|
Rozen Maiden
 |
|
|
Animation - 8.6 |
|
|
Sound - 8.3 |
|
|
Story - 7.4 |
|
|
Character - 8.4 |
|
|
Value - 7.9 |
|
|
Enjoyment - 8.3 |
|
|
Average - 8.1 |
|
|
Summoner |
(2009-05-17 07:04:59) 2009-05-17 06:59:50 |
|
| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| 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.
Quote:
Dolls do not really "die". They just go far away... Existence is all determined by ideas. The idea is that he is himself, a clear awareness of being here. Once he thinks that here is not where he belongs it is the same as not existing at all. He becomes a mere object.
Originally created as manga by Peach-Pit (DearS) and directed by Kou Matsuo (Kurenai) Rozen Maiden 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 about dolls 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.
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 or Princess Tutu.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Roto |
(2008-06-10 15:28:29) 2008-06-10 08:45:06 |
|
| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Wow I wasn't expecting Rozen Maiden to be a great show. It was actually worth my time watching this. Now at first I thought that this show would be an entire joke. But I was mostly wrong on that part. I mean really a story about dolls. Who would watch stuff like that? Well I wouldn't, however this is an exception.
Now why is the title called Rozen Maiden? Well what is is more likely the question. Rozen Maiden are dolls that are created by a craftsman named Rozen. They are said to be the dolls that are alive. They are alive in a way and not alive at the same time. They treat Rozen as Father or call him Father. There are seven Rozen Maidens in total. However we only see five in the first season. Oh they're all female dolls.
What is the purpose of the Rozen Maiden? Well the purpose of the Rozen Maidens are to participate in a game called "The Alice Game" basically where the Rozen Maidens compete against each other to get the title of Alice and also gets to meet "Father." The game works by having duels or fights. The dolls fight by using power from their medium or human servant. Now each doll as some supernatural power. Such as controlling plants, feathers, dolls, rose petals and strawberry vines. Basically powers that represents the doll. Now what declares them winner are by taking the loser's "Rosa Mystica" the very power that makes the doll to move. Without it they just become junk or just a normal doll.
Now this story focuses on a boy and one of the Rozen Maiden. Now the boy's name is Sakurada Jun. He is a hikikomori, someone who excludes themselves from social life. The main Rozen Maiden character is Shinku the fifth Rozen Maiden. Her favorite words are servant and bring me tea. Her personality can be mostly considered to be nobility. Especially the way how she treats others.
Now what I especially like from her is that she pimp slaps Jun a lot. That's funny. Not to mention that she hits him with her suitcase. Also she pimp slaps him with her hair too. That's what makes her a fun character at least. Her supernatural powers are controlling rose petals and having dolls as her servants.
Now what makes this a good series is that they take things at a normal pace. Not making it going to fast. They explain everything well in 12 episodes. Well not really in twelve because they're are fillers or just fun episodes. We first find out how everything starts between Jun and Shinku. Then we get involved with another Rozen Maiden and the beginning of the Alice Game. Then we move on to another Rozen Maiden character and take it easy from there. Of course we get serious again after there especially against the main villain.
The main villain of the story is Suingtou the first Rozen Maiden. She somehow appears to be tallest out of the rest. Not to mention has full devotion towards Father. In the last three episode we understand why the dolls fight. Of course i won't say because then you guys won't watch it.
Now the entertainment from this whole series are the characters and the fighting scenes. We have Hina whose basically an energetic girl who is noisy and annoying. Next we have desu girl Suiseiseki a doll that is basically sweet and devilish. These two dolls are the main characters as well. The one who brings the most life into this series has to be Suiseiseki. I mean seriously in episode 5 it's just pure entertainment. Not to mention we get to hear the word desu A LOT. I think this is where the birth of desu came from XD.
Animation
I thought that they did pretty well, because to me when i see the Rozen Maiden they look like dolls. However they look like normal human beings as well. These transitions was really well done. Also the battle scenes were done especially well.
Sound
OP very good. I thought it described the anime really well. The sound in the background was good too, especially during the fighting scenes. Now some of the problem was the voice. Especially the doll Hina. Of course it describes her character however it just annoyed me.
Character
Well i did explain it, however the character of Jun is what makes the story. If he wasn't really a hikikomori I think that there wouldn't be a good story. Also Shinku and Suiseiseki have good personalities. Shinku being like a student council president with nobility. And Suiseiseki's constant entertainment desu.
