Ah! My Goddess: The Movie

A dangerous prisoner is freed from a prison on the Moon.  He has a plan to change the world to his own ends but to do so, he needs one critical element: Belldandy.  Attacked by her mentor, Celestine, Belldandy loses her memory of Keiichi.  Stalked by powerful enemies and with the Goddess Network in chaos, Keiichi, Urd and Skuld must find a way to restore Belldandy’s memory and find out why she is so essential to Celestine’s plans before her cherished feelings for Keiichi fade away forever.

I’d like to start by say for the record that I do like Ah! My Goddess as a concept.  The idea of one hapless guy who becomes the luckiest man on the planet living with three bonefied Goddesses, one of which is his girlfriend, is a neat idea that lends itself to all kinds of wacky possibilities.  However, the back half of the original 5 episode Oh! My Goddess OVA ditched any humorous schenanigans in favor of a very somber and joyless love story with needlessly excessive stakes.  My fear going into the Ah! My Goddess movie was that the story would continue down that humourless, dour pathway and wow, it actually did more than that.  Suddenly out of nowhere we have a plot, villain, and action that feels like it was meant to be a Tenchi Muyo movie instead.  There’s a way I think Ah! My Goddess should operate as an Anime, and Ah! My Goddess: The Movie does not line up with that mindset.
 

T5W#496-Top 10 Katsucon Highlights (2015-2024)

Tomorrow, the next pilgrimage to National Harbor begins.  This is a pretty big year for me and Katsucon as it marks the 10^th Anniversary of my first one in 2015.  Like Otakon, this Convention has come to mean a lot to me, giving me a whole new area to explore when it comes to Anime fandom, cosplay, Dealers Room finds, etc.  To commemorate such an occasion, I’m digging back through 9 years and 8 conventions (we all missed out on 2021 cause of the Pandemic and I skipped 2022) to pick my special, double sized Top 10 Katsucon Highlights (2015-2024).  Will any from 2025 make it onto a future redux of this list?  Only time will tell.  Til then, let’s get to reflecting on some of the greatest hits and adventures at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center. 

 

Oh! My Goddess Part 2 Episodes 4-5

When Keiichi Morisato summoned his very own Goddess, Belldandy, he thought their romance would last forever.  But when a serious disruption in the Goddess Network damages their connection, Forever becomes Three Days Left.  As Kei and Bell come to terms with their inevitable departure, Urd and Skuld have to pull together to find the source of this chaos and find a way to keep Belldandy and Keiichi from being parted forever.

It can be hard to tell a story in a short length OVA.  It’s not impossible though.  Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Macross Plus both tell near perfect tales in 4-6 episodes.  However, they are paced well, don’t time jump significantly between episodes and maintain a consistent tone throughout.  While Oh! My Goddess started out strong with slice of life infused with fantasy, the final two episodes are the polar opposite, instead delivering an incredibly depressing and mostly heart wrenching final act that has had no build up and, in the end, is resolved as if the problem didn’t need to happen at all.  Does it ruin the series as a whole, short as it may be?
 

FIF#230-Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Alisa “Alya” Mikhailovna Kujou isnt just the top student in her class, she’s the most popular and beautiful student in her entire school.  She also has a penchant for speaking in fluent Russian when she seems irritated.  Unfortunately for Alya, the one person she directs most of these words to is Masachika Kuze…and he happens to understand Russian just fine.  Totally unaware of this, Alya taunts her would be suitor in secret while Kuze tries to navigate the minefield of beratement and adoration from the girl everyone wants a shot with.

 
Anime slice of life rom coms are a dime a dozen, almost as common as Isekai.  There’s little to have one stand out from the other.  Most have the same premise or are just a variation on what’s come before with nothing new added to the mix.  So along comes Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian and I wonder what exactly has made this one stand out amongst so many others in 2024?  The answer doesn’t lie in the show itself, most of the debut episode is standard fare.  What might help this stand out from its fellow slice of life rom coms is the main duo itself, and Alya’s gimmick.  You’d think the main joke of the series might get old quick by the end of the episode.  Surprisingly, it hasn’t.
 

