The curtain is about to rise for the play that Saito and her company have been preparing. Are things about to start for the plot of the show as well?
What They Say:
Episode 8: “Tale 8”
Jun throws caution to the wind and uses his natural gift of observation and studious nature to put the store manager in his place. In doing so, he accidentally impresses Saito, his cute coworker. He does his best to convince her (and himself) that he is not such a nice guy. Jun completes the new doll, and awaits the final part: her head.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It is now made more clear than ever that Kirashiko is indeed behind the new doll that Jun in the Unwound World is making. We see her white tendrils covering him, leading back to her spider web-like home. She is grinning about the prospect of joining her elder sisters in the world outside of the N-Field. It would appear the trap is soon to be sprung.
After a long run of slightly static episodes, which while the featured their own amusements did little to advance the story, we finally have the stage dressed and set for the opening act. Our play within a show provides the mirror to events, as “Practica Dolls,” the work Saito and her company have been preparing is also getting ready to open for its first performance.
We also see Jun the Unwound takes some steps forward and backward. Jun’s kind of stupid, as he passes on a perfect chance to be alone with Saito for a while (the ass of a manager orders the two of them stay late, without overtime, to correct and error in the records of sold stock). Instead of getting some extra time with Saito, Jun confronts the manager, telling him off. The upshot of it all, however, is that he gets a positive result out of it with Saito. Jun can’t understand this, though, since he’s still letting the earlier words of the manager eat away at him inside and is just too dense to see that the manager has no idea of how Saito actually feels. Scoring easily and early is not the route most relationships take (this tells you something about the manager and the girls he goes out with). Jun tries to push away Saito’s attempts to tell him what a nice man he is, but she is having none of it. Perhaps he will get a clue at some point.
As for other matters, Suigintou learns the truth about the doll Jun is making when she sneaks a peek at the unfinished body at night. It would seem that an idea is forming in her head.
The episode ends with opening day for “Practica Dolls,” the play Saito and friends are working on. Shinku really wants to go along to see it. It is her last day after all. In a fairly predictable development, the prop antique doll that the actors have been using goes missing and it just happens that Shinku is there. Amusingly, Suigintou follows along, curious where Shinku went, as she wants to watch the moment Shinku “dies” in this world. Suigintou has also taken the unfinished doll body with her, since she plans to ambush Kirashiko when the disembodied one makes her attempt to manifest herself in the Unwound World.
With the curtain rising on the play, the curtain is, at last, also rising on the action for Zurückspulen. Almost all of the pieces are in place, as it is Shinku’s last day, Kirashiko’s plan to become corporeal is near completion, and Suigintou has a surprise planned for her little sister, one that the so far near-invincible Kirashiko has probably not prepared for. What the result of all of these preparations will appear next episode. As a table setting episode, this one does it job well, setting the stage, both literally (with “Practica Dolls”) and figuratively, as we find our seats before the drama begins. It would have been rather irksome if Kirashiko got her way, without any challengers or difficulties, all the time, so it was satisfying to see that Suigintou may have the drop on her. I would not count Kirashiko out at all, since she has shown herself to be quite crafty and devious, probably far more than Suigintou who is, at base, not a bad persona, just one who has been damaged heavily by her abandonment by “Father,” the creator of the Rozen Maidens. If she could find happiness at some point, her sourness might recede, with her sweeter side, seen once long before, re-emerging. This promises to be an interesting match up, though the preview appears to show that there is yet another contestant about to enter the lists.
In Summary:
We finally get to see the opening day for the play that Saito has been working on. We also have signs that the plot of the show is going to advance, as the pieces have been put in place for some action and plot progression. Jun is still largely clueless in almost all respect, but even he has the door to a new future standing in front of him, if he can just push it open. Kirashiko’s trap is ready to be sprung, but it appears that not all of her intended victims are unaware of the danger. We might have some fighting on our hands next time.
Episode Grade: B+
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard
