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| 9. Marshal
of Manga 
Paper will bend before the wind, yet cut as deeply as a knife
when the edge is perfectly straight… the latent power of paper is not to
be underestimated. Enter Yomiko Readman, a bookworm
who is cute in all the good ways. She's fallen in love several thousand times,
and all of them have been with books (and they all live with her in her apartment).
It follows that Yomiko's intimate knowledge of her favourite medium allows her
the ability to manipulate it - yes, we have an origami expert for a heroine! Several
prominent figures of the past have been revived, and their purpose is to…
steal rare books. Why should undead thieves experience the best of literature
before Yomiko does? She battles with them for possession of the best books, and
only the more ardent reader will prevail. In actuality,
Yomiko is enlisted by the British secret service to help them clamp down on the
book looters, and we discover that the person responsible for their resurrection
is planning to erase the world of everyone, excluding himself and his chums. Somehow,
the theft of these books will aid him, and the instrument for his scheme - Beethoven.
Even the composer is not allowed a peaceful slumber in his grave! Ah,
for music's effect on the subconscious mind can be as great as a good love novel,
and both will make their appearances in this title. The
first few minutes feels like nothing will be accomplished by the show's conclusion,
yet the minutes after that raise the action and interest meters on an exponential
basis, so that by the end of the third episode, the climactic effect is stunning. A
highly likeable lead, a co-lead with as much depth as her ability to sink into
the ground, and a great ending. Throw in great designs, great action, add a tad
of oriental mysticism, and you've got yourself a succulent stew. Most of the music
is saved for the ending themes, but they provide refreshing interludes between
episodes (the theme for episode 1 is heavenly), so no complaints here. Read
or Die is not a masterpiece in the sense of being watchable after two or three
repeats, but I was so impressed after the first viewing that it's worth a five.
A bonus is the way the title jabs at the American
Presidency. |
| 8. VLeo
 
Anime like this are sheer classes of work. Similarly to Hellsing
and Noir, Read or Die is set in a European environment. It follows
the style of British spy movies such as the Avengers and 007, enhanced
with anime special technical effects. It is amazing
in detail. While we know aplenty of the CIA, the British secret service has been
overshadowed. The hairstyles, clothing, code names even down to the telephone
was in a class of its own. The 3 part OVA was excellent
and not your typical run of the mill anime ending or one that leaves you LOST.
However, it does not receive the full 5 stars from me because the plot is not
entirely cohesive. |
| 7. Tyrenol
This is something new. One of those old "spy" thrillers
that uses the most unlikeliest of protagonists. Yomiko Readman is a dopey "book
otaku" whose use of paper products as weapons and shields earns her the title
"Paper." She's part of British Library and her job is to retrieve rare
books, at any cost, from an assortment of cloned historical world figures known
as "I-Jin." Her team includes Ms. Deep
(with her ability to pass through solid objects), an exasperated mercenary Drake
Anderson, clumsy Wendy Earheart, their boss Joker (Excluding every reference of
Batman, people!), and the head old-guy in charge Gentleman. I
enjoyed ROD for its plot twists and the complexities of each of the main
characters. Even if some of them look boring, they really didn't bore me and adds
to the spice of mixed characters. It's like a "James Bond 007" parody
using mostly normal people, but done right. An added note that Ms. Deep had been
selected by the "Being Upfront" webpage; with Yomiko as part of the
"Honorable Mention" site. Special nods
go to the infamous Manga Entertainment for their dubbing of the series
and their decision not to make ROD an all-out movie. The British characters
_actually_ sound British. And my favorite dubbing was for Otto Lilienthal; Da
Glider King. |
| 6. Iodine
Neatly self-contained, Read or Die feels like a movie
cut into three parts than a simple introductory OAV. With animation fit for the
big screen and a set of characters who fairly demand attention, this wildly inventive
tale of superpowered secret agents on the trail of a rare book is a fun, fresh
outing that rivals James Bond in style and action. Our heroines are oddly
matched, but have their own chemistry. Daffy bookworm Yomiko is an unlikely, but
instantly loveable secret agent, and her sexy, but sensible partner Nancy, is
an outright stunner. The fantastical concepts are taken to their limits, but never
pushed beyond them. The show never forgets that its main duty is to be entertaining,
even as it gets its own sly little asides into the narrative. Though it borrows
heavily from outside sources, accuracy doesn't seem high on the series' list of
concerns, but the mistakes are usually minor and easily forgivable. The
technical elements of the show are astounding. Much of the action is huge in scope,
and takes place in dazzling cityscapes and other picturesque setings. The use
of color and motion and composition is especially apparent, and the designs seem
to revel in their detail and complexity. Of course, none of this would matter
without a good script, and the one used here is perfectly up to speed. The dialogue
tends to outdo the plot and certain events seem to be pulled out of the air, but
it's still far better grounded than the usual clothesline setups expected for
a show with such elaborate set pieces. |
| 5. Cross
Scars
Read Or Die is a short three episode OAV and its class
makes it one of the most enjoyable series to be released in the last couple of
years. The basic plot of the series is that it follows Yomiko Readman, who, when
not carrying out her job as a substitute teacher happens to be a member of the
Royal British Library's Division of Special Operations, in her mission to thwart
the plans of the I-jin group. R.O.D. is a
series that oozes class. The very first impressions of the series are excellent
as we get to see the brilliant animation of this OAV. The series had a massive
budget and it shows as there are some of the best backgrounds of any anime I've
seen, the first episode's shots of the New York skyline at night are indeed spectacular.
But it's not just the big set pieces that are great to look at but the attention
to detail in the whole OAV is excellent. To compliment these great visuals there
is an impressive soundtrack from Iwasaki Taku, whose most notable other work is
the incredible soundtrack for the first Rurouni Kenshin OAV. While not
quite reaching those heights this time round R.O.D.'s soundtrack still
fits in perfectly. Despite being such a short series
R.O.D. still packs an exciting story, albeit a hardly profound one, with
the odd plot twist thrown in to keep the viewer interested on the action. These
actions scenes are very slick too. Yomiko's ability to manipulate paper into whatever
she wants makes for some great actions and the originality of this idea is part
of what makes Read Of Die so fun to watch. The characters too help to make
R.O.D. as good as it is. Yomiko is a terrific lead character who is not
as stereotypical as many anime girls, backing her up is her partner Miss Deep
who's the most complex of the cast. Admittedly some of the other characters, such
as Drake, may not be quite so interesting but they're still worthy parts of this
series. Read Or Die achieves a great deal
for such a short OAV and the upcoming sequel is rightly highly anticipated. It's
a very slick series but unlike a lot of recent series this one has some substance
to back it up with. It's still not the deepest series but it is hugely fun to
watch and its originality is something rare to find today. |
| 4. Hybrid
With so much positive comments that I have heard about this
show, I decided to check the show to see if it lived to the positive comments
that I heard about it. Does it live up to the positive comments? Well, I sorry
to say it doesn't. R.O.D. to me is another Noir clone, as the main
attraction of the show is more focused on the style and look of the show, then
focusing on the plot and characters of the show. The thing I did enjoy from this
short OVA series was the detail that was paid to the backgrounds and settings,
and how CG was flawlessly integrated with the animation. Other than that, and
a few good music pieces, this is another action adventure show, with a paper thin
plot, with some fanservice in it. In conclusion, it is an mildly entertaining
show, only worth seeing to say you have seen it. |
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