R.O.D. The TV: V.1 The Paper Sisters (ep.1-4) (Read or Die TV series)

Put simply, any fan of the original "Read or Die" OVA series should watch R.O.D the TV... The first half of the series seems only midly connected to the original Read or Die OVA because it is based on the "Read or Dream" manga/comic which features a different cast. The second half of the series (episodes 14-26) combine "Read or Die" and "Read or Dream", in terms of both characters and plotline. You will come to realise that R.O.D the TV is far better than "Read or Die"!

Some people might not be that impressed with the first volume of R.O.D the TV, due to a total lack of action scenes in episodes 2 and 3. Well, from Volume 2 onwards, there is far more action... the reason for the two comedy-based episodes is that Read or Dream is based is far less action-orientated than Read or Die and concentrates more on the silly anticts of the characters. The first episode of Volume 1: The Paper Sisters will be very pleasing to action fans, while the fourth episode has a nice action finish. I found episodes 2 and 3 to be very amusing rather than dull; some may disagree, but are sure to enjoy the rest of the series as it is more action packed.

R.O.D the TV seems a little odd for the early episodes, but it turns into one of the best anime series in years. It has great action, great fun and yet moments of great emotion and tension.

Worthy of note is that Geneon has done an absolutely fantastic job with dubbing this series, making it even more re-watchable as it is enjoyable in both language tracks. The voice of Anita is especially impressive: for children in this series they used real child actors, and thanfully these children can act! Anita's lines are much funnier when you hear them coming from a real child.

For those who have seen the OAV, you will come into this expecting the same unique style and grace that caressed the OAV series that follows Yomiko Readman more commonly known as "The Paper," released earlier by Manga Entertainment. However, upon watching this, you see a few differences that bring up disappointment.

First, the animation of a TV series is usually of lower quality than that of OAV series or movies; this seems to be the case. I felt that the characters were not drawn as well as I had come to appreciate within the OAV series. The music also lacked the same sort of emotion and 'coolness' seen from the OAVs. But these things apart, there are things that were done as well and these were stressed more in what a longer series could provide - a more developed story and stronger character development.

This 26 episode series follows a new lead female, Nenene Sumiregawa, who is a writer in some sort of rut. She was friends with Yomiko Readman but she mysteriously disappeared a few years earlier and no news has been heard from her despite her constant search. On a trip to Hong Kong to discuss plans with turning her previous novel into a film, she is attacked. However, luckily girls from the Three Sisters Agency came to save the day, and as you can assume, these girls can manipulate paper. The story continues on (albeit with MANY plot twists) with the sisters taking on a job to be Nenene's bodyguard and they learn to get along as well as really feel attached to one another.

The real highlight of the release of this series is in the packaging. With the many boxes being released for new series, it is hard to truly distinguish them from each other as being unique. The R.O.D TV series' box is just that: unique. With the box being a book, it is very relevant to the series as this series revolves around the love of books and some conspiracy on having some of them. I guess the downpoint to this sort of box is that while it conserves space, you don't have a place to hold the other DVD cases as you buy each additional volume.

Final Note: I think now we realize that the anime DVD market has become a sort of art as companies are coming up with new ways, competing to stand out or have a unique release. It's bad for our wallets but it's good for the companies. Geneon (formerly Pioneer) always finds ways to outdo itself. Bravo.

I watched the fansubs of this when it was out in Japan, and I can't wait to get the dvds. ROD may look 'cutesy', but it's far from shallow and there's a lot of excellent action and animation to boot. I'm a 29 year old guy, and my friends and I are shamelessly hooked on this show, so don't think it's just for kids or girls.

What really gets you addicted, though, are the endearing characters and the strong bonds they have to each other. Just as they care for each other, you care for them, and that keeps you hooked as they get into one perilous situation after another.

Fans of the original OVA may be put off by the fact that Yomiko Readman & crew are not the main characters in this show. Once you get to know the paper sisters, though, you won't mind a bit. And if you wonder what happened to Yomiko, Drake, and Ms. Deep after the OVA... well, you'll be in for a real treat a bit later on in the series ;)

Story/Plot: - 8 - Gets a bit convoluted at the end, but it's fun and original.
Animation - 9 - Excellent, especially for a 26-episode show.
Sound/Music - 8 - The music is great, and I like the new version of the ROD theme even better than the OVA's intro. The Japanese voice acting is great, and really brings the characters to life.

So, um, GET IT!