Now personally i think that people will find this series either fun or childish. I don't blame you if you find this childish because in the first episode. The first fight scene is between Jun and Shinku against a clown doll who is basically throwing cards at you which cuts your shirt. Not to mention him carrying two knives. Yeah if you can bear the early episode then you'll enjoy the anime.
Now that I have watched this it is time to watch season two. Hope it won't be disappointing.
|
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
buRe |
(2007-11-24 20:44:19) 2007-11-24 20:42:15 |
|
| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Well, to say in the least. I was in this hyped up mood because I recently came back from an anime con. and decided to catch up on some anime and chose Rozen Maiden to start off this hype.
"Wow"
Never to expect , an anime with dolls can be so addicting and CUTE. GOD.
The basic plot of this story is weighted on a hikikomori boy named Jun. Who dropped out of middle school because of an embarassing incident that took place in the past.
Suddenly he gets a letter, he responds and mysteriously a box appears in front of him. Shinku is revealed. The story begins. More dolls appear. The Alice Game is revealed and the dolls' purpose is exposed.
What really kept me into this anime was the intro song. It was catchy and the animation in the background went with it and was just so gripping. I also took a liking to it because it was written /c/ [4chan ref. lol] and cuteness all over. I mean come on! Cute things=FTW!
|
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| To begin with, Rozen Maiden's animation was good. Worthy to be classified as an anime of 2004, It has smooth animation, & clear graphics. Action scenes are Great, & the magical powers are good. I also liked the Medieval Fashion Designs of the Doll's Dresses, Headwear & Footwear. The Character design was good as well. So No Complaints here...
The Sounds were Good as well. The OP theme had a nice, interesting tune, & the ED theme had a great melody as well. The Seiyuus did a Good Job as well. With Good Music, & Good Seiyuus, there's nothing to complain about... =)
The Story starts off cliche, suddenly a mysterious doll comes into a random person's life, & has some sort of magical power and will change that person's life. But then as the story start going deeper into Jun's life, his flashbacks and memories, explaining all of Jun's problems in an interesting way. Well, I have always been fascinated by super powers, & if you are into magical powers like me, you'd most probably enjoy trying to find out what kind of magical powers these Rozen Maiden Dolls have... =)
Rozen Maiden has a Very Balanced Share of Comic Relief, Magical Action & Drama. I find the pacing of the storyline great as well. The story doesn't feel rushed in any way, and things really feel as though they come by spontaneously. There were Some ReaLLy Funny Scenes which really Lifed up the Mood with the Characters, showing that, maybe the Rozen Maiden dolls aren't all thaat serious after all, & Love having fun as well...xD With a good balance of Great Comedy, Nice Action, & Good Drama, Rozen Maiden is Decent in all these aspects.
Although, one flaw might be, they don't show enough about the characters? There aren't enough flashbacks, or scenes that tell you about the other characters' past. Even at the end of the anime, you'd most probably find yourself still wondering, So how are the Rozen Maidens Made, & how did Shinku come from? I guess the anime somehow disappoints in this aspect, as the whole story isn't made clear. But i guess that is why there is a second season, "~traumend~" which will hopefully explain the story better and clearer. =)
The characters are well made as well. Though you would probably like em' or hate em'. As Shinku's personality is high-class and all royalty, some might get angry at her high-nosed personality, but then, she's probably more likable at the scenes where she's funny and when she's being sensitive and actually complimenting for a change. The other Rozen Maiden dolls may also be "annoying" in other ways, but then again, they are Funny & lovable, in my opinion, anyway. =)... Some might also hate Jun at first for being such an insensitive meanie, treating his sister like a maid, and thinking he's the best and all that. I personally disliked Jun at first. But then, i started to like him as the show goes on. Well, I Guess that IS how it's meant to be. Shinku trying to show the good personality points of Jun as time passes by, & letting a relationship between them develop... =) & Yes, we can see a lot of character development going on. We see how the annoying brat Jun changes to become a caring person, & Snobby high-class Shinku is really a nice, sensitive doll, & a lot of character development in the Other Characters as well. =)
It also have some good lessons on life. "To Live is to Fight". By living, we have to face and fight our problems. Rozen Maiden even showed what kind of actions come from having too much love & other interesting point of views. =)
With that, I don't really have much else to say, as Rozen Maiden is indeed an anime worth of praise, I Enjoyed it Quite a bit for its unique idea of medieval dolls and magical powers, fighting each other to win the Alice game. & with its nice storyline pace, and nice balance of Comedy, Action & Drama. The Rozen Maiden Dolls even have Nice Fashion Designs which really give it a High-class European feel. Overall, Rozen Maiden is a Really Decent Anime, but not exactly enough to shine like other great animes.
