Customer Reviews

Oh My Goddess! Vol. 1: Wrong Number

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have seen the 5 episode OAV series, then you will love this. As it starts of, Keichi Morisato is a college student who doesn't really have any luck with women, until one day he calls a beautiful goddess of the name Belldandy. She says she can grant him anything he desires and Keichi of course, thinks this is a joke by his mates wishes that a girl like her would be with him forever. Their life from then on continues through the series.

As you know, this is contains previous material from 1-555-GODDESS but also contains the lost stories which will answer many a question you might have.If you see this book for the first time and see it isn't as great as it looks on the OAV series, Dont Worry! Because at this time, Fujishima was just getting use to drawing the characters and throughout the series gets to look better and better.

If you are wondering if you should get this or not, the answer is obviously yes! The humour in this book is funny as but if you already own 1-555-GODDESS and are a bit worried if you should waste your money on this, you're not. Because 7 of the 8 chapters are lost and new.

1st Chapter: Wrong number
2nd Chapter: Into the lair of the Anime Otaki
3rd Chapter: A man's home is his....temple?
4th Chapter: College exchange Goddess
5th Chapter: Those whom goddess has jointed together, let not woman put asunder
6th Chapter: SLP Camera- Mission Accomplished!
7th Chapter: The lullaby of love
8th Chapter: The Megumi Problem

I Recommend this book for manga collectors, OMG! Fans and all newbies!

I saw the 5-part OAV (original animation video) "Oh My Goddess" DVD's and was very impressed. However, because the series was so short, I went online to see if there was a manga (Japanese comic book) series since most anime is from manga.

Enter "Wrong Number" done by Dark Horse Comics. This should replace the "555-Goddess" book previously done since this contains the chapters that were not included in that original book 1. People who've watched the OAV's will see the major elements from the first and second videos done in this book. However, there are notable differences such as a monk that lived in the temple that Belldandy and Keiichi end up living in. We are introduced to the following characters:

Keiichi (the guy with the wish), Belldandy (the goddess), Tamiya (large classmate), Aoyama (cool classmate), Sayoko (the girl jealous of Belldandy), and Megumi (Keiichi's sister).

One thing people who've seen the OAV will be surprised at is the art. Belldandy doesn't look like she does in the OAV. Much like many other comic strips or comic books, Fujuishima-san had not yet refined the artwork. Don't worry, the artwork gets better with each volume.

Story-wise, this volume mainly focuses on Keiichi and Belldandy getting to know each other and their life at college.

Bottom line: If you loved the "Oh My Goddess" DVD set, you will REALLY enjoy this manga and all of the manga's in this series. If you've never seen the OAV's but want wholesome, light reading material, get this book!

I have been watching anime on-and-off since 1992 and it has only been this past year that I have been able to watch all of the animated versions of the Ah!/Oh! My Goddess! franchise. Now I've become a fan that needs to know more but the anime can only tell you so much. That's when I decided to go straight to the source and pick up this manga, which I've never done before as don't normally read manga!

This is Volume 1 of Dark Horse's re-release of the Ah!/Oh! My Goddess! manga series by Kosuke Fujishima; now featuring the manga industry standard right-to-left reading direction which I still have to get acclimated to. Since it is the first volume of the series, the character designs are still in it's early development but characters are still recognizable. If you've seen the new AMG tv series then you'll recognize some of the plot used plus the stuff in-between that wasn't used. Overall good stuff.

OMG has *the* most impressive translator notes (the book calls it the Editors's Commentary) I've read in a manga. Where other manga will have bare minimum single page of notes, OMG has detailed comments about not just the translations, but the inside-jokes and references by the original author (some of which the editor admits to not understanding!). Additionally, the notes digress a bit into the editor's otaku impressions, often during a trip to Japan. The manga preserves the letters column from the OMG comic books days, providing more interesting background and insight of the series, the author, and Japanese culture. This is one of the best extras I've had the pleasure to read in a manga!

Well, I've just finished reading "Wrong Number", chronologically now correct as the first "Oh My Goddess!" graphic novel from Dark Horse.

If those of you who have "1-555-Goddess" were wondering if "Wrong Number" would be worth getting, the answer is "YES!"

Only the first story is a repeat from "1-555-Goddess." Keiichi Morisato, young college student, dials a wrong number. Instead of a take-out food joint he gets the goddess Technical Helpline. The goddess Belldandy arrives to grant Keiichi one wish. Thinking it's a joke, he wishes, "I want a goddess like you to be with me always!" And the wish is granted, resulting in Belldandy staying with Keiichi.

So far so familiar, as this is also the first story from "1-555-Goddess". But the remainder of the stories were not included before. We get to see how a goddess can affect even the most hardcore otaku, how Keiichi and Belldandy got living quarters at the Temple, how Belldandy became a student at Nekomi, the start of Sakoyo's rivalry with Belldandy, Otaki in love, and Megumi's arrival.

Both the artwork and story-telling styles are a bit rough around the edges compared to the later stylings of this manga, but it is all quite enjoyable.

All in all, very much worth the ...price.

Dark Horse is putting out three graphic novels containing a mix of stories from "1-555-Goddess" and 'lost episodes' that they didn't print when they brought this series to the US originally.

