R.O.D: Read or Die

I have been meaning to watch this show for ages. Now that I've seen it, I'm wondering what the hell exactly took me so long to get around to this. It's a fusion of some of my favorite elements--steampunk, books, history, music, and espionage. Yomiko is an absolutely adorable character, and her personality is well-established the moment you get a look at her house. The characterization for the rest of the cast is excellent as well. The artwork is lush and gorgeous, and the action sequences flow beautifully and intuitively. As a bibliophile and history buff myself, the inclusion of various random intellectual figures asvillains was a nice touch. Though Beethoven gets no speaking lines, seeing him pound away at the keyboard with his archetypal wild hair made me far giddier than it should have. I cannot recommend this show highly enough. It is well-worth your hour and a half. I found it amusing how much the US president looks like Dubbya, and how much of an absolute trigger-happy pussy he is. He wets his pants at least three times when things get tough, and at one point he flips out and instead of proceeding calmly through a tight spot, tries to pound the 'nuke them all' button. Political commentary much? You must recall this vintage 2001, a very familiar year in his political history.

Yomiko Readman is an innocent looking girl who has an obsession with collecting and reading books. Her entire check goes into her hobby. After coming into a book, she's soon under attack by a man with a strange ability. She learns that the particular book she just purchased is necessary for an organization's plan. Readman also works for the British Library Special Operations Division under the alias Agent Paper, and her mission is to learn why this outfit is after the book. -summary For reasons I do understand, R.O.D. is recognized as a popular anime title, and it was so well received that it spawneda 26 episode series. Despite the claims to fame this is one title that never truly vibed with me. It doesn't get the least bit better over time, instead it does get worse and I see myself never watching it again. The plot follows Agent Paper and a second woman code named Agent Deep, as they try to reclaim the book when it's eventually taken from Paper. This leads the two into a gauntlet against multiple enemies with bizarre powers, whom happen to be clones of famous individuals such as the samurai Hiraga Gennai, French Entomologist Jean Henri Fabre, and even Ludwig Von Beethoven himself. The anime features quite a bit of historical content, and it's heavily influenced by American superhero comics. Agent Deep has the ability to phase through objects, which is the exact same power of Kitty Pryde aka Shadow Cat of the X-Men, while Agent Paper has the ability to manipulate paper and use it for combat, by either turning it into solid objects for weapons, create shields, or even a vehicle. This large amount of creativity here is the only interesting thing about this character, as it does create some pretty cool action segments. Now speaking of the action, this is where the anime shines. The animation is pretty fluid with minimum jumpiness during the quick paced battle segments, and the choreography during the hand to hand fights are also nice. The backgrounds are very pretty and they mesh well with the CG and 2D animation. There are some very pretty landscapes and artwork of New York City and even the White House. I can't say I liked the music, especially the Mission Impossible-ish opening instrumental featuring that jazzy theme canon with secret agent type movies. However, it is fitting for the anime. The plot is your standard good vs. evil, with the stock bad guy seeking to plunge the world into destruction, and here lies some of the problem. Outside of how the bad guy wants to pull off his plan, it's way too cookie-cutter, predictable, and the characters have very little depth. I didn't care for anyone in this title, and this especially goes for Agent Paper who came off way too annoying for me. It wasn't only the voice acting for both languages, but it was her personality and how the character was just written. There are also issues with the writing when concerning her abilities. It's unable to tell how exactly her powers work, and it appears things happen only when it's convenient for the script. One thing I cannot stand are power level inconsistencies. Read or Die is something that will no doubt appeal to the action crowd. I may have enjoyed it more had I been able to buy into the characters and their interactions along with the story, but for some reason it feels as if it was a vehicle only to show off the visuals, which are very pretty I must admit. The fan service is mildly present via bouncing breast, and the gore is also pretty tame. Still, this is a title I do recommend, because at least it looks pretty while doing what it's suppose to do and that's entertain. Highs: Visuals, Some creativity Lows: Stock bad guys, cliché characters, writing issues

