Sequel

TV Series, 2005-2006, 12 eps,6.59(3800),7.60(3825)

TV Series, 2013, 13 eps,6.02(1197),6.99(1202)

TV Special, 2006, 2 eps,6.79(2472),7.58(2487)

Dolls that fight in the Alice game to win the fragments of each other's "Rosa Mystica" and to eventually become the perfect girl, Alice.

Same mood and visuals.

It's about people and their animate dolls.

byforget on2022-01-22 22:00

If you've never heard of this then you're probably thinking it sounds naff. But it's one of those hidden gems. All of the Rozen Maiden animes are worth watching. They're good old fashioned fun, just like no animes are today. Even the bad guys are good.

byTsubame on2014-05-23 18:00

what I could say is..: Give it a try !, and you won't regret.

bytriper on2013-09-14 12:32

This, the 2nd season and the Special eps are a must if you enjoy dark stories with a bit of comedy inside.

The only thing that you may hate is the end of the 2nd season and the non-existence of a 3rd season but there is now a new version based on the new manga that is totally worth to watch after the 2 seasons+specials.

byM4dness on2013-05-25 22:15

Despite the fact that this show is related to dolls, it present a very good and deep plot, where the main character will be able to overtake his weaknesses and his fears. A very good anime: watch it!

byteebee918 on2013-04-25 17:26

Very nice series. Don't judge a book by its cover - it's deeper than it seems. Has some nice plot and development, but also has some comedy. Really worth a watch.

bySa6peto on2013-02-23 21:18

It's so well made , that it makes u completely forget that its just a story bout doll's

10/10
Pure diamond in the rough

byDrullo321 on2012-10-16 08:34

More serious then it looks. Definetely worth a try. Kind of a battle royale with dolls

byjafem on2012-03-31 23:47

This is a very under-rated anime. Much better then what i expected from it.
so i say this anime is not awesome but great!

byxmidwinter on2010-12-30 23:35

Cute and funny characters. It has its moments which makes it worth watching =]

byThatAnimeSnob on2011-08-04 21:59

NOTICE: This review covers both seasons and its side story, as they are directly connected and not that different to deserve different reviews for each.

THE STAFF
- Animated by Nomad, a minor studio which has never produced something great. Its most famous shows is this one and a rather silly mediocrity, called Chocotto Sister.
- Sountrack by a bunch of screaming banshees called Ali Project, who sing the same terrible tune again and again with slight variations in a hundred different anime. I hate them; they don’t make music but white noise.
- Directed by Matsuo Kou, who also never produced anything great but is still a bit famous for his work in Kurenai and Natsuyuki Rendezvous.
- Based on the manga by Peach Pit, who have lots of their works adapted to anime (DearS, Zombie-Loan, Shugo Chara). As you can tell, they are not exactly good in what they do.

Rozen Maiden is a piece of genius art that manages to hide all its weird themes in a dollhouse for little girls. It also manages to mask all its myriads of fan catering crap under a rug called “deep excuse of a story” so you can show it to the police officer without being arrested. Genius indeed. Unfortunately I am Sherlock Holmes when it comes to analyzing series and the first place I usually search with my little magnifying glass is under the rug. And OMG at the skeletons I found hidden there (no wander the floor felt uneven when I was walking on it).

First of all the story. We have a meek boy who was bullied in school and for that reason became antisocial, dropped school and now lives in his house sewing clothes and ordering various antiques from the internet. One of them is a Victorian doll, which turns out is alive and part of a game of life and death with others of its kind for the sole winner to be able to meet its master and become a real child. Thus starts a rough adventure for the boy, who has to not only deal with a cursed object, but also become friends with another being while fighting its phobia of people, as well as surviving the war and saving what he considers important.

Now the premise is extremely interesting. It appears to be the tale of how a man needs to find a way to trust people again, and the quest for an artificial human being to find acceptance from its creator as a real person and not an object. It is also about the unlikely relationship of two very different people amidst an inhuman war for supremacy, where friendships are tested and backstabbing is allowed if winning is everything that matters. It is about friendship blooming in the battlefield, trust overcoming spite and hatred, feeling alive through the care of others, THE MEANING OF HAPPINESS ITSELF!!!