T5W#495-Top 5 Raunchiest/Naughtiest Anime I’ve Seen

As much as we love Anime for bringing our greatest fantasies to life, not all fantasies involve action packed Ninja fights or flying on Dragons across mythical lands.  No, we also love Anime for it’s ability to push the envelope on what’s indecent, moral, and just plain crazy when it comes to certain explicit topics.  Sex, nudity, sensuality, skimpy outfits, there’s plenty of this in modern day Anime, barely relegated to the level of just in front of the Hentai section.  Seeing as how I just got finished looking at a particular entry on this list, let’s see who else made it to my Top 5 Raunchiest/Naughtiest Anime I’ve Seen

 

Oh! My Goddess Part 1 Episodes 1-3

Keiichi Morisato has just landed the ultimate dream girl.  Summoned by an accidental call, the Goddess Belldandy has come to aid the hapless repair man and ends up becoming joined to him for eternity.  This means nothing can split them apart no matter how hard anyone tries.  It might look like the beginning of a blossoming romance but when Belldandy’s sisters come searching for their missing sibling, heavenly havoc is bound to ensue.  But hey no one said dating a Goddess was going to be easy.

The tales of the battles over who is “Best Girl” are as old as time began.  Many, myself included, proclaim many of these beauties to be on a Goddess level of quality, i.e. Rin Tohsaka from Fate/Stay Night or Marin Kitagawa from My Dress Up Darling.  But what if the candidates for Best Girl were actual Goddesses themselves?  Feels like a long winded opening already, point is, today we’re kicking off our required Romantic themed Anime for the month of February today with the OVA classic Oh! My Goddess.  But seriously though, the battle for Best Girl in this show is gonna get pretty intense so buckle up.  Anyway, onto Part 1 of our 2 Part stay with this sort of forgotten 90’s gem.
 

FIF#229-Blue Lock

Yoichi Isagi has been chosen for an experiment unlike any before.  He and 300 other prospective Soccer Players, all Striker positions on their on teams, will participate in Blue Lock: a new training regiment designed for one purpose: to create the Ultimate Striker, capable of taking Japan’s hand picked soccer team to the world stage.  But this is a goal that only one of these 300 players can achieve.  It’s a game that only the most savage and single minded individuals have a chance of winning.  For glory, for redemption and for a place in Japanese Soccer History, how far is Isagi willing to go to win it all?

 
We all know most Sports Anime as feel good and inspiring comfort Anime, the kind that really make you go “HELL YEAH” when something goes right.  It’s what makes Free and Haikyuu some of the best in that genre. Well Blue Lock is neither of those.  In fact it’s an entire beast all of its own.  Forget that feel good vibe of bringing a team together to win the big match.  This is a much more cruel and demented game that I’m kind of shocked any sane person would even accept an invite to try.  This is the Battle Royale of Soccer and man I can see why this is a new hit in the community…but it just doesn’t feel right to me.
 

T5W#494-Top 5 Magfest 2025 Cosplays (Sunday Only)

Magfest, for those who may not be aware, is a Video Game-centric convention held in the same location as Katsucon, the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, about 3-4 weeks before Katsu.  I’ve never been to Magfest but I hear good things from those who go and I still wonder how some of my friends can still do both cons back to back.  Just for the heck of it, I decided to check out the Gaylord in advance of Katsu and see what the cosplay scene for Magfest looked like on a Sunday.  Probably could have seen more if I could get into the Expo Hall but hey, I’ll take what I can get.  Normally I’d hold off on this kind of Top 5 til October but since this was a rare event, I figured on todays’ Top 5 Wednesday I’d countdown my Top 5 Magfest 2025 Cosplays (Sunday Only).  This was only a taste of the epic convention cousin of Katsu and I’m hoping 2026 will mark a full weekend stay, but we’ll see.  Anyway, onto the cosplays.

Shimoeta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist-Part 4 Episodes 10-12

An attempt to bring down Gathered Fabric leads SOX right into a trap and a shocking betrayal.  With then opposition crushed, White Peak takes his insane fetish to the next level by taking an entire school hostage.  Outnumbered and outgunned, Tanukichi and Ayame will have to pull out all the stops and form some questionable alliances to bring down this freak who’s giving SOX a bad name.  Will the Dirty Joke Terrorists become the heroes society needs or is this to be their final battle in the name of freeing this Boring Society where Dirty Jokes Don’t Exist?

