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Alone in his dorm room one Saturday night (a frequent occurrence, to be honest), young Keiichi Morisato accidentally dials a wrong number that will literally change his life. You see, he inadvertently reaches the Goddess Technical Help Line, and a goddess is dispatched to grant him one wish.
The lovely young Belldandy informs him that he may have one wish—a wish for virtually anything in the world. In disbelief, Keiichi opts for a wish he believes will confound the system (and will prove that Belldandy has no particular wish-granting power): he wishes that Belldandy would stay with him always.
The power of this wish almost rips the fabric of time and space, but it is ultimately granted. But of course, such a wish has unforeseen consequences, including the fact that Keiichi lives in a guys-only dorm. When his roommates return to find him with a woman on the premises, he is immediately tossed out onto the street. But the wish also has other unexpected side effects—such as when Keiichi and Belldandy are in peril of being separated, a motorcycle is suddenly repaired so that they can travel together.
(Source: Dark Horse)
Oh My Goddess! was published in English by Dark Horse Comics from December 20, 2005, to October 20, 2015. Dark Horse has been republishing the series in 3-in-1 omnibuses since August 11, 2015. It was also published in Italian by Star Comics from February 13, 2007, to May 23, 2015.
This title kick-started the Magical Girlfriend subgenre within harems and ecchi, being one of the oldest harem manga series still in publication since 1988.
STORY SECTION: 5/10 [Feels almost like a hentai]
Analysis: General Scenario 1/2, Pacing 1/2, Side Stories/Extra Spices 2/2, Plausibility 1/2, Conclusion 0/2
The narrative revolves around a geeky teenager who dials a wrong number and ends up living with a beautiful goddess willing to fulfill his wishes, primarily to stay with him forever. His life gets complicated as her godly sisters show up, creating a harem scenario. He must use his talents to save the world from cosmic horrors while managing his personal life. The story blends comedy, romance, drama, mythology, and science fiction, focusing on Keichi and Belldandy's enduring love amidst cosmic adversities.
The "Sudden Girlfriend Appearance" and "Magical Girlfriend" premises are unrealistic, serving as cheap escapism. Living with these goddesses without progressing beyond peeking and hugging is frustrating for male audiences. However, considering it set the stage and others copied this formula, its originality was commendable back then. Unlike many harems, AMG strives to make everything logical, with characters having reasons for their actions, powers justified by science, and events backed by technology and mythology.
The story remains light-hearted and funny, avoiding major or deadly situations, making it enjoyable despite realism issues. Its lack of actual scenario development and conclusion can be a flaw, but if standalone episodes don't bother you, it's not a problem.
CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10 [Sultan’s favorite place]
Analysis: Presence 2/2, Personality 2/2, Backdrop 2/2, Development 0/2, Catharsis 0/2
Belldandy is among my favorite anime girls, too gentle and good to be true, but fitting as a goddess. Her sisters Urd and Skuld add interest, presenting diverse and likable characters enhanced by visuals, music, and ethereal nature.
Keichi is a typical male dork surrounded by beautiful girls without special traits. Gentle and kind, yes, but unremarkable. Justified by Belldandy's divine insight, he appears weak for feeling embarrassed about intimacy. Other males in harem anime are similarly despicable, tarnishing the male image. Keichi uses his brain occasionally and fights for his harem, but lacks boldness beyond that.
Secondary characters have quirks, backstory, and goals beyond stereotypes, coloring main ones well. None develop or find catharsis due to short-arc storytelling, making them static despite rich characterization.
ART SECTION: 9/10 [Magical technology]
Analysis: General Artwork 2/2, Character Figures 2/2, Backgrounds 2/2, Readability 1/2, Visual Effects 2/2
The art starts weak but improves significantly, standing out compared to similar series. It features heart-warming atmospheres, adorable figures, serious visual effects, detailed character designs, and purity over obnoxiousness, minimizing naughty scenes.
VALUE SECTION: 8/10 [A light that shines your heart]
Analysis: Historical Value 3/3, Rereadability 2/3, Memorability 3/4
Ah! My Goddess mainstreamed harem and magical girlfriend tropes, deserving high marks. Rewatchable for its comedic and heart-warming elements, though some parts may be skipped. Despite lacking originality now, it remains among the genre's best.
ENJOYMENT SECTION: 5/10 [Like a sunny day, it is enjoyable but also rather passable]
Issues marred enjoyment:
- The relationship between Keichi and Belldandy never progresses beyond hugging, stagnating development.
- Characters gain depth but lack growth.
- Many uninteresting chapters involve goddesses and demons clashing humorously.
- No conclusion.
The rest is decent and worth reading.
VERDICT: 7/10
A great work in its genre, hindered by stale and aimless storytelling.
