Rozen Maiden: Ouvertüre

I'll let you know right off the bat I am extremely biased toward Rozen Maiden: Ouvertüre. One, as of this moment, this is the only thing on my anime list that I've rated a ten (not even Rozen Maiden or Rozen Maiden: Träumend gets this honour); two, I think Tanaka Rie (Suigintou's seiyuu) is spectacular; and three, my favourite doll is Suigintou.

Now, to the important stuff: Why do I like this so much?

Simply enough, it explains why Suigintou is the way she is. Haven't you watched or read enough things where there are incredibly evil antagonists, and you hate their guts, but you ... have no idea why they're doing what they're doing?

Suigintou starts to change in Träumend but as viewers we still don't understand where her attitude comes from. Those who have watched Rozen Maiden will know why Suigintou's particularly sensitive to certain insults, but Ouvertüre tells us the real reason, and I am inclined to believe even Suigintou-haters will empathise (or at the very least, sympathise) with her, even if only for a fleeting moment.

And even though the events in Ouvertüre take place before both Rozen Maiden and Träumend, I highly suggest watching Ouvertüre last to fully appreciate it.

In other news, the art and animation's wonderful, and as for "sound", I tend to weigh the seiyuu's performance more heavily than the music. Both Tanaka Rie and Sawashiro Miyuki (Shinku's seiyuu) were outstanding in Ouvertüre. And I'm not kidding about that at all. I don't think it's possible to watch Ouvertüre and come away thinking, "The seiyuu could've been better than that."

I do wish it were longer-- for how can two episodes sate the insatiable? -- but I think it's a suitable length for Ouvertüre as far as things go. The point of Ouvertüre isn't to answer and explain all the unanswered questions thus far; it's to give Suigintou character development.

And in that regard, I think it's succeeded in a most spectacular fashion.

Title: Rozen Maiden Ouverture

Anime: Ouverture was animated by the same studio that did the other two seasons (Nomad), directed by the same guy (Kou Matsuo), and ran on Japanese TV from December 22nd to December 23rd, 2006. Again, this may or may not correspond to the manga; since I have yet to read it, I'll have to get back to you on that.

Story: Ouverture focuses on the first meeting between Shinku and Suigin Tou, mainly through a flashback as Sousei Seki tells the tale to Jun. The flashback part takes place back in Victorian England, and the modern day part takes place between ... episodes six and eight of Träumend.

Wow. It's amazing, seeing what a violent 180 everyone's personalities took to become what they are today. Well, everyone except the Sekis, really.

Still, I felt that something was missing from this OVA. But that falls more under Length. Overall, though, the plot for the OVA was pretty good, about the same as the writing for Traumend. Definitely dark, definitely revealing, but it felt like there could've been more.

Art: This is the pinnacle of the art that Rozen Maiden has shown thus far. The tones are definitely darker, and it's absolutely beautiful.

Music: No original music for this OVA; instead, it uses music from the previous two seasons. Except for the OP (again, done by ALI Project), which is probably my least favorite of all their OPs. Again, though, the ED (done by kukui) is made of awesomeness, and is my favorite of the three.

Length: The OVA really feels like it's missing something. The plot only starts picking up in the last third of the first episode, and it wraps up pretty quickly in the second (and last) episode. If it had been given an episode or two more, it probably would've had a chance to really shine. (Personally, I would've liked a whole twelve-episode series centered on Suigin Tou, but hey, that's just me. :P)

Seiyuu: Ouverture keeps the same seiyuu from the previous two seasons, so I don't feel the need to repeat what I've said the last two reviews.

Overall: Ouverture is a pretty good OVA, but it's not ZOMG material. Maybe if it had been given a few more episodes, it could've been.

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

Overall: 38/50; 76% (C)

I am not exactly sure when this series actually ends up starting as there are many characters from Traumend but yet there is also a lot more information about the Alice Game that Jun doesn’t seem to know at the end of the series. There is also a lot of information on Suigintou.

Because of the fact that most of the story revolves in a different era then the rest of the series, it makes it so the animation is a lot different as well. I believe the story is actually in Europe as well meaning a different look to the backgrounds. The personality of ... the only few human characters we see also show this different world well in how strict they are to their daughter in how she acts. The young girl, Sarah, who is Shinku’s medium in that time can’t seem to act like a child at all. She is always talked down upon by her mother and her father doesn’t seem to notice her all that well for the times we do see them. On the other hand, Sarah is also quiet harsh, especially about the ideas of Shinku fighting. She seems almost to light up when the subject of fighting dolls comes up a bit.

The other part that is in the normal world is pretty much normal to the slice of life storyline but it is very short.

The animation is very similar to the other seasons except since most is a flash back, we have a sort of slight sepia tone to it. The area in the flashback is very early 20th century Europe and has a very gray looking area. The N-field that they fight in is also a bit gray even if it still retains its color. No matter if they are looking back in time or the normal time, the dolls still seem like they are not part of the human world. They still seem more detailed and stand out.

The opening song is actually a lot more calming then the first two. It has an even more haunting presence to the song, I think because it sort of focuses more on Suigintou and her feelings rather then the others. The ending has a bit more of an up beat then the opening which is opposite to the other seasons.

Though this was a very short ‘OVA’ (or at least I think it was an OVA), it had a lot of information that I really do think was needed about the dolls and the Alice Game. It still had a lot of questions but it answered more then it gave.

