I hope you folks are ready. Today we’re embarking on a journey both new and familiar, as we begin the second season of the ambitious, heartwarming, and stunningly executed Ojamajo Doremi.

As I’ve already rambled my way through fifty episodes of this acclaimed children’s show, I’m sure you know my general feelings on it by now. Ojamajo Doremi demonstrates that great children’s entertainment need not be dramatically or emotionally simplistic – in fact, it reveals that children’s anime that doesn’t talk down to its audience can actually broach a wider array of topics and emotions than many shows aimed at more general audiences. There is no artifice or bravado in terms of Doremi’s presentation – the show is honest, perceptive, and brimming with sympathy for its young cast. Over the course of the first season, Doremi has explored topics as sensitive and wide-ranging as love, divorce, bullying, family, creative passion, professional ambition, and even death, elevating its nuanced dramas through its strong visual sensibilities and plenty of fantastical flourishes.

Not only are Doremi’s various adventures all funny and heartwarming in their own right, but the show’s strength is also cumulative. Within our main crew, Doremi has grown from being a perpetual screwup to a genuine leader, and though she’s still unreliable in many ways, her growing confidence, strength, and compassion are clear as day. Having admitted her own fundamental loneliness, Onpu has learned to look outside of herself, and found both friends and a greater sense of purpose through helping others. Aiko has taken great strides in coming to terms with her parents’ separation, and Pop has become a formidable witch in her own right. And outside that crew, we’ve come to know and love dozens of Doremi’s classmates and teachers, making each new episode a testament to the power of ensemble storytelling.

All that, and I’m told Ojamajo Doremi actually improves as it continues, with the contributions of anime titans like Mamoru Hosoda still to come. Ojamajo Doremi has been both an aesthetically rewarding experience and a genuine source of comfort to me, and I hope all of you are enjoying this winding journey as well. Let’s see what awaits us in the first episode of Ojamajo Doremi Sharp!

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Well folks, the moment has arrived. After fifty diverse and rewarding episodes of Ojamajo Doremi, and one climactic stab at the final witch exams, we have at last arrived at the end of Doremi’s first season. The things I’ve enjoyed about this season feel too numerous to list, but we’re at the dang finale now, and I think some pomp and circumstance is probably appropriate.

First off, I’ve come to absolutely love this main cast, with all four of our heroines surprising and impressing me over time. As is appropriate, Doremi started as the most helplessly ojamajo of any of them, and yet has probably undergone the most growth as well. Doremi started this series kindhearted and motivated, but very often petty and rash, as well as lacking in a personal passion she could take pride in. She can still be petty and rash, but her developing progress as a witch has forced her to challenge her own feelings, step back from the spotlight when necessary, and ultimately gain both the confidence and skill to apply herself and positively change the world through her mastery of witchcraft. The World’s Unluckiest Pretty Girl has grown into a genuine hero, and it’s been wonderful to witness.

Of course, Ojamajo Doremi has always been an ensemble production, and its illustration of Doremi’s friends and family have offered some of its most poignant, thoughtful, and emotionally instructive tales. Aiko’s process of coming to terms with her parents’ divorce, as she grapples with the distance between her and her father’s feelings, clings to the memory of her old home life, and ultimately learns to assert her needs without retreating into the past. Hadzuki quietly demonstrating she’s actually the weirdest of the three of them, proving herself equally suited to absurd kidnapping capers and somber meditations on death and the limits of our strength. Onpu finding the intimacy her family withheld in the camaraderie of her peers, and the trust of her closest friends. And all their various families and classmates and mentors and friends, who through their stories have collectively rung out that whatever your passion, if you embrace it with a positive spirit, it is worth celebrating.

That, in the end, may be our heroines’ saving grace. All through this season, characters have hidden the passions they love, often using them as a stand-in for the feelings they’re repressing as well. Their ultimate celebration of those passions has often echoed their celebration of those feelings, be it Masaru’s memory of playing trumpet with his father, Mutsumi’s determination to become a pro wrestler, or whatever else they most secretly and earnestly feel. Here in the last episode, the greatest secret of all is on full display – but at this point, Doremi and her friends have become such talented, laudable witches that perhaps that’s not such a big deal. However this season resolves, I feel privileged and delighted to explore one more episode with you all. Let’s watch some Ojamajo Doremi!

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Folks, we are well overdue for another installment of Ojamajo Doremi. Doremi has always been a pretty great show, but it feels like the production has been really swinging for the fences lately in terms of its personal drama and character development, as we’ve run through critical and brilliantly realized episodes focused on both Aiko and Onpu.

