Ah! My Goddess (1988 - 2014)

25 years and counting.

Morisato Keiichi isn't who you would call the luckiest guy in the world.  In spite of his good nature, he has few friends, he isn't popular with the ladies, he always has a shortage of funds and good things generally do not happen to him. When he tries to make a call from his dorm one day, he mistakenly calls the Goddess Help Line and almost immediately, a goddess of unprecedented beauty appears before him. Her name is Belldandy and she will grant him one wish. Keiichi, thinking that this is a joke being played on him by his dorm mates, wishes for Belldandy to stay with him forever. After all, since it is just a prank there is no way she could grant his wish. Much to his dismay, Keiichi's wish is granted and so begins Keiichi’s and Belldandy’s experiences with life and love.

Normally I'm not a big fan of love stories but not only do I enjoy Ah! My Goddess it is one of my favorite manga of all-time and there are numerous reasons for this. The common fault of love stories - especially those of the magic girlfriend genre is that they rely too much on cliche, too much on fanservice, and there is too much lip-service to the idea of love which manga (and anime by extension) tries to propagate. Most series portray love in a manner that barely scratches the surface of the complexity of interpersonal relationships. So when manga and anime try to tackle such complex subject matter, it comes off as juvenile in addition to being shallow and pedantic.

K-1 about to drop the mic.

Ah! My Goddess is completely different in this regard due in part to the number of challenges facing Keiichi and Belldandy. The manga handles complex challenges with the very unorthodox approach of juggling all of them at the same-time and structuring the narrative to balance the not so serious issues with comedy while dealing with heavier issues but maintaining an overall hopeful tone even when the manga hits its dark points. Here is just one example of this juggling act. Keiichi is your average guy and Belldandy is a drop-dead gorgeous goddess so of course there are various people at Keiichi's university who are jealous for this reason or that. Toshiyuki Aoshima is the school playboy who tries to take Belldandy away from Keiichi while Sayoko Mishima is (was) the school idol who wants to take Keiichi away from Belldandy. This is played up largely for laughs as Aoshima and Mishima are always foiled but it explores complexities in human relations. Aoshima doesn't see Belldandy as someone to love but simply as an object. Mishima is similar in this manner as she had no interest in Keiichi until Keiichi lost interest in her and fell in love with Belldandy. Mishima begins to pursue Keiichi only to prove that she is superior to Belldandy but in the process - really starts to fall in love with him.

Belldandy Goddess Unlimited

Of course Ah! My Goddess explores other more serious issues as well given the very nature of the existence of our main characters. Keiichi being human and Belldandy being an immortal goddess, there are a number of complexities in their relationship including how they relate to each other and those around them. Belldandy and Keiichi don't immediately fall in love just because of Keiichi's wish. In fact, not one minute after Keiichi makes the wish, Belldandy sees if there's a way to get out of it. What's interesting is that the manga presents us with a more authentic view of love by proxy of this because Keiichi and Belldandy grow to love each not because of their similarities but because of their differences. Through the relationship of our two characters the manga raises an interesting point in loving others not always because they are the same as you but because they are different from you. The two characters put their whole selves into the relationship rather than 50/50 and they put effort to make it work. The manga also explores other facets of interpersonal relationships while throwing in a bus load of good feelings, humor, and additional characters - all superbly written as well.

Big Sis Urd

Keiichi encounters numerous characters including Belldandy's sisters Urd and Skuld. This is something of a treat as if you're at all familiar with Norse mythology you'll recognize Belldandy as a Japanese spelling of Verthandi who in Norse mythology is one of the Norns - goddesses of time and in this case the one who presides over the present. Urd is a take on Uld the goddess of the past and thus Belldandy's older sister, while Skuld is the goddess of the future thus making her the youngest of the three. Urd shows up and makes it her objective to bring Belldandy and Keichi closer together because she wants what will make Belldandy happy while Skuld tries to break the two apart because she doesn't want her sister to be with Keiichi.

Skuld - The Youngest of the Three

What makes this complicated situation humorous is that Urd and Skuld machinations tend to have an opposite effect. Interestingly enough, the two sisters grow to love Keiichi albeit differently from Belldandy but hardly any less because they develop an appreciation for who Keiichi is as a person. But Skuld and Urd aren't just here for the sake of our main characters. Rather, they have their own stories and events that happen to them within the same canon as Belldandy and Keiichi's love story. In essence they're not side-characters just because the main plot doesn't focus solely on them. They're not the only goddesses who get in the mix either.

Peorth Goddess of Eros and Lind The One-Winged Angel

The inclusion of a Peorth adds a very entertaining and believable love triangle. What's interesting is that Peorth isn't just a character dropped in to spice things up, rather she already had a long history with Belldandy towards whom she feels more than a bit of hostility. However, she sees Keiichi not as a way to get back at Belldandy but rather, Peorth believes in her heart that she is a better match for him because she understands his needs better than Belldandy does. This leads to some drama which is riveting because Peorth's presence causes our two love birds to re-evaluate how they feel about each other and ask themselves if Peorth was right all along.

Belldandy and Peorth

The love triangle works here and not in other titles like say El Hazard or Tenchi Muyo, because Keiichi has qualities which others find endearing. He's not just building a harem because he's the main character. Also, Peorth does make very valid points when she questions Belldandy on whether or not she is serious about Keiichi or leading him on. Further still, with this entire situation being new to Belldandy, she has to ask herself what Keiichi means to her.

Lind and Twin Angels

In recent years (say the last three or so) Fujishima has added Lind to the foray but her relationship with the cast is a bit different as she's largely an outsider to deities and mortals alike. Far more Spartan in her conduct and paying little heed to friendship and sorts, the relationship Lind builds with the cast is heartwarming and meaningful because we quickly see that despite outward appearances she has a great deal of depth and her character development was very captivating which says a lot in a manga which already has a well-written cast. Lind quickly became one of my favorite manga characters. Fujishima never inserts a new character for the sake of it either. Rather, everyone in this manga is placed here for a reason legitimized by the narrative canon rather than plot contrivances.

Hild - Urd's BADASS Mother

Ah! My Goddess isn't just a love story though. While the tale is mostly light-hearted, Fujishima turns up the intensity when more serious events unfold - which they do throughout the manga. The gang will find themselves in contention with ancient beasts from Norse mythology, demons, and the like, but Fujishima doesn't just drop in pointless action scenes. There is a natural and well-planned lead-up to those arcs where action and suspense play a major role. On top of that, Fujishima continually elevates these scenarios because the characters never face the same threat twice and with that said, can't rely on the same set of tactics to prevail in those ever-changing scenarios. In addition, just about every member of the main cast gets a chance to throw down and these goddesses do not play. From someone like Belldandy - who is normally pacifist - kicking demons through walls, to Lind putting her Valkyrie background to work all over Hild's face. When things get real, these ladies put boots to asses. As you may be aware, Fujishima's art is every bit as brilliant as his writing.

Amazing detail put into Eri - a side character.

Ah! My Goddess is one of the longest running manga out there - having been in serialization for 25 years as of 2013. The writer and artist Kosuke Fujishima is also known for having worked with Namco-Bandai for a good amount of that time as he also handles some of the artwork and all the character designs for the award winning Tales of... RPG series. So whether you're a fan of anime or video games you're probably somewhat familiar with the level of artistry Fujishima is known for. You can see the evolution in Fujishima's art style particularly in this series as it has been his career defining work. The characters today share only a slight resemblance to the characters in 1988 and this speaks volumes of Fujishima's art; from the characters clothing and hair to their fingers, everything is drawn with great detail. What's even more impressive is that Fujishima doesn't skip on those details even when he's bringing in a minor character. Eri (pictured above) is barely in the manga four chapters and you can see how well she's drawn.

Keiichi's Mom gives her seal of approval.

While I haven't read Ah! My Goddess for 25 years, I have read all the chapters released thus far and I've seen every episode of every anime and OVA released under its umbrella. I point this out because as jaded as I am, I find this franchise compelling. For a manga that's been around so long, it's amazing that Fujishima has managed to keep Ah! My Goddess fresh and fun by always outdoing himself, expanding on his creativity, and keeping the title focused on its own verse rather than imitate other manga. 

Although Ah! My Goddess is part of the magical girlfriend genre it doesn't try to copy other titles nor does it try to keep up with current trends. The manga has action but it's not overly violent, the manga has a bit of fanservice but what is here is not only tastefully done but is also so light you've probably seen more risque content on the Disney channel. Most importantly of all it's just fun to read. I highly recommend you start reading this manga if you haven't already.