Oh My Goddess! Volume 2: Leader of the Pack

I admit, I've never seen any of the Oh My Goddess anime, and I haven't been reading these books in order, but that doesn't make reading them any less fun. For those of you, like me, who can't manage to get all of these volumes in order, you're in luck. Although this volume (I'm not sure about the others) doesn't have a "the story thus far" section or a section summing up the characters, it's all still easy to follow. This book has the first appearance (I think) of Urd, Belldandy's mischievous sister. Once again, the artwork is gorgeous, and the stories themselves are fun. Very recommended.

This book contains a single story -- the "Lord of Terror". However, it is broken down into parts. The first part sets up the tale with Urd losing her goddess license and Mara summoning the Lord of Terror -- Urd! The second part has Urd showing her demonic mastery over Mara, then destroying the Morisato residence depsite the defence of Belldandy and Skuld.The third part has Urd starting the Ultimate Destruction Program (UDP) to destroy everything while Belldandy unleashes her full powers. The fourth section has Urd summoning Fenrir who becomes the UDP while the goddesses summon Midgard to defeat the giant wolf. The fifth part has Urd free from evil but powerless while the UDP transfers itself first to Midgard, then to Keiichi. The final part has Keiichi possessed by the UDP and forcing Skuld to build a device to help it destroy the world while Belldandy makes a choice.The humor level in this book is much lower than in previous OMG manga, but this story is very interesting & well written. It is cool seeing Belldandy unleashed (within limits). Bottom line: Certainly this is the best volume to this point in the series despite the limited humor factor. OMG fans will have to have this. Fans of comic arts should appreciate this. Those looking for a fairly wholesome, light reading material shouldn't overlook this title. Be warned you might not put the book down until you've completed it!

This is the 2nd volume of the "Oh My Goddess" manga English translation. We continue where the first volume left off with Belldandy and Keiichi growing closer as their life together continues.This book is a smaller one and only contains small tales. The first deals with Keiichi's sister Megumi's attempt to find a nice but cheap place to live near Nekomi Tech. The second tale is about Belldandy's self-appointed human rival Sayoko and her attempt to embarrass Belldandy conning her and Keiichi to pose nude for Sayoko's art club.The third tale is the best as this shows Belldandy's and Keiichi's first date. Very sweet (and a glimps of this is seen in the OAV's opening animation)! The fourth tale centers around a motorcycle race Nekomi Tech Motor Club is in with Keiichi as the racer. The fifth tale has the Motor Club and Art Club joining forces to share a large beach house where Sayoko again attempts to score a victory against Belldandy.Finally, the last tale has the introduction of Belldandy's elder sister Urd. Urd has been watching the couple for a long time and feels it is time for things to heat up between Belldandy and Keiichi.Bottom line: The artwork is still in its early stages so it doesn't have the "kawaii" (cute) factor of the OAV series or the "Ah! My Goddess" movie. However, the stories are nicely written and it is an enjoyable read.

I'm a huge fan of the OMG! series, so I look really forward to the release of every graphic novel. When Studio Proteus announced that they were going to release the "lost chapters" of the series I was quite excited, so when the _Wrong Number_ graphic novel was released I snatched it up as quickly as possible. I figured that not too many chapters had been skipped, but boy was I wrong. There was only one chapter in the collection from 1-555-Goddess. It was a nice surprise. When _Leader of the Pack_ was released I figured that it would have a few more of the stories from _1-555-Goddess_, but I was wrong; it only had the second story from 1-555 when Urd arrives into the series. So much of the story was skipped. I guess Studio Proteus wanted to introduce Urd as soon as possible, but it skipped the intrpoductory chapters for Megumi Morisato and my personal favorite Sayoko Mishima. The stories in this collection follow the pattern for many of the otherr episodes. Belldandy and Keiichi's love for one another is trying to blossom, but everyone seems to get in their way; Megumi, Sayoko, the motor club, Urd, etc. We have another race for Belldandy, another plot by Sayoko to embarrass Belldandy, and another Belldandy/Keiichi date where Keiichi tries to further their relationship. Quite standard, but Fujishima works his special magic to make them something special. A nice book for OMG! fans and newcomers alike. Also we find out where that Earth spirit in Megumi's apartment comes from.

"Terrible Master Urd" has it all -- epic battle, world destruction, and rules being broken. The best part? No stereotypical mechs, starships, or lasers. This is straight up, magic-on-magic combat. Belldandy is noble and beautiful as ever, as the last scene of the manga shows. Although Urd and Skuld provide moments of comic relief, they also have central roles in the plot. Don't be fooled into thinking that the whole story revolves around Urd -- this is a classic battle between good and evil with a 90's twist. Despite the seriousness of the story, it still carries the humorous undercurrent that is Fujishima's trademark. Just when it gets a little too serious, there's a gag around the corner that reminds you, "Hey, it's only a story." The plot is so perfectly balanced, it reads better than some Bible stories.One last note: Make sure you have time to read the whole book when you start. "Terrible Master Urd" flows so well from chapter to chapter, you'll want to read it all in one sitting.