Talk:R.O.D the TV

Title

Title should be 'R.O.D the TV', has never officially been called "Read Or Die: The TV" (presumably since it's a sequel to both the Read or Die OVAs and the Read or Dream Manga). Shiroi Hane 21:31, 18 August 2005 (UTC)

• I have listed it on the Wikipedia:Requested moves page. Obviously because I did, this counts as a Support for move.--Mitsukai 20:29, 27 August 2005 (UTC)
• The redirect only has one edit. You should be able to just move this over it. -Aranel ("Sarah") 23:32, 28 August 2005 (UTC)

This article has been renamed after the result of a move request. Please fix the remaining redirects. Dragons flight 03:27, September 2, 2005 (UTC)

Entry on Wendy

Seen in the OVA as Joker's office secretary, she now serves as his right hand henchwoman. Wendy's character has matured radically from the typical anime bumbling but dedicated ditz into your typical anime ruthless, sociopathic domme (apparently in the manga she's always been competent and serious). She hates Yomiko, and is also one of the few B.R.L. personnel in on Joker's scheme.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopath Wendy is NOT a sociopath. I understand the term's used very lightly nowadays, but at least in Wikipedia it should be used right. A sociopath is virtually unable to feel guilt, which we see Wendy feel when she tells Junior he can have his revenge when he comes back. Sociopaths are extremely reckless and impulsive, both of which Wendy is not as she is a key player in Joker's scheme. Sociopaths have either unrealistic long term plans or none at all, and Wendy seems to have her long-term plans well in order. Excuse me if you think I'm exaggerating (sp?) but I hate to see the term flung around like that. If I'm wrong and there's a different meaning for the word, please indulge me.

Yomiko in R.o.D the TV

I don't think it was ever hinted at until after we meet Yomiko that Joker and the others were involved in her downfall, just that it was sometime around the fall of the British Empire and the destruction of the British Library that she also vanished. Sometime right after the I-Jin Incident. Is this wrong? I made an edit to reflect this idea but this is right isn't it? We only learn the truth after meeting her and before then we just see Joker as evil, but have no clue until Yomiko tells us that he was directly (indirectly) responsible for her disppearance? Ryokosha 01:41, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Various Edits

Cleaned up this article a bit, both grammar-wise (there were a lot of comma splices, for one) and to a lesser extent content-wise. I changed references to "British Royal Library" to just the "British Library"--I don't believe the institution ever had "Royal" in the title either in the R.O.D. stories or in real life (http://www.bl.uk). I removed the reference to Wendy as a "sociopathic domme" as I agree the term is being used incorrectly here (and moreover the description is not quite accurate), and otherwise clarified some other character descriptions. Even with spoiler warnings, I tried to remove references to particularly dramatic moments/revelations in the series where possible. I added the bit of trivia about the final line in the series. DQ, 31 July 2006

Aired on G4TechTV

The series is starting to be broadcasted on G4TechTV Canada.

--Ampersand2006 ^{( & )} 02:03, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

It also aired on the USA G4TV at least as early as 2004. --DocumentN (talk) 03:45, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Eva Reference

• The final line in the story, "The Paper's in her heaven, and all is right with the world," is a pun of Robert Browning's "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world" because in Japanese, "kami" can mean both "Paper" and "God." Browning's line is quoted by Anne as the concluding sentence of the novel Anne of Green Gables, a book frequently referred to in the TV series.

I have seen an anime that got that exact same line: Neon Genesis Evangelion. It might be possible, but hidden at most, that the line may be referenced to the aforementioned anime. --Seishirou Sakurazuka 23:43, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

• I sincerely doubt it. The quote is definitely originally from Browning (http://www.bartleby.com/101/718.html) and definitely the last line of Anne of Green Gables (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/anne-XXXVIII.html). Given the series' repeated references to Anne of Green Gables, I would confidently say that this is the intended reference. Why would an anime that is known for constant references to LITERATURE make a reference to an anime that has no connection to it? That both R.O.D the TV and Eva both refer to the same line is more likely coincidence--Browning's quote is well-known within its own poem and as quoted by Anne, and Anne is especially popular in Japan, so a lot of people would recognize it in both cases. DeathQuaker 25 January 2007

DVD details?

Perhaps someone should add details pertaining to the DVD release? I came to the page hoping to find that info but it wasn't here. --~~ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Robomaster (talk • contribs) 17:06, 20 January 2007 (UTC).

