I’ve been a member of this site for more than four years now, without making use of this profile space. I still wouldn’t be, except that I decided to do some fanfics for a very obscure anime. At least, at the time of this writing it is obscure. Hopefully that will change before long, but in the meantime, here’s a brief introduction.

Rozen Maiden is a series that I enjoyed from my first viewing, and it has only grown on me over the years. By now I would say it’s my favorite anime. One thing I particularly like is the multilayered nature of the series, with certain elements being more obvious than others. There’s a depth to this show, much more so than is apparent at first glance, and possibly even more than the creators intended to achieve.

‘What does it mean to be human?’ ‘What does it mean to live?’ ‘What does it mean to love?’ Such questions are far more applicable to this series than many others, and yet the viewer is never hit over the head with them (nor force-fed easy answers). They’re simply out there for those who want to take the time to think about the deeper implications of what they see over the course of the anime’s twenty-six episodes. Obviously, this isn’t something that would appeal to everyone, but I have enjoyed this aspect of Rozen Maiden very much indeed.

For those who have no knowledge of the series, here is a mostly spoiler-free overview.

Season 1: As the story opens, we are introduced to Jun and Nori Sakurada, siblings who live alone due to their parents having taken jobs overseas. Jun is somewhere around the age of 13 or 14, with Nori a few years older. You might think that it would be hard to be without your parents at that age, and you would be right. The life of a student can be difficult in Japan, with generally high expectations all around... and for those students who show particularly bright promise, those expectations can become mercilessly high.

This happened to Jun. He has cracked under the strain of life and retreated from school, spending all of his time at home and most of that holed up in his room. He derives most of his entertainment from surfing the Internet in search of supposedly enchanted or cursed items, ordering them, playing with them for a little while when they arrive, then sending them back before the grace period is up (although he apparently keeps a few from time to time). Nori is quite concerned over him, and tries to help him as best she can, but doesn’t know what to say or how to get through to him.

Enter Shinku, Fifth Doll of Rozen Maiden.

In his latest box of ‘cursed’ mail-order goods, Jun finds a sheet of paper instructing him to circle one of two choices (‘I will wind’ or ‘I will not wind’) and put the sheet in his desk. He circles the affirmative option, hides the sheet away, and shortly thereafter stumbles over an old-fashioned case on the floor of his room that definitely wasn’t there before. He opens it to reveal a blonde-haired, crimson-gowned doll of exceptionally fine craftsmanship. Remembering the paper, he winds up the doll, then proceeds to freak out as she comes to life and chastises him for his rudeness and effrontery in how he has handled her so far. Shinku may only be two feet tall, but she is every inch the haughty aristocrat.

As Shinku was described as the Fifth Doll of Rozen Maiden, it should come as no surprise that there are others. Some are introduced in season 1, while others wait until the second season. As the episodes progress, Jun is drawn deeper into the mystery of the Rozen Maidens and their purpose... but at the same time, the dolls are drawn deeper into his life as well. Season 1 will see him finally push past the worst of his anxieties and psychological damage, and reach a place from which he can continue to heal and grow. Season 2 focuses more on the Rozen Maidens and the storm gathering around them; although Jun is no longer in danger of breaking, the same cannot be said for everyone...

Geneon has announced that they will be producing Rozen Maiden for distribution in North America. I honestly didn’t expect to see this happen, since the Japanese-society issue of the hikikomori, which is critical to understanding Jun’s situation, is not something that your average American anime consumer is going to be familiar with. For more information, see the Wikipedia entry for Rozen Maiden at http:///wiki/Rozen_Maiden; just be careful not to read too far and get into spoiler territory.

Incidentally, although Geneon has announced that they will bring over the twenty-four episodes that comprise seasons 1 and 2, nothing has been said about the two-episode OVA Ouverture. I suspect it may not make it across the Pacific, but then again, my track record for localization predictions for this series isn’t exactly the greatest. Still, at the time of this writing, if you want to learn of Shinku and Suigin Tou’s early history, you will need to pick up a fansubbed copy of the OVA. See http:/// for more information.