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!

Episode 49

We open on train tracks, leading into the reveal of a young Onpu watching the trains come in. “Welcome home, Papa.” So after an episode that demonstrated Onpu actually feeling regret and hoping to make up for her mistakes, we finally get a story dedicated to Onpu’s own history. It’s about time!

The boys in class are going wild over a new train, the overnight express “Z101 Solar Rail”

It doesn’t surprise me that trains would be a common interest in a country that actually uses trains effectively

Really quick cuts of Onpu getting up from her seat, with the speed of the cuts naturally implying something is wrong. We also get a shot from right below Onpu’s face, emphasizing her fake smile

Doremi claims that trains are a “boy’s interest,” but then Onpu quickly demonstrates her vast knowledge regarding this new train

One of the boys wonders if she’s a “train maniac,” to which she just smiles. One of this show’s most common, incidental lessons is “look deeper to find someone else’s truth” – Onpu might not necessarily love trains for their own sake, but her life story has presumably given her a good reason to know so much

“I Want to Meet Papa! The Dream Aboard the Overnight Express.” Oh god, this is gonna be a sad one, isn’t it

I like how Ojamajo Doremi’s use of both its opening song and title screen help us gradually hone in on an episode’s subject. We get the cold open that establishes the story in a more general sense, creating an initial sense of mystery, followed by the pre-title scene that generally illustrates a conflict’s foundation, followed by the actual episode, which starts at the latest point in a given drama it can. The clear partitions of the OP and title screen allow for larger jumps between scenes and dramatic modes than might otherwise be feasible

I though Onpu’s mother was secretly Majo Ruka? Apparently not. I really don’t know how Onpu’s whole professional deal works, considering her main professional collaborators are apparently a fairy and a frog. I suppose the mechanics of employment aren’t really something this show’s main audience is too invested in, so the show is willing to embrace some vagueness in this setup

Onpu’s father is apparently conducting the new train. That explains that!

I like this shot of the girls walking in front of a fence, where their disparate gaits basically introduce them one at a time. I wonder who directed this episode?

Holy crap, this one was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi himself! Yamauchi is easily one of the heavyweights of Doremi’s production, though he only directed two episodes this season. Based on his work directing Casshern Sins, as well as his general contributions to other shows, he is indeed a director who really obsesses over the overall layout of a shot, and treats human characters less as key subjects of a composition than simply geometric components within it. That early shot beneath Onpu’s chin was an extremely Yamauchi shot, and this sequence contrasting Onpu against bars also bears his touch. He’s a visionary with a very unique aesthetic sensibility, and I’m happy to see him here!

It is so strange and awesome that anime is a medium where you’ll randomly come across the name of one of the best directors of all time, attached to a random episode of a children’s show. Everyone deserves brilliant media

There are a lot more specific character closeups here than the Doremi standard, another classically Yamauchi touch. He generally establishes an odd balance of hyper-close character shots and distant environmental shots, but composes them such that they both feel like the same kind of landscape

The girls note that Onpu rarely says this much about herself

More evocative shots as we move to Onpu’s audition, like this nice pan up through the lights of the stage

This episode is very light on background music, helping enhance our sense of closeness towards Onpu’s dramatically unvarnished narrative

She talks to another girl trying out for the part, named Karen Morino

While Onpu is just infatuated with her male costar, Karen has always wanted to act in this story. And so Onpu gives her some Onpu-style advice, saying “I always enter an audition with the assumption that I’m going to get the part.” Even Onpu’s genuine advice comes in the form of a brag

More extremely Yamauchi hyper-closeups

The final audition is on the same day as the train’s first voyage, of course

Onpu has leaned on her insincere deadpan for so many episodes that it’s genuinely a little tough believing her current feelings are sincere. They certainly are sincere, but if you shield your feelings well enough, it becomes that much harder for people to then genuinely connect with you

Our main leads basically push each other out of the way to get closer to the “camera” here. Ojamajo Doremi’s generally flexible visual style is really letting Yamauchi indulge in his own style preferences – this sequence is almost breaking the fourth wall in terms of its acknowledgment of the camera’s presence, but Doremi is so generally goofy and visually diverse that it works out

It seems like Onpu enjoys having a rival, in spite of her not remembering Karen’s name

Karen reveals that her father was also an aspiring actor, and would often get nervous before auditions. A lovely little sequence that demonstrates the strength of these closeups in creating a sense of hushed, almost uncomfortably honest intimacy. The blocking in general is also good, as Onpu moves closer and closer upon realizing Karen’s feelings towards the stage echo her own attempts to get closer to her father

Oh wow. After actually passing an audition for The Bridge of Happiness, her father passed away. And now she feels she must act in this play to complete his legacy

Onpu’s performance is another characteristically Yamauchi sequence, presenting Onpu through a variety of unexpected angles, creating a full ensemble performance out of her body’s movements contrasted against the background light

This is such a tense episode! The extreme contrast between the stage spotlight and the general darkness of this audition setting really helps emphasize the tension

Basically the whole sequence of Onpu deciding to help Karen with magic is gorgeous. Evocative angular shots, excellent sense of depth in the compositions, great partial body shots that emphasize Onpu’s role as a secret guardian angel. It’s phenomenal stuff

Given the incredible cinematography of this particular episode, the switch back to standard bank footage for Onpu casting her spell feels a little incongruous

And so, the last time Onpu uses mind-altering magic, she does it for the most selfless of reasons – to help another girl surpass her in an audition

Yeah, her charm has shattered, and she’s simultaneously run out of spheres. This episode is presenting a genuine tragedy – this isn’t a “good actions get rewarded” didactic lesson, it’s a moment of genuine, messy, painful growth, where sometimes even doing the right thing doesn’t help

Onpu and Karen end up in a faceoff for the role, leaving Onpu’s ability to reach her father’s train in time in question. WHAT A GOOD STORY THIS IS

Every movement of Onpu’s second audition is accompanied by a striking new shot, ranging from the audience’s perspective to Onpu’s side to even the TV monitors. Then they start contrasting her performance against Karen’s, and… god, this episode

Karen gets the role, and Onpu is genuinely happy for her

Onpu stumbles, her fall catalogued by a street light, emphasizing how no one is there to help her. That street light then undergoes a match cut to a clock, because Yamauchi cannot be stopped

But even if doing good deeds can sometimes be painful, it will ultimately enrich your whole world. Seeing Onpu’s tears, Doremi and the others resolve to get her to the train

And Done

Holy crap, what a fantastic episode that was! I knew we were in for something special as soon as I learned Yamauchi was the director, but I certainly didn’t expect anything as cutting and beautiful as that entire audition sequence. Matching Onpu’s most clear and critical moment of growth so far with a director as thoughtful and showmanly as Yamauchi was a terrific choice, allowing her shifting feelings to come through clearly in spite of her virtually never admitting to any of them. This episode was a testament to both Doremi’s variability in terms of its aesthetic/dramatic styles and constancy in terms of its overall excellence. Ojamajo Doremi slots another gem of an episode into its shimmering crown!

This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.