Oh My Goddess!

For other uses, see Oh My Goddess.

Oh My Goddess!
File:Ah! My Goddess The Movie (Poster).png Belldandy
Genre	Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Manga
Oh My Goddess! (manga)
Written by	Kōsuke Fujishima
Published by	Kodansha
Anime
Oh My Goddess! (OVA)
Directed by	Hiroaki Gōda
Studio	AIC
Anime
Adventures of Mini-Goddess
Directed by	Hiroko Kazui, Yasuhiro Matsumura
Studio	Oriental Light and Magic
Anime
Ah! My Goddess The Movie
Directed by	Hiroaki Gōda
Produced by	Seiichi Horiguchi Kinya Watanabe Tsuyoshi Yoshida
Music by	Shirou Hamaguchi
Studio	AIC
Anime
Ah! My Goddess (TV)
Directed by	Hiroaki Gōda
Studio	AIC

Oh My Goddess! (ああっ女神さまっ, Aa Megami-sama), also known as Ah! My Goddess, is a seinen manga series by Kosuke Fujishima currently serialised in Kodansha's monthly Afternoon magazine. It was first published in 1988-08-25 (the September issue). Originally a typical magical girlfriend romantic comedy, over time it has grown to feature more action and the latest variant has had a greater focus on developing the mystical aspects of the world in which it is set. There are also four anime offshoots.

Story

The manga tells the story of college freshman Keiichi Morisato, who, because of his pure heart, has been chosen by Yggdrasil, Heaven's computer system, to receive a single wish. The "angelic" goddess Belldandy is sent down to Earth to ask for his wish, and tells him that he can potentially wish for anything that he wants, from becoming a billionaire to destroying the world in an instant. Keiichi first thinks that this entire meeting is a prank set up by his senpais, but during their short meeting, he soon realizes that she's the only person who truly understands and appreciates him. Being enchanted by her, Keiichi wishes that someone like Belldandy would stay with him forever, under the condition that the offer is valid. Ironically, he does not fully comprehend the outcome of his wish, and is stunned on realizing that Belldandy will now be living with him. The manga/anime follows their relationship as they become closer to each other.

The varying anime series feature the main characters and are based on the same basic plotline as the original manga, but each has taken a unique interpretation on this concept — described below — and, as such, should be considered separate canons. The only exception to this is the more recent TV series, which follows the plot of the manga closely.

Being a mechanical otaku himself, Fujishima frequently bases whole chapters, or even story arcs, around mechanics, focusing especially on motorcycle mechanics. Most notably, readers discover that Keiichi Morisato is a member of his college's motor vehicle club, which is always under threat of being put out of commission by a rival motor club. There are also several story arcs related to racing found earlier in the manga; the concept of racing is also a significant plot device in each of the anime canons. Both Keiichi and Belldandy are exceptionally gifted at racing (Keiichi because of natural ability and Belldandy because of her ability to "talk" with the machines). Most of the other main characters have exhibited some degree of skill in racing and/or mechanics, making the idea of mechanics a significant device for character development and growth.

Oh My Goddess! (Manga)

Oh! My Goddess (manga)

Main article: Oh My Goddess! (manga)

The manga was first published in 1988 as a spin-off of the manga You're Under Arrest (逮捕しちゃうぞ, Taiho Shichauzo). Fujishima had added a four-panel gag strip to a version You're Under Arrest in which the main characters prayed to a goddess. The gag became very popular, and Fujishima liked the look of his drawings of the goddess so much that he began drawing a full-fledged manga based around her. Oh My Goddess! was published in the Japanese publisher Kodansha's monthly Afternoon magazine, where it was very warmly received — it has been a staple of Afternoon ever since. A complete collection of the manga published to date would run over 200 chapters (over thirty-four collected volumes). There have been twenty-six volumes of the manga published in the US so far (as of April 2007), and publisher Dark Horse Comics is now reprinting unflipped versions of the earlier graphic novels in order to spark new interest in the series.