… But wait, I said this is what it “appears” to be and not what it actually is. For you see all the stuff I have been describing so far are the excuse. The premise, the rouse, the hook. They are definitely NOT what you actually get while watching the show. For this show is practically one big FAAAAN SERVICE show for the low ranks of anime fans, a completely shallow and hollow piece of poop that is rubbing at your face a dozen fetishes as a cheap method of selling. And if you don’t believe me…

1) The lead character
Although presented as a meek boy who needs to surpass its phobia of others, he eventually is nothing but a representation of the average goddamn NEET hikikomori no-lifer of Japan. He is useless at everything, acts like a girl, wears glasses and down to it is completely useless to the plot. Not to mention how he is just playing with dolls??? What kind of a twisted fetish is that? Don’t the inflammable types or those huge pillows work for him? What I am trying to say is that the show hardly cares about him as a character. He is supposed to be the protagonist but he ends up being nothing more than the Mr. Vanilla Ice Cream lead for all the wimp viewers to identify with. The dolls get all the focus; his phobia is hardly looked upon, and during the second season he is nothing but background decoration. A COMPLETELY USELESS CHARACTER!

2) The lead doll
Although presented as a dark version of Pinocchio in drags, she is in effect nothing more than the stereotypical snotty tsundere loli we have seen a billion times already. Plus making her a doll is nothing but a poor excuse to make pedophilia legal, as well as relationships with plastic fake girls. Her development is predictable, and her role is mostly to give the viewer something to fap to rather to think about the dark regions of the human nature.

3) The story
Although presented elaborate and complicated at first, it is mostly aimless comedy with moe dolls and a poorly directed war which is resolved fast and unimpressive. Most episodes are fillers and only the first and last ones of each season offer some sort of plot. And still, by the end of the second season nothing is concrete or resolved, while the side story is again nothing but filler.

4) The other dolls
Slight variations of the lead one, with just different fetish on each. Basically they are all the same character so who cares. They are mostly an excuse for the boy to increase his dollhouse harem.

5) The desus
OMG I CAN’T STAND THEM; THEY ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE; MAKE THEM STOP, MAKE THEM STOP! Overusing this damn Japanese finishing speech quirk can only be interesting for a few times before becoming a reason to cut your wrists. You practically hear DESU-DESU-DESU all the time. Including your nightmares.

So there you go; you practically have porn, masked as a mature story, masked as a toy for children, and if that is not sick then I don’t know what it is. Don’t be fooled by the exterior of the pretty dollhouse for princesses; inside it is just a brothel.

But I can understand why it is so easy to fool myriads of viewers into believing it is a serious and mature (HAHAHA) story. The Victorian era themed clothes of the dolls, the nightmarish backgrounds with the staircases and the thorns, the songs performed by the screaming banshees, and the whole goth-loli feeling just goggles up the superficial thinker who comes close for a better look. And who can say no to those cute loli dolls-desuUuUu? They are not great or memorable but have their aesthetics done properly so they are a nice flytrap. Too bad it is all done completely superficially.

In all I am not impressed as so many others were with it. It does very little with its potential and to the most part it is nothing but mediocre aimless tsundere loli comedy. Disappointed, if not infuriated as well.

SUGGESTION LIST
Cossette no Shouzou (this is how you do a goth loli psychological dark story right)
Fate/Stay Night (some dork meets some chick in a death game and we get weird relations)
Welcome to the NHK (some actual good use of the NEET / hikikomori premise)
Chobits (artificial girl wants to be treated as real, plus comedy and romance)

bysummoner on2009-05-14 13:19

Note: This review is directed to all Rozen Maiden series which also include Träumend and Ouvertüre. It is based on Hitsuji, R-X and Ayu fansubs respectively. All three groups offer both good quality and translation, so I recommend picking them.



Originally created as manga byPeach-Pit (DearS) and directed byMatsuo Kou (Kurenai)Rozen Maiden[/b] is a tale about pursuit of perfection. Ages ago a master artisan by the name of Rozen created seven dolls with so much passion and soul that they came alive. Unfortunately, his real dream, the creation of a doll which would encompass perfection, Alice, was never achieved. However, his strong feelings for his ideal turned him and the dolls he had created immortal, ultimately leading them to believe that attainment of Alice can only be achieved through one doll consuming the other six. Thus has started the Alice Game, a sacred ritual in the form of war between seven dolls only one step away from perfection. Since the dolls each held an unparalleled strength in their element, none of them could completely win and their struggle would have continued for eternity if not for the haphazard occurrences once the time-line of their war finally hit modern-day world.

