Review for Ah! My Goddess: Series 2 - Flights of Fancy Part 2 (2 Discs) (Review)
Monday, 12th July 2010, 17:52

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Extras
I would like to once again point out the incongruity of the hack and slash, swords and blood Manga logo, and the sweetness and fluffiness of the Ah! My Goddess franchise. There's no sign of Funimation's presence on these discs, but there is an ADV logo at the start, and ADV are credited on the discs as well.

Also different from the Funimation re-releases are the animated menus, and the distribution of the extras.

Disc 1 gets the textless credits, and a 90-second production art slideshow.

The commentary on this disc accompanies episode 12, and is disappointing compared to the commentaries in the previous set. Veronica Taylor (Chihiro), and Dan Green (Troubadour) have something of a luvvie-in as they just turn up for a chat and reminisce. Veronica Taylor's character was in episode 11, so she doesn't have much to say about this one, and the two spend more time talking about the other anime they have done, instead of supplying us with pertinent Ah My Goddess info.

Disc 2 gets the textless credits again, including the second ending theme.

The commentary on episode 15 has Annice Moriarty (Skuld), and Vibe Jones (Urd) coming together for a chat. It starts out promisingly enough as they talk about their respective careers, but quickly turns into a good gossip about the recreational possibilities in the New York area. Not at all interesting.

Conclusion
Call it filler, call it a mid-season slump, or just call it poor writing, but it's an affliction that many series suffer, where the momentum and pace of the main story is lost, and things begin to feel a little aimless. For some anime series, it can be a disaster, but with Ah My Goddess: Flights of Fancy, it's hardly noticeable. The quality of the animation doesn't diminish, the quality of the writing still remains high, and the episodes are just as entertaining as before. It's just that the story shifts away from the central characters of Belldandy and Keiichi, we take a breather from their infinitesimally progressive romance, and we concentrate on the supporting cast. And with characters as interesting and as rounded as Urd and Skuld, it's actually a pleasant diversion to get away from the central duo for a few episodes.

We begin by rounding off the Peorth arc first though. Peorth is the goddess that Keiichi accidentally contacted in the previous volume, and just as with Belldandy, she's willing to grant any wish that Keiichi has, except 'I wish you'd leave me alone' of course. But unlike Belldandy, she's a lot more brazen and forward about it, and it seems that her interest in Keiichi quickly moves from the professional to the personal. But in reality, it's actually a personal friction between her and Belldandy that is behind this, and the rivalry quickly overwhelms the desire to grant a wish. Peorth is an interesting character, and I had hoped that she would be a permanent addition to the Morisato household, but her first spell on the show lasts a mere four episodes. There is the impression though that she is more Urd than Urd, and having two similar characters in proximity for a lengthy period wouldn't be good for the story.

It's around episode 11 that the show diverts attention from the central characters, and in this collection it's just as entertaining. There's a nice story when the Auto Club's original leader returns, looking to find new direction in her life after achieving success with a major racing team. In an interesting switch, it's Keiichi's seniors Otaki and Tamiya who cower and run for cover when she arrives, indicating the same relationship with her that Keiichi has with them. The arrival of Urd's ex-boyfriend is suitably fiery, although I have to admit that I find Troubadour more annoying than funny. I suppose it makes it worthwhile when he gets zapped by a couple of Urd's thunderbolts. Given the sort of manipulative ex-boyfriend that he turns out to be, I'd say that Urd was remarkably restrained in her reaction to his return. Restrained and Urd aren't normally two words that go together in a sentence.

The best of the non-relationship episodes follow, with Skuld taking her first tentative steps to Goddess-hood. A goddess truly comes into her powers when she expresses her feelings of love, and in Skuld's case it means first love. For someone I considered excessively bratty in the first season, these two episodes are really sweet and enchanting, as trying to learn how to ride a bike, she finds the ideal teacher in a local boy named Sentaro. It's a classic coming of age tale, as she stops being so selfish and capricious, starts thinking of others, and by doing so awakens her abilities. Of course she's not going to grow up overnight, and the haste to do so causes problems in the next episode, when Skuld tries prematurely to access her angel. It's a charming, magical and entertaining tale, with just a hint of tragic loss and regret to it, just enough to get a lump in the throat.

The collection rounds off with a two-episode tale. There's a hint of danger when demon Marller returns, and in a curious remake of the old Star Trek episode, Urd gets split into her good and evil halves. It's enjoyable and fast paced, there are plenty of memorable moments to savour, but it's hard to get away from the feeling that the good-evil twin trope is a worn and tired one now, that has shown up again and again since Jekyll and Hyde, and the story ends with the same punchline as the Trek episode, that good-Urd and evil-Urd can't exist separately, one without the other. They need each other to survive, not that the story can end any other way. Fortunately, there is a sly twist to the end that leaves me chuckling.

This middle instalment of Ah My Goddess: Flights of Fancy loses a little momentum from the first by drifting away from the central romance for a few episodes, and it also ends on a somewhat clichéd, if still entertaining note. But then again it does have my favourite episodes of the series, which surprisingly aren't about Belldandy and Keiichi, but about Skuld, the annoying brat from the first season, who becomes warm and likeable, if still a little bratty here. Shows that make you feel this good ought to come with a health warning. You don't want to overdose.

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