Anime Adaptations

Oh My Goddess! has seen various anime adaptations throughout the years, from the original OVA release, to the currently running TV series. Each puts its own spin on the series; the OVA features a condensed, highly altered version of the story, the movie and the Adventures of Mini-Goddess series have original stories not based on the manga while the new TV series sticks as close to the manga as possible

Oh My Goddess! (OVA)

Oh My Goddess! (OVA)

Oh My Goddess! (OVA)

Main articles: Oh My Goddess! (OVA) and List of Oh My Goddess episodes

A five episode OVA series titled Oh My Goddess! (ああっ女神さまっ, Aa! Megami-sama!) featuring Keiichi, Belldandy, and the other major characters from the manga was produced from 1993 to 1994 by Anime International Company and is distributed in Japan by Pony Canyon and in North America by AnimEigo . The OVA is based on several early plots from the manga, but with many events and characterizations removed. The other Goddesses, Urd and Skuld, are introduced comparatively early (in the second and third episodes, respectively), and in the final two episodes, The Almighty begins working to separate the two, forcing Belldandy to return to Heaven and her duties.

A re-release is now available on DVD for purchase.

Adventures of Mini-Goddess

Adventures of Mini-Goddess

The Adventures of Mini-Goddess

Main article: The Adventures of Mini-Goddess

A 48 episode TV series Adventures of Mini-Goddess (ああっ女神さまっ 小っちゃいって事は便利だねっ, Aa! Megami-sama! Chicchaitte Koto wa Benri da ne ) series featuring shrunken versions of Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld in a comedic super deformed style was produced by Oriental Light and Magic and premiered on WOWOW in 1998 as a part of the omnibus show Anime Complex. It is distributed in Japan by Pony Canyon and in North America by Geneon Entertainment. This series departs the most from the basic manga storyline, and indeed, shares next to no continuity with the previous series.

Ah! My Goddess The Movie

Ah! My Goddess The Movie

Ah! My Goddess The Movie

Main article: Ah! My Goddess: The Movie

A film, titled Ah! My Goddess: The Movie (劇場版ああっ女神さまっ, Gekijōban Aa! Megami-sama) premiered in Japan in 2000. It saw the return of the main cast, along with several popular characters from the manga who had not appeared in any of the previous anime. It is distributed in Japan by Shochiku and in North America by Geneon Entertainment in 2001. The plot does not seem to follow any of the existing canon, but uses plot devices from several different story arcs from the manga.

Ah! My Goddess (TV)

Main articles: Ah! My Goddess (TV) and List of Oh My Goddess episodes

Ah! My Goddess (TV)

Ah! My Goddess (TV)

In 2005, a new anime TV series of Ah! My Goddess (ああっ女神さまっ, Aa! Megami-sama) began airing in Japan, again produced by AIC and distributed in North America by Media Blasters. In this version, they have returned to the manga roots of the series, retelling events much closer to their original form. Though there are minor differences, typically based on what is considered unacceptable for television, or to fix plot holes in the manga, or just to move the time-frame from the late-'80s into the mid-'00s. While this makes good use of the manga, the anime writers do not limit themselves by events in the manga; some episodes do not mirror any particular plot element in the manga at all. This 1st season consisted of 24 episodes plus special episode (aired between 12th and 13th) being a recap. The Japanese DVD release contained 2 bonus OAV (OVA) episodes focusing on the aftermath of the first season's finalé.

A second season titled Ah! My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings (Japanese: ああっ女神さまっ それぞれの翼 – Aa! Megami-sama: Sorezore no Tsubasa) (titled Flights of Fancy in the U.S.) had picked up the story on April 6 2006 from where the series left with the first series and concluded at 22 episodes. There is also a novelisation of the second season. TBS has recently announced the addition of 2 bonus OAV (OVA) episodes at the end of the eighth disc, giving Sorezore no Tsubasa a total of 24 episodes.

As of December 2006, it has been announced that ADV Films has licensed the second season for release in the US. This is a change from Media Blasters who did the first season. The U.S. release of the first DVD of the season 2 is scheduled on May 8th, 2007, according to the Amazon.com. It has also been announced by the new Ah! My Goddess website hosted by ADV that the original cast from the first season has been brought back to provide the voices.

There has also been a UK release of Volume 1 of Oh My Goddess! The first DVD Volume has been rated a PG. The main language is Japanese with English subtitles.

