These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: Ah My Goddess
Adaptation Displacement: The TV series seems to be much more well-known amongst fans than than the manga, OVA, or movie.
Belldandy (To the cynical, she's a Purity Sue). Which is odd since she has time and time again shown herself to not be above petty jealousy, though it varies as to what sets her off. Hild once practically flirted with Keiichi and Belldandy didn't react to it.
Honestly, if you keep a running tab of Sue symptoms, (beautiful, can do no wrong, everybody loves her except for Sayoko who is jealous, she's phenomenally talented at anything she tries, she saves the world from total destruction), then Belldandy could be a poster girl. This actually seems to be more of a case for how a Canon Sue can actually not be a bad thing.
Belldandy's definitely a Purity Sue. The reason this works is that she's not the main character, Keiichi is.
And having Belldandy suddenly act like a jerk to make her more "interesting" would not work anyway.
The singing during the climax of The Movie. In the show, there is an episode where Urd needs her two halves fused together with the help of Hild, her mother— it's a long story. Anyway, with Hild's singing in minor coupled with Belldandy and Skuld both in major, crawling up and up the scale. Wow.
The TV Special deserves a mention for the totally awe-inspiring chorus in the background when the goddesses and their angels get their Crowning Moment of Awesome.
Sort of. Some fans are convinced that when Keiichi and Belldandy do something to signify their love (whatever that may be), the manga will end. They haven't, and it hasn't, after 23 years. However, since the two of them are extremely close as they currently are, the two consummating their love (by way of dating, making love, or even getting married) probably wouldn't make a major difference in the tone and flow of the series, which why it's "Sort of". It should also be noted that in the OVA, and in the manga prior to the Lord of Terror arc, they had a very close relationship (even though Keiichi still couldn't spit it out).
Even if you disregard Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship (or accept it as a Foregone Conclusion), there's still the issue of the fact that the manga is published monthly, and since the Mystery Child arc, Fujishima seems to be slowing down considerably, taking much longer than needed to write a story (the Lind Arc is truly epic, but does a broom race between Belldandy and Hild really need five chapters?)
Evil Is Sexy: Hild, anyone? Mara and Hagall definitely fit the bill as well.
Fashion Victim Villain: The punkrock outfits the various demonesses wear are certifyably Fabulous! Especially those of the more powerful ones. Also qualifies for CostumePorn.
Foe Yay: Hild. With pretty much the entire cast. Including the Almighty with whom she even has a daughter.
Hagal with Belldandy since Her entire plan is designed to turn Bell into a demon.
Or in Belldandy's case, "Growing The Ponytail". It took Fujishima a while to get a handle of the character designs, but when the goddesses start taking on a less Oriental look in the manga, the manga starts developing into the light-hearted romantic comedy it's best known for.
This might be why the OVA (which debuted while the series was still Growing the Beard) and the TV series (which debuted well after the manga established itself as a light-hearted romance), both of which seem to be more popular among fans, have Belldandy make her first appearance with blonde hair in a ponytail, and wearing the blue, gold, and white goddess outfit she's frequently associated with (which fans agree she looks more attractive in anyway, as opposed to loose, silver hair and the... thing... she wore in the manga's very first chapter).
there's a noticeable decline in the quality of the manga around Chapter 120-150, such as in Fujishima's lack of attention to detail, his dragging-out of story arcs, and his use of characters— some characters (most notably Keiichi and Belldandy) become exaggerated, while some secondary characters (such as Megumi, Sayoko, and Mara) pretty much fall off the map entirely. A few fans have actually requested that Fujishima resolve the Unresolved Sexual Tension between Keii and Bell before the series deteriorates any further.
Things greatly improved in the current arc tough. Keiichi and Belldandy are finally moving forward again.
Flights of Fancy is near-universally considered inferior to the first season of the anime, despite the presence of fan favorites Peorth and Hild.
instance, Urd pressing her open mouth to Belldandy's... to suck out an "Ahem Bug" causing laryngitis. Seeing her do this paralyzed Keiichi.
More recently, Urd briefly messed with Peorth's head by pretending an accidentally swallowed potion had made her fall in love with Peorth.
There also a scene where Belldandy was seen in a liplock with Peorth, doing the magical equivalent of CPR, which of course looks wrong and actually freaks Peorth out. The reason? Belldandy was trying to suck a water spirit out of Peorth's body.
Sayoko and several other girls were clearly thinking Les Yay in an early manga chapter when Urd hooked a finger into the top of Sayoko's swimsuit and pulled it open to take a good look inside. But...
