The folks at Dark Horse sent along a number of books for review, and this one was among them. Now, regular readers of my reviews know that manga rarely appeals to me. Often, it's inaccessible and gratuitously weird. But Oh My Goddess! doesn't fall into those categories. Fujishima offers up a playful story of youth and fantasy that makes for pleasant, light reading. If anything, it's a little too light.
Keichi is an average college student... well, except for the fact that his roommates are two other-dimensional, magic-wielding goddesses. Belldandy is the picture of innocence and purity, and she and Keichi are clearly in love. Unfortunately, they can't seem to find the time and provacy to get together, and Urd -- Belldandy's sister and a real vixen -- decides to play matchmaker in her less-than-subtle way.
OK, at first, I was immediately put off by this book, as it opened on a beauty contest and an accompanying swimsuit competition. Bust sizes and boy hunts seem to be the focus, and I thought the book was yet another manga that sexualized young women for the purposes of titillation as opposed to storytelling. But as I made my way through the book, it became clear that wasn't the case. The artwork is clear and lovely, aside from that opening scene -- which strikes me now as uncharacteristic of the property as a whole -- the characters are not depicted in a gratuitous manner. There's also some strong visual cues that make it easy to tell the various cast members apart.
One concern I did have, though, was about the depiction of the book's sole black character (I can't seem to find any reference to his name, though). He's one of Keichi's biker club pals, but the tone of his dialogue and dim-witted appearance made me feel uneasy.
Ultiamtely, Oh My Goddess! is a pleasant romance comic book, tempered with some slice-of-life moments that those of us who attended college or university can easily understand. The fantasy elements are secondary, really, but they bring some spice and pep to what is otherwise a quiet, even slow-paced story. The Keichi-Belldandy romance doesn't really hook me, but it's a pleasure to see a comic book that can easily to appeal to a teenage-girl audience.
Note: This graphic novel was not among this week's new releases.