The show will have a third season it is Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings (Japanese: ああっ女神さまっ 闘う翼 – Aa! Megami-sama: Tatakau Tsubasa), however, it is unknown when it will air. The director for the series Hiroaki Gōda would like to animate as much of the original manga as possible making the series having more episodes a possibility.

Recently, it has been reported on "The Goddess Project.net", Anime News Network and Anime on DVD that a special Ah! My Goddess OVA-type production (likely, it is "third season" mentioned above) is set to broadcast in Tokyo on December 29th and 31st. No information about this special has been released only that this special will adapt some of those manga chapters that were originally skipped over by Ghoada-sans animation team. For more information about these events, check out the forums at:

http://www.goddess-project.net

Cast and staff

Cast

Main article: List of Oh My Goddess characters

Names are given in Western order with the given name preceding the surname.

Seiyū Anime character OVA Mini Movie TV Kikuko Inoue Belldandy Y Y† Y Y Akemi Okamura N Y† N N Mio Shionoiri Belldandy (Child) N N Y N Yumi Toma Y N N Y Urd Y Y Y Y Aya Hisakawa Skuld Y Y Y Y Masami Kikuchi Keiichi Morisato Y Y Y Y Megumi Ogata Keiichi Morisato (Child) Y N N N Shinji Ogawa The Almighty (Kami-sama) Y N N N Hidetoshi Nakamura N N Y Y Hiroshi Yanaka Celestin N N Y N Miki Ito Lind N N N Y Rei Sakuma Peorth N N Y Y Akiko Yajima Ex (Ekusu) N N Y N Yoko Honna N N N Y Rumi Kasahara Ere N N Y N Chiemi Chiba N N N Y Yui Horie Chrono (Kurono) N N Y N Masako Joh N N N Y Kouichi Yamadera Troubador N N N Y Gara Takashima Hild N N N Y Chafurin Lord of Terror N N N Y Urara Takano Marller N Y N Y No voice actor yet Welsper * N N N N	Seiyū Anime character OVA Mini Movie TV Ayako Kawasumi Morgan le Fey N N Y N Yuriko Fuchizaki Megumi Morisato Y N Y Y Ikue Otani Sora Hasegawa Y N Y Y Yuka Imai Chihiro Fujimi N N Y Y Kiyoyuki Yanada Toraichi Tamiya Y N Y Y Issei Futamata Otaki Aoyama Y N Y Y Mamiko Noto Sayoko Mishima N N N Y Junko Asami Y N N N Nobuo Tobita Toshiyuki Aoshima Y N N Y Naomi Shindō Shohei Yoshida N N N Y Chie Nakamura Satoko Yamano N N N Y Asami Sanada Shiho Sakakibara N N N Y Noriko Shitaya Hijiri N N Y Y Mugihito Koshian N N N Y Romi Paku Sentaro Kawanishi N N N Y No voice actor yet Keima Morisato * N N N N No voice actor yet Takano Morisato * N N N N No voice actor Banpei N N Y Y Mitsuo Iwata Gan-chan N Y N Y Norio Wakamoto Senbee N N N Y No voice actor yet Sigel * N N N N Yuriko Yamaguchi Yggdrasil N N Y N No voice actor yet Gate * N N N N
*Manga only appearance (so far).
†Episodes 1–13 while Kikuko Inoue was on maternity leave.

Staff

Names are given in Western order with the given name preceding the surname.

Post Staffer OVA Mini Movie TV Director Makoto Bessho N N Y N Hiroaki Gohda Y N Y Y Hiroko Kazui N Y N N Yasuhiro Matsumura N Y N N Script Naoko Hasegawa Y N N Y Kunihiko Kondo Y N N Y Yoshihiko Tomizawa N N Y N Michiko Yokote N N Y N Music Shiro Hamaguchi N N Y Y Nobuo Uematsu N N Y N Takeshi Yasuda Y N N N Original manga Kōsuke Fujishima Y Y Y Y Character design Hiroshi Kato Y N N N Hidenori Matsubara Y N Y Y Atsushi Takeuchi Y N N N Osamu Tsuruyama Y N N N Art director Hiroshi Kato N N N Y Shunichiro Yoshihara N N Y N Animation director Akihiro Izumi N N Y N Hidenori Matsubara Y N Y Y Noriyuki Matsutake Y N N N Mechanical design Toshiharu Murata N N Y Y Yasuhiro Nishinaka N Y N N Animation Nobuyuki Kitajima Y N N Y Hidenori Matsubara N N N Y Masanori Nishi Y N N Y Yoshimitsu Ohashi Y N N Y

