Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen - First Impressions

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After a good 7 years off the air, Rozen Maiden makes its return with new studio and director behind it.  Suddenly my interest in the franchise has increased, if only by a little.

The original Rozen Maiden is something of a mystery to me.  Not the series itself, which I found to be rather dull and uneventful but its overwhelming popularity both in and outside of Japan.  This is a series from the old days that many have talked about in high esteem and even a friend of mine recommended it to me years ago.  As I sat through the first season - it's worth mentioning, I never got to the second season - a few months ago, I doubted whether to give the new series a shot.  In the end, I'm glad I did.

As far as first episodes go, this one was aiming to show off.  The material was all snippets of the first season with a few (presumably) coming from the second season.  In any case, it was one big recap for those familiar with the series and a strange introduction to those who are new.  I'm not sure how long time fans and newcomers felt about this, but my reason for being impressed was the directing and style.  Hence this being an episode to show off in.

It definitely feels more like what Rozen Maiden was intended to be.  A darker series with more artistic style than what we got in the anime and closer to the manga - at least the first volume which I own.  The animation is most certainly a big step up but the SHAFT directing shines through also; white border screen shots, transitions and the like are definitely not Studio DEEN's handy work.  So from a visual point of view, I'm all for this change and believe it justifies no new material in being shown to us.

Whilst I remain fairly indifferent to the franchise, this first episode has instilled a little more confidence in this season.  The artistic style really makes the difference and the content made it accessible to newcomers.

Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen OP

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ALI PROJECT song aside, very good opening.  A nice animation sequence.

Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen ED

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Equally beautiful ED.

Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen Episode 2 Preview

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