Manga Review – Oh My Goddess, Volume 2

The manga continues with a new roommate joining Keiichi and Belldandy

Title: Oh My Goddess! Vol. 2
Story and Art by Kousuke Fujishima
Translation by Dana Lewis, Toren Smith, and Alan Glenson
Published by Dark Horse Comics

Available from Amazon.com & RightStuf

The Premise

After Keiichi and Belldandy move  in to their new residence, Keichii tries to find a good romantic moment with Bell. However, Sayoko Mishima, the campus queen, has not given up her rivalry with Belldandy. And then there’s the whole matter of the arrival of Belldandy’s sister, Urd.

High Points

Keiichi and Belldandy’s first kiss.

Low Points

Urd’s harem antics grow somewhat tiresome.

Scores

Originality: While I’ve seen and read my fare share of rom-com anime and manga, this is the only manga I’ve seen which incorporates the antics with some major automotive gear-head stuff (in particular, a contest to determine who will be the new Automotive Club “queen” that is not only a beauty contest, but tests the contestants skill at automotive repair). 4/6

Artwork: Fujishima is improving here, though his art still has some rough spots. 4/6

Story: The comedy is kicked up a notch this volume, as is the romance. 4/6

Emotional Response: Between the increased humor and the first kiss, this volume drew me in a lot more than last volume. 4/6

Characterization: We get a bunch of development for Sayoko, in addition to introducing a new character. 4/6

Flow: 6/6

Overall: The manga has improved from last volume, but it has a way to go. 4/6

In total, this volume gets 30/42.