Post Staffer OVA Mini Movie TV Color design Aiko Matsuyama N N N Y Nanae Shinaji N N Y N Composite Director Hidetake Nakajima N N N Y Design Hiroshi Kato N N N Y Hidenori Matsubara N N N Y Atsushi Takeuchi N N N Y Osamu Tsuruyama N N N Y Editing Toshio Henmi N N Y N Shota Mikiyama N N N Y Series Composition Hiroaki Gohda N N N Y Series Concept N N N Y Akira Watanabe N N N Y Theme Song Arrangement Shiroh Hamaguchi (OP) N N N Y Masami Kishimura (OP) N N N Y Toshiyuki Omori (ED 2) N N N Y Theme Song Composition Toshiyuki Omori (ED 2) N N N Y Akifumi Tada (ED) N N N Y Kouhei Tanaka (OP) N N N Y Theme Song Lyrics Yoko Ishida N N N Y Theme Song Performance Aya Hisakawa Y N N N Kikuko Inoue Y N N N Yumi Toma Y N N N Yoko Ishida N N N Y Yoko Takahashi (ED 2) N N N Y Jyukai (ED 3) N N N Y

Soundtracks

Main article: Oh My Goddess! Soundtracks

The seiyu of the series are also professional singers. Either in the form of Goddess Family Club or an Original Soundtrack, the series has led to over a dozen albums.

"Ah" or "Oh"?

The original Japanese title is ああっ女神さまっ "Aa! Megami-sama!". The problem of how to translate this phrase has led to a great deal of debate and flamewars amongst English-speaking anime fans during the early 1990s. The US-anime import company AnimEigo obtained the OVA rights and entitled them: "Oh My Goddess!". Those who objected felt that the title should be "Ah! My Goddess". References to "Oh my god" and "Oh my goddess" in a number of songs (such as Hottokenai No Sa, Megami-sama tto Oyoubi) only fueled further debate.

Series creator Fujishima was ultimately consulted. His initial reaction was to agree with the "Ah" camp. After the English phrase "Oh my God" was explained to him, he decided that "Oh" would be closer to what he was trying to convey. Yet, when a Japanese fan later pointed out to Fujishima that the Japanese merchandise uses "Ah", Fujishima said that it would be better to keep things consistent.

Oh My Goddess! is the official English title for the manga, which is published by Dark Horse Comics; AnimeEigo later also used Oh My Goddess! for the OVA. The bilingual release, which was released by Kodansha, uses Ah! My Goddess. Pioneer chose to use Ah! My Goddess in their North American release of the movie; this was possibly due not to any aesthetic considerations, but rather because AnimEigo uses the title Oh My Goddess!.

The 2005 TV series and DVD releases carry the title Ah! My Goddess.

References to Norse Mythology

In creating Oh My Goddess!, Fujishima has borrowed extensively from Norse mythology.

• The main example of this can be found in the names of the three heroines of the story — Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld. These are the names of the three Norns, the beings in charge of weaving the fate of the world. Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld represent the past, present and future in traditional Norse and the domains of the three goddesses match accordingly.

• In English translations, Belldandy's name is not written as "Verthandi" or "Verdandi" as would be expected if it were a transliteration from the original Old Norse (Verðandi). This is because the spelling and pronunciation of the name were derived from the Japanese language transliteration used in the manga, not from the original Old Norse. The Japanese transliteration came about as a result of the phonology of the Japanese language. First, there is no /v/ in Japanese, and so it is rendered as [b]. Next, there is no /ð/ in Japanese, so it is rendered as [d]. Finally, due to the fact that the phonotactics of Japanese only allows syllables to end in vowels or /n/, an epenthetic /ɯ/ was added after the /r/. All these changes meant that the original name "Verðandi" was transliterated as, ベルダンディー -, Berudandī. This was then in turn transliterated into English as "Belldandy".

