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Title:
 Adventures of Mini-Goddess vol 2 - The Belldandy Files

UK Distributor:  MVM (DVD Only)

BBFC Certificate:  PG

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  £19.99

Episodes:  13-24 (of 48)

Audio Options:  English 2.0, Japanese 2.0

Subtitles:  English

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)

 

I really enjoyed the first volume of this surreal spin-off from the 'boy meets Norse personification of Being' romance Oh! My Goddess, and was expecting more of the same from the second volume, which is exactly what I got.

As with the first volume there are twelve episodes on this disc which each weigh in at a little under ten minutes long, and with the exception of a couple of two-parters there's pretty much no continuous story.  Story isn't what Adventures of Mini-Goddess is about though, it's about slapstick comedy and fun, and as with the first volume this is what it delivers.

This time round we actually see a bit more of Belldandy, which is welcome as she was underused last time, but once again the focus is mainly on Urd and Skuld with Gan as their comedy stooge.  Amongst the challenges facing the pint-sized deities this time is an overly effective air conditioner which turns the house into a freezing wasteland, an over-zealous Buddha statue and Gan's romantic shenanigans, which form the basis of many of the episodes.

Whilst this volume is still highly enjoyable there are far more romance based episodes this time round, which leads to less focus on the action comedy aspects of the first twelve episodes.  This isn't to say that it isn't funny or entertaining, it's just I personally think the series is at its best when it focuses on surrealism and action.  This said there are still plenty of laughs to be had, there are parodies galore once again (although the boxing episode falls a little flat as many UK viewers won't be familiar with the boxing anime it parodies), some truly silly situations and a good vein of visual humour throughout.  I especially enjoyed the episode which brilliantly took the mickey out of the setup frequently used in the series - Gan enlisting the help of Urd and Skuld in order to solve a simple problem and it backfiring spectacularly - by doing the exact opposite, much to Gan's surprise!  It is also interesting to note that Belldandy, who sometimes seems to have had her personality surgically removed, shows signs of a competitive nature in the last two episodes, which is something I hope is built on in the next volume.

Adventures of Mini-Goddess continues to be fun and enjoyable, with a hint of Looney Tunes about it.  It isn't going to win awards, it isn't going to tax you, but it'll entertain you and that's no bad thing.  This volume isn't quite as good as the first, but despite a couple of limp endings to some episodes it continues to be cute, nicely animated and highly enjoyable entertainment which is worth a look.

Extras

The extras are once again pretty standard - textless ending, character profile for Gan and a gallery.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras:
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