✧ This review will cover the franchise as a whole, with light spoilers also, so don’t read if you’re going in blind!!! ✧

Witch-obsessed Doremi Harukaze walks into a creepy looking store...

The anime series Ojamajo Doremi depicts the growing up of Doremi and her close friends Hazuki, Aiko, Onpu, and Momo. We learn about their everyday obstacles, which are genuinely realistic to the challenges that real individuals could face and how they confront it. We learn about Hazuki learning how to open up, Aiko’s struggles due to her parents divorce, Onpu learning how to be a great idol, Momo getting over her grief and Doremi uncertainty for the future. Along with learning about the stories of the five main girls, Doremi's classmates and the witches are also explored.

The worldbuilding and magic system is fantastically detailed. There’s a clear set of rules, limitations and such which is not disobeyed much. If you get discovered by a human, you turn into a witch frog, can't heal magic otherwise you inflict the pain on yourself, can't control minds without consequences, etc. You need certain levels to use some magic which the series is quite strict on. You learn so much about the witch world throughout the 200 episodes.

The format for every season of Doremi is identical; the girls have to take an assortment of exams in order to prove that they are capable witches (or that they have the ability to take care of a baby). Even though the tests might be repetitive at times, watching girls demonstrate their abilities is a very satisfying experience. The topics covered are mature, and aren't dumbed down for the target audience (which is children) so even adults not interested at all in kodomo anime can enjoy it.

What makes Doremi a truly beautiful series is the characters. During the span over the four years which the series covers, they develop a ton and are full of depth. It really feels like you are watching real girls grow up.

Doremi is such an nuanced and interesting character, despite the fact that she initially appears to be a stereotypical magical girl protagonist who is clumsy, not exceptionally smart, and obsessed with steak. No other character could possibly compare to Doremi's compassion because she is such a kind girl. She is determined to support everybody around her. Even if she is powerless to do something at times, she will find a way to help.It's nice that most problems are able to be solved without the use of magic since it makes supporting the characters infinitely more genuine.

Doremi's benevolence truly shines through in Sharp. Doremi turns out to be an amazing parent to Hana-chan. Of all the girls, she cares about Hana-chan more than anything else. Doremi's character in Dokkaan expands so much more. Her worry about being left behind is totally relatable. The representations of her feelings in these episodes are outstanding. Everyone will encounter uncertainty at some point in their life, just like she did. Dokkaan somehow manages to make her character much more endearing.

Hazuki is the second character to be introduced to the audience. Hazuki comes from a wealthy, caring family. Perhaps even a little too loving at times. Hazuki is a sweet girl who really cares about her friends. Often, she puts their happiness above her own. Hazuki struggles to express her true emotions due to frequently feeling obligated to live up to her parents' high expectations. She takes offence whenever the other characters criticise her, which results in a few disagreements.

Aiko appears to be your stereotypical "tomboy" character, however she has a feminine side that she embraces happily. She is a transfer student from Osaka who makes her debut early in the first season. It is revealed that Aiko's parents divorced, and although it initially seems impossible, Aiko's main ambition is to get them back together. She is loyal and determined to all of her friends. Due to her harsh nature, Aiko is frequently taken for being rude. She appears very mature but keeps all of her worries and weaknesses hidden. When someone sees through her facade, she becomes flustered.

Onpu is the final character to be introduced in the first season. Due to her selfishness, she is initially an antagonist who controls the feelings of others. She often becomes the focus of her male classmates' attention since she is a beloved child idol and highly renowned child actress. She learns to appreciate those around her and joins the squad with the help of Doremi, Aiko, and Hazuki. She is extremely busy and is often absent from episodes whilst she is at work, yet she makes up for her absence by helping whenever she can. Her parents place a lot of pressure on her to succeed so that they can selfishly achieve their own aspirations. Onpu learns what is important to her and she needs to be a remarkable idol as the story goes on.

Despite Momoko's late introduction during the third season, she has equally as much complexity as the other characters. She was born in Japan but moved to New York when she was very young because of her parents' career. Because of the language barrier, she found it difficult to make friends with people when she first moved to New York. Fortunately, a kind witch taught her the language and helped her befriend the neighbourhood kids. Tragically, the witch died after spending so many years with Momoko. It was tough for Momoko to keep quiet about the death of someone who had taken on the role of a mother to her. When Momoko moved back to Japan, she had forgotten all the Japanese she learnt when she was a child and was yet again isolated. Thanks to Doremi and her friends though, she managed to make plenty of friends in the class, and improved her Japanese. Momoko progressively becomes more energetic as she gets more comfortable with her new friends. She is a very goofy character, often resulting in very comedic scenes. Like Aiko, due to cultural differences Momoko can often say what she thinks directly which upsets other characters.

Lastly, there is Hana-chan. Hana is a baby during Sharp and Motto, however she magically grows up during Dokkaan so she can go to school with her mamas. Naturally, being a baby in a sixth graders body she can be quite clueless, nevertheless her role provides more than just as comic relief. Due to Hana’s upbringing, she is a lot like Doremi; compassionate, empathetic and a great leader. She adores her mamas greatly and would do anything for them. Who would’ve thought a baby could be so interesting?

There just isn't enough time in the world to discuss each and every side character separately, despite the fact that they are all equally great as the main protagonists. You will definitely resonate with one of their stories in some way. Something which stands out about Ojamajo Doremi is the fact that the witches are not all stereotypical grumpy old hags, a lot of the witches are actually very kind.

The music in Ojamajo Doremi is pretty standard for shows of its time, all the music fits in the right places, nothing in the OST especially stands out too much. Some of the opening songs are bangers, and super catchy. Throughout my watch through of Ojamajo Doremi I was constantly humming the tunes. All the girls know how to play one instrument, Doremi has the piano, Hazuki has the violin, Aiko has the harmonica, Onpu has the flute, and Momo has the guitar. This makes the song which plays at the end of the series “Friends” especially impactful. It’s genuinely one of my favourite moments in the whole series since it’s so bittersweet.

The animation in Ojamajo Doremi is simple, but it does its job perfectly! The expressions are exaggerated which adds to the comedy, and the colours are very colourful which adds to the magic of Ojamajo Doremi. The character designs are all super unique and the witch apprentice outfits are especially cute! One of the things I like about Ojamajo Doremi is that the characters all look like real people. They have different facial features, different body types etc. None of the characters look similar (except of course, the twins).

As you can tell from this excessively long review, I love this franchise. I really do! I don’t think another anime I’ll watch will ever compare to the love I have for Ojamajo Doremi. Shit, this is probably one of my favourite things from any medium. I went into Ojamajo Doremi expecting it to be good, but not this good. If you are on the line about watching this, just watch episode 40 of Dokkaan. That episode deserves a review on its own. I would recommend Doremi to everyone who is reading this. Watching this series is the best decision I have ever made, so please try it.

#####(hope my review was at least tangible