Manga time vrs series time

[Timotheus]

One of the most frequent complaints I've read about on the various Oh/Ah My Goddess forums is how slowly Keiichi and Bell's relationship has been developing. People all over want to see them either get physical or just get closer. The often stated reasoning being "Gawd, its been what, ten years and they're still barely holding hands!" Well it HAS been 15+ years since the manga started, but the actual time period as experienced by Belldandy and Keiichi has been much less.

With all the talk about the new TV anime, I thought it might be interesting to demonstrate just how short a timespan the actual manga covers compared to how long the series has been running. (And maybe take some pressure off our two love birds.)

So what I'm going to do is list the month's of April and October in order of Keiichi's school career and the manga episode closest to that month, and then compare how many months story time it has been since Belldandy arrived in Keiichi's life and how many months real time have passed since the first issue. Chapter numbers and release dates will all be Kodansha's. Chapter titles will be Dark Horse's or fan subed.

I hope people find this of some interest.
(And Les, if you want to post it more permanently, go ahead.)


KEIICHI'S First Year At Nekomi Tech

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
Belldandy and Keiichi meet, on a Saturday according to a song lyric.
SEPT. 1988, Wrong Number, chapt. 1, Vol. 1, Aug. 25 release.
Months since Bell arrived - - 0
Months since chapter 1 - - - 0


KEIICHI'S Second Year At Nekomi Tech

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
JUNE 1989, Naked Victory, chapt. 10, Vol. 2, May 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 6
Months since chapter 1 - - - 9

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
Urd arrives
OCT. 1989, Sexy Sister, chapt. 14, Vol. 2, Sept. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 12
Months since chapter 1 - - - 13


KEIICHI'S Third Year At Nekomi Tech

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
Aoshima arrives
APRIL 1990, Belldandy's Narrow Escape, chapt. 20, Vol. 3, Mar. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 18
Months since chapter 1 - - - 19

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
AUG. 1990, On A Wing And A Prayer, chapt. 24, Vol. 4, July 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 24
Months since chapter 1 - - - 23


KEIICHI'S Fourth Year At Nekomi Tech
(Two years depicted in the manga, but it can only be considered as one year in actual story time.)

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
DEC. 1991, Robot Wars, chapt. 40, Vol. 6, Nov. 25 release
MAY 1993, Fallen Angel, chapt. 57, Vol. 9, Apr. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 30
Months since chapter 1 - - - 56

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
JAN. 1993, Law Of The Ninja, chapt. 53, Vol. 9, Dec. 25 release
FEB. 1995, Live To Work, Work To Live!, chapt. 78, Vol. 14, Jan. 25 release
(October postal stamp on letter)
Months since Bell arrived - - 36
Months since chapter 1 - - - 77


KEIICHI's Fifth Year At Nekomi Tech
(Keiichi's first extra year)

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
FEB. 1996, Never Let Go, chapt. 90, Vol. 15, Jan. 25 release
(April for sure, mentioned on poster in K-78)
Months since Bell arrived - - 42
Months since chapter 1 - - - 89

In June - Sora Unchained Arc - End Of Dark Horse Releases
(School's still in session, but Sora's turning in financial reports so its the end of the term.)
JAN. 1999, Sora Unchained, part 7, The Race Gets Hot, A Goddess Gets Hotter!,
chapt. 125, Vol. 20, Dec. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 44 (3.66 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - - 124 (10.33 years)


FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
JUNE 2003, Small Voice, Large Love, chapt. 177, Vol. 27, May 25 release
(Singing Competition Arc, Set during Nekomi campus festival.)
Months since Bell arrived - - 48 (4 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - - 177 (14.75 years)

Last Kodansha Issue, 190
Still October.
JULY 2004, Urd's First class goddess tests, part 3, chapt. 190, Vol. , June 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 48 (4 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - - 190 (15.8 years)


KEIICHI'S sixth year At Nekomi Tech

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
When I think the movie takes place
Months since Bell arrived - - 54 (4.5 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - -


FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
Months since Bell arrived - - 60 (5 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - -

In February
Keiichi gets final language credit and can graduate.
Months since Bell arrived - - 64 (5.33 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - -

[AstroNerdBoy]

You are trying to kill me, aren't you? After all, I'm the one who keeps saying, "I'm going to finish my articles in Bell and K1's relationship", then never manage to get to doing it.

Anyway, I have a problem with your timeline. In the current stuff, K1 is clearly not a member of the motor club. While he may have that lone credit, he doesn't appear to be going to school any more. If he's not in school, then this can't be his "5th" year.

And how do we know he'll graduate? Just curious.

(Two years depicted in the manga, but it can only be considered one year in actual story time.)

Why?

Regardless, even at four years, the couple aren't a couple unless you look at them as an elderly couple who are just happy being around each other.

I'm not advocating they be out like rabits and having sex like mad. I like their waiting. However I'd still like to see them do couple things like they used to do when the manga first came out.

[Timotheus]

Well, neither is Chihiro, or Tamaya or Otaku (can't spell tonight) but that hasn't stopped them from still being involved in the club. Keiichi needed his German book in the traveller arc, still refers to the school in current tense in the Dr. Moreau arc, and most of the time since the new chief arc has been summer break. School just started again in the singing contest arc, and its still October in the manga.

It's been barely a week or so since the singing contest as depicted in the manga = broom race - 1 day, naming Blue Lance - 1 day (maybe the same day), current story, two days (one the same as the previous day), so there hasn't been much call for depicting Keiichi and Bell going to class.

