Recently I’ve been watching a lot of anime. There is quite a lot of anime out there, not all of it available in the U.S., so my sample size is quite small. My first exposure to anime was when a friend introduced me to Oh My Goddess. This was a five-episode OVA, originally released in 1993 on VHS tapes using the characters and situations of the AA! Megami-sama (Ah! My Goddess) manga.
It is a sweet, romantic comedy about the Goddess Belldandy who comes to grant a wish to a luckless college student. I love this and I re-watch it on a semi-regular basis. It doesn’t have deep meaning but I wouldn’t call it totally without philosophical merit.
My friend then lent me other anime from his collection, including Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Through the years I’ve purchased other anime titles, some were supposed to be for my daughter, but I like them too and watch them for my own enjoyment. These titles include Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, The Cat Returns and others.
Recently I’ve purchased a copy of season one of the Ah My Goddess TV series. This is 24 episodes (plus two bonus episodes) on six DVDs. I’ve watched season two on YouTube, called Everyone has Wings in Japan or Flights of Fancy when released in the United States. After that, I started buying the actual Manga in the tankoban digests.
I’ve expanded into watching other anime series, mostly on YouTube until I can purchase copies on disc. I am expecting Angel Beats next week. This is an odd but interesting series. I’ve watched the first five episodes on YouTube before I stopped watching it and ordered the series on Disc. I will likely post a review in the future, once I finish it.
That’s all for now. Expect some upcoming reviews.