Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen - Episode 13 Discussion / Poll [END]

[stardf29]

I'm personally fine with this ending. Sure, the first half was much more of an ending, but I think it's nice to not only have Unwound Jun meet with the dolls again, but also be the support for Wound Jun, rather than the other way around. It's a good way to show just how he has grown over the course of this season, which has ultimately been about Unwound Jun more than anything else.

[Allium]

A pretty okay, open ending. Too bad that the prospects of Zuruckspulen having a second season are quite unlikely. It's a shame that this show hasn't received the attention it deserved.

Anyway, Zuruckspulen wasn't as dynamic and upbeat as the previous Rozen Maiden series, but it carried a subtle beauty throughout each episode - maybe excluding the first one - that made it alluring to watch, despite its slower pace. I enjoyed seeing adult Jun progress into a more confident self, thanks to Shinku and the dolls, and I also liked Kirakishou's role as a creepy antagonist.

Well, looks like that's all we'll have. Guess I'll just have to go on with reading the manga...

[Uberchu]

I honestly don't know what to think of the ending. On one hand, it teases a Season 4, but on the other hand, the sales were so low another season is unlikely. Dammit DEEN stop teasing us. As for the show itself, I've read everything that's been translated of the manga. 2013 Rozen Maiden was a mediocre adaptation. All the scenes lacked the impact they had in the manga, those little snippets of humor were cut, and the pacing was awful. It's quite disappointing, the manga is amazing and, personally, it's one of the best around.

[StainGlass]

Originally Posted by Uberchu

I honestly don't know what to think of the ending. On one hand, it teases a Season 4, but on the other hand, the sales were so low another season is unlikely. Dammit DEEN stop teasing us.

I also don't think it's very likely, and DEEN has teased viewers before with second seasons that never happened due to poor sales of the first (Umineko's - 'See you next time!' final).

[abc0716]

Oh noes open ending, but overall it's still a good series, aside the super-fast recap episode.

Hopes we won't have to wait another 7-8 years, or even longer (like FMP or Legend of the Legendary Heroes for ∞ ) for a new season of Rozen Maiden... (Although I just picked up RM this year)

Time to pick up the manga to read (but have to collect them all first ) !!!

[GDiddy]

I liked it. It sets up for an open ending....though as others have said, a second season probably won't happen anytime soon.

Did this come out on BR/DVD yet overseas? And if so, did it bomb or did it do decently?

Spoiler:

Totally knew Kira would take over that doll in the play sooner or later. Knew that from the moment that doll first appeared. Wasn't expecting her to get Little Jun or Kana's master....that was a bit of a shock.

So anyway.....sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this...but I'd like to start reading the manga again and was wondering what chapter does this end on?

[Guido]

If pleasantly, the adult Jun grasped and experienced important lessons about the possibilities that one's own life can hold.

I admit I was annoyed when the adult Jun started again going down the gloomy and emo path, but he at last learned that he can do now a difference with his life, and it's just the matter to take the opportunities that become present in order to begin solving the matters.
He somewhat managed a relation with Saito, the people of the troupe acknowledged his contributions and took him as one of his own. Even the bully manager of his at the bookstore has adopted a somewhat of lenient posture, since the head manager has taken interest on Jun, and what he did to keep the store organized and working.

Yet, what transpired in the latter half of this episode mounting to the dolls' unanimous decision that they need the help of adult Jun, then it makes me clear to me that there's more to be explored on the adult Jun.
It took this season to introduce the adult Jun to the audience, to flesh his character, to let us explore his background and psyche, and to let us inside his world. His foundations have been settled, and the ending literally begs for a continuation. A new season that will show us what the adult Jun can do now to help and save the dolls and the child Jun.

[MCAL]

Such a shame it had to end cliffhanger style, definitely the best Rozen Maiden has ever been, even better than the manga.

Originally Posted by GDiddy

So anyway.....sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this...but I'd like to start reading the manga again and was wondering what chapter does this end on?

It ended at Chapter 25, so you can start from Chapter 26.

[Horse]

Originally Posted by GDiddy

So anyway.....sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this...but I'd like to start reading the manga again and was wondering what chapter does this end on?

The Unwound arc ends in TALE25 (first half of this episode).

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by GDiddy

Did this come out on BR/DVD yet overseas? And if so, did it bomb or did it do decently?

AFAIK Sentai will release it in the US in 2014. IMO this will not only be the last Rozen Maiden to get animated, but also the last anime from the peach-pit creative duo to ever be produced.

[HosannaExcelsis]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

This show is really a testament to the simple notion that if you put brilliant and creative artists in charge of a show, they'll produce art - and Zurückspulen is undeniably art, as far as I'm concerned. It's a terrific series and deserves a far better reception than the one it's received, but in the end I think it was simply playing to the wrong crowd. I should know - I'm in it.

Well, it didn't focus on moe doll antics enough to please franchise fans, while its ties to the franchise diminished its appeal to non-franchise fans, so it kind of sits in this awkward middle ground. I'm glad it got made though.

Originally Posted by StainGlass

I also don't think it's very likely, and DEEN has teased viewers before with second seasons that never happened due to poor sales of the first (Umineko's - 'See you next time!' final).

You say that like DEEN has some monopoly on open-ended adaptations, when in reality most anime adaptations of manga and LNs end with dangling plot threads. This isn't so much because they're teasing a possible second season as much as they're trying to get people to buy the source material. The production committees that fund these adaptations are usually headed by manga/LN publishers, whose primary interest in the anime is using it to advertise the works they're publishing. The second half of episode 13 seemed to me like something mandated by the producers to try to hook people into buying the manga, instead of leaving them satisfied with the anime story.

