Review of R.O.D. (TV Series): Vol. 4

Introduction

I had a look at the first volume of R.O.D The TV last year, and immediately fell for its literary charms. Well, it`s a cold, calculated romance, as I waited for a suitable sale before filling out the parking space assigned to R.O.D on my shelf. Also determined to do things right, this time I began with Read Or Die, the OVA series. It`s well worth doing as while initially the two stories seem separate and can be enjoyed that way, from practically the first frame, the TV series makes visual and narrative reference to the OVA, and as the story progresses, the two become more and more intertwined. These aspects didn`t stand out for me the first time round, but having watched the OVA first this time, I found there was extra enjoyment to be had from the TV series.

Michelle, Maggie and Anita are three paper masters, able to manipulate paper to their will. In their hands, paper cuts can be fatal, paper aeroplanes can take paying passengers, and a sheet of A4 can be bulletproof. They run the Paper Sisters detective agency, using their formidable abilities to fight crime. They are also committed bibliophiles, well all except Anita, and their love of the written word is something that dominates their lives.

Previously, it became apparent that Dokusensha weren`t the benevolent benefactors that the Paper Sisters thought they were, and volume 3 ended on a cliffhanger of betrayal and kidnapping. Now, everything changes as the sisters turn against their former employers, and secret plans begin to unfold. The next four episodes of R.O.D The TV are presented by MVM on Volume 4 along with slightly fewer extra goodies.

13. Twilight Of The Papers II
The automated defences at Dokusensha were easy, but the Paper Sisters meet their match in Paper Master Wong. As her sisters fall, it rests on Maggie to rescue Nenene. Meanwhile Carpenter`s plan is put into effect, as his operatives enter the heart of Dokusensha. Hong Kong will pay the price.

14. Paper Leaf Wood
The unsavoury business in Hong Kong completed, it falls to Carpenter`s secretary Wendy Earheart to complete the report on the incident. In it she explains what has led to this turn of events, from the beginning when the influence of the British Empire began to wane, and the British Library`s desperate attempts to hang on to political power, the discovery of those with special abilities like the Paper Masters, the truth behind the Historical People incident, all the way up to the incident at Dokusensha.

15. In The Gray Light Of The Abyss
The Paper Sisters leave with Nenene for Japan, but no place is safe for them now. They`re all wanted in connection with the Hong Kong incident, and have to go into hiding. Deciding what to do next, Nenene stumbles upon a lead which points to the whereabouts of her friend, the Paper Master Yomiko Readman. But Yomiko doesn`t want to be found; understandable when hot on their heels is Mr Joker, a.k.a. Carpenter.

16. Fahrenheit 451
Yomiko has been in hiding with Nancy trying to avoid just this. Joker shows up demanding that she returns to the British Library, and he intends to turn Nenene and the Paper Sisters over to Dokusensha. Backing up his threat is a cadre of armed librarians. If that doesn`t work Plan B will focus on hurting what Yomiko holds most dear, books.

Video

You get a 4:3 regular transfer, which is clear, sharp and with strong colours. I didn`t notice any problems with artefacts and the like, other than the usual banding associated with animation. The animation is nicely done, with vibrantly animated action sequences, balanced with more subtle moments. It`s an Aniplex series, and if you are a fan of Full Metal Alchemist, you`ll see some of that style in the character designs.

Audio

You get a choice between DD 5.1 English and Japanese as well as a DD 2.0 Japanese soundtrack. Translated English subtitles or signs accompany these. They are effective surround tracks, with plenty of oomph for the action sequences. I`ve also fallen for the music. Taku Iwasaki`s themes remind me strongly of the concept action dramas of the sixties, the Randall & Hopkirks, the Man From UNCLEs, with a hefty soupcon of James Bond to boot. It`s very stylish, very evocative, and is perfectly suited to the show. We get a new ending theme in this volume, and the credit sequences change to keep up with the developments in the story.

Features

It`s an MVM disc so you can expect animated menus, as well as trailers for Tsukihime and Trigun. You`ll find a gallery containing 10 images from the show as well as line and promotional art.

This volume`s commentary accompanies episode 13, and joining Taliesin Jaffe this time around are Wendy Tomson (Nenene), Patrick Seitz (Lee), and J. B. Blanc (Joker). It`s thankfully much more sedate than the previous actor commentary, which means it only borders on anarchic. Amongst all the giggling and joshing, there are some comments worth listening to about the voice acting business.

Missing from this volume are the episode previews.

Incidentally, if you want to see the creditless title sequences, just turn the subtitles off completely while they play.

Conclusion

Another volume of R.O.D goes by, and shockingly my lavish praise for it wavers slightly. Up till now, I have been effusive and unstinting in my admiration of a show where the good guys fight with paper, where books are the be all and end of all of our heroes` existences, where there is nothing wrong with cradling a tome lovingly, and losing oneself in a story for hours and hours. If ever there was an anime series made for bibliophiles, then Read Or Die is it. But this disc doesn`t quite get the relentless gushing of anime love that I have given to the first three.

Volume 4 is something of a turning point for R.O.D The TV. The series reaches a mid season climax in the first episode on the disc, then it feels as if someone applies the brakes and the show loses momentum. The Paper Sister`s abilities are in full flow as they raid Dokusensha to rescue Nenene, and there is plenty of action and excitement to be had. But Paper Leaf Wood is a recap episode, which are rarely good to have in anime. On the bright side, it isn`t a recap of the series so much as it is a filling in of the story gaps. This takes us right to the beginning, with Britain`s status in the world explained, and how Mr Gentleman was responsible. We learns the meaning behind the various books that have been sought by all sides, and even more importantly, we learn just what was behind the cloned Historical Figures in the OVA series, the one aspect that was lacking in the OVA itself. Touching on Nenene and the Paper Sisters barely fills a few minutes of this episode`s run time, and at the end of it we have a much better picture of what has been happening in the story so far.

However, it is a recap episode, and as such it serves to kill the pace of the story, and while we catch up with the Paper Sisters on the run in the next episode, that momentum has still been lost. In fact with the Dokusensha raid out of the way, and the story thus far at least partially explained, it feels as if we are starting from scratch in the final two episodes. Running into Yomiko Readman again should have felt familiar, but this is a character that has been in hiding for the last five years, and apparently has been nursing a serious guilt complex. She`s practically unrecognisable from the Yomiko of the OVA. Similarly Joker has developed a megalomaniac side to him that wasn`t apparent before, and the reunion between the two seems almost a meeting of strangers. Two points of interest are that Anita is beginning to recover her memories, while Junior`s encounter with Nancy simply serves as confirmation of what I and, probably everyone else familiar with the OVA will have suspected.

While familiarity with the OVA was probably optional for the first half of the series, it becomes essential for the second half. It almost feels as if we are starting again with the series. We have new characters to develop and get to know. The main characters are on the run, and simply looking for a place to hide at this point. Maybe in the next volume they`ll decide on a course of action and get the series back on track. In the end, R.O.D The TV has a mid season slump of the quality that other shows would still aspire to. It`s still great anime.