For some reason, Rozen Maiden just does not have enough to be a REALLY GOOD Anime? But nevertheless, Rozen Maiden is Still a Good Watch & Worth your Time watching anyway. Don't expect too much from it, & you might be surprised cause it might actually be a really Good anime. =)
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Pakxenon |
(2006-11-12 01:22:55) 2006-11-12 01:05:38 |
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| 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. ^^
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
petran79 |
(2008-01-14 19:55:57) 2006-05-08 09:54:28 |
|
| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| (based on the fansubs by AnimeKeep -ep. 1-10- and Conclave -ep. 11-12-).
Though there are a few animes involving dolls (Plawres Sanshiro, Saber Marionette, Angelic Layer, Ayatsuri Sakon among them) this is perhaps one of the better titles of the genre and it features exclusively Victorian dolls made in Europe. The dolls are German made and one of them reads even German books. Initially I thought they were British because of the Alice game that derrives from the known novel. Nothing is clarified in the story about Alice and that game.
The series and the manga have also been licensed in Germany. German, or even British accents would suit the dolls much better than the Japanese ones, though the latter were decent too.
I read also the first two manga volumes. Perhaps it is one of the few cases where an anime adaptation makes the characters look much better than the manga. Without colour the manga characters lose a lot. The anime does the characters justice. They look impressive. The only exception is Suigintou who looks creepier in the manga because of her black-white hue.
Though the anime is aimed more at kids, the protagonist and his psychological problem give the title a more serious undertone. This becomes more evident in the middle of the series. Fortunately it doesnt get too serious, not that i would mind though since I like such kind of series.
The series starts interestingly, as in the manga, when all the main characters are introduced. Then there's that mediocre 5th episode that tested my patience and I thought of putting headphones so as not to be further embarassed. Generally after the introduction in terms of story the series doesnt deviate much from the standard good vs evil in the end but fortunately the last battle is impressive and also a couple of battles prior to that.
What makes the title worth watching are the visuals, some of the characters and the music. Already from the very good OP, in visuals at least, it prepares the viewer for the right mood. Most of the animation main staff were involved in other series such as Aria the Animation, Chobits and Card Captor Sakura (one of them worked even at Studio Ghibili), so mixing this all together and adding some gothic elements makes Rozen Maiden of the most peculiar animes visually.
The music is also one of the best for such kind of series. Wonderfully composed BGM with many classical instruments, though synthesizer music is also used many times, make the music memorable to me who doesnt pay much attention to music and this is an achievement. Also the music of the next episode preview is the best I've heard since the first season of Slayers. The composer was responsible for the music of FCLC too.
The characters arent worth remembering, though in the second season they turn slightly better and less annoying. Except Shinku and Suigintou, and Jun after the middle of the series, the rest arent far away from a kids show. Most of the moments I didnt mind, except ep.5 and the first half of ep.10. Though as I said earlier, a German or British accent would turn the characters even better.
There's one chance the show would deserve a perfect 10. If it was made into live-action and the dolls were real models and moved with stop motion or by a puppeteer (I wouldnt mind seeing the threads). Imagine how creepy they would look, even more if they didnt move their mouths! Till then, if you like European dolls, there are many decent European puppet theatre productions, or stop-motion features that are true masterpieces and not so well known. For Asian dolls there are plenty of shows to watch too.
But for an anime to transfer the feeling of puppet-theatre (in the series the dolls watch puppet-theatre, an detective show with animals called Kun-Kun or something like that) Rozen Maiden, and also its sequel did a good job overall.
Worth watching once at least.If you didnt like it the sequel is a little better and corrects some problems of the first (characters are less annoying and there is a darker atmosphere). If you liked the series the sequel is a must watch.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| "Put on the collar of roses, and bite upon the silver chain
Another one will die tonight--you are despicable
Kneel down and lick the bitter drops of love
A blue dressage performed for the Angels"
First verse of the opening song translated. After that I was expecting some sort of yaoi flick, not a twisted harem show.
