What`s faster than a speeding bullet and leaps tall buildings in a single bound? In Japan, it`s ninja, of course! And now the demon Mara, in her ceaseless campaign against the earthbound goddesses Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy, has summoned up Ninja Master Kodama, mistress of confusion, to sow ill will among the sisters. It`s easy enough to set the troublesome Urd and Skuld at each other`s throats, but can she use her more charming powers to split up Belldandy and her very much non-godlike boyfriend Keiichi? Oh My Goddess! is one of Japan`s most entertaining exports, topflight manga full of feverish fun, fanciful frolic, and flat-out firepower!
Kōsuke Fujishima (藤島康介, born July 7, 1964) is a Japanese manga artist.
Born in Chiba, Japan, he first came to public attention as an editor of Puff magazine, his first job after completing high school. Fujishima originally intended to be a draftsman, but took the editorial role after failing to get a drafting apprenticeship. He later became assistant to manga artist Tatsuya Egawa in the production of the Making Be Free! manga, and in 1986 began his first original manga series You're Under Arrest. His second manga series Oh My Goddess!, also translated as Ah! My Goddess, is extremely popular and has made Fujishima a household name in Japan. In addition, he is also well known as the character designer for several games in the Tales RPG video game series and Sakura Wars.
He is known for his love of automobiles and motorcycles, and several of his series and their characters reflect this, such as in éX-Driver and Oh My Goddess!.
This volume of Oh My Goddess, you will read a lot about the Ninja Master saga, that it was okay but not great. Also, some good eps centered on Skuld. It is a good volume. I enjoyed better the previous one, but it's still a good book.
With this reading of Oh My Goddess, I am realizing an important lesson many manga creators have forgotten over the years. This the idea the main premise isn't the only aspect of the story to tell. Yes, Keiichi is visited by a Goddess from heaven who stays with him and the craziness and supernatural situations which occur because of it but there is more to it than that. Keiichi is also a college student studying motors and part of club where more antics take place. Too often these days it seems like the main concept of "plot described in the title" is the only aspect the series focuses on. For a series to truly run for a long time, its easier if the creators don't limit the scope of their story.
World: The art is fantastic I love the characters. The world building is small and fits the needs of the story, the stage is pretty much basic.
Story: The stories are fun and charming, from Keiichi learning to be a leader to Bell’s jealousy it’s all little small moments put together in a feel good package. I love the art and the pacing it’s such a nice pallet cleaner to the other stuff I read.
Characters: Beautiful characters inside and out, they are basic and tropes but they serve the story well and really are wonderful with their beautiful emotions that give readers something charming and beautiful.
The art seems to have plateaued somewhat in this volume, but it's at a good level. Instead, Fujishima starts developing his characters more. In particular, he shows sides to the characters that we hadn't really witnessed before. Urd shows her romantic side again and Belldandy finally actually experiences jealousy. All in all, still not a whole lot of overarching plot, but lots of fun all the same.
I found a pile of loose issues of Oh My Goddess, including part 2/2 of Ninja Master, which I remember being my favourite. Rereading these issues some 25 years later, it struck me how little happened and how little mattered in these comics - except in this story about two mice friends who happened to get changed into miniature ninja by a demon. Simple but charming, this issue I'll keep in my bookcase.
It's kinda funny that I'd read a volume as random as number 9, and yet still understand the story and characters. (The last time I tried that, I was in high school trying to read CLAMP's Chobits, starting at volume 5.... I was very young and ignorant back then, ok??) Then again, it helps that this time around I've seen the anime Ah! My Goddess and its sequel Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy nearly a year ago....
I remembered the episodes which encompasses the events of this cute manga volume, and I must say, I'm impressed by how accurately the anime portrayed them, especially considering it was released a good decade or so after the manga....
Upon learning that this series has 40 volumes, I cringed, until I remembered that I read 56 Inuyasha volumes TWICE, so I have no right to talk, plus Oh! My Goddess are incredibly TINY, THIN volumes compared to what I'm used to. But... I would only invest myself if I had the majority of them at hand via the library. As it happens, the library only had volume 9 and since I knew the story already and read the synopsis, it didn't hurt.
The manga style is old-fashioned, cutesy-and-somewhat-sexy, and Urd is as awesome as ever. Belldandy is still the ultimate sweetheart, Keiichi is the lovable nerd, and Skuld is 1000% still a spoiled brat. It was good to be reintroduced to characters I fell in love with and still feel their spirits... so to speak. ^_^
Law of the Ninja: The continuation of the story about Mara's ninja. Other ninjas come to kill the one Mara sent. They end up getting in a fight with all three goddesses and even attack Keiichi.
Together for Never: Urd and Skuld are both called back to Heaven to take remedial courses. That leaves Keiichi and Belldandy alone. Before they can get close, though, Belldandy becomes ill. Keiichi tries to find some kind of helpful potion in Urd's room. Things go wrong, though, and Keiichi gets changed into a girl. Keiichi helps Belldandy heal, but he's still stuck as a girl.
Can't Stop Being Jealous: The last page of the previous section and three pages of this section are in color. Urd's old lover, the Plum Tree Spirit, arrives. He happens to be very jealous and Keiichi gets worried. He has a hidden agenda of his own, though.
It's Lonely at the Top: The Motor Club wants to enter a hill-climbing contest. Keiichi is the one that is going to be riding the bike.
Tainted God: Keiichi gets a love letter. He meets the girl who says she needs to exorcise some evil spirits from him and plans to stay at his house that night. Instead of getting rid of low-level spirits, though, she actually summons a bunch of them up. Then she summons up some kind of major spirit. Meanwhile Belldandy is getting jealous of her.
Alamierrr.... Diez años desde que me compré y leí este tomo. Recuerdo que me gustó bastante, pero supongo que con lo caro que era todo entonces, y teniendo en cuenta que nunca más volví a encontrar tomos a tan buen precio de esta colección, lo dejé colgado por mucho tiempo. Espero en algún momento ponerme al día, porque tanto el #1 como este tomo (que me vengo a enterar de que es el 9) me parecieron lecturas de lo más gratas.