sound, an enjoyable (though occasionally cliché) episodic storyline, and the character of Belldandy, the most enjoyable female lead since Fruits Basket’s Honda Tohru. If it weren’t for Keiichi’s cliché and annoying antics, this series would be a solid 10. If you’re not a fan of harem anime or comedies, for Belldandy alone, this series is still a must watch. If you’re a fan of harem anime, not having AA! Megami-sama (2005) in your collection is nothing short of heresy.

Final note: For those of you wondering why I gave such a high mark for Characters, even though I devoted an entire paragraph to Keiichi, that is because the character of Belldandy is so enticing as to make Keiichi's flaws seem irrelevant.

.::Animation::.
The animation was not to good... but it really wasn't bad! Some places and animations was a little, little bad but the animation was great at the most :D Like when Keiichi is calling in the beginning of the series and when Belldandy teleports througth the mirrors... that some good animations!I think that they could do the characters more detailed... i bet some of you got the "amature"-feeling when you saw this anime for the first time... however, i got used to the characters after a while. The surroundings (cars, houses, trees etc.) is animated very well, just watch the houses with their lights and stuff in the city!

.::Sound::.
The SFX is great, just like the voices... the only thing that didn't fell in my taste was the OP and ED... well, the OP was to slow... but it can work in this anime, both the ED worked... but all those three songs is kinda booring to listen to all the time... The background sounds is good...
Songs:
OP: Open Your Mind ～小さな羽根ひろげて～ by Yoko Ishida
ED1: 願い (Negai) by Yoko Ishida (Ep. 01-12 and 24)
ED2: Wing by Yoko Takahashi (EP. 13-23)

.::Story::.
Keiichi is a pretty unhappy guy... he want a girlfriend but is to short to get one... not joking, thats true! Well, anyway... one day he made a phonecall but he did dial the wrong number and connected to "Goddess Assistance Agency", aka Heaven and a Goddes with the name Belldandy arrived at Keiichis place.. Keiichi gets one wish... Keiichi use that wish to make Belldandy stay with him... forever...

Well, thats the main story... when i came to the end i didn't got any "Is this story going to end?"-feeling... i was at episode 23 and visited GotWoot to see if ep 24 was out and i was a Batch... so i went to AniDB and saw that it only was 24 episdodes... the ending is revealed to late, when i saw ep 24 i got the feeling that the series would end... but i usally get it some episodes before... that was kinda bad thing...

.::Character::.
I loved the main characters! They all got uniqe(?) personalities and they acting in their own way!
Keiichi: The earthling, unhappy, unlucky guy that dont have anything to be happy about... until Belldandy arrives...
He's a member of the AutoClub that almost no one like at the school...
Belldandy: The Goddess that visit Morisato and get the request to stay there... She's kind and dont want to harm anyone... i dont think that she is really angry anytime in this anime...
Urd: Another Goddess, Belldandys older sister wants to get Belldandy and Keiichi together with all metods... One of my favourite characters... ;D
Skuld: One Goddess to and Belldandys third sister, she's a genious at technology and mechanic things but not good in magic. She does everything to keep Belldandy away from Keiichi... she just want to separate thoose two... Skuld is another one of my favourite characters in this anime...
Megumi: Keiichis younger sister... i dont know anything special about this person... but she's cool :D

.::Value::.
This is a funny anime but i dont know if i'm going to rewatch it... well, i think i will someday... but it's not (like they say in Onegai Teacher) my priority one...

.::Enjoyment::.
I enyojed this anime, this is a funny anime, not to much Magic, Comedy, Drama etc. its a pretty good mix they made up :D
The only thing that made it lose points is the ending... they would made it end a bit earlier...
But exept that, it was great!
Reccomended to all of you!
______
Sorry about the bad spelling :D