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ローゼンメイデン 
Well, this turns out to be a rather disappointing follow up to the first episode. To begin with, the animation is quite bad. The character design is inconsistent and becomes unproportional from time to time. The colours are also dull and unexciting. The writers also seem to be hellbent on removing any traces of link to Tsubasa Chronicle by altering the early scene involving Watanuki and Yuuko. In addition to this, I always get the impression that the ending of the manga is supposed to be darker than this but the anime decides to change this as well. Overall, I'm rather disappointed by it if it wasn't for the fact that the original storyline is still interesting. I really hope that next week's episode won't repeat the same dull and inconsistent character design because that will be really disappointing after the rather strong first episode.
Watanuki begins his job as Yuuko's assitant by cooking some food for Yuuko. It appears that the writers try to eliminate any kind of crossover with Tsubasa Chronicle. Later on that day, Yuuko is visited by a woman who doesn't know why she ends up inside Yuuko's shop. Yuuko tells the woman that this place is a wish shop and that the woman has come here because she has a wish of her own. Upon hearing this, Watanuki sarcastically makes a remark that the woman is simply being conned by Yuuko like he did but after observing her a little bit, he realises that there is a black smoke hovering around her finger. The woman tells Yuuko that lately she hasn't been able to move her finger well. She has gone to the hospital but the doctor claimed that there is nothing wrong with it. Yuuko, who also sees the black smoke asks the woman if she has any kind of bad habit but the woman simply smiles and tells Yuuko that she doesn't have any.
Strangely, upon saying this the black smoke around her finger grows bigger and thicker. Because of this, Yuuko decides to give the woman a ring to wear on her little finger. She tells the woman that the woman can either wear the ring or throw it away. However, she wants the woman to think carefully about what her little finger do. Fast forward a few days later, Watanuki is happy when a girl that he likes, Kunogi Himawari, tells him that he looks cool while playing Soccer. He, however, becomes upset upon finding out that Himawari also thinks another guy by the name of Shizuka Doumeki is also equally good. Watanuki tells Himawari that Doumeki's good performance is just a miracle, causing the other guy to respond by calling Watanuki 'idiot'. But him in a light conversation. Watanuki becomes happy because of this but upon arriving at Yuuko's shop, Yuuko tells him that his face reading tells her that something bad is going to happen today.
Watanuki tries to ignore this and tell her that he's actually happy today because he got to talk to a girl that he likes. Yuuko tells him that while talking to someone may change someone's fate, Himawari is not the kind of girl who brings good luck. That same day, they get another visit from the same woman who can't move her little finger. This time around, the black smoke that hovered around her finger has now grown bigger and surrounds parts of her body. The woman claims that there hasn't been any improvement on her finger even though she's been wearing the ring for quite a while now. Upon hearing this Yuuko decides to ask the woman a few question such as her age and her job. Strangely, everytime the woman gives an answer, the smoke that haunts her becomes thicker and blacker, and judging from Watanuki's expression, it also emits a rather foul smell. Yuuko tells the woman that her bad habit originates from her mouth and heart.
The woman claims that instead of just her finger, she now can't move her arm as well. Upon hearing this, Yuuko tells her if she doesn't realise this soon, she'll run out of time. As Yuuko said this, Watanuki notices that the ring has gone noticeably darker in colour and has some cracks in it. Yuuko then asks the woman if she'll like to think over her bad habit while having some tea with her. The woman, however, claims that unfortunately she's on her way to meet her boyfriend. As she says this, the black smoke grows bigger in size. Yuuko has no choice but to let the woman go but after she left, Yuuko makes a remark that she doesn't think this the woman will come to her shop again after this. Later on after Watanuki finishes his job at Yuuko's shop, he sees the woman who came to the shop exiting a dental surgery practice.