Michelle's Name, Alice Alice, and other Questions and Edits

1. I've seen Michelle's name edited and re-edited, so I've put a clarifying note on the page and I am noting it here: according to screenshots of the TV series and other sources (I'll dig them up if I need to), Michelle's surname is romanized "Cheung," just like actress Maggie Cheung. Yes, the Geneon subtitles translate as "Chan" at the beginning of the series--that's because the kana literally spell out "Chan" -- but they change the spelling to "Cheung" later on.

2. Alice Alice's surname in the series is spelled out as "Arquette." The original entry here read "Arkwart." I'm pretty sure the first is correct. Also, I edited her entry to say she was seeking the Key, not the Book of (Thingy) Blood, which is what we see in episode 9. If any of this needs to be corrected, please do so, provided you have accurate information supporting it.

3. I removed a comment that Maggie is "probably agoraphobic." While certainly claustrophilic, there is absolutely no indication that she has a fear of open spaces.

4. I added in spoiler warnings in the character sections, as huge plot points are spoiled throughout. I believe there used to be a spoiler warning here which someone removed. I humbly request that any editors to PLEASE not remove it again, unless you remove the actual plot spoilers as well. Come to think of it, should there just be a plot summary section added so the character section can be cleaner and more brief?

5. I changed Drake's bio to say that he is a mercenary who has worked for the British Library, not a British Library field agent. Dialogue in both the OVA and the TV series indicates he's not on the Library's regular payroll, but hired for specific missions (hence why he is mostly unaware of what's going on in the British Library recently). If this continues to be debatable, perhaps the information should be edited to be more vague.

6. Fixed a lot of grammatical errors. And please note that with very few exceptions, periods and commas live inside quotation marks, not outside them. I note this because this inconsistency shows up a lot in this article. Yes, nitpicky. But I'm a copy editor. Sue me.

DeathQuaker 17:14, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

What Happened to the Trivia Section?

I recall there being a Trivia section on this page, discussing some literary and pop culture references (such as the "Heroic Trio" reference now, somewhat more out of place, listed in the "characters" section. It seemed useful and interesting. Why did it go away? DeathQuaker 17:18, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Offshoot articles

R.O.D might need an article on Nenene some time soon. She is virtually the main character of the show and has quite a developed character. It's also about time that we started fixing the broken links to Koji Masunari and the seiyu of the characters. Eternal dragon 09:55, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Characters

Hi all, I'm just going to start a list page of characters from all R.O.D manga an anime and may link off articles like this to it. I think this would be a good idea but if you have thoughts please contact. ætərnal ðrAعon → 09:56, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Read or die the tv.jpg

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BetacommandBot (talk) 04:45, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Review(s)

• ANN: Complete BR
• Mania.com: Complete BR
• AICN

--KrebMarkt (talk) 18:49, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

R.O.D the TV Drama CD

Is it possible to include information about this? (The following summary is original, but based on the existing references.)

Unknown to many fans outside of Japan, the series was continued in a fourteen-chapter drama CD, written by Hideyuki Kurata and simply titled R.O.D -THE CD-. It was released by Aniplex and Sony Music Distribution (Japan) Inc. in October 2005. Most of the main characters make appearances except for Yomiko Readman given that Rieko Miura was unavailable for recording.

The first half of the story follows Anita King as she enters Year Two (the equivalent of Eighth Grade) at Nishihama Junior High School and her ensuing drama with her classmate, Toru Okahara, which involves an ongoing school competition to one-up each other. (Though Okahara appears to be the central focus; he opens Chapter One by commanding the other characters meta-referencing their voice actors to perform the drama CD properly.) A B-plot centers around Anita's sisters, Michelle and Maggie and their domestic shenanigans with Nenene before the women become entangled in Anita's school life. An entire chapter is dedicated to Natsume Nishizono, her writer sister, Haruhi and their extended family, Akie and Fuyuhiko (two new characters that do not appear in the show).

The second half of the CD shifts gears to Junior who transfers to Anita's class, followed by his mother, Nancy who also claims to be a new student (despite her thirty-something age). This greatly embarrasses Junior as he attempts to navigate a normal social life. The girls in Anita's class start a fan club for Nancy and Okahara, deeply suspicious of the two new students, leaves the classroom drama behind. Alone in the hall, he runs into a mysterious blonde woman named Wendy. Here, Wendy reveals that she knows both Junior and Nancy and that Junior, in fact, lives with Anita as her brother. She further manipulates Okahara to get close to Junior in order to lure Junior to the rooftop after school where she will be waiting. Wendy claims that if Okahara does this for her, she can find a way to help Okahara make his crush on Hisami a reality. Okahara does what Wendy asks of him and attempts to form a friendship with Junior, though as the two boys wander the grounds and discuss clubs (while Anita and Nancy spy on them from afar), Junior reveals a vulnerable side to him that has Okahara second guessing his actions.

The second to last chapter takes place on the school roof as Okahara succeeds in bringing Junior to Wendy. Only then does Joker appear, revealing to Junior that he attempts to restore the British Library to its former glory and because Junior has obtained Mr. Gentleman's memories, he wants Junior to return to England with him in order to help him. Junior shows Joker and Wendy that he has changed, that he is happy with his new family, that he no longer cares what Joker and Wendy do with their lives as long as they let him be happy, and (through deadpan sass) tells Joker he also has absorbed Joker's memories (revealing comical secrets, like the fact that he dyes his hair blonde and sings karaoke). Joker threatens Junior at gunpoint and Okahara defends him. Joker tells Okahara that Junior is not an innocent child, that he has done many illegal activities when he worked for the British Library, though when Okahara claims that Joker is a coward, Joker acknowledges Okahara's potential as a British Library recruit. He attempts to abduct both the boys when the Paper Sisters, Nenene and Nancy come to their rescue. Joker and Wendy escape in their helicopter and tell the girls to give Yomiko their regards, Okahara is perfectly aware now that the girls have powers and he slowly warms up to Junior's company.

In the final chapter, Junior asks Okahara if they could walk home from school together.

(*Note: The second reference includes a lot of information about the plot in the comments because the uploader has worked on a legit translation. The video of the title is meant to be humorous, poking fun at the "Google Translates" meme, but they actually included a valid translation and an extensive summary of the content in the comments. The third reference includes auto-generated captions that at least gives the gist of the content.)

References:

These are WP:USERG sources and most of the content is not verifiable. As you said it, this is just WP:ORIGINAL. Xexerss (talk) 19:49, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

Right. That's the key here. Historyday01 (talk) 21:26, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

Awesome. Good to know! I'll just bear in mind to keep it on the talk page. So, for future reference, you can only include material that has an official translation?

There's also a Drama CD that acts as a prequel of sorts to the Read or Die (OVA) (but again, it's the same deal with the translation work being original; it also references the light novels more than the OVA - which currently the light novels don't have an official translation for; it probably never will - given that a high school-aged Nenene makes an appearance and the last chapter/episode examines Wendy before she meets Yomiko (even though the light novels and anime are generally separate, canonically). In fact, Joker sends her on a mission to go retrieve this new agent for the British Library. (Also, forgot to sign the first time, sorry!) 2600:8801:2F83:7200:8CE2:5C19:3BCF:DEF0 (talk) 04:48, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Hello again. This may not be too important, but can I suggest something? Would it be okay just to list the Drama CD as a bullet point (without the summary) for Other Media? The Sony Music website includes an official listing for it under the "music" tab for R.O.D the TV, which confirms the release date (honestly forgot about it). The Aniplex website also includes an official listing for the Read or Die (OVA) Drama CD. 2600:8801:2F83:7200:6054:6D2B:FC25:1AD4 (talk) 21:34, 29 May 2024 (UTC)

Also, there should be reliable citations for the other media included. The information is not incorrect (the games do exist; it's doujin soft, not official), but there's no references to veryify the text. 2600:8801:2F83:7200:6054:6D2B:FC25:1AD4 (talk) 21:48, 29 May 2024 (UTC)

Production

SME Visual Works (now Sony Music Entertainment Japan) first approached writer Hideyuki Kurata in 1998 to create an OVA, specifically "a 'female spy story'." Kurata has cited the manga Ushio & Tora as a major inspiration for building the action sequences in the early developmental stages. Once he came up with the central idea for a character, "a woman who loved books" and "would scatter paper everywhere," he drew from historical figures to fill the roles of her main antagonists. While Kurata initially planned to use such figures as Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers, he was forced to abandon this idea when he realized "American historical figures tend to be protected by things like portrait rights." To avoid lawsuits, he revised his idea to include German historical figures as an alternative and submitted his pitch to SME, which was immediately green-lit. Koji Masunari was brought on board as director while Taraku Uon and Masashi Ishihama were hired as the character designers (Ishihama would also act as chief animation director). Production was underway (the project became the prequel, Read or Die) when SME suggested that the creative team release a light novel series "to attract a wide audience" for the OVA release. Through SME's partnerships with the publishing companies, Shueisha and Super Dash Bunko, they hired Kurata to pen a novel series before the OVA was set to be released. Although, Kurata has also contradicted these details: "A novel had always been part of the master plan."

