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 Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:27 pm
R.O.D: Read or Die is a series of light novels authored by Hideyuki Kurata, published under Shueisha's Super Dash imprint. Read or Die follows Yomiko Readman, codename "The Paper", an agent for the Special Operations Division of the British Library.
Along with the novels, Kurata scripted an R.O.D manga illustrated by Mari Mizuta, and its sequel Read or Dream illustrated by Ran Ayanaga. He collaborated with director Koji Masunari in the Read or Die OVA in 2001, and its Read or Dream-inspired sequel R.O.D the TV in 2003.
The Read or Die manga series is licensed for North American distribution by Viz Communications, first released in March 2006.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:28 pm
Plot
Read or Die takes place in an alternate history world where the British Empire has remained a major superpower. The Empire's continued existence is guaranteed by the British Library (大英図書館, Daiei-toshokan?), an external intelligence agency working within the actual British Library, and its Special Operations Division.
The series follows Yomiko Readman, also known as "The Paper", a superhuman agent of the Library's Special Operations.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:35 pm
Characters
British Library
The British Library is an institution devoted to the promotion of literacy and the greater glory of the British Empire. More than a mere library, the British Library is a powerful political organization with branches all over the world. The organization is led by Gentleman (ジェントルマン, Jentoruman?), an old man of extreme longevity and the power behind the throne of the British Empire.
The British Library Special Operations Division (大英図書館 特殊工作部, Daiei-toshokan Tokushu-kousakubu?) is the secret enforcement branch of the British Library. Based in a giant underground complex concealed beneath the Great Court at the British Museum, the Special Operations Division employs a number of agents with special powers and runs operations all over the world to fight book-related crime and terrorism, and to acquire rare works for the Library. Their slogan is "Peace to the books of the world, an iron hammer to those who would abuse them, and glory and wisdom to the British Empire!"
Yomiko Readman (読子・リードマン, Yomiko Rīdoman?), also known as "The Paper," is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Japanese novel series Read or Die and the manga and anime spin-offs of the books. She is also a major player (but not the main protagonist) in the sequel, R.O.D the TV. Though in appearance Japanese, she is in fact half-Japanese, half-English.
Voiced by: Rieko Miura (Japanese)
Kimberly Yates (OAV, English)
Helena Taylor (TV, English)
Profile
Aliases: The Paper
Age: 25 (OVA) 30 (ROD the TV)
Occupation: Manga & OVA: Papermaster for the British Library Special Forces Division; Substitute Teacher ROD the TV: "Retired"
Etymology
Yomi in her first name means reading in Japanese, while -ko (literally 'child') is a common suffix in Japanese female names; so her first name means Reading-woman, which has the same meaning as her surname Readman if neglecting gender differences.
Background
Yomiko is a bespectacled substitute teacher and an introvert. A bibliomaniac, she prefers to bury herself in her books. She spends almost all of her income on books, and she lives in an apartment that is entirely stacked floor to ceiling with books. She resides somewhere in Jinbōchō, a neighborhood of Chiyoda, Tokyo known for its large amount of used bookstores.
She is also a secret field agent for the British Library. She is a Papermaster, a person with the ability to bend paper material to her will. She can make paper bulletproof or sharper than the sharpest sword. If she has enough paper, then she can construct a giant paper airplane that flies. The only limit to the effects she can create is her own imagination. It seems that she must have in her grasp of at least hands, teeth, or perhaps some other body part at least one piece of paper in order to use her powers, though eventually by the time of R.O.D the TV she appears to be able to manipulate paper by pure mental control.
Yomiko's code name for the British Library is "The Paper" (sometimes in English dubs referred to as "Agent Paper" or "Miss Paper"), and she is the 19th person to serve the Library in this capacity. Yomiko often embarks on dangerous missions assigned by her director, known only as "Mr. Joker". Because of her social awkwardness and occasional clumsiness, she would not seem to make a very good secret agent, and many times she allows her emotions to get in the way of defeating an enemy. However, if receiving the proper support (she is often paired with focused, effective agents like American mercenary Drake Anderson), she can actually be quite useful, with ninja-like reflexes and sharp wits in combat. She is considered one of the Library's top agents.
