May 2006, Tokyopop, 192 pages, Paperback, Personal copy
Book summary from Publishers Weekly on Amazon
The genre of "awkward young man meets
bizarre/supernatural/extra-dimensional/space alien female and all manner
of wacky hijinx ensue" has been endlessly rehashed, from the
prototypical Urusei Yatsura to countless knockoffs, including Peach Pit's own DearS.
This volume goes down that familiar path, adding only a slightly more
sinister edge than its predecessors. Jun is a high school dropout who
spends his days ordering items from the Internet and sending them back
for laughs, but his feeble prank backfires when he receives a "Rozen
Maiden" named Shinku. The doll comes to obnoxious life when wound up by a
key inserted into her back. Instantly treating Jun with disdain, Shinku
attempts to groom him into her manservant while revealing that the
antique mirror owned by his parents is actually a doorway into the
"N-Field," the nexus of alternate realities. Charged with protecting the
living doll by "the Spirit Hollier," Jun and Shinku embark on a
transdimensional odyssey, the purpose of which will presumably be made
clear in the next installment. Peach Pit's cutesy/goth manga art is
coupled with a story that hits all the usual notes.
Nayu's thoughts
Sadly I
only have this volume in the incredible series that I first saw as an
anime. It can get a bit creepy, but overall it is a fun read, looking
at what life is like for shut-ins who feel they can't face the
outside world for some reason so literally don't leave their house. I adored the anime, primarily because
of how cute Shinku is-just look at her gorgeous dress! She and the
other Rozen Maidens who are way more than a living doll have similar
styles but immensely different and strong powers. I like how Shinku
has her own tiny tea cup, how she can run out of energy then needs
recharging (if only I could recharge my energy low body in the same fashion).
 |
| This is what Shinku looks like when Jun first gets her, so sweet and gentle. She can be those characteristics, but not that often! |
Just like
the anime in the manga it is funny how obsessed Jun's sister whose name I've forgotten becomes with Shinku, trying
to take care of her every need, and being overly enthusiastic about it. While I'm not 100% comfy with Shinku
treating Jun as her slave, I like watching their bond grow, not just
because of the ring that's a symbol of their relationship which keeps them together but Jun
genuinely cares for her and wants to make sure she is ok. Having his
own toys attack him is on the creepy side, but what he does to later
fix one is a touching moment. He may have a lot of issues to deal with
but deep down he has compassion for others which hopefully one day he can give himself.
There is a lot of humour, both from
how Jun/Shinku/Jun's sister interact with each other, how Shinku learns
about the world including her mistake in the bathroom, how Shinku is
so particular over tea preparation, how much Jun's sister dotes on Shinku
that it balances the darker and weirder parts of the story. I
think I prefer the anime because the manga is a little different (&
not in colour...) but overall I love it and look forward to collecting
more in the series one day!
Suggested watch
Another anime which is similarly convoluted although doesn't involve living dolls is Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning I've seen the anime but not read the manga.
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