, or ''Ah! My Goddess!'' in some releases, is a Japanese
manga series written and illustrated by
Kōsuke Fujishima
is a Japanese manga artist.
He is known for his love of automobiles and motorcycles, and several of his series and their characters reflect this, such as in ''éX-Driver'' and ''Oh My Goddess!''.
Early life and career
Born in Chiba, Japan, ...
. It was serialized in
Kodansha's
''seinen'' manga magazine ''
Monthly Afternoon
is a Japanese monthly ''seinen'' manga anthology published by Kodansha under the ''Afternoon'' line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of January 25, 1986. ''Afternoon'' has spawned many successful manga series such as ...
'' from September 1988 to April 2014, with its chapters collected in 48 ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...
'' volumes. The series follows college
sophomore Keiichi Morisato
is a major fictional character in the popular manga ''Oh My Goddess!'' and in the anime of the same name and is voiced by Masami Kikuchi. His name is often abbreviated as "K1" (1 in the Japanese language is "ichi").
Description
Keiichi was a ...
and the goddess
Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series '' Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is ...
who moves in with him in a
Buddhist temple; after Belldandy's sisters
Urd and
Skuld
Skuld (the name possibly means "debt" and is related to the English word "should") is a Norn in Norse mythology. Along with Urðr (Old Norse "fate"Orchard (1997:169).) and Verðandi (possibly "happening" or "present"Orchard (1997:174).), Skuld mak ...
move in with them, they encounter gods, demons and other supernatural entities as Keiichi develops his relationship with Belldandy. The manga series has been licensed for English-language release by
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
.
The series was adapted into an
original video animation produced by
Anime International Company
, often abbreviated as AIC is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 15, 1982 and located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. On December 10, 2015, AIC RIGHTS Co., Ltd was established through a company split, in which AIC Rights received the transfer ...
(AIC), and an
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
series which aired from 2005 to 2006. Additionally, AIC has developed two OVAs and a film, and
OLM, Inc.
, formerly Oriental Light and Magic, is a Japanese animation and film studio headquartered in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, founded on October 3, 1990.
Establishment
OLM was founded as Oriental Light & Magic, Inc. on October 3rd, 1990 by Toshiaki Ok ...
has also developed an anime series as well. Companies have developed thousands of types of merchandise, such as video games, and a light novel. The OVA was licensed by
AnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
, while the film was licensed by
Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
Th ...
, and the various TV series were licensed at various points by
Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
,
ADV Films and
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
.
As of June 2020, the manga had over 25 million copies in circulation, making it one of the
best-selling manga series. In 2009, ''Oh My Goddess!'' won the 33rd
Kodansha Manga Award for the General category.
Story
Plot
Keiichi Morisato
is a major fictional character in the popular manga ''Oh My Goddess!'' and in the anime of the same name and is voiced by Masami Kikuchi. His name is often abbreviated as "K1" (1 in the Japanese language is "ichi").
Description
Keiichi was a ...
is a college sophomore who accidentally calls the Goddess Help Line. The goddess
Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series '' Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is ...
materializes and tells him that her agency has received a system request from him and has been sent to grant him a single wish. Believing that a practical joke is being played on him, he wishes that she will stay with him forever, and his wish is granted.
Since he is unable to live with Belldandy in his male-only dorms, they are forced to look for alternative housing, eventually seeking shelter in an old
Buddhist temple. They are allowed to stay there indefinitely after the young
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
living there leaves on a
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to India upon being impressed by Belldandy's intrinsic goodness. Keiichi's life with Belldandy becomes even more hectic when her elder sister
Urd and her younger sister
Skuld
Skuld (the name possibly means "debt" and is related to the English word "should") is a Norn in Norse mythology. Along with Urðr (Old Norse "fate"Orchard (1997:169).) and Verðandi (possibly "happening" or "present"Orchard (1997:174).), Skuld mak ...
move in as well. A series of adventures ensue as his relationship with Belldandy develops.
Setting
The ''Oh My Goddess!'' universe is fashioned loosely around
Celtic/Norse Mythology; various names and concepts are recycled for humor. Three worlds exist in the Universe of Oh My Goddess: Heaven (Valhalla), Hell (Niflheim), and Earth. Heaven is the realm of the All Mighty and goddesses, Hell is the realm of Hild and demons, and Earth is the realm of humans. Reality is controlled by an enormous and complex computer system, named
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds.
Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional ...
.
