Read or Die (2001) (V)

Directors:

Kôji Masunari
Amanda Winn Lee

Writers:

Hideyuki Kurata (novel)
Ai Kennedy (translation)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A young female agent with a powerful psionic power over paper must stop a plot for world destruction. |

Plot Keywords:

Psionic Power | Warrior | Martial Arts | Warrior Woman | Anime

Cast

Ryan Abraham	...	Alex / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Raymond Braun	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Brooke Cadorette	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sue Cremin	...	Yoko / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Tricia Dickson	...	Wendy (voice: English version)
Chad Fifer	...	Genjo (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Joker (voice: English version)
Hozumi Gôda	...	Joker (voice)
Dean Haglund	...	Gennai Hiraga (voice: English version)
Adam Harrington	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dave Herbelin	...	President (voice: English version)
Masami Iwasaki	...	Drake 'Mr. Drake' Anderson (voice)
Jason Lee	...	Drake Anderson (voice: English version) (as Jaxon Lee)
Hal Lublin	...	Otto Lilienthal (voice: English version)
Scott MacDonell	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jason Miller	...	Various (voice)
Rieko Miura	...	Yomiko 'The Paper' Readman (voice)
Michiko Neya	...	Nancy 'Miss Deep' Makuhari (voice)
Robert J. Peterson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Daniel Raymont	...	Ikkyu (voice: English version)
Michael Ross	...	Paul (voice: English version) (as Michael John Ross)
Douglas Rye	...	Jean-Henri Fabre / Mr. Gentleman / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Junko Takeuchi	...	Fabre (voice)
Amanda Winn Lee	...	Nancy 'Miss Deep' Makuhari (voice: English version)
Kimberly Yates	...	Yomiko 'The Paper' Readman (voice: English version)
Chikao Ôtsuka	...	Hiraga Gen-nai (voice)

Directed by
Kôji Masunari
Amanda Winn Lee		(English version)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ai Kennedy		translation
Hideyuki Kurata		novel & screenplay

Produced by
Margo Coughlin Zimmerman	....	line producer (as Margo Coughlin)
Masatoshi Fujimoto	....	producer: SME Visual Works
Keiichi Matsuda	....	producer: Studio Deen
Ryuzo Shirakawa	....	planning producer: SME Visual Works

Original Music by
Taku Iwasaki

Cinematography by
Shin'yo Kondô		(as Shinyo Kondou)

Art Direction by
Kazuo Ogura

Art Department
Iho Narita	....	artboards

Sound Department
Takuya Hiramitsu	....	adr director
Brandon Howlett	....	sound re-recording mixer

Animation Department
Ryuichi Akahori	....	inbetween checker
Takahiro Chiba	....	animator
Masaru Hyoto	....	animator
Hideki Inoue	....	animator
Masashi Ishihama	....	animation director
Masashi Ishihama	....	animator
Masashi Ishihama	....	character designer
Kenichi Ishimaru	....	animator
Noriyuki Jinguji	....	production designer
Hiroko Kazui	....	animator
Osamu Kobayashi	....	animator
Tetsuya Kumagai	....	animator
Shinji Matsumoto	....	color designer
Tokuyuki Matsutake	....	animation director: opening sequence
Tokuyuki Matsutake	....	animator
Seiichi Nakatani	....	animator
Sanae Narazaki	....	animator
Takuya Saitô	....	animator
Chikara Sakurai	....	animator
Tôru Sawamura	....	inbetween checker
Daiki Shibuya	....	animator
Eiji Suganuma	....	animator
Eiji Suganuma	....	mechanical animation director
Eiji Suganuma	....	mechanical designer
Hirofumi Suzuki	....	animator
Hirofumi Suzuki	....	mechanical animation director
Hideki Tachibana	....	animator
Hideki Tachibana	....	assistant animation director
Shinobu Tagashira	....	animator
Taraku Uon	....	original character designer: Studio Orphee
Shinji Watanabe	....	inbetween checker

Music Department
Takashi Kodama	....	musical director: SME Visual Works

Other crew
Hideyuki Kurata	....	series composition

Production Companies

• SME Visual Works
• Studio DEEN (animation)
• Studio Orphee

Distributors

• Manga Video
• SME Visual Works (2001) (Japan) (video)

Also Known As:

"R.O.D" - International (English title) (short title)
"R.O.D Read or Die" - International (English title) (long title)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Company:

SME Visual Works

Trivia:

In episode 1, when Joker debriefs Yomiko on the I-Jin incident, a screen displays a list of people who were candidates for the I-Jin project. One of the names is series creator Hideyuki Kurata.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Yomiko catches Nancy in the hallway outside her room to talk to her, her hair briefly seems to be out of the braids Nancy put it in a few moments ago. The braids return as they're about to leave the submarine.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Yomiko Readman aka 'The Paper':Please give me back my book!

Movie Connections:

References Army of Darkness (1992)

Satisfactory.

Unlike the rather paltry and ridiculous series which shares its name, this OVA is actually quite worth your time, anime fan or not. A lot of the usual anime clichés are abundant, but the difference here is that they are wrapped up tightly inside a packaging that is fairly original, and extremely entertaining, too. I mean, a bookish, busty young Japanese lady fighting with paper against big guys with guns and swords? Hey, it might not be all that weird for anime standards, but I find it pretty fun.

The story is pretty simple, yet involving and intriguing at the same time, skipping along at a gallant pace and always keeping the viewer on the edge of his seat. Read or Die is silly at times, and it does not vary all that much from what the viewer would expect from an anime, but it is damned good, and fans of the style should check it out.