READ OR DREAM
Trust me, literacy should always be this enjoyable

Abstract:  Five years have passed since the events portrayed in the original Read or Die OAV, and author Nenene (That is NOT a typo) Sumiregawa has been wondering what the heck’s happened to her old friend Yomiko “The Paper” Readman, as Yomiko’s been MIA since the OAV.  Nenene doesn’t have too much more time to wonder about that though, as while on a trip to Hong Kong her life gets endangered more than once.  And to her great surprise, her saviors “The Three Sisters” are girls by the names of Michelle, Maggie and Anita who can also use paper the same way Yomiko can.

Since they did such a bang-up job keeping Nenene hale and hearty in Hong Kong, the sisters return with her to Japan to serve as her bodyguards.  And thus begins a series that develops into an original, engrossing and completely entertaining send-up of the campy spy flicks of the 1960’s.

The art’s good, the music’s good, and the writing’s so top-notch that it ties into the events in the original R.O.D. almost seamlessly.  Verily, the questions and confusion that you might’ve had after watching the original get cleared up here.  The only issue I had was that the plot does take a little too long to get going, and that was the ONLY reason I couldn’t give it a Platinum.  Still though, Read or Dream is pure Gold, through and through.

Background:  WARNING!  If you haven’t watched the Read or Die OAV (What’s wrong with you!?!), you might as well skip this review until you’ve watched the original, because this show is tied so closely with the original that there’s absolutely no way you can follow what’s going on without having seem the OAV first.  And for those of you who’ve forgotten what happened in the original, here’s a quick synopsis.

In the original series, a half Japanese-half English gal by the name of Yomiko Redman works as a secret agent for a branch of the British Library.  Going by the codename “The Paper” since she can make paper do whatever she wants it to, Yomiko foils a plan by cloned copies of the “I-Jin” to conquer the world.  And in case you’re curious, the I-Jin are those exceptional geniuses, inventors, pioneers, etc. that the British Library deemed uber enough that their remains are maintained for some reason.  Hence, you see skulls, ribcages, and various and sundry other body parts laying around in what looks like my medical school anatomy lab.

Fast forward 5 years though, and the world’s a very different place.  For one thing, the British Library’s been burned to the ground…THE ROOF!  THE ROOF!  THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!!!

*Ahem* Gomen, old joke/song. 

Anywhoo, in addition to the British Library being nothing but ashes at this point, Yomiko has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.  And you have no idea how much that rips at the heart of Nenene Sumiregawa, a 23-year author who’s been searching for Yomiko this entire time for 2 reasons.  The first is that Yomiko is Nenene’s inspiration to write, and since “The Paper” is in absentia, Nenene hasn’t been able to compose anything at all for years.  The second is that, um, well, Nenene seems pretty fond of Yomiko.  Maybe a little too fond…

*Coughs* moving right along, while on a business trip to Hong Kong Nenene becomes the target of jealous wannabe authors.  However, 3 gals (The pretty and ditzy Michelle, the tall and silent Maggie and the young and spunky Anita) who work as private detectives pull Nenene’s chestnuts out of the fire.  Twice.  But what sets the “Three Sisters” apart, as they like to be called, is the fact that they also can utilize paper just like Yomiko can, which of course makes Nenene, as well as her publisher, sit up and take notice.  In fact, Nenene’s publisher decides to hire the Three Sisters on as bodyguards for Nenene, just in case someone else decides to take a shot at her.

Moving the 4 women back to Japan, the plot slowly unfolds as Nenene continues her dogged search for Yomiko and the sisters slowly but surely immerse themselves into Japanese society and Nenene’s life (With hilarious results on both counts).  However, things take a rather serious turn as the ladies stumble upon a world-wide conspiracy.  So what starts out as seemingly disparate, unconnected events quickly evolves into an elaborate, all-encompassing scheme that turns everyone and everything against them.

What REALLY happened at the British Library 5 years ago?  Who’s this mysterious company Dokusensha and what are they after?  And does this plot have anything to do with Yomiko’s disappearance?  I ain’t gonna spoil it for ya, so ya’ll are just gonna have to go and watch the series.  So there *Sticks out tongue*.

