A blast from the near past, I know.

Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo has occupied the top spot of my “to watch” list for quite some time. Since it aired on television while I was in Japan, I never got around to watching it. After returning to the States, I had a difficult time tracking down episodes; none of the existing torrents worked, and the one group that fansubbed the show had no IRC presence to speak of. I finally managed to locate the show a few weeks back, however.

J.C. Staff shows are teh win. You know the feeling of waking up to a bright, sunny morning, throwing open the windows, taking a deep breath, and greeting the world with a smile? Hopefully, you’ve done it at least once. Well, that’s the feeling I enjoy when watching a J.C. Staff show. There’s a sort of latent sentimentality that’s difficult to describe in words. Ai Yori Aoshi has it. Mahoraba has it. Someday’s Dreamers definitely has it. And, of course, so does Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo.

For slice-of-life fans, these shows are hard to beat. I know they make me long for Japan. Even though I called Tokyo home, work took me to many a small seaside town not unlike the one depicted in Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo. From the bustling shopping districts to the quiet, shady temples, the green mountains to the blue water… well, there’s the sentimentality kicking in.

It’s funny, really. I have so many thoughts about the show itself - the story, the characters, the animation, the music. But, you know, there’s that feeling. And as I sit here, 6,000 miles away, where the trees have yet to bloom and the blankets are still on the bed, there’s a distant rumble of thunder, and I can’t help but think, “I really need to bring the laundry in before it gets soaked.”