Oh My Goddess!...
One of AnimEigo's later releases was the VHS version of Oh My Goddess!...
All of the character in Oh! (Ah!) My Goddess: Adventures of the Mini-Goddess are in super-deformed (SD) format and all of the stories are very short - an average of about 8 minutes each. Although, it is nice to see the characters again, the new series didn't capture the magic of the original series. Although, not all of the incarnations of the Oh My Goddess! franchise are to my liking, I would still be very comfortable giving the Oh My Goddess! franchise a 4 out of 5.
According to the liner notes for Oh My Goddess!...Volume 1
Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms
College freshman Morisato Keiichi gets more than he bargained for when he goes dialing for dinner and gets an unexpected delivery - Belldandy, a real live, honest to goodness Goddess! Belldandy grants him a wish, and Keiichi decides that what he really needs is a girlfriend just like Belldandy! And that's exactly what he gets. The mysterious 'Ultimate Force' that enforces all Wish Contracts comes into play, and Keiichi and Belldandy are now inseparable. That's when Keiichi remembers that his dorm has a strict rule: NO WOMEN ALLOWED! Can Keiichi and Belldandy find a new place to live? Will everyone buy the story that she's a foreign student? And does Keiichi have the guts to put the moves on a babe who is LITERALLY divine?
Volume 2
Midsummer Night's Dream
Five months have passed since Morisato Keiichi dialed out for dinner and got a goddess instead, but he still hasn't managed to put the moves on the divine Belldandy. Belldandy's big sister Urd is not amused, and after using a sexy videotape to introduce herself to Keiichi, gives him some serious make-out advice. The result is a trip to the sea-shore, where every attempt by Keiichi to advance a base or two with Belldandy goes hilariously askew. Then Urd brings out her ultimate weapon -- the Love Potion!
Volume 3
Burning Hearts on the Road
It's really lonely up in the Heavens without your big sisters to keep you company, especially when that means you are stuck with the job of tracking down all the bugs that keep cropping up in the Universal Force System. So little Skuld decides to pay her big sister Belldandy a visit in order to convince her to return. When she hears about the contract that binds Belldandy and Keiichi together, she decides that something MUST be done about it. Meanwhile, Keiichi, who still hasn't managed to put the moves on Belldandy, gets stuck with representing the Automotive Club in the University Drag Race, only to find out that his sempai, Tamiya, has a secret bet laid down on the outcome. But that's not his only problem. He's got an angry little goddess gunning for him!
Volume 4
Evergreen Holy Night
Keiichi's life finally seems to be getting back to normal (or at least as normal as life gets when you live in a temple with 3 goddesses!). Yes, he does get strange dreams, and yes, Urd and Skuld are a pain, but what the heck -- his girlfriend is truly divine! Alas, the storm clouds are brewing. System Bugs are escaping from the Heavens, upsetting the balance of the Earthly Plane. Skuld the Heavenly Hacker gets on the case, and soon discovers that whenever Belldandy and Keiichi get close, a Bug Exhaust Port is formed. Until the problem is solved, Belldandy and Keiichi can't be together. Then Belldandy gets a Notice of Recall from the Lord. She has to go back to the Heavens, or else!
Volume 5
For the Love of Goddess
You'd think with a goddess as a girlfriend, Keiichi's life would be Heaven, but the fact is, it's more and more coming to resemble the OTHER after-life address. If he even gets close to Belldandy, Bugs escape onto the Earthly Plane and foul up the works. Worse, the Lord has slapped her with a Recall Notice. In two days, she has to relocate home to Heaven. As the clock ticks down, Belldandy must begin to erase herself from Keiichi's life and memory. Meanwhile, Urd and Skuld, hoping to avert the recall, plot to solve the Bug problem. And Keiichi? He's working himself to the bone so he can buy a ring for Belldandy. A ring that will fulfill a promise... a promise he doesn't remember making!
Adventures of the Mini-Goddess
Volume 1
The Gan-Chan Files
Super Small = Super Cute! Whenever Keichi leaves the house, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld shrink themselves to play with the other residents of the area - including their clueless rat sidekick, Gan.
