Magical DoReMi

Ojamajo Doremi
Ojamajo Doremi's musical theme is reflected in its logo
おジャ魔女どれみ (Ojamajo Doremi, roughly: Bothersome Witch Doremi)
Genre	Magical girl, comedy, Fantasy
TV anime
Directed by	Junichi Sato Takuya Igarashi
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	4Kids Entertainment (Series 1 Only)
Network	Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Original run	February 7, 1999 – January 30, 2000
Episodes	51 (List of episodes)
TV anime
Ojamajo Doremi #
Directed by	Shigeyasu Yamauchi Takuya Igarashi
Studio	Toei Animation
Network	Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Original run	February 6, 2000 – January 28, 2001
Episodes	49 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Ojamajo Doremi #: The Movie
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Written by	Midori Kuriyama
Music by	Keiichi Oku
Studio	Toei Animation
Released	July 8, 2000
Runtime	30 minutes
Manga
Written by	Izumi Todo
Illustrated by	Shizue Takanashi
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Original run	October 2000 – December 2000
Volumes	3
TV anime
Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Studio	Toei Animation
Network	Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Original run	February 4, 2001 – January 27, 2002
Episodes	50 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi: Secret of the Frog Stone
Directed by	Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Written by	Midori Kuriyama
Music by	Keiichi Oku
Studio	Toei Animation
Released	July 14, 2001
Runtime	30 minutes
Manga
Mo~tto! Ojamajo Doremi
Written by	Izumi Todo
Illustrated by	Shizue Takanashi
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Published	December 2001
Volumes	1
TV anime
Ojamajo Doremi Dokka~n!
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Studio	Toei Animation
Network	Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Original run	February 3, 2002 – January 26, 2003
Episodes	51 (List of episodes)
Anime and Manga Portal

Magical DoReMi, known as Ojamajo Doremi ( おジャ魔女どれみ, Ojamajo Doremi^?) in Japan, is a magical girl anime television series created by Toei Animation in 1999. It focuses on elementary school students who become witch apprentices. Led by Doremi Harukaze, the girls must maintain their double lives in secret.

Magical DoReMi has been followed up by three direct sequels, lasting until its end in 2003. During the television series' runtime, two companion films were released in theaters. The English dub, produced by 4Kids Entertainment, debuted in the US on September 10, 2005, with a preview episode airing on August 13, 2005.

Plot

See also: List of Ojamajo Doremi characters

Ojamajo Doremi

Eight-year-old Doremi Harukaze aspires to be a user of magic, as she believes it would solve all her problems and help her confess to a boy she liked. One afternoon, she comes upon a magic shop and correctly suspects that the shop owner is a witch. The shop owner becomes a witch frog, "greenling", as this happens to witches when their true identities are discovered. In order to retain her original form, the shop owner, Majo Rika, takes Doremi as her apprentice to turn her into a witch. Doremi must take nine witch exams at night to become an official witch; however, she must never let her own identity as a witch be found out or the same fate that befell Majo Rika will happen to her.^[1] Because of Doremi's constant mishaps in magic, Majo Rika refers to her as an "ojamajo" (おジャ魔女^?), a portmanteau of the words "ojama" (お邪魔, lit. "troublesome"^?) and ("majo" (魔女, lit. "witch"^?).

On her way, Doremi is joined by her two best friends,^[2] Hazuki Fujiwara and Aiko Senō, as well as her younger sister, Pop.^[3] While taking tests to become better witches, at the same time, Doremi and her friends help out their classmates and friends with their own problems via magic, as well as battle Majo Rika's rival, Majo Ruka.^[4] All is going well until they meet Onpu Segawa, a child idol, who does not share the same morals in using magic as them.^[5] Eventually, Onpu allies with Doremi and the girls and even saves them from turning into witch frogs at the cost of her own consciousness.^[6]

Ojamajo Doremi # (Sharp)

Not long after Doremi and the girls finish the 3rd grade, they go into the Witch World to see Majo Rika. While taking a shortcut through the garden, the girls witness the birth of a baby, whom Doremi later names Hana. According to the witch law, they have to take care of the baby for a year since they witnessed Hana's birth.^[7] While Doremi and the girls learn to take care of Hana and help her take baby tests, at the same time, the wizards in the Wizard World are afraid of the tremendous magical power Hana has.^[8] Oyajide, a former ally of Doremi's, plans to capture Hana at all costs and even hires four boy wizard prodigies, the FLAT4, to help.^[9]

Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi

After losing their witch apprenticeship to ensure Hana's growth,^[10] Doremi and the girls are given another chance to get their apprenticeship back by appealing to the Witch Senate with sweets. As none of the girls know how to bake well, the Queen introduces Momoko Asuka into their group to aid their quest.^[11] In Doremi's daily life, Momoko also becomes her classmate, but due to living in New York for most of her life, she is unable to speak Japanese well in her normal form and is unfamiliar with Japanese culture.^[12] While Doremi and the girls patiently teach her, they are also given temporary custody of Hana-chan, who was cursed with the former witch queen's magic to hate vegetables, which are crucial to her health.^[13] (Ojamajo Doremi Naisho is a part of Motto Ojamajo Doremi.)

Ojamajo Doremi Dokka~n!

Doremi and the girls are made into full witches by the senate,^[14] but the former witch queen's curse is about to put all worlds into an eternal sleep. The only way to stop the curse is to awaken her and recreate the gifts she both made and received from her grandchildren.^[13] At the same time, Hana, who has become bored of the Witch World, uses magic to age herself into an 11-year-old to be able to attend Doremi's school.^[15]

Media

Anime

Main article: List of Ojamajo Doremi episodes

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.^[16] The series soon followed with direct sequels, Ojamajo Doremi #, Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi, and Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān! until January 26, 2003. Each series lasted from 49 to 51 episodes. In North America, 4Kids Entertainment licensed the show under the title Magical DoReMi, which aired on 4Kids TV for the 2005-2006 broadcasting season.^[17] Unlike the international dubs and like many broadcast anime in the USA, Magical DoReMi was heavily localized. Episode 30 was never released in English.

Starting with a sneak preview episode on August 13, 2005, 4Kids TV followed with new episodes airing every week since September 2005. The show was put on hiatus in mid-2006, but resumed progress with new episodes have been posted every Tuesday on their streaming video website from 2007 to 2008. On April 24, 2010, Magical DoReMi returned on US television on The CW4Kids^[18] and ended its re-runs on July 24, 2010. Starting on May 27, 2010, 4Kids Entertainment also started uploading the entire show onto their YouTube channel.^[19]

Manga

From 1999 to early 2003, the manga magazine Nakayoshi ran a manga-adaptation of Ojamajo Doremi. The story was based on the events of the original anime and was drawn by Shizue Takanashi. 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 Mo~tto! Ojamajo Doremi story arc and was titled eponymously to it.

Light Novel

On September 5, 2011, Kodansha Limited announced the coming of the light novel Ojamajo Doremi 16 (おジャ魔女どれみ16, Ojamajo Doremi 16^?), featuring the original work of Izumi Todo, story written by Midori Kuriyama, and illustrations by Yoshihiko Umakoshi, to be released on December 2, 2011.^[20]. Chiba Chiemi, the voice of Doremi Harukaze, posted via Twitter that she had received a copy and that it focuses on the characters' lives in high school.^[21]

Film

Ojamajo Doremi #: The Movie

Ojamajo Doremi #: The Movie (映画おジャ魔女どれみ#, Eiga Ojamajo Doremi Shāpu^?)^[22] was the first theatrical release for the series and was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi. 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.^[23] 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.

Though the movie bears little relevance to the series it's based on, it does mostly take place some time between episodes 16 and 37 and is referenced in both episodes 37 and 40 (the latter coinciding with the post-credits scene).

The Secret of the Frog Stone

Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi: The Secret of the Frog Stone ( も～っと!おジャ魔女どれみ: カエル石のひみつ, Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi: Kaeru Seki no Himitsu^?)^[24] was the series' second theatrical release and hit theaters on July 14, 2001, screened between Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers and Kinnikuman: Second Generations. Similar to the first movie, it was again directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi.

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.

CDs

Main article: Ojamajo Doremi discography

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. However, from Mo~tto! Ojamajo Doremi onwards, the CDs were distributed by Marvelous Entertainment.

