Oh My Goddess! (1993 OVA)

The 1993 OVA is the first adaptation of the Oh My Goddess! manga, and was the first exposure to would-be fans of the series outside Japan. Its five episodes were released in-between the releases of volumes 7-10 from 1993-1994, but it does not clearly adapt any portion of the manga beyond the first episode and instead follows an original story.

The OVA's opening sequence is notable for including Mara, despite the fact that she doesn't actually appear in the OVA. As was the case for many OVAs from that time period, the story for the Oh My Goddess! OVA was being written one episode at a time before they were released individually. It can be inferred that, prior to the release of the first episode, the writers believed that Mara would make an appearance later on. Additional characters from the the manga who don't appear in the OVA including Senbei, the three ninjas Kodama, Hikari, and Senrigan, the Third Class Earth Spirit, Chieko Honda, Banpei, Professor Kakuta (Professor Ozawa makes a cameo appearance in the fourth episode), the Urn of Mao Za Haxon, Satoko Yamano, and Diana Lockheed and David Proter from chapters 22 and 23.

Episodes

• 1. Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms (February 21, 1993)

Nekomi Institute of Technology student Keiichi Morisato accidentally calls the "Goddess Helpline" after trying to order takeout. He is met by the goddess Belldandy, who can grant him any one wish. Keiichi jokingly wishes for her to be with him forever, but his wish is actually accepted, and he and Belldandy enter into a contract protected by the "Ultimate Force". Unfortunately, Keiichi is kicked out of his dorm for violating their rule against women, and the two of them must find a place to stay.

• 2. Midsummer Night's Dream (May 21, 1993)

The summer is in full swing, and Keiichi decides to take Belldandy to the ocean in hopes of deepening their relationship, which hasn't progressed even after five months. However, Belldandy's older sister, Urd, introduces herself to Keiichi, and believing he isn't being assertive enough, makes him go along with her plans to "help" him with Belldandy.

• 3. Burning Hearts on the Road (September 21, 1993)

Keiichi has been chosen to represent the auto club at the upcoming intercollegiate drag-race. He is promised a motorcycle, but he actually needs to assemble it from scratch just a day before the race! Complicating matters is Belldandy's younger sister, Skuld, who suddenly arrives on Earth and wants Belldandy to return to heaven with her.

• 4. Evergreen Holy Night (December 28, 1993)

Strange and increasingly volatile occurrences begin happening due to bugs appearing through an exhaust port that opens whenever Keiichi and Belldandy are close together. Belldandy is issued a recall notice and will return to Heaven in three days, putting her ability to keep her promise to Keiichi in jeopardy.

• 5. For the Love of Goddess (May 17, 1994)

With Christmas fast approaching, Keiichi works himself to exhaustion to buy Belldandy a ring before she has to return to heaven per her recall notice. Unbeknownst to them, Urd and Skuld plan to stop Belldandy's recall with unauthorized magic, but will there be enough time to keep her and Keiichi together?

Unique to this OVA is the fact that the episodes are officially titled in English as seen above, without any Japanese equivalent. This was possibly a deliberate creative choice to draw more attention.

Production Development

Until the release of the TV series, the OVA was considered the sole anime continuity. However, the official anime comics released in conjunction with the movie's release confirmed that the movie is actually a sequel to the OVA.

The OVA's character design changed throughout its five episodes. Given Fujishima's involvement in the production, it is possible that character designer Hidenori Matsubara also adapted the anime's design to Fujishima's art improvement in the manga.

Distribution

In North America, the OVA was licensed by AnimEigo in 1994 on Laserdisc and VHS. The laserdiscs were re-released again with different packaging in 1996. In 2001, the OVA was released on DVD by AnimEigo, with a collector's edition following in 2006. Sadly, the license lapsed in 2010.