Synopsis

Yomoko Readman may be an elite secret agent, but she spends most of her time enraptured in a book, oblivious to the world around her. She has the almost unwitting ability to transform all manner of paper objects into various different shapes at will, so when the clones of famous innovators from the past begin terrorizing modern day cities, she is called upon to resolve the problem.

Review

R.O.D. (Read or Die) has a lot going for it, not the least of which is the adorably inept heroine, who bumbles her way through the series with charming earnestness and naivet?.
Not only is she remarkably skilled when necessary, but she is also extremely well-read. Her ravenous obsession with books consumes her attention, resulting in some comical incidents when she is in a literature-induced trance.

Yomoko finds the perfect way to employ her talents as The Paper, an agent of the Royal Library under the command of Joker, a hair-obsessed aristocrat. She teams up with Nancy Makuhari, codename Ms. Deep, and the gun-toting Drake Anderson to put a stop to the clones that are wreaking havoc around the world.

The setting of the story appears to be modern day, but the Library offices look as if they are from the early twentieth century. Joker and others use antiquated phones and other devices, touches that will either charm or infuriate you. In general, the backgrounds are nicely detailed and have a lot of character.

The characters are quite impressive themselves, and their special powers serve up some of the most intricate and over-the-top action I?ve seen, all fluidly animated. Their enemies also posses some Old-Testament level abilities, with the monk clone Sanzo literally parting the sea with an incantation. There is all manner of insect-flying, fire-breathing, lightning-slinging, paper-morphing action to be had here.

The animation is expertly done, conveying a great sense of action and excitement. The character designs are nice as well, although probably only Nancy and Yomoko are memorable.

The voiceovers seem almost right-on as well; with Yomoko?s being the brilliant standout of the bunch. Joker is maddeningly pretentious sounding, but I assume that was the goal.

Although the storyline is purposefully far-fetched and not all that interesting (it reminds me of a PBS children?s special), the developing friendship between Nancy and Yomoko was subtly handled and added some complexity.

Conclusion

For those looking for a quick-watch with a healthy dose of action, R.O.D. delivers an enjoyable polished performance. Yomoko could carry the story with her bubbly, bumbling antics, but the addition of Nancy?s character seals the deal. The action is fast and animation is smooth and unique. The three episodes could easily be condensed into a movie. It?s too bad that this isn?t a longer OVA series.

-Review by Reptile (12 Sep, 2006)

Audio:	Great voiceovers and decent soudtrack
Video:	Smooth, detailed animation
Plot:	Wildly imaginative but fairly shallow
Style:	Ecclectic mixture of the old and new
Characters:	At least 2 characters you'll like
Violence:	Moderate
Language:	Mild
Nudity:	None (suggestive attire)
Genre:	Action
Episodes:	3
Rating:	4.0 of 5
Share

You must login to submit a comment.