Donnie Nakajima
Though Yomiko appears to be a cheerful, book-loving, happy young woman many times, she has dark elements of her past. According to the Read or Die manga, her paper talents were refined by her teacher Donnie Nakajima, a Japanese librarian who secretly worked for the British Library as the 18th "Agent Paper" in their special "D-Line" forces. As their meetings for Yomiko's training to become a papermaster went on, their relationship gradually increased. After a while or so the two book-lovers became lovers, and more than often expressed their affections for each other by talking about books and themselves, for they were both obsessive bibliophiles. They were considered by many around them to be a true, loving couple.
Yomiko apparently was forced to kill her mentor to become the true "Paper" on the night of a great fire in the British Library. After his death, Yomiko took Donnie's thick-rimmed glasses in tears and replaced her own with them, stating that so whenever she reads, "he can read too."
Years later, while at a local bookfair in London (possibly the famous London Bookfair), Yomiko received a mysterious letter from Donnie, whom she thought was dead, from an unknown source. Immediately she rushed to find him, believing such things to be too good to be true. But when travelling to a rather bizarre school known as the Manshu Academy, Yomiko cried with happiness as she discovered her long-lost lover and mentor, Donnie, to be alive. Though their meeting was brief, Donnie told Yomiko about his 'death' and that it was not her fault, for it was planned.
Volume Three of the manga reveals that this Donnie was really Ridley Wan, an old friend of Donnie's in disguise, wanting revenge on Yomiko for killing his dear friend. Ridley Wan was also a paper master who had been trained by the British Library with Donnie since they were in their teens, and had been posing as Donnie in order to use Yomiko to summon the "Underground Library" hidden in the Academy, which contained the "Book of Truth." This book was also sought after by Joker, who had sent Yomiko to retrieve the book for him.
The "real" Donnie had actually died by Yomiko's hand after attacking her, where Yomiko was forced to defend herself. The previous scenes of his death, since seen through Ridley's eyes, were therefore invalid. The night of the fire Donnie had actually arranged for members of the Chinese counterpart to the British Library, Dokusensha (translated as "Hermit Reader's Guild" in the English manga) to take in himself, Yomiko and Ridley after learning of Joker's sinister plans for the Book of Truth. Unfortunately only Ridley was rescued from the flames while Yomiko stayed with the library.
The manga ends notably differently than the anime series, so it's unclear how much of this should be considered canon for the anime. However, a few references are made to Donnie in R.O.D the TV: Yomiko has a shrine for the dead in his memory, and he is mentioned very briefly by Joker to provoke Yomiko. According to Joker, Donnie did in fact survive Yomiko's attack, but when he showed Donnie's current self to Yomiko (Donnie is not seen on screen, only Yomiko's reaction), her mind snapped and she destroyed the entire library. Donnie's exact fate at the end of the TV series is unknown.
Read or Die OVA
In the OVA, Yomiko goes into debt to buy a rare copy of a book called "die Unsterbliche Liebe" or "Immortal Beloved". The book is dusty and dirty, but has sheet music handwritten in its pages, in the margins and on the blank pages in the back and front. Almost immediately she is attacked by a super-human-like clone of Jean Henri Fabre. He tries to steal her book, but using her paper techniques she fights back and wins. Various superpowered clones or I-Jin of famous historical figures try to steal her book throughout the OVA. They are trying to use the sheet music in the book to reconstruct Ludwig van Beethoven's supposedly lost Death Symphony, which causes anyone who hears it to commit suicide. Eventually, Yomiko, with the assistance of her friends Nancy Makuhari and Drake Anderson, helps in destroying the leader of the plot, a clone of Zen poet Ikkyu Soujon. Yomiko loses her friend Nancy in the conflict and, heartbroken, vows to take care of Nancy's "younger sister," her clone, who has suffered brain damage during the events of the I-Jin incident.