Like I said at the end of last weeks set, I didn’t think we were going to see a full culmination of SOX’s crusade to bring the lewd and naughty legitimately back to Tokyo over the span of three episodes.  What we did get though was an immensely fun showdown between two groups of perverted crusaders filled with action, humor and even a payoff to a slow building romance.  The Series Finale might leave a lot to be desired, or maybe just could have been omitted altogether.  As far as epic showdowns in finales go however, Shimoneta delivered the goods.
 

FIF#228-The Eminence in Shadow

When Minoru Kageno is hit by a truck, his dreams of becoming the strongest are seemingly dashed forever.  That is until he discovers he’s been reincarnated into another world with the means by which he can attain his impossible dream.  Slowly, Kageno, now Cid Kagenou, begins to amass a following of beautiful maidens coerced into helping him into fighting a shadowy organization.  But fantasy is becoming reality and the more power Kageno builds in this new world, he must now live up to his newfound reputation and strike back against a legitimate Cult aiming to bring society under its control.

 
One common component with Isekai Anime is that the main character is 9 maybe 8 times out of 10 an overpowered protagonist, a power fantasy come to life.  While Emincence in Shadow looks to be another one of those kinds of Isekai tales, there’s one other bit that left me baffled watching the first episode.  So you know the saying, “Always be the very best you can be…unless you can be Batman”?  I couldn’t get that out of my head watching the first episode of this Isekai series.  Is that a good or bad thing and does it make me want to see where this premise goes?
 

T5W#493-Top 5 Ideas for Castlevania: Nocturne Season 3 (or future franchise entries)

Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 dropped this weekend after two years of anticipation and…I’m not gonna lie I wasn’t a fan.  The first season was already pretty uneven for me and Season 2 did nothing to make the show worthy of the praise of it’s near perfect predecessor.  Still I’ll save more thoughts on that for a future full series review.  Today on Top 5 Wednesday, I’m talking about ideas of where Nocturne could go should it be renewed for a third season.  And even if it isn’t, the Castlevania video game franchise is pretty big and could always try again with a new story or adapting another game.  So let’s take a look at my Top 5 Ideas for Castlevania: Nocturne Season 3 (or future franchise entries).  Also I’ll be diving a little bit into Season 2 Spoilers, so here’s your SPOILER WARNING!!

Shimoeta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist-Part 3 Episodes 7-9

As SOX expands its network of connections to other Dirty Joke Terrorist Groups, new threats emerge to challenge them.  The first are the Prefects led by Oboro Tsukimigusa, who seeks to eliminate all forms of naughty display no matter how small (and give Anna the room she needs to be as wild as she wants).  Then there’s Gathered Fabric, undergarment thieves who are starting to give SOX a bad reputation.  Oh and SOX has a new member who’s so determined to make her mark even if it might do damage to SOX.  Are Ayame and Tanukuchi in way over their heads or is it time for the foreplay to end and take their plans to the next level?

If Shimoneta excels at anything it’s being a world of anything goes, nothing is ever clean revolution.  While its material can be a little much even for me, I’m legit enjoying this show a ton and laughing at most of the absurdity.  The stuff that does make me cringe uncomfortably is still there (and even gets the explanation I theorized was the case in my last review) and there’s a new character I just cant bring myself to like.  Does this mean Shimoneta is losing steam and that the earlier episodes are the best ones?  Definitely not and let’s break down why.
 

FIF#227-Love After World Domination

When the evil Secret Society Gekko threatens the world with fiery destruction, an elite fighting force of five young warriors is assembled to combat them: Freezing Sentai Gelato 5.  Unbeknownst to both teams, the unthinkable has happened.  Reaper Princess Desumi Magahara and Gelato Red Fudo Aikawa have fallen in love.  Determined to make their blossoming romance work, Fudo and Desumi enter a forbidden relationship where they spend their private time trying to navigate being a couple and their public time staying mortal enemies on the battlefield.

 
I’ve been on a bit of a Super Sentai kick lately, so this is a pretty timely Anime to get brought to my attention.  Being a casual Power Rangers fan, I know it’s not uncommon for series to have a subplot similar to Love After World Domination’s premise.  However, I’m pretty certain none of them have been played for laughs quite like this.  LAWD is a full blown Rom Com offering with a side of Super Sentai action, tropes and gags…and a pretty adorable couple to lead the way it seems.
 

