Rozen Maiden (ローゼンメイデン （薔薇乙女）) is a manga by the group PEACH-PIT, with an anime series of the same name. It deals obliquely with the pressures placed on children in Japan by telling the story of a student, Jun Sakurada, who cracked under the strain. The series chronicles Jun's reluctant mental recovery through experiences with the Rozen Maiden, a series of enchanted dolls with a mysterious purpose.
Background Information
Rozen Maidens and the Alice Game
The Rozen Maidens are a collection of dolls created by a craftsman named Rozen, whom the dolls refer to as "Father". Their primary source of power is a human host (a "medium") that wears a ring to symbolize their bond with the doll, although dolls have been shown to act without a medium. Each Rozen Maiden has her own distinct personality, guardian spirit, and supernatural ability. Their apparent purpose is to participate in the "Alice Game", a lethal competition that promises the winner the right to meet "Father" by becoming "Alice", a girl of supreme beauty that lives inside of "Father", which is said to be "more sublime than any flower, purer than any gem, and without a touch of impurity".[1]
The game is played through duels in which the dolls fight using both their guardian spirits and respective abilities—such as the manipulation of strawberry vines—as well as the spiritual energy from their medium. The doll that loses the duel loses her "Rosa Mystica", the very essence that endows her with the ability to move, thus becoming "junk". The lost Rosa Mystica is then collected and absorbed by the duel's winner. The doll that gains all of her sisters' Rosa Mystica will become Alice. Shinku, the central doll of the series, is notable in that while she does not refuse to fight, she does refuse to take the lost power and kill a sister doll.
A doll can no longer become Alice if she loses her Rosa Mystica, or her ring, which is used to transfer power from their medium.
Story
Jun Sakurada is a Junior High School student who refuses to go to school as a result of mental issues from traumatic experiences there (see Hikikomori). He normally locks himself in his room and has a hobby of ordering extraordinary goods online and returning them before he has to pay. His older sister, Nori Sakurada, tries to do everything to help but is unable to reach Jun.
One day, Jun receives a letter claiming he has won a prize, and asking whether or not he would "Wind" (まきますか？）) or "Not Wind" (（まきませんか？）). After putting the letter in his drawer as he was instructed, he receives a beautifully crafted box almost immediately after Nori comes to complain about his habits. Inside is a human-like doll wearing rather aristocratic clothes. Curious, Jun winds up the doll. The doll then gets up on its own, and walks over to him and slaps him. She later on says, "My name is Shinku, the fifth doll of the Rozen Maiden."
Shinku is a doll from the "Rozen Maiden" collection, and before Jun can take in what happened, Jun now holds the responsibility to protect Shinku's "Rosa Mystica" whilst they are engaged in mysterious battles with other dolls.
Suigintou is the first doll of the Rozen Maiden. Her desire to win the Alice Game is the strongest of all the Rozen Maiden, and is primarily driven by her wish to meet "Father". Sadistic, spiteful, and arrogant (although she hides a spectacular inferiority complex), Suigintou has no inhibitions with the Alice Game. She will use any method possible, regardless of how cruel, to win. She has a particular dislike of Shinku, her rival, and can approximate how many hours and minutes it has been since they last fought.
In the first season, Suigintou's emotions and will are are so enduring that she can move and fight without the aid of a medium. She is against the use of one not only because of her natural independence, but also due to her disdain for humanity. Suigintou's weapons are her ragged black wings. With her feathers, she can conjure up two dragons as well as a large sword. Her wings also serve as shields when necessary.
Although she was the first doll to be created, in both the anime and manga, she has unique physical imperfections. In the anime, she is missing a torso as "Father" erased her design partway through her creation. In the manga, her wings--she is the only Rozen Maiden with them--have ravaged her back with cracks. These imperfections cause for her to be considered "Junk", and remain the primary motivators for all of Suigintou's actions. However, upon meeting Megu, her attitude and motivations begin to shift. Suigintou slowly begins to show affection, and even hopes to use the other doll's Rosa Mysticae to heal Megu of her heart ailment.