Kurata's friend, Yōsuke Kuroda, and the owner of Studio Orphee, encouraged him to start with "a novel to act as the original work [for the anime]," which Kurata agreed to do. The workload was split between Kuroda (who offered to write the OVA episodes), Kurata (who worked on the manuscripts for both a novel and manga series) and Uon (who designed the rough drafts of the characters as Kurata fleshed out his concepts). Uon was initially unaware of the genre; his designs used City Hunter as a mood board, and the characters were drawn in a hard-boiled detective style before he was asked to change it. As animation director, Ishihama was tasked with the redesigns, which he found challenging. "I was just a newbie designer at the time," he said. "I had to figure out how to draw Uon's art my way;" Uon was an artist he greatly respected. Although Kuroda never received a character design credit, Uon would name the former as the creator of the key design elements that he took inspiration from, especially of hairstyles and wardrobe. Later, Kuroda would exit the project due to other commitments.

Kurata has stated that he worked on the series backwards: he started with a draft of the second novel since the first novel "wasn't coming together" and from there, once he discovered who his characters were, he asked Kuroda if he could take over as screenwriter for the OVA (the latter agreed). The first R.O.D light novel, illustrated by Taraku Uon, was published in 2000, introducing Yomiko Readman, Nenene Sumiergawa and the core cast of the British Library while the first volume of the R.O.D manga was released the same year, illustrated by Shutaro Yamada in order to promote the OVA. Both works of literature borrowed ideas from one another, such as Yomiko working for Joker and her meeting Nenene (only featured in the novels and manga and not onscreen in the OVA) as a substitute teacher, though were treated as separate entities, featuring the same characters but following a different story arc and canon. Likewise, only the anime - the OVA and TV series - were created as direct continuations of each other. Kurata explained: "'R.O.D was always intended to be a mixed media project, so each incarnation tells its own separate story, but you are able to gain a deeper understanding of the 'R.O.D' world as a whole by experiencing all of them together."

Based on the positive coverage the OVA received in various anime magazines, Kurata and the creative team had planned to re-edit the OVA as a feature film with the addition of newly animated content. This proposal was later scrapped and instead, the creators would go on to create a sequel in the form of a TV series.

The pitch for the TV series, as a direct continuation of the OVA, only came after the idea to re-cut the OVA with new animated scenes and re-release it as a film was dropped. Though Nenene never appeared in the OVA, concept sketches of her character were still included in the original pitch deck to SME and the creators planned for her to feature heavily in the proposed film. It was decided that Nenene would be cast as a main character for the TV series, where Kurata said he "wanted to take the sequel in a cheerier direction [compared to the serious tone of the OVA], like Charlie's Angels." Kurata has commented that although he had written Nenene as a teenager in the light novels and manga, which preceded the OVA as a promotional gig, he discovered while writing the TV series that Nenene was essentially a "new character." Five years had passed between the OVA and TV series. Nenene made her onscreen debut, technically, in R.O.D the TV as a grown woman. When asked why he decided not to recast Yomiko as a main character, he explained, "I think it was because she had too many things working against her. After all, she's 25 and unemployed."

Director Masunari added, "We knew we had to create something that would appeal to more than just our original 10,000 fans [of the OVA]." Based on these reasons, Kurata invented three sisters to join Nenene, resetting episode one in Hong Kong. "Tokuyuki Matsutake [an animator], for reasons unknown, drew a Hong Kong-based scene for the OVA's opening sequence," said Kurata. "That's how we ended up with three sisters in Hong Kong."

The Paper Sisters' designs, according to Kurata and Uon, went through drastic changes. Maggie's original design, sporting long silver hair, was eventually recycled for a supporting character. Kurata commented, "She looked like a grown-up Junior;" therefore, this became the basis for Junior's final design. Uon claimed he drew inspiration from artist Izumi Takemoto in his designs for Michelle due to Takemoto's "distinct cuteness."

The themes of genetic engineering, which feature in the second half of the series, were inspired by the Japanese author Toshiko Endo's novel, Heaven.

