Andy (film-critic) I am constantly impressed with the level of animation that is coming from overseas. I think it is because they are going places that our native animators are afraid to go. We still see cartoons for children, where overseas they see it as a form of entertainment for both adults and children. Why can't they see that it is a form of cinema that will and can take us to places that live-action never will, and give us characters that no actor could ever conjure up? Who knows? I hope that one day we get there, but until then I can sit on my comfy couch and watch amazing cinema like that of Read or Die.To begin, this was a fantastic story. I loved the literary references throughout the course of the film. I loved that there was so much to see or do in the story that you never really knew where it was going to go next. This was a very unpredictable story that left so much up to the imagination. It was futuristic, yet somewhat present day. There was a feeling that you were seeing on old novel opened for the first time and remastered for today's generation. It was breathtaking, uncontrollably mesmerizing, and spellbinding to say the least. I mentioned before about the imagination that this film held, well let me say that it flowed like water from this Read or Die. It is hard to explain, but if you watch so much live-action cinema, it is hard to comprehend, but there was more alive in this film than I have seen in any of Spielberg's epics. Keep in mind that I am also relatively new to the Anime genre, and probably am missing some of the better stuff, but for a newbie like myself, Read or Die was perfection in its purest form.In live-action films I always mention the characters, and am normally nervous to mention them in animation (because it is actors voicing not really acting), but I need to applaud the animators in this film. The way that the characters in this film carried themselves, to their facial expressions, to the intensity that they brought to the screen is equal to that of most live-actors out there. There was enough back-story and future story for these characters that you knew them, you honestly knew them as if they were real. This was a character-based film. While some may argue with me on that topic, it was about friendship, love, and a desire to read and be successful. These are not emotions that you feel or see with just simple drawings. The animators went above and beyond their call of duty with this film, and it was demonstrated through cunning visionary and smart characters.With a gripping story that took us all over the world (showed the vast horror that could be found, instead of just making it centralized) and characters that literally jumped out of the screen with heart-pounding animation and style, there is only one more thing to say about this film. The action. Growing up in a post-Matrix style film world, it is getting harder and harder to see fight sequences choreographed without the use that made The Matrix so popular. I continually see more and more films ripping off the "bullet-time" effect and making their money back on just that one effect alone. While I do realize that this was … yet again … a cartoon, the action in it seemed more real than in most action films. Sly and AH-NOLD have nothing on "The Paper" as she uses brains and strength to outwit her opponents. This continued to keep my attention throughout the entire film and nearly pushed me to watch it again. I know there was something that I probably missed the first time because my jaw was stapled to the floor. The action sequences were, for lack of a better word, beautiful. Like a ballet gone wrong, this film stepped into the screen with simplicity, violence, and this subtle delicacy that is unmatched in American cinema today.Overall, this was an impressive film for me. I loved everything about it from the beginning to the end. Again, perhaps it has something to do with my amateurish nature around Anime (which is going to change soon), but this is one of the best that I have seen. It left me satisfied, yet with this strong desire to watch again and again. Not many films do that to me, so it was great to see something as powerful as this pull me into the Anime world. I cannot wait for my next adventure! Grade: ***** out of *****

Sparrow_in_flight I have no complaints against the artwork or anything like that. Actually, I thought the art was pretty good. The plot is okay too, though not the world's greatest. There was a fair amount of humor as well, with Agent Paper's obsession over her book. Though sometimes I wondered about her feelings for Nancy...for barely knowing someone, those feelings were pretty intense.Perhaps it was because I saw this on TV, but things seemed a bit rushed and disjointed at times. And yes, I know any movie can end up this way...but I just find it annoying. Because of this, I think the main reason I'll watch it again, if I do, will be to make sure I understood everything correctly.Therefore, I won't say if it was good or bad, just that it was...interesting.