Each goddess is assigned Class, Category, and Restrictions. Class indicates power and skill in performing pure magic. First Class goddesses are held to a stricter standard regarding the prohibition to lie. There are also three categories: Administration, Commercial (Field), and Special Duty. Limited and Unlimited restrictions indicates boundaries on permitted actions. Goddesses may be penalized for dereliction of duty and may have their license suspended for a time. A goddess using her powers during suspension will have her license permanently revoked.
Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series '' Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is ...
is a Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited License. Urd and Skuld are Goddesses Second Class, First Category, Limited License. Goddesses also wear power limiters, usually in the form of jewelry.
The goddesses' purpose is to bring happiness to everyone around them. Toward that end, Heaven has created the Goddess Technical Helpline (also called Goddess Relief Agency), designed to bring happiness to the people of Earth, especially those with great virtue but terrible misfortune. A competing institution named the ''Earth Assistance Center'', also is staffed by goddesses. In most scenarios, a goddess appears before one that the system has deemed worthy and grants him or her one wish. The wish must be approved by the system, after which a contract is created between the human and the goddess and stored on the
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds.
Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional ...
system as a file. The wish contract file is protected by a passcode known to the Goddess. As demons work toward the opposite end, the total happiness on Earth must remain in balance. Heaven and Hell strictly abide by an agreement to work through contracts and to prevent bloodshed between them, each god is linked to a demon by a life contract, thus if one of them is killed, the other perishes as well, with their memories of the contract erased to ensure no one knows who is paired with whom.
Demons have similar class and license restrictions, and are accompanied by familiars instead of angels. A seal exists between the demon world and Earth, named the Gate to the Netherworld. It was "created by the gods and can only be broken by an instrument of the gods." As such, demons require a catalyst to manifest on Earth. The demons possess a system similar to
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds.
Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional ...
, named
Nidhogg. Both demons and goddesses possess the power to seal beings away. The demons also operate in a fashion similar to goddesses by creating contracts with humans and offering them wishes, but often at a price.
A goddess does not have an angel automatically, but receives one in egg form. When her power matures, the egg hatches into an angel, becoming a lifetime companion.
["Ah! My Darling Cupid!." Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy. Dir. Hiroaki Gōda. TBS, Tokyo, Japan. 06 July 2006. TV.] The angel always obeys the goddess, being a reflection of the goddess' inner self.
Other creatures that exist in the Earth plane are a multitude of spirits that are responsible for almost every aspect of life. These include the spirits of Money, Wind, Engine and such. More specific entities include Earth spirits, which are guardians over a specific area of land.
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...
, a villain from the movie, is probably a high ranking Earth spirit (or a being from another dimension, but that is less likely because her tragic love story with a human must have happened on Earth) who demonstrates great strength fighting
Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series '' Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is ...
and
Urd, even though her powers are less potent than the ones of goddesses of their level.
Production
Before starting work on ''Oh My Goddess!'', Kōsuke Fujishima created the manga ''
You're Under Arrest!''.
Miyuki Kobayakawa, one of the principal characters of ''You're Under Arrest!'', was featured as a goddess character in a
four-panel gag strip in the manga.
While the exact relationship between this initial goddess character and the ''Oh My Goddess!'' series is unclear, there are suggestions that ''Oh My Goddess!'' can be viewed as a spin-off series.
Irrespective of the origin, the concept of a goddess "as a job" interested Fujishima,
leading to the first appearance of the ''Oh My Goddess!'' series in
Kodansha's ''
Monthly Afternoon
is a Japanese monthly ''seinen'' manga anthology published by Kodansha under the ''Afternoon'' line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of January 25, 1986. ''Afternoon'' has spawned many successful manga series such as ...
'' in September 1988.
Title discrepancy
Translating the original Japanese title of proved to be problematic.
Fred Patten
Frederick Walter Patten (December 11, 1940 – November 12, 2018) was an American writer and historian known for his work in the science fiction, fantasy, anime, manga, and furry fandoms, where he gained great distinction through a substantial c ...
, in writing the preface to the collection "Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews", stated that fans were still debating whether "Ah! My Goddess" or "Oh My Goddess!" should be used at the time of writing, approximately 15 years after the first ''Oh My Goddess!'' manga was published.
When the United States anime import company
AnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
obtained the
original video animation (OVA) rights, they titled the series ''Oh My Goddess!''.
This approach was also followed by
Toren Smith
Toren V. Smith (April 12, 1960 – March 4, 2013) was a Canadian manga translator and founder of Studio Proteus.
Early life
Smith learned to read by the age of four, and by the age of 12 had won his first award for writing from the Calgary St ...
and
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
when translating the manga, released in concert with the OVA series in 1994.
