Heck yeah folks, it’s time for more Ojamajo Doremi! The Doremi sequel’s first episode was largely taken up by reintroductions and the establishing of a new hook, as our heroines’ despair at relinquishing their wands was soon replaced by trepidation at the idea of actually raising a baby. It was a necessary episode, but also necessarily not a highlight – there was just too much board-establishing work to be done for the episode to also include one of Doremi’s usual madcap adventures or poignant vignettes. But with that episode concluded, we are left with a truly absurd situation, as Doremi and her friends struggle to raise a child who is also a tiny little magical time bomb.

Considering I’d be hesitant to let Doremi take care of a rubber plant, I am eager to see how her stewardship of an actual living baby somehow doesn’t end in disaster. And with introductions done, I’m guessing we’re in for a full episode of baby-related catastrophe, as all our girls struggle with a responsibility greater than any before. In spite of being a perpetual ojamajo, the Queen’s faith in Doremi and her friends is not misplaced – they’re kind and generous people who have grown tremendously over the course of their training, and who probably don’t even realize just how capable and considerate they are. Let’s see how they handle this new adventure in the second episode of Ojamajo Doremi Sharp!

Episode 2

We open with baby Doremi in her mother’s arms, at first crying, but then being comforted by the sound of piano keys. Folks, it’s finally happened – over one full season into the production, Ojamajo Doremi has at last remembered its overarching musical motif

The musical notation also feels more overtly integrated into the show’s opening song, plus there’s the fact that they now activate their taps like they’re actually playing castanets. I guess we’ll have to see if music is more centrally woven into this season

Doremi’s parents are taking the fact that their daughter is caring for a living human being now remarkably well

Wait, I forgot, witches aren’t humans and they actually grow on trees. The life cycle of the modern witch continues to astonish me

This show powers through so many expressive faces in such a short timeframe. Incidentally, this episode’s directed by Naoyuki Itou, a Toei regular who’s at this point moved on to spearheading the Overlord adaptation

“Raising a Baby is a Lot of Trouble!” This is going to be a fun episode

This angled three-layer composition as Doremi and Pop dash in is so dynamic. The shift in perspective gives the shop itself a sense of exuberant character, while the low angle and closeness of the camera to the characters creates a strong sense of energy and immediacy

This episode has an interesting visual character. Lots of extreme closeups and quick cuts, which create more of a sense of restless tension than we’re used to within the generally soothing Maho-dou. Extremely close shots create tension both through the uncomfortable proximity of the characters, and also through their lack of context. In contrast, long shots can often create a sense of peace or tranquility, facilitated through both our physical distance from the action and our full visual understanding of the environment. To put this in context, the Maho-dou is most often portrayed through mid-distance shots from the upper floor looking down on the whole shop floor, creating a sense of peace and familiarity within a place we know well. This naturally complements the show’s tendency to use returns to the Maho-dou as a time to reestablish a dramatic neutral, in between rising peaks of narrative action

Doremi wants to name the baby Hana-chan, because she came from a flower and Hana means flower. The others relentlessly critique her choice until the baby wakes up

Holy shit, Doremi actually calms the baby to sleep

If this whole episode is just “the gang stares at a baby,” I would be entirely okay with that

Dela tripping and falling halfway through her introductory song is a good gag. We don’t even see her, we just hear the song interrupted by a long wail

“If you take care of these flowers, they will show the same effect as magical goods.” I’m still not sure whether the Maho-dou actually sells magically charged goods, or just random trinkets. Didn’t Ruka get in some pretty serious trouble for selling magical goods that actually did stuff?