GiftfromtheMAGI MAGI rating scale: +7.8(-10/+10)There is a little odd gem from our friends overseas. ROD is the story of an intelligence agency, based in of all places the British Library, and its agents as they protect the world from the Ijin. In this particular case, the Ijin(or Great person as they are refered to) called Stephan has discovered a symphony of Beethoven's (?) that if played will cause people to commit suicide. Seizing on this ultimate form of crowd control (maybe he could never get a parking spot), he sends out his genetically resurrected Ijin to collect the two books that hold the song.Our hero that can stop this threat? A clumsy substitute teacher with the ability to manipulate paper, a grouchy explosives expert and a leather-wearing over-developed femme fatalie with the ability to make things pass through her...and look good doing it.One of the more interesting things about anime is their themes in the storylines. If you look into the vast majority of Japanimation, even the strangest series or movies all work with it's own logic. In ROD, the logic is books. From the Macguffins (Beethoven's notebooks) to the heroine (Yomiko Readman) to the British Library, ROD creates its own logic and own rule...and yet still manages to give us some believeibly and humanity in its characters. The animation itself is clean and beautiful, with an eye for detail. The two female leads, while doing quite a bit of 'fan service' still manage to convey some parts of realism...especially Yomiko. If the world had people with powers like these, OF COURSE the Powers That Be would try to recuit them...even if that person is not someone you would usually want as an agent. Yomiko is clumsy, self-absorbed and a bit naive.....not to mention obsessive. But she's also cute, lovible, caring and surprizingly capaible (She even figures out who to defeat a lightning-powered samarai with a few dollar bills!)I recommend this OVA series to any true fans of anime...give it a try and just sit back and relax....it's a fun trip.

wimjim I was recommended this title; it won the Anime Expo of 2002; I read many great reviews about this title. So I was viewing this with great anticipation. I have now just watched it and have given this a C+.WHY??? You may ask I'll explain in due course.First the anime revolves around like a cheesy James bond style plot, with characters that have super natural abilities. So a race against time to save the world against a group of historical, extraordinary peronalities. There is the main character Yomiko Readman, a part time teacher and special agent of the Special Library Operations, code name "The Paper" or "Agent Paper"(, sounds corny, but that's probably the idea). She has a love of books, therefore she is here to protect the one book, that the enemy needs. She has a speciality, and that is the manipulation of paper.Other characters with the ability to pass through solid matter, to control insects, and manipulation of electricity. Therefore you could imagine some fantastic and clever, animated action scenes, on those basis alone. And it really does deliver.Animation is top notch, alot of detail has been put into this. When have you seen animation of someone taking a lid off a pen to write something down. Though it isn't truly necessary, it is little details like this, that tells you they have put effort into this. But it could also be their down fall, I'll explain later.It truly is a breath of fresh air, from your average anime. They may have taken a lot from James Bond, even the theme tune, opening titles and soundtrack resembles a lot like Bond. They put in a prologue opening scene much like Bond, but it fits really well into the style, and coolness of this anime.Now for the negative opinion. What really annoyed me was some of the character annoying habits they make, during the course of this 3 part anime. Miss Deep constant habit to pose and pose and pose, even during strange situations. It may have been cool, but a certain situation that I felt wasn't necessary. Wendys' constant falling over, was not funny at all to me. Thinking it might work it's way into the plot, but never really did. So didn't know what the reason behind that was. The Jokers' habit to touch his hair every time. That may the detail the animators were looking for, but for me as a viewer it kind of.... annoyed me.Now for Yomiko, well she started off great, cute and funny. Liked how she just wants the book. When she started fighting, I was in awe, but as soon as she fell over a cow, I thought that she was slightly too clumsy, and now not believable to be an agent. She wasn't professional in the slightest, but that could be the beauty of it, and that I missed it completely. So it didn't work for me.Though you shouldn't be put off this, as it is only my opinion. Maybe I was let down because it was hyped up too much, by others. 10/10 ratings are truly impressive ratings, so I was expecting perfection. Maybe when I watched again I'll change my opinion of the anime.Overall I do recommend it. Go watch it, for the animation, and for something slightly different compare to others.C+