Hazuki Fujiwara

, alternatively titled ''Magical DoReMi'' in English, is a Japanese fantasy magical girl anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It focuses on a group of elementary school girls, led by Doremi Harukaze, who become witch apprentices. The series aired in Japan on ABC, TV Asahi, and other ANN affiliates between February 1999 and January 2003, spanning four seasons and 201 episodes, and was followed by an original video animation series released between June and December 2004. An English-language version of the first season, produced by 4Kids Entertainment, aired in North America in 2005.

''Ojamajo Doremi'' has inspired two companion films, manga adaptations, video games, and a light novel sequel series. A 20th anniversary film titled '' Looking for Magical Doremi'' was released on November 13, 2020.

Plot

''Ojamajo Doremi''

Doremi Harukaze is a third grade elementary schoolgirl living in the fictional Japanese town of Misora, comes across a magic shop known as and accidentally discovers that its owner, Majo Rika, is a witch. Due to a curse placed on any witch whose identity is exposed by a human, Majo Rika is transformed into a witch frog. Wanting to return to her original form, Majo Rika makes Doremi her witch apprentice, giving her the ability to cast magic. Determined to become a fully-fledged witch capable of turning Majo Rika back into a human, Doremi has to pass nine different witch tests, while also keeping her identity a secret from other humans. Doremi is soon joined by her two best friends, Hazuki Fujiwara and Aiko Senoo and later by her younger sister Pop Harukaze who all become witch apprentices.

Midway through the series, Doremi and the others come across a rival witch apprentice, Onpu Segawa who has been using forbidden magic to influence people's memories. After passing the final witch test, their identities are revealed to their families and friends. Onpu wipes the memories of those that attempt to expose them to prevent their identities from being revealed. She uses forbidden magic too many times, losing control of it. In order to save Onpu from an eternal sleep, the girls give up their magical powers to awaken her.

''Ojamajo Doremi Sharp''

Entering fourth grade, Doremi and the others sneak into the Witch World to visit Majo Rika. They witness the birth of a magical baby who is named Hana and will be the candidate for the next queen. As witch law dictates that whoever witnesses a magical baby's birth must take care of it for a year, Doremi and the others are once again made witch apprentices, tasked with raising Hana. While also taking care of the Maho-Do, which has now become a gardening store, the girls must ensure Hana's growth and help her pass several health examinations held by the Witch World's head nurse, Majo Heart.

Meanwhile, a wizard named Oyajide attempts to kidnap Hana to help aid the Wizard World, later enlisting the help of four young wizards known as the Flat4, who tried to get close to Doremi and the others to kidnap Hana, but liked them later. The witch apprentices help mend relations between the Witch World and Wizard World. However, Hana's powerful magic catches the attention of the former Witch Queen's predecessor, who slept in the cursed forest for a long time. She curses Hana to make her ill and only the Love Supreme Flower that grows in the cursed forest can heal her. In the end, Doremi and the others succeed in picking the flower but are cursed to fall into an eternal slumber.

''Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi''

The Queen of the Witch World made Doremi and the others into witch apprentices again and task them to pass six patissier exams to become fully-fledged witches. With Maho-Do remodeled into a bakery, the witches are joined by Momoko Asuka, a returnee from the United States who initially lost experience with the Japanese culture.

Midway through the series, Hana is afflicted by a curse from the past queen again, causing her to have a dislike for vegetables which are necessary for her magical growth, prompting Doremi and the girls to get another chance to take care of Hana and help her get over her pickiness. After curing Hana's pickiness and passing the patissière exams, the girls appeal to the past queen, Majo Tourbillon, who had detested humans ever since she lost her human husband and grandchildren. They make her favorite dessert in her memory, the cake her husband made when he proposed to her. She reverts the curse placed upon the Love Supreme Forest, where her true form is found sleeping, protected by magical vines.

OVA series, ''Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho!'', takes place during this time frame.

''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān!''