Whether it's a battle against Gan-zilla or adventures in kitchen appliance romances, the goddess adventures are dangerously funny! Gan: Although frequently the butt of the goddesses jokes and the victim of their mistakes, Gan the rat persists in his absolute devotion to Belldandy and never questions whether Urd and Skuld may be dangerous for his health...
Volume 2
The Belldandy Files
Super Small = Super Cute! Whenever Keichi leaves the house, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld shrink themselves to play with the other residents of the area - including their clueless rat sidekick, Gan.
Whether it's a quest to start a rock band or adventures in baby-sitting, the goddess adventures are dangerously funny!
Volume 3
The Urd Files
Super Small = Super Cute! Whenever Keichi leaves the house, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld shrink themselves to play with the other residents of the area - including their clueless rat sidekick, Gan.
Whether it's fishing lessons by Gan or the case files of Detective Skuld, the goddess adventures are dangerously funny!
Volume 4
The Skuld Files
Super Small = Super Cute! Whenever Keichi leaves the house, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld shrink themselves to play with the other residents of the area - including their clueless rat sidekick, Gan.
Whether it's life trapped in a jar of miso paste or the revolt of Urd's clones, the goddess adventures are dangerously funny!
About the Series Name: "Oh My Goddess!" is based on the manga series "Aaa! Megamisamaa," written by Fujishima Kousuke. "Megamisama" means "goddess," (in this case, with an extended ending vowel to add emotional emphasis) and "Aaa" is an expression that usually translates to "Oh!" or "Ah!" When the graphic design of the Japanese "Aaa! Megamisamaa" logo was being done, an English version of the series name was added for spice; the translation used was "Ah! My Goddess." At the time, the possible English play on "Oh My God!" wasn't noticed, but was subsequently pointed out to Mr. Fujishima.Keiichi, stuck in the dorm room minding the phone for his buddies, decides to order something to eat, but, it's still early and no one's open for business yet. He misdials a number and gets the "Goddess Helpline". The woman on the other end of the line announces that she'll be right over and promptly emerges through the wall. The look on the boy's face is priceless. This is the first scene in a five-part romantic comedy. I used to have all 5 subtitled VHS volumes and I enjoyed the series some much that I repurchased it on DVD.
When it came time to do the English version of the Anime and the Manga, Mr. Fujishima was consulted regarding his preferences concerning character names and other matters, and he expressed a desire that the translated series be called "Oh My Goddess!"
About the Goddesses: All three goddesses (two of whom you have yet to meet) are based on the Norns from Nordic mythology. The original goddesses were Verthandi (optional spelling: Verthande), Urd (optional spelling: Urthr) and Skuld, who were the goddesses of fate. Each of these goddesses had their own domain in time. Urd the past, Verthandi the present and Skuld the future; the goddesses of "Oh My Goddess!" have the same domains, as you can see by noting their choice of broomsticks in the opening credits.
In the original manga series, Verthandi mutated into the more easily pronounceable "Berudandi." This happened because there are no "Ve" and "th" sounds in Japanese. Then, somewhere along the line, a romaji (roman alphabet) version of the name was needed, one that could still be read by a Japanese reader, and "Berudandi" became "Belldandy" when spelt in English. We think it is a fine name for a goddess.
There are many other borrowings from Norse mythology in the series, but it would be giving things away to mention them at this early date.
Special Guest Appearance: The driver of the car that almost hits Belldandy and Keiichi in episode 1 is none other than Nakajima Ken, the White Hawk of Bokutoo from You're Under Arrest.
All of the character in Oh! (Ah!) My Goddess: Adventures of the Mini-Goddess are in super-deformed (SD) format and all of the stories are very short - an average of about 8 minutes each. Although, it is nice to see the characters again, the new series didn't capture the magic of the original series. Although, not all of the incarnations of the Oh My Goddess! franchise are to my liking, I would still be very comfortable giving the Oh My Goddess! franchise a 4 out of 5.
