Ah My Goddess TV Series in 2005

iq2002 · newbie! Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 27

you're right about the faces being but not quite, looks like the drawings have a bit of a puffed up or no detailed look. kinda like love hina when it went anime, naru gained like 20 lbs haha.

i guess it can't be helped since it's animation and it's not studio ghbili with their multimillion dollar multimilllion frames animation.

but you sure miss it... especially if part of the manga's appeal is the beautiful drawing style of the goddesses that make them look like larger than life. i can already imagine the animated version of Peorth... she'll look more like an alien with rose thorns as her extremities rather than the super hot goddess of ... roses.

the episodes are slower then imagined. at this rate we can expect something like 5 seasons of God knows what before we see any action. I don't mind it... i'm always in a hurry so i need to remind myself to slow down... but i sure hope it doesn't drag like dragon ball.

jon_kazama · newbie! Joined: Dec 06, 2004 Posts: 37

The manga started pretty slow, too, if I remember correctly. It'll pick up. They should be getting at least semi-busy in the next coule of episodes.

Izludal · A-Source Supporter Joined: Jun 04, 2004 Posts: 18

The main reason the animation is off in some places, i think, is because the drawing by the manga artist greatly evolves. The anime producers are probably just trying to figure out how to get to a middle ground between the two art styles.

Of course, that does not excuse them from those little flubs Razz

I'm confident they'll get a lot better as this series goes on (hopefully to a long running life!)

ephbuck · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 7:50 am Post subject:

im getting excited!!!! cant find manga.... just started d/ling the ova... watched movie several times.... siting and waiting...

Plekto · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 1:47 am Post subject:

Awesome. It reminds me of Ai Yori Aoshi in the feel as far as their closeness and the overall speed. This is a good thing, IMO, since it allows one of the best Mangas of all time to be fully explored. I do wish there to be one change, though - that they aren't quite as stand-off-ish and "80's Manga" about their relationship.

Also, a small question - in the Manga, what was the *exact* wish? In this one, it seems to be one of physical location rather than the implied meaning(which he was obviously thinking about - lol), but it's hard to tell so far. Otherwise, being apart for a little while if they were to meet again later wouldn't cause anything to happen. Or perhaps it's just that they need to solidify their relationship a bit more.

I feel a bit sorry for her, actually - having to live as a human without any real say in the matter. Somehow it doesn't feel quite right. Or is this just a job that she has to do until he gets old and passes away? That feels a bit wrong, too, somehow.

As for translations, it seems as if there are several groups doing it. RevQuest seems to be the most accurate and Aone is pretty mediocre. Just thought I'd say something as if anyone from RevQuest is reading this, keep up the work. In a series like this, subtle things and interpretations are key.

iq2002 · newbie! Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 27

i had to watch episode 2 again to confirm. as i recall (i can't pull my manga files right now cuz my desktop crashed Crying or Very sad

) the wish is accurate.

like you said, the romance is very innocent and 80's.

in the manga keichi was calling off the bluff. he was still convinced that she was some joke his senpais were pulling off so he yelled at her 'I want you to stay with me forever!'

no subliminary err ecchi requests here. Wink

Chief316 · Conscript Joined: Mar 06, 2003 Posts: 105 Location: USA

I'm liking this series so far. It's a lot closer to the manga than the ova was. It even has the monk that goes away seeking enlightenment [or something to that effect, it's been a long time since I read the manga.]

It'll be slow at first, but I don't mind, since I really like Ah! My Goddess!

Plekto · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 3:50 am Post subject:

(long and contains a few very minor spoilers)
Okay - I re-read the manga(found it online -all 29 or so volumes).

I re-read it, and re-read it, and it just didn't quite make sense until I pulled out a book I have on Japanese relationships and dating. Evidently the problem is that the exact words that he said - they are a polite way of asking someone to marry you. (!) There are a few dozen specific ways to ask someone the question in most cultures and in Japan, this is one of them. "Be with me(by my side) forever" is about equivalent to saying "I want to spend the rest of my life with you" in English.

He thought it was a joke in the original Manga, and so to put the girl off, he went for the most shocking response he could think of - a "so if it's real, prove it - marry me then.", expecting her to stammer and fall apart, exposing the joke. A great tactic, actually... IF it was really a joke.

This also explains his sheepish "I'm sorry - That's an awfully forward thing to say to someone you just met" reaction, followed by her utter shock, then his "It was just a joke" - then she comes to and is "that's acceptable?!?!?"(in the Manga it's "what? It's final??"), followed by her likely getting told to assume her duties as such(though we don't hear it).

The reason I looked at that book on dating was because reading the Manga, in Vol. 2, his sister asks about their relationship and her response is odd - exactly what you would say if you were his wife or fiance. I fully expected his sister to call her on this, and I hope she does in the Anime - it would be a nice change from the original. In Belldandy's mind, they are as good as married - but on a more cosmic sense, so ceremonies and dating and such - it's all window dressing(kind of like a super-arranged marriage of sorts).

