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.

El Hazard (1998)

"Abandon all hope ye who enter here."

Mokoto Mizuhara is a student at Shininome High School.  During an altercation with his rival Katsuhiko Jinnai, Mokoto stumbles upon a ancient ruin under Shininome High. A mysterious woman appears before Mokoto and refers to him as her lost love. Baffled and confused to say the least, Mokoto hasn't the slightest idea as to what to make of this. Without warning the mysterious woman transports Mokoto to the land of El Hazard.  Awakening to this new world, Mokoto finds himself caught in the middle of a war between Roshtaria and the Bugrum Forces.  Before long, Mokoto discovers that not only was Jinnai transported there as well, but he is also leading the Bugrum forces in their invasion of Roshtaria.  Not only that, but in seeking to destroy his rival once and for all, Jinnai awakens an ancient demon named Infurita - who much to Mokoto’s dismay, looks exactly like the woman who transported him to El Hazard in the first place. Now Makoto must contend with a desperate rival and an ancient demon standing between him and his way back home.

Cliche anime protagonist #3,967.

The story of El Hazard sounds fine on paper. It has the typical fish out of water story in Makoto being transported to another world. It also places the protagonist in the middle of a war and does a commendable job in using the war to raise to the stakes in the rivalry between Makoto and Jinnai. However, it doesn't take too much dissecting to see how and why El Hazard falls apart.

The war between the Roshtarians and the Bugrum loses all sense of urgency and tension when - in the first or second episode - you find the Bugrum are indeed giant bugs. Let me be clear that we aren't talking Starship Trooper sized insects or the nightmarish bugs seen in Blue Gender. With the exception of the larger beetles which operate as drop ships, the vast majority of the Bugrum are bipedal insects about the size of an average human. Not only that but the Bugrum have the intelligence of a paperweight and only half the attention span and this is not played up for laughs either. The anime really tries to drive home the point that the Bugrum are bad news but it's almost impossible to take them seriously until Jinnai gets involved and even then it's only by proxy of a combination of the collective stupidity of our heroes, and Jinnai getting his hands on the demon Infurita can the viewer look at the Bugrum as a threat.

THIS^ is the abyss staring back at you.

Let it be said that the anime does get a point in its favor because the animosity between Makoto and Jinnai is not based on good contra evil, rather the two characters have vastly different ideologies with regards to interpersonal relationships and life in general. By nature, Makoto is laissez faire while Jinnai is more authoritarian in nature. The problem with this dichotomy arises on two fronts around the time the anime shoots itself in the foot.

At its core, the antagonism between Makoto and Jinnai simply stem from opposing views - but neither these views nor the past interactions between the two characters warrant the vengeful spirit of the conflict when they get to El Hazard. Suddenly, Jinnai is leading an army to conquer the world and kill his rival Makoto. This level of animosity was not present within the relationship between these two characters until Jinnai gets his hands on the Bugrum army. Further still, while Jinnai did advocate authoritarianism, he was not by nature a megalomaniac until he got his hands on Infurita. One might argue that this attitude was always beneath the surface but that is questionable in and of itself as Jinnai's violent streak didn't even exist until it was made necessary by the contrivance of the plot. In essence, Jinnai was not a villainous character by nature and was instead - made into one because the anime does not have a true antagonist or rather - Jinnai by default was only an antagonist because the story had to revolve around Makoto. While this a big problem it's far from being the only one.

Infurita wondering how to be more bland.

El Hazard provides us with a romance tale between Makoto and the demon Infurita and in anime this can work. In fact it's so cliche it's been a trope long before El Hazard did it which is why it's baffling that something this basic wasn't handled better. As stated earlier, Infurita actually meets Makoto early on, identifies Makoto as her love, and then teleports him to El Hazard where the anime starts proper. Of course, as the cliche demands Infurita doesn't recognize Makoto when they meet. So we're left with a romance tale that largely sees Makoto expressing his heartache and angst while Infurita dances between indifferent and confused.

Seeing as how Makoto only had one conversation with Infurita before she teleported him to El Hazard, his emotional performance about how much she means to him seems out of place. On top of that, things become even more absurd when we see that Infurita is a machine. While I'm aware that anime has this ridiculous hangup that machines are alive and can fall in love that doesn't it cut it. Especially when the machine in question is a life-size windup doll. Jinnai activated Infurita by literally, sticking a key in her back and turning it until she started up. I am not even kidding about this. Yet we're supposed to believe that she, that is to say it, somehow falls in love with Makoto. This is not even the worst contrivance in the anime because somehow the writers felt a need to introduce a love triangle between Makoto and two other characters when they couldn't even get this one right.

Even in drag the ladies still want him.

There is a love triangle between Makoto, his childhood friend Asami, and warrior priestess Shalya. This love triangle stems from the fact that Makoto saw Shayla naked and in anime logic that means a girl automatically falls in love with you. And of course Asami is here because she's a trope herself rather than an actual character. By the end of this series no less than three women want Makoto but he's one the blandest characters I've ever seen. He somehow, somehow has even less charisma than Tenchi Muyo. Worse yet, despite the seriousness of the war the characters have time to get into petty arguments about who is shipping with who. Infurita just leveled a country but Shalya and Asami have time to fight over Makoto. Not only is this insulting to women but it's insulting to viewers in general because we're supposed to believe the characters are in a dire situation but it's hard to do that when they're acting out an episode of Dawson's Creek.

