Oh My Goddess 37

Kosuke Fujishima – Dark Horse – 2011 – 42+ volumes

So this volume had a couple surprises! There was a new goddess! That doesn’t happen very often. Other than the main three, we’ve only met Peorth and Lind. I always like finding out little bits and pieces about the goddess world, so a new face is always welcome.

The downside: She’s a maid goddess.

I always stick up for this series, because although it’s proto-harem seinen where the main couple have only kissed, like, twice in 40 volumes, I can always defend it by saying that’s not really the point of Oh My Goddess. It’s really good at pinpointing wonderful joie de vivre moments, and if you’re reading it for fanservice, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But occasionally… Chrono happens. A clumsy maid goddess. Well, at least all the characters agree that it’s hokey and that Peorth has a terrible sense of humor. Her bangs hide her forehead, and while her real and very awesome position was revealed at the end of the volume, I keep waiting for someone to push her bangs aside and remind her of who she really is. Or something. Because Oh My Goddess would do something like that.

Putting that aside, I do like it when a new goddess shows up, but unfortunately Chrono’s story isn’t very good. Possibly because Chrono herself isn’t that interesting (she’s really, really clumsy and apologetic… and not much else). Basically, Chrono was sent to deliver a program to Belldandy, but drops it enroute. The program shatters, and the rest of the volume is spent recovering the pieces.

The upside? Remember what I said about the joie de vivre? The program is a music program, used to periodically tune all the “music” in the world. Belldandy explains that if the world loses its tune, civilization will collapse since music is the basis of all culture. As they recover the program, it’s from people doing quirky things, like beating on empty cans, riding around obsessively on squeaky bikes, et cetera. While the technique is not all that subtle (and admittedly, not used all that well), I did like the emphasis on the rhythm of everyday life.

Hmm. This is one of the few series that I’ll read as soon as it comes out of the mailbox, no exceptions, but lately it’s been very hit-and-miss for me. But… I’ll keep reading, and looking forward to new volumes, because what else am I going to do? Quit 37 volumes in? Especially after a new goddess just showed up? No way.