Love Cures Everything! Right?!
The parodies of anime new and old never stop in Nurse Witch Komugi.
Once upon a time in Vaccine World, the virus Ungrar escaped and fled into the human world. Maya, the guardian goddess of Vaccine World, sent Mugimaru to Earth with a magical wand/thermometer to trap Ungrar and the other viruses and save the planet Earth. Once there, he met Komugi, a cosplay idol who, not understanding the seriousness of the situation, readily agrees to help him to catch viruses, as she wanted to cosplay as a magical girl. Thus Nurse Witch Komugi was born.
Nurse Witch Komugi is a six episode OVA spin-off from The Soul Taker, which has a much darker story than the fluffy Nurse Witch Komugi. In fact, the majority of the characters from The Soul Taker are recast here in entirely different roles, giving this miniseries an extra quirky boost if you've seen The Soul Taker.
In fact, quirkiness lies at the core of Nurse Witch Komugi. The artwork looks like it's been drawn by markers, giving it a freestyle cartoon mood that suits the tone perfectly. This is definitely a top-notch parody; nothing and no one is sacred. From the whole premise of a medical magical girl whose attack cry is "Charming Medical Shower!" to specific digs at animation industry big-wigs, Nurse Witch Komugi runs from parody to parody, creating its plot through mocking everything that lies behind it. Classic anime titles such as Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets), Tekkaman and Speed Racer are mutilated, but in a loving way. It's quite obvious that Nurse Witch Komugi was made by fans for fellow fans. The animation team pokes fun at themselves, illustrating themselves as overworked and exhausted, where much is demanded... in three days. It's not necessary to catch every inside joke, but it certainly adds to the fun!
Komugi Nakahara is your average seventeen-year-old cosplay idol looking to climb up in the entertainment industry. She has the same level of focus as Excel, in that she's without peer in regards to her mission, but in everything else, she's a distracted mess and always within a hair of losing her job. Komugi is in love with Kyousuke Date, a popular idol who seems to like her. Maybe. The problem is that Kyousuke is nice to everyone, so it's hard to judge if he has any feelings beyond friendship for Komugi.
Komugi's rival is the well-endowed Megumi Akiba, who works mostly as a swimsuit/magazine model. Their arguments consist of Megumi insulting Komugi's lack of breasts and Komugi calling Megumi nothing but a pair of breasts.
Komugi's best friend, classmate and co-worker, Koyori Kokubunji, is a quiet fellow cosplay idol who is also working her way up the ladder to stardom. However, Koyori has something that Komugi does not: big breasts, even larger than Megumi. Only naturally, Koyori is a rapidly rising star.
Asuka Sakurai is an action star who just transferred over to Komugi's agency, and Runa Tokisaka is your standard overly mature little kid who hates Komugi with a cold rage. No, we never learn why. I guess we don't really need to know.
Komugi, Asuka, Runa, Megumi and Koyori all work for the Kiri Pro agency, run by Yui Kirihara and managed by Shiro Mibu. However, this show is about Nurse Witch Komugi, so let's turn to the star of the show. With the diligence of Dr. Mario, she battles viruses that range from ASCII cats to a robot made from the Tokyo convention center and a subway train. Komugi's mascot/sidekick is Mugimaru, a rabbit-like creature from the Vaccine World with a dirty mind. In every episode, he ends up spying on Komugi in the bathroom in a perverted twist of the usual girl-and-mascot conversation piece that you find in most magical girl shows. Nurse Witch Komugi's arsenal includes a magic scalpel, her ever-present wand and a flying syringe. We never learn exactly why Komugi's nurse/magic girl costume includes bunny ears. I guess they are there purely for cuteness points.
Nurse Witch Komugi's archenemy is Magical Maid Koyori, a catgirl/maid magical girl. As you might have guessed from her name, she is the alter ego of Komugi's friend Koyori, only poor Koyori doesn't know it, thus she frequently "awakens" in awkward situations, like hanging by her panties from a flagpole or when she finds herself riding on a walrus to India. As Ungrar's maid, it's Magical Maid Koyori's job to create viruses and spread chaos. Her mascot/sidekick is Posokichi, a tanuki (raccoon creature) with a pink ribbon. Riding a flying parfait dessert and wielding her magical duster, she eagerly looks to do battle and defeat the Nurse Witch. Their matches range from a cosplay duel (who can get the most photos taken, where the fan service becomes more and more blatant) to a tag team wrestling match.
More than anything else, Nurse Witch Komugi is fun parody of a genre that takes itself too seriously sometimes. Where else but in magical girl anime would heart-felt tears act as power-up items and repeating over and over "I love you! I know you wouldn't do this!" would break the bad guy's brainwashing of the male love interest? This is a great short series (only two DVDs!) that piles on the comedy and fanservice. If you enjoyed Excel Saga or Digi Charat, which has something of the same style and mood, or if you can watch old Sailor Moon episodes with a smile at the stock phrases, or even if you've seen The Soul Taker and want to see a less angsty rendition, then this nurse witch is on call and waiting for you!