ROD the TV Vol. 7

The final chapter of Read or Die certainly doesn’t lack action. With our heroes forced into a final, overwhelming confrontation with the British library, the Paper Sisters and Yomiko Readman (closely followed by Nancy) take up arms and prepare to storm Blighty. And then it gets a bit… weird.

Utilising the power of Mr Gentleman (the enigmatic figure the library are moving heaven and Earth to resurrect) Britain is now protected by the creatures and aliens devised by HG Wells, and Britain has regressed into the late 1800’s. Told you it was weird!

Clearly, the British Library has to be stopped, as success for them means wiped brains for everyone, and its weird watching our entire nation vilified - usually its just Alan Rickman…

The conclusion is suitably explosive, and there are some great nods to the earlier OAV, not least of which relates to Nancy rediscovering more about her past, as well as a certain little black number…

Okay, so plausibility really flies out of the window with these final 3 episodes, but that never inhibits the enjoyable cast interaction and the fantastic set-pieces. Despite matters being resolved, it’s also left quite open, so the story can continue at a later date. It’s nice to see that the creator thought enough of his characters to avoid simply killing off all the villains in an explosive battle, and I for one can’t wait to see if things continue at a later date.

Like the previous volume, 3 episodes does seem a little uncharitable, especially considering there are 7 discs to this series, which makes it quite an investment. It certainly isn’t the best value on the shelves right now, and it’s doubtful that there’s a box set coming any time soon, but if you’ve come this far, doubtless you’ll be buying into the final volume. At least the disc provides a satisfying conclusion to a generally strong series.