Hana, who wants to be human, uses all of her magic to physically age into a sixth grader. This results in the Maho-Do being transformed into a crafts shop and Hana's magical crystals shattering, requiring Doremi and the others to supply her with the energy needed to become a witch's apprentice. Meanwhile, the Queen discovers Majo Tourbillon's power will eventually cause both worlds to be put to sleep. As such, the Queen tasks the girls, who are assisted by Majo Tourbillon's fairy, Baba, to recreate various handmade gifts that Majo Tourbillon's six grandchildren had made and received from her in order to remind her of the happy times and break the vines imprisoning her. These vines soon start sprouting black flowers that cause people and magical beings alike to be affected with laziness, with the girls enlisting the help of Hana and a white elephant named Pao to put a stop to it.

After resolving Majo Tourbillon's misunderstanding with her grandchildren, she lifts the witch frog curse. She reminds Doremi and the others that if they become full witches, they will live longer than ordinary humans. The Ojamajo decide not to become witches and learn that they can do anything even without using magic, and combine their respective crystal fragments into a new crystal ball for Hana. The series ends with their elementary school graduation and Majo Rika returning Hana to the Witch World. Although they each went their separate ways, their friendship remains the same and they continue to move towards their dreams.

Characters

Ojamajos (Witch Apprentices)

;
:
: Portrayed by: Kasumi Suzuki (Ojamajo Kids)
: Doremi is the main protagonist of the series. She is a lively and kind-hearted girl, who always cares about the people around her, but she can be selfish. Yet she also longs for love, and can come across as a little confused at times. She has an interest in witches and magic. At first, she hoped to use magic to give herself the courage to confess to the person she liked, but eventually she learned that this can be achieved even without magic. She often proclaims herself to be "the unluckiest girl in the whole world" when things do not go her way. Her favorite food is steak, but in the series she has almost failed to eat it. Her favorite instrument is the piano, but because of the shadow of her childhood performance failure, she also has complicated feelings about the piano.
: Doremi's spell is "Pirika Pirilala Popolina Peperuto", while her spell in Magical Stage is .
: Her theme color is pink.

;
:
: Portrayed by: Miya Tanaka (Ojamajo Kids)
: Hazuki is a passive, gentle, and smart, but shy girl. She is from a rich family and Doremi's friend since childhood. She dared not express her thoughts to her parents because she was afraid of their sadness, even though she had her own opinion. Finally, she overcame this problem. She likes lame jokes and is very afraid of ghosts. Her talents are playing the violin and composing. At the end of ''Dokkan'', she begins attending Karen Girls High School to realize her violin dream.
: Hazuki's spell is "Paipai Ponpoi Puwapuwa Puu", while her spell in Magical Stage is .
: Her theme color is orange.

;
:
: Portrayed by Chiharu Watanabe (Ojamajo Kids)
: Aiko is a transfer student from Osaka. She is a tomboyish girl with an outgoing personality, reliable, and good at sports. Her parents are divorced, so she lives with her father. She loves both her parents very much and wishes for them to get back together. Finally, with the efforts of her and the others, her parents regrouped after reflecting on and solving their problems. Her favorite instrument is a harmonica because it was bought for her by her parents before they divorced. Her favorite food is Takoyaki (chocolate chip cookies in the English version).
: Aiko's spell is "Pameruku Raruku Laliloli Poppun", while her spell in Magical Stage is .
: Her theme color is blue.

;
:
: Pop is Doremi's younger sister. She attends Sonatine Kindergarten for the first half of the series and then moves on to Misora First Elementary School. Pop accidentally discovers Doremi's magical powers in the first season and as such becomes a witch apprentice as well. She acts mature for her age and is more responsible than her older sister.
: Pop's spell is "Pipito Purito Puritan Peperuto", while her spell in Magical Stage is .
: Her theme color is red.

;
:
: Portrayed by: Makoto Takeda (Ojamajo Kids)
: Onpu is a famous Japanese child idol who became a witch apprentice of Majoruka, a rival of Majorika. She is a little bit headstrong, has a closed heart, and used to abuse forbidden magic to change the minds of others because she has an amulet to protect her from being backlashed. Eventually, however, she becomes kind-hearted and selfless by spending time with Doremi and the others, then joining them. She is eager to do well in everything, especially by her acting job. She lives with her mother, who used to be an idol herself before an accident sent her into trauma. Her favorite instrument is a flute, and favorite food is Crêpe.
: Onpu's spell is "Pururun Purun Famifami Faa", while her spell in Magical Stage is .
: In Japanese, her name Onpu means "musical note".
: Her theme color is purple.

