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| Reviewer: Kevin Leathers |
Run Time: 26 eps |
Format: Subtitled |
Distributor: Fansub |
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R E A D O R D I E T V |
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R.O.D. (Read or Die) was a fantastic OAV to watch. It had animation that brought a tear to the eye, an entertaining plot, characters you could instantly like, and was, in a nutshell, fantastic. Don't believe me, see the R.O.D. review here. The only beef I had with the R.O.D. OAV was that it was just that, a 3 episode OAV. I needed more. Thank the lord that someone decided to make a TV series out of it. R.O.D. TV is set a number of years after the events that took place in the OAV. Instead of focusing on the loveable Yomiko ReadMan, we follow three new characters. We have elder sister Michelle, the loud one, the middle sister Maggie, very quiet and tall and the youngest sister Anita, the only one of the three to hate books. Each of them share Yomiko's paper powers. The three sisters run a detective agency, and the series starts when they are hired to be bodyguards for an author as she attends a book signing. The author goes by the name of Nenene Sumiregawa and it ends up being the task of the sisters to guard Nenene, weather the author likes it or not. What we normally get when an OAV becomes a TV series is a drop in the visuals, the animation and the general overall quality that made the OAV so special. It's a good thing that doesn't happen here. What we have is a TV series that manages to maintain the visual and audio quality of the OAV. The look of the characters, the animation and, hell everything about the TV series will remind you of the OAV. Whilst the productin values are high, the plot takes a bit of a tumble. While the three sisters are enjoyable to watch, the first few episodes are just a case of, how they can make some money or much they can annoy their client Nenene, who really doesn't want them there. A case of, "mission of the week" appears for a while. This could be off putting for some people, but once we get to about the 5th or 6th episode we start to see clues appearing to something more sinister, cameos of characters from the OAV and the telltale feel of an enticing story arc.  I suppose the slow start can be forgiven seeing as the series is being spread over a lot more episodes than the OAV. You will be glad to see that the characters from the OAV make more then just camos in the TV series and actually add to the whole TV series, which is a rare case when a new central cast is being used over the old cast. If you liked the OAV of R.O.D., the TV series will be right up your street. I loved the OAV and I think that the TV series is one of those rare cases of a show that lives up to the original and adds to the whole storyline of the two rather than just being tacked on. While the series can be watched without watching the OAV first, you are still putting yourself at a disadvantage. The series will make a lot more sense when watched with the OAV. The TV series is simply one to watch; you have no excuse not to. 8/10 - A fantastic series which only stumbles on the slow start. Back to Menu |
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If you like this, you'll love the OAV that preceeded it - find out more
about Yomiko Readman and the Library with Manga Entertainments excellent
UK release.Read the review |
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