The result of skipping some of the installments was that characters like Sayoko and Megumi were never properly introduced to readers, and therefore Sayoko's reason for having such an intense rivalry with Belldandy was never clear. How the heck Keiichi and the goddesses ended up living in an abandoned temple was also never explained. Well, now, finally, international readers will get the full story and a number of elements will start making more sense.

"Wrong Number" is the first in this trilogy of "remastered" books. In these early OMG! tales, Kosuke Fujishima is still finding his style and the personality and powers of Belldandy and the rest of the cast are still being defined. Fujishima's later efforts are far, far better--and he continues to grow both as a writer and an artist. Nonetheless, the sweet and charming tone that has always marked the OMG! stories is present here and the humour is also pretty nice. The best stories in this volume are the ones that introduce Sayoko, the one where Belldandy and Keiichi are menaced by a hard-core Otaku, and the one where Belldandy is suspected by a monk to be something more than mortal.

I recommend this volume almost as highly as i recommend Fujishima's more mature works--the 4 stars reflect the fact that his style is still developing here.

Oh My Goddess is probably my favorite manga series. I enjoy reading very serious manga series such as Akira, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Blade of the Immortal, but I always find myself looking forward to the next book of Oh My Goddess!

Fans of the series have been waiting for this book for a long time. All who have read 1-555-Goddess know that it seemed a bit disjointed. How did Keiichi and Belldandy end up living in the temple? is the biggest question. Well this book answers that question. It is very entertaining and we finally see some of the characters first appearances, such as Megumi, Satoko Yamano, whatever happened to her?, and my persona; favorite Sayoko Mishima.

The reader can tell that Fujishima was getting use to drawing these characters. The drawings can be a bit rough to the reader who is use to Fujishima's current style.

Good book i especially liked the anime otaku chapter. Btw for those of you who own 1-555-Godess and are a little sceptical about purchasing this book, don't worry. Only the first chapter is from the earlier book. I look forward to the next book of "lost chapters."

Released with new cover art, translator notes, and a corrected right-to-left format, this is AMG as it was meant to be read. Hopefully this adorable series will be picked up and embraced by a new generation of manga fans.

Reading this visual novel by Kosuke Fujishima was a treat, indeed! Consider its beginning: Keiichi Morisato, a loser student phones for a pizza, but gets the goddess help line instead and is offered a single wish. His choice: for a goddess to stay with him always! He thus is paired with the goddess Belldandy, and experiences a series of hilarious misadventures beginning with their being kicked out of his dorm room. However, this allowed him to leave the company of his loutish housemates in preference for the company of a real goddess.

Belldandy and Keiichi encounter some surprising characters: an otaku (obsessive anime fan), a priest with an unusual mastery, a feckless, forlorn lover, a queen bee of a university scene, and the manipulative little sister! These episodes set the stage for explaining circumstances that were unclear in previously-published works. We find out more about our two main characters, including the abilities of Belldandy.

The motif of a girl or woman with preternatural or magical capacities is found in other Japanese manga works, notably the equally delightful Lum Urusei Yatsura. But Belldandy is unfailingly pleasant and serene: a true goddess in her patience with Keiichi and with the sometimes difficult ways of humans. This provides an effective device for critiquing the ways of humanity and for exploring philosophical questions.

While Fujishima did change his style in later episodes, I found that his style in these early stories was also engaging. Belldandy is beautiful, and sweet. The artwork is interesting and dynamic: worth the price of the book in itself. I recommend this book 100% and suspect that it might serve to lift up the spirits of someone who is having a bad day. It does for me!

Where to start with Oh My Goddess!. The story and the characters will suck in without you even knowing it. I did not want to like it, but the premise was cute so I gave it a go. As others have said the main story revolves around your typical university geek who in one fell swoop had his life changed when a young goddess entered his life. This simple set up does not prepare you for how sweet this very popular manga is/was. You end up caring about the main couple (Keiichi and Belldandy) and there very tame, but loving relationship, as the story meanders around with a little mild drama and light comedy driving things. The minor characters add enough variety and good fun to keep the story from getting tired.

From an art point of view, Fujishima did a very nice job. The story reads and looks good. You can see that it was drawn a number of years ago, as the fashion does look very 1980s. That is neither here nor there, but is kind of fun to date the story.

From a product point of view the Dark Horse Manga printing of it was well done. I love the letters to the editors and translation notes at the end each book. It is also nice that Dark Horse, like most good manga these days, is doing the right to left publication.

In the end, this classic manga has a great story across the full series. It is sweet, without real violence, no real nudity, no fan service to speak of and with the main themes revolve around very likable characters. It has a great yamato nadeshiko (idealized Japanese woman) vibe off of Belldandy that drives the way she deals with Keiichi and the way she views her sisters, that is very sweet as well. If this is your cup of tea, and you end up caring about the characters, then I think you will enjoy it very much. If the pace is too slow, or you just want Keiichi to grow a pair and kiss the girl, well then if may get a bit old.

If you find that you like it, check out the anime version as well. This also is very cute, is very close to the manga, and worth a look either before or after you read the manga.