Mini Goddess, while Eileen Stevens voiced Belldandy for both seasons of the TV series. Reception and critique The character of Belldandy was generally well received and has a large number of fans, as evidenced when she was voted the second most popular female character in a 2001 poll in Newtype. In addition, Belldandy topped the Animage character polls for many months and was placed third on the all time Best Character list at the 17th Anime Grand Prix held in 1993. Nevertheless, as reviewer Zac Bertschy described the situation: "People tend to go either way on the Belldandy character; either she's an obnoxious, archaic fantasy girl for men who prefer their women to act like indentured servants, or she's the archetype of perfection, a flawless example of graceful femininity". The critique that Belldandy represents a negative stereotype of women, placing them in a subservient role to men, appears a number of times in the literature. Annalee Newitz states that the manner in which Belldandy is portrayed in the series would, in all likelihood, be impossible in the United States—especially, as she goes on to say, since "the advent of feminism and the women's rights movement". While Newitz sees this as reflective of Japanese culture, arguing that characters such as Belldandy are possible because feminist issues do not have the same recognition within Japan as they do in many Western countries, Susan J. Napier takes a very different line. She argues that characters such as Belldandy may be a reaction to the increasing assertiveness of women in Japan, thus presenting Belldandy as an attempt to reinforce traditional cultural values, rather than a reflection of them. To demonstrate this, Napier points to Belldandy's role in "Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms", the first of the OVA episodes. The episode begins with disorder, as Keiichi is evicted from his dorm after Belldandy's chaotic appearance into his life, but ends with a return to "traditional values", signified through the restoration of the old temple. Similarly, Napier notes that Belldandy's cooking is often commended by the other characters, and as such is another way in which the character of Belldandy can be seen to reinforce more traditional female roles. Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews considers Belldandy's characterization in the film much better than in the OVA series, where he describes her as a "doormat". Either way, commentators still notice strengths in Belldandy's character. While acknowledging the