;
:
: Portrayed by: Chisato Maeda (Ojamajo Kids)
: Momoko is a Japanese-American transfer student from New York City and was the apprentice of the late Majo Monroe. At the beginning of ''Motto'', she only speaks English and is unfamiliar with Japanese culture, but she can use a translator intercom with her pâtissière uniform, with which she can fluently understand and speak Japanese. She becomes friends with Doremi and the others, who teach her how to speak Japanese. She is shy at first, but getting to know Doremi makes her straight-forward. She is proficient in baking, and her dream is to open a pastry shop. Her favorite instrument is a guitar.
: Momoko's spell is "Perutan Petton Pararira Pon", while her spell in Magical Stage is .
: Her theme color is yellow.

;
:
: Portrayed by: Tsugumi Shinohara (Ojamajo Kids)
: Hana is a baby witch born from a large light blue rose in the Witch Queen's Garden that produces a new baby every 100 years and the successor to the throne. Hana is given to Doremi and the others to be cared for after she stumbles across her. In ''Sharp'', Doremi, Hazuki, Aiko, and Onpu serve as Hana's mothers (especially Doremi). Then in ''Motto'', Momoko joined them also as Hana's mother. Although she is just a baby, she has powerful magic. In ''Dokkān'', Hana transforms herself into an 11-year-old girl so she could attend school with her mothers and takes on the name of . Because of this incident, her crystal ball broke into pieces, which the source of magic used by a witch, so she also became a witch apprentice in this period.
: Hana's spell is "Pororin Pyuarin Hanahana Pii", while in the light novel series her spell in Magical Stage is .
: Her theme color is white.

Media

Anime

''Ojamajo Doremi'' is produced by Toei Animation and ABC. In Japan, the show aired on each of the ANN TV stations ( Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC, Japan), TV Asahi, Nagoya TV (Metele), and others) and Broadcasting System of San-in Inc. The show replaced the time slot for '' Yume no Crayon Oukoku'' after its end and lasted from February 7, 1999, to January 30, 2000, with a new episode airing every week. The series soon followed with direct sequels, , , and until January 26, 2003. Each series lasted from 49 to 51 episodes. On June 26 to December 11, 2004, a thirteen-episode original video animation series, was produced which takes place during the third season.

A 26-episode short ONA series, titled , began streaming on Toei Animation's YouTube channel from March 23, 2019. In this series Doremi and her friends as high school students. A five-episode spin-off adaptation of the picture book , called was exclusively produced as a reward for the Ojamajo Doremi 20th Anniversary Thanks Festival crowdfunding campaign in 2020.

Toei Animation commissioned an English dub of the pilot episode from Ocean Productions to shop for potential licensors. 4Kids Entertainment licensed the first season in North America under the title ''Magical DoReMi'', which aired on 4Kids TV for the 2005–2006 broadcasting season. ''Magical DoReMi'' was heavily edited and localized for US audiences and episode 30 is skipped in the English dub.

Manga

From 2000 to early 2003, the monthly manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' ran a manga adaptation of ''Ojamajo Doremi'' illustrated by Shizue Takanashi. The manga saw several changes from the original story, such as the introduction of Bow, a new character original to the manga. The chapters were compiled into ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha. Four volumes were released in total — the first three were under the title ''Ojamajo Doremi'', covering the events of the original series and ''Ojamajo Doremi #''. The last volume was adapted from the ''Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi'' story arc and was titled eponymously to it.

Films

''Ojamajo Doremi #: The Movie''

was the first theatrical release for the series and was directed by Takuya Igarashi. Roughly twenty-seven minutes long, it was released on July 8, 2000 (along with '' Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals''), for the 2000 Summer Toei Anime Fair. The ''Digimon'' movie was split into two parts and ''Ojamajo Doremi #: The Movie'' was screened in between.