There are some problems that make Rozen Maiden less than ideal series.
1) Shinku is uninteresting and unfunny. Excluding the fifth episode and the end, I was much fed up with her royal attitude. As soon as she shows some unideal side of her, things are a lot more interesting. Most of the time I was hoping she would just do something else than be bossy.
2) Jun is bothersome. Annoying behaviour and foggy references to some school related tragedy didn't sink into me. I'd really like to understand why characters act like idiots fast, not at the last episodes. How can I feel any sympathy if all I see is a brat who locks himself up and treats everyone bad? Put a flashback before the opening of the first episode and I could take an other approach.
3) Relating to point 2: I didn't get why Jun stripped his cold attitude so fast. A couple of bossy dolls appear to your life and suddenly you start to care about others again. His affection for dolls just came and I asked myself from where.
4) The battles. The last battle was good, otherwise I yawned through them. Imaginitive maybe but they didn't pack the power to impress.
5) Not funny enough. Almost half of the series looks like it's supposed to be comedy. Episode 5 was the only episode that was truly funny. Otherwise my reactions were half-hearted humming.
6) What's with the story? It jumps around, introduces the main villain fast then concentrates on other characters and then comes to a sudden conclusion (ref point 3). Like it would be blindfolded and trying to decide where to go.
What's on the plus side? Other dolls are a bit more interesting than Shinku even if they lack her strong character (put Jun's sister in the same category). Suigin Tou appeared first a rather boring nemesis but proved to be worthy in the last episodes. Music and animation are great. Dolls look impressive and the music fits their Victorian mood nicely. (I'm just making a guess those clother are Victorian) Other worlds look interesting and haunting. The end, if taken out of context, was good too. If the series had spend more time on Jun's personality change I could have enjoyed the warmth he and Shinku shared there. And Suigin Tou's final was impressive also.
It's quite fun to see that Rozen Maiden is made by Peach Pit. They have made DearS too. While DearS is purely empty-brained fan-service fun, it managed to entertain me thoroughly. Rozen Maiden clearly wants to be something more serious but fails quite a bit in characters and story and proves to be quite uninspiring despite its novel idea.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Freddy C |
(2006-04-11 12:26:47) 2006-04-10 14:59:11 |
|
| Average |
5.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| Unique? Possibly. Good? I didn’t think so.
Firstly, only some aspects of this were unique, others were fundamentally original. The unique aspects were, for example, the relationship between the main character and his sister – I thought this was pretty touching. An incredibly devoted sister trying to help her brother who is a school phobic.
Beneath that are aspects that appear to be unique, but which isn’t, dolls for example. There have been many anime with dolls in them, innately inanimate, but can come to life. What was unique about the dolls is this game they have to play – “The Alice Game”. This reminded me fondly of games in films like Highlander. Unfortunately, what was inevitably present was a relationship where dolls lend power from their human “servants”. Unoriginal indeed; this unpredictable relationship means that the dolls, when facing powerful enemies can conveniently harvest a highly unnatural amount of power from their human servants. The result of this was that you stopped or reduced your care for the battle scenes. Without this care, there wasn't much else to look forward to.
Secondly, the main character Jun was a rather boring choice. I didn’t feel the need for a pretty boy, but Jun felt and looked very "Digimon". He was a spoilt kid that I didn’t even feel sorry for. Without this care, there was even less to lok forward to.
What this series should have had more of was comedy, the episodes filled with comedy were the most memorable, albeit, least unmemorable. The dolls Shinku, Hina Ichigo and Suisei Seki were great ingredients for an amazing comedy, but it didn’t turn out that way for the majority.
I hope the sequel is going to be more relaxed and comedic. I was initially attracted by the great design of the anime, it was a plus certainly, but overall, this failed, unsurprisingly, to lift the anime. I felt like I was trying to shallow an oversized bitter pill when I was watching Rozen Maiden, at times, it went agonizingly slow.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
6.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| An average anime IMO. Though this has been given good reviews, I will explain why it doesn't score on my list.
Plot-wise, it is unique and outstanding, about dolls which behave like people and fight. The main character Jun isn't the most likeable character, he's rude, impatient and couldn't care less. Shinku on the other hand is cool, calm and collected. The other characters add to the liveliness, with my favourite been Suisei Seki. Jun's sister has to be the most sickly sweet character, her personality irks me somehow, it's strange how she always so patient and ready to heed Jun's every request, she seems more of a maid than an older sister. That aside, characters are pretty memorable.