Frankly, Rozen Maiden was completely different from what I was expecting, in a good way. It could have been Chobits influence, but once I've heard aboutdolls living with a hikikomori, I instantly visualized an ecchi harem type of show followed by low production values. Nothing could be further from truth, not only Rozen Maiden has outstanding production values, it doesn't offer any fanservice whatsoever and treats its dolls like dolls (with some of their parts obviously mechanical) and not some sort of erotic fanservice machines. Rozen Maiden tells a relatively original and though not the best, but solid story full of soul and passion. At least the creators of this show know that pleasing fanboys is not a form of art and go with a show which actually has their genuine feelings stuffed in. This anime doesn't offer most epic of stories, its characters, though multi-dimensional enough, don't offer much novelty and the ideas of self-worth aren't the deepest of philosophies I have observed in anime, Rozen Maiden is, still, one of the most solid shows I have ever seen. It doesn't offer much, but the stuff it does offer is executed in a way which leaves little room for complaints. In other words, Rozen Maiden is an example of nearly flawless execution of a just above average matter.

Animation: 8/10

It's not the technicals which exceed in Rozen Maiden's animation done byNomad (Sola), it's again, the director's comprehension of what art is. Backgrounds rarely contain little details and most of the scenes take place in the main character's house, so there is little variety in pictures. However, during the intervals action takes place in "dream world" backgrounds are really well done in the sense that they offer many surreal things befitting "dream" atmosphere. Furthermore the color palette is very well done, keeping its colors relatively vivid while never losing its gothic feel. Backgrounds aren't necessary high-tech, but they look beautiful when it really counts.

Character designs, on the other hand, are simply lovely. Some of the best gothic dresses and cute faces in anime are befitting the dolls which are striving to achieve perfection. Each one of them has a completely ingenious design with clothes fitted masterfully to them. Their different dresses not only fit their different complexions, but their personalities as well. Heck, the attires of such quality makes you forget everything about the fact that men don't play with dolls. Frankly, I wouldn't mind decorating my room with dolls if they were done with such quality and style as characters in Rozen Maiden are.

The fluidity of animation doesn't feel outstanding until the show finally hits its action scenes. Though this anime is certainly not action based, the few short action scenes it does offer are nothing short of beautiful. Though action rarely takes longer than one minute, that minute is full of vivid movements, beautiful choreography and pleasant little details, such as flower petals created through magic spells. Frame-rate is pretty consistent and it actually boosts up during important action scenes and drops down during slice of life moments or slapstick, a technique many other shows with action should not forget to use. In-betweens aren't lacking either, though not always obvious, little things in the backgrounds move very well.

Finally, there are some scenes which are simply genuine works of art. For example the one which happens in the church during Traumend's middle episodes. Wow, backgrounds, character designs, poses, marvelous soundtrack and sheer drama which encompasses that happening combines into one really fine form of aesthetic art. I could have watched that scene hundreds of times even without comprehension of the plot and it still would have thought it awesome. There are more scenes which successfully blend all the production values and plot together, but the one in church was by far the best one.

Sound: 9/10

Rozen Maiden offers some of the best music out of any anime I haver ever seen. FeaturingKinjirareta Asobi,Seishoujo Ryouiki andBaragoku Otome for its three OPs all done byAli Project. Not only the songstress fits her voice to the gothic lolita feeling of the show perfectly, the surreal imaginary which follows it is awesome. Unlike random character exhibition most anime take their OPs for, Rozen Maiden actually does art with its openings and I must confess I haven't skipped any even once. And I'm pretty sure I have alreadywatched Baragoku Otome OP for more than hundred of times, despite the respective OVA only having two episodes. I can't believe they've managed to catch Sugintou's character with something as OP so well... All EDs are calm, soothing songs, quite good for ending the show. On the other hand, they don't hold a candle against the OPs so it gets kind of easy to skip them.