T5W#492-Top 5 Macross Plus Songs

Well they overshot it by a couple of weeks into 2025, as opposed to the promised 2024, but we finally have what we’ve been long promised: a whole plethora of Macross titles making their US debut on Disney+.  So where did I start?  Macross 7?  Macross Delta?  Well I might have plans for those later this year so, no.  Nope, I started with an old friend: Macross Plus.  While the subtitles might be a bit of an issue, there’s no denying this legendary OVA looks more amazing than ever in high definition.  I could talk about my favorite scenes but how about we talk about the one part of this Anime whose power no one can deny: the OST by Yoko Kanno.  This mix of sweeping orchestral composures and future techno tunes could be considered Kanno’s Magnum Opus (or maybe a very close second behind Cowboy Bebop).  Today on Top 5 Wednesday I’ll be counting down my picks for the Top 5 Macross Plus Songs.  No orchestral stuff, just the lyrical melodies sung by digital songstress Sharon Apple or Myung Fang Long.

 

Shimoeta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist-Part 2 Episodes 4-6

To further her plans for a social sexual awakening across the city, Ayame Kajou targets a mythical buried treasure in Yotsuga Forest.  But there’s more than just the Decency Police standing in SOX’s way.  The Student Council President, Anna Nishikinomiya, has had an awakening and Tanukichi is not prepared for what he’s unintentionally unleashed.  And with a new breed of Peace Makers about to be rolled out, keeping ones dirty little thoughts and urges secret is about to become a lot harder.  That wont stop Blue Snow and SOX, not when the world deserves to let its freak flags fly without shame.

Just when I thought I knew what I was getting into with Shimoneta, along comes this newest set of episodes that proves I have no idea at all.  This show continues to make the case of it being just a straight up Hentai but for mainstream audiences, especially in the case of one character (and it isnt Blue Snow).  It can make me feel uncomfortable (FYI wear headphones when watching this so the neighbors don’t ask questions), but Shimoneta is still nailing its hilarious social commentary and dialogue that’s snappy and continually creative with its sexual innuendos and work arounds. 
 

FIF#226-Terminator Zero

2022.  Mankinds war against Skynet continues with no end in sight.  1997. Scientist Malcom Lee, plaguged by apocalyptic visions, conceives a specialized computer that could avert the future.  Skynet sends a new Terminator back to the past in order to stop Lee and ensure it’s own existence.  A lone resistance fighter named Eiko has fought against this type of monster before and volunteers to stop another from destroying the future.  With mere days before Judgement Day arrives, the final battle for the future begins.

 
Are we really in need of a Terminator Anime at this point?  Ask anyone and they’ll say the franchise rightfully so topped out at T2: Judgement Day.  Except maybe for The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV Series, any subsequent sequel afterwards has failed to reach the heights of the first two legendary films and the failure of Terminator: Dark Fate seems enough to put the franchise out to pasture for good.  Yet we now have a Terminator Anime to try and redeem the franchise one more time.  It’s a new story, new cast, as of the first episode no ties to John Connor or Arnold Schwarzzenegers’s iconic T-800.  It’s completely fresh.  So is it enough to get invested in the Terminator one more time?
 

T5W#491-Top 5 Story Ideas for Star Wars Visions 3

Depending on who you ask, Star Wars is in an overall interesting state at the moment.  People either love the expanding universe TV Series or think theyre as bad (if not worse) than The Rise of Skywalker.  One thing we can all agree on is that Star Wars Visions is an awesome anthology series and it’s about time we got news that a third volume has been announced for release sometime in 2025.  Unlike the more worldwide offerings of Volume 2, Volume 3 will be returning to Visions original Anime roots with 9 new stories from a plethora of studios including Studio Wit, Trigger and Production I.G.  My one fear of this approach is that while Anime and Jedi go hand in hand, Volume 1’s biggest shortcoming was it was all lightsaber duels and little else (as cool as those were).  Volume 2 mostly looked past that with tales involving some Jedi but a lot of everyday people in various adventures across the galaxy.  I really want Volume 3 to continue in this direction so for todays Top 5 Wednesday I’m sharing my Top 5 Story Ideas for Star Wars Visions 3.