Arabian Days

Animation is a mixed bag. Some of the landscapes are beautifully drawn and the architecture has an Arabian style which is very elegant and unique. El Hazard also showcases brilliant colors which gives the anime a nice look. However, the characters themselves have the worst designs and color palette I've seen outside Naruto. This is also true of the fight scenes and thank animation budget there aren't many of those, because when fights break out in this anime characters bend with such unnatural flexibility you'll wonder what happened to their joints. Not only that, but the animators actually made wind, water, and fire behave in the same way and they all have the same colors to boot.

The music and the voice acting are both woefully sub-par with the only notable soundbite being Jinnai's laugh and that's only because it's so bad it has to be heard to be believed.

These are the DVDs. Not sure why you'd want them.

I tried to enjoy this anime but it shows poor quality at every turn. Unlikable characters, bad animation, and a story that begs to be given more credit than it actually warrants has presented me with an anime that I can't even recommend for a session of MST. True, there are worse anime out there but it's a short list.

Crows Zero (2007)

Alma Mater of Badasses

Directed by Takeshi Miike, Crows Zero is an adaptation of the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahasi. Crows is the original delinquent manga surrounding a group of high schoolers attending Suzuran, the School of Crows. Suzuran "achieved" this moniker as only the worst of the worst students attend this school. In addition to battling it out to see who will be the best, the students of Suzuran also run afoul of gangs, other schools, and even yakuza trying to move in on their turf. Crows Zero is a faithful adaptation of the manga but it also has its own unique qualities which helps it stand on its own original story.

The King of Suzuran has a nice ring to it.

Crows Zero follows Genji Takaya, the son of a yakuza boss who enters Suzuran on a bet with his father. Genji's father will hand him control of the organization if Genji can do what no one has ever done before; dominate Suzuran. The school is filled to the brim with badass guys from all over the prefecture, including a third year named Tamao Serizawa who very nearly has the entire school under his fist. In his quest to dominate Suzuran, Genji is going to have to learn how to cooperate with others, contend with deadly rivals, and steer clear of Tamao's traps and dirty tactics, but all that is only half the battle. If Genji wants to take Suzuran he'll need an entire army.

Chasing the elusive mayfly of love.

Crows Zero is one of those rare films that does a brilliant job of exploring all those cinematic mainstays: plot, acting, music, character development, and action. The actors in this movie all do a spectacular job at portraying their characters and conveying both the verbal and nonverbal emotional atmosphere of any given scene. This is a school of badasses and sure you'll have the cliche nonverbals such as characters posturing, walking around with their hands in their pockets, and so forth, but the actors here have such range that they're able to emote with their eyes and facial expressions as well.

GPS

While Genji is the main character, there are also other major players in this film with whom he shares the spotlight. However, it never feels like someone is getting too much or too little screen-time. Also, the pacing of Crows Zero is very well-done. The film uses its two hour run time (give or take) to provide enough character development and help the viewer grasp how these characters relate to one another and the world around them.

Class is in session.

The relationship between Genji and Ken is one of heart and writing brilliance. Being a high school delinquent, Genji is a kid who doesn't respect authority of any kind and he certainly isn't on good terms with his father. Oddly enough, Genji finds in Ken a mentor and perhaps a father figure, in part because Ken understands Genji's dream as he once reached for a similar goal. Ken sees Genji not only a young man who needs guidance, but he sees that Genji has a certain quality few leaders have and he really wants the kid to succeed. The two have a believable, at times hilarious, and in some way heartwarming student-teacher relationship that is tested throughout the film.

The Armored Front AKA Things Got Real

Genji also builds relationships with other characters and it's interesting how he changes some of them. Some of Genji's allies want to see what he's capable of while others just want to crush Tamao Serizawa. Then there are those who truly believe in Genji and want to help him achieve his goals.

Music is done courtesy of The Street Beats who some have called Japan's answer to The Rolling Stones. Crows Zero was my first encounter with this band and the theme song for the movie "I Wanna Change" had me blasting my surround sound and dusting off my air guitar. "I Wanna Change" is the perfect theme song because it sets up every characters motivation for the entire film. It also speaks of the burden and the uncertainty in the lives of these young men, young men whose wings have been burned yet they still want to fly and they'll never stop aiming for the top. Even if society gives up on them they fight and they struggle because they can't afford to give up on themselves.

The Challenger

And this is a key part of the direction as well because when you compare to Crows Zero to the original work Crows, on the surface it would appear that Suzuran is the only thing connecting the two. However, all the themes in Crows are here. The drive to get to the top, the passion of youths who choose to go down the road of life at full speed, and how a person can be driven to fly even after their wings have been broken. We're looking at an adaptation that is faithful not only to the small details of the original work, but the spirit of the original work as well.

The Champ

Whether we're dealing with manga or film, works of this genre are about drama, manly tears, comedy, and lots of people getting their asses beat. Crows Zero delivers in dividends. These are either very coordinated actors or very good stuntmen because you see people getting kicked through doors, thrown out of windows, tossed in fire, and whatever else a street fight might demand. While the sound effects clearly exaggerate the impact of the punches, it's not done in an overly intrusive kind of way, but merely drives home the point these characters are in some brutal fights.

The Boss of Japan sounds so much better.

What's great is that while there is a lot of fighting in this movie, it's never graphic and it never takes precedence over the plot or character development. Everything in this movie is just so balanced. There are also several reveals and plot-twists and some took even me by surprise. I've been watching movies a long time and it's always refreshing when you see a film that shows you something different. I highly recommend Crows Zero to anyone looking for a great movie you can watch over and over again.