In the movie, Pop has just passed one of her witch exams, but gets into a heated argument with Doremi because Hana followed her into the Witch World. Initially unbeknownst to everyone, the flower Pop brought home from the Witch World is really the Witch Queen Heart, the Queen's favorite flower, which grants any wish it hears regardless of any possible dangers until it begins to bear seeds. One of the wishes it had granted involves turning Doremi into a mouse, unknowingly made by Pop over her anger towards Doremi. While Pop goes to search for her sister, the other girls track down the runaway flower before it starts to reproduce.

''The Secret of the Frog Stone''

was the series' second theatrical release. It was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi and hit theaters on July 14, 2001, screened between '' Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers'' and '' Kinnikuman: Second Generations''.

During Doremi and her friends' summer vacation, they visit her grandparents in the fictional mountains of Fukuyama, where they hear of a mysterious legend of Mayuri and Zenjuro, two star-crossed lovers that died in the Edo period. During the next morning, when they investigate the forest, the girls get lost and face the Curse of the Full Moon, which makes them unable to use magic. Meanwhile, due to a traumatizing memory, Aiko develops a fear of Doremi's grandfather.

''Looking for Magical Doremi''

is a 2020 anime film released for the franchise's 20th anniversary. The film focuses on three adults, Sora Nagase, Mire Yoshigaki, and Reika Kawatani, who watched ''Ojamajo Doremi'' when they were children. Staff members who worked on the original anime series will be returning to the project, including Junichi Sato and Haruka Kamatani as directors, Midori Kuriyama as screenwriter, and Yoshihiko Umakoshi as the character designer. The voice actresses from the original series will reprise their roles. Three new characters were revealed on October 29, 2019, at the Tokyo International Film Festival, as well as returning staff members art designer Kenichi Tajiri and color artist Kunio Tsujita. The film was originally scheduled to be released in theaters on May 15, 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released nationwide on November 13, 2020.

Music

Throughout the run of the series, multiple singles, albums, and compilations were distributed. The original series' CDs were released under Bandai Music Entertainment, while music from ''Ojamajo Doremi #'' was distributed by King Records. From ''Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi'' onwards, the CDs were distributed by Marvelous Entertainment.

Light novel

On September 5, 2011, Kodansha Limited announced the coming of the light novel ''Ojamajo Doremi 16'', featuring the original work of Izumi Todo, story written by Midori Kuriyama, and illustrations by Yoshihiko Umakoshi. It was published in three volumes by Kodansha between December 2, 2011, and November 30, 2012. The story takes place several years after the events of the anime series, with the main characters now in high school. It was followed by a second series, ''Ojamajo Doremi 17'', released in three volumes between July 2, 2013, and February 28, 2014, and a third, ''Ojamajo Doremi 18'', released in two volumes between September 2, 2014, and June 2, 2015. The final volume, ''Ojamajo Doremi 19'', was released on December 9, 2015. Drama CDs were included with the first ''Ojamajo Doremi 17'' novel, the third ''Ojamajo Doremi 17'' novel, and ''Ojamajo Doremi 19''. Toei producer Hiromi Seki has expressed interest in producing an anime adaptation of the series, but stated it would depend on sales. Following the announcement of the new movie, a new light novel volume, '' Ojamajo Doremi 20’s'', was announced for release in summer 2019, but it was delayed to October 2, 2019. Yumi Kageyama replaced Midori Kuriyama as author for this installment.

Stage plays

During the run of ''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān!'', Toei hosted live events with dance performances by select actresses who portrayed the girls, titled "Ojamajo Kids". The cast consisted of Kasumi Suzuki as Doremi, Tsugumi Shinohara as Hana, Miiya Tanaka as Hazuki,
Chiharu Watanabe as Aiko, Makoto Takeda as Onpu, and Chisato Maeda as Momoko.

A stage play adaptation of ''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān!'' was produced by Nelke Planning and starred the Japanese girl group ≠Me, with the characters double-cast and split between two groups: Cologne Team and Jewelry Team. The stage play ran in theaters from May 15 to May 22, 2022.

Video games

The franchise received few video games, most of them are educational games for children.

