Every year Japanese broadcaster TV Asasi conducts a survey and names the top 100 anime shows.  Last year the top winners were familiar shows.  Fullmetal Alchemist and Neon Genesis Evangelion took the top two spots, Gundam came in at #6, and Dragonball was 12th.  The first program on the list that I wasn't familiar with came in 9th place; Rozen Maiden.  When Geneon announced that they had licensed this series I was excited since my interest was piqued.  After watching the first volume, I'm not sure what the excitement is all about.  This show about a reclusive boy who finds himself surrounded by dolls that have come to life has some potential, but based on the initial four episodes its hard to tell if it will be a great show or just an average one.

Jun Sakurada is an eighth grader who has withdrawn from society.  He hates school so he has stopped attending, doesn't have any friends, and spends all of his time locked in his room.  When he's not sleeping, Jun likes to surf the internet and buy strange and unusual items which he returns for a refund after he gets done laughing at them.

One day he finds an odd box in his room that contains a lifelike doll.  When he winds it up, the doll comes to life and starts talking to him.  She informs him, in a very proper manner, that her name is Shinku and that she is the 5th Rozen Maiden doll.  This means nothing to poor Jun, and things get even more bizarre when a doll in the shape of a clown crashes through his window and tries to kill him.  Shinku says that she will save him from the knife wielding puppet if Jun swears an oath to her, something he quickly does without asking what he's agreeing to.

Shinku animates a couple of stuffed animals laying around Jun's room and saves the lad, and then informs him that he's agreed to become her servant, and the rose-shaped ring on his finger is a symbol of that relationship.  Shinku can drain energy from Jun when she needs it, which sometimes leaves Jun weak.

When Jun's sister, Nori, sees Shinku she thinks the prim and proper doll is adorable.  With their parents overseas on business Nori has to take care of her brother, and she's worried about his increasingly reclusive lifestyle.  Hopefully this doll will help him to emerge from his shell.

Over the course of this disc, Jun gets a couple of more Rozen Maiden dolls.  First is Hina, a child like doll who acts like a typical 4-year-old, and then Suiseiseki a spooky doll with different colored eyes who dislikes Jun.  These two are always fighting.

Hinted at in this introductory volume is the meaning behind the dolls.  There is something called the Alice game that the dolls play, a battle to the death basically using mystical powers.  The doll that manages to defeat all the others will become "Alice" and meet "Father."  Just why this is important hasn't been revealed.

This show has a lot going for it.  The mystery surrounding the Alice game is intriguing, and just where the dolls came from and why they picked Jun is also interesting.  The main problem is that the dolls aren't sympathetic or really even likable.  They're actually pretty annoying and I'm not sure why Jun keeps them around.  Shinku is demanding, and always bossing Jun around, Hina cries all the time, and Suiseiseki spends much of her time insulting the poor guy.  Didn't he become a hikikomori (someone who stays locking in their rooms for months at a time) because he wasn't getting enough abuse at school. Judging from the crass way he treats his sister, you wouldn't think Jun would have any problems locking the dolls away in their cases and throwing them in the trash.

This disc contains the first four episodes of the series in a clear keepcase with a reversible cover.

Audio:

The stereo soundtracks, in the original Japanese and an English dub, both sounded fine.  I alternated audio tracks while screening this show and both languages sounded very good.  The dialog was clean and clear, and though there was little panning or use of the soundstage the soundtrack was suitable.  This is one of those discs that has little sonic impact but still fits the show well.

Video:

This is a recent show and the 1.78:1 anamorphically enhanced picture looked very good. The colors were bright and the lines were tight.  There was some aliasing present, especially when the camera was panning quickly.  Other digital flaws were not present.  This is a good liking disc.

Extras:

The only extras are a textless opening and a series of three previews.

Final Thoughts:

It's a bit too early to tell how this show is going to turn out.  It has the potential to be really good, with some intriguing mysteries and an interesting premise.  If it lives up to this potential is yet to be seen.  Based on just the entertainment value from this disc, the show is recommended.