Today we return to Ojamajo Doremi, in the grips of one more dramatic witch-on-witch arc! Last episode introduced Onpu, a child actress who absolutely made the most of her debut by dunking on Tamaki, grappling with Doremi, and ultimately using mind control powers to make sure she earned a romantic lead role. That episode was an utter joy in its own right, exemplifying Doremi’s more farcical material, and once again leaning heavily on the endearing rivalry between Doremi and Tamaki. Tamaki is a terrific antagonist, and framing an episode around “Tamaki is challenged by a new girl who’s EVEN MORE Tamaki” was a great idea, even before we got to the silly appeal of their various audition challenges.
Of course, once the battle was over and Onpu had claimed her prize, we swiftly learned that this was all the plan of an old foe – Rika’s long-time rival Majo Ruka. The last time Ruka appeared, we ended up running through an arc that saw the girls losing their shop altogether, a paradigm-shifting conflict that ultimately felt a little drawn out. Ruka’s material lacked the emotional thoughtfulness of Doremi’s classmate-focused episodes, and I felt it leaned into the show’s magical worldbuilding in a way all these vaguely defined spells couldn’t necessarily support. That said, Onpu has already proven herself to be a more compelling character than Ruka, and adding an antagonist who can interact with the girls on their own immediate level seems like a very good way to add some emotional bite to this conflict. In spite of her poise, I’m getting strong gremlin vibes from Onpu, and am eager to see how she continues to torment our heroes. Let’s dive right into another episode of Ojamajo Doremi!
