Oh My Goddess!, Volume 16: Mystery Child

This is is beautifully illustrated and intricately plotted volume. There's so much depth to the characters, and their feelings and personalities really come out, especially near the end (when it gets VERY sweet and exciting). I love how Fujishima is able to show his characters' every emotion on their expressions and in their poses. THIS is Japanese animation, folks, so much more than those Marvel and DC comics superheroes can do, even with their over-flaunted muscles. Also, check out Ayashi no Ceres by Yu Watase. The illustrations are just as beautiful (but in a different style, of course), and the story is absolutely gripping and touching. Both of these manga have a tendency to get dark at times, but that's when the characters really show their true selves, and who would want a manga that has a happy storyline all the time? That's not how real life goes, and in any case, the characters BECOME more human to the readers because of what they go through and how they react to their problems. This is one of the best in the Oh My Goddess! series so far. THANK you, Kosuke.

This graphic novel of the popular "Oh My Goddess" series covers original manga volumes volume 16 chapter 94 through volume 17 chapter 101. This is an 8-part story covering the "Welsper" arc (or as Dark Horse calls him, Velsper).The first part has the 4th goddess Peorth losing an aerial with an unknown attacker and attempting to warn Belldandy. Urd and Skuld are recalled to the heavens to deal with a problem while a young boy who knows Belldandy visits her and Keiichi. The second part has the boy come by Bell's and Keiichi's shop, then charm their boss Chihiro. The third part has the boy coming to stay at the Morisato residence. Belldandy begins to have bizarre dreams and time seems to be going awry. The forth part has Skuld and Urd fighting a corruption in the Yggdrasil system. Belldandy and the boy have a strange connection and the boy reveals his true nature. The fifth part has the return of Peorth as she defends Keiichi from attack. The boy reveals his plan and reason for being on Earth. The sixth part has Skuld, Urd, and their helpers in the heavens losing their battle against time stoppage while Peorth, Belldandy, and Keiichi make a choice.The seventh part has Belldandy reverting to childhood while the boy's plans begin to go astray. The final part has Belldandy remember the boy's name which was what he wanted all along. However, he must now pay the price for tampering with the Yggdrasil system.Bottom line: The standard great artwork from Fujishima-san is here. Having Peorth return is a great addition even if her role is limited. There's not as much humor in this issue, but we do learn a lot more about the heavens and get to see Demon Central for the first time. There is one complaint which I've never made before. Since Dark Horse converts these comics from their original Japanese form (which is a right-to-left format), nearly everything you see is the reverse image of the original. However, there are times when DH cannot do this; so there are blaring instances where a characters hair will be parted one way in one frame and another way in the next frame. It can be a jarring distraction, but I have not allowed that to stop my purchases. I am asking Dark Horse to do future OMG graphic novels in the Japanese style to avoid this problem.

Belldandy was the first to come on the scene when Keiichi made his misguided wish. Urd followed soon after, and because of her sabotage of Yggdrasil, she has stayed. Skuld came to take Belldandy home, and has moved in, although I'm sure Keiichi would wish otherwise if he could. Peorth arrived much the same way as Belldandy, but left when the contract was fulfulled. Now, here comes a little boy who treats Keiichi like a kid and Belldandy like his long-lost lover. Belldandy senses something about the boy, but can't put a finger on it. And they are running out of time--all of them.Who is this boy, and why is he here? Is he going to take Belldandy away from Keiichi? You'll have to read the book now, won't you?