Anyway, the real quality of musical masterwork present in Rozen Maiden can only be noticed in its background music composed byMitsumune Shinkichi (Furi Kuri,Zero no Tsukaima). It's actually the second time I find out this guy fits music for the show I label musically genius, first being Furi Kuri. Anyway, music scene in Rozen Maiden is dominated by melancholic piano and strings. Every single piece is full of emotion and is fitted flawlessly to all of the scenes. Actually, I found myself more thrilled thinking about what kind of masterpiece will play next rather than what will happen with the plot. Not to imply that plot is bad, but music is simply awesome. I didn't particularly like the comedic relief themes, but I don't think I ever liked one in any show for that matter. Either way, I have the OSTs of all three installments of Rozen Maiden and recommend them to you as well. Music quality rarely gets better in media and those compositions, even when not awesomely fitted to the scenes, sound great. Frankly, I might have liked this show much less if not for the beautiful music work.

Voice scene of the show is also top-notch. I found Shinku's voiceSawashiro Miyuki (Kurenai as Kurenai,Utawarerumono as Aruru), Sugintou's voiceTanaka Rie (Gundam Seed as Lacus Clyne,Chobits as Chii) and Barasuishou's voiceGoto Saori (Sky Girls as Sonomiya Karen) to completely dominate the scene. Though Tanaka Rie comes out as awesome naturally, I must say that to my surprise she was actually outperformed by the other two. She didn't use her weird articulation in this anime and went with a deep normal voice, so it's not one of her most novel performances, but I was still dumbfounded as to how Goto Saori is so unknown despite having such an awesome voice. Frankly, her performance as Barasuishou might be one of the best mysterious/reserved character type performances I have ever heard. Sawashiro Miyuki also exhibits her talents and this show might be where she is at her finest, at least from the ones I have seen with her. Anyway, there are many awesome scenes where music and voices blend together, particularly Barasuishou's deep voice and ambiguous script makes it sound like she's reading prose along the music. Other performances are pretty good as well, but completely overshadowed by the leading trio. All in all, seiyuu work in this show is top-notch, as well, as everything else in sound department is.

Story: 7/10

I have mixed feelings with the setting of the show. Magical dolls, artisans of the past, dream worlds, weird creatures and the whole story about Alice Game is awesome. However, the show takes majority of its time, more than 80%, in one place, which is Sakurada Jun's, the main character's, house. I must say it really gets claustrophobic there when you realize that the plot wont be leaving house anytime soon, and that the only escapes from the four same walls are those dream worlds where the coolest action of the show takes place. It gets slightly better in Traumend because you will be observing more characters than just Jun in his house, but the majority of action still takes place there. I know it's just a rant and that the show is just how it is, it wouldn't make sense for action to take place outside the house much anyway, but it doesn't change the fact that I got really tired of the same place over and over again.

Anyway, the plot itself is quite slow. First season is concentrated on Jun and curing him of his hikikomori ways. I must say that all of it was pretty interesting while the slight mentions of Alice Game and Shinku - Suigintou relationship made me interested in the plot even further. It's not magic, but complex relationships and curing mental deficiencies is always fun. The problem which drags the original plot from good to simply above average is that it wastes its time far too much on playing "house" with Jun and the dolls. Yeah, it's good for giving depth to the characters and developing Jun, but too much is too much, during the first season I was quite positive that none of the dolls with the exception of Suigintou were even interested in that Alice Game. I mean, they were bullying Jun or watching detectives on TV most of the time, together. It kind of killed the suspense and the idea of "friends fight against each other", because they didn't fight, and Suigintou was no friend. Luckily the show starts getting better near the end of the first season once the complex things around Suigintou's and Shinku's past are introduced. Pretty much from that part, to the end of Traumend it's all fun and dramatic ride (except for some hiccups when they decide to play house together again). Actually, the plot might have been better if they had cut out some of the slice of life play from it. I mean, it's all dramatic and interesting, but it's sometimes hard to get into when mood swings from tear jerking melancholic drama to slapstick about dolls fighting over food.

Ending, however, is very well executed and shows off that the show had an idea behind and was created by a passionate person. It doesn't strictly conclude everything and leaves many things for the viewer to ponder about himself, but it does end it, and I find a sequel being unlikely. I should also mention the awesome prequel OVA Ouverture, which is one of the best OVAs released for a show which has had already ended in a conclusive manner. Rather than fasnervice I expected, I was treated to one of most dramatic and meaningful flashbacks relating to Suigintou's and Shinku's first meeting there. Actually, had this OVA been released straight after the first season, the second one would have had much more of dramatic flavor than it originally had, but, oh well. Since Ouverture doesn't have "house" games in it, it's probably my best experience of Rozen Maiden, don't forget to watch it.

