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The
AMG OAV: Manga Correlation
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Ah!
My Goddess OAV
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Manga
Correlation
For Love of Goddess:
OAV Episode 5
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It's
raining and Belldandy is alone in her room. Keiichi
tries to go in but is stopped by Skuld, who worked
hard to set up a shield around the room. Later
Urd and Skuld question Keiichi about the Recall
Notice but he doesn't know the details, only that
something was up in Heavens and Kamisama's orders
were not to be disobeyed. Urd decides to ask Kamisama
directly via phone but is ignored.
Keiichi goesback outside Belldandy's room
and apologizes for his harsh words. He'll says
he'll wait for her even if she returns or not.
It's
raining and Belldandy is alone in her room. Keiichi
tries to go in but is stopped by Skuld, who worked
hard to set up a shield around the room. Later
Urd and Skuld question Keiichi about the Recall
Notice but he doesn't know the details, only that
something was up in Heavens and Kamisama's orders
were not to be disobeyed. Urd decides to ask Kamisama
directly via phone but is ignored.
Keiichi goes back outside Belldandy's room
and apologizes for his harsh words. He'll says
he'll wait for her even if she returns or not.
Morning
comes and Belldandy's sisters are looking at the
cherry tree containg the Attractor. Skuld is happy
that she and Bell can go back to Heaven. Urd berates
her for not thinking that her older sister will
just remain depressed. Urd explains her plan.
The bugs are being attracted by the tree and Belldandy
is being recalled because of the system imbalance
caused by the bugs. If they shut off the energy
attracting bugs, the bugs would disappear and
Belldandy wouldn't have to go to heaven. Skuld
reminds her that it will take too much energy
to break the seal, but then realizes Urd's plan
to use an Ultimate Magic Circle. Despite her reservations,
Urd convinces Skuld to do the lengthy calculations
needed for the Magic Circle.
Meanwhile
Keiichi does all sorts of part-time jobs like
window-cleaning and directing traffic. He visits
a jewelry store and spots a ring, which brings
back a vague memory involving a ring. Back at
the temple Urd and Skuld are working on the necessary
computations. Even with a computer, two days was
cutting it pretty close. Belldandy suddenly comes
in and not wanting to be caught red-handed Skuld
hits the power button of the computer.
Urd turns her away, reminding that with
only two days left she needs to work on the sweater.
The sisters go to resume work but Skuld hit the
main power accidentally causing them to lose what
was not backed up.
At
the tea room Belldandy is knitting a sweater when
the phone rings. It's Keiichi and he tells her
not to wait for him because he was working late.
Bell resumes work on her sweater while Keiichi
continues his backbreaking schedule of jobs. It's
already morning (around 3:30 am) and Belldandy
is still awake, waiting for Keiichi. He comes
in but falls asleep on the temple entrance. Urd
uses her magic to lift him to his room and sets
up a vaporizer to restore a little of his stamina.
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The
idea of a ring as a present to Belldandy
is taken from chapter 16. In this chapter
it had been a year since Belldandy arrived
and Keiichi was looking for a good anniversary
gift. Urd originally had the idea for a
ring and she cast a spell to attract Keiichi
to the ring. He subsequently asked part-time
jobs from Ootaki and Tamiya which included
windowashing, directing traffic, and wearing
costumes. The scene when Keiichi collapses
as soon as he gets home is also from the
same chapter. The ring in the manga costs
150,000 yen but only 58,000 yen in the anime.
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Asleep,
Keiichi is having a dream. Memorable events of
his stay with Belldandy flash by. These include
Belldandy stressing the importance of promises,
the feeling that he knew Belldandy since childhood,
and giving a ring as a present. It's morning when
Keiichi wakes up. As he thinks about the the dream
he suddenly grabs his head as if hit by a jolt
of pain. At the same moment a picture of the couple
breaks. In dismay Belldandy realizes that Keiichi's
memory is returning. Later Keiichi leaves but
not before dropping a letter at the entrance of
Bell's room. She reads the note asking her to
wait until tomorrow, when he'll surely bring "it"
to her.
With
the day of Belldandy's departure nearing the Goddesses
are hard at work. Belldandy eventually finishes
knitting a sweater while her sisters finish the
calculations for the Magic Circle. Skuld is worried
about Belldandy finding out but Urd reminds her
that it's for her older sister's sake. Having
finished Keiichi's farewall present, Belldandy
begins using her powers to make the things connected
to her vanish. She looks over a picture album
lovingly, reminiscing the memories of her and
Keiichi together. The memories bring a torrent
of tears and Bell despairs over her fate, over
the nine months of memories she wouldn't be able
to take back with her. Finally she summons enough
courage and with shaking hands, starts erasing
herself from the pictures. Elsewhere Keiichi is
taking a break. There's only one job left and
in his mind asks Belldandy to wait a little while
longer.
It's
Christmas Eve, the day when Belldandy needs to
go back to Heaven. She drops her hand-knitted
sweater as a present in Keiichi's room and asks
Kamisama to forgive her for the single
reminder. With 20 minutes left she waits in the
tea room. Meanwhile at the jewelry shop Keiichi
bangs at the door and the saleslady informs him
that the store opens at 10 o`clock. Keiichi ignores
her and goes straight to the display. Relieved
that the ring is still there he buys the 58,000
yen ring. Keiichi's in such a hurry that he rushes
off without getting the change.
