Read or Die Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Matt
• Review Date: 2011-10-28 (updated 2011-10-28)
• 3.5 stars out of 5 (?)

Read or Die starts off with a bang--literally--and jumps head-first into its premise of a believable modern world full of unbelievable things. If over-the-top superpowered action is your cup of tea, R.O.D. should not disappoint--the action sequences are incredible, with succulent high-budget OVA animation, exciting fight coreography, and all sorts of creative uses of the characters' superpowers. The lack of backstory for the alternate world lead to the series feeling a bit jumbled, and the relatively uninteresting ultimate villain is a dissapointment, but the characters are interesting and likable, and most of the villains are clever enough. The Japanese acting is quite good, the English dub holds its own, and Taku Iwasaki energetic, jazzy score is a perfect fit from opening theme to credits.

I have zero complaints about Read or Die's technical aspects and I mostly enjoy the show's fun, over-the-top execution. It's a bit of a shame that the writing end up going too far over the top, resulting in some laughable and eye-rolling moments. ROD is still a solid recommendation with its exciting fight choreography, interesting Western influences, and likable characters.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Matt
• Review Date: 2011-10-28 (updated 2011-10-28)
• 3.5 stars out of 5 (?)

It's always interesting to see what will happen when an anime storyline is set in a Western nation. The accuracy of the depiction can range anywhere from the streets of Chicago being replicated with remarkable authenticity to the city of New York being represented as a resort town. Read or Die falls somewhere decidedly in-between.

R.O.D. starts off with a bang--literally--at the White House, where the famous building is represented accurately and promptly blown up by a man who can shoot electricity from his fingers. As a familiar-looking President is ushered out by his body guards they are ambushed by Gennai Hiraga, a famous and long-deceased samurai. The opening scene sets up exactly what you can expect from this OVA: unbelievable things happening in a believable world.

The United States is not the primary setting for Read or Die, but rather Britain, and that's where we meet our heroine. Bibliomaniac Yomiko Readman's life is consumed with books. As she wakes up to meet the day she has to step lightly on the few spaces of floor left while the camera shows notes from Yomiko's roommate reminding her to do simple daily tasks... like eating.¹ As scatterbrained as she seems, Ms. Readman proves herself quite adept in combat situations with her creative manipulation of paper as a weapon.

In ROD, some people can manipulate paper to form shields, weapons and even aircraft. Others can pass through solid objects or float on clouds. And it's when these powers are on display that Read or Die absolutely shines. The action sequences are incredible, with succulent high-budget OVA animation. The fight choreography is exciting and the characters' superpowers are used in interesting and varied ways across land, air and sea. There's also something about Yomiko that really makes you root for her when she squares off against an enemy.

I won't try to hide the fact that over-the-top superpowered action anime is absolutely my cup of tea. Having said that, I have to admit the OVA can feel awkward and jumbled, especially in the first episode. The show does not explain the powers these characters have or the Special Operations Division of the British Library Yomiko works for--all these elements are just taken for granted with no solid explanation about the formation of the agency or what its role has been in the past. This makes the anime a bit of an awkward entry point,² but if you think about it too much you might feel the whole OVA leaving you behind. Even with the rapid-fire set up, I appreciated the series' nods to British spy films. Usually when anime characters are leaping around with superhuman abilities it's in the framework of a long-running Shonen Jump property. Read or Die presents a refreshing change of pace in that regard.

Before long the supporting cast start rolling out, and they're certainly a colorful lot. Yomiko's superior, the pleasant and ever-patient Joker, doesn't have much to do besides hold down the fort. However, the operatives he sends to assist Yomiko are an interesting duo. Drake's grumpy attitude and perpetual frown make him an amusing counterpart to Yomiko's naive cheerfulness, but it's Nancy Makuhari who is the more interesting of the two. Her figure is fun to look at, but her developing friendship with Yomiko is what makes her engaging.

On the flip side, the antagonists of Read or Die defy expectations. The main villain especially is not the sort of historical figure one would expect to be behind all the chaos. The show pulls out a variety of famous people, from Jean-Henri Fabre to Genjo Sanzo, for Yomiko and her allies to fight against. The abilities the enemies use are based on what they were famous for and it's only after some research that I realized how clever some of the powers are.

Unfortunately, once the head bad guy reveals himself and his ultimate plan involving a well known classical composition, the OVA ends up jumping the shark. The story progresses in a relatively straight forward manner with the expected betrayals and twists, however, the main threat that has to be dealt with in the third episode is just silly. I can suspend my disbelief quite a bit, even more for anime, but Read or Die's story tested how far I'm willing to let go. To be honest I had mixed feelings about Read or Die the first time I saw it, but subsequent re-watches have helped me to appreciate the strengths it has more than the weaknesses. It's also worth noting that the follow-up television series eventually expands on the OVA's plot in a very worthwhile way.

The quality of the acting in the Japanese version is quite good overall. Reiko Miura is enjoyably sincere as Yomiko and the main villain mentioned earlier has a dry and creepy voice that is especially effective during a chilling speech he makes (which is sadly hard to hear as it plays in the background). Hozumi Goda is appropriately polite and proper as Joker, and I also liked Michiko Neya as Nancy; she and Miura work well together. The English version, for its part, is well directed, with appropriately sweet and sultry voices for Yomiko and Nancy. I enjoyed Drake's irritated tone, and Joker's faux-British accent is relatively convincing. The dub script thankfully doesn't try to inject juvenile swearing into the dialog, as is often the case with Manga Entertainment titles.

As for the soundtrack, not since Cowboy Bebop has the music in an anime gotten stuck in my head to such a degree. The jazzy score recalls popular spy movies, but Taku Iwasaki makes this work his own. The music is fun and exciting, with a fast tempo that adds to the intensity of the combat. Considering how most orchestral scores sound the same nowadays, the fact that Iwasaki managed to create memorable themes is a significant accomplishment. I also appreciated that the opening and ending music stayed in line with the score instead of injecting ill-fitting J-pop songs.

I really like Read or Die overall. I have zero complaints about its technical aspects and I mostly enjoy the show's fun, over-the-top execution. It's a bit of a shame that the writing end up going too far over the top, resulting in some laughable and eye-rolling moments. ROD is still a solid recommendation with its exciting fight choreography, interesting Western influences, and likable characters.

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Related Recommendations

Apart from the Read or Die TV series, which is a direct sequel, the fairly recent Night Raid 1931 also features superpowered spies in China during pre-WWII, though that series ends up focusing more on the real events that transpired between Japan and China during that time. L/R (Licensed by Royalty) is an even bigger send-up of spy movies, without the superpowers, while Giant Robo has the superpowers in an even more stylized alternate world. For more unbelievable events transpiring in a believable world try Durarara!!, and if you liked how Read or Die's music and animation worked in conjunction the classic and also high-budget Cowboy Bebop should be right up your alley.