"I ain't gonna lose to Kantou people!"
The Transfer Student from Naniwa! Aiko Debuts is episode 3 of the first season of Ojamajo Doremi, and the 3rd episode of the entire series originally aired Feb 21, 1999.
Opening Clip[]
The episode begins with an upside-down view of the town. The camera shifts to reveal someone new, who compliments her new living arrangements. She flips around the monkey bars, then stops to declare that she won't lose to the people of Misora.
Synopsis[]
A transfer student from Naniwa Osaka quickly gains attention from her classmates, but she rubs Doremi and Hazuki the wrong way. Doremi decides to follow Aiko after school to learn more about her, and learns that she's actually very kind and responsible. In return, she decides to help her when she discovers Aiko didn't tell her dad about Parents Day.
Summary[]
Doremi and Hazuki are on their way to school while discussing the previous day. Hazuki admits that she had a lot of fun, but Doremi is still mourning the steak she didn't get to eat. Hazuki laughs but tries to cover it up when a girl they don't recognize runs by, claiming she can see Doremi's panties. Doremi freaks out and the girl laughs at her expense before pointing out that because she is wearing shorts, she couldn't possibly see them. She takes off as Hazuki realizes that they don't know this girl while Doremi yells out in anger.
As they reach class Doremi remains in a foul mood and Hazuki quickly warns the boys to leave her alone. Kotake ignores the warning and starts to tease Doremi, causing her to nearly bite his head off in retaliation. Class starts and Seki-sensei goes on to state that a new student will be joining them today. The girls are surprised recognizing the girl they saw moments ago. She introduces herself as "Aiko Senoo", and from the way Doremi reacts, Seki assumes they know each other. She assigns the empty seat near Doremi for her to sit.
Quietly, Aiko attempts to chat with the girls but Doremi is still angry at her. Aiko accidentally upsets Hazuki after being unable to recall having seen her earlier and admits that she didn't think she was very noticeable. When Seki-sensei hears them she tosses her chalk at the girls to silence them, but to the surprise of everyone in the room Aiko manages to catch the chalk. This impresses both the other students and Seki-sensei.
Throughout the day, Doremi grows more annoyed as Aiko goes on to win over the other students. Hazuki shows concern over Aiko's outgoing and blunt personality and the ramifications it could have. They are surprised to find out that even Tamaki has become jealous of Aiko as she displays her sporting skills during Gym Class. They find it amusing, until she decides to insult them.
Once school ends, Aiko leaves with the SOS trio and teases them after they ask her to join their group. Doremi and Hazuki are still having trouble getting along with Aiko, and Hazuki expresses more concern since Aiko doesn't seem to consider the feelings of others. With this in mind, Doremi decides to follow Aiko to see if this is truly how she acts. But she doesn't like being sneaky so openly, so she decides to transform and use magic by shrinking herself down into a butterfly. But it turns out that she only gave herself as Butterfly costume- meaning she isn't small, nor can she fly with her wings. She opts to use her broom but gets chased by a mean cat in the process, only to find Aiko buttering up someone selling fish, in order to get the two mackerels for a lower price. Then she gets picked up by a taxi to take her home.
Doremi is surprised by the turn of events and continues to tail after them. Unfortunately, she goes so fast that she collides with the Senoo's front door and falls to the ground, changing back to normal. The commotion alerts Aiko and she's surprised to see Doremi there when she opens the door, but she invites her inside for dinner. There Doremi learns that Aiko was picked up by her dad, Kouji is a taxi driver. He is very excited to see that Aiko has made a friend and offers to make them dinner, but Aiko insists on doing it herself since she does it all of the time anyway. She makes some Takoyaki, but by the time she finishes they realize Kouji fell asleep.
The girls take their food outside and eat by the riverbank. Aiko explains to Doremi what her dad does for a living and mentions that he's been really busy since they moved. He's working extra-hard to earn more money and get on good terms with his coworkers. Doremi regrets judging Aiko earlier and tells her truthfully why she showed up earlier. Aiko isn't upset though, and assures Doremi that she understands. Doremi beings to admire Aiko's strong character and responsibility.
