Ask John: What Other Shows are Like Ah! My Goddess?

Question:
I recently watched Ah My Goddess, (I know, old school, but I still love it) and it got me thinking about something. It’s a nice, waffy (Warm And Fuzzy Feeling for those who don’t know), and slightly ecchi show that you just don’t see around much anymore. So what I’m wondering is, what other animes are like this? I can’t seem to find many that are a nice middle ground between harem romcom animes and the more hard core stuff.

Answer:
Dozens of romantic comedy anime series exist, running the gamut from slapstick like Urusei Yatsura to harem like Tenchi Muyo and Love Hina to near explicitly erotic like Kanokon. Romantic comedies also vary tremendously by quality, from uninspired pablum like Akikan! to excellence like Ouran High School Host Club. Ah! My Goddess is a relatively unique title within the genre because of its combination of attributes. Although it can be called a harem anime, it doesn’t especially feel like one. The show is humorous but not slapstick. It’s constantly aware that sexual tension exists in romantic relationships, yet it’s never salacious. And most importantly, Ah! My Goddess is imbued with an intangible warmth and compassion, a heart that makes it “warm and fuzzy” to watch, enjoy, and recommend. Few other romantic comedy anime aim to or manage to effect all of these attributes, and no other manages the balance as well as Ah! My Goddess does. But while there’s no other show exactly like Ah! My Goddess in style and feel, other anime do exist which approach a comparable tone.

Ai Yori Aoshi may be the best parallel to Ah! My Goddess. Although Ai Yori Aoshi doesn’t incorporate supernatural challenges to the primary couple’s happiness, it does depict external and inward challenges and rivalries that challenge and try to disturb the fated relationship between two nice people that want to devote themselves to each other.

Please Teacher suffers a bit in viewer regard because of its slightly abrupt and weakly developed climax and affiliation with its weaker, less interesting sequel series Onegai Twins. However, the bulk of the original show, including its fun OVA episode, actually is a nicely drawn and animated relationship drama with clearly defined characters and reasonable relationship hurdles. By design, the story remains just a little bit distant because the narrative is about its couple coming together rather than about its couple trying to stay together against forces that would separate them. But I think that a fan of Ah! My Goddess that approaches Onegai Teacher without predetermined bias will find a lot to enjoy within the series.

Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl may seem like an odd suggestion because it deals with a romantic triangle between three girls rather than a conventional heterosexual relationship. But like Ah! My Goddess, Kashimashi involves a supernormal imposition – this one alien in origin rather than A!MG’s divine component. And Kashimashi does create an absorbing heartfelt atmosphere the way Ah! My Goddess does through characterization, situation, and music. In terms of narrative development, Kashimashi definitely isn’t exactly like Ah! My Goddess. In respect to romantic comedy and creating an absorbing, affecting tone with romantic tension and likable characters, Kashimashi and Ah! My Goddess have a lot in common.

B-Gata H-Kei may also seem like an unusual and inaccurate parallel upon initial observation. But closer analysis should justify my recommendation. B-Gata H-Kei skews closer to outright slapstick and risqué humor than any other title discussed, but while B-Gata H-Kei spins close to slapstick and erotica, it stops short of actually being either. Granted, particularly around the middle of its length, B-Gata H-Kei temporarily begins to lose steam and feel like its running on routine rather than inspiration, but much of the show is actually highly engaging and rewarding. The characters are uniquely interesting, causing viewers to empathize with and encourage each of them. Just like Keiichi and Belldandy, viewers actually do want to see B-Gata H-Kei’s Yamada and Kousuda become more honest and intimate with each other.

While Ah! My Goddess seems to effortlessly and naturally develop charm and charisma, creating a wonderful romantic story filled with humorous obstacles and a supernatural oversight, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai ~ The World God Only Knows achieves a similar result with a deliberate, even repetitive, consciousness. Personally, I don’t like “KamiNomi,” but considering its popularity, I would be remiss for ignoring it because my distaste for it is obviously not the usual response. KamiNomi is a story about a boy assigned by supernatural forces to beguile a sequence of girls, causing each of them in sequence to fall in love with him. I think the very narrative concept is distastefully sexist, not to mention obviously redundant. However, most fans enjoy the show’s good natured humor and warm tone.

I’d like to recommend numerous other romantic comedy anime, particularly including Love Com, Ouran High School Host Club, Kanokon, Maison Ikkoku, Kimagure Orange Road, Ristorante Paradiso, Yamato Nadesico Shichihenge, Hana Yori Dango, and Kimi ni Todoke, but while these numerous other titles are exceptional and engrossing anime, they don’t adhere as closely to the characteristics and qualities of Ah! My Goddess as the five previously discussed titles do.