The episodes in the middle are amusing and add to the humour factor, but are pretty much filler material. The Kun-kun part were hilarious.
Rozen Maiden's only weakness is it's storyline. For example, who is the father? What is his motive in creating these dolls to fight? What is the N-field all about? How do the dolls become alive? How were they separated from their father?
These questions are pretty much left unanswered. Even as to why Jun refuses to go to school over a mere failure of a test. Appropriate flashbacks could have been gven to fill in the gaps.
However on the good side, this anime scores well for it's well drawn characters, animation is great. But music for it's OP and ED could have been better, I thought that it was at best unique. The background music played during the fight scenes matched it.
Now if only the storyline didn't leave so many questions, this anime definitely would be worth a rewatch. This anime is at best lukewarm.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
andy |
(2007-04-28 21:06:45) 2006-02-17 12:34:25 |
|
| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Rozen maiden takes a relatively typical plot, adds both typical and rather outstanding characters, and very dramatic story development to make something that's very enjoyable.
A young boy, Jun, has pretty much given up on life. He accidentally orders and forms a bond with an ancient doll called Shinku and gets dragged into her conflicts. All her doll friends and enemies have odd powers.
The doll animations are superb while the human animations, such as the protagonist running, are poorly done. The bad animations aren't very noticible since they don't come up very often though.
The doll animations look very smooth, from when they fight to something as simple as delivering a slap to the protagonist. Their wardrobes are very detailed as well.
The BGM's for the most part are noticible. They are used well and work well to establish a mood to a particular scene. I must point out my distaste for the opening though. The general theme of the music is western string instruments with a discordant kinda twist. The faster paced BGMs have a pretty strong beat.
The story over-arching plot is rather simple, so a lot of Rozen Maiden is actually just the introduction of characters, with major story developments comming very slowly at first. While i found most of the character introductions to be interesting and enjoyable, Rozen Maiden is really only dramatic when the main plot develops.
The first half of Rozen Maiden doesn't really move the plot forward very much. It takes its time in introducing the characters one at a time, and at the same time, exploring Jun and his relationship with his older sister. The second half puts more focus on the villain and the plot, but continues with Jun's inner troubles. I love the first half, and the second half is very thrilling, but my one complaint is that they talk a little too much philosophy, a little too fast. An action anime like Rozen maiden works best with more subtle hints to philosophy rather than outright discussion. That just doesn't fit.
Rozen Maiden has both well done characters and forgettable, and even annoying cliche'd characters. Hina Ichigo is horribly annoying and has no part in anything really. Nori does have her redeeming moments, and her caring for her brother was at least conveyed. Her whole characters is too sickeningly sweet though.
Jun is an interesting lead, and his actions, especially in the begining, with his msitreatment of his sister, who works hard to take care of him, is very moving. He really can draw a lot of hate and sympathy (both for him and his sister) from the viewer, and this makes him a powerful character, at first anyway. The course of his development is pretty standard and predictable, and the troubles he faces along this course don't have the same power as his brattyness in the begining did.
Shinku, the main doll, is a refreshing character that fits perfectly into her role in the story and other characters. Just to give a bit of background, she's a very bossy little doll who thinks of Jun as her servant. Her manners are top notch and she's always polite when being bossy, even if she's not affraid to deliver punishment to her servants when they are not acting according to her lady-like expectations. When she's threatened or fighting, she has a heroic kind of confidence, but when she is hurt or in a bad situation, you can still see the fear in her. Both her bossiness and her heroism are completely contrast to what she looks like. I mean, Shinku is this 2 foot tall doll, extravagantly dressed, and seemingly very delicate (even her slaps seem very delicate), but she acts like the mistress of the house and an unbeatable force. Her most important role is that of a guide or gaurdian of Jun. Her character is designed to get a lot of respect. This makes her a natural gaurdian/teacher figure.
Rozen Maiden's action sequences are short for the most part, but they are well designed with minimal foot dragging. prolonged action sequences using repeated animations, lots of slow motion, forced suspence bits (someone blasts the opponent, and it flashes to every character gasping, and you have to wait a minute until the smoke clears and you see what has happened) do nothing but break up the rhythm of action scenes. It gets to be so bad that action scenes feel like nothing more than plot developments where you just want to see the outcome. Rozen Maiden never stoops to any of these cheap tricks.