R.O.D: The TV
At the beginning of R.O.D the TV, Yomiko is missing in action, though she is referred to frequently from the first episode on. Novelist Nenene Sumiregawa, a close friend of Yomiko's (we see Nenene's notes to Yomiko in the OVA), has been looking for Yomiko for five years, and she is so distraught by her disappearance she has suffered a livelihood-crippling case of writer's block. Through Nenene's search, she meets the "Paper Sisters": Michelle Cheung, Maggie Mui, and Anita King and is surprised at their Paper Mastery, though is disappointed to discover none of them have heard of Yomiko. Nenene's adventures with the Paper Sisters eventually leads them to find Yomiko hiding in a secret apartment in the National Diet Library along with Nancy the Younger, and Yomiko and Nancy join the group in unearthing the sinister plots being hatched by the British Library and Dokusensha. Yomiko has been in hiding due to some rather drastic actions she took in order to protect Nancy from the British Library--in turn, the outing of these events inadvertently provide several revelations related to the past of young Papermaster Anita King. Yomiko struggles through the series to rebuild her friendship with Nenene, continue to protect Nancy, and set things right with Anita (in between trying to save the world, of course).
Notes
In the original OVA, Kimberly Yates plays Yomiko without a British accent, unlike Helena Taylor in ROD the TV who plays her with a British accent.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:38 pm
Joe Carpenter, also known as "Mr. Joker", is a fictional character in the Japanese novel series Read or Die, the manga and anime spin-offs of the books, and the sequel, R.O.D the TV. Though his real name is unknown, as "Joe Carpenter" may simply be another alias, it is still safe to assume that it may be his real name.
Voiced by: Hozumi Gôda (Japanese)
Crispin Freeman (OVA, English)
JB Blanc (TV, English)
Profile
Aliases: Joker
Occupation: President and Chief Director of the British Library and its Special Operations Division
Background and personality
Joseph Carpenter, also known as "Mr. Joker," is the chief director and president of the British Library and its Special Operations Division. He is the boss of Yomiko Readman as well as other agents, including his rather clumsy assistant, Wendy Earhart. He was the former employer of Donnie Nakajima, Yomiko's lover, and is the subordinate to Gentleman, who is the "all-seeing eye" of the British Library, as well as the world.
Though Joker at most times appears to be a humorous, calm and laid back kind of character throughout most of the original series, his true intentions and personality are serious and frightening. He is the second character to appear in the manga, the mysterious and eerie Gentleman being the first. Joker's personality is constantly at ease even in the worse of situations, and his character is often determined by nothing else but his own actions. Hideyuki Kurata described him once as "someone whose photo you would expect to see in the entry for 'Englishman' in the Encyclopedia Britannica." His cool head and skill with words are his primary weapons.
Gentleman
Joker's true intentions and history are dark and shrouded in ruthlessness and inhumanity. He is an expert on the methods of torture using books, as can be seen in the first volume of the manga, and his knowledge is so vast that it is possible, with certain references, he could change history according to his views. This actually, however, is the goal of he and his superior, "Gentleman."
Gentleman is a mysterious, eerie old man whose super-being like knowledge raises more questions than answers. Later in the series, it is determined that Gentleman is not only a man, but one who has artificially enhanced his life for so long that his age is not able to be estimated. He has such power and knowledge that he not only knows nearly everything happening on the planet, but as the keeper of so many historical records is able to change history as civilization today knows it. As Joker once states, "when a lie is lied enough, it soon becomes fact." Joker's actions are initially to assist Gentleman, but later it is revealed that Joker has his own plan to destroy Gentleman and gain control over the entire British Empire. His plans are later reorganized into 'resurrecting' Gentleman and continuing to control the Earth under him as he plans for Britain to influence all of history. This plan consists of Gentleman killing himself and transforming his form into what is known as the "Seven Books of Gentleman," which contain his knowledge of mankind, the world, and his personality. Transferring the books into data, Gentleman's vast knowledge would then be poured into a helpless 'specimen' who is able to control Gentleman's frighteningly incredible mind. As almost no human being on the planet is able to hold such knowledge, Joker and his subordinates decide to adopt the I-Jin program, which consists of taking the DNA of eight historical geniuses and constructing living clones of them as 'hosts' for a new Gentleman. The I-Jin later retake their own minds and are able to run free, resulting in great disasters striking all over the world. These events are covered in the OVA.