Characters: 7/10

Rozen Maiden doesn't spurt out many characters, but the ones it does, it does with style. All seven dolls have completely expressed, full-fledged personalities. While some of them appear to be based on more common archetypes, Shinku on aristocratic tsundere and Souseiseki on cool, reasonable type, they offer enough depth and personal background to dispel all the accusations of being stereotypical. Also, it's most likely the dolls had some common traits with stereotypes on purpose, since, hey, theyare dolls, right? Dolls were created to mimic human beings, so it's only natural they should resemble their personality traits. Anyway, I kind of liked that the show never tries to hit any moe factors with its doll characters and even demonstrates that they have mechanical joints and no breasts, thus killing stupid illusions and making you believe you are actually observing dolls and not human beings. Personally I found Shinku, Suigintou, Barasuishou and Suiseiseki to my liking, both in depth and simple personality appeal.

Suiseiseki, for example, repeats word desu after every single sentence she says. This manner of speech is usually used by cute and withdrawn characters who are unable to communicate well and are always in fear to insult others. Yet Suiseiseki is tsundere breed who actually murmurs stuff like "lick my heels humans ~desu" while sleeping. I must say the complete misuse and overuse of that desu made her into a really refreshing character. You could say it's a moe factor as well, but I believe it's there to show how her human characteristics and doll appeal contrast each other.

Human characters are pretty good as well, especially the main character who has some really realistic troubles. Though he is not the best of leads I have ever seen, he was pretty good, and a nice change of pace when compared to the blind stereotypes in other shows. He is less mature than you'd want him to be, but he has his moments and I found myself interested in his struggles to overcome his self-worth problems. Self-worth is a leading theme in this show and pretty much every single characters, especially the dolls evaluate themselves in one way or another, but are never satisfied with themselves because none them can be the perfect Alice their Father wanted them to be.

All in all, characters are pretty good, and after Suigintou's backstory none of the holes in the show remains. Then again, the fact that the characters were so obviously dolls and not humans might have been the double edged sword, because even though I did like quite a few characters and wouldn't mind having their replicas on my desk, I never found myself caring for them as much as I did for, well, many other characters. It could have been that I myself have been simply slightly out of tune with them, but even though I agree that technically all dolls are fleshed out very well and I did like them, I didn't love them.

Shinku - ENTJ (C)
Kanaria - ESFJ (E)
Suigintou - ENTJ (C)
Suiseiseki - ENFJ (C)
Souseiseki - ISTP (D)
Hinaichigo - ESFP (E)
Barasuishou - INFP (C)
Sakurada Jun - ISTP (C)
Sakurada Nori - INFJ (D)

Show Spoiler

Value: 7/10

Anime of this type are usually low on value because their drama rarely works the second time around, and the slow plot development is hard to stomach through the second go. However, the simply amazing production values, particularly music makes me want to keep this show in my collection and I will definitely re-watch it. Not as much for the plot, as much for the music which accompanies it. Though it's not a show you'd keep watching over and over, it's worthy having it into your collection, especially once you add the fact that it's plenty original.

1. Conclusion: Recommended for anyone who is of 13 years old or older Rozen Maiden is not the best show there is. However, it's amazing music and relative originality makes it a show worthy of seeing. I kind of picture people who have seen their lot of anime will enjoy this slow, solid show better than the... err, newbies will. So if you are new to anime world - I recommend watching fast and simple shows first, and once you are already tired from generic things - go for Rozen Maiden for some fresh air. If I had to name an anime which I had found similar to Rozen Maiden I'd name two, both of which are considerably different, but have a similar fairy tale like atmosphere. So if you want something similar go for -Cossette no Shozo orPrincess Tutu.

bypakxenon on2007-09-15 09:06

To be the perfect girl, to be sublime, to be pure, with unrivalled beauty, and no impurities: that is the goal of the Rozen Maiden, (currently) 5 dolls created by the Father who play the risky and dangerous Alice Game in order to meet him as Alice, the said girl. In order to obtain their Father's envisionment, the Alice Game requires that the Rosa Mystica be put on the line in a game of wits and power that renders the users unmovable and thus lifeless. One day, Jun signs a mysterious flyer that summons a box containing Shinku, the 5th Rozen Maiden, and so the Alice Games begin once again...

