ThatAnimeSnob

This is the title that initiated the Magical Girlfriend subgenre and it's also amongst the oldest and longest harems ever, with multiple adaptations and OVAs. This adaptation happens to be the best work of studio AIC and is also an improvement over the original material by rearranging the order of events so the pacing will not get bogged down by several minor events. The director decided to take out lots of racing and engineering events which were fine to show how much the mangaka loved racing but would otherwise be completely boring in anime form.

SCRIPT

The story is about a teenage dork dialing the wrong number and ending up with a beautiful goddess, ready to fulfill his wishes, of which his is to stay with him forever (wish fullfilment). Soon afterwards her godly sisters pop up (harem creation) and his life becomes complicating as he is constantly surrounded by supernatural hot chicks and has to keep using his talents to save the world from cosmic horrors (action) without messing up his personal life (comedy). The story is one big pile of comedy, romance, and drama that also blends mythology with science fiction. The core premise is always about Keichi and Belldandy being in love and staying true to each other, even when the cosmic forces conspire against them.

Unlike most harems that are hardly trying to flesh out their characters or provide internal logic to all the madness in the story, AMG is actually trying its best to make everything seem logical and excused. The girls are all there for a reason, react somewhat logical with the restrictions of the premise, have powers that are somewhat excused through science and every event has technology and mythology to back it up.

Also, the story never forgets to still be easy-going and funny, where nothing major or deadly ever happens. There is no clear plot development, other than introducing more secondary characters and ephemeral threats every now and then. But if stand-alone episodes and stale stories don't bother you, this is not a problem. There is no objective or even a conclusion, it just goes on and on indefinitely. It is wholesome and cheery, with some parts being more exciting or funny than others. Most of the duration may feel like dead time but overall it is still quite enjoyable.

CAST

Belldandy used to be amongst my favorite anime girls. Too gentle and good to be true, but then again she is a goddess and that is enough of an excuse. Her sisters Urd and Skuld are also interesting in their own way and flavor the harem nicely. The combination of great visuals, ethereal music and unearthly nature makes them feel far better than the average harem bimbo out there.

The harem lead Keichi on the other hand is, was, and still is a typical male dork that is swarmed by beautiful girls without him being anything special. Oh, sure, he is gentle, kind, good-hearted and the like; but let's face it, girls don't really notice such males. We can always justify it with Belldandy being a goddess that can see people for what they really are. But since I am not a god, I say he is a sissy for feeling embarrassed every time he has the chance to make some lovey-dovey. He and all other males like him in most harem anime are despicable! They give the male gender a bad name, he is the driest and worst character amongst the cast. But if I am to give him a few redeeming qualities, I can say he is actually using his brain from time to time to solve some problems and even finds the courage to fight for his harem. Too bad he isn't bold enough to do anything other than that.

That aside, all characters have quirks, backdrop stories and goals that go beyond their stereotypes as sex-bombs, edgy lolitas and shy male virgins. The secondary characters are all likable and color to main ones. None of them were bad or unneeded in the story. I can't say the same about Keichi (and to think he is supposed to be the protagonist!). Obviously none of them develops or finds some sort of catharsis because of the lack of an overall plot, so that could become tiresome after awhile.

PRODUCTION VALUES

The animation is great if you compare it with other similar series.

-All Slice-Of-Life series don't use flashy visual effects (they don't fit there). So, the graphics here are catchier, by default.

-Almost all comedies don't have so detailed character figures. They are usually simplistic and go chibi all the time.

-Most Harem/Ecchi series turn their female characters into obnoxious, panties-revealing sluts. The girls here retain an air of purity and gentleness. The naughty scenes are few but worthwhile, as the focus in the series is not waiting to see boobs every 10 seconds.

Music themes and voice acting are very good. The women voicing the goddesses are also the singers in the songs (a thing that was kept intact in the remake as well). Very likable voices and backdrop music that fill your heart with happiness. Even the funky sound effects during the action parts feel cool as they are usually attributed to technology or mythology.

