Adventures Of Mini-Goddess

Publisher
Geneon/MVM
Director
Hiroko KazuiHiroko Kazui, Yasuhiro Matsumura
Production
Oriental Light and Magic
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
48 episodes / 7 minutes
Year
1998

Adventures Of Mini-Goddess Volume 3: The Urd Files

By otaku_kei
25th May 05

Are you up for even more ridiculously cute adventures with three pint sized goddesses and one talking rat? Sure you are. OK so the third volume of Adventures of Mini-Goddess continues pretty much how the other releases have followed - 5 minute episodes that do not have any continuity effect on the show as a whole. By the end of each episode the mini-goddess world is pretty much exactly how it was at the start, the only exception to this being the two-part stories. Joining Belldandy, Urd, Skuld and Gan-Chan in these mini adventures is the Demon-Sorceress Marla who quickly becomes a constant source of strife and chaos in the mini-goddesses lives.

Marla's inclusion actually provides a new dynamic to the show, as it is not just Urd and Skuld that cause all the problems. Marla's inclusion actually leads to a much more action oriented release then the former volumes. Once again we get several episodes that are pastiches of movie genres - such as Gan-Chan's action hero role in "Squeak Hard - Gan-Chans Desperate Situation". But without a doubt the stand out episode on this volume is "Rainy Day", an atmospheric tale that sets itself apart from every other episode this series has provided as Urd spends her day travelling through the town on a rainy day. An episode that is devoid of any dialogue it relies upon the visual imagery and the score to provide quite an emotional impact. This episode, possibly due to its uniqueness stands out so much from all the other episodes as it is touching and sweet, whereas this series has almost consistently relied upon slapstick comedy and parody to provide plot and focus to the story.

This fun little series has grown on me quite a bit, the constant parodies of familiar situations and genres provide an entertaining distraction. But "Rainy Day" truly has set this volume above the previous releases and allows the creative talent behind this show to deliver a bit of breadth to this show. I am still of the opinion that fans of the 'Ah! My Goddess' series will have a better connection and investment in these characters and can therefore get a bit more enjoyment out of the series, but if you have been following this title so far and enjoying it then this volume is probably a definite purchase for you. Everything that has been right about the previous releases is still in this volume but as I've stated this delivers just a little bit more for your enjoyment. So why don't you pick this up and go and have an adventure, just 'for a lark'!

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Subtitles; Character Notes; Urd Art Gallery; MVM Trailers

Release information: OUT NOW

Notes: There is not much to say about this disc. The quality standard that MVM have set themselves is once again upheld with both audio and visual quality top notch. But yet again the extras for this series are substandard and really add nothing to your enjoyment of this show.

-- otaku_kei 25th May 05

Adventures Of Mini-Goddess Images