Read or Die

Read or Die (2001) is a series of novels, a manga published in Shueisha's Ultra Jump, and a three episode OVA series about Miss Yomiko Readman, substitute teacher, bibliophile and secret agent of the British Library Task Force, codename The Paper. The atmosphere of the series is a mix of Victorian era design and James Bond movies.

A semi-related manga featuring three other 'paper-users' (Read Or Dream) has been partly combined into the Read Or Die OVA canon in a TV series, simply titled R.O.D the TV. The series does not require manga knowledge of the sisters, but is best viewed after the OVAs.

Ironically, none of the 'paper' versions of the story (manga) have been licensed or thoroughly scanlated.

The anime OVA is licensed in English by Manga Entertainment.

The OVA series aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on Saturday, October 23rd, 2004. The version aired showed all three episodes of the OVA into a single movie-length TV feature, leaving out only the repeat of the opening and closing sequences between episodes. [1] (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/columns/edit-list.php?id=292)

R.O.D. the TV has also aired on G4TechTV's Anime Unleashed. During the initial and later Adult Swim broadcasts of Read or Die, Anime Unleashed aired R.O.D. the TV in the same time slots.

Contents

1 Background 2 Characters 2.1 British Royal Library 2.2 The I-Jin 3 External links

Background

This section is correct for the OVA Version of the series.
Yomiko Readman is a clumsy, head-in-the-clouds but sweet woman who is completely and utterly addicted to books. Her name is a two-part pun on this obsession: "Readman" is obvious to English speakers, and the "Yomi" in "Yomiko" means "read". Just after buying an extremely rare book at a secret, by-invitation-only bookstore, the book is stolen from her by a strange man riding a giant locust. Or at least, he tries to steal it from her, for Yomiko has an extremely unusual, but very useful superpower — she is a "Paper User", i.e., she has the telekinetic control of all paper in her immediate vicinity. She can make a paper ribbon be stronger than a thick steel cable, make index cards stop bullets, and make an origami butterfly actually flap its wings and fly. Her abilities only seem to be limited by her imagination and the availability of paper.

The story centers on the struggle for control of this mysterious book, with the heroes belonging to the British Library Task Force (which seems to have as much resources and power as the CIA). The Task Force (of which Yomiko is a member) brings in a second super-hero (and the other main character), Nancy Makuhari ("Miss Deep"), who has the ability to pass through solid objects at will. As they track down leads they fight a strange variety of super-villains known as the I-Jin, who are clones of people of historical note. They ultimately discover that the book is the key to a plan to wipe out a large portion of humanity via Ludwig van Beethoven's lost "suicide symphony," a work of music that compels all who hear it to immediately commit suicide.

Characters

British Royal Library

• Yomiko Readman (読子・リードマン Yomiko Rīdoman), AKA The Paper: The heroine of the series. In love with and completely engrossed in books. Her apartment is literally crammed full of stacks of books--in fact, it sits on top of a converted apartment building that is described in R.O.D.: The TV as "a kind of huge bookshelf"--and she spends almost all of her income as a substitute teacher on even more books. Because she's so easily distracted and doesn't pay much attention to her surroundings, she comes across as a klutzy daydreamer. But to the British Royal Library, she's one of their deadliest and most infamous agents. Going by the code name, "The Paper", Yomiko has the power to fashion paper into almost any weapon or object her mind can conjure, including shields, giant paper airplanes, and sharp paper swords. She's also a very skilled fighter when pressed.
• Nancy Makuhari (ナンシー・幕張 Nanshī Makuhari), AKA Miss Deep (AKA Mata Hari): Another British Royal Library agent, Nancy is assigned as Yomiko's partner. She comes across as mature and cynical and has something of a sultry, overtly sexual personality, as is evidenced by the tight black vinyl catsuit that serves as her combat uniform. Nancy's B.R.L. codename is "Miss Deep" because she has the power to become intangible and pass through solid objects (although she suspects it's also some kind of porn star in-joke). She's also quite skilled in kung-fu and firearms. Despite her hardened exterior, deep down Nancy is introspective and vulnerable, especially when it comes to unconditional and unrequited love, and Yomiko eventually manages to break through and form a very close emotional bond with her. Nancy is an original OVA character who does not appear in the manga. Makuhari is also the Japanese spelling of "McHarry", and is a reference to Mata Hari.
• Drake Anderson: An American, Anderson is a hardened, no-nonsense veteran soldier. He has no super-powers, but is an all-around tough-guy who also knows his way around an assault rifle. Anderson has a young daughter named Maggie, who he cares deeply for. He's in it for the money.
• Mr. Joker (ジョーカー Jōkā): Yomiko's boss and the administrator of the B.R.L. Joker reports directly to Mr. Gentleman, and appears extremely devoted to him. Ironically, he also seems to be the only British Royal Library character in the show who's actually British. He projects a calm, cheerful manner, but also maintains an emotional distance. He also becomes quite serious when Yomiko starts to goof around.
• Wendy Earhart (ウェンディ・イアハート Wendi Eahāto): The new girl at the B.R.L., Wendy is Mr. Joker's personal secretary. In the OVA, she is earnest and cheerful, but also a bit klutzy and ditzy. She is very devoted to Joker.
• Mr. Gentleman: The leader of the B.R.L. An ancient man with a cybernetic eye, the Gentleman is extremely powerful (he appears to have authority even over the U.S. President), but also seems good-humored and kind-hearted, especially to the klutzy Yomiko.

