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Looking for Magical Doremi

Looking for Magical Doremi is a 2020 Japanese drama and coming-of-age animated film produced by Toei Animation for the 20th anniversary of the magical girl anime series Ojamajo Doremi, which aired from 1999 to 2005. The film is directed by Haruka Kamatani and Junichi Sato. The events of the film are set in modern-day Japan and star Aoi Morikawa, Rena Matsui, and Kanako Momota in the roles of three women of different backgrounds who grew up watching Ojamajo Doremi. The film was first screened at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3 before being released to the general public on November 13, 2020.

Plot
is one of the locations that Sore, Mire, Reika, and Omiya visit in the final third of Looking for Magical Doremi, as the location was featured in episode 11 of Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān! When she visits, she meets Mire and Reika, who explore the building with her. That evening, the women bond over having watched Ojamajo Doremi when they were younger and the magic bead toys from the show. The women return home, but keep in contact. As their daily lives become stressful, Sora invites Mire and Reika to visit Aichi Prefecture for Golden Week. There, the women go sightseeing in Hida-Takayama, the location where the film Ojamajo Doremi: The Secret of the Frog Stone takes place. At night, while discussing concerns from their daily lives, Reika confides in them that her father left after her parents divorced when she was in high school, with her mother dying two years later. On the third day of their trip, Mire suggests Reika make a wish on her magic bead to reunite with her father. The three are led to a hospital trying to retrieve her bead after she drops it. There, Reika sees her father with a new family while he pretends he does not know her. Mire chides Reika for not being assertive, but this causes Reika to become angry and return to Onomichi alone. That night, Mire stays at Sora's house and reflects on her actions after watching episode 19 of Ojamajo Doremi Sharp, where Doremi and Hazuki get into a fight. She then personally goes to Onomichi to apologize and manages to find Reika's apartment through the shop that she works at. Upon finding Reika, Mire saves her from Seiya when he extorts her for money, with Reika finally breaking up with him. The two restore their friendship as Reika reveals that her magic bead was given to her by her father. Mire invites her to move in to help her pursue her studies. Tired of being treated poorly at her job, Mire decides to quit and later learns that her co-worker, Hayato Yabe, has feelings for her. Meanwhile, Yūji is enrolled into a special education school, and Sora helps him successfully, gaining motivation to study for her teaching exams. By summer, the three women go to Nara and Kyoto, where two episodes of Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān! take place. While on the train, the women befriend Ryuichi Omiya, a college student. After noticing he has a keyholder of Onpu, they discover he is also a fan of Ojamajo Doremi and he comes along their trip as their guide. Sora falls in love with Omiya and confesses to him during their final day in Kyoto, but he rejects her. Despite this, at night, the three women realize the importance of moving forward, which they have understood since reconnecting with Ojamajo Doremi. Together, the three make a wish upon their magic beads as if to cast Magical Stage, concluding that they have magic in themselves. Three months after their trip, Sora, Mire, and Reika rent the building in Kamakura to open it under the name Café MAHODO as the culmination of all their dreams combined. They see a silhouette running in the halls in the process, and after giving chase, they find Doremi, Hazuki, Aiko, Onpu, Momoko, and Pop. ==Cast==
Cast
Aoi Morikawa as , a 22-year-old college student from Aichi Prefecture in her fourth year who watched the original broadcast of Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān! as a child. Miura described Omiya as a "pure" boy with a "slightly clumsy" side. • Akira Ishida as , Mire's co-worker who is a year her junior and in love with her. Chiba also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in the park • Tomoko Akiya as , a character from Ojamajo Doremi; Akiya also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in Hida-Takayama • Yuki Matsuoka as , a character from Ojamajo Doremi; Matsuoka also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in Hida-Takayama • Rumi Shishido as , a character from Ojamajo Doremi; Shishido also makes a cameo as one of Reika's customers • Nami Miyahara as , a character from Ojamajo Doremi; Miyahara also makes a cameo as a boy in Hida-Takayama • Sawa Ishige as , a character from Ojamajo Doremi; Ishige also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in the park • Hyosei as , a student at a special education school where Sora interns at; Hyosei provided the voice to Tetsuya Kotake in Ojamajo Doremi • as , the section manager of Mire's department; Kanemitsu provided the voice to Oyajide in Ojamajo DoremiMayumi Shintani as the owner of the shop • Jun'ichi Sugawara as , Reika's father; Sugawara provided the voice to Kotaro's grandfather in Ojamajo Doremi • as Tamaki's wife; Tokumitsu provided the voice to Dodo in Ojamajo DoremiHaruka Shiraishi as Tamaki's daughter • Atsugiri Jason as , Mire's business partner. • K Dub Shine as a representative, Mire's business partner. Chiemi Chiba, Tomoko Akiya, Yuki Matsuoka, Rumi Shishido, Nami Miyahara, and Sawa Ishige reprise their roles and also cameo in several minor roles throughout the film. Other voice actors who had recurring roles in Ojamajo Doremi, including Hyosei, Ai Nagano, , , , Kenji Nomura, , Kyousei Tsukui, , , and Yūta Mochizuki also make voice cameos. ==Production==