After overhearing the conversation of her colleagues, Watanuki finds out that the woman is actually 28 years old and not 21 like she claimed before. He also finds out that the woman often lies about other things in her life such as jobs and significant other. Upon hearing this, Watanuki realises that the black smoke grows thicker everytime the woman tells a lie. Eventually the smoke becomes so thick and large that it covers her entire body. The woman continues to lie when a colleague meets her on the street and asks her where she got the ring from. When she claims that the ring is an engagement ring, the ring becomes really dirty in appearance. Because of this the woman tries to remove the ring to see if she can clean it up. However, upon doing so, she finds that she can't move her body whatsoever. Unfortunately for her, she happens to be standing in front of a street and is promptly got hit by an incoming truck.
Despite this, the woman is still alive and is currently at the hospital thanks to Watanuki. He, however, wants to know why Yuuoko didn't tell her to stop lying. Because of this Yuuko tells Watanuki that she can't do that because it's up to the woman to decide this on her own. Cut to a shot of the woman in the hospital being informed by the Nurse that she was saved by a boy. The nurse thinks that the boy is the woman's brother. The woman, who knows that this is not the truth, decides to be quiet and simply closes her eyes. Back to Watanuki and Yuuko. Watanuki asks Yuuko if Yuuko can see the future, does that mean everything is pre-determined and known by Yuuko. Yuuko tells him that if that is what he thinks then that is what is going to happen. The world may seem infinitely large but the truth is, it is quite small. A world, is what you make of it. The episode then ends with Yuuko claiming that she's hungry so Watanuki is off to cook some foods for her.
Impression:
It's unfortunate that the animation is not up to scratch this time around because I really like this particular storyline. I always wonder what Yuuko meant when she said that your little finger is an important thing and I still can't find the answer to this very day. I simply assume that it's just an allegory for the lies that we tell others. Just like the finger, lies usually start off small but usually end up snowballing into a bigger one. I think this is why the woman's 'punishment' started off with not being able to move her little finger. But after a while, she found herself unable to move her arm and eventually her entire body. Anyway, I like the fact that the idea of pre-determination and free will was brought up again in this episode. Watanuki is afraid that nothing that he does will have any meaning if everything is pre-determined and Yuuko knows the ending. She, however, wisely told the boy that such scenario will only happen if Watanuki thinks that way.
I don't think I can completely understand what she meant by this. But I suppose it is another way for her to say that if a person thinks that he or she is going to fail before even attempting a certain obstacle or problem then it is failure that the person will receive. Moving on to other topic, I want to know why Yuuko warned Watanuki about Himawari. Is this because she's some kind of a demon who is about to devour Watanuki? Or is she simply the bringer of bad luck or something else entirely? I am surprised to see the writers incorporated both Himawari and Doumeki scene at once. I guess they just don't want to waste the time doing things twice. At the moment I'm not too sure what I think of the non-existent Tsubasa crossover. I thought it'll be kind of exciting to see Tsubasa character with xxxHOLiC's budget. But if this is the kind of quality that we'll have to endure in the future then crossover or not, both series will look equally bad.
Thanks for the summary in advance !
I cannot believe they cut the CCS links T_T and I'm very disappointed that the woman didn't die, too.
Everything else seems ok but, those little details are so essentials >.<
Aah, that is so disappointing. I also like the fact that the woman died in the manga. It gives the series a dark edge in comparison to Tsubasa.
Thanks for the summary, but I do wonder why that woman lies so much. In the end, it would have been the death of her if Watanuki wasn't around.
I have heard that the little finger connects the 'red thread of lovers [fate]' so perhaps that is what she means?
I wonder if animation will look better when 16:9 ver. comes out...
I wonder if animation will look better when 16:9 ver. comes out...
I hope that's the case but I'm not holding my breath. The 16:9 version of Rozen Maiden Traumend looks different in the sense that some of the shots were re-composed but quality-wise, they remain similar to the 4:3 version.
As for the storyline changes, I've been trying to justify it by thinking that it's the anime way of saying that the future is not definite and that a little effort from someone can change the course of another person's life. In this case, Watanuki's effort saved the woman. But I admit this is a rather weak justification and I'd much rather see the darker ending.
