Ah! My Goddess - Series Profile

The Gist:

A young college boy accidentally calls a goddess hotline and ends up living with a goddess in a Buddhist temple.

The History:

Ah! My Goddess! is a seinen anime series based on the manga created by Kosuke Fujishima. It is a spin-off of Fujishima's You're Under Arrest and originally debuted in Japan on January 6, 2005. Season 1 consisted of 24 episodes and ended on July 7, 2005 however, two additional episodes, 25 and 26 were released as OVA's on December 23, 2005.

Media Blasters gained the North American rights and released season 1 on six DVD's, beginning in September, 2005. A second season, Ah! My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings (Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy in North America) was created and debuted on April 6, 2006.

Manga vs. Anime:

Although the anime series followed the original manga closely, the manga is still ongoing while the anime ended after episode 22 of the second season.

How To Watch:

Ah! My Goddess! is available on DVD from FUNimation.

Genre:

Action, comedy, drama, romance, magic

Learn more about anime genres and themes

Studios:

AnimeWorks
Anime International Company
Media Blasters
ADV Films
FUNimation

Rating:

T for teens

Learn more about anime and manga age ratings

The Review:

Ah! My Goddess! is a fun and somewhat comical story about Keiichi Morisato, a college freshman who has yet to 'get a clue'. He accidentally calls the Goddess Technical Help Line and almost immediately, a lovely goddess named Belldandy appears in his room.

Keiichi is intrigued but thinks the whole thing is a joke, especially when Belldandy offers to grant him one wish. Keiichi wishes that she would live with him forever - which she does - and they are subsequently kicked out of his male-only dorm. The pair find refuge in a Buddhist temple and after convincing the resident monk that Belldandy is not a demon, the two are allowed to stay at the temple indefinitely.

Fujishima borrowed extensively from Norse mythology for this story, and this influence can be found through the series. The three heroines of the show for example, are named Urda, Belldandy and Skuld. In Norse mythology, these are the names of the three Norns, the entities responsible for the fate of mankind. They represent the past, present and future respectively and Fujishima designated his goddesses to rule over corresponding domains in the anime.

The result is a delightfully romantic anime series that has stood the test of time with fans. Also one of the first notable animes in the harem theme, Ah! My Goddess! deals with the topics with class, something we don't often see with new shows in that particular subgenre.

Wondering about the Ah! versus the Oh! Well, here's a bit of trivia for you... The series was originally titled Aa! Megami-sama! and was initially translated as Oh! My Goddess! by AnimEigo (OVA) and Dark Horse Comics (manga) for North American release. Kodansha (bilingual manga), Pioneer (movie) and Media Blasters (series DVDs) all used the Ah! My Goddess! interpretation instead.

Fujishima stated in an interview with Animerica that his intent was probably closer to Oh! My Goddess! but that each country should go with what works best for them.