Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory (Season One)

Koushi’s house burnt down and his father abandoned him. He’s not sure how he’s going to survive until a chance meeting sets him up to become the Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory. His life is about to change!

Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory (Season One)

What did you watch?

Now that it’s officially documented that I am a fan of… err… fan service, it probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise to learn that I generally have at least one fan service heavy show going at all times. I find they make for a nice break from some of the more serious shows and are usually pretty funny. So, after finishing The Fruit of Evolution, I decided to jump into Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory. It was only ten episodes long which made it a relatively quick watch. Anyhow, let’s dive in…

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What happened?

Koushi was homeless. He had no money and was starving. Luckily, he was found by Mineru who took pity on him and brought him back to her dormitory. She fed him and let him use the bathroom. Unfortunately, several other girls that lived there were already in the bath. Embarrassed, Koushi ran, however, he ran into the final girl who had a fear of men. Even twelve-year-olds. Once everyone had calmed down and the police hadn’t been called, Mineru asked Koushi to explain his situation.

Upon discovering that he was homeless, she offered him a job. He would become the dorm mother which came with a room and salary. It was ideal. This would allow him to return to school. However, Atena refused to live in the same house as a man and left. Koushi ran after her and told her he’d refused the position as he didn’t want to force her out. After some reflection, Atena found Koushi sleeping on a bench and took him back to the dormitory.

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What did you think?

So this series is basically about a twelve-year-old boy who becomes homeless and is rescued by the residents of a college dormitory. They are a wild bunch, each with their own personal brand of crazy. It is as classic an ecchi as I think you will find. There are lots of awkward situations and funny moments, but it also has heart. Did I mention that they saved his life? Say what you will about the weird situation, but he would have been dead without them. Also, I don’t think you will find a twelve-year-old boy that wouldn’t want to live with a bunch of college girls. It’s absurd, but I loved it.

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What was your favourite moment?

You’d think the obvious answer here would be the onsen or beach scene, but I’m actually going with something entirely different. After the beach scene, Koushi was feeling down as he felt like everyone, Atena included viewed him as a little boy. They didn’t get flustered around him or feel the need to worry. In a sense, it was great, but it also didn’t feel right. Anyhow, he bottled up his emotions and started to drift into a funk. Frey noticed this and took him to her local cosplay venue.

There, they put on costumes and fought. It was Frey’s way of getting Koushi to open up. She knew how hard it was to talk openly about feelings and found it easier if she was someone else. Koushi did open up to Frey and it just furthers my view that these girls did a great thing for him and continue to look out for him. They could have just given him a room, but in giving him a job, they preserved his pride and allowed him to pull himself back on his feet.

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What was your least favourite moment?

This is going to come as a bit of a shock, but I felt that they didn’t make the most of the beach scene. There are a lot of tropes that could and should have been used to great effect, however, they were surprisingly absent. The scene started so well too. It just seemed to lose some steam and then it kind of coasted to the end. I liked it. I just wanted more.

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Who was your favourite character?

I really bonded with each of the characters, but for me, there was one that stood out. That was Kiriya. She is a martial artist who grew up at a dojo with her brothers and is quite the tomboy. She even won the college crossdressing contest and makes quite a good-looking guy. Anyhow, I found her personality to be incredibly sweet and endearing. The way she looked after Koushi was nice too. I could have picked any of the girls, but Kiriya just took the lead.

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Who was your least favourite character?

This is a much easier answer. After a couple of episodes, Koushi got to go back to school and was reacquainted with his childhood best friend, Sutea. Now, Sutea does grow on you, but for the first while, she is the typical tsundere, unable to tell Koushi that she likes him, often resorting to violence when she gets flustered. Again, she wasn’t a bad character, just the most annoying for the longest period of time.

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Would you like some more?

I would love some more and if it ever happens, I will be there. I think there’s still a lot more we can learn about the girls and not least Serene who may or may not be from the moon. Honestly, we have no idea, but she can do some strange things. Ultimately, I’d just be happy to spend more time with all of the cast. This series was hilarious and oddly heartwarming. I don’t doubt for a second, however, that some people will not get past Koushi’s age. Obviously, it’s worth remembering that he’s not real. None of this is.

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What have you learnt?

I think the success of this show is tied to the characters, and the outrageous fan service to a lesser extent. It helped that each of the girls has a very different personality. The question then is what did they do to make me like them. I think rescuing Koushi was a pretty big step. I’m also a sucker for a bit of craziness and these characters all have their own things going on. It kept Koushi and us on our toes as we try to work out what was going on.

I think the interactions between the girls was another factor as they all felt real. There were some obvious close friendships and those that were a little distant. Ultimately, they all got along, which was nice, but the smaller niches was a nice touch. Frey and Mineru were perfect together and they always took things further than necessary. While Serene and Kiriya had a close bond, there’s was a very different relationship. Basically, I’m trying to say that you should look at how your characters connect with one another. There are always going to be smaller groups. Having one completely cohesive unit is unrealistic and it’s best to avoid anything that will pull the audience out of the story.

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Other Posts in the Series

• Season One
  • Episode 1 – Koushi Becomes a Dorm Mother / The Problem with Mineru and Frey
  • Episode 2 – The Problem With Kiriya And Serene / Atena Awakens
  • Episode 3 – Koushi, At A Loss / Koushi Goes Back To School
  • Episode 4 – A Childhood Friend Visits the Dorm / Koushi Goes Undercover at a Women’s College
  • Episode 5 – Serene The Shut-In / The Goddess Dormitory Goes On Vacation
  • Episode 6 – Sutea Ponders About the Sea / Koushi Makes his Cosplay Debut
  • Episode 7 – The School Festival at Seikan Women’s University
  • Episode 8 – Kiriya Wishes Upon A Christmas
  • Episode 9 – Sutea Reflects On The Kotatsu / Koushi Tackles Spring Cleaning
  • Episode 10 – The Goddesses Of The Goddess Dormitory

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