Ojamajo Doremi OVA

Since these weird specials are all in circulation now, let me write a quick review after finishing them.

These mysterious specials are basically what it says on the tin, they teach traffic safety and recipes. The traffic safety episodes are only available in truly terrible video quality and even the audio feels weird, with them cutting down on the sounds of the usual transformation sequences. Maybe higher quality video will surface eventually, but for now these really don't look good.

Spoilers from here on, I'll describe the plot of each of the episodes:

In the first episode of this OVA, Doremi receives a surprise order for a cake ... delivery in a short timeframe. She manages to finish the cake with help from Pop and Onpu, but is almost out of time after doing so. So she grabs Pop and rushes through traffic, breaking all the rules and almost getting run over multiple times. When she arrives at the house of her client in time, it is revealed that the Witch Queen had ordered the cake and was watching her through her crystal. She chastises Doremi for her careless behavior, which leads to her returning to the Mahou Dou depressed. Onpu then uses magic to dress up in a cop uniform and shows her the rules of traffic safety, like how to cross a street properly and how traffic lights work. In the end, they visit the Witch Queen again and she congratulates Doremi on learning the rules and reveals that she was the one who asked Onpu to teach them to her.

In the second episode, Pop is challenged by Kimitaka to a bike race, since he just got a new fancy bike. The two go at it while Doremi and Momoko watch from their brooms in the sky. Focused on going fast, Kimitaka misses a turn and wrecks his new bike. He is saved from injury by magical intervention from Doremi, but the bike is broken. Momoko then uses magic to dress up in a battle rangers costume to teach the two the proper rules of bike safety, which is again all about traffic rules.

In the third episode, Pop is accused by Kimitaka and some classmates to not be able to bake like the other members of the Mahou Dou. She replies by saying she'll prove it by making them all delicious food, but quickly realizes she's in over her head. She asks Doremi and Momoko for help, and they create three dishes together. First they make pancakes, but Doremi makes too many, which leads to them making a cake out of the remaining ones, decorating them with cream and fruits. Lastly, they make little puddings that look like bunnies. Pop takes the sweets to her classmates and they are impressed. This last episode is noteworthy because it incorporates live action segments. Between explaining the recipes and showing lists of ingredients, the video repeatedly cuts to a little girl and an adult woman dressed in Doremi costumes who are replicating these recipes in a real kitchen.

There is also a fourth and fifth episode floating around, although they are not part of this OVA, but instead a simple recap of the second and third season with no new animation. Doremi is simply talking over clips of the seasons and explaining it's events. I just thought I'd mention them in case you come upon it.

All in all, this wasn't all that special. Doremi is a great franchise, but there isn't really all that much of it in here, with most of these episodes being focused on explaining traffic rules and recipes. If you still must seek these out for the small bits of unique story and animation, just make sure to brace yourself for the terrible video quality in the first two.