“One magical seed has the power of ten magical spheres. But you need to take care of a seed yourself to grow more of them.” Dela makes somewhat explicit what is clearly one of this season’s themes – the joy and freedom of embracing more self-reliance as you grow out of your parents’ protection. Dela’s words imply how the things we achieve for ourselves end up being more meaningful and substantive than the things which are handed to us

“If you don’t water it with love every day, it won’t grow.” Also patience, responsibility, etcetera. There’s a reason projects like this are so often assigned to young students

Doremi goes to get water for the seeds, and we get some rapid cross-cutting between the water faucet and the baby Hana. Once again, extreme closeups create tension before we even have context. Hana seems to be “a baby, but moreso” – the sound of water doesn’t just make her wet her own diaper, it ultimately creates a magical maelstrom that sends the hose itself flying around

Rika and Lala are officially Sick Of It, and leave the girls to deal with the baby’s diaper

Oh shit, their teachers show up!

Hadzuki quickly whips up a story about Hana being Rika’s granddaughter. I love how we occasionally get these little moments revealing that Hadzuki is actually the most mischief-oriented of her friends

The nurse is very nice to complement their shop, even though they haven’t actually put up any wares or anything

Seki-sensei being a little awkward with babies is a great detail. I love the earnest complexity this show allows for its adult cast – they’re obviously somewhat removed from the life experiences of the show’s leads, but they’re treated with just as much sympathy and honesty. Aiko’s dad in particular is slowly becoming one of my favorite adults in anime – his stories consistently engage with his own fallibility and the tremendous struggle of being a single parent

I get the feeling this show is somewhat obligated to make use of its bank footage on an episodic basis, which in this episode’s case means all the uses of magic are basically “we COULD carry that baby/turn that faucet/move those supplies ourselves, but let’s magically do it instead”

So many dynamic angles! This episode’s focus on articulating the lived emotional experience of dealing with a demanding infant is resulting in so many energetic compositions, as the mental disarray of our heroines is echoed by the sharp angles, closeups, and unbalanced compositions of the layouts

Magic has always served to underline more mundane, universal conflicts in this series, so having Hana’s tantrums result in magical disarray makes perfect sense

Even Rika gets in on the lazy magic use, snapping her fingers to levitate a bottle to the baby

Doremi’s mother comes over with a pile of pro advice about child rearing. The importance of finding adults you can trust with situations that are beyond your own abilities, another critical Doremi refrain, and one lent greater weight by its simultaneous acknowledgment that adults are as fallible as kids, but still have the benefit of much greater life experience

It’s a much stronger argument for acknowledging adult authority than “do these things because we’re adults and we say so.” Doremi emphasizes that adults have been just where its young audience are now, and are simply able to share the knowledge gained from those experiences

“I don’t think we should use magic when we take care of Hana.” If something is truly important to you, don’t embrace shortcuts. I guess the magic did have a narrative purpose after all

“We didn’t get any time to prepare the store’s opening, either.” One of this episode’s subtler points seems aimed at children who’ve recently gained new siblings, assuring them that their parents’ focus on the new baby is really because taking care of babies is just that demanding, and it doesn’t change anything about their love for their previous children

Doremi’s so tired she doesn’t even want steak. Things are far more serious than I imagined

Doremi’s mother reveals that Doremi saved her from despair after her dreams of becoming a professional pianist were dashed by an injury. “You don’t become a mother just by having a baby. You become a mother through the course of raising a child.” Having accepted this new responsibility, Doremi can now relate to her mother in a new way. Growing up and accepting responsibility has its own rewards

And Done

That was wonderful! As expected, this episode was wholly consumed by the process of learning to care for Hana-chan, but that central conceit lent itself to an episode full of well-illustrated thematic beats and charming character moments. Doremi’s mother got her greatest star turn so far, with her mid-episode rescue and final speech demonstrating both vulnerability and the complex wisdom born of parental experience. The layouts and direction were also active and engaging, with this episode’s consistent quick cuts, closeups, and diverse angled shots neatly echoing the panic and disorientation of dealing with a new baby. This was a strong Doremi installment in all respects, and Onpu didn’t even show up this time. Ojamajo Doremi’s powers seem to only grow as it embraces the many mysteries of raising a child!

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