Belldandy
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[edit] Introduction
One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.
Belldandy is the lifeblood of Oh My Goddess!--there's no doubt about that. It's her unique, innocent, caring personality that makes the series what it is. There are many other manga series about beautiful women who aren't of this earth coming to live with normal guys. Some, like Tenchi and Urusei Yatsura, you've likely heard of. Others, such as Boku no Marie and Mamotte Shugogetten! are a bit less well-known. While all of these series are certainly excellent in their own right, OMG manages to rise above the pack and stand on its own, with a feeling of originality that is somewhat lacking in all the others.
Of course, this can't all be attributed to Belldandy's personal touch--but a lot of it can. The most refreshing thing about Oh My Goddess is that Belldandy (in her current incarnation), unlike her counterparts in other series, is neither abrasive, nor stupid, nor impulsive, nor annoying. In fact, one is hard-pressed to name any bad qualities at all. As a result, Belldandy and Keiichi's problems usually come from outside sources--left to their own devices, the two of them would likely lead a peaceful, contented life together.
[edit] Development as a Character
Belldandy wasn't always like this, though. Back near the beginning of the manga, she was a lot more like a normal girl, in terms of the way she acted. Unlike the way she was portrayed in the first OAV, Bell was none too thrilled about having to live with Keiichi forever.
It's hard to imagine that, in her younger days, Bell used to get into a lot of fights with Urd. She was at times careless and impulsive, and often, poor Keiichi would get caught in the crossfire. In time, though, she grew and developed, and became more like the goddess we know today.
From an artistic standpoint, Bell wasn't always as beautiful as she is now. Back at the beginning of the manga, she had blue hair, and an oddly-shaped face that was, frankly, a bit homely. Her character design eventually caught up with the familiar one from the OAV, though, and finally surpassed it. The differences between the OAV and her current look in the American-released manga are subtle, but noticeable--she appears a bit more mature now, and perhaps a bit prettier as well.
[edit] Mysteries
One of the most captivating things about Belldandy's character is her mix of wisdom and apparent naiveté.
Back when I was very young--four or five or so--I used to wonder why people would want to be mean to each other. Honestly, to this day, I really don't understand it most of the time, but I've come to accept it and, as such, barely think about it anymore. In this sense, Belldandy is still like a young child. She never feels a need to deliberately hurt other people, and is not so cynical as to expect other people to be hurtful either. Her innocence along these lines even extends to the point where, at times, she ends up trusting the demoness Mara--who is invariably up to no good.
Belldandy is innocent in other ways as well. Most of the characters in the manga end up, at one point or another, with their minds in the gutter. Belldandy, on the other hand, seems almost completely immune to any sort of lustful thought, and often times, sexual connotations in certain situations just don't occur to her at all. This scene is a good example of this.
At other times, though, it seems like Bell is totally aware of what's going on, but is just alright with it. When Peorth arrives, for instance, Bell at first seems oblivious to the way the new goddess is coming onto Keiichi. Eventually, though, she takes Peorth aside and asks her to stop (click for scene). In fact, in this same issue, Belldandy is seen to actually mull over sleeping with Keiichi, eventually inferring that she is not ready for a sexual relationship (In the anime she goes a step further and tells Keiichi directly that she is not ready to fulfill all his desires).
[edit] Fighting Spirit
One thing that constantly surprises Belldandy's rivals is that, despite all her sweetness, she is not a pushover. In fact, if she has any weakness it all, it is that she is arguably too easy to goad into accepting a challenge with poor odds and unfavorable terms, often to the horror of her friends. For instance, at one point she agrees to a broom racing challenge against Hild wherein she agrees that she and the other goddesses will leave Earth if she loses. Fortunately, Belldandy and her friends usually win these challenges, so things turn out well in the end.
[edit] Conclusion
As a story character, Belldandy is truly unique. Her divine beauty and wisdom and her complete lack of a dark side make her the heart and soul of one of the most popular manga series ever published. She's a breath of optimism in a world that's often cruel and unpleasant for the likes of Keiichi--proof that somewhere out there, there still exist such things as innocence and purity.
[edit] Analysis
[edit] Jealous Goddess
Belldandy also has another side of herself that not a whole lot of people, much less fans, recognize: That is because Belldandy is exceptionally good at hiding it (even from herself), because it's a side of her that even she doesn't expect to have. Belldandy is very possesive of her relationship with Keiichi, while in nearly every other way she's kind and generous to a fault, she is very clear in stating that she will not give up Keiichi for anyone or anything, as demonstrated several times in the series. The first major development of this side of her is when Shiho was about to steal Keiichi away, and Belldandy's infamous Jealousy Storms took over her better judgement. Recently, in the Gate arc, Belldandy makes it very clear how possessive of Keiichi she is. When Gate insisted that Keiichi kiss her, Belldandy did not allow it. "When it comes to Keiichi, I am not so generous." (for the context see Keiichi and Belldandy).
[edit] The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree
It is my own personal speculation that Belldandy is most like her father, at least with regards to personality traits. I come to this conclusion after reading the Hild arc, where Hild's comments seem to shed a lot of light on what exactly their father is like.
[edit] Of Angels and Devils
Belldandy's personal angel, Holy Bell, is one of the first two angels to appear in the manga. Not much is to be said about Holy Bell, except the fact that Belldandy reveres her as a very close friend and is seen singing with her on occasion.
Her second angel, which neither she or Keiichi named, was in all actuality a servant demon created by Hild and planted into her. Belldandy managed to purify it of its dark programming, but it was still a demon. Tsukai is a one-of-a-kind demon servant, but operates the same as an angel. Since Belldandy doesn't have the power to support two angels simultaneously (and the fact that even though it was purified, it was still of demon blood. Because of that, Belldandy was experiencing a incompatibility reaction), she transferred it over to Keiichi.
However, even then Tsukai was sucking energy out of Belldandy, since she was still indirectly supporting it (since an angel draws it's power from a goddess' love, and Belldandy was the one who loved Keiichi most of all). Eventually, it was transferred over to Welsper, and named Die Wespe der Blauen Lanze (In English: Wasp of the Blue Lance).
