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!

Episode 50

We open with a pan down over the dusty, shadowed walls of a building that looks like the shop as it was portrayed back in the first episode. It’s essentially a quick reprise of one of this show’s first scenes, with our three leads taking the place of Majo Rika. “At last, we’re finally witches!”

I guess you have to pass all the witch exams to earn the right to wear a cape and cackle mischievously in dark corners. Makes sense, you wouldn’t want any amateurs hurting the witch brand

Lala sleeps on a hammock slung between two candles. That is precious

Majo Rika is up and staring in the mirror. It seems like she spends every night either drinking herself to sleep or having an existential crisis. I feel you, Majo Rika

Oh shit, our girls are taking the actual Level 1 exams, meaning Rika might finally turn back into a human. This show has really burned through those exams; I certainly didn’t expect them to stop being an active concern by the end of the first season, though I suppose the introduction of conceits like the Bad Items has given this show a trajectory beyond the completion of these trials

“I believe in them.” Nice acknowledgment of their progress by Rika

“The Final Witch Apprentice Exam.” I probably should have seen this topic coming, but I’m happy to see it either way. The witch exams are almost always highlights

The girls are all exhausted, since they weren’t able to really sleep from nerves. I like the use of a cracked panel for the background as an indicator of the overwhelming noise of plates crashing

Dela actually brings the exam proctors to the store this time

Lots of energetic quick cuts and fun expression work as we learn the exam is actually about to happen. The characters feel very alive within their environments this episode – it feels more like a sitcom set than a series of discrete, still layouts. It probably helps that the animation is a bit more active than the show’s usual standard

Wonderful layout as they introduce the exam itself, setting the scene from above and keeping the fairies close to the “camera” to both include every active character and also bolster the sense of visual symmetry in this fundamentally circular composition

The test is to use magic to do a good deed and have someone say “thank you” in return. See, I knew we’d be focusing on Onpu’s development! Onpu is a talented witch, but this test implies the ultimate measure of a witch is how effectively they can use their magic to do good works in the world. This test validates all the work our leads have been doing over the course of this season, while also acting as a neat marker of Onpu’s personal arc. It also echoes one of Ojamajo Doremi’s more general themes – the idea that basically any passion can be valid and meaningful, as long as you express it in a positive way. “Being a witch” can basically stand in for any of the audience’s personal passions, and Doremi consistently emphasizes that regardless of what you’re into, it is valid and laudable as long as you pursue it with a positive, empathetic spirit. Onpu being very good at casting magic is ultimately less important than her ability to use that magic in a positive way

“To help the people is what makes a real witch.” Yep. Though I wonder how this test will work, given “show no one your magic” is like witch rule number one

Haha, these shots of the girls “taking flight” always look so unconvincing. Kids’ shows can get away with just quickly moving one particular cell layer closer to the camera to imply movement, but it sure ain’t graceful

Ah, you do it by being helpful in an obvious way that secretly required using magic. Doremi actually finds a target quickly, but his thanks don’t include an outright “thank you.” This is a tough one!

And we jump immediately from “old man lost his hat” to “BABY BARRELING TOWARDS INTERSECTION.” That escalated quickly

Aiko saves the baby, but can’t reveal she did it. Guess we’re gonna have to find another doomed baby

Meanwhile, Hadzuki gets her Thank You, but forgets to actually use any magic. Goddamnit girls

After a montage of failed attempts to help, Aiko is spotted in her witch costume by Kaori, the school gossip. Aw shit

She immediately calls up Tamaki to talk about it. I appreciate little moments like this that reveal these two are actually close friends who’re in regular contact, and not just two characters who pair up pretty conveniently for class drama. Revealing that characters beyond our main cast have their own meaningful relationships between each other, and don’t simply interact via their shared experiences with the main cast, is one of the better and less obtrusive ways to enhance the solidity of your characters and world

I also like that the force of Kaori’s explanation pushes Tamaki across the tennis court from through a phone. Lots of exaggerated cartoonish touches this episode, like Doremi flying into a wall and fluttering to the earth like a roadrunner and coyote skit

I ALSO also like that Tamaki is playing tennis, emphasizing an interest that we first saw revealed dozens of episodes ago. Another good way to build up characters – show the hobbies that we first saw as narrative devices are ongoing, meaningful parts of their lives

The phone network goes to work as Doremi and the gang are repeatedly noticed by their classmates about town. “The class discovers the gang are witches” is a great capstone to this season, while naturally offering an opportunity to briefly revisit all the classmates we’ve met so far

By the time the rumor’s reached Hadzuki’s grandmother, it’s mutated into “Doremi and her friends have been kidnapped by a witch and held up at the Maho-dou.” We get another wonderfully exaggerated sequence, as Baaya’s already-fanciful design shifts to something like a Shin-chan character for her heroic rescue

Gorgeous shot of the sunset as the girls take stock. Everyone’s at one magic sphere left, and no one has succeeded yet

Another neat circular composition aiming up at the girls in the sky. Cohesive, symmetrical compositions don’t necessarily need to convey some ulterior dramatic intent – they tend to at a minimum be their own rewards, as they’re inherently pleasing to look at. Of course, if your intent is to make an emotionally abrasive or unnerving experience, “god that’s pretty” might not actually be a takeaway you want to encourage. Horror films tend to heavily focus on the negotiation of these needs, given how much they rely on creating a specific tone

The girls, even Onpu, end up sacrificing their last spheres to save a fox’s life. This moment is essentially her formal turn – sacrificing her chance to actually be a witch in order to embody the selfless spirit which is the true sign of a great witch

C’mon proctors, surely a grateful fox yelp counts as a Thank You

OH MY GOD IT ACTUALLY DOES

The queen replaces their wands with “witch crystals,” which will apparently grow as they become more accomplished witches

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop regarding their schoolmates. Are they gonna have to start over entirely, or what?

Meanwhile, basically the whole non-magical cast are rushing to the Maho-dou to save the girls from an imaginary hostage situation

Very good Determined Pop Face

And Doremi congratulates Onpu on her progress, an act that itself demonstrates Doremi’s own progress. She’s become a pretty reliable heroine at this point!

Pop does her best to run interference, but all the spectators end up seeing them leaving the witch world

And Done

Well shit! That’s certainly the right place to end this two-parter, and the right conflict to end it on, but NOW I NEED TO SEE THE NEXT ONE. Still, as an episode in its own right, this was an excellent one – a neat mix of exaggerated, cartoonish farce and very pretty compositions, tethered to a narrative that acted as a firm affirmation of all the growth our stars have undergone. Onpu in particular basically had her formal introduction into the main group this time, standing beside her friends and sacrificing her chance at glory to protect something more precious. And we even got to reunite with most of the key classmates, as the panic about witch powers naturally drew pretty much every secondary character into the conflict. It was a satisfying episode full of long-awaited character payoffs, and sets us up with the most appropriate possible conflict for the finale proper. I’m eager to see how our witches escape eternal frogdom this time!

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