• The other major example of Norse reference stems from Yggdrasil, the tree that holds up the world; the Norns are said to work at the foot of this holy tree. In Oh My Goddess, the power of the goddesses is regulated by the Yggdrasil system, a physically giant, hopelessly complex computer system. The Yggdrasil system is used to access and process wish requests transferred by the Goddess Technical Helpline and the Earth Assistance Hotline, as well as to enforce the implementation of the accepted wishes. This system is so important to the dimension inhabited by the goddesses that, when it breaks down after an attack by the Lord of Terror, the goddesses are not able to successfully fulfill their basic life functions. It is during this story arc that readers learn that the Yggdrasil system is also used to convert energy gathered from the earth into that which the goddesses can then use to function. This particular use of Yggdrasil is meant to add dramatic color to certain storylines, and is not strictly held to throughout the rest of the series, as the system seems to be working fine most of the time.

• Other examples include the periodic cameos made by Sleipnir, the heavenly steed, and Belldandy's use of Norse runes throughout the storyline. Also, it is revealed later in the series that the demons have a counterpart system to Yggdrasil — the Nidhogg system. In Norse mythology, Nidhogg is the name of the dragon that is wrapped around the base of the Yggdrasil tree, continually gnawing at its roots.

• Additionally, Peorth is named after one of the runes. Peorth is the mysterious fourth goddess who is employed by a rival agency to Belldandy's. Not much is revealed about her past, except for that she and Belldandy worked together at the Yggdrasil debugging station. However, readers get the direct impression that Peorth is a fun-loving risk-taker who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Her name makes sense, then, as the Peorth rune is classically interpreted as risk-taking and mystery. Tied to Peorth is her use of the Vanir bird to refresh Belldandy's memory. The Vanir are another set of Norse gods tied to fertility and peace — the Vanir bird's function is to reveal the past, and thus bring peace between friends.

• Hild, the CEO of the infernal realm, is named after one of the Valkyries, the battle spirits who take the ghostly spirits of fallen soldiers to Valhalla. According to several sources, Hild means "The Battle."

• In the most recent installments of the manga, a fifth goddess is introduced into the character set. Her name is Rind, and she is a member of the Ah! My Goddess version of the Valkyries — special agents who are trained in the ways of battle. In traditional mythology, Rind is an ice giantess who becomes pregnant with Odin's child.

• Skuld's second android invention is given the name Sigel by Belldandy after a story arc revolving around the question of whether machines are alive. Sigel wants very much to be alive, and so her name is also appropriate — the Sigel rune is the rune of life.

• In the Lord of Terror arc Mara utilized the urn Mao Za Haxon, which contained the Ultimate Destruction Program's bootup protocol, which eventually led Urd to summon a huge dog-spirit named Fenrir. In Norse mythology, Fenrir or Fenrisulfr is a monstrous wolf, the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, who is destined to eat the sun.

• In another installment an exorcist in training accidentally summons Garm. In Norse mythology, Garm is a huge dog which guards Hel, the land of the dead, alongside of Hræsvelgr. Garm was the greatest of all dogs and lived in a cave called Gnipahellir.

• In the movie adaptation of Ah! My Goddess, Peorth is given the order to nullify the threat to the world-tree by using the eradiction spell Gunghir. Gunghir is the name of the enchanted spear used by Odin, the king of the Norse gods.

Video Games

A Dreamcast quiz game named Quiz: Ah! My Goddess was released in August 1998. A PC-FX quiz game was also released.

In February 2007 an Ah! My Goddess game developed by Marvelous Interactive, Inc. was released in Japan for the PS2 console. The game was only released in Japan and was released in 2 editions, the limited edition (also known as the "Holy Box" edition) and the regular DVD edition. Currently there have not been any plans for the game to be licensed and translated into English. However the game could be ordered from websites such as Amazon Japan, Play Asia and Yes Asia.

External links

• Template:En icon The Goddess Project – Fansite & Forum
• Template:En icon Oh My Goddess Wiki