Smith has since stated that he saw the title as a play on "Oh my god!", and felt that there was no problem when translating it. Smith confirmed that his interpretation of the author's intent was correct by consulting with Fujishima.
Nevertheless,
Kodansha's bilingual release of the manga used ''Ah! My Goddess'',
as did
Pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
's North American release of the film,
[Pioneer's Movie title](_blank)
/ref> and Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
's 2005 DVD release of the TV series.[TBS's anime television title]
/ref>
Fujishima stated in Animerica
''Animerica'' was a monthly magazine published by Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ ...
that "Oh" was closer to his intent, but acknowledged that the title should be rendered so as to make sense within the country that it is published, and specifically stated that films may warrant different titles than other works. He did, however, state that he would prefer to see consistency between the titles of the manga and those of the animations.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Kōsuke Fujishima
is a Japanese manga artist.
He is known for his love of automobiles and motorcycles, and several of his series and their characters reflect this, such as in ''éX-Driver'' and ''Oh My Goddess!''.
Early life and career
Born in Chiba, Japan, ...
, ''Oh My Goddess!'' started in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Afternoon
is a Japanese monthly ''seinen'' manga anthology published by Kodansha under the ''Afternoon'' line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of January 25, 1986. ''Afternoon'' has spawned many successful manga series such as ...
'' in September 1988, and finished after a 25-year run on April 25, 2014. Kodansha collected its 308 individual chapters in forty-eight ''tankōbon
is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...
'' volumes, released from August 23, 1989, to July 23, 2014. The final volume of the manga was also released in Japan as a limited edition box set containing a special edition of volume 48, a mini book of all the ''Adventures of Mini-Goddess'' comics that appeared in the first volumes of the manga, a drama CD featuring the anime voice actors, and a selection of high quality prints of past volume covers, and the final volume cover.
A spin-off manga series, titled , written by Uhei Aoki and illustrated by Kumichi Yoshizuki and focused on Keiichi and Belldandy's lives during a recession, was serialized in ''Monthly Afternoon'' from January 25, 2019, to October 25, 2021. Kodansha published the first ''tankōbon'' volume on September 20, 2019. The fifth and final volume was released on January 21, 2022.
English release
In North America, the series was licensed for English release by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
and first published in a left-to-right format. The company initially published the first 112 chapters individually from August 1, 1994, to September 1, 2004. They also serialized individual chapters in their defunct manga anthology, ''Super Manga Blast!'', from March 29, 2000, to April 25, 2001.
The first three volumes were initially published in a single abridged volume, titled "1-555-GODDESS", on November 1, 1996. After this release, the following collected volumes contained the regular unabridged chapters (although with different amount of chapters from their respective Japanese volumes, so that each volume better followed story arcs), starting from volume 4, released on October 15, 1997; the first three volumes were later re-released as unabridged volumes between June 5 and October 7, 2002. The 19th and last volume of this edition, numbered "19/20", which ended on the same chapter as the Japanese volume 20 (129th chapter), was released on January 19, 2005.
From volume 21, released on July 6, 2005, Dark Horse Comics published the volumes following the Japanese right-to-left chapter layout and using a new translation; the first twenty volumes were republished in this format from December 7, 2005, to February 22, 2012. The 48th and last volume was released on October 20, 2015.
In July 2014, Dark Horse Comics announced that they would release a fifteen-volume omnibus edition. The first volume was released on July 29, 2015. As of October 11, 2017, only six volumes have been released.
Light novel
The first novel of the series, ''Oh My Goddess! First End'', was written by Urd's voice actress, Yumi Tōma
, known professionally as , is a Japanese voice actress, narrator, author and singer from Chiba. She has been part of the singing group Goddess Family Club. Tōma once worked for Aoni Production before she founded her own agency ALLURE&Y. Becaus ...
, with the illustrations done by Fujishima and Hidenori Matsubara
is a Japanese anime character designer and director.
Biography
In 1988, Matsubara joined Gainax. In 1996, after finishing the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' series, he left Gainax and worked as a freelancer for various TV series and OVAs. He wa ...
, the animation director for several of the series' animated adaptations. The story follows the manga, taking place three years after Belldandy and Keiichi first meet. The novel was first published in Japan on July 20, 2006 by Kodansha; it was then licensed in English by Dark Horse and released in North America on December 12, 2007.
Anime
Original video animation
=1993 version
=
In 1993, Anime International Company
, often abbreviated as AIC is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 15, 1982 and located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. On December 10, 2015, AIC RIGHTS Co., Ltd was established through a company split, in which AIC Rights received the transfer ...
