Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

robert heinrich As implied in the title, I strongly recommend watching a couple, better yet all of the episodes of the TV series before this movie. Or, of course, read as many episodes of the manga as possible, but the TV series will be easier to acquire. The OVA might also help, of course, especially if you don't want to invest a couple of hours of "preperation" for the movie.Why? First of all, obviously for chronological reasons, because the events in the movie occur ca. two years after the series ended. But more important is the fact that you will lack important background knowledge if you jump into the universe of "Ah! My Goddess" with the movie. For example, you would simply have to accept the fact that a Japanese student lives in a buddhist temple together with three goddesses without further explanation, among many other details (calling heaven via telephone - huh?).One of the strong concepts of the series is that the key characters are slowly and sequentially introduced, allowing the viewer to grow on them. While it might not be necessary to actually watch all episodes of the series or the OVA, I think it is mandatory to watch at least the first ones until Urd and Skuld are introduced. The more, the better...You will get sooo much more out of the movie if you don't have to wonder why the goddesses live on earth under rather mundane circumstances. Watching the romantic relationship between Keiichi and Belledandy being endangered will touch you far deeper if you are already acquainted to the AMG universe and actually watched it grow and blossom in the first place.Imagine watching this latest Star Trek Movie with the young crew (e.g. Kirk and Spock being rivals in a time prior to their deep friendship) without knowing the series or earlier movies. You might enjoy the movie anyway, but will get only a fraction of the experience out of it compared to a trekkie. I hope you get what I mean - watch the series first! :)So far soo good. Well, what will you get out of the movie if you know the manga and/or the anime? In a few words: more than you would have expected! But let's first comment one some missing elements. One would be the lack of near-nudity and (sexually) emberassing situations which would frequently occur in the series as comedic elements. No big deal - I loved them in the series, yet didn't miss them at all in the movie. Notable though, since they were one of the key elements in the series. I guess it's better this way, because the movie can be presented to a broader viewer spectrum.Also I was a bit surprised that some key characters from the series did not appear at all in the movie (Marller, Hild and Sayoko). A new villain is introduced instead, and in a very clever way which makes it impossible to apply black/white thinking.A refreshing element of the plot is that while in the series Keiichi ended up with some naked women, goddesses, even the devil himself in bed every other day, accidentally drank love potions etc, I cannot recall any episode where it was the other way round - and in the movie we actually get exactly this scenario. It is the first time (at least the first I can think of) that Keiichi gets a serious rival. Furthermore, it is the first time since the invasion of the bugs at the very beginning of the series that the AMG universe has a really big problem and the future of the whole world is at stake.There is not really much more to say... If you liked the series or the manga there is no doubt that you will love the movie. It is a worthy sequel for the series (as well as a worthy representative for the manga). The animation is beautiful and elaborate, the soundtrack is awesome. If you have a soft, romantic spot, prepare for it to be touched. If you don't, maybe you can enjoy the great artwork, but probably you will find most of the scenes a bit cheesy.

dj_oldfield-3 **** REGARDING SPOILER WARNING... THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CONSIDER ANY DETAIL BEYOND THE SYNOPSES TO BE A SPOILER... THIS DOES NOT REVEAL PLOT LINES THOUGH **** My wife and I started out with a couple of random episodes on the anime channel, and eventually acquired both seasons (didn't like the OAVs though, so we didn't get them). This movie was the next step. Before we got it, we checked here and saw that even people who hadn't seen the series really liked it.The characters were more human then any anime I have seen before, at least to the extent of their experiences, emotions, responses, etc. being in place with the film. This is a nice change, as my only real hesitation with anime is that the characters are often as exaggerated in personality as they are in pen.The music was beautiful, and when the goddesses sing, it is very much the impression that one might have of an ethereal being.The artwork is fantastic, rivaling the Final Fantasy movies (although each has its own distinctions).Over all, I believe this may be the first movie I have rated as a 10. As a movie buff, I have to say this made my top 10 favorites, among other reasons because the story and the characters were both well above par.

muviman Finally able to view "Ah! My Goddess, The Movie" I had already seen all of season one, and 'wished' for more.Just like Keiichi and his wish, I got more than I had bargained for. The entire movie plays like an epic feature film, not just a larger version of the series. The images are sharp and beautiful, the soundtrack impressive. The dubbing, very well done. Though some of the characters (Sayoko, Marller, Hild, and so on) did not appear as I had hoped, I wasn't disappointed in the new characters I saw. Celestin, being freed from his lunar imprisonment by Morgan, is intent on trying to overthrow the current system which he believes is flawed. He can't stand to allow suffering to prosper, and believes his new world will eradicate all suffering. Hiding on Morgan's human form, he is able to guide his liberator to do his bidding; separate Belldandy and Keiichi, and bring on his new order.I was happy to see several things happen: Skuld is now at least tolerant to the relationship between her beloved big sister and Keiichi, even encouraging him at times, "You love Belldandy, don't you?" I was also happy to see the three sisters working together in perfect harmony for their common goal. But mostly, I was very happy to see Skuld finally has her full-size angel; Noble Scarlett.Anyone who even likes the Ah! My Goddess series will absolutely love Ah! My Goddess: The Movie. But be warned, don't see it alone; see it with someone you love. After all, love is the most powerful thing in the universe, isn't it?

swatdon I would just like to say that this is one of the best anime movies I have ever seen. The word masterpiece comes to mind when I think about it. I recently got the chance to get Hidenori Matsubara's autograph (He did the character design for the movie) and along with his signature he did a small sketch of Belldandy. I have got to say that still makes me smile every time I see it. If Mr. Matsubara ever reads this then I would like to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart.