Jewelpet: Magical Change

Did You Know?

• A rerun titled Jewelpet Magical Change: Dream Selection aired on TV Tokyo starting January 9, 2016.
• Victor Entertainment released the series in three DVD-Box sets in Japan, with the first set released on October 23, 2015.
• The ending themes include Tell me tell me!! by Dorothy Little Happy, Baby, Love me! by GEM, and Magical☆Kiss by X21.

Story

Seven years before the series begins, a strange castle fell from the sky into a normal suburban town. The castle, later called Jewel Castle, remained locked and uninvestigated; its arrival was caused by the fading of magic in Jewel Land due to mankind's declining belief in magic. Jewelpets were sent across the Human World to study human life and rekindle magic-believing hearts. One such Jewelpet, Ruby, a cheerful Japanese hare, befriended Airi Kirara. Years later, Airi, now 14, still wears a pendant given by her father. Other Jewelpets—Luna, Larima, and Labra—arrive from Jewel Land searching for Ruby. When they find Ruby and encounter trouble, Ruby discovers she can merge with Airi's pendant to transform into a human and cast magic. The Jewelpets must adjust to the new world while uncovering the mysteries behind Airi's pendant and its connection to the incident seven years ago.

Characters

Airi Kirara is the 14-year-old main protagonist, a middle schoolgirl living in the town where Jewel Castle fell. She is voiced by Ari Ozawa. Her 17-year-old brother Sakutarō Kirara attends second year of high school; he is analytical and ambitious, often inventing household items and initially refusing the Jewelpets' magical help, though he later accepts them as family. Voiced by Koutaro Nishiyama. Laura Fukuouji is Airi's childhood friend from France and heiress of the Fukuouji Zaibatsu; she returns to Japan and has a strange relationship with Luea, both aiming to obtain Airi's Magical Stone and ensure Laura gets close to Sakutaro. Voiced by Rui Tanabe. Mittermeyer Katō is Laura's servant, voiced by Eriko Matsui. Nene, a freckled girl who wears glasses, is one of Airi's close human friends, voiced by Amina Sato. Oyakata, owner of the restaurant Denden Sushi where Peridot works, is also voiced by Amina Sato. Watermelon Kanjin are Watermelon-themed soldiers created by Sapphie on a deserted island by modifying plants; they are weak and revert to watermelons when beaten.

Development

The Jewelpet: Magical Change series was unveiled at the 2015 Winter Wonder Festival in Japan, with its existence later confirmed in the March issue of the Shogakukan magazine Pucchigumi. The April issue detailed a new premise where the Jewelpets become human-like characters through magic, though the exact transformation method remained unclear. The show draws on earlier ideas from the franchise. On March 16, the group Dorothy Little Happy announced they would perform the ending theme, coinciding with their fifth anniversary tour. A 30-second promotional clip appeared on TMS Entertainment's YouTube channel, authorized by Sanrio and Studio Deen. A launch event took place on April 3, 2015, at Sanrio Puroland, where voice actors and Dorothy Little Happy joined fans for the first episode. Ruby’s voice actor, Ayaka Saito, wrote on her blog that the series would consist of 39 episodes.

Controversy

A minor controversy arose over the series' voice casting. At the press conference, Misono stated she got the role of Luna through a fair audition and was happy to be part of the cast, despite her announcing retirement from the media business. However, long-time cast member Ayaka Saito expressed sadness on her blog about the absence of Garnet and Sapphie and their voice actors Aya Hirano and Nozomi Sasaki, calling it a sad farewell due to behind-the-scenes circumstances. Luna's original voice actor, Rumi Shishido, tweeted that she was shocked and had not been informed of an audition to replace her or that she had been replaced; she asked people to stop discussing the incident and to clear her name. On April 14, 2015, Misono updated her blog with a public apology to Rumi, stating she had wrongly attributed her role to talent and her own strength, and that it was thanks to the staff. She said she had received death threats from fans but wanted to hear opinions and advice about her acting from parents, assuring viewers she would not ignore their voices.