Sorry to hear you've been disappointed, and from the sound of it the edits they've made to the manga aren't good. It's such a shame the quality of the animation isn't that great, especially after the huge budget the film had. I know I'll continue watching out of the virtue of being a fan of the manga, but I sincerely hope we see some improvement.
gartern, i am hoping the anime won't do too much with Himawari. Base on the clues form vol7 , looks like the upcoming vols of XXX is going to invole Himawari and she is defintely more then she seems. What she is exactly i am not sure but i got feeling she more then just a evil monster.
And anyone else notice that the Yuuko talks Wannauki about Himawari it is almost like the warning she gives to her other clients. And Wannauki is ignoring her just like her other clients have ignored her.
About the little finger issue:
(Maybe its only known in the eastern world so I guess thats why some of you don't know..) If you make a promise with someone you hold his little finger with your little finger, or you hold little fingers or however you call it ^^;(though.. its nowadays childish to do that) Its just some kind of a sign, like when you take an oath you make this "sign".
So I guess what CLAMP want to show here through this little "habit" is that the little finger is a symbol of promise, or the "promise" not to lie to people. In the Manga there is also this picture (which was new to me as well) saying the "giving your little finger to someone" means that you are bound with this someone with a red string (that normaly shouldn't be ripped apart), just like the bond between couples, when their ring fingers are tied together with a red string....
I haven't watched the episode yet it looks like the same as in the manga: the woman keep breaking "promises" with other people (=lies all the time)and the string keep breaking up so that in the end it causes major damages to her...
I haven't watched this episode yet, but I re-read these manga chapters. It's interesting; when Watanuki says that Yuuko must've known what would happen, since she said that woman would not be back to the shop, his assumption is that she knew the woman would die. But, of course, it's entirely possible that had the woman stopped lying, she wouldn't have returned, as it's unlikely that she would've made the connection between the ring and her lies. And she would've lived.
Then again, Yuuko *can* tell the future, so go figure.
The little finger is what you use when you make a promise to someone. Like hooking your little finger. Therefore, it's a symbol of faith, sincerity and honesty. My two cents worth, at least. ^^ Thanks for summarising the episode!
Hello again.
This isn't xxxHOLIC related; I was just wondering whether you'll be taking a look at Juuousei/Juu Oh Sei. It's another of the series I've been looking forward to this season (the last, I think).
All the animes are starting to have a lighter tone. I think its cause if the the anime is borderline dark they will try to make it lighter so that it will be picked up overseas. I dunno this is just my guess.
I remember reading this chapter and wondering about Himawari, as well. It's not so noticeable in other chapters, only a few, but Yuuko doesn't pay much of her special attention to Himawari. I have a feeling she may be caught up in the Tsubasa crossover, but I've yet to look over my manga again to see if that works out. In anycase, I get the feeling Yuuko doesn't think much of Himawari, or at least how Watanuki feels about her.
As for the crossover being non-existent, I wonder if somehow some legal concerns got in the way of that arc, but considering that it's CLAMP's story, I would figure it wouldn't be a problem. However, there is always that possibility.
Really disappointed that she lives (not that I like seeing people die or anything, but); the fact that she died in the manga really drove home the point that what she was doing was destroying herself. In the manga, Yuuko often states that Watanuki had a lot to learn, so I think it makes more sense that way, since he can't save everyone.
Anyway, still looking forward to seeing it. ^^
As a side note, her living still doesn't really make sense:
Even until the very end, she was clueless as to what she was doing. Whether or not Watanuki had saved her probably wouldn't have caused her to think much about her lying in connection with her being unable to move. Sure, claiming a random boy as her relative would have put a damper on her habit, since she knows at least that that would be dangerous, but that's probably as far as her restraint would go...
I was just wondering whether you'll be taking a look at Juuousei/Juu Oh Sei
I wrote a review on top of this thread. I'm still undecided but I admit the story is quite interesting.
I believe this episode was not done by IG and was done by some n00b storyboarders or something like that... and was written by one of the IG writers who I don't really think highly of and I think wouldn't suit this anime at all....