Rozen maiden is extremely entertaining and dramatic. The only thing that holds it back from having a truly memorable place in my hard drive is a few bland episodes in the middle, a lack of really emotional themes (all of the themes talked about in Rozen maiden are more philosophical), a couple of cheesy and cliche lines here and there ("the tea tastes bad, but it has a very 'kind' taste) and the occasional spit fire philosophy conversations that loose a lot of their potential impact because of the extremely speedy delivery.
In closing, a lot of people seem to have problems with some of the things rozen maiden doesn't reveal. It wasn't all that clear about the creator, the alice game, or Jun's deterence from school. I don't think any of this is all that important. All a story needs are viable conflicts that are presented well. Complex background info could easily lead to sudden and long plot revelations that take up half an episode. To focus on the more important conflicts, like Jun's problems and Shinku's grudge with Suigin Tou are more important, and leaving out a little background info shouldn't be considered a flaw.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Genesis |
(2006-02-03 11:32:34) 2006-02-03 11:32:10 |
|
| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Very unique anime ,highly original story and characters , that is the reason why i liked this anime.First impression that gives this anime is that its childish ,this might be reason that many viewers pull back and don't give the chance to this great story and characters to develope! Animation is better than i expected and fighting scenes are high quality ,that was biggest surprise for me since this anime didn't give me the impression of being action anime.And thats what actually this anime is.It is action/drama/with some comedy in it.Anyway there are no flaws in animation as it keeps high standard throw whole series.
When it comes to Sound ,i especially like voice of Shinku.It is so lovely voice.I also think that OST is very good ,but it seemed that sometimes timing of the songs was off.
On me biggest impression was left by Shinku.When show starts she is arrogant ,snobby ,cold hearted person but as story progressed she starts to change in positive persona , i don't wont to give away information but pay attention to her and her emotional dilemmas throw both seasons.I found story to be very interesting , its about dolls that were give life from their maker Rozen.The only reason they exist is to fight each other and by doing that , to decide who is going to be rewarded as a winner to became ALICE the ultimate doll !But that is just a small part about the story ,the rest is up to you to see and experience.I recommend it to anyone , just give it a chance don't loose your interest just because it is a story about dolls ,belive me this is much more than a doll story !
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Avalanche |
(2006-04-12 15:10:29) 2006-01-17 03:04:41 |
|
| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Rozen Maiden was my first anime that introduced me to comedy in anime. And like any newbie into anime, I gobbled it up like candy. Because it is not bad - it has nice characters, very cute dolls, and an OK story to boot. So how does it go down in my book now that I have seen many more anime of this genre. Well my earlier review gave this a 8.8 which it does not deserve no matter from whatever end you look at it. Even now it remains as a good work, but it's just that - nothing great, nothing special. Rozen Maiden at best can be equated to a good way to pass your 4 hours.
The story is about a reclusive 12 year old who signs a contract with a Rozen Maiden, Shinku by mistake and becomes her servant. Shown to be kind and imperious, the anime is about Jun and Shinku as the leads. Since the anime is just concerned with Shinku defeating the villain - there is not much to be done. And thus the plot goes preety much nowhere in the first 6-7 episodes - it just dawdles around. You even have a filler at episode 5 (it made me laugh though). The last 5 epsidoes take a different turn - suddenly drama and action are introduced which ultimately leads to a goody-goody ending. Since we have dolls as lead characters - complexity is out of the question. We have cuteness instead - Hina Ichigo and Nori tend to be on the sickeningly cute side, not developed at all remaining 1-D throughout. Jun is a loser who spots a hairstyle to rival harry Potter, but he redeems himself by the end. The entertainers are Shinku and Susie Seki - they are well done. While Shinku us used to make the series serious the latter is added for very good comic effect. My favourite character in the entire series - troubles everyone and adds 'desu' at the end of every sentence. Sugin-Tou as a villain at OK at best. All the rest are forgettable.
Rozen Maiden still remains in my 'good anime' list. Maybe this is due to the fact that I saw this when I didnot watch much anime back then. But it remains a good time-pass. This is best suited for those light moments when one wished to watch something without using their brain-power. I would recommend it after a heavy dose of something serious - like Boogiepop, Monster etc. The series itself will be remembered for the dolls. I saw it without expectation and came out with a smile in the end - and this is what this series was meant to do.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Zeta8 |
(2006-01-07 22:39:35) 2006-01-07 22:30:14 |
|
| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This is my first review here.
