Starting as a popular manga in Japan, Oh My Goddess was made into a five episode OVA in 1993. This show manages to capture a lot of the charm that the comic has, and is a fitting tribute to the manga. Animeigo first released this in 2001, and tough there are some video problems with the disc, it's still worth picking up.

Morisato Keiichi is a freshman in college hanging out in his dorm one afternoon when he tries to order some food. All of the places he calls are either closed or not delivering yet, until he accidently dials the Goddess Hotline. The voice on the other end says that she'll be right over, and the next thing he knows, a beautiful girl, Belldandy, is standing in his room. She explains that she's a goddess and will grant his wish. Keiichi is sure that this is a joke that his dorm mates are playing on him, so he tells the apparition that his deepest desire is to have her as his girlfriend forever. Belldandy's not a joke of course, but a real goddess. The 'ultimate force' lets her grant his wish, and she becomes his girlfriend.

Having a stunning woman for a girlfriend isn't all it's cracked up to be though. First of all, there's no women allowed in his dorm room, so he gets kicked out. They eventually find an abandoned temple that is perfect for them to live in, but Keiichi has another surprise in store for him.

Things get a little complicated when Keiichi decides to take Belldandy to the beach for a vacation. Bell's big sister, Urd, doesn't think that Keiichi is moving fast enough with her sister, so she turns up to give him some pointers. Putting the moves on Belldandy isn't Keiichi's style though, and no matter how much she pushes, he's not going to make a pass. So Urd tricks Keiichi into taking a love potion, too bad he doesn't fall in love with Bell.

The final episode has Keiichi getting ready for his motor club's drag race. He's trying to build a custom motorcycle, but things keep getting in his way. Not the least of which is Belldandy's little sister, Skuld, who misses her favorite sister. Skuld dislikes Keiichi, to say the least, and when she finds out that Keiichi's club has put up Belldandy in wager with their rivals, she starts routing for the other team.

This is a fun show that has a lot of charm. It's definitely character based, and the group of strange and funny people who populate the show grows steadily throughout the disc. I especially liked the beefy members of the auto club who aren't too bright but really enjoy their motorcycles. The three goddesses who end up living with Keiichi are interesting too, and I'm sure they'll cause a lot of problems in the rest of the series. Definitely a show worth checking out.

This disc comes with Japanese and English tracks, both in stereo. I alternated tracks while watching the show as I always do and enjoyed them both. The sound in both languages was clean and clear. There wasn't much use made of the soundstage, with the voices centered on the screen, though the music and sound effects were in the split between the two front speakers. There are subtitles in English.

Video:

The full frame video quality wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting. The image had a problem with ghosting, everything was outlined, but it didn't look like edge enhancement, more like poor TV reception. This was really distracting and made the picture look like it was out of focus. Cross coloration was also a bit of a problem with rainbow effects popping up every once in a while, especially during pans. The colors looked good and there wasn't any print damage, but the other defects really marred this disc.

Extras:

There are a few extras on this disc, starting with a commentary track on all three episodes. I'm not a big fan of commentaries on anime shows, but this one was even more dull than usual. The three commentators, who don't bother to introduce themselves, don't seem to realize that they are supposed to be providing comments for the audience at home. They just chat among themselves about scenes they like or dislike. Bring in a couple of friends who've seen the show and ask them to talk through it and you'll pretty much reproduce this track.

The other audio based extra is a presentation of the show with only music and sound effects. This is a neat idea, allowing a group of friends to make their own dub of the show. This would be a fun activity for an anime club or group, and I'm surprised that more companies haven't included this on their discs.

Finally there is a art gallery of production cells, and Animeigo's liner note inserts including notes on the show and the lyrics to the songs.

Final Thoughts:

I like comedy shows that don't stray too far from reality, and this show falls in that category. They don't rely on fan service for the jokes, and the humor is quiet yet amusing. A fun show that has a lot of charm. This was an early DVD release, and Animeigo was still getting used to mastering disc when they released this one. There are some irritating video defects, but the show is still worth watching. Recommended.