Creepy to begin with but irrelevent, Rozen Maiden is an unheard idea taking roots from the Victoria Era and applies it to the modern world (and for whatever reason, somehow the dolls all end up in Japan...). With excellent battle scenes, fun-filled episodes and characters, and two tragedy opposites, Rozen Maiden might not be of taste for some people, but for the ones who acquire this strange phenomenon, it's a fun ride through all 12 episodes desu!

The first four episodes sets up the several mysteries surrounding the dolls: what is the Alice Game?; what is up with Jun's behaviour?; who is the villain and what is her objective? The battles are flashy, fluid, exciting, and actually make sense. The Alice Game is intriguing and can easily be sensed as a tragic game. If that's not enough to draw you in, Jun has HUGE potentials of character development, even if you despise him in the beginning. (See Hikikomori). The villain, Suigintou, comes off a little cliche, but even as her annoying crackling laugh exits the arena, mysteries surround as to what mischief she's up to.

Episode 5 is pure fun. I think this episode was the reason for the spawn of the meme "DESU". Now you know where it comes from. ;P

As the episodes move on, more characters get added to the roster of dolls, and we begin to see Jun's progress from being a prissy tell-off to a more sympathetic human being. The most succeeding points comes from the dynamic of the progress and the albeit slow but right pacing through the episodes. The bad points are that it is totally predictable and it didn't have enough flashbacks, reasons, and angst - they seriously needed more of them since it is a major focus of the story. Of course, it's demeaning to see the only creep factor in the whole series during the progression, but you can interpret it anyway you want.

The characters are like 'em or hate 'em. Personally, I find most of the dolls to be great comic relief, but their overly high-pitched voices can detract the drama of some episodes. As for the humans, Nori is in the role of the older sister, and Tomoe, while not explored, is a good support character - she makes you wonder about what happened at the school, something the directors didn't acheive during the appropriate time.

The analogies presented in the story are easy to link if you've been paying attention, such as the mini-arc at episodes 8-9 and talking about how to brew tea the right way. This all leads to a maximized showdown between Shinku and Suigintou, where true tragedy comes into play along with an amazing battle sequence. The terms and the meaning behind the Alice Game can be matched up with the right interpretations and simple definitions.

Since appreciation of this series was well-received, I'm off to watch the second season! Not saying that this needed one (it's actually perfect as a standalone), but the fans demand and the fans get. We need more Suiseiseki anyways desu. ^^

bylillian on2006-05-19 10:06

[ Animation ]
The design and animation are of high quality and in the common style of nowadays animes. Without a noticeable overuse of 3d rendered objects (which is good in my opinion).
Sharp, bright colourful, detailed, well drawn and clear with the typical anime look.
There’s nothing special in particular to say about it. It's neither really impressive nor do I see any faults.

[ Sound ]
The background sound is smooth and fits inconspicuously to the scenes.
The opening and ending tunes are of good quality but nothing outstanding or much catchy.
So are the vioceactors.
Again nothing special to say about it.

[ Story ]
The story is about a Boy who doesn’t go to school anymore because of personal trouble. He found his hobby in buying toys online, playing with them a little and then send them back before the deadline for returning goods ends.
One day he receives a doll that becomes alive and forms a pact of loyalty with him as her servant. He becomes her medium from which she draws her power.
Sounds interesting till then.
That doll seems to be at war with another. Fighting a game called ‘Alice Game’ where at the end the winner doll shall become Alice, the purest something (I guess the "perfect" doll) and meet their “father” (doll maker).

Then another doll comes… and yet another… and yet another later on.
All female, most covering a cliché of a personality (but more about it in the character part). All living under the same roof together with the boy’s older sister (parents of course work abroad and left their underage children alone at home).

The story is the weakest part. I expected (more) mystery and depth. Esp. since the story got so high rated here.
It’s an average good vs. evil story that develops too slow, lacks actions and tension till the last 2 episodes.
There are of course some secrets but the plot is told so boringly that I wasn’t too keen on knowing them or how it develops. (There was a whole episode about the topic “She ate my strawberry and didn’t apologize”) That’s because of the lacking depth and the shallow insight given on the characters and story. The story isn’t really touching nor moving, except for the last episode. Since there’s not much action either, what’s left to enjoy besides the animation? Thus as viewer I didn’t really develop much for or against the characters and thus I didn’t care much about them.
It does have humor, so it made me laugh a couple of times and the chars are often kind of cute too.

