What begins like a setup for a typical "harem" anime plot (mild-mannered lad suddenly surrounded by a bevy of super-powered girls) takes a wild turn in this reboot of the cult-y Rozen Maiden anime spin-off from a comic book/video game franchise. Internet-addicted loner boy Jun finds an antique doll, which comes to life when he winds it up, and tells him that she is one of the seven "Rozen Maidens"—automatons created by an inventor—who each carry a "Roza Mystica," i.e., a soul-like fragment of an ideal girl. The dolls must perpetually fight each other over ownership of the fragments. But the second episode introduces an older, completely different Jun, a dispirited young adult clerking at a bookstore. A "what if?" has happened, as this Jun learns that he is actually an alternate version of Jun, in which his younger self (from the initial series) did not wind the doll after all. Nevertheless, the Rozen Maidens still infiltrate his life, revealing that time for this particular pocket universe is running out. The mix of quantum physics, philosophy, Jun's first love (a human girl), doll-vs.-doll cosmic battles, and scattered Lewis Carroll references do not make the material all that much clearer, but it is certainly offbeat. Compiling all 13 episodes from 2013 in a dual-language DVD edition, rated TV-14, this is a strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)
Rozen Maiden—Zurückspulen: Complete Collection
(2013) 3 discs. 325 min. DVD: $49.98. Sentai Filmworks (avail. from most distributors). Volume 30, Issue 2
Rozen Maiden—Zurückspulen: Complete Collection
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