Like most anime based on Kosuke Fujishima's comics and character designs, this visually splendid film presents a lush, romantic and rather lightweight story. The original audience was presumed to have already read the books and seen earlier shows, and therefore to be familiar with the characters, general setup and a fair amount of back story that precedes the events here. However the story--what there is of it--is so straightforward that even the uninitiated viewer will probably get the general idea. In the universe of this film, heaven is an enormous, multi-layered bureaucracy (an ancient concept in Asian fiction) staffed by various "gods" and "goddesses," some of whom have come to live with Japanese college student Keiichi Morisato in Tokyo. Over the course of a few days, the actions of a rebellious archangel disorder heaven, endanger the earth and present serious relationship problems for Keiichi and Belldandy, the goddess-first-class to whom he has become romantically attached. Along the way other characters familiar from the previous series make mostly cameo appearances. All in all a light, beautifully animated, non-threatening and enjoyable film.
Review of Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
