Ojamajo Doremi Cast Reunite for 25th Anniversary Special Show at AnimeJapan

In the pantheon of magical schoolgirl anime, it's almost inarguable that Sailor Moon reigns supreme. While there are contenders to the throne, such as Pretty Cure or Puella Magica Madoka, when it comes to theme songs, you almost can't go wrong with Ojamajo Doremi's opening theme song, "Ojamajo Carnival!!." The song is super catchy and includes one of the best (roughly translated) lines: "Throw all the homework you don't like in the trash." It's a theme song an entire generation of children grew up on and love to this day. So, when it was announced there would be an Ojamajo Doremi 25th anniversary show at AnimeJapan 2024, you can bet thousands of people wanted to see it live. And those who were lucky enough to see it were in for a real treat. Main cast members Chiemi Chiba (Doremi Harukaze), Tomoko Akiya (Hazuki Fujiwara), Yuki Matsuoka (Aiko Senoo), Rumi Shishido (Onpu Segawa), and Nami Miyahara (Momoko Asuka) came together to make that dream come true.

Of course, the stage didn't just start with the performance. Taking some time to announce the plethora of collaborations planned and currently going on for the 25th anniversary of Ojamajo Doremi, fans were also treated to two short videos. The first was a nearly 30-second CGI video featuring the series' main characters. It was certainly exciting to see the short, but it was the second video, an updated version of "Ojamajo Carnival!!," that got the crowd crying with nostalgia and happiness. Not just because we were seeing the characters again but also because we saw them as grown-ups.

However, the fun didn't stop there. After showing the new version of "Ojamajo Carnival!!," fans were treated to a live dance performance of the song by a group of six girls who love Ojamajo Doremi. While the performance from the AnimeJapan 2024 stage show is a bit hard to find, the Toei Animation YouTube channel has uploaded a separate, studio version of the dance with videos showing the individual dance parts forthcoming.

Before fans were treated to the song, they had one little surprise. The cast sang the final ending theme song to Ojamajo Doremi Dokkān, "Watashi no Tsubasa." To say fans were crying is an understatement because they were balling their eyes out to the point that this writer even had to wipe away a tear.

After that wonderful surprise came the grand finale: "Ojamajo Carnival!!," performed by the main cast of Ojamajo Doremi. But this was no ordinary performance of the song. The cast walked through the audience while singing. And if you thought there was crying during the "Watashi no Tsubasa performance," the number of people crying with joy was unparalleled. Not to mention, the cast members were high-fiving fans and waving at them up close. One fan sitting behind me got a close-up shot of three of the cast members, and the joy I saw on her face was unmatched.

For a 25th Anniversary show, Ojamajo Doremi delivered. From the new videos, the dance, and the two live performances of the opening and ending theme songs, it was what you'd call a stacked show. And to think the show was only 30 minutes long–though in actuality 15 due to the announcements–the cast and staff did an amazing job putting it together. Unfortunately, the show's rebroadcast is only on Ameba and region-locked to Japan until March 29. Thankfully, recording was allowed during the performances. So, with some sleuthing, you can turn up the Ojamajo Doremi 25th Anniversary AnimeJapan 2024 stage show.