Oh My Goddess! OVA

 

Aa! Megamisama!
Also Known As: O!MG
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Format: 5 OVA
Allegiance: Kodansha
Director: Hiroaki Gohda
Vintage: 1993 – 1994
Intelligence Agency Report by: Drake
It ‘s another boring afternoon in the dorms for Keiichi, where he is forced to take messages for all his dorm-mates while they go out. Of course, his ungracious friends leave no food to tide Keiichi over as he does this menial task, so what’s a guy to do? Call for take-out, obviously! However, instead of getting noodles, Keiichi gets the Goddess Hotline, which sends the goddess Belldandy to grant Keiichi a wish. Thinking it’s a cruel prank by the residents of his dorm, Keiichi wishes for Belldandy to be his girlfriend for life. To his surprise, however, his wish is granted, and the two must work out living together despite the obstacles that have been in their way since childhood, all the while contending with Belldandy’s sisters, Urd and Skuld. No big deal, right?

Field Agent Report by: Drake
Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio
8.00
7.75
9.00
9.50
9.50
Overall 8.25
(not an average)

Oh My Goddess! (OVA) is among the first anime I watched in middle school, and I must confess that even ten years and countless anime later, this is still one of my favorite anime of all time. I can still visualize scenes and replay certain songs in my mind, which is not as common with me as one might be led to believe. So what is it about this anime that captivated me one day so many years ago?

First off, the animation is simply gorgeous, and it still stands tall after nearly twenty years. Couple this with some very well-composed music, and we receive a very delightful treat as viewers. Although the story may seem like a typical shounen anime with a boy-meets-pretty-girl-and-falls-in-love story, it goes a bit deeper than that. I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the backstory that explains Keiichi and Belldandy’s history together.

However, I must admit two things about this OVA. First, Keiichi and Belldandy, despite their very interesting backstory, lack a lot of character development and thus become very bland and difficult to feel for. Second, Skuld and Urd tend to overshadow the main characters in this respect, more than making up for the lack of character development in Belldandy and Keiichi. Skuld’s fiery temper and affinity for ice cream, along with Urd’s laid-back and sultry demeanor, really add the right flavor to the series and complement its two leads quite well.

However, I feel that if the OVA were longer, Keiichi and Belldandy would have more of an opportunity to grow and develop into what they are meant to be. This might also improve the rushed feel of the story, which goes from comedy to drama and romance in the span of one episode, as well as improve the flow of the story between episodes.

Despite its few shortcomings, in the end, I consider Oh My Goddess! an excellent series. Watching this anime is really a fun way to spend an afternoon, and I encourage everyone to check it out.