The I-Jin

• Gennai Hiraga: The inventor of the Electrolator box, Gen-nai uses his invention to control electricity. This gives him the ability to create devastating lightning strikes, electrocute his enemies with lightning bolts, and, when push comes to shove, fight with a lightsaber-like blade made of pure electricity. His manipulation of electricity also allows him to stop bullets in mid-air. On top of all that, he's very athletic, and claims to live by the code of the samurai. Personality-wise, Gen-nai's very gruff and no-nonsense, and probably says the least out of all the I-Jin.
• Jean Henri Fabre: The father of modern entomology, Jean Henri Fabre has the power to control insects. He always carries around a swarm of wasps in a jar around his neck, and he can command them to carry out his wishes, such as attacking enemies, retrieving objects, or carrying him through the air. He's also usually seen riding around on giant mechanical insects, such as the giant grasshopper he fights Yomiko on at the beginning of the series. Additionally, Fabre appears to be part insect himself, and every time he is "killed" he simply molts his old skin and emerges in a new, more developed form (for example, when we first meet him he appears as an old man, and when he is smeared against a wall by Yomiko he sheds his skin and emerges as a child. Later, when shot, he sheds his child form and transforms into an adult). Because he spends most of the series in the form of a child, Fabre's personality is very chipper and cheerful.
• Otto Lilienthal: The German "Glider King", Otto flies around in a steam powered glider-suit of his own design, which is able to out-dogfight and out-manuever modern aircraft. Unlike the other I-Jin, he has no apparent super-powers, but when push comes to shove he packs an old German luger and potato-masher grenades. Otto speaks with a heavy German accent, and seems to easily get frustrated and high-strung when attacked.
• Genjo Sanzo: The author of the popular Chinese story Journey to the West, Sanzo now dresses like his protagonist monk Sanzang and fights with powers similar to that of his Monkey King character, Sun Wukong. He glides through the air on a small cloud, and fights with a metal staff that can expand in length almost infinitely, and which creates flames from its tips. When his robes are torn off, it is revealed than Sanzo is powered by a heart-like steam mechanism that has replaced his heart and part of his chest. Sanzo's personality is that of a relentless and serious fighter.
• Ludvig van Beethoven: The famous classical musician. Beethoven's body is hooked up to a massive pipe organ at the center of the I-Jin fortress, from where he will play his "Death Symphony" to a captive global audience. Beethoven has the least screentime out of all the I-Jin, and has no speaking lines. He appears to enjoy playing his music, however.
• Mata Hari: The famous spy, Mata Hari is Ikkyuu's lover. She is completely and unconditionally in love with him, regardless of his behavior towards her or to the rest of humanity. Mata Hari is the only I-Jin not based on a writer/inventor.
• Ikkyuu Soujun: The mysterious I-Jin leader. Once a poet of love, Ikkyuu now believes the world is over-populated by ignorant, common humans. He sees the Death Symphony as the first weapon capable of cleansing the world of those humans unfit to live, while sparing nature and "enlightened humans" (presumably, clones of great men and women like himself who can be brought into being after everyone else is dead). Ikkyuu always talks in a calm, almost Zen manner, whether discussing poetry or the extermination of humanity. In spite of his fancy speeches and supposedly lofty goals, in the end Ikkyuu comes across as a petty and cruel man. He kills his own minions after they have served their purpose, and even replaces his lover when she no longer pleases him, all with a calm and carefree heartlessness. It is unclear exactly what his powers are, although he is able to create life-like illusions out of artwork, and fire green flames from his skull-like staff that cause anything they touch to decay.

External links

• ReadOrDie.org - Maid Service! (http://www.readordie.org/): a fan site
• Yomiko's Library (http://cupped-expressions.net/rod/die/)
• Dreams of Twilight - The Read or Die fansite (http://www.lindenryuujin.34sp.com/DreamsOfTwilight/index.php)ja:R.O.D