While Kirakisho might have been defeated, the world looks like it has shattered into a thousand pieces for everyone.
What They Say:
Episode 12: “Tale 12”
Jun is left looking at what remains of Shinku, and is left with deep regret at having ever chosen not to wind the key in the first place. His younger self who originally did choose to wind the key rushes to the tragic scene, carrying what Suigintou identifies as Shinku’s doll case. Jun who didn’t wind the key is now faced with the careful task of reassembling poor Shinku, so that she may return to a life with the Jun who wound the key, and so that he may gain the confidence to live his own life as well.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
We open with a flashback, as we see into younger Jun’s past an important scene between him and Hinaichigo, where she talks about her fear of sleeping in her case and then waking up alone and abandoned. Thus, she’s always happy when she sees Jun after waking up (this is obviously after Hinaichigo had moved into Jun’s house as we saw in the first anime series). The importance of this scene is that it is Hinaichigo’s artificial spirit, Berrybell, who has been watching over Shinku “sleep” this whole time inside of Kirakisho’s world.
Enough of flashbacks, it’s time for heartbreak. Suiseiseki is in tears over the fact that Souseiseki has promised to give her Rosa Mystica back to Suigintou as part of a deal. Older Jun is similarly crying over his loss of “his” Shinku, the replica doll which he crafted with his own hands. He regrets that he did not wind the key in the past. As he is about to give into despair, younger Jun comes with Shinku’s real body (which does not have her head—it would appear that the head which older Jun placed on the replica body is the real head) and tells him not to give up hope. It’s still possible to bring Shinku back by putting head and body back together and infusing it with the Rosa Mystica (as Shinku’s Rosa Mystica is sitting on the ground nearby.
What’s important for this little scene is that we finally learn a little something about the Alice Game. For when younger Jun tells the other dolls about Hinaichigo freely offering up her Rosa Mystica to Shinku, and Berrybell’s devotion to her new master, it strikes a chord within Suigintou. Suigintou has noticed how Souseiseki’s Rosa Mystica, which she took by force, has time and again rejected her body, while Hinaichigo’s accepts Shinku. This difference in how the Rosa Mystica were acquired seems to affect how they behavior in their new hosts…and Suigintou believes she may have just learned how the Alice Game is meant to be played. As Jun puts Shinku back together, he comes to realize some things himself, mainly he is grateful to her for teaching him that he is the one who has to take control over his own life.
As we are nearing the end, subplot threads have to be wrapped up at least to a certain extent. Suigintou, with her new realization, decides to allow Souseiseki to keep her Rosa Mystica for a while longer, but still says that it will be hers to reclaim at some point. For the moment, however, her thoughts turn to Megu again, and she starts her search for her Master anew. We have a sinister hint that Kirakisho is not dead. Older Jun says goodbye to his younger self and the Rozen Maidens, entrusting Souseiseki’s ring to his younger self. Shinku’s softer side comes out in her goodbye to the older Jun. Time to part ways.
We return to the play “Practica Dolls” in progress. University Jun is back in his world. His wish to the Twins was carried out and the play is underway (and turns out to be a comedy). Everyone is back in their original world.
For a penultimate episode, we have the end to many parts of the story. As this is meant to be the story of the Jun Who Did Not Wind, it’s fitting that middle school Jun and the Rozen Maidens, who never existed in the Unwound World after that Jun said no to winding, should now leave the scene. There is much that we can take away with a certain amount of satisfaction: Souseiseki is brought back to life, Shinku is successfully put back together, and even Suigintou appears to have learned an important lesson and gained insight into Father’s plan. If her supposition is correct that the Alice Game is a fight for mutual destruction that will leave the most fit doll standing, but the Game cannot be won by forcibly seizing the other Rosa Mysticas, then her previous methods will only result in failure. Rozen the creator at first seems a cruel and vicious man by looking at the surface requirements for winning his love, but it appears that the Alice Game is more a test than a contest. The doll who can figure out how to convince the others to give up their Rosa Mysticas willingly to her will become Alice and gain humanity. It is Shinku who has happened upon the winning strategy, but Suigintou appears to be the only one who is aware of it, but cannot bring herself to become more like Shinku.
So, where does that leave events for the final episode? An episode of Rozen Maiden without Rozen Maidens. Can Unwound Jun take the necessary steps to break out of his shell and gain some measure of happiness? We shall see.
In Summary:
The temporary Shinku has fallen apart, but the two Juns working together bring her back. It’s time to part ways now, as both Juns must return to their own worlds. One goes with the Rozen Maidens (except Suigintou, who goes off on her own, as expected) to the world where the key was wound; the other returns to the Unwound world. But Unwound Jun is now a different man from what he once was and perhaps he will have a brighter future in store.
Episode Grade: A-
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard
