Got Game
BE CAREFUL what you wish for because it just might come true. Or so the saying goes. Oh my! Search for a goddess
DRAWN & QUARTERED
College student Keiichi Morisato would have done well to heed this advice. When a late-night call for takeout dinner instead reaches the Goddess Technical Help Line, the trouble begins in "Oh My Goddess!" by Kosuke Fujishima.
This Japanese comic is available in English, both as single-story monthly releases and collected as graphic novels, at comic stores like Jelly's and Other Realms.
The beautiful goddess Belldandy answers Keiichi's call and says she can fulfill one wish. He wants help in the romance department -- his short stature seems to be the problem -- but Belldandy doesn't understand why.
So Keiichi, figuring the only girl he could get is one as naive as Belldandy, makes his wish: He wants a woman like her to stay with him always.
Once his wish is filed, the goddess computer constantly works to grant it. The hitch: The computer has made it so Belldandy herself stays with him.
This means problems for Keiichi, who lives in an all-male dorm and insists the goddess can't stay.
The force of his wish is immediately apparent: When he tries to make Belldandy leave, the other fraternity members come in and find her there in violation of the rules. So their only recourse is to kick him out!
Suddenly homeless, Keiichi follows Belldandy's directions to an old temple, where they take up residence.
But good and bad luck come in threes, and goddesses are no exception to the rule. Belldandy's sisters, Urd and Skuld, decide to join the fun and move in with the couple.
With big sister Urd constantly scheming to get the couple together while younger sister Skuld plots to tear the two apart, poor Keiichi is usually on the losing end and always has to be on his toes.
"Oh My Goddess!" is a beautifully drawn, romantic comedy, full of classic near misses and misunderstandings that plague any potential relationship.
Belldandy is the stereotypical ultrasweet and innocent girl, Urd is impossibly mischievous and headstrong, and Skuld adds a cute though childish perspective as she tries to put a damper on her sister's relationship.
The goddesses' well-meaning antics usually end up causing more harm than good, and you can't help but feel sorry for Keiichi, the typical "nice guy" who's often overlooked by girls.
The mayhem could mirror an episode of "The Brady Bunch."
"Oh My Goddess!" was also made into a five-episode anime, which is too short to fully explore Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship, considering there are more than 100 stories in print.
But it's still a great watch, with excellent voice acting and a short and sweet story line that is significantly different from the comics, keeping viewers in suspense.
There is also a spinoff anime called "The Adventures of Mini-Goddess," made up of five-minute gag cartoons in which the goddesses are only an inch high. There are more than 40 episodes, and though there are no plans to import it, one can still hope.
Wilma Jandoc covers the universe
of video games and anime for the
Star-Bulletin. She can be emailed at
wjandoc@starbulletin.com