But worry not for the director himself will be scripting the next episode... well hopefully it'll be better...
Yeah, I think the little finger is like the pinky swear everyone keeps mentioning. I always thought it was an American promise keeping tradition, but now I'm no longer sure. My family is Asian and I learned pinky promises from my mom but I never see anyone else make pinky promises. Is it just an Asian tradition or is it an American one too?
Also, yeah I'm also disappointed with the fact that the lying woman doesn't die. My friends always say that the manga is better than the anime. Kinda like how the books are always better than the movie. And anyway, introducing Doumeki at this point seems rather pointless since he really doesn't do much other than call Watanuki "idiot."
Hmm...aside from being appalled when I heard the voices of Yuuko in Tsubasa, I don't think I'll bother downloading this series either. It irks me when they make changes like this that undermine the main point. In every volume of XXX-holic that I've but thus far, there is a rather dark, morbid chapter in there somewhere--if they're already doing something like this early on, you can only imagine what they're going to do when they get to
*spoiler starts* the lost child whose blood is staining the hydrangeas.*spoiler ends* -__-
Also, I know it's not a huge thing, but as I've cosplayed that dress with the tassels all along the collar and sleeves, I hate it when they change the color of costumes. Like what they did with Chii in Chobits when her cute frilly dress that was pure white suddenly turned into peptol bismol pink. X_X
What in the world is CLAMP doing? @_@
ERRRK, I made typos. X__X
Ok, recap, I was appalled when I heard most of the voices in Tsubasa, but especially with Yuuko's.
And in every volume of XXX-holic that I've bought thus far, there's a dark chapter or two in every single volume which I have no clue how they plan to get through them.
Oh wait, I lied--they'll just change them. -_-
Mmmkay? I was jsut thinking after watching this Yuuko and Watanuki remind me of Jun and Shinku. She bosses him around and than he complains and she doesn't do much but than he does it. Mmmkay?
I'm going to stick with this series Even if they cut out he best part.
The epizod was great - but where can i find the opening to this serie ? It was here but teh time is over so it is no longer possible to download - I beg for help because i like this music - is here anyone who could help me ?
The pinky part is probably what Rown pointed out as the red string of fate. At 5:31 there is a shot of Moro with a red string tied around her pinky when Watanuki is thinking about his pinky.
The Tsubasa Chronicles Cross Over doesn't happen til the end of Volume 1, so it will probably be in the next couple of episodes. Abit disappointed with the XXXHolic anime at the moment... I am pretty sure it will pick itself up though! oh well at least with have the Manga to fall back on if it is ruined!
Ahh, too bad. I was looking forward to this being a good series. I hope it gets better.
As for the pinky finger, the other point about the red string is that, on the other end of that string, is supposed to be the one you're destined to be with ^_^.
Another great comic of CLAMP
XXX-Holic speak about Japanese mystery and Believiable.
Lovely Mokona!!
I was also confused about the pinky finger! The manga never really explained what was so significant. ^^;
Yuuko tells the woman that her bad habit originates from her mouth and heart
I think that Yuuko meant her breasts were a bad habit (implants, which she would of course say were real), not her heart. But I could be wrong 7__7;
yukko is so cool
ok... i'm kinda confused here. is this a high budget version of jigoku shojo, with boobs? because exactly what did yuko exact from the lying woman? also, i find the plot device of having 2 people carrying on a conv. in the crosswalk a little weak. no wonder people are always being flattened by trucks in anime.
on the upside, the boobs were more suitably camouflaged in this episode. i would like to hear yuko's seiyuu stretch her voice and show me her full range, since as rika she was rather constricted (and flat... how i miss that). i don't find her voice unpleasant. the cackling rodents had less air time--thank goodness. they can kiss each other non-stop, long as i don't have to hear their voices. our hero is suitably heroic. he looks cute in the osen-style apron. not loving the art w/ the really elongated bodies, but i've seen worse. will tune in for ep. 3.
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