Sources: Hayashi, Kirie M. "'R.O.D' Main Staff Interview." R.O.D Official Archive (December 2012). Japan: Udon Entertainment Group. ISBN 9781926778624. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:44E1:7DA9:67AF:866B (talk) 07:45, 5 April 2025 (UTC)

I think the first half should be added to Read or Die (OVA)'s article, granted, with some minor changes. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:44E1:7DA9:67AF:866B (talk) 08:13, 5 April 2025 (UTC)

Just making changes to the paragraph above (same writer, different IP). Not asking a question. Sorry! New information has been added. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:E849:4A81:45FC:F0E (talk) 02:56, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Edits:

The pitch for the TV series, as a direct continuation of the OVA, came in 2001 after the idea to re-cut the prequel with new animated scenes and re-release it as a film was dropped. Though Nenene never appeared in the OVA, her character concept sketches were still included in the original pitch deck to SME Visual Works and the creators planned for her to feature heavily in the proposed film. It was decided that Nenene would be cast as a main character for the TV series, where writer Hideyuki Kurata said he "wanted to take the sequel in a cheerier direction [compared to the serious tone of the OVA], like Charlie's Angels." "[T]he characters in our R.O.D are mostly middle-aged men," Kurata called in a discussion with director Koji Masunari. Both creators expressed interest in a TV series sequel, using Charlie's Angels as a springboard for a show with "lots of girls in it." Though Kurata considered the story of the OVA to be complete, he also said that "there were still many mysteries left behind." Kurata has commented that although he had written Nenene as a teenager in the light novels and manga, which preceded the OVA as a promotional gig, he discovered while writing the TV series that Nenene was essentially a "new character." Five years had passed between the OVA and TV series. Nenene made her onscreen debut, technically, in R.O.D the TV as a grown woman, presenting a slightly different personality than her literary counterpart. When asked why he decided not to recast Yomiko as a main character, he explained, "I think it was because she had too many things working against her. After all, she's 25 and unemployed."

Director Koji Masunari added, "We knew we had to create something that would appeal to more than just our original 10,000 fans [of the OVA]." Based on these reasons, Kurata invented three sisters to join Nenene, resetting episode one in Hong Kong (compared to the rest of the episodes set in Jino-cho, Tokyo and London). "Tokuyuki Matsutake [an animator], for reasons unknown, drew a Hong Kong-based scene for the OVA's opening sequence," said Kurata. "That's how we ended up with three sisters in Hong Kong."

The Paper Sisters' designs, according to Kurata and original character designer Taraku Uon, went through drastic changes. Maggie's original design, sporting long silver hair, was eventually recycled for a supporting character. Kurata commented, "She looked like a grown-up Junior;" therefore, this became the basis for Junior's final design. Uon claimed he drew inspiration from artist Izumi Takemoto in his designs for Michelle due to Takemoto's "distinct cuteness."

The themes of genetic engineering, which feature in the second half of the series, were inspired by the Japanese author Toshiko Endo's novel, Heaven.

2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:CD67:2959:915F:FDAA (talk) 00:58, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Will put this in the sandbox next time. Just wanted to be sure the sources were all right. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:E849:4A81:45FC:F0E (talk) 03:23, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

How to cite this?

Okay, I must be dumb. I'm lost on how to format sources which are ~technically~ booklets/liners, but published with DVDs (meaning, there is no ISBN). I don't know if Wikipedia has a template for that. Right now, this is a combination of MLA and it looks needlessly clunky.

Example:

Kurata, Hideyuki. "The Roads to the New R.O.D." TV OH (TV King) Booklet, pp. 4. R.O.D the TV: Vol. 1 (USA). Directed by Koji Masunari and Taliesin Jaffe, performances by Rachel Hirschfeld, Sara Lahti, Hunter MacKenzie Austin, et. al. Studio ORPHEE/Aniplex Inc. and Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc., 2004. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:E849:4A81:45FC:F0E (talk) 05:57, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal includes a booklet as reference. Yes, it is not required to include the ISBN parameter. Xexerss (talk) 22:28, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Good to know. Will have to fix with the template. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:FCCE:172C:A071:FE5C (talk) 01:48, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

Dokusensha "an Illuminati-type organization"

Whoever edited the plot summary with this comparison, I actually really dig it, but it's unsourced. This is not mentioned in-universe or by the creators (to my knowledge). If there is a source for this, such as a review or an essay, perhaps the Reception section is a better fit. It is an opinion and not canon. 2600:8801:2F8B:7E00:FCCE:172C:A071:FE5C (talk) 01:53, 7 April 2025 (UTC)