Majokko Shimai no Yoyo to Nene

To preface this is my very first review.

What a magic journey this was indeed. The story is compelling, never boring, and certainly enjoyable. It has amazing rich color pumping out of every pore. The mixture of SFX and great backing tracks truly helps you feel like you are in a different world. The characters are unique and every single one stands out on their own. I enjoyed this movie so much. Its hard to explain. I know this is a light themed movie about magic, and the power of people and their love and faith in each other, but i found myself not blinking for ... long segments because i didn't want to miss a second. Overall this movie is a fat whopping 10!

Story~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoyo and Nene are two sisters who take magical jobs all over the Kingdom of Magic. They never turn down a job, and due to their determination and near infinite bevy of spells, they have a 100% success rate. One day a magical tree appears smack in the middle of their Kingdom. Yoyo, the smaller yet older sister who has the exuberance and curiosity of a child,immediately rushed to the new tree and begins to explore it. Inside she finds an elevator. Once the doors close on her, her life is never the same. when the doors open, they open into the real world, ours, and 3 children pop out. Takahiro and his younger cousin Aki along with our magical maiden Yoyo. THey all return to Takahiro's house and discover his parents are turned into cursed gelatinous beings. with the help of Takahiro's older brother Shiruga, they slowly piece together why the crazy things keep happening to their world.

Art~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Such an expansive use of colors, themes, and textures, this anime movie stands among the best looking anime you will ever see. From the get-go we are treated to a wonderfully lush magical forest full of bright colors and beautiful looking watercolor pastel backgrounds. As we enter the real world, the magic Yoyo performs stands out among the normal color palette of the real world. You KNOW when she performs magic because the colors bounce offscreen. Each character is drawn really well and the animation is extremely smooth. The faces have a ton of expression and each character looks their part.


Sound~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are immediately treated to a battle scene with SFX that perfectly accentuate what is going on onscreen. From peddling noises, to explosions, to Zimms and Zooms, the sound is just perfect. The music is awesome as well. We hear light pads sweeping as they move on screen. trumpets blaring with a very nostalgic sounding hero theme full of excitement and heart. You hear the uplifting theme and it truly is one for the ages. From back to the future, or Superman. its that great. It actually reminds me of the 90s kids movies like angels in the outfield, or home alone, with bright horns and powerful drums that really spoil the listener.

Character~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We initially meet Yoyo and Nene defending their world against a cursed monster that they must dispel with all sorts of different magic.

Yoyo is clearly the more energetic and spirited of the two. She is very childlike in her appearance and attitude, albeit she is the older sister. She is very cute and bubbly. She always has a smile on her face no matter the situation.

Nene is the younger but more stoic older sister. She is also very nice and sweet, but on a much more mature level. You can tell the two sisters have a very good relationship and love each other very much

Takihiro is the young teen boy they meet after being cast from the elevator. He is initially brash and annoyed with the whole situation like any teen would be. He has no time for it. He is a really caring and nice guy down deep, but like any onion,, you must peel back the layers. He has a tendency to yell at people when they get on his nerves. He is a great older cousin to Aki, protecting her at all costs.

Aki is the young cousin to both Takihiro and Shiruga. She is adorable, shy, timid, and immediately falls in love with Yoko's magic. Her and Yoko really bond. Aki plays a crucial role in teaching Yoko many of the truths about the "Real World"

There are other Characters, but these are all you should know for now.

Enjoyment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I absolutely, positively, and surprIsingly ridiculously enjoyed this movie. I am a mid 20's male who enjoys all sorts of anime. I didnt even know this was a movie to be honest when i downloaded it. I thought it was episode 1 of a new series. about 20 minutes in i said to myself, " i Hope this is a movie" because i didn't want this to end. from the characters, especially Yoko, and the magic , oh the magic!, i loved every minute of it. Okay, so the magic has a ton of different facets. Yoko can make anything come alive to her needs. Like a witch she can ride a broom, but she can ride anything once she casts a spell. I think the way the magic worked and how beautifully it looked was probably the main reason i loved watching this so much. Of course Aki is cute, but when Yoko is trying to console Aki not to cry, that is the essence of the movie right there to me.

Interestingly enough, i said earlier i didn't want it to end after 20 minutes of watching it. Well thats when one of the most "magical" moments happens for me. Yoko cheering up Aki. If you don't enjoy that, then that movie isn't for you.


Overall~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No, this isnt as deep and epic as Gurren Lagann. Its not scary or a thrilling like Death Note. Its definitely not confusing and a mind fuck like Steins Gate. BUT, this movie is fantastic in so many ways. its simple, its fun, its cheery, it makes you smile, its utterly enjoyable, and truly eye candy. No its not incredibly deep, but it doesn't need to be. it is like your favorite ride at Disney World. You know what's about to happen isnt very scary, but its still a blast experiencing it.

Overall this movie really stood out to me, put a smile on my face, and made me write my first review, when i could have for so many other anime i loved. From the beautiful art, and i mean beautiful, to the great SFX and action on screen, this is one movie that anime fans of any genre will love.

Thanks for reading. Anime or Go away!

This movie was super fan. I had a great time watching it. The story was easy to understand. Yoyo gets transported away from the Magical Kingdom. She is taken to a new world, which i Earth. She has to find a way to get back but she happens to stumble across a few kids and decides to help. The characters were amazing. Aki was super cute and teamwork was strong with the new group of comrades. The art was "ok", nothing too great. The sound was actually pretty good. Like I said earlier, this movie is really fun.

Overall, this was a great adventure and ... magic anime, with a unique main character and supporting characters. This movie is a great change from the usual and it doesn't fail to please.

Not quite what I expected. While the artwork is fine by itself, the characters and story were sub-par.

Story:

If you read the summary, it follows two magical sisters' as they interact with children from our world. Danger ensues. I appreciated the slice of life moments and the use of magical technology (very small, but sweet). What was disappointing was the distractions that fell their way and the deus ex machina's revealed at the end. There were far too many, so it felt very unsatisfactory.

In addition, they touch on death in an interesting way. However, one of the main character's most dramatic moments rang very hollow with ... me and came off as cheap at best. Why? There was very little investment in the character involved. It was difficult to empathize.

Finally, the relationships between the characters were very shallow, established in brief moments that felt forced.

Art:

The artwork had an interesting sketch-like quality that was a little distracting at first, but nice. The colors tended to blend in to each other from what I could remember, more towards the beginning.

Sound:

I'm not an expert, but I thought there were noticeable moments of silence that felt strange. The music that existed was fun at times, and overall it did its job.

Character:

The characters were shallow. This could be attributed to the fact that it's a children's movie.

Since there are two magical sisters, I expected the movie to explore their relationship more. Instead, it focuses on the antics of one sister in our world and only touches on their relationship when support is required. Honestly, I felt like one sister could be summed up as: the one who supports the other sister and is otherwise quiet. Now, this would be fine if there was something else and if the main character had more to her (besides being in-your-face energetic and reckless). Unfortunately, it's not the case.

The side characters are all right, but their reactions at times seem inappropriately exaggerated to force tension or compromise. It comes off as hard to believe, but for a children's movie, it does its job.

OVERALL RATING: Meh

If you absolutely love magical girls, it's fine. If you just want something fun and cute to watch, there's better options, but this could work. It's not terrible, but it's not fantastic either.