Ah! My Goddess Vol. #1

    September 22, 2000
Release Date: September 22, 2000



What They Say
DVD edition VOL.1 of the OVA series with an enormous cult following. Comes with a box that can house all 3 volumes. A new movie will be in theaters this autumn (2000) in Japan.

The Review!
This disc contains the first two episodes of Ah! My Goddess: Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms, and Midsummer Night's Dream. My friends and I are all big AMG fans, so we've been looking forward to this for a long time.
Episode 1 - Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms

Morisato Keiichi lives in a men's dormitory with a strict policy about not allowing females inside. While trying to order take out delivery over the phone, he contacts the Goddess help line. Before he realizes what's going on, the Goddess Belldandy appears and offers to grant him any one wish. Believing it to be a joke, and based off his previous failures with women, Keiichi wishes for her a girlfriend like her. Much to his surprise it turns out not to be a joke, as Belldandy becomes that girlfriend. Before he can say anything else, his classmates show up and see him with a female in the dorms. Keiichi instantly gets kicked out and needs to find a new place to stay, all in the middle of the night. Keiichi finds out there's more to being a Goddess than being omnipotent, as they both need to help each other out to solve their problems.

Episode 2 - Midsummer Night's Dream

Now that Keiichi and Belldandy have settled down in a permanent residence (along with Keiichi's sister Megumi), things start looking normal again. Keiichi receives a video tape in the mail, which marks the arrival of Belldandy's older sister Urd. Urd is concerned that Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship isn't progressing at a fast enough rate, and offers to help out with her magic. Later, everyone takes a trip to the ocean (why yes, that means Goddesses in swimsuits), which is where Urd's plan kicks into motion. Her plans, of course, end with less than desirable results, and threaten to put a permanent end to their relationship.

Ah! My Goddess is a living testament that you don't need lots of big explosions or nudity to have a great Anime. The characters are interesting and likable, and it makes you feel good about the world after watching it. If you haven't seen this series yet, I highly recommend it. Even if you can't get region 2 DVD's, it is available on domestically (though not on DVD yet) and really shouldn't be missed.

Video/Audio:

The video is about average for a region 2 release (in other words, quite good). There are a few sections where the picture gets a little soft, but it's a great transfer for the most part. It's not as sharp as newer shows in my collection, but it's a lot better than I was expecting. Some friends and I did a comparison with the domestic LD, and the R2 DVD did seem a little more clear. The audio is 2-channel, and is nice and clean. I didn't notice any problems with it.

Packaging:

The case itself is one of those slightly longer non-standard keepcases. It's the same type KSS uses with their other releases such as To Heart, if you're familiar with that one. The cover is reversible, with Belldandy on the cover one side, and Urd on the cover on the other side. It also comes with a nice and thick cardboard box fitting 4 cases. The OAVs are planned to be released on 3 discs total, so the fourth slot may be for an upcoming release of the movie. The box is much stronger than any I have seen with region 1 releases, and is about a centimeter taller due to the thickness. It is similar to the box Bandai used with Tenshi Ni Narumon if you've seen it. Wrapped around the box is some information about disc 1, since the case itself is in the box and only the spine can be seen.

Extras:

In addition to the cool packaging, there are some other extras worth mentioning. First, there are two trading cards featuring Belldandy and Keiichi. These are playing card quality, and are really nice looking. On this disc itself, there is a creditless closing, but no creditless opening. I'm assuming this will be included on the next volume. There is also previews for a few different movies and shows, including the AMG movie.

Menu:

The menu lists the two episodes, the creditless closing, and one selection for each preview. It's not very complex, but it's fast and works well.

Movie ticket info:

The limited edition release comes with a movie ticket for the AMG movie, for an additional 1000 yen. As this is a limited release, it may or may not still be available. I picked up the less expensive version, and a friend of mine got the ticket version, so I can confirm the movie ticket is the only difference.

Features
Japanese Language,Creditless closings,Previews for AMG Movie and others,Strong cardboard box fitting 4 cases,Reversible cover art featuring Belldandy or Urd,Trading cards featuring Belldandy and Keiichi,AMG Movie ticket (limited edition only)

Review Equipment
Pioneer DV-525 (codefree), 32" RCA TV (s-video), Pioneer VSX-305 receiver, KLH speakers.