>>Okay. Point number one: I have never in my life seen a couple for whom I
>>would more say "Their love will last". I find assumptions like "K1's morta=
l
>>failings will stop this relationship from going the distance" incredibly
>>stretched at best. And, pray tell, just what are Bell's "divine
>>responsibilities"?
>
>Well, it is admittedly hard to tell that she has any.  After all, she has
>(and I just KNOW I'm gonna get flamed for this) shucked them all in favor o=
f
>this mortal who just happened to lock her into a lifetime contract because
>he spoke without thinking it through.  HOWEVER...
[SNIP ELONGATED AND WELL THOUGHT OUT DESCRIPTION OF BELL'S WORK]

WAS it though? Keiichi is a worthy mortal, they have Kamisama's approval.
"lock her into a lifetime contract because he spoke without thinking it
through"? Belldandy has been working towards "getting" Keiichi for most of
her life. Then there's the idea which has been raised from time to time
that the role of Megami is to stay with worthy mortals.

>Similarly, if K1 and Bell are "fated" to succeed in their relationship, a
>lot of the plot of the manga loses much of its power.  What the secondary
>characters do becomes more and more unimportant, because we KNOW that in th=
e
>end K1 and Bell are going to wind up arm in arm.

WE don't know. I was saying that I felt, from my viewing of the OVA, that
God had approved their relationship, and that they were meant to be
together. That doesn't stop that wonderful romance clich=E9 of "love conquer=
s
all, but you have to suffer for it first"! ;)

Sam