Review for Ah! My Goddess: Series 2 - Flights of Fancy Part 3 (2 Discs) (Review)
Thursday, 2nd September 2010, 16:33

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Introduction
It's the middle of summer, the August Bank Holiday is impending, the beaches beckon with their sand and sea combination of relaxation, there ought to be a music festival somewhere offering more outdoor entertainment treats, and if all else fails, we can always slaughter and incinerate a bovine (have a barbecue). But typically, this is when the heavens open, the wind starts to blow, and the Met Office issues countless flood warnings. Summer! Pah! It's a good thing we have a feel good anime like Ah! My Goddess to provide a warm glow where the weather fails. Unfortunately, this third offering of Ah! My Goddess is the final one, but I'm not trying to think too much about that.

Ah! My Goddess takes its cue from the sitcoms of the sixties, shows like Bewitched and I Dream Of Jeannie, where an average Joe would meet the girl of his dreams, only there would be more to her than meets the eye, causing his life to change in unexpected ways. Here Keiichi Morisato is the average Joe, but Belldandy trumps the witch and genie by actually being a goddess, a celestial being who comes to Earth to grant one wish. Life isn't all celestial perfection for Keiichi though, and the mayhem increases when Belldandy's elder sister Urd, and younger sister Skuld also move in. You'd think that with the Lord of Terror defeated at the end of the first series, life would get back to an idyllic bliss for Keiichi and Belldandy, as they inch inexorably forward on the path of true love, but life is never that easy, especially in a romantic anime comedy.

The previous volume saw Marller's evil plan for Urd almost succeed in separating her demon half from her goddess half. It was only the quick thinking of Skuld and her technological wizardry that managed to reunite Urd's divided selves. But while her body was reunited, her split personalities weren't…

The final eight episodes of Ah! My Goddess - Flights of Fancy are released on two discs from Manga Entertainment.

Disc 1

17. Ah! The Chair of Demonkind Descends!
Urd is still suffering from multiple personalities, with her demon half warring with her goddess half over what to watch on television. This provides no little amusement, but there is a serious side to the problem. Urd's goddess nature is slowly overwhelming her demon side, and that half of her is losing her memory. When that happens, the Urd that everyone knows and loves will vanish, and the goddess that remains will be a new, different personality. It's something that the Almighty won't have a problem with, but Belldandy and Skuld don't want to lose their sister. They will have to turn to the other direction for help. They'll have to turn to that which typifies all that is unholy, evil, and dark in this world. They'll have to turn to Hild, the Ruler of Demonkind. In other words Urd will have to phone her mother…

18. Ah! Do Demons Have Any Dignity?!
Marller is a regular guest at Belldandy and Keiichi's, she's settled down and found a nice job at the convenience store, and she's practically a shoe-in for manager. It's a rude awakening when she realises that she has been neglecting her demonic duties of bringing chaos and mayhem to the world. It's Hild who delivers that awakening too, as she's left a fraction of herself behind in the real world to motivate Marller and disrupt Keiichi and Belldandy's idyll. Soon Marller is back at work, introducing the Keiichi household to an Aladdin's lamp cum Goddess vacuum. And yes, Keiichi really is that wishy-washy.

19. Ah! The Love Of A Goddess Saves a Ninja!
Marller's next plan involves taking the most lethal, dangerous beings that mankind has created, and unleashing them on the unwitting goddesses. She's created three mini-ninja to bedevil Belldandy, and soon Kodoma, Nozomi and Hikari are using their considerable skills to infiltrate the Tariki Hongan temple. They haven't figured on the power of a goddess though, and one by one, they are turned from their mission. But where Belldandy is all-powerful, Keiichi is vulnerable, and when they turn their attention to him, Belldandy overreacts.

20. Ah! It Doesn't Matter Where, So Long as We're Together
Belldandy has had her Goddess Licence suspended… for a week. It is her first offence after all, but living as a human has its own challenges. Those challenges multiply when suddenly everyone is using the temple as a temporary storage area. Keiichi's sempai Tamiya and Otaki have the contents of their dorm to store while it's being remodelled, Megumi has a load of appliances, Sayoko has her wardrobe… They need room and fast, and Belldandy can't use her powers. Fortunately Skuld has her patented room doubler. But when Keiichi can't figure out the controls, he and Belldandy wind up trapped in the middle of infinite space. Alone together for a week, no way out, no interruptions…

Disc 2

21. Ah! Would It Be Okay If I Were a Demon?!
It's just a formality, but Belldandy has to take a few days to get her Goddess Licence back. Unfortunately, she's too eager and fails to look at the small print. She's got a Demon Licence instead, and now trying to do good magic results in messy explosions. On top of that, Keiichi's bad luck returns full force. It will take months to get the bureaucratic mess untangled, and Heaven's security won't even allow Belldandy access anymore. Urd and Skuld will have to sort it out, and in the meantime Keiichi will have to keep Belldandy from doing any sort of magic whatsoever. Of course Marller is behind all this, and she's soon tempting Belldandy to do ill, for if Belldandy the demon commits evil acts, the evil vibes will make Keiichi happy.

22. Ah! The Goddess's Confession!
It gets worse… Now Keiichi is in love with Hild, ruler of Demonkind. Worse, he's always been in love with her, and Keiichi has no memory of ever being in love with Belldandy. It isn't a spell, he hasn't been charmed, there's no magic potion at work, Keiichi, genuinely, honestly has always only had eyes for Hild. History has been tampered with. Getting back to the past is one thing, but getting young Keiichi to fall in love with Belldandy all over again may be impossible.

23. Ah! Everyone Has a Destiny!
The first of the season's bonus episodes sees Keiichi taking a trip down memory lane, when Belldandy discovers his grandfather Hotarunosuke's journal, with an enigmatic photograph, and a map to a hidden treasure. The whole gang gets together to go on the 'camping' trip, and a maid named Chieko Honda meets them, whose duties are to take care of their every need. But when she sees Keiichi, she instantly recognises him, and insists that he keeps his promise to her. But as Keiichi insists to Belldandy, he's never seen her before.

24. Ah! The Song of Love That Shakes the Heart!
Peorth is back, and this time her mission is to finally get Keiichi to confess his love to Belldandy. Given that he is the wishiest-washiest man on the planet, a man who makes Hugh Grant look like the epitome of assertive and forthright clarity, this may just be her toughest assignment ever. It's not made any easier when Urd gets in on the act with a magic potion of her own devising.

Picture
The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer on this disc is clear and problem free to my eye. It may be an NTSC- PAL conversion, but it is an exceptionally good one, free of ghosting and judder, and with smooth animation. In my opinion, it is a mite softer than the region 1 discs, but certainly nothing to fret about. This is still as good as television anime usually gets in this country. As for the animation, especially compared to the OVA, it's a case of swings and roundabouts. The character design and world detail is simplified in comparison to the original episodes, but the animation is much more fluid, with CGI blended in seamlessly as is the case with most modern anime. The world is also more expansive, with a lot more of the background detail filled in.

Sound
It's just your basic DD 2.0 English and Japanese for Ah My Goddess, with optional English subtitles and signs. I feel that the English dub sounds a little goofy in comparison to the original language track, but I guess that's a matter of personal preference. If like me, you prefer the original language tracks, it's worth noting that the original cast reunite after 12 years for this series, providing a nice degree of familiarity to fans of the OVA. ADV also pulled off something of a coup in terms of continuity, by retaining the same English dub cast from the first season. There are some more Japanese Celtic theme tunes to enjoy, and if the opener of Season 2 doesn't get you liking the sound of bagpipes, nothing ever will.

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