Read or Die OVA & TV
As the I-Jin are destroyed and Joker's plans are saved, an opportunity arises. One of the I-Jin, a clone of Mata Hari, was a lover of the clone of Ikkyu Soujun, and gave birth to a child almost as powerful as Gentleman. Stealing the child from the surviving mother's own captivity, Joker plans to raise the child himself and later dump all of the Gentleman Books into the child's mind, thus creating a new Gentleman and rebuilding the world for Great Britain, as well as himself.
These plans, however, are stopped at its peak of success by a group of heroes: Yomiko Readman; the famous "Paper Sisters;" Nenene Sumiregawa; Drake Anderson; and Nancy Makuhari, the mother of the I-Jin-born child Junior in the TV series ROD: The TV. Though not much is understood about what exactly happens to Joker, what appears to occur is during the data transferring process Junior, who was being slowly carried away into Gentleman's mind, grabbed Joker's head and somehow mentally and physically shocked him, nearly draining him of his life as well as causing him to turn old and pale.
Appearing later living with and under the care of his assistant, Wendy, Joker disappears at the end of the final episode at the sight of a lone wolf in the bushes before him. Wendy reacts to his vanishing as if it were normal. (As he seems to regain consciousness at the end of the scene, it is more accurate to state that Joker left the chair offscreen and didn't disappear. He's there but unseen, probably ready to go on with a new plan. The clue is Wendy smiling just before throwing her apron (aka her nursing role) on the empty chair. Joker is OK and Wendy will follow him as always.)
Read or Die Manga
In the manga version of the R.O.D. franchise, Joker retains his role as the second in command of the British Library and his relaxed sense of humour and calm personality are also kept; however, this version of the Joker is more sinister. In the manga, Joker treats his life like a book and as such does everything in his power to keep his story interesting. He has no problem with lying, killing or making others kill for him.
Joker, in an effort to get the Book Of Truth - said to be the oldest and most accurate record of history in existence and a resource that can control the world - sends Agent Donnie "The Paper" Nakajima to find it. Nakajima realises that Joker would only use it for his own benefit, so he lies, claiming he could not find it. Joker, aware of the lie, captures and beats Donnie, then manipulates Yomiko into killing him. Years later he sets up Yomiko and Ridley Wan, a former agent whom he manipulated into becoming a killing machine, on a mission to find the book of truth knowing that Yomiko would probably die in the process.
At the conclusion of the last volume, after having stormed the Manshu Academy with soldiers, taken Nenene Sumiregawa hostage, stabbed Ridley Wan and shot Yomiko in the leg for disobedience, both Joker's hands were cut off by Ridley Wan. He then returned to working for the British Library with a new set of prosthetic arms.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:40 pm
* Wendy Earhart (ウェンディ・イアハート, Wendi Iahāto?) is a half-Indian, half-English girl. She joined the Special Operations Division at 19 years old, and soon became Joker's personal secretary. She is earnest and devoted, but clumsy and still an "in training" assistant.
* Jiggy Stardust (ジギー・スターダスト, Jigī Sutādasuto?) is the Special Operations Division's resident scientist, an aging man whose knowledge of paper is unrivaled. He developed the combat-use paper (戦闘用紙, sentōyōgami?) Yomiko uses.
* Nancy Makuhari (ナンシー・幕張, Nanshī Makuhari?) is a 26 year-old agent recruited in China. Codenamed "Miss Deep" (ミス・ディープ, Misu Dīpu?), her special power is called "diving", the ability to become intangible and pass through solid objects. "Diving" can be suppressed through the use of paper charms (御札, ofuda?).
* Drake Anderson (ドレイク・アンダーソン, Doreiku Andāson?) is a veteran of the American special forces, employed by the Special Operations Division as a field support operative mercenary for their agents. Drake is a hardened, no-nonsense soldier. Though he has no super-powers, he is incredibly strong, and a highly-skilled soldier with considerable combat experience. Anderson has a young daughter named Maggie, whom he cares for deeply. He is also kind hearted and will not harm children, even if it goes against the mission.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:44 pm
Dokusensha (読仙社, Dokusensha?) is the series main antagonist, a secret organization based in Sichuan devoted to Chinese supremacy and led by China (チャイナ, Chaina?). Known as Grandma (おばあさん, Obaa-san?) to Dokusensha's high ranked agents, China is a "little girl" who, like Gentleman, has lived for a long enough time to know the hidden history of humankind.
