Following the success of the three-episode OVA (original video anime) R.O.D.: Read Or Die (VL Online-7/03), this oddly-named (yes, the word “series” should logically go after “TV” in the title, but doesn't) initial four-episode volume in the projected seven-disc, 26-episode TV series, finds the original's Agent Paper replaced (at least initially; our screener disc only featured the first episode) by the Paper sisters--Michelle (who loves the Harry Potter books), Maggie (a laconic Hemingway fan), and Anita (the youngest; unlike her sisters, Anita is not a potential ALA “READ” poster girl--after being given an autographed book, she muses, “I wonder what it's worth on eBay”). Like the first Agent Paper, the gals are masters of paper (with special powers that include creating instant load-bearing getaway paper airplanes, for example), which turns out to be very useful in the opener, “The Papers Have Landed,” in which the sisters join forces to protect Nenene, a Japanese female author on a book tour stop in Hong Kong. Nenene, who has lost contact with a friend (none other than Yomiko “Agent Paper” Readman), is being threatened by a bomb-happy, frustrated writer. Bibliophilic atmosphere abounds, from the filled-to-bursting-with-books office of the Three Sisters Detective Agency to the starry-eyed reverential treatment of the printed word (unless, of course, it's being used in a paper attack). DVD extras on this dual-language disc include a U.S. production commentary and a color art gallery. Accurately rated 13-up for language (sample: “you sophomore Japanese bitch”) and violence, this tailored-for-book-aficionados series is recommended. [Note: R.O.D.-The TV-Vol. 2: The Undercover Student is slated for release on Sept. 7.] Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
R.O.D.-The TV-Vol. 1: The Paper Sisters
(2003) 100 min. DVD: $29.98. Geneon (avail most distributors). Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 4
R.O.D.-The TV-Vol. 1: The Paper Sisters
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