Ah My Goddess TV - 03

I really thought Belldandy's reaction to Keiichi's wish was going to lead somewhere. But it's been another episode, and I haven't seen any more indications of dissatisfaction from her.

But, then, if she's not just playing along, I'm going to find the show in general pretty hard to believe. That forced little smile whenever Keiichi looks at her is one thing, but counting 600 sheep is another; it goes beyond the bounds of what a human being would do without some driving motivation.

On the other hand, maybe Bell's reactions aren't about playing along, but instead about resignation - or even about doing her job. What if she's dedicated enough that she's decided to fall in love with Keiichi, and is looking for ways to get herself to do it? "There are incantations here on Earth, too," she said, when Keiichi brought up counting sheep. I wonder if that's her way of looking at it. Making tea every day, living together, and counting sheep: If I do these things, I will fall in love.

Is it working? Well, Bell shows real emotion (as opposed to generic pleasantness or mild worry) for the third time when Keiichi falls off the temple roof. And it's the first time she shows real affection for him. It's worth making a note of, as is the fact that every scene that's gotten a rise out of Belldandy has involved magic in some way (she's perfectly OK with the unfamiliarity of the world she's been dropped into) but I'm not sure what to make of it right now.

So, let's talk about the temple. All along, it's been symbolic of tranquility, tradition, and so on, which makes it an obvious setting for Belldandy and Keiichi's Domestic Bliss; this time, though, it's inhabited before they arrive. The priest cedes the place, practically as a matter of plot (in fact, the temple becomes theirs in exactly the same way as before, namely "Bell's magic makes everything OK.") I'm awfully tempted to take this as a meta-point; the priest has built a tiny outpost of tradition, just like, as I hypothesized earlier, Ah My Goddess itself is intended as a classic show in a sea of Sister Princesses. But I'd rather take it as a continuation of an earlier motif: People are being displaced in this show. The first three episodes have revolved around lives being rearranged, regardless of inconvenience, to make room for Bell and Keiichi's romance.

That's probably it, actually. The obvious purpose of the episode is establishing and delineating Bell's powers, and setting up the rules of the world. (That's why Holy Bell was introduced here, too.) So the priest was there to help establish in what respects things would go right and wrong for the couple.

What's more, if this was just an exposition episode, then I'm justified in holding onto the hope I've trumped up for this show. So I'll go with that for now.

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