The Second Doll of the Rozen Maiden, Kanaria is as adorable as she is eccentric. Not only does she constantly refer to herself in third person, but also speaks constantly about taking her sisters' Rosa Mysticae without actually making an effort to do so. She fancies herself as quite the stealthy prowler, and makes a hobby of watching the exploits of her sisters, usually through binoculars. Kanaria's bright, somewhat arrogant disposition makes her the ideal subject for many of the comedy episodes. Despite this, she is a competent opponent and attacks using a deceptively adorable violin that destroys through sound. Her personality often complements Hinaichigo's: she usually ends her sentences with "kashira", which means "I wonder?" or "Maybe?" (Hina Ichigo ends with "na no" which, in Japanese, is part of the phrase "na no desu," meaning "that's why" or "because.") Her favourite food is omelet (tamagoyaki). Only appears in the second season.
Medium: Mitsu
Artificial Spirit: Pichikato (ピチカート, is Italian "Pizzicato", meaning "pinched", referring to the plucking of violin strings)
The Third Doll of the Rozen Maiden, Suiseiseki is the fourth doll to make an appearance. She has a watering can which she uses to nourish the "soul trees" of humans. She is, in a word, devious. Suiseiseki adores the spotlight, and her favorite activities include smashing the window of Jun's room (hitting Jun in the process more often than not), stealing strawberries from Hinaichigo, and cackling maniacally. She has a wild imagination and a fondness for telling wild lies to terrify Hinaichigo, whom she calls either "chibi-chibi" (tiny tiny) or "chibi-ichigo". For the most part, Suiseiseki and Jun seem incapable of being civil with each other; she refuses to call Jun by name, opting for "runt" ("chibi-ningen" which translates to "little human") instead.
Suiseiseki is a good comrade, however, and can always be relied on for that extra boost in battle. Despite her attitude towards Jun, she does care a great deal for him, and her attempts to cover them up usually result in more insults. In the anime's second season, Suiseiseki stands out among the dolls in that she values her sisters' love more than the goal of becoming Alice. She and Jun attempt - without much success - to convince the other Rozen Maiden that the Alice Game is a meaningless endeavour.
Suiseiseki makes an impression with her high-pitched voice and habit of ending every sentence with "desu." In battle, Suiseiseki uses her watering pot to make plants emerge from the ground and manipulate them in battle. Her artificial spirit is named for the popular Anna Sui perfume.
Medium: Jun
Artificial Spirit: Sui Dream (スィドリーム) (Also called Amethyst Dream (Jade Dream in the Anime).)
The Fourth Doll of the Rozen Maiden, Souseiseki is Suiseiseki's younger "twin sister", although her appearance is somewhat masculine. Like Suiseiseki, she has the power to enter human dreams, and carries a set of pruning shears that she uses to tend human soul trees. Unlike Suiseiseki, she is calm, quiet and deeply devoted to their "Master". She attacks ruthlessly if required, using her shears, although this weapon puts her at a great disadvantage with defense. In contrast to her sister, Souseiseki is incredibly quiet, composed, and analytical. She possesses the same sharp mouth that Shinku has and will not tolerate anything which does not meet the standard. The twins both share the same stubbornness, however. Her artificial spirit is named for a fragrance by Lolita Lempicka. She is presented much more in the anime than the manga.
In the manga, her master wanted to use Souseiseki's power to enter other people's dreams and exact revenge on his brother's lover, who he felt had stolen his brother from him. As Souseiseki alone can not achieve this goal, Souseiseki fights Suiseiseki to gather the two gardeners' tool Lempika and Sui Dream, which together can affect an individual's soul tree. However, she then realised that it was her master's heart that needed to be changed, and then sacrificed herself in order to free her master's heart. Suiseiseki should have taken Souseiseki's Rosa Mystica as they were engaged in an Alice Game and Souseiseki lost. However, the dolls in the scene are too shocked at Souseiseki's actions, and did not realize Suigintou had taken the Rosa Mystica.
In the anime, Souseiseki is devoted to a lonesome old man, who uses her as a substitute for his deceased son, Kazuki.
