Ojamajo Doremi is a fantastic anime series from the early to mid-2000s, but one that can be hard to get into for English-speaking fans. On top of being quite old at this point, it’s also extremely lengthy,, with four yearlong seasons + extra material. poor English dub from the infamous 4Kids presented Doremi in a less stellar light. The fact that it’s an unabashed kids’ show, with a less direct appeal to the teens and college-age viewers that make up much of anime’s fanbase, also hampers its popularity. However, I think that there is actually a show more readily accessible to fans, which still captures a lot of the appeal of Doremi, and that’s the Little Witch Academia TV series.
Atsuko Kagari, Little Witch Academia
The parallels between the two series are numerous. Their central heroines, Doremi Harukaze and Atsuko “Akko” Kagari, are both normal girls who dream of being witches, and who both need to make up for their lack of talent and foresight with energy and a stubborn refusal to be looked down on. Both have to deal with trials and tests meant to see if they’re worthy of their ambition—Doremi must pass the witch exams, while Akko seeks to revive her staff and meet her childhood hero, Shiny Chariot. Both girls even start off struggling to use their magic effectively, their attempts often backfiring in comical fashion, but their perseverance allowing them to make the unlikeliest of friends. The two are so similar, I would even argue that Akko is a kind of archetypal descendent of Doremi.
Doremi Harukaze, Ojamajo Doremi
While the basic premises are comparable, that alone is not what makes Little Witch Academia a worthy spiritual successor to Doremi in my eyes. Rather, the qualities that make Doremi truly memorable in my eyes are also present in spades in Little Witch Academia. First, a strong ensemble cast of characters—where each feels like they have their own story to tell no matter how major or minor their direct role in the narrative—leads to a robust sense of world-building tied to the characters’ emotional interactions with their environment and their history. Second, vibrant animation and charming expressions (thanks to the talented staff at Studio Trigger such as director Yoh Yoshinari and character designer Shuuhei Handa) bring a sense of life, movement, and humanity to Little Witch Academia. It’s actually quite similar to how character designer Yoshihiko Umakoshi brightened up Doremi with his character designs and animation skills.
To be clear, while both series have much in common, Little Witch Academia is certainly not overly derivative of Ojamajo Doremi, and it is definitely not a lesser clone. Little Witch Academia can stand on its own two feet, and there is absolutely no need to have watched Doremi to appreciate what Little Witch Academia has to offer. Instead, what made me want to compare these two anime is that they’re both series that are about young witches doing their best, but whose true magic lies in a sense of energy, wonder, and emotional growth. Doremi isn’t as readily accessible, but fans of the anime can experience all of those qualities through Little Witch Academia. In doing so, they can experience some of the best that Japanese animation has to offer.
Image sources: @doremi_bdbox, Little Witch Academia Official
