Read or Die - OVA


Reviewer:	Iryl
Email:		private
Website:	http://www.hugglebunny.com

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The Anime


Episodes:	3
Seasons:	1
Movies:		0
OVA:		1

Price:		$23.96 DVD (amazon.com)

Rated:		PG13

Catagories:	Action
		Comedy
		Magical Girls
		Drama

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Review


Synopsis:	Taking place sometime between the manga and the TV
		series, Yomiko Readman (secret agent "The Paper" for 
		British Library Special Forces), has to stop the clones
		of long-dead I-Jin (power-weilding enemies).  

Age Rating:	Violence and disturbing scenes.  The badguys are making
		a song that forces people to kill themselves.  There is
		a scene where a secretary walks in on the men who were
		trying to decode it -- and they're all dead.  I think
		that we actually see them starting to kill themselves
		before it switches scenes, and it's probably not best
		for those younger than thirteen.

Adult Content:	One character wears a skin-tight black body suit, and
		the women are all well-endowed.  Other than that, you
		needn't worry.

Magic:		The powers of paper manipulation and the ability to
		move through solid objects that are shown are not
		explained as magic but as genetics.  Cloning is a
		common practice here.

		Those with powers are "Agents," or "I-jin," and are
		used as spies, weapons, and tools.

Overall -- What You Really Want to Know:
		This is one of my favorites ever.  The main character 
		is a peculiar warrior-agent.  She manipulates paper 
		to do her bidding.  The first time you see her, she's 
		running from bookstore to bookstore, buying them out.  
		She lives to read.  She's cute, kind of oblivious 
		when she's reading, and isn't an amazing fighter 
		because of her physical talents as much as her paper 
		powers.  She's actually a lot like me.  Except for the 
		paper thing.

		I think I like the characters best, the clever action 
		second, and the art third.  But all three are equally 
		amazing.  The characters . . . well, they're well-developed 
		and easy to love.  They're interesting.  It's nice to 
		see how the friendship between Yomiko and Nancy grows, 
		and how two women can bond like they do.  And two such 
		different women in personality and looks!  Yomiko 
		dresses like a librarian.  Nancy dresses like a secret 
		agent, all in black.

		The art is rather feminine, but my husband likes this 
		anime as much as I do, and that's because of the action.  
		They say that anime is judged for quality in part by the 
		fluidity of movement -- if so, this is a fine piece of 
		quality anime.  Also, the violence is usually more clever 
		than crushing -- Yomiko uses her brain and her paper to 
		stop her opponent, rather than simple brute force.  The 
		action is much more than characters beating the snot out 
		of each other or newly-developed "moves" that are better 
		than the other guy's moves.  The powers that our 
		characters have are limited, and they must use their 
		ingenuity in battle to overcome the opponent.  It's not 
		about brutal hack-and-slash.  It's about getting through 
		the day alive.

		I guess my favorite thing about it is just how well I 
		identify with the dumpy, cute, bookworm that is Yomiko 
		"The Paper" Readman.

		As previously noted, there are some mildly disturbing 
		scenes.  One of the potential problem spots is that the 
		American president (who is not any particular president 
		but, rather, a generic American guy in a suit who they 
		call "Mr. President") is not shown in a good light.  I 
		think he's comedy relief, actually.  When he's scared, 
		he pees himself.  That's kind of gross.

		But the bad is far outweighed by the good in this anime.  
		The negative parts (disturbing moments or presidents 
		with urine on their pants) are only small parts.  The 
		majority of this anime (90%) is about the growth and 
		friendship of two beautiful and interesting women -- 
		and, of course, their talent at kicking butt and 
		saving the day.

		The OVA comes before the TV Series, and as far as 
		that goes, this has less objectionable material than 
		the TV Series.  I think it's better just because 
		you get a lot more Yomiko here.  My husband agrees.  
		He adores Yomiko as much as I do.

		So if you're going to watch just one of them, watch 
		this one.

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