Oh My Goddess 41

Kosuke Fujishima – Dark Horse – 2012 – 44+ volumes

I probably say this every time, but I value this series highly as my very own manga sitcom. It doesn’t really matter what it’s about, I can sit down and enjoy it every time a new volume comes out, as I have for the past… wow, 13-14 years or so. It makes me forget how old I am. But more than that, it’s an episodic series with characters that I’ve grown fond of over the years, so I’m always going to like it no matter what’s going on. And it’s always so happy and positive. It would be hard for me to give this one up.

But better yet, the past several volumes have indulged in a very serious ongoing story arc, something that Oh My Goddess never, ever does. The main characters have been running a gauntlet through various demon warriors at the command of Hagal. This volume, their opponent is Thrym, a very muscular and chipper demon who loves a good fight. She’s not even malicious about it. She’s genuinely excited that Belldandy and the others will be a good match for her. Her deal is that she can break anything, including the spells that the Goddesses use. Urd’s lightning, Belldandy’s barriers, nothing works. So Belldandy has to engage her in combat.

And that’s awesome. Nobody really cares but fans of the series at this point, but really. It’s great. Belldandy just doesn’t fight that much, and it’s a nice thing when it happens. Especially when the fight is so drama-free, as it is here. Thrym just really loves fighting.

I should say they finish up the fight with Hagal as well, with a very interesting solution indeed. Still, that was completely overshadowed by the Thrym fight. She was a really great character.

I’m wondering how many more opponents come after this. On one hand, I could go for another one or two like Thrym, but it’s unlike Oh My Goddess to run a story arc that’s as long as this one (it’s been… what, three volumes, I think?). I’m wondering if it will wrap up with Hagal next time. I’m up for that, too. Really, I’m up for anything this series wants to throw, because it’s all good. It’s just such a pleasure to read.