Rozen Maiden: Träumend

As the story of Rozen Maiden closes, a new chapter begins in Rozen Maiden: Träumend. Shinku and the other sentient dolls of the Rozen Maiden collection are living life as usual at Jun Sakurada's house. Having settled into his role as Shinku's partner in the deadly Alice Game, Jun overcomes his former fears and prepares to return to school. And although Shinku and the other dolls idly pass the days by in the comfort of Jun's home, dark times lie ahead as a new foe presents herself: Barasuishou, the seventh Rozen Maiden.

But Barasuishou is a mystery even to her sisters, none of whom have ever laid eyes on her until now. Shinku considers this a sign that the Alice Game is coming to an end, meaning the dolls will soon be forced to fight one another. Haunted by the upcoming battle and nightmares concerning another doll, Shinku begins distancing herself from the others. If she wishes to claim victory, it will come at a high cost—the lives of her sisters.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Suigintou Main

Tanaka, Rie Japanese

Suiseiseki Main

Kuwatani, Natsuko Japanese

Shinku Main

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Souseiseki Main

Morinaga, Rika Japanese

Hinaichigo Main

Nogawa, Sakura Japanese

Barasuishou Main

Gotou, Saori Japanese

Kanaria Main

Shimura, Yumi Japanese

Sakurada, Jun Main

Sanada, Asami Japanese

Detective Kun-Kun Supporting

Tsukui, Kyousei Japanese

Laplace no Ma Supporting

Tsukui, Kyousei Japanese

Yamamoto, Sayo Co-Director, Storyboard, 2nd Key Animation

Nakamura, Shinichi Producer

Kananiwa, Kozue Producer

Tanaka, Junichirou Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jan 7, 2024

MxS7HGS

Recommended

If you love Rozen Maiden , then it’s probably already known to you that Traumend is a sequel of the series, and things continue exactly where they finished off in its previous run. Traumend is an almost direct continuation of the first series. If you haven’t seen that, this one probably isn’ t worth bothering with at all. Trust me, you'll be lost.

While Rozen Maiden was more about evolving characters, Traumend makes the jump right into action and keeps things moving at a fast pace throughout. There are still some fights between the dolls, however, it is more related to drama and action rather than ... comedy.

The new character Kanaria gives some laughs and eventually wears on the audience. But, Traumend is a bit darker than its predecessor and the dolls have to go through some hard times. There are even sacrifices, broken dolls and deaths.

The darker tone suits well for character development and we see important changes in the main characters. The ending was somewhat surprising, but perhaps some would mention that it lacked something – turned out as a bit of a cop-out. Nevertheless, it is a satisfying end to the series.

Traumend, overall a highly recommendable watch for fans of Rozen Maiden. It is quite fantastic, intense and it has an outstanding character development. Just make sure that you’ve watched the first series before watching this.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by MxS7HGS (116)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Dec 28, 2023

sure-why-not

Recommended

I'll keep this one short (especially relative to the absolute MONSTER of a review I left for season 1!) because most of what I have to say applies to both season 1 and Träumend.

I appreciate the effort to make this anime a little more serious in tone, and the sincerity of that effort. I like that certain obvious questions we had about the nature of the dolls was answered in a sensitive and fulfilling way (trying to be vague here to avoid spoilers!).

What I don't like is the end. It was rushed and unfulfilling. It really felt like the writers had written themselves into a ... corner and had to find a way to keep the action going until the end without leaving us on a sad note. I will chalk this up to trying to appeal to much to the action side of the anime (which was ALWAYS an afterthought). Unfortunately, the way in which they chose to do this robbed the most important characters of agency. And seeing these characters exercise that agency is what makes Rozen Maiden great in the first place (apropos that it is a franchise about ostensibly inanimate objects with animacy!).

Nevertheless, the characters were treated with such respect and their personalities depicted well that I can forgive the very end of the story. Everything else about it was fantastic. I treasure Träumend in the same way I treasure the first season. Both of them are very close to my heart.