[Uberchu]

Originally Posted by HosannaExcelsis

You say that like DEEN has some monopoly on open-ended adaptations, when in reality most anime adaptations of manga and LNs end with dangling plot threads. This isn't so much because they're teasing a possible second season as much as they're trying to get people to buy the source material. The production committees that fund these adaptations are usually headed by manga/LN publishers, whose primary interest in the anime is using it to advertise the works they're publishing. The second half of episode 13 seemed to me like something mandated by the producers to try to hook people into buying the manga, instead of leaving them satisfied with the anime story.

The problem is that the only people who would ever watch this show are the people already reading the manga. If you haven't read it then the show is pointless.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by Uberchu

The problem is that the only people who would ever watch this show are the people already reading the manga. If you haven't read it then the show is pointless.

Negative, I've never read it, and I loved it. I'm certainly interested to start reading it, though! Seems like quite a few others in this thread haven't read the manga either.

[GDiddy]

Originally Posted by MCAL

Such a shame it had to end cliffhanger style, definitely the best Rozen Maiden has ever been, even better than the manga.



It ended at Chapter 25, so you can start from Chapter 26.

Ok. Thanks.

The problem is that the only people who would ever watch this show are the people already reading the manga. If you haven't read it then the show is pointless.

Uh....I haven't read the manga either. And I didn't find the show pointless at all. Actually, I got the gist of it reallllllllllllll quickly...

[Dark Faith]

The first half of the episode was absolutely great. It's truly heartwarming to see how Jun's personal, professional AND college life took a turn for the better. He still has a long way to go, but he's definitely a lot better than he was 12 episodes ago.

Don't really need to say anything about the second half, do I?

[GDiddy]

Originally Posted by ogon_bat

AFAIK Sentai will release it in the US in 2014. IMO this will not only be the last Rozen Maiden to get animated, but also the last anime from the peach-pit creative duo to ever be produced.

Oh I know Sentai has the license for it here in the States...but I was just curious to see how it did in Japan.

I wonder if Sentai will stick to the original English cast or choose their own? I hope it's the former because man oh man, I hate Sentai's VAs. Most of them anyway...not all of them (HI MONICA RIAL!)

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by GDiddy

Oh I know Sentai has the license for it here in the States...but I was just curious to see how it did in Japan.

The numbers so far are:

Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen v1 total 2,072
Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen v2 sells 1,522 BDs, DVDs do not rank.

ATM well below the manabi line (2,899) and this was not a low budget production (i.e. Kill Me Baby) and/or had less than 24 minutes episodes to make up for the low sales. So unless this is one of those projects where 2 cours (or an OVA) were already on the contract, expecting more Zurückspulen is not a reasonable proposal.

[Jan-Poo]

I guess I'll give me two cents as someone that never read the manga.

To be honest so much time had passed since the latest animated product related to this franchise that there was a lot that I forgot and so it was kind of difficult to even remember the reason why I liked it.

Since I never read the manga there was practically nothing that reminded me of the characters the story and the plot for all this time, but as this latest series progressed little by little my memories resurfaced.

To get to the point I can't really say that I'm impressed by Zurückspulen. Was it bad? No, it was quite enjoyable in itself, but was it wonderful? I can't say that either. This is really not the kind of show that makes me want to recommend it to all of my friends, however I clearly remember that the original run of Rozen Maiden was that kind of show.

And I'll say more. I didn't watch Rozen Maiden when it was airing, I simply picked it up a bit later out of curiosity, I didn't even expect much from it, and yet it grew on me and in the end I thought "wow now I understand why it's so popular".

And yet Zurückspulen was just average to me. I can't really say that I was engrossed by the story, moreover there is a clear change of focus. Zurückspulen isn't really about the Rozen Maidens anymore it's about the adult Jun, and yet I can't really think that the difference in reception is only due to the fact that this time we have more adults themes. I find myself liking stories with adult themes more in general, so this might be one of the reasons but not the only one. In my opinion this Jun's story simply wasn't that interesting.

And regarding the Alice game and the doll's situation at this point I don't even care anymore. Kira Kisho is just inexplicably overpowered and it seems that no one except Suigintou gives a damn about the Alice game anymore. So where do we go from here? Honestly I'm fed up with Kira Kisho and it was just a big downer to see that she still wasn't defeated.

Souseiseki being revived then just seemed like one of those cases where an author kills a character then regrets it and makes up some kind of excuse to put it back on the stage. And in this case the stretch was twofold. One to explain how Souseiseki's body could be rebuilt and one to explain why Suigintou would relinquish her Rosa Mystica.
Now it's not like it was done poorly, I guess it was convincing enough, but not particularly convincing either.

As a side note as other mentioned Rozen Maiden distinguished itself for its great soundtrack, I still occasionally listen to "kowareta sekai", the fact that this last series's OST is mediocre didn't help certainly, but it's just a minor factor in the end. It might have contributed to the cold reception, but the main reasons are more fundamentals.

Originally Posted by ogon_bat

(2,899) and this was not a low budget production (i.e. Kill Me Baby)

Didn't they cut on the costs by using real pictures for many of the backgrounds?

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

Didn't they cut on the costs by using real pictures for many of the backgrounds?

I could be wrong, but to me they looked like 3D models, either way most of the time was spent indoors or in the N-field (scenes of the exterior world were only a few seconds long), so I do not think there was any real cost cutting there.

[Horse]

I thought all backgrounds except the nField were photo manipulations.

PS: Seconding most of Jan-Poo's thoughts.