Sega Pico series

Three games has been released for the Sega Pico, containing several minigames for children:

*''Ojamajo Doremi Sharp'' (circa 2000)
*''Mo-tto! Ojamajo Doremi'' (circa 2001)
*''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan!'' (circa 2002)

PlayStation games

Four games has been released for the Sony PlayStation, three of them part of the KidsStation educational line-up:

*''Ojamajo Doremi Sharp Maho-dou Dance Carnival!'' (September 21, 2000), a musical game similar to Dance Dance Revolution mechanics.
*''Mo-tto! Ojamajo Doremi: Maho-dou Smile Party'' (July 26, 2001), composed with minigames and activities.
*''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan: Maho-dou Eigo Festival'' (March 20, 2002), the third KidsStation line-up release for this series. It is a software for teaching English.
*''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan: Nijiiro Paradise'' (November 28, 2002), a party video game based on board and dice.

Other platforms

* ''Ojamajo Adventure: Naisho no Mahou'' (November 19, 2004), a visual novel for PC, featuring the exclusive character Majorythm.

Merchandise

Bandai produced a toy line for ''Ojamajo Doremi''. Maki Takahashi served as the toy line's supervisor, and a character was named after her in the show as an homage. In 2000, Bandai originally planned to market ''Ojamajo Doremi'' in North America through a partnership with Mattel, but the toy line was dropped. After 4Kids Entertainment picked up the series for North American distribution, they signed a marketing deal with Bandai America in August 2005 to distribute a toy line beginning in Q2 2006.

Beginning 2015, Premium Bandai produced limited edition goods and a make-up line for the franchise's 15th anniversary, targeted towards women. In the following years, ''Ojamajo Doremi'' has also collaborated with other fashion and character brands including SuperGroupies, The Ichi, Liz Lisa, Favorite, The Kiss, Ichiban Kuji, Sanrio, and Earth Music & Ecology.

Reception

Bandai reported ''Ojamajo Doremi'' merchandise grossed a total of by 2000. By the time the third season was broadcast, the viewership rating was 13.7% and 90% of the target demographic were watching the show. During Magical DoReMi’s first television season in Japan, the merchandise grossed over $100 million.

Legacy

The mobile puzzle game '' Puyopuyo!! Quest'' presented a ''Ojamajo Doremi'' collaboration event between November 15 and 25, 2019. As part of the event, Doremi, Hazuki, Aiko, Onpu, and Momoko with the first season outfit were made available as playable characters – with the original voice cast reprising their roles from the series. Majorika – as well as the recurring characters Amitie, Spica, Sonia, Tilura and Kirin with the Ojamajo outfit, also were made playable. A bonus of Doremi in her regular clothing was also made available to accounts who logged in to the game for the first time.

In October 2020, ''Ojamajo Doremi'' partnered with the Bushiroad mobile game ''BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!'' to promote ''Looking for Magical Doremi''. As part of the collaboration, the ''BanG Dream!'' band Hello, Happy World! received in-game costumes based on the main characters of ''Ojamajo Doremi'' and performed a cover version of the first season's opening theme.

Notes

References

External links

Official ''Ojamajo Doremi'' website
at Toei Animation

Official ''Ojamajo Doremi Sharp'' website
at Toei Animation

Official ''Motto! Ojamajo Doremi'' website
at Toei Animation

Official ''Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan'' website
at Toei Animation

Official ''Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho'' website
at Toei Animation
* Information in English abou
''Ojamajo Doremi''''Sharp''''Motto!''''Dokkan''
an
''Naisho''
at Toei Animation
*

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Ojamajo Doremi series
1999 anime television series debuts
2000 anime television series debuts
2001 anime television series debuts
2002 anime television series debuts
2004 anime OVAs
Animated television series about children
Anime and manga about witchcraft
Anime with original screenplays
Asahi Broadcasting Corporation original programming
Japan-exclusive video games
Japanese children's animated action television series
Japanese children's animated adventure television series
Japanese children's animated comedy television series
Japanese children's animated fantasy television series
Kodansha Ranobe Bunko
Magical girl anime and manga
Toei Animation original video animation
Toei Animation television
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