I watched this series quite a while after it aired, so I had every episode. I tried very hard to stretch out my viewing of it. You know, "Ok. Just two more episodes for now..." etc. I failed terribly, and ended up watching it all in about 2 sittings the same day I got it.
I think the reason is simply that the show's story and characters are so original, and the pacing of the plot is spot-on. There is not a single "filler" episode.
Jun's condition is very unique as far as anime subject matter typically goes, and the development of his character is a focal point of the series (Apparently this is not as true of the manga). It is nice to visibly see how he changes from the beginning to the end due to his interactions with the dolls.
Read more about Hikikomori on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori
The other characters are also thoughtfully designed, and I found myself wanting more episodes devoted to their development than was feasibly possible. Many questions concerning the origin of the dolls remain unanswered at the end of this series. thankfully, season 2 (Traumend) is currently airing and looks to cover some of the things the first season did not have time to explore.
Rozen Maiden, along with Honey & Clover, recently renewed my long-dead interest in anime. I think that says something.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| After I ran out of my anime preserves, I had to search for a new series. I ran into Rozen Maiden not having much expectation mainly due to its descriptions or introductions I've found in this and other sites. I must say i'm very and pleasantly surprised because this anime really caught me by surprise. This anime is not just entertaining, but very original in its content (at least I don't htink i've seen anything like this). this anime about overcoming ones fears and learning to depend on others care.
Hand down the best trait of this anime is in its presentation. the animation is clean and very intricate. The doll designs are simply wonderful and the world of Rozen Maiden is well designed. they are stylish as well as very cute. Colors are clear and outlining is very stylish overall. Add to this very fitting music through out the anime. The OP isn't something that I'll listen to everyday, but is a interesting intro to get us entertained. ED worked in a similar manner. Background music is overall very good and properly used. Music does not forced the mood, but contributes seemlessly to increase our the emotional effect desired.
The story is a weird combination pinoccio thing, action dolls, and isolation. The dolls are trying to become "Alice," which is describe towards the end of the anime in a very vague manner. Action also is not the greatest . there isn't much choreography, but there are abundunt flying feathers that never hit, roses that never seem to do anything, and plants growing out of nowhere. Action is only mildly entertaining while comedy works again and again. combination of Jun and all the dolls are simply delightful and funny. I was laughing quite a bit throughout the anime.
The anime deals quite well with its theme. though some of the elements of the story is left a bit vague and unexplained, its theme is especially towards the end heavily worked on. Watching Jun, Nori, and the dolls overcome the issue of isolation and struggle together was simply enchanting.
what really lacked however is background. I refer to it couple paragraph above, but without much background on the doll and Jun we are left assuming many things. though the anime give us hints throughout the anime we are never clear on how the dolls came into being and what their purpose is. Jun's problems with school and his parents are never quite throughly explained throughly enough to make a strong impact.
though this anime leaves much to be desired, it possess potential and entertainment. This anime plays well with the balance of great comedy, mediocre action, and solid dealing of its central ideas. I think this anime deserves more attention and love from the anime viewers, because I think we have a very fun anime that's waiting to be watched.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| (will go back to update)
for now i will write about what i felt was important at the time
animation is simply superb. crisp and clean with no real flaws. the character designs are great with very detailed animation.
as for the sound, the op ed are pretty unique as well as the bgms. i'm torn between the voice casting. hina's sounds too forced too cute but oh well. i loved tanaka rie though as suigin tou.
the story, was fairly unique and could have been directed better. however, with only 12 episodes, there was too much filler episodes or moments.
its fairly enjoyable to watch. i wouldnt suggest this anime to everyone for it does seem to appeal to kids.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
IasasaI |
(2006-02-17 19:37:25) 2005-10-03 09:38:23 |
|
| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| If you just state what this show is roughly about to yourself, it makes you think "Ok...sure...sigh", yet somehow simply describing this show as about a strange boy (with a strange sister), that's into mail-order, and then living dolls start showing up and making things interesting....does about as much justice as saying there's Bostonites in America.
There is more to this show than simply the obvious. The plot, so far based on 12 episodes, but I've heard of a second season, is interesting enough to keep you somewhat curious, but the characters and their interactions are what made this show for me. Though the animation is really quite nice.
