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In a Nutshell
Set 2 and a half years after the original Ah! My Goddess anime/manga, the Ah! My Goddess Movie ventures deep into Belldandy's past and tests her affection towards Keiichi Morisato. All of your favorite characters from the anime are back with the three goddess sisters, Belldandy, Urd & Skuld. Keiichi is still the same guy we know and love, but has grown up a bit. But for the fans of the manga, like me, we re-introduce many of the most memorable characters from Tamiya & Ootaki to Peorth, Belldandy's rival. A compelling story of fantasy and true love with stellar animation and originality even for such a great series.
The Review
I've
always been a fan of Ah! My Goddess. Ever since I bought the first graphic
novel six years ago I've been hooked to the pair of lovers known as
Keiichi and Belldandy. If you don't know, Belldandy is a goddess who was
sent to Earth to grant one wish to a chosen person. That chosen person was
Keiichi Morisato, who wished for Belldandy to stay with him forever. Enter
two chaotic sisters, a bunch of drunken activity club members and jealous
goddesses and demons and Keiichi got a bit more than what he wished
for.
The first thing noticeable is the difference from the manga & anime to
the movie. While Kosuke Fujishima's designs were absolutely stellar in his
manga, the movie artists make the entire cast look absolutely amazing.
Every character is intricately more detailed and the level of maturity
gained in each character is obvious. Keiichi is not the same goofball he
was in the past.
The story stays true to its origins very well. While we can put stabs at
how close Keiichi and Belldandy are after this much time, it becomes very
obvious during the NIT Motor Club's party where some of the female members
hit on Keiichi. Belldandy gets extremely jealous and uses her magic
accidentally while lashing out. However, when Keiichi goes outside to
apologize to Belldandy, a new player is introduced. Belldandy's former
mentor Celestin comes down from the heavens to meet Belldandy. However,
Celestin is no longer a part of the Heaven network. In fact, he was
banished long ago because he attempted to destroy the Goddess System. By
inserting a virus within Belldandy, he is able to use her as a tool
against the Goddess System and infect the network. Also, Belldandy's
memories of Keiichi are erased.
As the movie progresses, Keiichi must work hard to hold on to Belldandy,
this is exceptionally hard because of many outside distractions including
Celestine. Eventually, Keiichi must once again fight the will of a deity
in order to hold on to Belldandy. Whether or not Belldandy recovers her
memory is up to him and the Goddess System is in dire need of Belldandy
being restored.
The final thing I'll talk about is the animation. There are a lot of new
things. Already we were used to the amazing effects when any of the
Goddesses cast spells or put wards out or anything. Big shiny lights and
poofy clouds of smoke. Very pretty. But now, there is even greater use of
runes projected upon the floor. Plus, with amazing CG effects this looks
spectacular. Also, when the Goddesses do anything of any magnitude,
especially singing, their goddess spirit flows out of their back and helps
them out. It's very pretty.
Slacker's Final Thoughts
This is all the story that I could ever want. Very
simple but beautiful, featuring my favorite characters from one of my
favorite series'. The animation is beautiful to say the least and watching
and apprecitating the Ah! My Goddess Movie is something I will do for a
while.
Story: 10/10
Design: 10/10
Animation: 10/10
Sound & Music: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Awards:
