Episode 5 · Rozen Maiden

Rozen Maiden

Jun Sakurada hasn't left his room in months. School broke something in him, so now he just sits at his computer, orders whatever strange thing catches his eye, and ships it back before the trial period runs out. One day a note shows up on his desk. Would you wind it, or not? He figures it's just another order form and circles yes without thinking. Then a box arrives. Inside is a doll. A pretty one. He turns the key, and she stands up, opens her mouth, and starts giving him orders. Her name is Shinku, and she treats Jun like a servant from the first minute. She's also the fifth of the Rozen Maidens, a set of living dolls who have to fight each other in something called the Alice Game. Win, and you become a real girl. Meet the dollmaker who made you. Lose, and you don't get back up. Shinku needs Jun to fight at her side, whether he likes it or not. Pretty soon there are more dolls in his house, each one stranger than the last, and one of them has a very old grudge against Shinku. Jun's quiet little life is over. The question is whether the doll who bosses him around is actually keeping him safe, or dragging him straight into a war he never agreed to fight.