Production
Development The film project was first announced at AnimeJapan 2019 on March 23, 2019 to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. On October 29, 2019, the production team revealed at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival that the film would be titled Looking for Magical Doremi and its story details, as well as announcing that staff members who worked on Ojamajo Doremi would be returning for the project, including director Junichi Sato, scriptwriter (credited under the pseudonym Midori Kuriyama), Sato and Seki began planning for the film project around September 2016. After pitching the idea to Umakoshi, Umakoshi suggested focusing on a wider age appeal; he voiced concerns that since Doremi and her classmates were the same age, this would alienate viewers who would not relate to the characters due to not being in the same age range. Looking for Magical Doremi kept the same art scheme of not being too dark or too light. The original six voice actresses of Ojamajo Doremi attended the final day of recording to record their lines for the final scene after Morikawa, Matsui, and Momota recorded their lines. Casting In February 2020, Toei announced that the starring cast consisted of Aoi Morikawa as Sora Nagase, Rena Matsui as Mire Yoshizuki, and Momoiro Clover Z member Kanako Momota as Reika Kawatani. Additional cast members were announced in March 2020, consisting of Shohei Miura as Ryuichi Omiya, Akira Ishida as Hayato Yabe, and Kenta Hamano as Seiya Kubo, who play three male characters involved with the main characters' lives. For the starring cast, the production staff decided to choose actors and actresses who had grown up watching Ojamajo Doremi. Morikawa caught the attention of the staff after posting about the film project's announcement on social media. Likewise, Miura, who had also watched Ojamajo Doremi when he was young, mentioned the film's announcement on social media and his radio show, after which he later heard he had received an offer. He stated that, like his character Ryuichi Omiya, Onpu was his favorite character from the series, Likewise, Matsui visited one of Akira Ishida's recording sessions to observe how to voice act. Music The original soundtrack was produced by Keiichi Oku and was released on December 23, 2020 under the name . It charted at #86 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart on its first week of release. The film's opening theme song is "Ojamajo Carnival!! (Majo Minarai o Sagashite Version)" by MAHODO (Chiemi Chiba, Tomoko Akiya, Yuki Matsuoka, Rumi Shishido and Nami Miyahara), featuring a new arrangement. Seki had requested Keiichi Oku to re-arrange "Ojamajo Carnival!!" with a new melody that would be fitting for a drama. All tracks are arranged by Keiichi Oku. ==Release and marketing==
Release and marketing
Looking for Magical Doremi was originally scheduled for release on May 15, 2020, but in March 2020, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic to Q4 2020. It was then screened at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3, 2020, Looking for Magical Doremi opened at #4 and grossed a cumulative total of on its opening weekend. By its fourth weekend, it grossed a cumulative total of . To promote the film, Looking for Magical Doremi collaborated with various fashion and character brands, such as The Kiss, Ichiban Kuji, Sanrio, and Earth Music & Ecology. Advance tickets for the film were sold with Kit Kats with promotional packaging beginning on September 18, 2020. In accordance with the film's themes, Looking for Magical Doremi was also used to promote the Database on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, a government job database aimed at Japanese women. The theatrical film poster for Looking for Magical Doremi also appeared in episode 16 of ''Healin' Good Pretty Cure'', another magical girl series by Toei Animation. The film was screened in the United Kingdom as part of Scotland Loves Anime Festival in 2021. ==Reception==
Reception
Richard Eisenbeis from Anime News Network reviewed the film favorably, stating that the film presents a relatable message and doesn't rely on background knowledge of Ojamajo Doremi. Writing for Cinema Today, Hibiki Kurei gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, describing the film as a depiction of " friendship" aimed at adults and praising it for touching upon the harshness of daily life. Kei Onodera from Real Sound praised the film for its strong character development and analysis on the loss of childhood ideals after reaching adulthood, commenting that the inclusion of Haruka Kamatani was a positive choice in developing a film appealing to women younger than the original audience of Ojamajo Doremi. Natalie's editorial department listed reviews from celebrities including Rio Uchida, Yudai Chiba, , , manga artist Tsuzui, and Meru Nukumi, who all expressed nostalgia for Ojamajo Doremi and stated that, like the main characters of the film, they were able to remember the importance of the "magic" in their lives. Looking for Magical Doremi won the Best Animation Film Award at the 75th Mainichi Film Awards. When the film was broadcast on NHK on December 31, 2021, it earned a 0.7% rating. ==References==
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