Shimoeta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist-Part 1 Episodes 1-3

Tokyo is under siege by a nefarious terrorist.  In a society free from the horror of inappropriate language and potty mouthed humor, Blue Swan seeks to restore the wild side of living by any lewd way possible.  When Tanukichi Okuma arrives at the prestigious and pure high school in the country, he discovers he’s been brought here specifically to track down Blue Snow, who may be a student at this academy.  But soon Tankukichi finds himself an unwilling accomplice in student Ayame Kajou’s sexual revolution and high school living is about to change for the wilder

To begin our Anime Corner coverage for 2025, I’ve decided to try something a bit more…risqué and it’s probably the most wild title I’ve covered here since Panty and Stocking.  But it’s hard to resist the challenge of reviewing a show like this.  When I saw the first episode in the middle of 2024 I could not stop laughing and even though we only checked out that sole episode, I wanted to see more of this messed up world and how Ayame was going to give everyone the change to let their freak flags fly.  Well that time has come and we’re spending the month seeing a repressed and sheltered society get brought back into the light of the freaky.  Welcome, Dear Reader, to Shimoeta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist.
 

FIF#225-DanDaDan

Momo Ayase is the granddaughter of a Spirit Medium who believes in Spirits but not Extraterrestrials.  Her classmate, Ken Takakura is the opposite, obsessed with UFOs but refusing to believe in ghosts.  A dare between the two sends them spiraling into a bizarre adventure where both of their beliefs become real and begin wrecking havoc on their daily lives.  Thankfully, these encounters have given Momo and Ken the abilities to fight back against the unknown, no matter how random or dangerous it may be.

 
Welcome Dear Readers to the first First Impression Friday of 2025 and the kick off of its historic Tenth Season.  And boy…have I picked a challenge for myself by popular demand.
 
There are shows that are constantly recommended to me that I kind of get but at the same time have my reasons for not jumping right into them.  Frieren? Subject materials kind of heavy for me.  Trigun Stampede? Cant get past the animation and Vash’s new haircut.  DanDaDan?  Well this is something new even by my standards.  And as far as first impressions go, yeesh I don’t even know where I stand.  It mostly makes me wonder if my friends are ok cause theyre enjoying it and…you know what I’m getting ahead of myself.  Why has this sleeper hit of 2024 left me so perplexed after one episode?
 

T5W#490-Top 5 Ways Evangelion has Infiltrated Gundam

Welcome Dear Readers to 2025 and we’re kicking off a brand New Years Day with a brand new Top 5 Wednesday (cant believe we’ll be at 500 T5Ws in a few weeks).  As you know, we’re weeks away from the debut of the next chapter of the Mobile Suit Gundam saga, Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuX and all the crazy action that comes along with it.  As I talked about in my T5W about the reveal announcement back in 2024, what’s got me most excited is this being a co-production between Studio Sunrise and Kahra, aka the studios behind Gundam and the Rebuild of Evangelion film series.  It’s a long overdue team up but I wouldn’t say this is the first time Gundam and Eva have crossed paths.  To be more specific, Neon Genesis Evangelion is such an influential title in all of Anime and attempts have been made in the Mecha genre in particular to replicate or enhance those thoughts.  Gundam is no exception an in our first T5W of 2025, I’ll be breaking down what I think are the Top 5 Ways Evangelion has Infiltrated Gundam.

 

Welcome to the Gundam Anime Corner 2025

Happy New Year Dear Readers.  Is it just me or did we make it through 2024 by the skin of our teeth?  Maybe it was me dealing with…well a lot.  But, as always, when the going gets rough, that’s when I turn to the Anime Corner for comfort and I hope that in the coming year, it can be grown and strengthened as such.  After all, this is my own personal corner of the universe to chill and talk about Anime, Video Games, how Anime ties into mainstream Hollywood movies, Conventions, First Impressions, Top 5 Lists, all that jazz.  I’ve definitely got some fun ideas for new features in the coming months and those main events are still a ways off (and need a lot more prep time).  Til then, how about we talk about what is all set and ready to roll, including, for a change, what’s coming up in March for the Gundam Anime Corner’s 11^th Birthday (11, yikes).