Also, the ring that Shinku and Jun have [and presumably the other Rozen Maidens and their servants] is an amazing work. It is simply beautiful, to the extent that a friend who watched it with me immediatley made me pause it so he could take a closer look at it...then exclaimed "I have GOT to make that ring!"
Anyone familiar with the White Wolf game of Changeling: The Dreaming might have the same thought I had...it would take very little to map Rozen Maiden onto that game. I only think that way because I'm also hopelessly addicted to games....
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Poom |
(2005-09-25 09:32:27) 2005-09-25 09:23:56 |
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| It's a new plot, open a new world, this time the dolls get their owns and a good stories to told us.
I'm sure everyone atleast once dream of doll be able to talk and have feeling like human. This anime is a dream come true! Most importantly all dolls look really cutes and some of you with inner loli might want to hug them so badly. Animation draw really well, you can see the detail on doll.. duh. Doll voice not too creepy to scare your pant off and every char got a good voice talent.
Big comedy show in this series. Shinku personlity is really interesting having Jun as her slave make the show even funnier. Hina's jokes might annoy you sometime but you gotta put up with her. Ep.5 is a total fanservice ep. Don't stop there, other eps are all important fill with cool actions.
Thou they didn't not have a BIG DEEP plot but the story sound interesting and all the dolls that show up seem to have differnt kind of power to make us excits and go wow wow at it. These dolls also fighting with styles. Doll fighting each other in the fantasy world is the best idea there is.
Cutes Dolls with magical power + making human as slave! It can't get any better than this WATCH IT NOW! This doll show will change your way of thinking about doll forever... Dolls >>> Human
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| I first put Rozen Maiden on my "to see"-list based on a gif-animation I once saw, quite the odd reason to watch a series and I didn't really know what to expect when I started watching it, since I barely knew what it was about or anything. It started out kinda slow and I had to put myself together to keep focus in the first few episodes. Then it loosens up quite a bit and that's when I really started to enjoy it.
(On a slightly not important sidenote: in one of the episodes, Nori talks in her sleep saying "Jun-kun I can't, we're siblings!" Now what is up with japanese people and incest anyways? I don't mind really, to each man his own, but seriously!)
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
5.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| When you have 12 episodes to evolve everything, you need to make each minute count. The director seemed to completely forget this basic rule of enjoyment, because Rozen Maiden's majority of episodes are filler. Now I've seen worse 12-or-so episode anime like Samurai Girl, but Rozen Maiden's sense of direction is lost for a while until the last couple of episodes where things begin to make sense a bit. The difference is that Samurai Girl's sense of direction was TOTALLY lost, so Rozen Maiden isn't a lost cause.
A majority of the characters are annoying, especially Hina Ichigo, Suiseiseki, Jun, and his sister Nori. Of any of the characters, my favorite one, Souseiseki the mature twin to Suiseiseki's selfish twin, gets the least screen time. I wish I could have seen Souseiseki longer, but alas the episodes before her appearance were nothing but... a whole lot of nothing. The main doll is Shinku, and I love her mature and calm attitude compared to about 80% of the whiny cast, and Suigintou, the antagonist, conjured mixed feelings for me.
The story was also lost in the filler episodes, and many plot holes are left wide open. Like Star Ocean EX's ending, Rozen Maiden's ending could help set the stage for a second season, except that this second season will never happen. It's this kind of overconfidence on the director's part that I can't stand as an anime viewer. As Rozen Maiden went on, I found myself unsympathetic towards the characters and story, which is not a good thing if you want to grip my attention.
Rozen Maiden is an average anime to spend time with. It doesn't destroy anything, but it's hardly an improvement from other titles.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| One of my favorite animes of all time. This is the first anime that I have seen that revolved around magical dolls, it was quite interesting and different. The animation was beautiful to begin with. The facial expressions were very good.
The characters were excellent! We have Jun, the boy who rather be alone and away from the world. Shinku, a quiet, lady-like but somewhat bossy 5th rozen maiden doll. Hinaichigo, the smallest doll with a high pitched voice and very cute. Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, the sister dolls. One who is very imature, the other one who is the exact opposite. and Suigintou, the antagonist who, I thought, was my favorite character. Her design is beautifully done and her seiyuu Tanaka Rie did a very good job with her voice.
Overall I enjoyed this anime very much. I do wish though it was a bit longer because at some parts (although very few) they rushed it. I can't wait to see the sequel to it though!
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Site design by ecxol.net:
|