LEGACY

Like a sunny day, it is enjoyable but also rather passable. It helped to mainstream Harem and Magical Girlfriend stereotypes and thus deserves a spot in history just for that. Despite not being original or unique anymore, it is still amongst the best of its genre. It's still watered-down and far shorter than the far bolder in erotism manga. Rewatchability is medium-high for fans of slice of life, while for most others there is very little to gain from a second watch.

Some issues that can ruin your enjoyment.

-The relationship between Keichi and Beldandy never goes beyond hugging, making the whole deal stale and without further development. The story itself has no development, other than introducing more secondary characters every now and then.

-There is a lot of character fleshing out, but very little character development. You get to know more about them but you won't see them change.

-There are lots of uninteresting episodes, where the goddesses and/or demons rival each other, just for laughs.

-There is no conclusion.

It had a big fandom when it aired, most of which were yaoi females. It was also made by DEEN, the studio anime went to die with lazy production values and poor directing by the guy who ruined Record of Lodoss War and Beelzebub with his dull handling of the source material.

ART: Don't I look hot in this robe?

A blend of medieval fantasy and science fiction, the artwork can be catchy with its fairy tale-ish aesthetics. It also combines clergy life, occult mystery and military super-soldier projects for some rather surreal backgrounds. It's also a series of bishounens, so it will be extra captivating to fujoshis. Everybody is made to look like a dream boy any fangirl would kill just to touch his hair. They have glances and smirks that can lure you into their arms in less than 3 seconds. There are some women and old people as well but they are just background decoration or cute mascots, like a perky mermaid, a fuzzy pink critter and a trio of aloof sisters.

The series can look awesome when you focus on frozen frames, but when you notice how terrible the animation is then things get messy. Action scenes and visual effects are you typical DEEN crap, with battle choreography being a joke, explosions never damaging the background, and magic attacks existing on a different plane of existence since they were computer rendered instead of drawn along with the background. The characters stand still way too much, flapping mouths is most of what is moving, and jumping is just a static picture that slides across the screen. I can go on for hours, but you can just check the opening to see that Teito fellow sitting on a spiky rooftop without it somehow sticking in his ass. So yeah the series disregards physics, making all battles completely boring and fake-looking. Just imagine that most action is limited to characters shaking their hands and magic stuff appearing that doesn't affect the environment or other characters. If you are going to make it so bad, don't make it at all.

SOUND: I love you Mikage! ... in an erotically innuendo way only!

Voice acting is nothing remarkable and it's mostly the actors trying to sound like gays in love. The music on the other hand is very pleasing, making your mind travel with various chorus pieces.

SCRIPT: Oh forget about the fate of the world and just look at me walking elegantly

It sounds mighty interesting as a concept with military secret ops, mystical temples, scary ghosts, gay innuendos, a sort of detective feeling, and a lot of daily life in a fantasy setting. The overall ideas are mighty interesting, but when you watch it is so darn slow. Most episodes don't even seem to progress the plot and the rest give you only a few seconds of important info. They could have taken out half the total duration and it still wouldn't feel rushed.

It is also straightforward, since despite its events affecting the lives of millions it centers on five people at the most. It's too focused on the military base and the temple, and it completely ignores every other location of an otherwise huge and complicating setting. There is no pay-off at the end either, since it escalates for many episodes and ends with the story left incomplete.

CAST: Pick the one you want to date

Just like playing a date sim, the series is full of ero/moe archetypes you are suppose to like for their variety in looks and mannerisms and not for their personalities. Most of the cast was useless to the plot anyways; it was just there to increase your possible dream boyfriends. The only characters the series needed was Teito and Mikage (the main couple... er, I mean pair), any one of the priests, and Ayanami the psycho military man. The rest were dressing. The only thing you are left to gasp at is the pretty faces of the males. More specifically, their frozen still faces with a smirk full of erotic innuendo, while their hair and cloths flap in the wind with a few repeating frames.

LEGACY: Neeext!

If you are a seasoned viewer this series will offer you nothing. It's not even remotely interesting. The plot is snoringly slow and the characters are too generic. It was only made for horny fujoshis, and even then it's a one-time watch at best, since it doesn't do much with its content and was left incomplete. It got forgotten pretty soon and is now buried under some pile of equally mediocre anime.