In Rozen Maiden Träumend, Souseiseki and Shinku are initially the only dolls that strongly refuse to participate the Alice game. However, during the later course of Träumend, she was manipulated by Suigintou and Barasuishou into starting the Alice Game, losing to Suigintou.
Even though the two versions progress differently, Suigintou is still the doll who took Souseiseki's Rosa Mystica, becoming the second doll to lose the Alice Game (the first being Hinaichigo) and the first doll to lose her Rosa Mystica.
The Fifth Doll of the Rozen Maiden, Shinku embodies the traditional aristocrat. She is extremely demanding and can seem unappreciative of others. Her favorite words are "tea" and "servant", and she takes pride in lecturing (or slapping) Jun at every opportunity. No matter how strong the emotion, Shinku rarely lets her sadness, joy, or fear become apparent. No matter how cold her appearance, however, she is highly protective and cares deeply for her doll sisters, as well as Jun and Nori. The other dolls seem to look up to her as an older sister or a difficult rival despite being one of the youngest sisters. She holds a very special place in her heart for the puppet detective "Kunkun". Shinku is in awe of "Father". She also desires to fulfill the position of "Alice", but refuses to employ the more ruthless methods of playing the "Alice Game". In battle, she fights with rose-based attacks. Her weapon is a cane which she weilds as one would a sword, and that can generate a shield.
Medium: Jun
Artificial Spirit: Holi (ホーリエ) (sometimes spelled "Holie")
The Sixth Doll of the Rozen Maiden, Hina-Ichigo is the embodiment of childishness. Although she can be ridiculously naive and selfish, Hina-Ichigo never has anything but the best intentions for those that she cares about. Her disposition is also a mismatch for her tremendous power, which is a series of attacks based on strawberry vines. Shinku defeats her (through Hina-Ichigo's own selfishness by exhausting Tomoe's energy) in the Alice Game, becoming the first doll to lose the ability to become Alice in the Alice Game. However, Shinku did not rob her of her ability to move. Instead, Shinku let herself to be the inter-medium to allow Hina-Ichigo to tap into Jun's power. However, in the later part of Season 2, Father has cut off this link. Therefore, when Hina-Ichigo used up her remaining powers, her Rosa Mystica is lost to Shinku, becoming second doll to lose her Rosa Mystica. Her favorite foods are "Unyuu" - which is actually strawberry daifuku - and Nori's "Flowery Hamburger", a dish that consists of a hamburger patty topped with a flower-shaped egg. She usually ends her sentences in "na no", complimentary to Kanaria's "kashira." (Hina Ichigo ends with "na no" which, in Japanese, is part of the phrase "na no desu," meaning "that's why" or "because," while "kashira" means "I wonder?" or "Maybe?")
In the manga, Hina-Ichigo is destroyed/consumed by Kirakishou. She sends her Rosa Mystica to Shinku through Berrybell, asking Shinku to use it to end the Alice Game.
Medium: Tomoe/Jun
Artificial Spirit: Berrybell (ベリーベル, is German "Little Bell")
Kirakishou is the true Seventh Doll of the Rozen Maiden and remains an enigma. Her costume is different from that of her copy, and she has a rose in her right eye, whereas Barasuishou's is a mere eyepatch covering her eye on the left.
In volume 6 of the manga, she appears in the same style as Barasuishou is in the anime. She has not been properly introduced yet. According to her, the 7th doll does not possess a physical body and can only exist in the N-Field. She therefore destroys/consumes Hina-Ichigo in order to be able to materialize in the real world. It has also been shown that although Kirakishou could not materialize initially, she could still affect real world events, such as when she gives a rose ring to the granddaughter of Corinne, Hina-Ichigo's former master.
Introducing herself as the Seventh Doll of the Rozen Maiden, Barasuishou is a doll clad in lavender that seems to lack any conscience. She fights with a disturbing calmness, and seems to possess a great amount of power. Her appearance announces the true start of the Alice Game, as she is supposedly the final doll of the Rozen Maiden. However, she is a fake, her "Father" being Enju, Rozen's jealous apprentice. Barasuishou can manipulate and create any sort of crystalline elements, including glass. Her true origin is revealed in the final episode of second season. She only appears in the second season.
