Read or Die (2001) (V)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Kouji Masunari
Amanda Winn Lee

Writers:

Ai Kennedy (translation)
Hideyuki Kurata (writer)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A young female agent with a powerful psionic power over paper must stop a plot for world destruction. |

Plot Keywords:

Psionic Power | Anime | Spy | Redemption | Warrior Woman

Cast

Ryan Abraham	...	Alex / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Raymond Braun	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Brooke Cadorette	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sue Cremin	...	Yoko / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Tricia Dickson	...	Wendy (voice: English version)
Chad Fifer	...	Genjo (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Joker (voice: English version)
Hozumi Gôda	...	Joker (voice)
Dean Haglund	...	Gennai Hiraga (voice: English version)
Adam Harrington	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dave Herbelin	...	President (voice: English version)
Masami Iwasaki	...	Drake 'Mr. Drake' Anderson (voice)
Jason Lee	...	Drake Anderson (voice: English version) (as Jaxon Lee)
Hal Lublin	...	Otto Lilienthal (voice: English version)
Scott MacDonell	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jason Miller	...	Various (voice)
Rieko Miura	...	Yomiko 'The Paper' Readman (voice)
Michiko Neya	...	Nancy 'Miss Deep' Makuhari (voice)
Chikao Ôtsuka	...	Hiraga Gen-nai (voice)
Robert J. Peterson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Daniel Raymont	...	Ikkyu (voice: English version)
Michael Ross	...	Paul (voice: English version) (as Michael John Ross)
Douglas Rye	...	Jean-Henri Fabre / Mr. Gentleman / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Junko Takeuchi	...	Fabre (voice)
Amanda Winn Lee	...	Nancy 'Miss Deep' Makuhari (voice: English version)
Kimberly Yates	...	Yomiko 'The Paper' Readman (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

R.O.D (International: English title) (short title)
R.O.D Read or Die (International: English title) (long title)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Company:

SME Visual Works

Trivia:

The acronym R.O.D stands for 'Read or Die'.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Yomiko catches Nancy in the hallway outside her room to talk to her, her hair briefly seems to be out of the braids Nancy put it in a few moments ago. The braids return as they're about to leave the submarine.

Quotes:

Drake Anderson: Don't blame me if you die.
Nancy Makuhari aka 'Miss Deep': I already do.

Movie Connections:

References The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

When evil threatens the world, the world turns to...the Library?

MAGI rating scale: +7.8(-10/+10)

There is a little odd gem from our friends overseas. ROD is the story of an intelligence agency, based in of all places the British Library, and its agents as they protect the world from the Ijin. In this particular case, the Ijin(or Great person as they are refered to) called Stephan has discovered a symphony of Beethoven's (?) that if played will cause people to commit suicide. Seizing on this ultimate form of crowd control (maybe he could never get a parking spot), he sends out his genetically resurrected Ijin to collect the two books that hold the song.

Our hero that can stop this threat? A clumsy substitute teacher with the ability to manipulate paper, a grouchy explosives expert and a leather-wearing over-developed femme fatalie with the ability to make things pass through her...and look good doing it.

One of the more interesting things about anime is their themes in the storylines. If you look into the vast majority of Japanimation, even the strangest series or movies all work with it's own logic. In ROD, the logic is books. From the Macguffins (Beethoven's notebooks) to the heroine (Yomiko Readman) to the British Library, ROD creates its own logic and own rule...and yet still manages to give us some believeibly and humanity in its characters. The animation itself is clean and beautiful, with an eye for detail. The two female leads, while doing quite a bit of 'fan service' still manage to convey some parts of realism...especially Yomiko. If the world had people with powers like these, OF COURSE the Powers That Be would try to recuit them...even if that person is not someone you would usually want as an agent. Yomiko is clumsy, self-absorbed and a bit naive.....not to mention obsessive. But she's also cute, lovible, caring and surprizingly capaible (She even figures out who to defeat a lightning-powered samarai with a few dollar bills!)

I recommend this OVA series to any true fans of anime...give it a try and just sit back and relax....it's a fun trip.