Review for Rozen Maiden: Traumend - Volume 1 (Review)
Wednesday, 7th July 2010, 17:54

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Picture
Rozen Maiden - Traumend just like the first season gets the, by now familiar treatment for anime. It's a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, with the usual NTSC-PAL standard conversion applied. For Traumend that means a pretty clear and colourful transition to the DVD format, with little of the ghosting or judder associated with such conversions. That said, the bright and shiny animation isn't one to invite such issues, and the more important observation is that despite this disc having a decent six episodes to it, none of them are particularly marred by compression artefacts or the like. Traumend is an expressive enough animation, although not that full of energy and is occasionally quite static. There is an odd dichotomy with the way that the dolls are depicted in exquisite detail, while the human characters are a lot more rough and ready, simplistically designed, and with bold outlines. It all works well enough for the show however.

Sound
You have a choice between DD 2.0 English and Japanese, with optional translated subtitles or signs. The dialogue is clear, and the new opening theme from Ali Project is once again by equal parts catchy and annoying, but perfectly suits the show. I found the Japanese track to be acceptable but uninspiring, although compared to the English track it's a godsend. Yes, this is one of those English dubs that are best avoided, even by dub fans.

Conclusion
This is exactly what the doctor ordered. If the first season of Rozen Maiden was more focused on Jun Sakurada and his recovery from his reclusive nature, then the second season actually concentrates more on the dolls and the intricacies of the Alice Game, although it's not suddenly morphed into a doll combat tournament anime a la Angelic Layer. Rozen Maiden is still primarily a character piece, although this time, with Jun in the process of recovery, it's more a focus on the dolls' characters, and in introducing the remaining key players in the Alice Game. But just as last time, the episodes on this disc vary between expanding the overall story, and taking some time out for some domestic comic interludes, and as last time, it's just as enjoyable to watch.

The Alice Game is all about defeating the other dolls, taking their Rosa Mystica (something like the Quickening in Highlander), with the last one remaining becoming the one true Alice, and being able to meet Father, the one that created all the Rozen Maidens. But the problem is that as we begin the series, we've entered a state where no one actually is that keen on playing the game anymore. Shinku, Hina-Ichigo, and sisters Suiseiseki and Souseiseki are living in pleasant disharmony with Jun, and they find that such domesticity is by far preferable to actually trying to turn each other into junk. The only real problem among their ranks is the guilt that is keeping Shinku awake, as she's unable to come to terms with her defeat of Suigintou at the end of the previous series. It's a common thread that continues through this disc, and colours the tension between Shinku and the other dolls, as well as how she relates to Jun.

But the Alice Game is the central focus of Traumend, and with the four dolls not all that keen on fighting each other, there needs to be some external stimulus, which is when we learn that the Alice Game only really begins when all the Rozen Maiden dolls are awake and in proximity. At the end of the first episode, we meet the seventh, and youngest Rozen Maiden, Bara-Suishou, who is to that point more rumour than fact, and who turns out to be even more formidable than Suigintou was. The final piece of the puzzle, or so it seems, falls into place when Kanaria arrives, although she is more comic relief than foe, her faith in her own intelligence let down by her lack of skill and talent. The couple of episodes where she plays a major part are the comic relief episodes, where she tries to sneak into the house to deal with the other four dolls, only to be tripped up by her own shortcomings.

But the surprise of the volume is the return of Suigintou, who we saw perish in a blaze of magical flame at the end of the first series. It's actually the most emotionally resonant of the episodes, as we see her encounter Meg, a terminally ill girl who has lost her will to live, and sees Suigintou as an angel that will take her beyond this world to the next. Meg was born ill, and has somehow survived far beyond the doctors' estimations, but she sees herself as incomplete, something that Suigintou can empathise with. It certainly makes Suigintou see people in a different light, and it leads to a very interesting reunion with Shinku, who is still nursing her guilt about Suigintou.

Of course that leaves the question of how it was that Suigintou returned. The obvious answer is that it was through the graces of he who created the Rozen Maidens in the first place, and the one who put the Alice Game in motion. With the introduction of Enju, the doll emporium, the mysterious doll maker working in the back, and the final revelation of just whose master Bara-Suishou actually is, the pieces of the story all begin to fall into place.

Rozen Maiden - Traumend is certainly very enjoyable, as it manages to combine light and fluffy, comic and trivial, along with emotional and dramatic themes. It can be silly one moment, then strikingly moving the next. This second series builds firmly on what has come before, and it also delivers what that first series lacked. Traumend is even more charming and sweet, and it's well worth a few hours of your time to appreciate.

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