Actually, we don't know if he'll graduate, but that's an endpoint we can calculate based on normal academic schedules, so I use it.

I've explained my reasoning about why there's a double year depicted in the manga for Keiichi's senior year. It's at the bottom of my Keiichi's school career timeline, from which much of this was excerpted. If it's still unclear, ask, and I'll go through it again.

Finally, I've greatly enjoyed your articles and have found them to be helpful and insightful. I may not agree totally with your ideas, but there's been nothing I flat-out disagree with. It's more like I want to add my observations to your's in order to make a more complete version. Of course what I think should be added is highly subjective.

So please don't think I'm after your case, I was trying to present a more rational view of how long the story has been running internally.


(By the way, I've been toying with the idea of there being a sort of reverse ultimate force that kicks in whenever Bell and K-1 are getting too close. Just as a possible reason for why they seem to have the worst case of romatise interuptus anyone's ever seen.)

[Aragon]

Timotheus said:

One of the most frequent complaints I've read about on the various Oh/Ah My Goddess forums is how slowly Keiichi and Bell's relationship has been developing. People all over want to see them either get physical or just get closer. The often stated reasoning being "Gawd, its been what, ten years and they're still barely holding hands!" Well it HAS been 15+ years since the manga started, but the actual time period as experienced by Belldandy and Keiichi has been much less.


With all the talk about the new TV anime, I thought it might be interesting to demonstrate just how short a timespan the actual manga covers compared to how long the series has been running. (And maybe take some pressure off our two love birds.)

So what I'm going to do is list the month's of April and October in order of Keiichi's school career and the manga episode closest to that month, and then compare how many months story time it has been since Belldandy arrived in Keiichi's life and how many months real time have passed since the first issue. Chapter numbers and release dates will all be Kodansha's. Chapter titles will be Dark Horse's or fan subed.

I hope people find this of some interest.
(And Les, if you want to post it more permanently, go ahead.)


KEIICHI'S First Year At Nekomi Tech

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
Belldandy and Keiichi meet, on a Saturday according to a song lyric.
SEPT. 1988, Wrong Number, chapt. 1, Vol. 1, Aug. 25 release.
Months since Bell arrived - - 0
Months since chapter 1 - - - 0


KEIICHI'S Second Year At Nekomi Tech

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
JUNE 1989, Naked Victory, chapt. 10, Vol. 2, May 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 6
Months since chapter 1 - - - 9

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
Urd arrives
OCT. 1989, Sexy Sister, chapt. 14, Vol. 2, Sept. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 12
Months since chapter 1 - - - 13


KEIICHI'S Third Year At Nekomi Tech

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
Aoshima arrives
APRIL 1990, Belldandy's Narrow Escape, chapt. 20, Vol. 3, Mar. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 18
Months since chapter 1 - - - 19

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
AUG. 1990, On A Wing And A Prayer, chapt. 24, Vol. 4, July 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 24
Months since chapter 1 - - - 23


KEIICHI'S Fourth Year At Nekomi Tech
(Two years depicted in the manga, but it can only be considered as one year in actual story time.)

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
DEC. 1991, Robot Wars, chapt. 40, Vol. 6, Nov. 25 release
MAY 1993, Fallen Angel, chapt. 57, Vol. 9, Apr. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 30
Months since chapter 1 - - - 56

FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
JAN. 1993, Law Of The Ninja, chapt. 53, Vol. 9, Dec. 25 release
FEB. 1995, Live To Work, Work To Live!, chapt. 78, Vol. 14, Jan. 25 release
(October postal stamp on letter)
Months since Bell arrived - - 36
Months since chapter 1 - - - 77


KEIICHI's Fifth Year At Nekomi Tech
(Keiichi's first extra year)

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
FEB. 1996, Never Let Go, chapt. 90, Vol. 15, Jan. 25 release
(April for sure, mentioned on poster in K-78)
Months since Bell arrived - - 42
Months since chapter 1 - - - 89

In June - Sora Unchained Arc - End Of Dark Horse Releases
(School's still in session, but Sora's turning in financial reports so its the end of the term.)
JAN. 1999, Sora Unchained, part 7, The Race Gets Hot, A Goddess Gets Hotter!,
chapt. 125, Vol. 20, Dec. 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 44 (3.66 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - - 124 (10.33 years)


FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
JUNE 2003, Small Voice, Large Love, chapt. 177, Vol. 27, May 25 release
(Singing Competition Arc, Set during Nekomi campus festival.)
Months since Bell arrived - - 48 (4 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - - 177 (14.75 years)

Last Kodansha Issue, 190
Still October.
JULY 2004, Urd's First class goddess tests, part 3, chapt. 190, Vol. , June 25 release
Months since Bell arrived - - 48 (4 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - - 190 (15.8 years)


KEIICHI'S sixth year At Nekomi Tech

SPRING TERM = APRIL (welcome festival)
When I think the movie takes place
Months since Bell arrived - - 54 (4.5 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - -


FALL TERM = OCTOBER (school festival)
Months since Bell arrived - - 60 (5 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - -

In February
Keiichi gets final language credit and can graduate.
Months since Bell arrived - - 64 (5.33 years)
Months since chapter 1 - - -

::) ::)You made the ime frame so simple ::) ::)

[Timotheus]

And this is a good thing or a bad thing? /:{)