You guys, I think it’s about time for more Ojamajo Doremi. This year has been frankly terrible on the whole, with the summer of 2019 being marked by tragedies both personal and professional, and my own life undergoing some terrifying shifts as I do my best to resemble a functioning adult. But through all of that external calamity, Ojamajo Doremi has remained a consistent source of comfort and joy, with both its aesthetic charm and emotional warmth keeping me steady through the storm.
Ojamajo Doremi is one of those lovely shows I can enjoy passively and actively at the same time; it never asks too much of its audience, but every scene is still full of glimmering details of art design and storytelling. Additionally, its evolving narrative and rotating cast of all-star directors means every episode feels genuinely new, while still maintaining its comforting structure, and still presenting the Maho-dou as a place you can feel safe at the end of the day. Comfort food gets a bad rap sometimes, but a show being comforting doesn’t have to mean it’s also simplistic or unchallenging; Doremi tackles tough subjects with unflinching maturity, while simultaneously presenting a universe defined by mutual love and calming, familial beauty.
Last episode’s drama only enhanced that feeling of comfort, as the wholly regrettable Oyajii at last made his exit from the narrative. With our girls likely returning to either classwork or baby problems, let’s see what’s in store in the next Ojamajo Doremi!
Episode 6
The cold open recenters us on Doremi’s classroom, before focusing in on two familiar classmates – Marina, the girl who likes taking care of the flowers, and Kimura, the boy who plays soccer. I’m excited – I’ve been looking forward to more classmate-focused drama, and I like how returning to characters like these with “solved arcs” naturally illustrates the complexity of actual people. Real people aren’t “solvable,” they’re complex beings with a variety of goals and interests, traversing life paths that are all equally complex and beset with continuous new challenges. Narratives often aren’t super good at conveying that, though – narratives are built around conflicts, and when a new character’s introductory conflict is resolved, they often end up simply joining a chorus of similarly “resolved” characters who show up and cheer in the background. Doremi’s ensemble structure and continuing focus on a specific group of students naturally counterbalances that reductive approach to character writing, as this episode will likely demonstrate
We jump right back into the action, as Kimura scores a goal and then poses for Marina. Oh man, are these two going to become a couple? They are pretty adorable
And yeah, this is pretty much exactly what I was talking about. Every life is a continuing journey, and illustrating that naturally conveys a number of useful themes, clustered around the general “acknowledge the same complexity in others that you know to be true of yourself”
“Stubbornness and Daisies in the Flower Language”
This episode also serves as a natural dramatic payoff for anyone invested in either of these characters; their personalities didn’t “reset to neutral” after their problems were resolved, and they instead have developed a friendship that’s only grown stronger over time
Yeah, Kimura’s totally smitten
The friggin’ comedy trio shows up just as Marina is about to explain what daisies mean in flower language
These three are useful as quasi-antagonists, because every class has kids who act like this, but they’re not really trying to be malicious. Kids are very good at poking at each other’s insecurities, and lack the maturity necessary to know when they’re crossing lines
Oof, this is brutal. They heckle Kimura into protesting that he “hates ugly girls like her!” Kids often see weakness and just jab at it, not really considering the consequences of their actions. And Kimura is far too young and insecure to genuinely own his feelings, setting aside his certain fear of how Marina will react
Marina stops by the flower shop
Dang, Marina can identify flowers even just by their seeds. I like this shot of the shop’s window framing them all for this conversation
The girls notice something’s wrong, and Hadzuki goes to check on her after she leaves. An inherent lesson in that; several people asking you about your feelings at once can feel like an interrogation, so it’s often better to offer support as a single friend
Ahaha, I love Hadzuki getting outrageously offended for Marina’s sake. Great expression work, great use of the most quietly fiery member of the core group, and yet another lesson: talk to trusted friends if you’re unsure how to feel about a situation, as they can easily offer perspective and help you get out of your own head. Marina was so shaken by Kimura’s statements that she’d actually started to doubt herself, but fortunately Hadzuki is here to say “yo, that’s fucked up”
Kimura is feeling terrible about what he said, but being confronted by the three ojamajos doesn’t help – he immediately gets defensive and runs away. Even though Kimura was in the wrong, it’s still not terribly useful to approach him as a group like this – it may feel good to denounce him for his actions, but if you actually want things to be fixed, you have to extend some sympathy even to the guilty party
Hamstrung by the masculine cultural expectation to never admit weakness or guilt, Kimura can only sulk by the flowers. Gender is a fuck
Marina is actually nice enough to start a fresh conversation with Kimura, but then that fucking SOS Trio show up again. Starting to really dislike those kids
Another natural lesson in this episode is that it’s normal to feel pressured by kids like the SOS Trio. The show isn’t treating Kimura as if he’s weak or a “failure” in some way for being bound by this sort of peer pressure; peer pressure is a meaningful and often frustrating obstacle, not something you can overcome simply by trying harder
“Kimura-kun may have been embarrassed because there were other people there.” And this might be the most central theme, one that is reflected in basically all of this episode’s conversations so far – we often feel more free to admit our true feelings in private conversations, and public pressures restrict all of us
Even after being reassured by Hadzuki, Marina is still feeling stung and insecure about Kimura’s words. It’s not that easy!
Hadzuki skillfully directs Marina towards Kimura with a road blockage, while Doremi… summons three cows that slowly chase Kimura in the wrong direction. You’ll get there, Doremi
Doremi decides the solution is obviously More Cows. This is a good show
They finally run into each other, but Marina is less than impressed by Kimura’s tale of rampaging cow herds
The girls suggest Magical Stage to solve their problems at the Maho-dou, and it’s actually Onpu who tells them that magic can’t solve a problem between two people like this. Onpu has truly learned from her experiences in the first season
Kimura runs across Masaru practicing his trumpet. I love how Masaru has sorta accidentally become a confidant for a variety of this show’s characters. Kimura feels more comfortable opening up to one other boy in his class, particularly since Masaru is already demonstrating vulnerability through his trumpet practice
It really is unfortunate that kids punish each other for proudly expressing their interests. Insecurity is a hell of a thing
“Are you an idiot? Just go apologize already.” The words he needed to hear, spoken without accusation or judgment. Tone is important!
Lots of good expression work this episode. The director is apparently Akinori Yabe, a series mainstay all through Doremi’s run
Hadzuki is still preoccupied with Marina – meanwhile, Hana quietly levitates in the background
Kimura runs around in search of daisies for his apology. But wheeeere might he find some flowers?
Hana has hovered her way out of the Maho-dou. Hadzuki apologizes for losing her, but Doremi responds that now’s not the time for that, building off her own recent lessons in parenting
Kimura tearing up with relief at seeing a daisy is so heartwarming
And Kimura apologizes at last, having largely found his own route towards making up for his actions
And Done
Aw man, what a charming episode. Marina and Kimura are totally adorable together, and though this was technically a “first fight” episode, their mutual concern for each other was so obvious that it didn’t feel painful at all. Like many Doremi episodes, this one was about the kind of conflicts and disagreements we all experience, that are not based in any sort of external antagonist, but simply a reflection of how it’s hard to always get along and understand each other. Additionally, I really liked how Kimura largely resolved his own problems, with the show taking care to acknowledge the genuine difficulties of sorting through your feelings and apologizing. There were lots of little moral lessons along the way, plenty of endearing scenes with the main cast, and even a swarm of angry cows. Ojamajo Doremi, you are the best.
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