I gave season 2 of Rozen Maiden a "Mixed feelings" rating because it seemed to me that the producers of that season either did not know how to tie up everything nicely at the end or simply couldn't for financial or other reasons. Well, they did it again! The first episode, as another reviewer notes, is a bit rushed and will probably disappoint seasoned viewers. However, the subsequent episodes put those doubts to rest and prove to be much more interesting and intriguing. The story moves slower and feels more mature and grown-up in comparison with seasons 1 and 2. I especially appreciated the characterdevelopment of the MC, Shinku and Suigintou in the early part of the show. However, once the "action" starts about 2/3 of the way in, things start moving fast, and the same problems as season 2 reappear: there's a crescendo to what one expects to be a grand finale, but the finale falls very short. The difference is that this time it is much more obvious that another season was definitely expected because the ending leaves too many loose ends. Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen aired in 2013, and I am writing this in 2023. That's 10 years. I think it's safe to say that there won't be a new season. Thus, my rating has to be the same. There was definite potential here. If they had managed to tell the whole (new) story in 13 episodes, it might've been superior even to season 1. However, because things do not get resolved and we are left with a cliffhanger, what else but mixed feelings can the viewer expect?

By the way, season 2 viewers who found that a certain doll got a bit of an unfair treatment in the finale will find that they give her an even worse treatment in Zurückspulen. She was one of my favorites, and was quite saddened that she got so little screen time here. We can only hope that some day this injustice will be rectified!