[ Characters ]
The maincharacters are a boy, a girl and some dolls. Boy and girl are brother and sister. Girl covers the ‘sometimes clumsy but always overfriendly and helpful’ character cliché that of course does all of the housework.
Boy is the grumpy on the outside but nice and caring on the inside character. He wears the ugliest glasses I’ve ever seen. Those typical ugly glasses from the 60ers, with the thick square shaped frame that nowadays only exist in animes, mangas and comedy movies (e.g. Austin Powers). He’s shut himself from the outside world. With help of the dolls he realizes his misery and slowly changes.
The 3 female living dolls are the typical annoying childish one, the cheeky one and the aloof one with manners. Later a 4th appears (out of 5 in total).
There’s also the typical evil one, with black wings (just to fit to the evil cliché), that harasses them all every now and then.
There’s hardly given any insight in the characters’ backgrounds before the very late episodes. And even then it sometimes starts promising but ends quickly and unsatisfying.
The evil one’s motives are shown in the last episode and arouse pity and understanding.
That’s pretty much all character development in the whole series.

[ Summary ]
Because of its quality in animation, few episodes, half decent characters and the not completely dull plot it’s an anime that's easy to watch. It partly entertained me and it had a sweet end. The end raised the level of the anime. I gave it a 6.5 for temp. vote but will give a nice 7 now as permanent vote.
The story about the Alice Game the dolls are fighting for stays unfinished.
The story about the boy shows that he's on the right path but stays as unfinished. No worries, you won't care about that much anyway.
If you like dolls and/or are into cute things alá Pita Ten you may like it even more. There’s no SD whatsoever.

Disclaimer: English is not my native language and I was really bad at it in school (which is also YEARS ago). So when you’ve found errors don’t moan about them, send me a correction ^^

bycoolsteve on2005-06-23 23:39

Animation:
Average through most of the series. However, during battle scenes, it was definitely pumped up a notch. Very smooth, and you can feel a lot of the action during those scenes. Compared to action scenes in general it's probably not all that impressive, but compared to the rest of the animation for the series, it's notable. Also, the drawing/animation of the Rozen Maidens is very good. A lot of effort was put in detailing the the dolls' clothing and eyes (and hair I suppose...) The only thing that I noticed and disliked about the animation, is that it seemed that the size of the Rozen Maidens seemed to change. As in, there are scenes where Shinku seemed pretty small compared the main guy protagonist. And then there are other scenes where she seemed to be a whole lot larger.

Sound:
The OP is very good. I enjoyed it much and watched it every episode. The ED was mediocre. BGM was about average to above average. It did a good job setting the mood throughout the series. The voice acting was done fairly well. They fit very nicely to the characters they portray. (In particular, the voice of Shinku was pretty good.) I suppose Hina's voice fit her character as well, but I got sorta annoyed after a while.

Story:
So, the story goes, there's this boy who has this pscychological problem becuase of some emotional trauma when he was younger and because he was kinda different from everyone else. He becomes pretty antisocial and is afraid of leaving his house. He collects random items and so happens to come across a Rozen Maiden. He becomes Shinku's medium/servant because he was attacked by an animated stuffed animal. And he gets stuck with a bunch of more dolls and a bunch of adventures that involve the dolls.

I really liked the whole premise of it the most. The whole thing where these toys have souls and spirits within them. And I also liked how they didn't make all the dolls slaves to the guy protagonist. But rather, turned the tables. It provided for a more interesting turn of events. The whole story behind why the Rozen Maidens were made and their goals and such was original and well written. (I won't ruin the story for any readers so I won't continue any more on this like of thought.) Another thing that I felt that was well done is the way they portrayed everything. It immersed you into the story. And they don't explain all the why's and how's of what's going on, but the thing is, you don't wonder about them and you're not left hanging at the end. You just accept everything the way it is. It's like, very good storytelling. The only thing I didn't like very much is that even though the story was original, the flow of the story seemed forced to fit into this cliched drama/fantasy mold.

