The Rozen Maiden dolls are practically one of a kind and have a nearly priceless collectable value.  However, the price for being their human companion contains many hidden costs that should be enough to make any prospective ‘owner’ of a Rozen Maiden doll think twice before signing on the dotted line.  More than cute dolls in frilly dresses, these little characters can live- and die- based on what you do as their ‘servants’. 

Part comedy, part mystery, and cute from beginning to end, ROZEN MAIDEN also has a strong undercurrent in the story that makes for some serious reading.  In the fourth volume, it becomes more apparent, as Jun enters the dream world once again to face off with the other dolls and one of them makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her sister.  Indeed, loss, revenge and what individuals might do to cope with one or seek the other are powerful motifs in this edition.  To start with, Shinku, who lost an arm in the last volume, has been handicapped in more ways than one in dealing with the psychotic Suigintoh.  Jun, going online to try and help Shinku replace her captive limb, is having strange dreams that lead him eventually to the house of the man who was holding onto two other dolls, Suiseiseki, and Souseseki.  In confronting the aged man who has been tormenting these dolls, (one of whom escaped to seek help from Jun and Shinku), Jun hears a tragic tale of betrayal and lost love twisted by time, and grows in his powerful bonds to the dolls as they battle each other for the title of Alice.  Jun faces down his enemies, including the ever awful Suigintoh, but any victory is bittersweet and won at a tragically high cost. 

No…it’s not over yet, dear readers. 

If Peach Pit delivered an emotional chapter in the third volume, readers will be genuinely cut up over some of the action that takes place in the fourth.  Shinku and the other dolls, now joined by Kanaria, have grown in leaps as characters as the story has progressed.  Far from being decorative creations squabbling over Rosa Mysticas and the title of Alice, the reader sees that the battles they fight are real, and losing carries a very high price.  Jun, the shut-in, is actually going out of the house now in the story.  He is meeting other people, and is becoming more socialable too.  While Volume Four lacks some more of the quirky little moments that have seen the Peach Pit crew having a little fun with these dolls in this tale, the continued exploration of the themes of love, possession and the casual discarding of things or people dear to individuals continues to resonate powerfully in the story.  The old man provides a kind of mirror for Jun, just as Suigintoh balances Shinku in her own way.  How this will end…one can only guess.  But the creative team of Peach Pit certainly has found a way of keeping the readers hooked with their combination of great art, design, and storytelling. 

In terms of extras, the volume contains a useful summary of the plot, images and character descriptions to help readers become familiar with the players, and a cute segment after the story on the creative process, Peach Pit style.

IN SUMMARY:
ROZEN MAIDEN Volume Four, combines an entertaining story, great art, and a surprising amount of compassion and emotion into a volume that will thrill readers with its action as much as it will move them with its passion.  This is one teenaged crowd-pleaser with a unique maturity adults can also enjoy.