He is oblivious to this for a long long LONG time.(half of the comic factor in the series, IMO) If you have the manga, check out Chapter 16, page 23. Note the small but subtle thing she does that he completely misses(and I did the first time I looked at it). In fact, nobody notices it either. I personally hope they show it in the Anime. Also, What led up to it - his mind is being affected as well.

Since getting married, especially via arranged marriages and the like isn't anything special AND the wish was of a power to make him rule the world if he wanted to(or even destroy it!), my guess is the real effect is to end up affecting their minds so that they fall in love, backed up by that whole "bad things happen if we seperate" force - leaving them exactly zero options. Heh. Careful what you wish for.

Oddly enough, it works just as well in the Anime - he's enthralled and asks her to marry him on impulse(more of a slip of the tongue due to getting caught up in the moment). And suddenly he realizes it's not a joke. Smile

Anyways - it's late - superb series that I'm glad to see is finally being made into a proper Anime.

spermbank-tycoon · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 9:15 pm Post subject:

The storyline is too goddamn streched, and seeing the original anime just reduces your enjoyment of this anime too much, Cuz when you're expecting something u know is going to happen, something completely different happens then the expected happening happens with less detail... And the animation is just poor, they lack the nose, WHERE'S THE NOSE! it's so undetailed the hair the eyes... all wrong, and the singing is dreadful. Oh man, so much negativity, but i somehow take the pain and keep watching, It's like looking at poison, I hope it gets better. Really really hope so, cuz if it doesn't i reckon they just wasted money on trying to improve and old anime (or Animize manga) nuff sed. (Don't think less of me)
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Izludal · A-Source Supporter Joined: Jun 04, 2004 Posts: 18

You know... a lot of artists don't include noses in their drawings.

Take I"s for example. The artist purposely leaves out noses in her drawings in parts, and that does not indicate a lesser attention to detail. The animation overall I think is perfect for the kind of series it is. It doesn't need anything flashy to make it great, the story speaks for itself.

And dood, I don't know what you're expecting from the singing -_-. I mean, it's a goddess singing hymns. There's not gonna be any really poppish or rockish music that she sings ya know.

While i agree that it is slow, I don't mind if they use this extra time USEFULLY and introducing new little details that are in the manga. It definitely fleshes out the story more for people that watched the original OVA. I find it cool that it actually follows the manga more closely than did the original OVA.

Oh, and they wouldn't have made this anime if they didn't have sufficient public backing to actually make a tv series for it. So I'm sure that they're not just wasting their money Smile

.

My 5 billion cents. :3

Loveless · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 1:56 am Post subject:

later their childhood memories or something to that extent left subliminal traces in their brains or mind or whatever.... hmm oh well

The singing sucks because it is barely audible and compared to what I have privy to it. The quality had like some sort of great awakening feel to it compared to some lady humming loudly.

Plekto · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:25 am Post subject:

I thought it was just fine. Stylisticaly, it is just one of the half dozen or so major styles. As for the quality, it is exactly like it should be - it has the look and feel of the manga. It's a careful balance that I personally appreciate. They already made a movie and this looks like it is going to be at least 2-3 seasons or at least one followup series.

From the reviews it's getting in Japan, there is a huge pent-up demand for this to finally come out. I suspect Ichigo 100% will have a simmilar reaction. They don't need to go fast because this has plenty of money and popularity going in. And this makes for better anime. 50-60 episodes is a perfect amount, IMO. It's a romance story. Think Pastel. The entire story revolves around everyday life. I thought the counting sheep was a hilarious addition. She's so naive about the world. Smile

Shoot, Read or Die had 26 episodes and it felt really fast. For something with half the energy going in - one season would feel chaotic. My hope is that they do every last chapter - like 100 episodes. The manga really doesn't drag for the first half, and the second half can easily be a followup series.

I'd take 100 episodes of this over 100+ episodes of Inuyasha or Dragonball anyday. The manga has 197 chapters, btw. That's more than Inuyasha. In fact, it's one of the longest ever written. It deserves to be made properly.

Anyways...

As for the music, the music fits perfectly. If you want over the top singing everywhere, watch Full Moon or something - this is a very quiet romance, energy-wise, like Ai Yori Aoshi.

Izludal · A-Source Supporter Joined: Jun 04, 2004 Posts: 18

Ah. Thank you Plekto for putting into more elegant words what I tried to voice but couldn't. Very Happy

Anyways, can't wait until the next episode! Or at least can't wait until Urd joins in on the action :3

ephbuck · Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:59 am Post subject:

wow.. so does anyone have any recomendations as to where i can buy english copeis of the manga, online is fine..b/c now i wanna read the manga..

jon_kazama · newbie! Joined: Dec 06, 2004 Posts: 37

Just watched the third episode last night. I just know I'm going to end up re-reading this series along with the show...

Anyone know where I can get the later volumes of the manga? I think the pack I downloaded a while back stopped around v. 22. Gonna have to check on that some time.