Rozen Maiden

Jun Sakurada, shaken by his experiences at school, withdraws into life at home and passes the time ordering items online—only to return them before the trial period ends. When a mysterious note appears asking whether he would “wind” something, he absentmindedly marks “yes,” and a package soon arrives that upends his routine.

Inside is a wind-up doll unlike any he has seen. Once wound, she moves and speaks like a person, coolly introducing herself as Shinku, the fifth of the Rozen Maiden dolls crafted by the famed dollmaker Rozen. Bound to a supernatural contest known as the Alice Game, the sisters must fight alongside a human partner for the chance to become “Alice,” a real girl deemed worthy of meeting their creator.

As additional living dolls begin staying under Jun’s roof and a figure tied to Shinku’s past resurfaces, his quiet isolation gives way to an increasingly fraught and otherworldly daily life.