Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen - Episode 3 Discussion / Poll

[Klashikari]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen, Episode 3.

Thread Guidelines

• Raw requests and offers are not permitted anywhere on this forum.
• Spoilers or hints about future events must not be posted in this thread.
  If you need to reference something that would spoil a future event, reply directly with a private message, or seek out a more appropriate thread.
• Discuss your expectations of the episode if it has not aired yet.
• Be polite to your fellow forum members.
• Please try to keep the discussion on-topic.
• Do not post multiple times in a row. Please edit your existing post if you wish to add additional thoughts.

Episode Thread Spoiler Policy

• Any comment that discloses events, characters, plot or other information before it is revealed in the anime is expressly forbidden whether or not it is behind spoiler tags.
  Spoiler tags should still be used where appropriate.
  Please consult the AnimeSuki Spoiler Policy for more information.
• Adding a Spoiler tag:
  

  Just highlight your spoiler and click the button found on the "Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" forms. Make sure that you include a useful title!

• Please use the Report button if you see any inappropriate spoilers:
  

  Click the button found to the left of the post, just under the poster's avatar. Using the Report button is anonymous and helps the Moderators locate and deal with problems quickly.

• Posting inappropriate spoilers may result in a ban.
  Note: Reporting a post does not mean the poster will be banned instantly.
  The Moderators will use bans if warnings are repeatedly ignored.

[Witch of Uncertainty]

I'm really starting to like this. The slow introduction is really helping build the atmosphere. I can't wait til next episode. Hopefully we'll see kira in it, too.

[Horse]

I guess I'm just nitpicking now. My complaints are still on the photoshopped backgrounds and the lazy way they are doing those text messages. The last vocal BGM was also sort of disappointing to me for the scene it was featured in.

Other than that, I enjoyed it. The staff succeeded with the gloomy atmosphere but will they be able to successfuly pull off those doll quirks? Sure hope they will (like nomad has IMHO). It finally begins anew in the next episode.

Spoiler for adaptation pace:

10 episodes and 23 manga chapters to go.

[Forever]

I cant help but to feel that saitou is similar to shinku in terms of design....

I am liking the slow and steady pace so far...

[Kanon]

First thing Shinku did upon waking up was slap Jun. Yup, she's the real deal, alright.

[HandofFate]

This is shaping up nicely imo.
Never read the mangas, but despite the awkward 1st episode, the narrative is really picking up.

Probably best narrative so far this whole anime season. Every other series are just stand-alone adventure episodes, and this is one of the few that is actually trying to tell a story. The flashbacks was done in a way that was easy to see its purpose.

Was glued to what was happening the last 10 minutes. And Shinku awakening finally was good.

I'm very interested in what Shinku's reaction would be if he woke her up without making her any clothes.

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by HandofFate

This is shaping up nicely imo.
Never read the mangas, but despite the awkward 1st episode, the narrative is really picking up.

Probably best narrative so far this whole anime season. Every other series are just stand-alone adventure episodes, and this is one of the few that is actually trying to tell a story. The flashbacks was done in a way that was easy to see its purpose.

Was glued to what was happening the last 10 minutes. And Shinku awakening finally was good.

I'm very interested in what Shinku's reaction would be if he woke her up without making her any clothes.

JUN NO ECCHI!!!! (SLAP!) lol.

[MeoTwister5]

It's not Shinku if she doesn't slap him, regardless of his age.

[GDiddy]

Shinku wakes up...and promptly slaps Jun.

Jun should just quit the bookstore and tell off the creepyass manager to fuck himself.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by GDiddy

Jun should just quit the bookstore and tell off the creepyass manager to fuck himself.

In the end, he'll get sweeter "revenge" if he increasingly grows out of his funk and Saitou keeps getting closer to him. The only problem is the boss is definitely the sort of jerk who'd play dirty at that point and make Jun's life hell. (Hopefully he wouldn't take it out on Saitou as well.)

That aside, I'm continuing to really enjoy this show and the contrast between younger "naive" Jun and older "mature/world-wise" Jun, and the way those two viewpoints are slowly being turned on their head. The whole way this alternate reality was setup is interesting and pretty clever.

[HandofFate]

I liked the bgm when shinku waking up, is it a classic rozen maiden track, or did it debut just in this series?

[Sakabatou]

Shinku using that pimp hand like a boss. SLAP SLAP!

That teacher should have known better than announcing to the whole school that a young boy drew a picture of a dress sample.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by HandofFate

I liked the bgm when shinku waking up, is it a classic rozen maiden track, or did it debut just in this series?

I think it's a new track, given that it was also referenced earlier in the episode in another BGM. But it does sort of remind me of some of the vocal stuff from the earlier anime series; bringing the composer back was a great idea, and his new work here has been really quite good IMO.