Onpu in particular has grown much closer to the main cast over her last several appearances, and last episode even used her magic to ensure she lost in her pursuit of an acting role, once she realized how much the part meant to her strongest competitor. That spirit of empathy seems a far cry from the girl who brainwashed an admirer to avoid actually dealing with him, and when that brainwashing nearly ruined his relationship, flew off with a carefree “not my problem.” Onpu has not just learned to take responsibility for her own actions (as when she resolved that group date catastrophe), but has also seemed to develop a genuine concern for others, and perhaps even a sense of moral obligation to use her powers well.

Given all this recent development, I’m guessing Onpu will be contributing heavily to the season finale. Speaking of which, HOLY SHIT WE’RE AT THE SEASON FINALE! After a rich and rewarding year of Doremi episodes, we’ve finally arrived at the two-parter that ends its first season. I’m told the show actually gets even better in its later seasons (I can’t friggin’ wait to see Mamoru Hosoda’s take on this show), so I’ve got no time for tears – I’m just excited to see what this consistently impressive show whips together for such a major occasion. Let’s dive into another episode of Ojamajo Doremi!

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Settle in everybody, the Doremi train is about to get moving. We’re actually right near the end of the show’s first season now, with the two-parter finale just ahead of us. Doremi has been a wonderful ride so far, offering charming and sympathetic characters, surprisingly nuanced narratives, plenty of unexpected dramatic turns, and a beautiful, highly expressive aesthetic to bring it all together. The show approaches its young intended audience with profound respect and honesty, and the result is a show smart, pretty, and poignant enough to appeal to any audience.

Great, family-friendly children’s entertainment doesn’t have to divide its focus between simplistic narratives for kids and occasional gags for adults – as long as the emotional throughlines are clear, it can craft narratives relevant to all people, and reflect on topics as heavy as the lingering scars of divorce, our limited ability to truly impact the world, or even coming to terms with death. By portraying such tales with unvarnished honesty and world-weary perspective, Doremi regularly eclipses the emotional and philosophical reach of more violent or escapist anime, all while maintaining an inherent sense of joy and a clear sympathy for its heroines. At this point, I’m mostly just sad this show apparently never received a dub – it genuinely feels like one of the best piece of kids’ media I’ve witnessed in any language, and its lessons are timeless. But I too can only do so much, so I’ll do what I can to raise the profile of this wonderful, utterly heartfelt show. Let’s explore another episode of Ojamajo Doremi!

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Folks, it is absolutely time for more Ojamajo Doremi. Having just finished contributing to one more season of the ANN preview guide, I find myself thankful anew for how charming and consistently, fundamentally excellent this show is. There are creative trends within this industry that worry me deeply, but there are also shows so earnest and compassionate that they give me hope we’re all gonna make it through. And while I may feel more and more distant from seasonal late night anime trends over time, there are also shows whose appeal feels utterly timeless, and that only resonate with me more as I become an old and grumpy cartoon curmudgeon. Ojamajo Doremi is no less relevant today than the day it was produced, and its empathetic stories are a welcome reminder of the poignancy and creativity of this medium at its best. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate what anime can be, as we explore one more episode of Ojamajo Doremi.

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Pack it in folks, you know it’s time for more Ojamajo Doremi. Though every episode of Doremi seems to be special in its own way (excepting those witch frogs, fuck those witch frogs), our last episode was special for a very specific reason – it was lucky enough to have Ojamajo Doremi’s character design Yoshihiko Umakoshi on board as animation director. In Umakoshi’s hands, the vivid expressiveness of these characters felt even more apparent than usual, as all number of incidental moments were elevated through flavorful details of movement and character acting. It was a beautiful episode that demonstrated the unique power of simplified designs, and how the details that make characters come across as human aren’t contained in the specificity or detail of their design, but the fluidity, sense of weight, and underlying personality that brings them to life.

That episode also served as Doremi’s first Christmas special, meaning we’ve likely now moved on into the new year. With that shift comes also a pretty significant turn in Onpu’s attitude – from a position of complete self-obsessed antagonism, she’s now demonstrated a sense of loneliness in her home life, as well as a willingness to help others. Whether Onpu’s shift or something else entirely is the focus this week, I’m excited to get to it. Let’s find out what Doremi and the gang fumble their way through next!