Materials and Methods:  Based upon the original work by creator Hideyuki Kurata, the transition between the original series to this one is near flawless.  While the original R.O.D. series was great on its own, they stuck out unanswered questions as teasers to set up a second series, and boy did that work.  Read or Dream decidedly fills in the gaps and holes that were left by the original in such a smooth way that I think other producers need to watch this series and take notes.  Like I said though, the only complaint I had was that I found myself impatient at times at the pacing, as they spent just a little too long setting things up.

Taraku Uon, the character designer, did a good job of giving each player in the series their own individual look.  Nenene, for instance, cares more about function that fashion, and so at times appears rather frumpy and unkempt.  Contrast that with Michelle, who very much is concerned with appearing as what she is: An attractive young woman. 

Although it doesn’t seem like it at the start, as the series goes on more and more characters join in, so by the end of the show you’ve got a huge cast.  The voice acting had some notable standouts, with Satsuki Yukino (Kaname Chidori from Full Metal Panic!) taking the reigns as Nenene and giving a very versatile performance.  But the seiyuu that had me standing up and applauding was Chiwa Sato (Kokoro from Kokoro Toshokan, Lavie Head from Last Exile) as Anita.  I mean, she had Anita running the entire emotional spectrum from major depression to delirious, joyous relief, from abject resignation to sheer, in-your-face rage with the requisite shouting, screaming, laughing and crying included.  It was truly a bang-up performance. 

On the flipside though, I was a bit disappointed with Reiko Miura’s portrayal of Yomiko.  No matter what the circumstances or situation, Yomiko had the same distracted, slightly-whimsical, absentminded professor sort of tone to her voice.  I’m assuming they did that to play up her idiot-savant personality, but it still seemed out of place and inappropriate at times.

As most series really don’t offer much in the music department, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found here.  The BGM ranges from tense orchestral to lighter big band, and the bookend themes aren’t anything to sneeze at either.   The groovy, 60’s-retro, hip-sounding opening theme “R.O.D.” plays up the deliberately outrageous feel of the show, while the 2 closings differ a bit from each other.  For the first 20 eps you get “Moments in the Sun”, an upbeat, fun little piece.  For the last 6 eps though you get “Confidence”, sung by Yomiko’s seiyuu herself.  And while Confidence still has an up-tempo beat to it, Miss Miura’s voice lends a yearning, searching quality to the song that matches the lyrics.

Results:  First off, be ready for an absolute emotional roller coaster.  All the main characters grow and change a lot through all the various trials and tribulations, with Anita getting most of the focus.  In a very real sense, the series is about her and her development, and you very quickly learn to care about her.  At first, she rubs you the wrong way as she comes appears cold, apathetic and sarcastic.  But that’s all just a front, and as you get deeper into the series you see just how lonely, scared and vulnerable she truly is.  I didn’t expect to like her as much as I did, and I’m betting you’ll feel the same way.

I truly appreciated the fact that the all those little nagging questions that you had left over from the OAV get answered here in the TV.  For instance, who was Gentlemen?  Why does the British Library need secret agents?  What was the point of collecting genetic material from the I-Jin?  That kind of thing.  And speaking about the first series, I don’t want to give too much away, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, from the first series shows up here, whether you remember them or not. 

The show also pays homage to the movie industry in amusing ways.  For instance, there’s a carrier pigeon the sisters decide to name John Woo, in reference to the well-known Hong Kong action movie director. In addition, keep your eyes peeled for references to The Matrix and Star Wars.  There might have been other allusions I missed, so if you come across one let me know.

Now, I gotta say this: I admit I don’t know a thing about women, and I know that friendships between women are much more demonstrative and emotional then the friendships between men.  But in this series, a few of the gals just seemed a little too fond of each other.  ‘Nuff said.

Conclusions:  Read or Dream wraps up the story started in Read or Die in a cohesive, enjoyable way that’ll have you eagerly awaiting the next episode.  Like the old line about movie reviews that says “I laughed, I cried, I thought”, Read or Dream is so good that in this case, that line isn’t a joke but reality.  It just barely, barely missed getting the highest rating I could give it due to the show’s pacing, but don’t let that stop you from picking it up.  This is one series that more than earns the Gold.