R.O.D the TV is a Japanese anime television series, animated by J.C.Staff and Studio Deen and produced by Aniplex, directed by Koji Masunari and scripted by Hideyuki Kurata. It is about the adventures of three paper-manipulating sisters, Michelle, Maggie and Anita, who become the bodyguards of Nenene Sumiregawa, a famous Japanese writer. Featuring music by Taku Iwasaki, the series is a sequel to the Read or Die OVA. Its official title of R.O.D the TV is a catch-all acronym referring to the inclusion of characters from both Read or Die (the light novels, manga and OVA) and the Read or Dream manga, the latter of which revolves solely around the Paper Sisters. Promotional material for R.O.D the TV implies that the show revolves around the three sisters of Read or Dream; however, Nenene Sumiregawa of Read or Die is also considered a protagonist. R.O.D the TV was broadcast for 26 episodes from October 1, 2003, to March 16, 2004, on pay-per-view satellite television platform SKY PerfecTV!. It also aired across the terrestrial Fuji Television station from October 15, 2003, to March 18, 2004. It was also broadcast worldwide by the anime satellite television network, Animax. The series was first distributed on DVD in North America by Geneon, in seven discs; the company finished releasing the series in summer 2005. Aniplex of America re-released the original Read or Die episodes and the TV series on Blu-ray in Winter 2010/2011.

Plot

The series begins in 2006, five years after the "I-Jin" incident detailed in the Read or Die OVA. Yomiko Readman (a.k.a. "The Paper", agent of British Library Task Force) has supposedly gone missing, and Nenene Sumiregawa, her former student and best friend, is still in Tokyo after her parents moved to the United States. Nenene has not written a book since Yomiko disappeared, as she has become lonely and frustrated that her sensei has never read her last book, and she feels she cannot write again until she hears Yomiko's reaction to the book, so Nenene often disappears for long periods of time searching for Yomiko, and has been periodically doing so ever since her "disappearance". During a trip to Hong Kong, Nenene meets the three sisters, Michelle, Maggie and Anita (from the Read or Dream manga), who are supposed to take care of her during her visit. However, the hotel at which Nenene is supposed to stay at is bombed, and at a press conference Nenene is briefly held hostage by a jealous rival in her industry. The three sisters end up becoming her bodyguards and join her back to Tokyo. Each sister has paper manipulation skills similar to Yomiko, although less powerful and more focused in scope. After the initial action-filled adventure, the first several episodes take on the feel of an odd-couple comedy which focuses on tension between Nenene and the sisters, who move into her apartment and mooch off her, all while dealing with various crazies and psychos in their everyday lives. The sisters also perform odd jobs as agents of the Dokusensha (ostensibly a Chinese publishing company, but more like an Illuminati-type organization focusing on the collection of rare and powerful documents). This eventually puts them and Nenene in direct conflict with the British Library and the protagonists of Read or Die (Dokusensha is established as the British Library's rival in the Read or Die manga). Events grow more serious as the series progresses as atrocities are committed by both sides, thrusting the main characters into the middle of a conflict between literary superpowers, the British Library and Dokusensha, who are both trying to collect ancient artifacts (books, of course) to control the entire world and even rewrite history. After a horrific collision between the two superpowers, Nenene and the Paper Sisters set out to find the missing Yomiko to learn the truth about the conflict and save the world from literary terrorism.

Characters

Main characters

The Paper Sisters names seem to be derived from those of three real Hong Kong action stars: Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh (who has also been credited as "Michelle Khan"). These three actresses starred together in the 1993 movie The Heroic Trio as the titular super-powered heroines. Alternatively, a possible reference is Hong Kong actress Michelle Reis, whose surname means "king" in Portuguese (her father being Portuguese).

Characters from Read or Die

New, major and minor characters

Reception

The series was positively received. Enoch Lau of THEM Anime Reviews argued that the series had a "refreshing concept" of an "ultra-cool" female protagonist as a bookworm, said it is like a "good mystery novel" with some filler episodes, and stated that Maggie reminded him of Sakaki in Azumanga Daioh. Lau added that the paper fights are "cool", while praising the animation, art, detail, and character design, but criticized it occasional inconsistent pacing. Carlos and Giancarla Ross of the same publication argued that the series is a "more exciting and interesting tour of the world of library sciences" than Kokoro Library. Timothy Donohoo of CBR praised the series as perfect for bookworms and writers, arguing that it has an "interesting" take on writer's block, and called it a classic series which is "one for the books." Theron Martin of Anime News Network compared the OVA and anime series, noting the "contrast...in focus and tone", and said the anime series is more about relationships between the characters than the OVA. He added that the OVA and TV series together tell a "complete tale that can be a lot of fun to watch." Caitlin Donnovan of The Mary Sue praised the series for having female superheroes with "amazing powers based on literature", and said that while the series can be "heartwrenching", it is, in her view, absurd and "over-the-top sci-fi superhero fun". She also praised the action scenes, storyline, and being about "hardcore ladies kicking ass with the power of literacy," but noted some fan service, gory deaths, torture, stereotypical Chinese characters, and sexualized female characters. Charles Webb of MTV said the series was the only anime series "made for both bibliophiles and action fans alike." John Sinnott of DVD Talk reviewed the first four episodes and argued that it had a "good amount of humor, some action, and very good dramatic moments". Yuricon founder, Erica Friedman, argued that the series was the "standout anime" in 2003, praised the intense and high-powered action in the first episode, switching between "shounen and shoujo style writing", and called it the "most finely crafted anime" she had seen, and argued that the protagonists have yuri feelings, and noted this is strongest between Anita and her school friend Hisami.

Other media