Monthly Archive for October, 2004

Nori Sakurada is a clumsy girl who appears to have bad luck wherever she goes. She runs into a telephone pole on her way home from school, and little kids look away from her when she smiles at them. As soon as she steps inside her home, not a second later the doorbell rings and multiple packages arrive for her sibling, Jun-kun. Upstairs, Jun-kun’s on the computer browsing the web when he reads a letter stating, “The artificial spirit Holie will collect your letter through a dimensional portal.” He has an apparent interest in the paranormal, receiving packages filled with cursed dolls, etc. As long as it makes him laugh, he’ll mail-order it to his home. Nori thinks his obsession has gone too far and suggests that he take an interest in something less depressing such as lacrosse, but he kicks her out of his room and tells her to return the packages that are still sitting in the living room. It seems like his obsession has taken over his life, as he no longer eats with his sister and has decided to quit school altogether.

After yelling at Nori to hurry and return his packages before the deadline (he’s bossy and grouchy), he accidently trips over a chest and opens it up to find a doll lying inside (the same creepy doll seen earlier in the show). He’s surprised at how big and realistic the doll looks, and uses the key to wind her up. The doll creeps him out, so he tosses her away from him and watches helplessly as she awakens. She opens her eyes and walks toward him looking pissed off, slapping him across his cheek and telling him that he had no permission to touch her. Her name is Shinku, and she is the fifth doll of Rozen Maiden. She’s apparently a picky doll as well, complaining about his filthy living conditions and stating that it’s not appropriate for her to live there, but she has no choice but to stay there since she’s been wound up. She knew that he must have answered Holie’s question (he circled the question “Will you wind?” in the letter he received earlier, knowing nothing of the consequences of answering that question). He thinks the doll is just another marketing tool for his spiritual toys, and he tries to touch her but she avoids getting grabbed again and complains about his disgusting impoliteness. He thinks he’s been cursed because of all the times he’s made fun of those cursed goods.

Black feathers suddenly appear in his room, and she says that “it” has appeared. A creepy clown breaks into his room from the window and stands on his bed. Shinku tells him that it’s unfortunate that he’s going to die there, but if he doesn’t want to, he has to swear… The clown throws a single King card at him, and it ends up tearing his sleeve. He begins to panic and tries to open his door, but it’s locked and Shinku tells him not to act erradically just because his sleeve is torn. More cards are thrown at him as he drastically tries to open his door, and Shinku asks him one more time if he will swear or won’t swear. After watching the clown taking out a set of knives, Jun screams that he’ll swear. She tells him to kiss the rose on her hand, and he does rather hesitantly. The rose lights up, emitting a red glow. She tells him that he’s a good boy, and after a few seconds of a spectacular light show, the ring appears on his hand. The ring is hot, and Shinku tells him to endure it, for he has become her Medium. She awakens his other dolls with the same red energy (she blows into her hand and rose petals appear), and together they stop the clown from killing Jun. She tells him that he was saved thanks to his dolls, and she also reveals to him that dolls choose their own masters, and they work very hard because they want to protect him. He suddenly feels dizzy, and she says that his inability to use a greater amount of energy makes him a disgusting servant. She also tells him that he swore earlier to protect him (kissing the rose on her ring), and from now on his job is to continuously supply her with his energy through the ring. He tries to take the ring off his hand, but she tells him that he’ll tear his own flesh if he tries to force it off.

Jun orders Nori to prepare black tea for him, then he quickly takes the tray from her hands and slams the door in her face (he’s a real jerk to her). He warns Shinku that Nori’s tea isn’t any good, and after taking a sip she agrees that it doesn’t taste like black tea, but it does have a very kind flavor. She tells him that Nori cares for him very much. Nori is still standing outside his door and asks him if it’s any good, and he lamely tells her that it’s less bad. She’s happy with his lame “compliment” (I would’ve already poured the hot tea in his face), and Shinku tells him again that he’s a good boy. Nori opens the door and sees her embarassed brother drinking tea with a doll, and she thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world. He kicks her out of his room, and the episode ends with Shinku looking out the window to observe the moon.

This was an enjoyable episode, and I’m looking forward to watching more. I have a similar looking doll in my room (inherited her from a relative), and I always wondered what would happen if she ever began to move on her own. Thankfully, that won’t happen anytime soon. That would be an awfully mean Scare Tactic to pull on someone. Hmmm… (only kidding, of course.)