A traumatized boy who lives a hermit's existence in his room and does not go to school after cracking under the pressure of entrance exams. He suffers from what is known as tōkō kyohi, or a refusal to go to school, as well as hikikomori, or the phenomenon of isolating oneself from society.
He spends a lot of time in front of his computer, and has a hobby of ordering things from the Internet— mostly fake magical or occultic implements— and then returning them before he has to pay, for the thrill of receiving something ridiculously stupid. He is also interested in cars and collects minaturized cars. When he unknowingly came in possession of Shinku, one of the Rozen Maidens, and winds her up, he becomes caught in the crossfire of the Alice Game—particularly due to Shinku declaring him her "servant" and insisting that he obey her at all times. Jun is skilled at crafts and sewing. Although he is arrogant, and occasionally cold and rude, he cares for others but refuses to show it.
Jun's older sister. She is his caretaker, as their parents are out of the country on business and apparently unaware of Jun's plight. Nori is kind and gentle but sometimes has an amusingly "dirty" mindset (which carries into her dreams, where she fantasizes about her brother). She unfortunately takes the brunt of Jun's abuse and criticism. Shinku constantly provides Nori with advice on everything from proper tea-brewing to Jun's care. Nori is very fond of the dolls who live and play in her house.
A girl who attends Jun's former school. She is quiet, and kind-hearted, although her speech and style tend to be very dry. Tomoe was originally Hinaichigo's medium, but the bond between them was broken when Hinaichigo drew on too much of Tomoe's energy and was defeated by Shinku. Currently, Tomoe aids Jun in his dealings with the Rozen Maiden. Tomoe consistently seeks out Jun and laconically helps him in his efforts to return to school, despite his fear of her.
A boy in Nori's class who is continually trying to confess his love to her, only to be interrupted by wild coincidences or unfortunate happenings, many of which are (unintentionally) caused by the dolls. Nori is blissfully unaware of his romantic interest.
The salesperson at the doll shop. He has a genuine passion for the dolls, even going so far as to explain dolls' feelings to Jun and Tomoe, but there is a sinister air about him. He is really the Laplace no Ma, the devil of Laplace. He only appears in the second season of the anime.
Laplace no Ma is Shirosaki in the appearance of a white rabbit in a tuxedo and a top hat with human mannerisms. He appears to be neither sinister nor kind, and is the very definition of mysteriousness. His only appearances in the midst of the Alice Game in the "N-field" are limited to dispensing poetic and seemingly nonsensical advice before vanishing. Despite the fact that he was seen supporting Barasuishou (and later, Kirakishou), Shirosaki's motivations are entirely hidden. His rabbit form is named for Laplace's demon. Featured in the manga and only the second season of the anime.
The young doll craftsman that runs the doll shop with Shirosaki. He leaves all of the customer service to Shirosaki, and relegates himself entirely to the back room to create dolls. Enju obviously takes his art seriously—he even goes so far as to give brief words of reassurance to halfway finished creations—but seems very tender nonetheless. He looks notably similar to the Rozen Maiden's "Father", though in fact he just is Rozen's jealous apprentice. He is featured in the second season of the anime only.
Souseiseki's medium in the anime. He is an elderly watchmaker who became delusional when his son died in an accident. His wife fell into a deep coma from the shock around the same time, leading him to become lonely and beginning to think Souseiseki was his son still alive, which, due to Souseiseki's strong loyality, puts the doll in danger.
Motoharu's wife (only in the anime). After the death of her son, she fell into a long dream-like sleep state from the shock. Even with Souseiseki and Suiseiseki's dream entering abilities, they were unable to wake her up.
Kanaria's doting medium. Her absolute love for dolls (or, more fittingly, obsession) is apparent in both her love for Kanaria and her room's decor. She not only has shelves upon shelves filled with dolls, but also makes frequent trips to the doll shop for the sake of purchasing new clothes or gifts for Kanaria. Mi-chan is generally as harmless and eccentric as the Rozen Maiden to which she's bonded. Only appears in the second season.
A sickly girl with congenital heart disease (her disease is not specified in the manga), who becomes Suigintou's medium. She lives in a hospital under constant care of nurses. Megu sees her life very bleakly and wishes to die, praying for an Angel of Death to take her away. She sees herself as a burden upon her parents, whom she claims are "guilty" of having her. Upon her contract with Suigintou, she declares the doll to be her Angel of Death and wants Suigintou to drain all her power to kill her. Only appears in the second season.
The creator of the Rozen Maiden Series. The dolls refer to him as "father", and the person winning the Alice Game is supposed to meet him.
Detective Kun Kun (くんくん探偵)
A fictional doll character who stars in his own detective TV show, which is a parody of other detective anime. The dolls, and Shinku in particular are attracted to the show. In both the anime and manga, Jun has pointed out the irony of dolls watching a show starring a doll.
Yuna Kuwata (桑田 由奈), she is the class beauty of Jun's class. Jun had a crush on her in the manga.
Kazuha Yuibishi (結菱 一葉), he is Souseiseki's Master in the manga, and he lives in a place called Barayashiki (薔薇屋敷) which translated means "The House of Rose".
Hataba Yuibishi (結菱 二葉), he is Kazuha's younger twin brother. He died in a ship wreck in 1957 while eloping.
The manga currently has 6 volumes in print, and is continually being serialised in Monthly Birz Comics.
The storyline between the anime and the manga have significant differences, including different stories, characters and sequence of events. Each volume costs 590 yen (excluding tax).
Note: Besides Japanese, it is also available in Chinese, Thai, French, German and English (in May 2006, published by TOKYOPOP).
TV manga
A series of manga based on the anime have also been released. It uses the anime storyline, and is in full colour with scenes taken from the anime itself and fitted into manga format.
The first season of Rozen Maiden focuses primarily on the psychological rehabilitation of Jun Sakurada. He is a hikikomori, and spends most of his time locked in the safety of his room and ordering items from the internet. However, through a strange order form, he finds himself in possession of an enchanted doll that calls herself "Shinku, the fifth Rozen Maiden". Much to Jun's displeasure, Shinku calls on him to create a strange bond with her, and the socially disinclined boy winds up being her "servant". The series follows the two of them as they encounter more Rozen Maiden, dolls that for the most part seem to want nothing more than to drink tea, destroy windows, and draw on his floor with crayons. In this season, five dolls are introduced: Shinku, Hinaichigo, Suigintou, Suiseiseki, and Souseiseki. Suigintou is the primary villain.
Rozen Maiden's first season consists of twelve episodes that aired between October and December 2004.
Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ (second season)
The second season of Rozen Maiden has a slightly darker tone. The episodes are more plot-driven and deal with topics such as "Father"—the Rozen Maiden's creator—and the inevitable conclusion to the "Alice Game". Jun does not yet attend school (he has too much catching-up to do), but studies at home and in the local library, happily goes outside, and seems to have even grown fond of the ever-present dolls. Shinku has been changed due to the events of the previous season, but she is generally as aristocrat-like as ever, lecturing and punishing Jun at every opportunity. Several new non-doll characters have been introduced. These characters include a riddle-spouting, formally-dressed rabbit and two mysterious men that operate a doll shop, one of which bears an unnatural resemblance to "Father". The final two dolls are introduced in this season: Kanaria and Barasuishou. Barasuishou is the primary villain.
Rozen Maiden Träumend consists of twelve episodes that began airing on October 20, 2005 and ended on January 26, 2006.
Detective Kunkun - Duell Walzer OVA
Duell Walzer OVA is a 7 minute Detective Kunkun episode. The show is presented as an opera performance with curtains, showtime buzzer and stage. The story is about how Detective Kunkun foils the evil cat's plans to steal a beautiful gem from another character. The story may be short, but the means Detective Kunkun uses to solve the crime is brilliant and well thought out. This episode portrays watching Detective Kunkun's show from a Rozen Maiden doll's perspective.