, KSS, Tokyo Broadcasting System
formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...
and Kodansha teamed up to produce a five-episode original video animation (OVA) series based on the manga series. Directed by Hiroaki Gōda
is an animator, character designer, screenwriter and director for anime. His most known work is that as director and screenwriter of the various ''Oh My Goddess!'' anime adaptions.
Works
Anime
*Direction
:* ''Bubblegum Crisis''
:* ''Oh My God ...
and distributed by Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
, the first episode was released on February 21, 1993, and the final was released on May 17, 1994.
The screenplay was written by Kunihiko Kondo and Nahoko Hasegawa, and the music was provided by Takeshi Yasuda. The character designer was Hidenori Matsubara
is a Japanese anime character designer and director.
Biography
In 1988, Matsubara joined Gainax. In 1996, after finishing the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' series, he left Gainax and worked as a freelancer for various TV series and OVAs. He wa ...
.
The OVA was licensed for release in North America by AnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
, who released all five episodes in individual VHS volumes in both English-language and subtitled Japanese-language editions between June 29, 1994 and August 31, 1994. They later released all five episodes across two DVD volumes in 2001, then re-released the episodes in a single "Remastered Collector's Edition" set in 2006. AnimEigo's license expired at the end of February 2010.
In March 2010, TBS announced they were producing a brand new 7-minute OVA for release only with a repackaged and redesigned boxed set for Season 1. Currently, no plans exist for licensing that special OVA episode. The OVA was the first new anime production since "Fighting Wings" was produced for the 20th anniversary of the manga series. Kodansha released the first OVA
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
for the anime series, bundled with volume 42 of the manga series on February 23, 2011. Volume 42 of the tankouban series was released in two versions, in a standard version without the OVA and a limited edition release contains the OVA. Kodansha produced a second OVA for the anime series. Volume 43 of the tankouban series includes this OVA for the anime series, and it was bundled with the manga release on September 23, 2011. The third OVA was released in August 2013 bundled together with the 46th manga volume.
Film
A film, titled , 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
() is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not ...
and in North America and United Kingdom by Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
Th ...
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, mostly the ''Lord Of Terror'' arc.
TV series
=''The Adventures of Mini-Goddess''
=
A 48 episode TV series called and featuring shrunken versions of Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld in a comedic super deformed
Chibi, also known as super deformation, or S.D. is a style of caricature originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and m ...
style was produced by Oriental Light and Magic
, formerly Oriental Light and Magic, is a Japanese animation and film studio headquartered in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, founded on October 3, 1990.
Establishment
OLM was founded as Oriental Light & Magic, Inc. on October 3rd, 1990 by Toshiaki Ok ...
and aired on WOWOW from April 6, 1998 through March 29, 1999 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 original manga storyline, and has almost no continuity with the previous series. The series revolves around the three goddesses and their rat companion Gan-chan, following their adventures in their temple home. The goddesses remain constantly in miniaturized form, for apparent freedom of space and in order to properly interact with Gan-chan.
=''Ah! My Goddess''
=
''Oh My Goddess!'' saw another TV iteration under the name ''Ah! My Goddess'' in 2005. The episodes, which followed the manga closely, were directed by Hiroaki Gōda, animated by Anime International Company
, often abbreviated as AIC is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 15, 1982 and located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. On December 10, 2015, AIC RIGHTS Co., Ltd was established through a company split, in which AIC Rights received the transfer ...
, and produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System
formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...
(TBS). The season began in Japan, on TBS, on January 6, 2005, and ended on July 7, 2005. Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and f ...
released the episodes in Japan between April and November 2005, as eight DVD compilations each containing three episodes. The two original video animations (OVAs), which had not been broadcast, were released on a special DVD on December 23, 2005. The series was licensed for a Region 1 release by Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
. Six DVD compilations, containing all twenty-six episodes, were released between September 2005 and July 2006. Each DVD contained four episodes, excluding the first two, which contained five each. A premium complete season box set was released on November 7, 2006; the regular set followed on November 27, 2007. MVM Films
MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Visio ...
distributed the series in the United Kingdom, with the individual volumes released between February and December 2007 in six similar DVD compilations. The box set followed in July 2008. Media Blasters confirmed on Facebook that the license to ''Ah! My Goddess'' has been expired, leaving the series out-of-print, but these episodes are still available on Hulu despite the license expiration.
The success of the first season inspired a second season titled ''Ah! My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings'', released as ''Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy'' in North America. Also directed by Hiroaki Gōda, animated by Anime International Company
, often abbreviated as AIC is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 15, 1982 and located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. On December 10, 2015, AIC RIGHTS Co., Ltd was established through a company split, in which AIC Rights received the transfer ...
