Ranked #483

Rozen Maiden: Träumend

Anime: Träumend was animated by the same stuido as the first season (Studio Nomad), directed by the same director (Kou Matsuo), and ran on Japanese TV from October 5th, 2005 to January 5th, 2006. Probably corresponds to some point in the Rozen Maiden manga, not sure which, though.

Story: Träumend picks up an unspecified amount of time after the first season. All the dolls are still living at Jun's house, and he's definitely better than he was, but still not going to school (though there's good reason for it ' he's playing catch-up). Shinku is having guilt-related nightmares, and after one of these, she and Jun end up being drawn back into the mirror in his attic (why haven't they gotten rid of that yet?!) and meeting the seventh doll, whose appearance basically means that Father wants them to get on with the Alice Game, already.

This season is everything I wanted last season to be, and more. There's not so much filler as there was before ' and when there is, it actually advances the plot! --, and there's actually an overarching plot/urgency that wasn't there last season. And moreover, we get to see the darker tones that were only hinted at in the last season. There are so many more standout episodes, and the writers really show their talent by making you feel for characters you might not have necessarily liked last season.

However, it's not perfect. There is a character who turns into a bad running joke for most of the series. And it looked like it was going to resolve things up till the last minute, but in the second half of the last episode, there's a nasty plot twist that leaves things open for a third season and several mysteries in its wake.

Art: I don't know why, but the colors seem richer this season. Maybe it's because there are so many scenes where they can use certain color schemes/tones. Either way, it looks like it did last season, but better.

Music: Again, about the same as last season. The background music has its instantly recognizable songs (some that carry over from last season, too, which is really nice). Didn't like the OP as much as last season's (ALI Project, again), but it grew on me. Liked the ED instantly, though, as it's done by the same group who did Nishi no Yoki Majo: Astraea Testament's OP, which is one of my favorites (kukui).

Length: No real issues with length, this time. Length is the same as last season's (twelve episodes), but it definitely goes by quicker. When there was filler, as I said before, it ended up advancing the plot, so that was good, and there was an overarching plot/urgency to drive things forward. However, the eleventh-hour plot twist in the episode, while it leaves things open for a second season, leaves a bit of a bitter aftertaste, because they were this close to resolving things, and they've only bought up more mysteries.

Seiyuu: I recognize Enju's seiyuu from TmoHS (Koizumi) and Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~ (Asuta), and Suigin Tou's seiyuu continues to rawq (Leandra from Nishi no Yoki Majo ' Astraea Testament and Lula from Red Garden!), but no other standout roles. Decent seiyuu all around.

Dub: N/A, has not been licensed as of yet.

Overall: A definite improvement on the first season, but still has its flaws. The ending leaves things more than open and ready for a third season, so Nomad should follow up on the implied promise and fix what few problems there are, kthnxbye.

Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Music: 7/10
Length: 8/10
Seiyuu: 8/10

Overall: 39/50; 78% (C) read more

Story (7.8) - Some improvements were made, if we compare to the first season. However, the story still has flaws. This time, more dolls appear and the "true" Alice game really begins.
The story this time is more interesting, is a little bit more original and the plot advances faster. However, it lacks some details about the story that i think werent very well explained.
Still, is better than first season, so i pass from 7 to 8.

art (7.3) - Not much difference in this aspect..i really didnt notice any change at all, still an average aspect.

Sound (8.0) - Sound is a little better than first season, however, is not enough for a 9. Background music this time fits better with the plot, the ed and op are about the same opinion i´ve had in the first season, just acceptable.

Character (8.0) - (read my review in the first series, so you will understand) Again, its what i said in the first season. My opinion didnt change much with the new story and with the new characters. However, with more action it gets a little better, but not enough to give a 9.

Enjoyment (8.0) - This time, there is more action, more mystery. There is improvement in this aspect, this time i will give it an 8.

overall (8) - Second series of rozen maiden is definitevely better than the first. However, there are still flaws, and even with this improvement, i still say that this is what i call an average anime. However, if you have a lot of spare time, you can check it, maybe you will like it. read more