The next day, Doremi and Aiko meet up with Hazuki and they apologize for their behavior the prior day. Doremi mentions Aiko's dad to her, and mentions that she'll get a chance to meet up during Parents Day. But Aiko reveals to them that he has to work, so he can't make it. They point out that their parents work too but they were able to make time, causing Aiko to reveal that she didn't bother to mention it to her dad. It's nothing new, so it isn't a big deal. The girls decide not to talk about it anymore but Doremi feels troubled. Once school ends, she decides to use magic to help her new friend- until she realizes that she's out of Magic Spheres. She isn't able to convince Majorika to give her anymore until Lala suggests that she considers this practice for Doremi.
The next morning, at the Senoo household, Aiko heads outside while her dad prepares for work and she notices that its raining. She stops him for a moment, then changes her mind and waves him off. She feels sad but doesn't want to make him feel bad, so she brushes it off and gets ready for school. However, Doremi happens to be nearby, and before Kouji can leave she approaches him to ask about Parents Day. He admits that Aiko never told him, but because he is new to the Taxi company he works at, he can't afford to ask for a day off yet. He bids Doremi a good day and takes off. Doremi transforms and uses magic on him to summon a clone to take his place. He lacks their Kansai dialogue, which worries her, but they don't have time to dwell on that. As they rush to her school she hurriedly catches the Kouji clone up to speed.
Later in the day, the parents are shown observing their children. Hazuki notes that Aiko's dad isn't there yet, but Doremi remains hopeful. However, the school day is nearly over and she feels anxious.
As this is going on the clone arrives to school, but Doremi forgot to tell him where their class was and he doesn't know where to look. While this happens, the real Kouji notices the time and realizes that he might be able to get to school before the day ends. He arrives just as Hazuki mentions they only have two minutes of class time left, and the girls are surprised, especially Aiko. He asks her why she never bothered to tell him about Parents Day. Aiko becomes distraught as she confesses that she worried over him due to how much he works, so she didn't want to be an inconvenience. Kouji embraces Aiko and everyone happily watches them. Seki-sensei suggests that Aiko come up to the board to solve their last math problem for the day, and Aiko agrees. But she struggles a little bit, leading her and her dad to bicker. But once everyone else starts to laugh they find it funny too.
Doremi is very happy that her plan worked and the three girls see Kouji off. Right after he leaves, the worn-out clone calls out for Doremi and approaches them, frightening Aiko and Hazuki as he complains that Doremi didn't tell him where to go. Suddenly, he vanishes in a puff of smoke causing the other two girls to fly into a panic as Doremi realizes that the Kouji who showed up today was Aiko's real dad. The girls cast suspicion towards Doremi as she feebly tries to deny having done anything, and she grabs them in a feverish attempt to keep them quiet.
Spells Cast[]
- Become a Butterfly
- Make Ai-chan's dad into two
Major Events[]
- Character debut: Aiko Senoo, Kouji Senoo, The SOS group, Tamaki, the Mean Cat.
- Aiko Senoo transfers to Misora and befriends Doremi and Hazuki.
- Kouji finds out that Aiko never told him about Parents Day and attends it for the very first time.
Quotes[]
- Aiko: Ah, you over there. I can see your panties!
- (Doremi and Hazuki freak out as Aiko runs by)
- Aiko: You're pretty dumb, there's no way I could see 'em when you're wearin' shorts!
- (Doremi reacts)
- Aiko: What a weird reaction! Well then, See ya!
- Aiko: Your hairstyle's unique, but ya sure got a funny name.
- Hazuki: Senoo-san?
- Aiko: Hm? Ai-chan's fine
- Hazuki: Well then Ai-chan, what you just said was rude to Doremi-chan.
- Aiko: Really? Ah, I'm sorry... By the way, you are?
- Hazuki: My name is Fujiwara Hazuki...
- Aiko: Hazuki-chan? Haven't I met you somewhere before?
- Hazuki: You have, I was with Doremi-chan.
- Aiko: Is that right? Doremi-chan's impact was so great, I didn't remember.
- Hazuki: You mean I'm just in her shadow?
- Aiko: Your clothes 'n' speech scream Stuck-up Bookworm, that might be it.
- Aiko: He vanished! What's going on?!
- Hazuki: Could it have been...?
- Doremi: What you just saw was an illusion! Don't worry about it, don't worry!
- Hazuki: it was your doing after all Doremi-chan! Doremi-chan you-
- Doremi: Ahhhhh! Don't say it!
Dub Changes[]
Errors[]
Trivia[]
- This was the last episode of the original season arc to introduce a new main character until the secondary arc of the season.
- This is also the first episode to introduce a transfer student.
- This is the first episode to end on a cliffhanger.