Back
at the temple, the clock strikes 10 and Belldandy
changes into her goddess uniform. She goes outside
and finds her sisters finishing the magic circle.
Belldandy scolds them saying that they'll both
get punished. All will be fine once she alone
returns, for it is her sin. Keiichi comes running
into the temple and reaches Belldandy in time.
They're both glad to see each other, and forgetting
the effects of the bug port, run toward each other.
An explosion forces them apart and immediately
a gate forms at Belldandy's feet. Keiichi rushes
forward only to be pushed back by the gate. It
powers up and shining with magical light forms
an expanding barrier. With both arms outstretched
they try to touch but the gate hurls Keiichi back.
He tries to reach out again, saying that he made
a promise. He did not forget and finally he can
give it to her. In the palm of Keiichi's outstretched
hand is a the ring he bought. With it, he
can finally fulfill his
promise. Belldandy tells Keiichi that she had
not forgetten either and that she promised twice.
The gate finally draws Belldandy to the heavens
and with a last effort Keiichi tries to hand the
ring to Belldandy. However the gate forces him
back. As Belldandy ascends she pleads at Kamisama
to let her stay by Keiichi's side even at the
cost of giving up her goddess qualifications,
even at the cost of banishment from Heaven. The
plea seems to fall on deaf ears. Meanwhile Urd
and Skuld have not been idle. Skuld finally completes
the magic circle and Urd starts it up. The gate
unleashes an enormous surge of energy that fills
the entire place with blinding light.
The
Goddesses lie on the smoking ground, knocked down
by the Magic Circle's energy. Urd notes that the
gate has vanished and wakes Skuld up. Belldandy
rises and in dismay looks for Keiichi. She gives
a great wail of despair as she sees him motionless
and unconscious. Urd says Keiichi is not dead
but his psyche is buried in its own depths and
if this continues, he cannot be considered alive.
Belldandy decides to go and bring him
back. Skuld objects because of the
danger to her sister but Urd quiets her down.
The more mature goddess knows that it would be
useless to try and stop Belldandy anyway. Bell
places her forehead on Keiichi's and merges her
consciousness with his.
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The
idea of the bugs and the bug exhaust port
are based on chapter 32 (Skuld's first appearance)
and 33. In these chapters a malfunction
in Yggdrasil generated the bugs which Skuld
couldn't handle by herself. She went to
Earth but the bugs followed her because
the Goddesses form a singularity that attracts
them. The sisters decide to go to the Heavens
for a while until the problem is solved
but their transport media (mirrors, TV and
water) did not work. In the anime Belldandy
is the only one being required to return
but the actual reasons are not as simple
as the bugs shown in the manga.
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Keiichi's
memories play back. He's a small kid again and
he sees a red beam of light from the heavens,
ending at the forest. He runs to the soft, warm
light and sees a small girl descending. She introduces
herself as Belldandy and finds it mysterious that
a human should be able to see that light. Keiichi
never questioned the encounter since Belldandy
was as natural as the wind. The two become good
friends and a week of that summer was as fulfilling
as a year, but seemed as short as a day. During
a fair at the temple grounds Belldandy becomes
fascinated by some rings. Keiichi wants to buy
her one but he doesn't have enough money. He asks
her to come tommorow and asks her for a promise.
Belldandy agrees and she crosses small fingers
with Keiichi (yubikiri). Unfortunately
this promise no matter how small was forbidden
because it was as valid as a contract. As punishment
Belldandy had to erase Keiichi's memory herself
or be eliminated for violating regulations. While
looking for Belldandy with a ring in his hand,
Keiichi overhears this and voluntarily submits
himself. He promises to remember Belldandy if
they meet again. Belldandy cannot promise Keiichi
but she prayed strongly that once she had her
qualifications, she'd meet him again. He fulfilled
his promise by remembering what was sealed away
but this memory was fated to disappear again...
Keiichi
finally stirs and wakes up. He remembers the Recall
Notice and Belldandy explains that the gate is
gone but will be back soon. Suddenly a bolt of
light from the heavens hits the ground and leaves
an inscription. Urd reads it and says that what
was sealed away was eliminated and thus the Recall
Notice is invalidated. Furthermore, for unauthorized
use of the Magic Circle, Urd's license was to
be suspended for 30 days. Finally until the bug
problem was solved, Skuld's license is modified
to Surface World trainee. Keiichi notices the
ring lying on the ground and slips it on Belldandy's
ring finger, to her obvious delight. Keiichi mentions
that he thought he wouldn't be able to keep his
promise...then wonders what he was talking about.
With a finger on his lips, the Belldandy tells
Keiichi he's already fulfilled his promise. She
plants a kiss on his cheek and greets him Merry
Christmas.
Later
that evening the Goddesses and Keiichi celebrate
Christmas joyfully.
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Episode
5 probably contains the most original material
among the OAV episodes. As noted earlier
the central ideas of a ring as a gift and
being recalled to heaven are from the manga.
However the story becomes signficantly more
complex with the addition of the accidental
promise made during Belldandy and Keiichi's
childhood. The issues surounding the promise
and the Attractor are generally regarded
as the most confusing in the anime and has
generated a fair amount of discussion and
debate over the years. In these issues the
manga is of little use since no parallel
exists here.
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