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!

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

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!

Continue reading →

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!

Continue reading →

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!

Continue reading →

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!

Continue reading →

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!

Continue reading →

Folks, it is absolutely time for more Ojamajo Doremi. The show has become a genuine favorite of mine, and offers a desperately necessary slice of optimism in a unforgivingly harsh world. I won’t lie to you – these last few years have rigorously tested my own optimism, as well as my faith in my fellow man. With my own country led by a man who essentially embodies all that is small and cruel about humanity, and a global rise of nationalism and xenophobia accompanying him, it’s become more difficult than ever to believe the future will be better than the past. As Donald Trump’s every hateful pronouncement earns righteous cheers from his supporters, I have to question whether the average person is simply less kind and empathetic than I assumed – whether our public commitments to charity and kindness were only ever aspirational, and whether our fundamental nature actual trends more towards cruelty and selfishness.

Fortunately, Doremi’s skies are in no way clouded by these unhappy thoughts. Doremi’s characters genuinely care about each other, and for the most part do their best to be kind. I’m not so naive as to believe the real world could ever be like Doremi’s, but the optimism of Doremi and its creators gives me a little hope, too. Doremi is a show that believes in people, and the sincerity of its creators, the passion of its artists, and their collective love for these characters come through in every episode. People might not actually be as fundamentally decent as Doremi posits, but to think otherwise leads only to despair. We have to believe in each other, and do our best to honor that belief in others. Great, empathetic media can foster that hope, and Doremi is a shining example of the form. Let’s dive into another episode of this beautiful and profoundly necessary show.

Continue reading →

Settle down kids, it’s Doremi time and that’s final. In our last episode, Ojamajo Doremi proved it can actually weave Onpu’s ongoing antagonism into the show’s usual classmate-focused mode, as she brainwashed a hapless upperclassman into briefly falling for our orb-haloed heroine. “Doremi in love” episodes are always a bunch of fun, and this one was no exception, while also benefiting from one of the strongest sets of layouts the show has put together yet. Between last episode’s love drama and the episode before’s kaiju shenanigans, it feels like Doremi’s visual mastery of its own drama is improving over time, which is almost frightening to me. If Doremi gets too much more visually appealing, I’m not sure any of us will have the power to stop it.

Beyond its own inherent appeal, last episode also ratcheted up the urgency of dealing with Onpu’s witch delinquency (witchlinquency?). She’s not casting constant illegal spells at Ruka’s command – she actually just is That Bitch, and even Ruka is totally unable to control her. She’s also made it perfectly clear that she feels no guilt or responsibility for her actions, so it’s probably going to take a disaster closer to home to make her realize what a turd she’s being. Whether this week sees us challenging Onpu directly or rambling through more classroom drama, I’m eager to see whatever’s in store. Let’s dive into another episode of Ojamajo Doremi!

Continue reading →

Pack it in folks, it’s time for more Ojamajo Doremi. The show’s last episode featured a welcome return to the show’s most reliable and rewarding mode, as we were introduced to Doremi’s classmate Ryota and his profound love of giant monsters. Like many of Doremi’s best episodes, there was no clear moral hook to Ryota’s tale – it was simply a quiet story about the hurt we can cause each other as friends, the legitimacy of all our passions, and the need to forgive. Its conclusion may have been boosted a bit by the introduction of a magically summoned kaiju, but that didn’t make it any less of a sensitive human story.

That episode also demonstrated that the presence of Onpu and Majo Ruka won’t necessarily be dominating our ongoing narrative. Onpu is basically just another classmate now, and though Majo Ruka is obviously up to no good, whatever good she’s not getting up to is apparently transpiring somewhere else. I’d like to see some stories that rope Onpu more directly into Doremi and the others’ lives, but so far she’s been pretty much an entirely antagonistic figure, and I’m not sure the show is going to make her sympathetic before we formally clash with her and Ruka. In light of that, I’d be fine with basically any direction this episode could take – classic classmate drama, Onpu-centric story that humanizes her a bit more, or direct confrontation with Ruka that also gives Onpu more substance. As long as it’s not more witch frogs, I think I’m good.

Alright, that’s enough preamble. Let’s see what’s in store for Doremi and her long-suffering friends!

Continue reading →