Oh My Goddess (Vol. 1)
Kosuke Fujishima's delightfulOh My Goddess!began as amangain 1988 and was made into a five-part OAV in 1993-94. Fujishima used bits of Western mythology for his offbeat romantic comedy: the three sister-goddesses are based on the Norns, the Fates in Scandinavian legends. Keiichi Morisato is a familiar anime type: a short, skinny nerd at the bottom of the pecking order. One afternoon, while he's stuck in his dorm taking phone messages for his older classmates and trying to order lunch, the lovely Belldandy appears and declares she is a goddess who will grant him one wish. Convinced she's part of an elaborate prank, Keiichi asks her to become his girlfriend forever--and is dumbfounded when she grants his wish. Her presence gets him kicked out of the all-male dorm, so they set up housekeeping in an abandoned temple. What should be an idyllic existence is soon complicated by the arrival of Megumi, Keiichi's kid sister; Urd, Belldandy's voluptuous older sister; and Skuld, her sulky younger sister. But despite the contretemps, the bond between Keiichi and Belldandy only grows stronger. Keiichi, like Tenchi or Akito inNadesico, is initially unprepossessing, but his maladroit exterior conceals a genuinely kind heart. Perhaps because she's a real goddess, rather than a magical girl, Belldandy never whines or grows smarmy; she remains a warm, gentle presence. Voice actors Scott Simpson and Juliet Cesario offer sensitive performances that add to the series' charm and good-natured comedy. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up for minor nudity and occasional risqué humor.--Charles Solomon