Review -- 'Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy'
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L Mouse
By L Mouse
Published on 05/14/2007
If you're looking for pleasant, romantic escapism, Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy provides that ...
Cute show, not much plot
I will be perfectly up front and say that this particular flavor of anime isn't my favorite. I want to watch shows about interestingly flawed characters, and I like lots of exciting plots in my stories. I'm a huge fan of, say, Fullmetal Alchemist or RuroKen. And for newer shows, I'm intrigued by ADV's new offering Le Chevalier D'Eon.
Ah! My Goddess, on the other hand, is ... cute. And I am emphatically allergic to cute. However, I'm trying to give it a fair shake as it is a fan favorite and it does have a few appealing points.
This is a series about two perfect characters who are madly in love. Seriously. They have no flaws. This is the point of the series. It's a story about the pure-hearted young man Keiichi who makes a wish and ends up with a goddess as a girlfriend. The goddess, Belldandy, is a perfect person -- she can do everything from cook wonderful meals to knit a sweater for Keiichi. She's an idealized magical girlfriend, he's supposedly the perfect boyfriend, and they have a happy life together.
Honestly? My favorite character on this is the rich brat Sayoko. Thank God(dess) for Sayoko -- I'm not sure I could have watched this DVD without her in it. She's rich, spoiled, jealous of Belldandy, and, actually, not entirely a bad person. (As Belldandy notes, repeatedly.) She lends a very much needed human perspective to the stories -- be it stealing the sweater that Belldandy knitted for Keiichi or getting drunk at her own party in an attempt to outdrink Belldandy. Belldandy, it is noted, in addition to being a good singer, can also hold her liqueur. However, she can't hold her cola!
If you're looking for pleasant, romantic escapism, Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy provides that. It's pure wish fulfillment with simple stories about two people madly in love with each other and who are trying to do nice things for one other. Belldandy knits a sweater for Keiichi. Keiichi works his butt off to buy a ring for Belldandy. Belldandy, knowing he is laboring very hard at something, stays up late cooking meals for him. Etcetera. There isn't anything really dramatic in the stories -- but drama isn't the point. It's about two people in love.
Aaaaaaaah, love.
Ultimately, I found the show inoffensive and watchable. And for people who want less drama and more pure romance in their shows it may be far more appealing. It's not a bad show, it's just bland. I simply found it to be the anime version of elevator music.
Ah! My Goddess, on the other hand, is ... cute. And I am emphatically allergic to cute. However, I'm trying to give it a fair shake as it is a fan favorite and it does have a few appealing points.
This is a series about two perfect characters who are madly in love. Seriously. They have no flaws. This is the point of the series. It's a story about the pure-hearted young man Keiichi who makes a wish and ends up with a goddess as a girlfriend. The goddess, Belldandy, is a perfect person -- she can do everything from cook wonderful meals to knit a sweater for Keiichi. She's an idealized magical girlfriend, he's supposedly the perfect boyfriend, and they have a happy life together.
Honestly? My favorite character on this is the rich brat Sayoko. Thank God(dess) for Sayoko -- I'm not sure I could have watched this DVD without her in it. She's rich, spoiled, jealous of Belldandy, and, actually, not entirely a bad person. (As Belldandy notes, repeatedly.) She lends a very much needed human perspective to the stories -- be it stealing the sweater that Belldandy knitted for Keiichi or getting drunk at her own party in an attempt to outdrink Belldandy. Belldandy, it is noted, in addition to being a good singer, can also hold her liqueur. However, she can't hold her cola!
If you're looking for pleasant, romantic escapism, Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy provides that. It's pure wish fulfillment with simple stories about two people madly in love with each other and who are trying to do nice things for one other. Belldandy knits a sweater for Keiichi. Keiichi works his butt off to buy a ring for Belldandy. Belldandy, knowing he is laboring very hard at something, stays up late cooking meals for him. Etcetera. There isn't anything really dramatic in the stories -- but drama isn't the point. It's about two people in love.
Aaaaaaaah, love.
Ultimately, I found the show inoffensive and watchable. And for people who want less drama and more pure romance in their shows it may be far more appealing. It's not a bad show, it's just bland. I simply found it to be the anime version of elevator music.