Ah My Buddha
Ikkou Satonaka is training to be a Buddhist monk. He is not particularly thrilled with this, despite residing at the temple with a bevy of cute nuns in training. During the show, Ikkou and the girls must exorcise numerous spirits who haven't crossed over to the next life yet, as well as dealing with more typical challenges of their age. Ikkou's grandmother Jotoku oversees their training as the head of the temple and the vice-principal of their high school.
Inside him, Ikkou has a powerful spiritual force, which he cannot willingly unleash. When manifested, this power enables him to perform mass exorcisms. This force is linked to his libido, so he can only use his heightened whenever he sees one (or more) of the nuns naked. Of course, this happens a lot.
The girls are:
- Chitose Nanbu: Has feelings for Ikkou, but doesn't admit them - even to herself. She represents the Human Realm in Buddhist cosmology.
- Yuuko Atoda: A tomboy who excels at sports and fighting. She represents the Asura Realm.
- Sumi Ikuina: A kind, quiet girl with an empathetic nature who occasionally tries to speak up for Ikkou. She represents the Animal Realm.
- Haruka Amanogawa: Somewhat carefree and the most powerful exorcist of the group, one of the more senior trainees. She represents the Heavenly Realm.
- Sakura Sagai: Secretly runs an internet blog where she berates losers under the guise of helping them. She represents the Hungry Ghosts Realm. The sequel manga has her as the new head of the temple with Kazuki Kazusano replacing her original role.
- Hinata Sugai: Sakura's little sister who has a pet fire-breathing demon (about the size of a hamster). She represents the Naraka (Hell) Realm.
The first season usually deals with Ikkou and the girls exorcising evil spirits. The second season explores the girls' relationships to their realm-based powers. In addition, Kazuki Kazusano, a rival nun from another temple and the new representative of the Hungry Ghosts Realm in the sequel manga, joins in the action. Unlike the other girls, Kazuki wants to get Ikkou to unleash his his inner spirit. Aside from the frequent Fan Service scenes, the series is notable for a generally upbeat, comedic attitude.
Media Blasters released the anime series in the US as Ah My Buddha.
Not to be confused with Ah! My Goddess
Amaenaideyo provides examples of:
- Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male: Ikkou gets it from most of the girls, particularly Chitose. Lampshaded somewhat in that once his inner power is awakened, he is overcome by lust. So the girls adopt the stereotypical approach to controlling him.
- Amazon Brigade of Buddhist Nuns. Ikkou, appropriately, is The One Guy.
- Aw Look They Really Do Love Each Other: Ikkou and Chitose
- Balloon Belly
- Beach Episode: In the opening credits of the first season, the girls are running along the beach
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Ikkou and Chitose
- Big Eater: Sakura. Somewhat expected as she represents the realm of the Hungry Ghosts.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Played with in one of the extra episodes. They're actually pretending they're characters from a show with the same name and theme, in order to make a ghost appear in the studio.
- Butt Monkey: Ikkou
- Censor Steam: Used during the first season.
- Dead All Along: Some of the spirits that the group exorcise do not appear to be ghostly at all, and their status as restless spirits only comes up during the show.
- Fan Service: Constantly.
- Giving Up the Ghost: Happens to Ikkou quite frequently, given what happens to him thanks to the various forms of fanservice and the girls punishing him for it.
- Hot Springs Episode
- Innocent Fanservice Girl: Sumi
- Jiggle Show
- Little Miss Snarker: Hinata, who usually doesn't say much at all.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Ikkou develops into this in the second season.
- Male Gaze: By the truckload
- Miniature Senior Citizens: Jotoku looks about three feet tall
- Naughty Tentacles: Lampshaded in one episode
- No Social Skills: Chitose comes from a very small town.
- Nuns Are Mikos: Averted. The girls are Buddhist nuns, and actually discuss aspects of Buddhism throughout the show.
- In the OVA episode, the girls compete against a group of Catholic nuns and a group of Mikos in a game show.
- Panty Shot
- Pool Scene: Episode 3 of Season 1.
- Scenery Censor: In most episodes, but averted in the DVD-only episodes.
- School Swimsuit: Episode 3 of Season 1.
- School Festival: Focusing on Sakura, where she learns something about kindness.
- Show Within a Show: Kamen Ranger. Chitose and Haruka even once help deceased stage-actors fulfill their desire to give a final performance before ascending.
- Shower Scene
- Skinship Grope: Yuuko occasionally gropes Chitose or Sumi.
- Sprint Scrubbing
- Sugar and Ice Personality: Hinata, in spades.
- Token Mini Moe: Hinata. Even though she is only a year or two younger than the other girls, she is notably undeveloped.
- Tsundere: Chitose is a mild case, stronger in the second season when she has to compete with Kazuki.
- Wet Sari Scene: In the first season, as the girls are meditating under a waterfall. In one episode of the second season, they wear translucent pearl-diver outfits.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Ikkou doesn't go insane or berserk once he's manifested his super-powered side, but his libido goes into overdrive.