Keiichi's friends, who are also his seniors—Toraichi Tamiya and Otaki Aoyama—are not your typical harem manga's weak, cool supporting characters. They are rude, very big and strong, and more like criminals than university students. They are very good with machines, but behave like idiots and are actually nice people. They are gentle giants that will evoke your sympathy. If you like Kurita Ryokan from the manga Eyeshield 21, you will like these two.
The reason I dropped this manga is because, while enjoying reading about Urd, Skuld, and Peorth's antics and ogling their long legs and flat abs, after 24 volumes the story was going nowhere; there is no twist or effort to break the mold. I was kinda hoping that Peorth would leave Keiichi for Toraichi Tamiya. Hey, even those two gentle giants deserve to be happy.
If you have time to spare, I highly recommend this manga. After reading this one, you won't read other harem mangas the same way again.
tl;dr: A manga with an intriguing world, engaging stories, and a likable cast, but lacking in narrative drive.
This manga has various elements, yet none seem substantial enough to carry it through its lengthy 48 volumes. The goddesses and demons aspect offers decent world-building, but the related stories are mostly episodic. Similarly, the motorcycle and motor club themes appear sporadically without significant arcs. While these episodes are decent, they lack a larger narrative. This is primarily a tale of characters living their lives and occasionally getting involved in different situations. Events do have lasting impacts, but more on their everyday lives rather than advancing any major plot.
Manga about people's daily lives can be excellent if they rely on character and relationship development instead of plot. However, this manga’s character and relationship development felt weak. Keiichi and Belldandy start as a couple due to a wish, quickly becoming inseparable. Their strong bond is impressive, but the progression was unclear. Their love faced few challenges, making the relationship feel static. Both characters had minimal growth. Urd and Skuld had a strong sisterly bond, shown more than developed. Their character arcs were decent but sparse over the manga's length. Side characters had minor developments but nothing substantial.
Beyond plot and characters, comedy can support a manga. There was some decent humor here and there, but not enough to compensate for the lack of focus. Overall, many good aspects existed but none strong enough to form a solid core, leading to slow pacing or stagnation for most of the manga. Near the end, roughly the last fifth, a singular long arc focused heavily on relationships and character development, ending satisfyingly. However, it felt too late. The art improved from mediocre beginnings to become pretty solid by the end.
Oh My Goddess! has been my favorite manga for quite some time. It's a charming and incredibly funny collection that has evolved significantly from its early chapters, both in terms of art and character development, to the point where it becomes almost unrecognizable after a few volumes.
The kind and shy protagonist finds himself living with a beautiful (and divinely KIND) goddess who never harbors a negative thought. As they start developing feelings for each other, our timid hero will eventually prove himself as a great mechanic, bike rider, faithful lover, and ultimately an acceptable match for the otherworldly Belldandy.
This is by no means a harem manga since there are no other romantic interests for the main character aside from Belldandy. Her sisters may start to care for him, but more like a little brother who is the perfect target for their pranks rather than anything else. The story progresses very slowly. It takes quite a while before Belldandy confesses her love for Keiichi, and things remain relatively stable until a sudden shift towards the end.
This isn't a significant issue because this isn't a plot-driven manga. For me, it shines best when it's purely comedic. There are two underutilized characters I adore (the golden-hearted, brotherly-love-forever dummy hulks, Tamiya and Otaki), but there's also a plethora of supporting characters and episodes brimming with pure fun. One episode involves a recovered WWII fighter plane, with Keiichi "volunteered" by T&O as the pilot, and another features the Mother Of All Rubber Band Wars. There are many such episodes, and this is where the manga truly excels.
Unfortunately, there are also numerous battle-oriented episodes, and since I'm not a fan of the genre (seriously, every time the good guys win through some stratagem after an initial setback), I find them boring. Additionally, the "perfect love" angle is overdone, with Keiichi transforming from a lackluster nerd into a perfect gentleman, helpful hero, and fearless champion in everything motorbike-related. Towards the end, even Belldandy becomes an overachiever, essentially the best goddess in every single area, which diminishes her character.
When the manga works, it makes me laugh out loud. If Belldandy really existed, with her infinite grace unmatched by any other divinity, I'd honestly be a believer. She'd never flood the world or turn someone's wife into salt, right? The artwork is clean and magnificent. Every panel is like a painting, with infinite care given to every tiny detail. I consider it one of the best-looking manga I've ever read.
All in all, it's a very nice manga worth reading. The problem is that about 50% of the material is subpar, and considering the high cost of the entire series, it becomes difficult to recommend indiscriminately.
The romantic tale between a man and a goddess.
This manga is filled with numerous mini story arcs that subtly advance the main storyline. It primarily falls into the seinen and slice-of-life genres, spiced up with elements of romcom and action, giving it an episodic vibe.