I recommend this to anyone who wants to see the conclusion of the stories of the characters from season 1. Yes, I still recommend it even though the ending was a little lackluster for me. If you loved season 1, you will at least like Träumend.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by sure-why-not (2)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Dec 22, 2019

Terrible_Ivan

Mixed Feelings

Rozen Maiden: Traumend differs significantly from its predecessor. Where the first season followed an agoraphobic boy as he learned to overcome his fears and demons in order to help those he loved, the second gives center stage to the Rozen maidens and their enigmatic Father. Where once Jun broke the Alice Game and repaired what was thought to be beyond repair, he is now swept to the side offering little more than moral support. This shift in narrative focus had potential. After all, Jun’s story arc was neatly completed by the end of the first season while the dolls were ripe for development. How long ... have they existed, who is Father, must they obey the rules of the Alice Game, should they even want to?

These latter two questions become especially pertinent as the commencement of the game threatens the harmony of the sisters living with Jun. As the show progresses, so too do the characters: Shinku struggles to deal with the consequences of the first season, the twin sisters find their intentions drifting apart, even the (mostly insufferable) comic relief character Hina-Ichigo concludes a surprisingly emotional character arc. Several new characters are introduced, such as the (completely insufferable) comic relief character Kanaria and the fabled seventh Rozen maiden, Barasuishou, as well as an inscrutable trickster rabbit and a mysterious dollmaker. Far and away, however, the breakout character is Suigintou, who develops into an equal parts sympathetic and badass anti-hero as she and some of the other maidens seek out mediums in order to attain an edge in the Game.

The stakes continue to rise and a series of frustrating, yet justifiable decisions are made, investing one emotionally as the plot starts to heat up. Philosophies regarding the Game and the dolls’ involvement in it clash as characters arrive at different conclusions concerning what is right. I, for one, was rivetted to the screen by the later episodes as they steamed ahead towards their uncertain conclusion.

And then episode 12 hits.

I have never seen a more abortive climax than the one that waits in episode 12. The momentum the show has built collapses in just a few minutes as the ending is rewritten, live, before your very eyes! The writers make a bold statement about the futility of resisting fate and the insignificance of our main character in the grand scheme, and then change their minds 30 seconds later as one is left to weep over the corpse of the last several wasted hours. It isn’t a bitter, sweet, or bittersweet ending, it’s just junk.

It is difficult to get further into this review without spoilers, so I will leave you with this: Rozen Maiden Traumend is a lot of buildup for very little payoff. There are other flaws, such as Jun’s consistent inaction in the face of major events and Kanaria’s entire existence, but these pale in comparison to the ending. If a bad ending spoils a show for you, don’t bother watching, or maybe just watch up to episode 11 and imagine your own ending under the influence of whatever drug/drugs you have on hand.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Terrible_Ivan (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Seinen Anime that feels like Josei

by -Hotaru_

28 Entries · 33 Restacks

Toy Battle Anime

by RippleLover

20 Entries · 1 Restacks

Hermetic Influence in Anime

by TibetanJazz666

43 Entries · 102 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for April

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for April. Week 1: April 2 - 8 Anime Releases Black Bullet Complete Collection Blu-ray [2024 Re-re...read more

Apr 2, 12:38 PM by Aiimee | Discuss (1 comment)

Sentai Filmworks Licenses Rozen Maiden

According to their official press release, Sentai Filmworks has revealed their acquisition of Rozen Maiden, Rozen Maiden: Träumend, and Rozen Maiden: Ouvert&uum...read more

Sep 2, 2011 4:47 PM by Florete | Discuss (26 comments)

	Poll: Rozen Maiden: Träumend Episode 10 Discussion cyruz - Jun 25, 2008	38 replies	by RusiansBF »» Dec 19, 7:16 AM
	Poll: Rozen Maiden: Träumend Episode 5 Discussion cyruz - Jun 22, 2008	27 replies	by RusiansBF »» Dec 18, 8:42 AM
	Poll: Rozen Maiden: Träumend Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) cyruz - Jun 26, 2008	72 replies	by Pentagonion »» Aug 31, 2:29 PM
	Poll: Rozen Maiden: Träumend Episode 11 Discussion cyruz - Jun 26, 2008	27 replies	by Pentagonion »» Aug 31, 2:13 PM
	Poll: Rozen Maiden: Träumend Episode 8 Discussion cyruz - Jun 24, 2008	21 replies	by Pentagonion »» Aug 23, 7:50 PM