Copyright © 1999 Dark Horse Comics

Arguably, Fujishima Kosuke's OH MY GODDESS! (OMG!) is best known for being a situational love comedy. For better or worse, Keiichi and the goddesses go about their daily lives, making small decisions and overcoming minor hurdles. Their story is built bit by bit upon fairly normal incidents. Rarely will you see a plot of earth-shattering magnitude which reveals major secrets about the characters, and leaves behind long lasting consequences.
TERRIBLE MASTER URD is one such gem. It has all the makings of a serious drama—high stakes, difficult decisions, stunning secrets, and surprising twists. Certainly, it has one of, if not the most dramatic moment in the history of OMG! Yet, it also retains the kind of heart-warming humor that makes the series so endearing to many.
The story begins with the demoness Mara in the midst of a ritual, trying to bring back the Lord of Terror with a strange looking urn. The scene then shifts to Keiichi's home. The Almighty One phones Urd and suspends her goddess license for misconduct. (She lied to Keiichi in earlier stories.) She is prohibited from using her powers for the next 50 years. Dejected, Urd proclaims (after watching Pinocchio), that she'll become human. She borrows Megumi's bike so she can go to the mall and buy some clothes. A worried Keiichi and Belldandy secretly follow her.
It doesn't take long for Urd to get into trouble. While she laments her situation, she hears a voice telling her to look to the demonic side. It offers her unlimited power. To Belldandy's horror, the goddess symbol on Urd's forehead splits into the demon symbol, as Urd calls herself the rightful heir to the Lord of Terror and vanishes.
A distraught Belldandy explains to Keiichi that Urd is actually half demon. She is only half-sister to Belldandy and Skuld, sharing the same father. On the day Belldandy received her commission as a goddess first class, the Almighty One revealed to her that Urd is the rightful heir to the Lord of Terror. He instructs her to contact him immediately, should that part of Urd ever manifest.
Knowing that the Almighty One may not show any mercy, Belldandy resolves to disobey his direct order. Skuld agrees that it is better not to contact him, but deal with Urd themselves. However, Belldandy worries about the Ultimate Destruction Program, which is supposed to activate following the return of the Lord of Terror.
On the opposite camp, Mara is surprised to find her recent enemy has become her new boss. As it turns out, even though Urd is now the Lord of Terror, much of her old self remains. Her first command to Mara is to bring her a big screen TV, so she can indulge herself while pondering the destruction of the universe.
The two sides clash for the first time. It is a short skirmish, but Keiichi was captured and the resonance is enough to alert the Almighty One. He informs Belldandy that he intends to strike Urd down before the situation deteriorates. Desperate, Belldandy knows she must stops the Ultimate Destruction Program and save Urd before the Almighty one can locate her hideout. To do that, she risks losing her goddess license to break the limitation seal on her full power without permission. Yet even as she does so, the Ultimate Destruction Program begins to activate. And so the ground is laid for a greater struggle.
TERRIBLE MASTER URD is one of my favorite story arcs in OMG!. I like the fact that for once, Belldandy has to face a serious crisis that threatens to take away everything she treasures. While future stories will test the couple's love for each other, most of these put the potential loss on Keiichi's end. Those few that put the burden on Belldandy are nowhere near as grave, because they allow her to retain control of the situation. In TERRIBLE MASTER URD, Belldandy is never sure she can defeat the Lord of Terror, even with her full power. She genuinely believes that she can lose first Urd, then Keiichi forever at any time. It is this angst, expressed so beautifully under Fujishima's pen, which makes this story the climax of OMG! in its early days.
The story also provided ample opportunities for Belldandy to show a different side. Later OMG! stories portray her as a passive character. She has no direct roles to play in many events, but rather influences its outcome through others, who are affected by her positive personality. In TERRIBLE MASTER URD, Belldandy takes a proactive role. She actively pursues and engages the Lord of Terror. Not only that, she displays initiative and independence by daring to defy the Almighty One's orders repeatedly. As the story reaches it dramatic climax, Belldandy even attempted to take some very drastic action in order to stop the Lord of Terror! Never again has Belldandy lost all hopes and chose the path of destruction. And yet it is this loss of composure, this display of anxiety, and this strong, independent Belldandy that I sorely miss later in the series.
The artwork is early Fujishima, with simpler lines and background. Even so, his trademarks long flowing, well-drawn hair, and a wonderful sense of fashion is already present. He has also established the thin, defined lines that fans associate with his works today. Most panels have no background, and the few that do tend to use a simple screen tone as one. The critical reader may also note a lack of dynamics in his art. The characters do not interact well with one another, or with objects. For the most part, it looks like they are cutouts pasted into the image, and you seldom see any of them drawn from an unusual angle. This has remained one of the biggest gripes against Fujishima's style until recently. Despite all this, the overall visual quality remains pleasant and should satisfy most readers. Even though the pages are flipped and slightly enlarged in the English version, the reading flow as well as the art quality is preserved.
As for the translation by Dark Horse, it remains somewhat controversial. While the gist of the story is preserved, a lot of liberties are taken with the details. Those who have read the original version may feel that some of the subtleties and atmosphere are lost in the translation. However, the casual readers probably will never notice anything amiss.
While die-hard fans are sure to pick up TERRIBLE MASTER URD, those with passing interest in the series should give it a try as well. It is a good read, and sufficiently different from the typical run of OMG! stories that it should generate its own reader base.

English version published by Dark Horse
Black/White, 176 pages
ISBN 1-56971-369-3
$13.95 USA / $20.95 Can
Available now in the USA
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