[StainGlass]

What is with the monkey storybook segments? I don't remember them in the manga and I can't work out why they're in these episodes.

I didn't feel like much happened in this episode, I'm a bit worried about the pacing. The preview didn't look like they covered much content in the next episode either, hopefully they were just hiding the spoilers.

[Traece]

You know, I wonder if Shinku will poke fun at this Jun more or less than the younger one. Should be interesting to see the different dynamics because of how different his character is.

This episode was quite good up until Shinku's, perhaps resurrection is the proper term here? Personally I blame the choice of music, which was very strange for a scene like this. It was distracting hearing lyrics during a scene like this, and even more so with the attempts to sync it up visually. It felt very 'off' to me. I think the song was great, but there's a reason why you'd typically use an orchestral piece during a scene like that.

If there's a romance sub-plot to this, I wholeheartedly approve.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Traece

This episode was quite good up until Shinku's, perhaps resurrection is the proper term here? Personally I blame the choice of music, which was very strange for a scene like this. It was distracting hearing lyrics during a scene like this, and even more so with the attempts to sync it up visually. It felt very 'off' to me. I think the song was great, but there's a reason why you'd typically use an orchestral piece during a scene like that.

Personally, I really liked the choice of music, particularly when considered in the greater context of the story. For (this) Jun, this may be a dramatic first encounter, but for us in the audience this is a return to form for the story. So using this sort of quasi-insert song in this place makes sense, and the tone of the piece fits the scene: for us it isn't a first encounter, it's more like "welcome back". The song conveyed that tone well, to me anyway.

As for the lyrics... I wasn't even sure half the time if there were really lyrics or if it was just vocal sounds; some of it sounded like words, but I wasn't too sure.

[Traece]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Personally, I really liked the choice of music, particularly when considered in the greater context of the story. For (this) Jun, this may be a dramatic first encounter, but for us in the audience this is a return to form for the story. So using this sort of quasi-insert song in this place makes sense, and the tone of the piece fits the scene: for us it isn't a first encounter, it's more like "welcome back". The song conveyed that tone well, to me anyway.

As for the lyrics... I wasn't even sure half the time if there were really lyrics or if it was just vocal sounds; some of it sounded like words, but I wasn't too sure.

It sounded like they were going for a sort of vocal Jazz sort of style. I'm sure someone who speaks Japanese fluently will eventually make their way here, but if I'm right they were probably just sounds. This is why I must reiterate that the song was great, and I want to hear it again!

But the next time I want to hear it is when Jun and Saito go on a date, which had better happen or I'll be very angry.

I suppose it being a "welcome back" sort of idea makes sense in a way, but I feel like that scene should've been slightly more dramatic in tone. After all, it's not like this was a short respite. Rozen Maiden hasn't had a new animation in several years. That scene was more or less a recreation of the original awakening, so I would have expected them to be consistent musically. The more I dwell on it, the less distracting it is though.

By the way, where does one go to buy a phone that breaks on contact into two halves and ceases function? I'm going to pretend that the cell phone broke because it had struck Shinku's head or foot, and broke out of fear.

[Horse]

I'm with you, Traece.

TBH that whole awakening scene made no sense from a dramatic standpoint. Here he is in the middle of nowhere, knowing someone is coming for him and suddenly everything goes just sparkly and chill at the end.

While I'm seeing what you're saying relentlessflame, it's really only been 2 episodes since WE've seen Shinku. :P If they didn't have that recap at the start then I'd definitely welcome a scene of reawakening that is full of *magic* and *nostalgia*.

[HandofFate]

Not sure why many seem to have problem with the awakening, or even the soft vocals. It wasn't like it was rocking screaming "God Knows" song or something. I think I rewatched that sequence many times since I first watched the episode, and up to Shinku opening her eyes like a baby waking up, then slapping Jun was great.

I think the 'magical sparkly' background fit as well. Older Jun has been living a boring depressing life for close to what seems like a decade now. He finds something to engross himself in while making the doll, not knowing if some kind of prank is going on, or if he's just going crazy. Then he finally gets to the first goal that seemed to be the turning point he missed in his younger life.

[Pocari_Sweat]

So after this episode, I'm officially calling the second episode the pilot, with the first episode being a bad, rushed recap. This season is the real deal. It's way different from the original series, where there is little fluff and goofing about (desu spam, Hina being annoying, cake and tea eating etc) and it's gone straight to business... but in a slow but surreal way. By Studio Deen no less. This and Uchouten Kazoku are heads and shoulders above the heavy 'slice of life' and 'yuri' series we have in abundance this summer.