Ojamajo Kids

During the run of Ojamajo Doremi Dokka~n!, Toei hosted live events with dance performances by select actresses who portrayed the girls, titled "Ojamajo Kids. " These girls were selected via auditions.^[25]

• Kasumi Suzuki - Doremi Harukaze^[26]
• Tsugumi Shinohara - Hana Makihatayama^[27]
• Miiya Tanaka - Hazuki Fujiwara^[28]
• Chiharu Watanabe - Aiko Senō^[29]
• Makoto Takeda - Onpu Segawa^[30]
• Chisato Maeda - Momoko Asuka^[31]

References

1. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi episode 1". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/summary/1. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi episode 4". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/summary/4. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi episode 25". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/summary/25. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi episode 20". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/summary/20. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi episode 35". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/summary/35. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi episode 51". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/summary/51. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi # episode 1". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_s/episode/summary/2. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi # episode 22". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_s/episode/summary/22. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi # episode 31". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_s/episode/summary/31. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi # episode 49". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_s/episode/summary/49. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ "Toei's summary of Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi episode 1". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_m/episode/summary/1. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "Toei's summary of Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi episode 3". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_m/episode/summary/3. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
13. ^ ^{a b} "Toei's summary of Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi episode 31". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_m/episode/summary/31. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
14. ^ "Toei's summary of Mōtto! Ojamajo Doremi episode 50". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_m/episode/summary/50. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
15. ^ "Toei's summary of Ojamajo Doremi Dokka~n! episode 1". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/episode/summary/1. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
16. ^ "Toei's list of Ojamajo Doremi episodes". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi/episode/list. Retrieved 2009-12-17. ^{[dead link]}
17. ^ "4Kids Plans to Release Magical Doremi in 2005". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2004-11-11/4kids-plans-to-release-magical-doremi-in-2005. Retrieved 2008-09-24. 
18. ^ "Magical DoReMi to Re-air on The CW4Kids on Saturdays". Anime News Network. 2010-04-18. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-18/magical-doremi-to-re-air-on-the-cw4kids-on-saturdays. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
19. ^ "YouTube - Magical DoReMi". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/show/magicaldoremi. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
20. ^ "ラノベ文庫 TOP 講談社コミックプラス". http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/magazine/index.php/90008. Retrieved September 10, 2011. 
21. ^ "Twitter / @ChiemiChiba: おジャ魔女達が高校生になって登場！小説『おジャ魔女ど ...". http://twitter.com/#!/ChiemiChiba/status/110573165297668096. Retrieved September 10, 2011. 
22. ^ "Magical DoReMi #". Toei Animation. http://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/english/film/magical_doremi_2.php. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
23. ^ "2000年夏アニメフェアTOP" (in Japanese). Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/movie/2000_summer/index.html. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
24. ^ "Magical DoReMi 3: The Secret of the Frog Stone". Toei Animation. http://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/english/film/magical_doremi_3_the_secret_of.php. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
25. ^ "おジャ魔女キッズ (Ojamajo Kids)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
26. ^ "春風どれみ (Harukaze Doremi)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids/doremi.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
27. ^ "ハナちゃん (Hana-chan)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids/hana.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
28. ^ "藤原はづき (Fujiwara Hazuki)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids/haduki.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
29. ^ "妹尾あいこ (Senō Aiko)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids/aiko.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
30. ^ "瀬川おんぷ (Segawa Onpu)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids/onpu.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
31. ^ "飛鳥ももこ (Asuka Momoko)". Toei Animation. http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/doremi_D/kids/momoko.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 

External links

Anime and manga portal

• Official Ojamajo Doremi website at Toei Animation (Japanese)
• Official Ojamajo Doremi Sharp website at Toei Animation (Japanese)
• Official Motto! Ojamajo Doremi website at Toei Animation (Japanese)
• Official Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan website at Toei Animation (Japanese)
• Official Ojamajo Doremi Naisho website at Toei Animation (Japanese)
• Official Magical DoReMi website at 4kids.tv
• Information in English about Ojamajo Doremi, Sharp, Motto!, Dokkan and Naisho at Toei Animation
• Ojamajo Doremi (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia