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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