I have been looking into this series for some time now because to me, it seem like a fresh idea that’s waiting to be made into an anime OVA (and yes, I know it’s based on their light novels and manga, too.) with it having these super-secret spy/James Bond-type tone as it shows throughout the whole course. This could be one of those anime that has the cool factor going for it, much like Shinichiro Watanabe’s anime (you should know what he directed by now.), but hopefully it’s not just the cool factor that keeps it entertaining. How well I know? Well, let the reviewbegin. Nerdy Yomiko Readman is obsessed with books. As "Agent Paper," she works for a secret branch of the British Library, where her power to telekinetically control paper helps her on missions to retrieve rare manuscripts and protect the world from evil. But all Yomiko really wants to do is read her new book. Unfortunately it has been stolen by the I-gin, clones of historical figures who believe Yomiko's book holds the key to unlocking Beethoven's lost "Death Symphony." Anyone who hears the tune is compelled to commit suicide, and the I-gin intends to broadcast it all over the world. Only Yomiko, along with fellow super agents Drake and Miss Deep, has a chance at stopping them. OK, I’m just going to say this……I had fun with this anime and as much as the plot doesn’t go that deep, but then again, it is a three episode OVA clocking in at 96 minutes. The plot may seem silly and nonsensical to most people, but it isn’t too distant from reality, it’s not like “GAINAX!! OMG!! CRAZY SHIT!!” type of nonsensical; it’s much like a good action film, whose purpose is to entertain us with how unreal it is without being bored and easily distracting itself from its plot. I will say that using paper as weapons more powerful than they appear are a plus in my book, because after seeing that, I imagine somebody challenging someone to a gunfight and someone made a drawing of a gun and then it came in paper form and it did the job of a regular one, but more deadlier. Characters in here are a delight to watch as I really love the main character of Yukiko Readman or “The Paper”, as she is called here to be equally adorable as a nerdy bookworm character and capable of her being in a fight, especially that part, and considering not many of those exist in much anime….at least the ones I watch. There’s also Nancy Mukahari (or Miss Deep, which does sound a porno name…..and yes, even in the OVA, they reference that.), the token bad-ass female character with a shady past and Drake Anderson, the lone male member of the team. The dynamic budding relationship between Yomiko and Nancy is actually the only thing I see in character development and progression. Some of the other characters like Joker (not the one you’re thinking), Drake, and the other super villains don’t really stay in our heads and some are just unimaginative characters like Joker is stereotypically posh and English and Drake is the no-nonsense American soldier. They are fine characters just nobody I would give a shit about. Studio DEEN’s print is on the animation here and knowing their reputation of shows, the animation is solid for most parts here, as I often see a few hiccups even during the paper manipulating scenes. I wouldn’t count it as vintage, maybe even for it being 11-12 years old since its release in 2001 or ’02. I did like the opening theme and sequence of the show, as I’ve said; it brought out this James Bond / superspy tone that fits perfectly into the OVA. The dub by Manga Entertainment is a fine dub with some good performances with Kimberly Yates, a relatively unknown voice actress, did capture the kindness and bookworm’s attitude of Yukiko. Amanda Winn-Lee, who also directed the dub, was good as Nancy, delivering in the deadpan humor within the character and of course, Crispin Freeman playing the not-so-subtle Joker and you can tell he was hamming it up and having fun in his role. FINAL VERDICT: You can check it this OVA. It may not go deep within the plot that much but as you watch it, you start to not care that much, that is if you’re enjoying it but if you didn’t, then I shouldn’t recommend it to you. For those you have liked it, the series is available to get, although you might have to pay some high prices and something else to go with it…….but we’ll get to that later.’

Ever since Cowboy Bebop there have been countless anime that rely on the "rule of cool" to win over audiences, favoring spectacle over plot. However, few anime do this better than R.O.D OVA. It is a stylish, exhilarating, and action-packed super powered romp with some of the most creative fights in an anime. Of course, the plot is pretty ludicrous, but this does little to diminish the shows enjoyability. Yomiko Readman is a substitute teacher and devoted bookworm, who spends most of her income on books. She also is an agent for the British Library special operations, with the physics defying ability to manipulate paper (whichshe can use to block bullets and cut through metal). After someone attempts to steal her newly purchased book, Yomiko is informed by the Library that the book is part of a sinister plot. She is then assigned the mission of retrieving the other volumes before the I-gen, super powered reincarnations of historical figures. She is accompanied by fellow agents Nancy Makahari (a.k.a Ms. Deep) who can phase through objects, and Drake Anderson. Despite how ridiculous the summery above sounds, the plot actually has quite a bit going for it. While it is quite silly, it has a superhero novelty to it. It is a fun action adventure that leaves a lot of room for cool fights, which it has no shortage of. It also leaves enough room for some plot twists and character development. Considering it is only three episodes long, this OVA uses its time quite well and delivers an overall rewarding experience. All of the characters here are a delight to watch. Yomiko is the cutest bookworm you will ever see. Naive and somewhat inept when it comes to anything other than books, she is the most pure hearted of the lot. Despite her appearance, she is resourceful and quite good in a fight. Nancy on the other hand, comes off as an experienced woman with a few skeletons in her closet. At first she wants to keep her relationship with Yomiko strictly professional, however befriends her later. Yomiko and Nancy's friendship is the highpoint of the OVA's character development and depth. The rest of the characters mostly serve as plot devices, however, none come off as uninteresting. From the egotistical reincarnation of Otto Lilienthal to Joker, the calm director of the Library, all the characters have distinctive personalities. Of course, this is not where the series really shines. Where this anime does shine brightest is its technical merits. The character designs and backgrounds here are incredible. Each character is distinctive and unmistakable, especially the adorable Yomiko and voluptuous Nancy. Likewise, the backgrounds are marvelously detailed and feel like real locations, it's almost a shame that they are not further explored. The animation is just as spectacular, doing justice to the characters superpowers in eye-popping fights. The music doesn't differ too much from other action adventures, however, it is still well composed and and used effectively. The R.O.D OVA is an explosive experience. Its visuals are mind-blowing, even putting more recent anime to shame. It has a very likable cast of characters, both heroes and villains; and a good, if incredibly far-fetched, plot. While it does not have much in terms of depth, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining anime. Watch it.

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