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Do you truly think that with your pitiful strength, you could hope to stop me from watching more Ojamajo Doremi? From delighting in the adventures of these girls, and celebrating the lessons illustrated thereby? From cherishing this world’s wonderful art direction and profoundly empathetic perspective, which has become so valued a source of optimism in a world of ruin? Fool that you are, perhaps you assumed my dedication to magical girls and their charming escapades might waver, or my hunger for giggling uproariously at ridiculous faces might be sated. Your hopes are as dust. Doremi continues!

Alright, seriously, let’s get to this. Doremi’s last episode was friggin’ awesome, and offered a variety of charming anecdotes and thoughtful lessons throughout. Mutsumi was a great addition to the class roster, seeing a Doremi episode all about professional wrestling was adorable, and I particularly appreciated how Mutsumi being interested in a stereotypically “boyish” interest wasn’t even the point – obviously girls can be into pro wrestling, why wouldn’t they? Instead, the show offered a broader mix of lessons, from the importance of adjusting your behavior to respect your friends’ current feelings, to the variable nature of strength itself. It was one of the best classmate-focused episodes so far, and I’m eager to see whatever’s next. Let’s get to it!

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Folks, it’s time for more Doremi. I’m sure you all know the drill at this point – we’re nearly fifty episodes into this endlessly charming and consistently poignant children’s show, and it has demonstrated its many strengths again and again. Though Majo Ruka and Onpu briefly threatened to upend Doremi’s status quo, the show has actually pretty much settled back into its original dynamic, with Onpu essentially just adding occasional barbs of snark or overt antagonism to our girls’ adventures. Meanwhile, Doremi, Aiko, and Hadzuki have arrived at a fairly solid understanding of their magical powers; Doremi may be a screwup who’s only interested in steak, but her spells at least tend to do what she wants them to. In light of this, our main crew have essentially become the magical guardians of their class, successfully solving problems ranging from thorny parental drama to messy breakups with giant monsters. To be honest, it almost feels like things have been going too well for our crew as of late, and that they’re about due for some kind of magical reckoning. The show’s been seeding the encroaching danger of Onpu’s reckless magic usage for a while now, but I also wouldn’t mind if we highlighted some new classmates, either. Doremi is very good at nearly everything it does, and I’ve learned to trust its instincts. Let’s see what’s up in this next episode!

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Folks, it is absolutely time for more Ojamajo Doremi. After basically gorging myself on the show for two weeks following a windfall of Doremi funding, I have at this point taken a week and a half off from the production, which I feel is more than enough time to grant me the perspective of distance. And what this perspective of distance tells me is: Doremi kicks ass. The show has been a visually engaging, charming, and emotionally rich production from early on, but the introduction of Onpu actually seems to have taken the show to a whole new level. Recent episodes like the level four exams and the sentai spectacular of last episode stand among the best in the series to date, alternating between beautiful magic world adventures and sensitive personal dramas.

Though Doremi still struggles with each new exam, we’ve at this point moved past our leads generally failing to use their magic effectively. Their magic actually works now, and though magical stage’s solutions are often a little circuitous, the growing competency of Doremi and her friends is enabling more and more ambitious and fanciful stories, as they pull off tricks like summoning an entire friggin’ kaiju. Between that and Onpu’s growing prominence, I’m very excited for whenever our young witches actually clash. But whether we’ve got that, Doremi’s exam retake, or something else entirely coming, I’m pumped for more Doremi. Let’s get right to another episode of this lovely show!

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Get in the car losers, we’re watching Doremi! Doremi’s last episode saw a return to the show’s most classic and venerable form, where Doremi and her friends use their magic to help some classmate solve an important personal issue. Taniyama’s passion for shogi was relatively specific, but his struggles with his parents were universal, and as usual, the show’s solutions turned out to be sensible and sympathetic throughout. Leaning on their teacher Seki-sensei for a problem that involved changing the minds of a classmate’s parents was an excellent choice, and the use of a Bad Card meant that magic was only necessary to solve magical problems; for the personal problems of their classmates, simply being a good friend and supporting their passion was the key.

Episode forty one was classic Doremi all around, but I’m guessing we’ll be returning to witchier conflicts now – not only are Onpu and Majo Ruka still up to no good, but Doremi also has to make up her level three test. The level three test episode was one of the most visually inventive and generally engaging episodes of this show so far, so I’m ready for a reprise whenever Doremi is. Whether it’s sympathetic classmate stories or fanciful magic adventures, Doremi always offers something worth celebrating. Let’s see what this week’s episode has to offer!

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