Some fans see Foe Yay between Urd and Mara. It gets better when a clone of Urd is threatening to destroy Urd, and Mara shouts, "I can't lose you! I still haven't beaten you at Tetris yet, dammit!"
Mara getting mistaken for a pervert is a repeat gag in the anime, with both Sayoko and Megumi thinking she's after them for sex (when actually she wants a minion and to possess Megumi's body, respectively).
Misaimed Fandom: Most of the franchise is essentially an animé/manga version of "Bewitched meets Three's Company"— sweet and innocent compared to most Seinen out there, and yet there's more fan-made ecchi and hentai of this series than anything else. It's not too surprising (and probably intentional).
Hild manages to be downright terrifying by simply changing her tone of voice and adopting a Slasher Smile. The anime even punctuates this with Glowing Eyes of Doom.
Mara's first appearance in the anime and manga (in a dream of Keiichi's) as a horrifying lich certainly qualifies. So Mara is literal in-universe Nightmare Fuel.
The dream castle arc of the manga had some rather spooky-looking ghosts, and Keiichi himself made some wild facial expressions.
Then there was the Shinnentai spirit, especially while she was hovering over Keiichi's bed.
Purity Sue: Belldandy, arguably. However, she's shown to not be above jealousy or even outright anger in many cases, and in one chapter of the manga, Urd actually gets scared when Belldandy finds out about Urd's divine intervention.
Also deconstructed in The Movie, as Belldandy's purity and forgiveness are what allows Celestine to use her as a pawn in his plans.
The Scrappy: For many, Skuld is just plain annoying, since she deliberately gets in the way of Keii and Bell's relationship— the focal point of the series. However, that factor reallydepends on the incarnation— In Flights Of Fancy, she's literally a chainsaw-wielding maniacobsessed with Belldandy; in the first TV season, she's still annoying and obsessed with Bell, but less so; in the manga, she's a pretty tolerable character who grows up a little every so often, and in the OVA, she's an honestly sympathetic character who legitimately seemed to miss her big sister, but is still willing to play dirty to stay close to her.
Scenery Porn: Fujishima has made many detailed, awe-inspiring scenes of everything from Nekomi Tech festivals to Tariki Hongan Temple (Keiichi and Belldandy's home), drawn in a fusion of art noveau and shoujo-manga style. However, this could be an instance of Tropes Are Not Good: After the Mystery Child arc, Fujishima seems to be using a lot more panels than necessary than usual to fufill a storyline, slowing down a series that only comes out once a month and that fans are desperate to see progress. It may not even be this case— said panels have a tendency to be simpler and less detailed than they were prior to said arc.
Uncanny Valley: The manga went through a period (between around volumes 27-33) where the characters eyes were usually drawn without reflections, and their noses were reduced to a pair of nostrils when seen from the front, giving them a disturbing dead-fish look. Thankfully, It Gets Better.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: Besides the glaringly obvious between Keiichi and Belldandy, part of Skuld's feelings about Keiichi have this as a motivator (see the end of Season 1), and Peorth still likes Keiichi, despite doing her best to ship him and Belldandy together.
Villain Decay: Mara got hit by this trope hard in Flights of Fancy. When she first appeared in the first season, she could easily give Belldandy and Urd a hard time by herself. Suddenly, she's working at the convenience store Keiichi and Belldandy used to work at (they gave her the job), lives in a rundown building (though, an abandoned arcade was her base of operations in the manga), sleeps alongside her rat scientists, and eats nothing but takeout food from the store she works at. She can't even get into Tariki Hongan Temple to cause any trouble because Banpei can dispatch her easily. Urd even points out how big a failure Mara is, causing her to break down and cry. Really, how can you not wonder where her badassery went and pity her at this point?
The Woobie: Sora when she explains why she thinks◊ she's◊ a jinx◊. Go on; tell me you don't feel like giving her a comforting hug. (Note: these translations were flipflopped; read left to right.)
When Keiichi becomes president of NIT's motor club, Sora occasionally refers to him as "sir" (vice sempai), like a certain Peanuts character she more than slightly resembles.
In the Western-style (left-to-right) version of the manga, Aoshima has a personalized license plate: "SMARM E".
Second episode of the TV series dub, Keiichi tries to stay at a friend's house during their mah-jongg game— and keeps on winning due to Belldandy's presence. He aptly exclaims, "Well, luck be a goddess tonight!"