, and produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System
formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...
, the series covered the adventures of Keiichi and Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series '' Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is ...
in the aftermath of the Lord of Terror fiasco. It premiered on TBS on April 6, 2006 and concluded on September 14, 2006, picking up the story from where the series left off in season one. Season two concluded with episode 22, although the Japanese and North American DVD releases include episodes 23 and 24. It was released to DVD in Japan between July 2006 and February 2007 by Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and f ...
. Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
, who released the first season, passed up on this season and it was licensed to ADV Films instead. ADV Films released the season on six DVD compilations, each containing four episodes, between May 2007 and March 2008. The rights were then transferred to Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
, who released a box set on November 25, 2008.
In 2007, ''Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings'', a two-episode special to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original publication of ''Oh My Goddess!'', was released. It was directed by Hiroaki Gōda, animated by Anime International Company
, often abbreviated as AIC is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 15, 1982 and located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. On December 10, 2015, AIC RIGHTS Co., Ltd was established through a company split, in which AIC Rights received the transfer ...
, and produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System
formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...
. The episodes aired on December 9, 2007 and Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and f ...
released the episodes on a single DVD in Japan on February 22, 2008. The episodes have not been licensed for a Region 1 release.
Soundtracks
The Japanese voice actors of the series are also professional singers. Either in the form of Goddess Family Club
A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...
or an original soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...
, the series has led to over a dozen albums.
Video games
An adventure game titled ''Aa! Megami-sama!'' for the NEC PC-9801
The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2000. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more th ...
was released in 1993 by Banpresto
(formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game video game development, developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in t ...
. An enhanced port was later released in 1997 for the PC-FX
The is a 32-bit home video game console developed by NEC and Hudson Soft. It was released in 1994 and discontinued in February 1998, as NEC's final home video game console. Based on the NEC V810 CPU and CD-ROM, it was intended as the successor t ...
which added voice and other improvements.
A Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
quiz game titled ''Quiz: Ah! My Goddess - Stay With Fighting Wings'' was released in August 1998 for the Sega Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
. Player plays as Keiichi Morisato
is a major fictional character in the popular manga ''Oh My Goddess!'' and in the anime of the same name and is voiced by Masami Kikuchi. His name is often abbreviated as "K1" (1 in the Japanese language is "ichi").
Description
Keiichi was a ...
answering to questions posed by characters from the anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
/ manga such as Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series '' Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is ...
, Skuld
Skuld (the name possibly means "debt" and is related to the English word "should") is a Norn in Norse mythology. Along with Urðr (Old Norse "fate"Orchard (1997:169).) and Verðandi (possibly "happening" or "present"Orchard (1997:174).), Skuld mak ...
, Urd, Lind
Lind is a surname of both Swedish and Estonian origin. In Swedish, it is the word for the linden tree. In Estonian, it is the word for bird.
Geographical distribution
As of 2014, 36.1% of all known bearers of the surname ''Lind'' were residen ...
and Peorth.
In February 2007 an ''Ah! My Goddess'' game developed by Marvelous Interactive
(MMV) was a multinational corporation that produced animation, music, video games and television series. MMV is known for its involvement in the ''Story of Seasons'' series. They merged with AQ Interactive in 2011 and became Marvelous AQL; the ...
was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2. 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.
Reception
As of June 2020, the manga had over 25 million copies in circulation.
In 2009, ''Oh My Goddess'' won the 33rd Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga. Volume 41 of the manga was the tenth best-selling manga in Japan upon its release that week according to the Oricon Japanese Comic Rankings charts. The film ranked #28 on ''Wizard's Anime'' Magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America". In the American Anime Awards from 2007, the anime series was a nominee in the category Best Comedy Anime, but lost to ''FLCL
is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. ''F ...
''.
References
External links
Official TBS ''Oh My Goddess!'' anime website
*
{{OLM
Oh My Goddess!
, or ''Ah! My Goddess!'' in some releases, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōsuke Fujishima. It was serialized in Kodansha's Seinen manga, ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Afternoon'' from September 1988 to ...
1988 manga
1993 anime OVAs
1997 anime television series debuts
2005 anime television series debuts
2006 anime television series debuts
2007 anime OVAs
2007 Japanese novels
2011 anime OVAs
ADV Films
Anime International Company
Anime Works
Comics set in India
Dark Horse Comics titles
Fantasy anime and manga
Harem anime and manga
Funimation
Geneon USA
Kodansha manga
Madman Entertainment anime
Norse mythology in anime and manga
OLM, Inc.
Romantic comedy anime and manga
Seinen manga
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
Wowow original programming