I have been aware of the Ah My Goddess series ever since I first started getting into anime and manga. It's concept always seemed interesting, even though it seemed based along the lines of the ever popular "nerdy guy surrounded by beautiful women" story mould that is brought up in Samurai from Outer Space. I can see how the idea works both ways however, with average guys wanting to be attractive to beautiful women and girls wanting to be adored by more sensitive, submissive guys. Nevertheless I never really ended up watching any of the series. Upon seeing the movie for the first time it seemed a bit confusing being thrown into the story with only a little beginning knowledge of the characters and the world. The relationship of the two main characters, Keiichi and the goddess Belldandy, is put to the test throughout the movie. Upon the arrival of Celestine, Belldandy must overcome the loss of her memories, a powerful virus and the force of her own emotions. With the help of Keiichi, she is able to protect the earth from destruction as well as spare her former mentor. The movie puts its characters through a great deal of emotional turmoil to illustrate the virtue of loyalty and the lasting strength of true love.
Perhaps what Ah My Goddess does best is telling a story full of strong women. Not only that, they do a particularly good job of making them more than one dimension. It shows that women can be tough, though weak and everything in between; they are emotional but able to step up and defend when the circumstances call for it. The goddesses are supernatural but they feel rather like real people in personality; in Belldandy's case she is a very relateable character who we feel for when she is torn in different ways by her emotions. All in all, the character development of Ah My Goddess stands out over the plot, much like many animes of its kind.
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