Ojamajo Doremi, also known as Magical DoReMi, is an animated series that aired in Japan between 1999 and 2003. For its 20th anniversary, a new film, Looking for Magical Doremi, was produced. The film deals with time, and gives viewers the feeling that animation will be with them even when they grow up. Is girls’ anime simply a pastime for children—or a life partner that grows up alongside its fans? We discuss this question alongside the film’s director, SATO Junichi, a longtime creator of girls’ anime, and hear tales from the production, where staff old and new worked alongside each other.
Looking for Magical Doremi was selected as an official program for Annecy International Animation Festival’s screening event. For further information click here.
Please note that the English interpretation at 01:16 is incorrect:
“Sato directed A Whisker Away and Looking for Magical Doremi in 2020 both as animated features.”
SATO Junichi was born in 1960. In the 1990s, he worked on a large number of titles, including famous series for young children and girls such as Sailor Moon, Yume no Crayon Okoku, and Ojamajo Doremi. Currently, he is involved in new original works from planning to production. Recent projects include Tamayura (creator, director, story editor), Aria the Animation (director, story editor), Sgt. Frog (executive director) and Kaleido Star (creator, director).
FUJITSU Ryouta was born in 1968, and worked in newspapers and magazines before going freelance in 2000. He writes about animation on the web, magazines, pamphlets and more. He was written and edited several books on animation, including Anime to Senso (Animation and War) in 2020. He lectures at Tokyo Polytechnic University’s Department of Animation, introduces animation on the radio and TV, and gives talks at culture centers.
