R.O.D. -The TV-, Vol. 1: The Paper Sisters
Although based on the same manga, the broadcast series ofRead or Dieis very different in tone from theoriginal OVA. Novelist Nenene Sumiregawa hasn't written anything in four years--since her friend Yomiko Readman (the heroine of the OVA) disappeared. When terrorists attack Nenene at a signing in Hong Kong, her publisher hires the King Sisters--Michele, Maggie, and Anita--as bodyguards. Like Yomiko, they're "paper masters," using magic to forge powerful weapons out ordinary foolscap. None of the characters is particularly likable: Nenene fusses, Michele is a ditz, Maggie rarely says anything, and Anita is a loudmouth brat. Aside from brief action sequences in episodes 1 and 4, the characters spend most of their time lying around, which makes for dull viewing.R.O.D. the TVranks among the odder anime series of recent years. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity)--Charles Solomon