Or at least chronologically, but watch order discussions are dumb anyway.

Doremi is a series defined by being an anime, with its last tv season Ojamajo Doremi Dokkaan! and 2004 OVA Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho acting as the series' creativity reaching its peak. While the earlier seasons aren't any less enjoyable as they are because of this, it is clear that when under comparision, Dokkaan! has episodes with direction you would not see at all before. A stand out example of this is the 13th episode of Dokkaan!, "Mutsumi's Retirement Announcement!", where there is a common use of postcard memories, a technique created and popularized by director Osamu Dezaki, to give this episode a unique and hilarious comedic effect throughout.

What makes Dokkaan! and by extension the entire series so much of a worthwhile experience is that the production and creative freedom the staff are given is constantly growing. It's surprised me how the series was able to so consistently have episodes that felt new and fresh, especially so with Dokkaan! when you consider the series has had 150 episodes before this point. Even with the series tackling much more serious themes and ideas in its later half, it never forgets to shy away from what it originally established itself as, a fun kids' show.

Of course, one can't discuss Dokkaan! without bringing mention to how it contributes to the series' overarching narrative. While this last season continues to carry the same spirit and fun of the seasons prior, as it goes into its later half it becomes clear that what the characters' have in the present moment is limited. A theme that comes into a forefront in this season is growing up and the implications that surround it. While the Ojamajos are still very young, with them being in their last year of elementary school, it becomes clear to them that they are in a point in their lives where they will soon have more responsibilities. This is a pretty universal experience and idea tackled in many stories, but what makes Dokkaan! stand out is how it utilizes how the series released.

The story of Doremi moves in real time to when it aired. When Doremi acknowledges its been 4 years since she became a witch apprentice, that isn't a random number, the series started both within the story and in real life in 1999, nearly 4 real world years before the episode Doremi acknowledges this aired. I want to keep this review primarily spoiler free because a lot of what makes Dokkaan! so effective is best experienced for yourself, but what I love about Doremi is that it is a series that is constantly changing. There is so much about the way Doremi is structured and planned that gives its world a feeling that it is living and breathing outside of what the viewer can see. It is a series that is so clever and fun and has such immense respect for its audience that it is hard for me to see anyone watch it and to not appreciate what it does to some level.

Overall, Dokkaan! in my eyes is an accomplishment both in terms of what Doremi as a series set out to do with its themes and characters, but also with what can be accomplished with anime as a medium in its full potential. After 7 months of watching the series in its entirety, I can confidently say that it has been one of my favorite experiences with not only anime but media in general. Doremi as a whole is such a special series and I'm glad out of every 200+ anime I could've watched, this was the one.