"Duell Walzer OVA" consists of only one episode and has been said to be ripped from the Rozen Maiden-Duellwalzer Playstation 2 game disc.
Barasuishou, as it turns out, is not the seventh Rozen Maiden, but the copy of one. Kirakishou, the original, is revealed toward the end of the last episode. Her purpose, motive and role remain unknown.
Laplace
At first, he seems to support Enju and Barasuishou in the battle against the Rozen Maidens, but at the conclusion, he slips away, declaring that this amusement has come to an end. Toward the end of the last episode, he is shown dancing with Kirakishou, holding Souseiseki's and Hina-Ichigo's Rosa Mystica in hands, incidicating that they are no longer in the possession of Suigintou and Shinku and cannot be brought back.
Father
At the end of Rozen Maiden Träumend, it is revealed that Enju is not the man known as Rozen or "Father", but a jealous apprentice of his who seeks to eclipse his master's art. To this end, Enju has created Barasuishou to destroy the Rozen Maiden and become the perfect doll. She succeeds in doing so, but as she is not being made by Rozen, she fails to contain the Rosa Mystica and falls apart. Rozen then steps in to repair/resurrect all of the dolls but Souseiseki and Hina-Ichigo, who were defeated by legitimate Rozen Maidens. He then leaves after telling Shinku that there is another way to become Alice without playing the brutal game and killing her sisters for their Rosa Mystica. He also tells Shinku that it is her role to find out how to do this and "fix things." How precisely this may be accomplished, however, is left unsaid.
The Magical Power
It is known that Enju and Rozen have the ability to bring dolls to life. However, Shirosaki, or more precisely Laplace, can change his appearance and move to and from the n-field at will. Jun (at the end of season 1) was able to repair Shinku's arm with magical power, which Suigintou commented is an ability only Rozen possesses. Clearly, Jun is no Rozen, as it was only performed in Jun's dream world, however Jun's sewing talents were able to restore a doll to life earlier in the series.
There are significant differences between the art style for the manga and the anime.
In the anime, the art is much "cleaner" and sharper than the manga. For example, the eyes in the manga consist of hatching lines as opposed to the more clear version of the anime (see comparison on right).
The manga uses much softer, almost pastel-like colours for illustrations. The colours used in the anime are much harder and easily distinguishable, while colour illustrations for the manga use shading and the mixing of colours.
Some costume details that are in the manga were not included in the anime. The most noticeable are the edges of the dolls' dresses: in the anime, the extra lace was taken out in favour of straight edges. Kirakishou's clothing is described as pure white in the manga, but is light pink in the anime.
In most manga color pictures, Suiseiseki and Souseiseki have blue and red eyes instead of green and red eyes.
Story and characters
While the anime's first season portrays Shinku as extremely serious and composed, in the manga she is often shown in compromising and amusing situations using a simplified version of her face.
In the anime, Souseiseki's master is shown to be an old man, who uses her to 'replace' his dead son. In the manga, Souseiseki's master is completely different: he is rich and affluent and uses her for different ends: to get revenge on the girl who eloped with his brother, leading to his brother's death.
In the first episode of the anime, and the first chapter of the manga, Suigintou sends a doll to kill Jun when Shinku first arrives. In the anime, it is a clown doll, but in the manga it is a teddy bear.
In the manga, Suigintou tears apart the bear after it has failed its mission, but leaves the remains in Jun's room. In the anime, the Clown is torn apart after being hit by feathers from an attack by Suigintou as it protects Shinku. In both cases, Jun is able to restore the dolls.
Barasuishou, Enju, the Shibasakis, Shirosaki and Yamamoto-kun do not exist in the manga.
In the manga Jun withdraws from school in humiliation after everyone finds out at assembly that he likes to design girls' clothing. This is completely different from in the anime. In the anime, Jun withdraws from school in humiliation after everyone in his class started whispering behind his back about how he did poorly on a test— most likely, an entrance exam for a competitive junior high school. This turned out to be traumatic for Jun because he was previously thought of as a genius in school.
