Ah! My Goddess - omnibus #1

 One of the upsides of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it led to me using the local library network's online catalog instead of browsing the selection available at the closest library building to me. This is because of a change in how books were being checked out at the time  (there is a new but similar process in place as of this writing, I think). You select a book and put a hold on it, and then the librarian puts your selection into a bag for you to pick up. This helps with social distancing. 

This means that the catalog for the entire library network opens up to me. I didn't know how to do this at the start of the year, so I might not have found this particular book. It is the first omnibus for the classic romantic comedy, Ah! My Goddess. It is chapter 1 through chapter 23. Up until now, I have only seen the OVA, so I was excited to see its roots. 

It was very interesting to see how the story began. Belldandy's design, for instance, is a lot different than what it would be when the anime started. Characters in-universe mistake her as being a traveler from India. Also, since Belldandy herself is initially the only supernatural character to be regularly present for many chapters, the story as a whole is more a low fantasy/urban fantasy than it would be in later arcs, when more goddesses and demons show up. This includes what I think is a narrow restriction on the number of times Belldandy can use her powers in one day. If she could use them freely, then she would solve every problem effortlessly, because no one else has any kind of power. 

Certain events in the early chapters are a different kind of interesting in light of the infamous plot twist that takes place late in the series; it is clearly a retcon BUT one can see where the origins of such an idea can be seen. Is it a coincidence or foreshadowing decades in the making? 

The chapters definitely get better over time. 

The introduction of different sorts of antagonists allows for different types of conflict, while providing opportunities for hilarity to ensue as this conflict happens to Keichi. Sayoko Mishima tries to steal Keichi, Toshiyuki Aoshima tries to steal Belldandy, and Urd is actually trying to be helpful to Keichi and Belldandy but causes trouble because she is "The Exchanger of Means and Ends". In other words, she has a good intention but gets carried anyway in how she fulfills that intention. Occasionally, there is a motor vehicle race, and those are also fun. 

So the comedy follows the duo's responses to these conflicts, and Keichi is usually the butt of the jokes. Indeed, it is as if the Yggdrasil system is balancing the tremendous good fortune of having a girlfriend like Belldandy with lots of comedic misfortunes. My favorite is when he takes a part-time job as a monster for a Tokusatsu superhero show, only to discover when the rest of the cast has left that he can't work the zipper on his costume, so he decides to wander the street and beg a stranger for help. That scenario had me in stitches for several minutes. 

On another note, regarding the story's romance aspect, I thought it was odd that the earliest phase of Belldandy and Keichi's relationship is glossed over. The first three chapters are their first full day together, and then the next two chapters cover (I think) several months. So by chapter 6 or so, they are definitively a couple, and acting like it. I think I like it better that way. 

Rare is it that I find a manga that quickly establishes its official couple as official so quickly. Most go for the Will-They-Or-Won't-They route, so a reader is lucky to see as much as an attempted confession by the end of the series. This one shows an actual relationship, such as the two of them going on dates, working together on projects, and Keichi looking for a meaningful way to mark their one year anniversary together. So while I didn't see why they fell in love, I get to see chapter after chapter of them actually being in love, which few series are willing to do. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Ah! My Goddess -  omnibus #1 an A+

Click here for my previous book review: Sleepy Princess in Demon Castle (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review: Dungeon and Dragons 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.