Overture is basically a backstory explaining why Suigintou hates Shinku so much.

Story: I've pretty much summarised it up there. It is explained nicely in the 2 episodes, and you see the transition from when Suigintou and Shinku first meet, and they are friends, all the way to Suigintou explaning her hatred of Shinku at the end of episode 2. The events leading up to it make sense, and do actually fit together to form a coherent story, unlike some back stories which just appear to be totally random.

Art: I didn't think it was as good as the first series'. I haven't seen ... the 2nd yet so I can't comment on it. The colours weren't as good and it just seemed more amateurish.

Sound: Again, not as good as the first series. The theme song was again excellent. (though I am an Ali Project fan). The soundtrack obviously wasn't memorable as I'm sitting here struggling to remember anything about it even though I only watched it last night.

Character: The chracters were the best thing about this, particularly Shinku and Suigintou. Suigintou's change in attitude was very well done, as was Shinku's pleas with her to understand. I actually felt really sorry for Shinku at the end, as she struggled to get Suigintou to understand her. Shinku's past medium Sara, was a little irritating in her expectations of Shinku though. All the other characters only got a token amount of screen time, so I'm not going to comment on them.

Overall: Don't watch it before anything else, but once you've watched the first season, it's a nice explanation behind Suigintou's hatred.


This is my first review so constructive criticism would be appreciated! ><

Out of the three Rozen Maiden's I think that this one has the darkest tone. Separating from the light tone of the first season and the beginning of the second season is something the show needed. Having this overture to the show added more effect to a certain character if you go, and watch the second episode. Overall it is amazing and for less than an hour to watch is something most anyone watching Rozen Maiden should watch. I think that it is even better than the first season, and on par with the second. The only thing is that if you watch this after ... the first seasons before the second the entire show makes more sense. So I think that for the one hour that it takes to watch it is definitely worth it.

I must say that i enjoyed the Rozen maiden series (including traumund), however, this 2 episode special is my favorite piece of rozen maiden out of the entire series.
While the original two seasons completed the story very well, it never goes into detail into suigintou's past. This special really helps the viewer understand the tragic turmoil that suigintou went through, at the hands of shinku. once i finished this special it is worth noting that the way i viewed both shinku and suigintou changed dramatically, and thats a good thing. deep psychological problems exist between the two, and this special really points it out well,

what ... else can i say, if you love rozen maiden then you will definately love this

I loved overture!!! Anyone who reads this review and likes rozen maiden must watch it! The story was very good though I did think it would be a little longer, that's my only qualm. The relationship between Shinku and Suigintou is one everyone must know about. The art was pretty good too, the same as the other 2 seasons.
I loved the opening! One of my favorite anime openings right now! :) It's very...beautiful. Sadly I don't usually pay much attention to anime endings so I have nothing to say about the ending.
The characters were wonderful. As usual, I loved Shinku though she ... is different from how she is the other 2 seasons. More cold and harsh.
I had a love/hate thing for Suigintou, at first she seemed quite sweet and determined but towards the end overture I think she goes too far. You will have to watch it to know what I mean, I'm not gonna spoil it for you. ;)

My overall enjoyment was indeed a 10! The only thing is it left me craving for more, a third season of rozen maiden is a must!

If you're a Suigintou fan, you're in luck. This OVA series cuts out almost all of the 'irrelevant' side-characters and focuses strictly on Shinku and Suigintou, their past, and the start of their mutual animosity. Despite Ouvertüre technically being a prequel, it's best to watch the previous two seasons to understand it in its entirety.

Shinku cannot stand imperfection, for to accept imperfection is to deny her purpose in life--to become the perfect doll, Alice. Suigintou is by design imperfect--for Shinku to deny imperfection, to deny the possibility of a defective doll like herself ever seeing their father again is to deny her very existence, and ... their friendship. It was all sweet lies: Shinku's kindness was one born of pity, and oh did she revel in the fact that her poor, inferior sister could never meet their father. Shinku's mere existence feeds Suigintou's insecurity, one that quickly transforms into spite and malice. This fundamental divide in disposition spirals out of control, with both of them losing something precious to each other. Hate born from affection is so much more potent than mere contempt: such uncontrollable hatred leads to a relationship beyond reconcile.

These two episodes play on this very simple difference between the two dolls, mainly from Suigintou's point of view. The moment that love turns into hate, showing the contrast between the tones and emotions of both states is what makes the drama coming from this simple premise work. Such drama does not benefit from complex sub-plots and numerous characters with varying motivations and allegiances: Suigintou herself is single-minded towards her goal, and wears her emotions on her sleeves. The simplicity of premise and plot amplifies the gravity of the exchange of raw emotions between Shinku and Suigintou: everything they say and do is genuine, because it's all they have. To hell with subtlety: from the opening and ending visuals and lyrics, to every single line of dialogue between the two characters, these two episodes perfectly encapsulate Suigintou's descent from insecurity and confusion into madness, borne of love towards her father, fueled by hate towards everything that would get in her way. The dialogue and use of props is just beautiful, only made better by Tanaka Rie's marvelous acting, who's able to act out both the meek, dependent, and weak side of Suigintou and her boiling rage and jealousy towards Shinku superbly.

I'm slightly miffed at the very end of the second episode because I don't think it showcased the full outburst of their conflict: the pay-off suffers a bit as a result.

If only the entire series was as intense and well-executed as these two episodes.