Majo Minarai wo Sagashite

A love letter to fandom and nostalgia; this is a film for anyone who's ever been a fan of anything. It hit especially hard for me given I had just completed the entirety of Ojamajo Doremi prior to watching this, and the last episode of Dokkaan! is still fresh in my mind.

While I do like this film, I don't love it. Visually, I find it's a bit lacklustre for a theatrical film, especially when looking at characters in the backgrounds. That said, I do appreciate the use of music from the show. That made me smile.

You don't need to see the show before watching this, ... though I would still recommend doing so anyway because it's just a damn good show (it's a serious contender for best magical girl anime).

This review was written on 2021/11/20.

I usually don't write reviews, but this anime is so unbelievable, I can't help but write one. I watched the original first season when it was out on 4Kids.TV and I fell in love with the show. I always dreamed of having a magic wand like them and meet amazing friends. Of course, when you grow up, that magic disappears and you become too caught up in the adult world.


This wholesome movie is about three characters who are fans of the original show just like any one of us who watches it when we were young. When those 3 girls met, they instantly became ... best friends and decided to go traveling together visiting all of the locations where the anime were featured. It is super fun because they take you on a trip of what other places in Japan is like. It hits home to because I visited japan before and some places mentioned in the show literally looks exactly like what it does in real life. It gives viewers couple ideas where you can visit when you are in Japan - It's like a mini field trip. Throughout the story, you get to see the struggles of the main characters goes through in their personal life that are realistic. One thing I like about the show is that it reminds you of what its like to be a child, to keep that inner hope and happiness you once had when you were young in order to survive the cold, hard realistic world. Cling onto hope, keep fighting because even though magic may not exist, you can make your own magic. It is a super wholesome anime. One thing I really love about the movie is that you DO NOT have to watch the original anime in order to watch this show. It's basically about fans of the original story, and if you want to watch the show yourself, you can always go watch it on your own time.

Español:

Si esta cochinada es lo que entregaron por el 20 aniversario de Doremi, menudo desperdicio.

El problema con esta terrible película parte de su premisa: no se trata de otra aventura sobre nuestras brujitas favoritas, es una película enfocada en un penoso grupo de fanáticas del programa. Las protagonistas son básicamente arquetipos planos con patas, un calco de las brujitas originales, pero sin el carisma, caracterización o enfoque en sus problemas personales.

Por ejemplo, Reika es una copia de Doremi adjuntando un pseudo conflicto endeble calcado de Aiko, pero sin la madurez o tacto con la que esta última superaba la separación de sus padres. Sora por ... otro lado, es otra Hazuki cuya meta de obtener pareja, superar su timidez y comprender mejor a los niños avanza de forma insatisfactoria en la cinta, su evolución como personaje es casi nula. La película falla en abordar los arcos personales de los personajes, quedándose en lo superficial.

Por dios, el estado depresivo de Reika al saber del adulterio de su padre, literalmente se le pasa porque vio un bordado en su casa.

La base del largometraje es estúpida, incongruente y no tiene sentido. El grupo de fanáticas se conocían desde antes y podían usar magia, pero por alguna razón conveniente, no lo recuerdan. El solo hecho de que ellas conocían al grupo de Doremi a pesar de considerarse "ficción" dentro de la propia película, genera sinsentidos y huecos argumentales que no se dignan en explicar.

No bromeo al señalar que "Space Jam" tiene mejor lógica interna que esto.

Referente al ridículo intento de trama, es otra basura de "Slice of nothing happens" parecido a la película de K-On bodrio: las personajes se conocen, turistean, turistean, ven paisajes bonitos, van de compras, pierden el tiempo en trivialidades mundanas, afrontan dramas pedorros que se solucionan fácilmente, repetir por hora y media. Todo esto camuflado con escenas referenciales que no aportan nada, ni siquiera la premisa moldea algo interesante sobre la temática de fanáticos del anime como se aprecia en obras como "Otaku No Video". La película tampoco funciona como un Slice of Life de chicas superando sus adversidades bajo la creencia de la unión de la amistad, debido a que la cinta no aborda adecuadamente los arcos personales de las chicas.

Subtramas como Reika superando la infidelidad de su padre, o Sora buscando su pareja ideal, a la par de comprender mejor a los niños con trastornos de aprendizaje, se quedan a medias y no pasan de lo superficial.

Ya ni hablemos de personajes olvidables como Omiya.

La química entre las protagonistas es pobre, y el remate de la pésima escritura es dar malos mensajes que remarcan lo mal que funcionan como amigas, ejemplos:
"Decir lo que piensas está mal"
"Las pases se logran viendo capítulos de tu serie favorita"
"Está bien recibir acoso e invasión de tu privacidad"
"Si tus amigos pelean por malentendidos, culpa a los demás"
entre otras acciones cuestionables como la presión de grupo, o pelearse por meras trivialidades.

Sin duda, una repugnante e insulsa pérdida de tiempo sin pies ni cabeza.


English:

If this garbage is what they delivered for Doremi's 20th anniversary, what a waste.

The problem with this terrible film stems from its premise: it's not another adventure about our favorite little witches; it's a film focused on a pathetic group of fans of the show. The protagonists are basically flat, walking archetypes, lame carbon copies of the original witches, but without the charisma, characterization, or focus on their personal problems.

For example, Reika is a Doremi copy with a flimsy pseudo-conflict copied from Aiko, but without the maturity or tact with which the latter dealt with her parents' separation. Sora, on the other hand, is another Hazuki whose goals of finding a partner, overcoming her shyness, and get a better understanding of children progress unsatisfactorily throughout the film, her character development is practically nonexistent. The film fails to address the characters' personal arcs, remaining superficial.

For God's sake, Reika's depressive state upon learning of her father's infidelity, literally disappears because she saw some random embroidery in her house.

The premise of the film is stupid, incongruous, and makes no sense. The group of fans knew each other beforehand and could use magic, but for some convenient reason, they don't remember it. The mere fact that they knew Doremi's group, despite it being considered "fiction" within the film itself, generates absurdities and plot holes that they don't bother to explain.

I'm not kidding when I say that "Space Jam" has better internal logic than this.

Regarding the ridiculous attempt at a plot, it's another piece of "Slice of nothing happens" garbage, similar to the awful K-On movie: the characters meet, go sightseeing, sightseeing, see pretty scenery, go shopping, waste time on mundane trivialities, face lame dramas that are easily resolved, repeat for an hour and a half. All of this is disguised with pointless references, and the premise doesn't even offer anything interesting about the anime fandom, unlike works such as "Otaku No Video".

The film also fails as a slice-of-life story about girls overcoming adversity through the power of friendship, because it doesn't adequately explore the girls' personal arcs.

Subplots like Reika coping with her father's infidelity, or Sora searching for her ideal partner, fall flat and remain superficial.
And characters like Omiya are just forgettable.

The chemistry between the protagonists is poor, and the abysmal writing is compounded by the negative messages that highlight how badly they function as friends. Examples include:

"Speaking what you think is wrong."
"Apologies between friends is done by watching episodes of your favorite show."
"It's okay to be harassed and have your privacy invaded."
"If your friends fight over misunderstandings, blame everyone else."

Among other questionable actions such as peer pressure or arguing over trivial matters.

Without a doubt, a dreadful pointless waste of time.