Character:
I liked most of the characters, the way they were portrayed and developed. But I disliked the way Jun's character developed. It seemed forced to progress in a certain manner. Jun's character just seemed to develop in spikes. It didn't seem like "growth" as much as it seemed like "life-changing crises". But even though I didn't like the way they deveoped him, he's still a likable character, I suppose. Everyone else's character seemed to develop well, and seemed very natural. Everyone's pretty likable unique in their personalities. Hina kinda got on my nerves every once in a while, but other than that, I have no real quams against anyone.

Value + Enjoyment:
It's a short series. It's got a pretty good story. It's got a decent selection of characters. I really enjoyed watching this series, and I'll probably watch it again some time down the road. If you're in the mood for a magic/drama/fantasy types series, then I'd recommend it.

byroymustang on2005-05-31 23:04

My first review here...Everything started when i saw some pics of Suigin Tou, i really loved the way she looked so when i found out its was from an anime i decided i really had to watch it, because i have a thing for goth looking, white haired girls dressed in black.I am really glad i came across this anime, its one of my favorites.This serie isn't for everyone;if you are a loli fan like myself, you will love it,if you aren't into loli, but you like cute characters, with comedy and drama thrown into the mix,you will like this; especially if you have streak for being dominated by girls : D .You should watch it before reading the rest of my review to not spoil the fun in any way.

Animation: I enjoyed the animation from this one a lot.Overwall everything was very smooth and detailed namelly the girls and their outfits looked beautiful, especially Shinku, Suigin Tou and Suisei Seki,those three are trully an eye candy in my opinion,everything in their looks shines.The opening clip looked really good too.

Sound:The opening song sounded kinda "weird" the first time i listened but it definaly got my attention; by episode 2 i was hooked on it, i really liked it a lot, it went great along with the clip.The ending while not being that catchy it was good enough.The background music fitted very well acording to the mood, and there were quite some stunning melodies, using violins and piano, which is my favorite instrument, that i just can't get tired of listining.Let's just say i went to get the OST for this right after i watched it.The seiyuus were very good, their voices fit the characters personality very well, especially the one doing Shinku's voice, it was just perfect!

Story:The story of Rozen Maiden suprised me alot because, this isn't your typical anime story where lots of girls(dolls in this instance) end up living in one guy's house...well...they actually do...but in this serie the girls characters are way younger than usual(which was a great plus to me since i like cute loli stuff),and the human guy living with them is actually dominated by them! Just perfect to complement my masochist side!
Then we have the rivalry between Shinku and Suigin Tou, in their quest to seek perfection(not to become human,since the dolls are quite happy the way they are).This for me is another plus, since it is diferent from the regular stuff.Rozen Maiden definility adds new and good content to the table
hence my rate.

Character:In my opinion,this is without doubt,the strongest point in this serie (even though the others are pretty good!) and also the most important point in an anime, since whithout great characters an anime isn't worth watching it in my opinion.It is characters like Shinku, Jun, Nori, Hina Ichigo, Suisei Seki and Suigin Tou that make this show shine so much.Jun is the most dynamic character, always "evolving" along the 12 episode serie.Then there's Hina Ichigo, along with Suisei Seki providing many of the "roll on the floor laughing" moments, Suigin Tou the badass gothic girl with the "creepy" laugh, was able to make me feel really sorry for her at a certain point.I would have liked to see more of Sousei Seki though, it's a pitty she showed up late in the series.And last, but not the least, Shinku,my favorite character of the serie, and one of my favorite girls ever, since i love everything about her, the look, the way she acts...it's a S-M Loli combo that just overwhelmed me completely...there isn't a single thing that i don't enjoy about her.I was also suprised and extremely touched by watching Shinku in the final part of the serie...only made her look even more beautiful, than she already is.

Value:Well, normally i don't watch an anime again, at least right after i saw it, but with this one i made an exception, since i enjoyed it so much...and will certaintly watch it again later, so it has good replay value.

Enjoyment:Rozen Maiden was definitaly unique, i wasn't expecting to fall for it as much as i did, started watching it because of Suigin Tou and ended up falling totally for Shinku.I would have loved to see more episodes of this but unfortunely there only 12...Good thing is that, there is going to be a sequel(More Shinku!!!).It's one my top 3 favorites series; at least, easily one of top 10 to other people from what i gathered talking about it with others.Very enjoyable, with lots of funnys and dramatic moments aswell, featuring loli dolls!