It's been almost a year since the Goddess Belldandy came to live with college student Keiichi Morisato, and he's almost gotten up the nerve to kiss her. Unfortunately, the encounter with the Lord of Terror damaged some of Yggdrasil's systems, and the contract binding Belldandy and Keiichi is amongst the lost data. The lovebirds can only hope the information can be retrieved before the Almighty One orders Belldandy back to Heaven. Naturally Skuld and Urd try to help, but it might be better if they didn't. Then, with Christmas at hand, Keiichi works himself to the bone to buy a present, and the rivalry with Sayoko may have driven Belldandy to drink...

Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy: Season 2 - Part 1 contains the first eight episodes, spread over two discs, of the show's second series.

Episode 1, Ah! I Wish... Once More!, picks up the story where series one ended - after the Lord of Terror story arc conclusion. Something, somewhere in Heaven has gone wrong with the computer systems and it appears that Belldandy and Keiichi's contract has been lost. The Almighty One himself rings Keiichi to let him know that he has no choice but to recall Belldandy, Skuld and Urd. However, not long after a solution is found... but Keiichi will have to repeat, word for word, the original contract from memory.

Episode 2, Ah! The Beleaguered Queen of Vengeance, and Keiichi gives Belldandy time on her own - time which she uses to knit a jumper for Keiichi with all her love. Meanwhile a rumour is circulating around the college campus that Belldandy and Keiichi have split up - which peaks Sayoko's interest. She makes it her mission to get it together with Keiichi, as he is the last male on campus who has resisted her advances. One thing leads to another and Sayoko ends up pinching Belldandy's jumper so that she won't be able to give it to Keiichi.

Episode 3, Ah! I Offer These Feelings on Christmas Eve!, sees Keiichi realising that he and Belldandy have been together for almost a year. He decides to buy her a ring, but is having a little trouble getting the money together. Step forward Urd, who has a plan to help Keiichi.

Episode 4, Ah! I Want to Fill the World with Happiness!, and the gang are invited to to a Christmas party at Sayoko's mansion. Sayoko tries to get Belldandy drunk so that she will make a fool of herself in front of everyone. However, Belldandy is immune to the intoxicating effect of alcohol. But when she drinks a can of cola afterwards she soon becomes inebriated and starts running around the town granting people's wishes in a bid to make them happy.

Extras on disc one consist of an audio commentary with Eileen Stevens and Drew Aaron (who play Belldandy and Keiichi on the American dub) for the first episode; clean opening and closing titles; and production artwork.

Disc two opens with episode 5, Ah! Well-Matched Vibes of Love, in which Otaki falls in love with Satoko Yamano after he fixes her moped. When he wins tickets to a new amusement arcade he eventually works up the courage to ask Satoko out. Unfortunately Aoshima wants Satoko to be his, and so sets about trying to break the pair up. We also learn that Otaki has an extensive Cosplay collection.

Episode 6, Ah! Is That Jealousy?!, Keiichi receives what he thinks is a love letter from a girl at the college. It actually turns out that the girl is interested in him from a spiritual point of view - she is training to be an exorcist apprentice and believes that Keiichi is plagued by evil spirits. But the closeness between the two opens Belldandy to the darkness of the emotion that is better known as jealousy.

Episode 7, Ah! I Shall Get Your Wish!, Keiichi accidentally rings another Goddess agency and another Goddess, Peorth, comes to earth to grant his greatest desire.

Episode 8, Ah! I Want to be of Use to You!, Peorth is still on Earth, determined to grant Keiichi's wildest desire - which she believes to be of a sexual nature. Urd, Skuld and Peorth end up engaging in a battle to see who is the greatest Goddess but this spells disaster for Keiichi. Peorth drugs Keiichi in order to get him to fall in love with her, but the potion doesn't work correctly and instead anyone who looks into Keiichi's eyes falls in love with him.

Extras on disc two include an audio commentary on episode 7 with Eilleen Stevens (Belldandy) and Juliet Casario (Peorth); as well as clean opening and closing titles once again.

This first volume has a good mix of episodes and, for anyone who enjoyed the first series, this is well worth adding to your anime collection.

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Darren Rea