What would you do if you got a doll? A living doll. That demands tea? That will drag you into fights. Welcome to Rozen Maiden.

So I have read the first series (the sequel never got translated) back when Tokyopop was releasing it. I bought each new volume when it came out. But that is years and years ago, so I was excited when the Collectors Edition was announced and then even more excited when Seven Seas was releasing it. With a new translation. New bonuses. And the sequel and bonus stories will also come. The first 2, maybe 2.5 volumes will be material I already know and love, but I don’t mind. I wanted to re-read the series anyway. It was high time.

In this book we meet Sakurade Jun. A boy who is a hikikomori. He doesn’t go to school. Spends most his time in his room ordering weird shit (and mostly returning it just before the deadline which I found rude). Being an ass to his older sister who is trying to keep the family together with the parents always travelling. Seriously, Jun was a fucking ass. He keeps calling her pig and dumb and I just wanted to hit him with Shinku’s suitcase (though I would never because Shinku’s rage would be immeasurable). I am glad that as the story continued he lessened it a bit and I could see the boy he was before becoming a shut-in. I loved his reactions to Shinku, and later on to the other dolls. At first he was just not happy with the situation (and who can blame him, how would you react when you get a doll with an attitude + oh yes we are going to have to battle, good luck) but as the story continues we see him care more and more about Shinku, and also the other dolls. I loved seeing him really care about his cursed doll (not the Rozen Maiden) collection and I also loved seeing him be so good at sewing. I believe that this will be a key later, though it’s been YEARS since I last read the series so I cannot remember.
Oh, and I also love that at the end of this volume he did something very major. Something that he wouldn’t have done months before, but he dared to do now. I always love it when characters grow.
Plus, I hope that we get some more information on what happened to him at school. We get some hints/glimpses when he and Shinku go into the mirror world.

The dolls were great. Shinku is the first one and she has an attitude and will slap you if she deems something unworthy. Also she loves tea. But only when made in the right way. While Shinku at times was a bit too much for me, she is one of my favourite dolls. Her dress is wonderful, and I also love that despite being a bit much she really cares about her sisters and Jun and Nori. Like when Hina was taking over her master and what Shinku proposed. If it was Suigintou Hina would have been toast. But Shinku offered a solution. I loved how Shinku became a fan (along with Hina) of the Kunkun series.
Hina is next! And she is a whiny little brat and yes at times she was a bit much, but there were times that she was just the cutest thing and I loved how sweet she was. She still has a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do.
And we also meet up with one of the twins, Suiseiseki who isn’t a fan of humans and who requests the help of Shinku with saving her sister Souseiseki. She is a bit of a threat, but she has a golden heart. I loved how she helped out Jun and showed him what she could do + helped him out a bit.

For now the main antagonist is Suigintou, a big doll with black gothic dress and black feathers. Despite all she does and how far she goes and how willing she is to win this game no matter what, even in these early volumes you could see that she isn’t that bad. Her master is a girl who is in the hospital.

I loved the mix of slice of life (drinking tea, watching KunKun, making a mess of the house, having fun) with battles and exciting moments.

The art is of course amazing. I love PEACH-PIT’s style!

All in all, I cannot wait to re-read the series and go into the sequel + bonus stuff! I also cannot wait to have all the volumes as each one has a doll on the cover and on the spine which will be a fun thing when completed! I would recommend this one to all~