Hina-Ichigo runs out of power after Father cuts off her spirit link in the anime. In the manga she is eaten by Kirakishou in the field of N. In both versions, Shinku gets her Rosa Mystica.
Video Game
Rozen Maiden: Duellwalzer is a visual novel game developed by Taito. It was released in Japan for Sony's PlayStation 2 console on 27 April2006. Two versions were marketed for release: a "normal" one, which only included the game, and a special edition which also included a Rozen Maiden handwatch, similar to the one Shinku is seen using. There are currently no plans to release this game outside of Japan.
Places that represent a being's soul in Rozen Maiden. Both the humans and dolls have them. These places are mirrors of a soul, containing elements from old memories or representations of important items. For example, Suigintou's dream world does not contain a daytime, Jun's dream world is flooded with broken computer monitors, Shinku's dream world which is a Victorian house with a coffee table, and Hinaichigo's dream world has many toys. Everyone's dream worlds are connected via an enormous tree, and the Gardener Dolls Suiseiseki and Souseiseki (along with whomever they choose to take) can traverse this at will, as well as open gateways into dream worlds. The more closely related two people are, the closer their "branches" on this tree. A person may be locked inside their dreams by Sui Dream or Lempicka, but the Gardeners never do this as it would lead to insanity.
Soul trees
A special tree within an individual's dream world. Their size and growth reflects a person's lifeforce or mental state. Soul trees are physically modifiable through the power of Suiseiseki's watering can and Souseiseki's scissors, but they do not use these abilities during the series. (They do, however, offer to fix Jun's soul tree, but it is determined that allowing him to grow on his own would be far better.)
N-Field
The N-Field (n のフィールド) (possibly "nth Field", due to mathematical references such as Laplace) is a region of space that is the domain of a Rozen Maiden, and contains elements that are characteristic to the doll it represents. It can only be accessed via some object that "has fragments of life"— often, this is the mirror in the storage room of the Sakurada residence, but various other objects have been used, such as Jun's computer screen. Every Rozen Maiden has an N-Field of her own, and she has a sort of home court advantage in her own Field, which can be offset by the power of a Medium. When a Rozen Maiden loses her Rosa Mystica, her N-Field is shut down, and the things within vanish from sight.
Detective Kun-kun
A puppet-based television series about a dog that solves crimes. The dolls that live with Jun are positively hooked on it, and Shinku's (formerly Jun's) shelves are crowded with the show's merchandise. This series-within-a-series appears to be satirizing such popular anime fare as Detective Conan (Case Closed) and Kindaichi Case Files.
Rosa Mystica play an essential role in the Alice Game and are vital to the existence of every Rozen Maiden doll. They can be likened to a doll's soul. When a doll is defeated in battle, the Rosa Mystica will be ejected from the doll's body and that doll will be unable to move. Another Maiden can then absorb the Rosa Mystica, gaining the defeated doll's attack abilities and even the memories and thoughts of that doll. A defeated doll can also be revived by returning their Mystica to them.
Artificial spirits
A companion entity that every Rozen Maiden has. It is in the form of a glowing speck of colored light that can fly around and assist the doll in battles. Only Suiseiseki and Souseiseki's artificial spirits have powers that can be used to help enter dreams and take physical shapes such as the watering can and the scissors. Others can also manipulate/repair material objects. Artificial Spirits can't talk but they do seem to understand orders when their master doll speaks to them and the dolls in turn seem to understand what they say. They can also transmit their master's voice on occasion, as shown in volume 6 of the manga with Hina-Ichigo's Berrybell. When their original master is defeated, the artificial spirit will join the winning doll. These spirits can also be given to another doll, as seen in the anime when Suigintou took them from Suiseiseki and Souseiseki.
Influences
The Gothic Lolita subculture plays a significant role, and it might even be said that Rozen Maiden is a series that is founded upon it. As well as the obvious character design inspiration, the central themes in Rozen Maiden—elements of Alice in Wonderland and a fondness for the style/habits of Victorianaristocracy—are also central to the Gothic Lolita subculture.
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