Ah! My Goddess! The Movie

Original Title: ああっ女神さまっ
Romanized: Aa, Megamisama
Literal:

Plot Synopsis

Its been three years since the goddess Belldandy moved in with technical college student Keiichi as fulfillment of his fateful wish back in the OAV, along with her sisters Urd and Skuld. Things seem to be going smoothly for the dreamy couple; their twin rider motorcycle is looking great and a new batch of freshmen promises a badly needed infusion of new blood into the Motor Club.

But there's a disturbance in Heaven. A dangerous dissident who had been imprisoned in a special seal on the Moon has been set loose. In the same time back on Earth, Belldandy's mentor, Celestin, reappears after disappearing many years ago without explaining anything to his star student. Not only is he proving to be a rival to Belldandy's affections he also completely wipes Belldandy's memories of Keiichi clean. Now, Keiichi has to fight to win back his love while the goddesses on both Earth and Heaven have to work overtime to thwart a sudden attack on Heaven itself.

Reader Review

Rating: 4.5 / 5
Reviewer: The M Man
Review Date: 2003-08-03

As the latest installment of one of the most beloved of anime franchises, "Ah! My Goddess!" the Movie had a lot of expectations to live up to. And it does! While there are a lot of events that have unfolded since the OAV (all shown in the original Manga), only a few new characters appear. The three grounded goddesses are still living at Keiichi's, and the Motor Club members are still trying hard to win recognition. But now we have a glimpse at Heaven's upper management with goddess Peorth and her team of system administrators working hard to maintain the Yggdrasil System that runs pretty much everything. All the character designs have stayed pretty much faithful to the original (and are just as breathtakingly rendered and meticulously animated) but also sport a few subtle touches here and there. Most noticeable is Urd, who looks a bit more mature now. After all, it's been three years since the events of the OAV.

The rest of the art is not far away either. Our first look at what Heaven looks like is breath taking, with a unique techno/magical look. The way the anime portrays magic as computer programs and subroutines (complete with operators spouting technobabble) is quite enjoyable to watch. Everything from the control room of the Yggdrasil System to the chambers of the Big Guy Himself, is beautifully detailed. Add to that the series's signature magical spell effects, angelic music (a musical sequence near the end is especially beautiful), the dance-like motorcycle races, and you have one of the most beautiful anime movies ever produced.

Storywise? The movie introduces Keiichi's first true rival (outside the manga), which is a bit fresh after the girls-after-the-lonely-guy style of the OAV, and the couple have to face what is perhaps the toughest trial they have ever been subjected to. As such, the movie has a slightly darker theme than the OAV but still provides a few smiles as the forever sweet Belldandy has to relearn everything she forgot. The rest is just the cliched story of the noble villain who wants to right the wrongs of the world using the wrong methods. The plot moves logically and smoothly, but rarely surprises the viewer. And anyone who has seen the OAV will be quite familiar with the type of drama in the movie. Still, the story is not bad at all, if extremely predictable, along with prerequisite feel-good ending and is quite a satisfying addition to the series.

The original Japanese cast are back and are as delightful as ever, and the English dubbers haven't been lazy either with a good performance (they are not the same cast of the OAV though). Still, you'll probably find yourself listening to the Japanese track more often since the true highlight of the Japanese cast, the angelically voiced Inoue Kikuko, is her usual captivating self.

If you liked the original OAVs, are a fan of the genre, or just someone who appreciates animated eye candy then you'll love this movie.

US DVD Review

The DVD comes in a beautiful jacket with a metallic sheen. Inside is an insert introducing the main characters (in case, heavens forbid, you haven't seen the OAVs!), and a laminated mini pencil board with renditions of the goddesses on both sides. The disc offers the usual choice of Japanese and English dialogue (both in stereo or full 5.1 surround), anamorphic widescreen video, and includes an image gallery and the TV and theatrical trailers. But the most delightful extra is the episode of TV series "Adventures of Mini Goddesses". A spin off series of comedy shorts that feature mini versions of the three goddesses and the wacky fun they have with Gan-chan the resident rat in Keiichi's house.

Content Guide

13-up; The theme of rebuilding Heaven might go zooming above the heads of younger kids.

Violence: 1 - Magical mayhem, but no one dies.

Nudity: 2 - Very brief shots of partial nudity. Urd is unusually proper this time!

Sex/Mature Themes: 1 - Although its a romance there's nothing explicit going on.

Language: 1 - Nothing unusual.

Notes and Trivia

None

Availability

Available in the US from Geneon (Pioneer) on bilingual DVD (buy from RightStuf or AnimeNation)

Looking to buy? Try these stores: RightStuf (search) | AnimeNation | Akemi's a(nime)Store