One important point: this series began in 1988, so its art and character designs have an old-fashioned look. Additionally, the story starts off slowly. It might take several chapters to get accustomed to it, but rest assured, the character designs, art, and plot will improve as you progress. I also appreciate how motorcycles and racing are used as plot devices. Every motorcycle, automobile, and engine part depicted here is meticulously drawn, down to the smallest details.
Though this might not have initially been my preferred genre, I grew to love this series from start to finish. The art and character designs, particularly in the latter half of the series, significantly contributed to my enjoyment.
I've grown to adore this manga! One of the main reasons I enjoy this series is due to its characters. The character designs are simply outstanding! Fujishima's art style is definitely among my favorites. This manga uniquely incorporates racing and motorcycles into its plot, which is a huge plus for me since I'm a big fan of both racing and motorcycles. The comedy in this series is also one of its strongest aspects. As it targets an older audience being a seinen manga, it includes plenty of risqué jokes.
However, one downside is that the manga starts off quite slowly. The storytelling and Fujishima's artwork weren't as refined back then as they are now. So, you might need to read a few volumes before getting fully hooked. But trust me, it's absolutely worth your time.
This manga has transformed from a straightforward magical girlfriend story into one that offers more action, racing, along with ample comedy and fan-service. If you're searching for a manga to dive into, you can't go wrong with Ah! My Goddess.
Publishing monthly from the late 1980s until last year, with over 300 chapters, you might think this manga transcends many other romances. Well, not quite. In reality, Ah! My Goddess is the ultimate "will they/won't they" saga. The concept leads to an inevitable conclusion that takes too long to arrive, and when it does, a question remains: why did it take so long? Despite this, I don’t hate Ah! My Goddess. Quite the opposite, in fact. I love the entire series, and Belldandy will always be my favorite character. However, I hesitate to recommend the manga over something like the 2005 TV series by AIC.
My biggest gripe with Ah! My Goddess is how long it takes for any significant developments between Keiichi and Belldandy. From the start, we know they'll end up together. He wishes for an all-powerful goddess to stay by his side forever—what else could happen except them becoming lovers? Living in a dysfunctional relationship? Not likely unless Belldandy was secretly Shion from Higurashi.
From Chapter 1 to around Chapter 280, their relationship is a constant dance of "will they/won't they." Ah! My Goddess is primarily a comedy manga, where most humor supposedly stems from this dynamic. Belldandy is a literal goddess, kind to all creatures. Keiichi, on the other hand, is your typical nice guy who gets screwed over but finds himself living with a goddess he's attracted to but can't confess his feelings to. Whenever he tries, Belldandy makes things worse because she knows nothing about romance. For example, he tries to confess, stutters a lot, and she thinks he's sick, rushing him to bed and forcing cold remedies down his throat. While funny, it often feels tedious.
As much as I enjoy sociopathic romantic comedies, there's a limit to how much I find funny before it becomes wearisome. Interestingly, Ah! My Goddess has always been a seinen manga, so one would expect the author to go beyond the "will they/won't they" trope. Unfortunately, that never happens. If you want a romance that goes beyond this, consider KareKano or *gulp* Itazura na Kiss (it may be terrible, but it does push boundaries). Then again, is the constant "will they/won't they" inherently bad?
A key reason I love Ah! My Goddess is its sweetness and charm. Amidst today’s grimdark trends, Ah! My Goddess stands out as a lighthearted escape. Even if the romance isn't great, it always makes me smile whenever something sweet happens between Keiichi and Belldandy.
The characters aren’t half bad either. Besides Belldandy and Keiichi, others like Urd, Mara, and Keiichi’s sister (sorry, lazy to look up her name) add interest. Skuld, though, is irritating and possessive, so I don’t care much for her. Over 308 chapters, the characters were handled better than the romance. Everyone has unique motivations and quirks, but the constant repetition hinders substantial character development when needed.
The artwork is lovely too. Published for over 20 years, the art changes significantly. Watching these changes evolve is another reason I enjoy reading Ah! My Goddess. Like Berserk, which also spans decades, the art evolves, but Ah! My Goddess uniquely experiments with different styles throughout.
Did I enjoy reading Ah! My Goddess? Yes, even when it got tedious. But it lost momentum too quickly for my liking. The ending somewhat makes up for it, but it still could have reached the same conclusion in half the time. Though I like Ah! My Goddess, I wouldn’t recommend it soon. Instead, watch the 2005 TV series. It cuts out unnecessary parts, allowing Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship to develop faster, and being self-contained, it goes further than the manga. Plus, it has two seasons! Can't go wrong with that. Anyway, that's all for now. Feedback's always welcome. Peace :)