Supporting characters
Nenene Sumiregawa (菫川ねねね Sumiregawa Nenene), is a fictional young author from the R.O.D series of manga and anime created by Hideyuki Kurata. Originally appearing as a major supporting character in the Read or Die novels and manga, she is one of the main characters in R.O.D the TV.
Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese)
Wendy Tomson (English)
Profile
Nicknames: Nenenenne-nee
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Occupation: Student (manga), author (TV)
Etymology
Nenene's name is somewhat unusual. In Japanese, ne can be an expression to verify that what someone is saying is being picked up by the person being spoken to (literally like ..."yeah?" or ..."right?"), thus nenene being yeah?, yeah?, yeah?. Nenene's surname compromises of the Japanese words sumire, literally meaning violet, and kawa (or gawa), literally meaning river, literally translating "Sumiregawa" as violet river.
In R.O.D the TV, Nenene asks the character Anita King to call her "Nenene-nee" (where "Nee" is an honorific meaning "elder sister"). That being a bit of a mouthful, Anita shortens it to "Nene-nee" (Big Sis Nene), sounding only slightly different than her actual name.
Roles and Appearances in the R.O.D Series
In the Read or Die novels, Nenene is a 17-year-old author, whose books are admired immensely by R.O.D heroine Yomiko Readman. Originally meeting when Yomiko seeks out Nenene's autograph, Yomiko ends up rescuing her from a kidnapper and the two become fast friends. Nenene appears many times throughout the 11 R.O.D novels.
Nenene's first appearance in the Read or Die manga in volume 1 is similar to that in the novel: Yomiko seeks her out for an autograph, when Nenene is kidnapped and Yomiko goes to her rescue. Nenene later appears in volume 3 and 4 when Yomiko is on a British Library mission at the mysterious Manshu Academy. Concerned that she hadn't heard from Yomiko, Nenene spends all her royalty earnings to track Yomiko down and becomes (briefly) a student at the Academy so she can stay with Yomiko.
R.O.D OVA:
Nenene does not appear physically in this 3-part-anime series, but a number of post-it notes signed by her are spread throughout Yomiko's apartment, reminding her to save her money, take out the trash, lock her door, etc. (In the official English version, this fact is mistranslated; the translators apparently confused her name for emphasis on the message of the note (see Etymology above) and wrote the notes as "Lock this Up! Up! Up!", etc. instead.)
R.O.D the TV
Nenene is one of the main characters in this animated television series, which takes place four-five years after the OAV. She is now 22 years old and wears glasses similar to Yomiko's. She is suffering from writer's block ever since Yomiko's apparent disappearance four years ago, and is looking for her. After nearly being killed by extremists at a book signing in Hong Kong, she unwillingly gains the Paper Sisters as bodyguards. Nenene's search for Yomiko and her adventures with the Sisters (Paper Masters like Yomiko, and therefore also known as the "Paper Sisters") comprise the central plot for the first 13 episodes; what they learn in this first half of the series leads to Nenene's involvement in efforts to stop a mass world takeover plot in the second half.
Biography
Although the R.O.D novels, manga, and anime all occupy a slightly different canon, Nenene's history remains more or less the same in each iteration of the series. Nenene lives for writing, and she published her debut work You Know Me (Kimi ga boku wo shitteru (君が僕を知ってる, Kimi ga boku wo shitteru?)) when she was still only 13; according to the TV series, she won an inaugural youth writer's award with this book. The manga indicates she wrote prolifically through the next several years, even showing her writing two separate novels on two different laptops simultaneously. According to the manga and novels, her writing catches the attention of bibliophile Yomiko Readman, who used to read "You Know Me" with her mentor Donnie Nakajima before he died. After their initial adventure described in the first novel and volume 1 of the manga, Nenene and Yomiko become close friends.
Per R.O.D the TV, Yomiko ends up being her mentor and always gives feedback and reassurance to Nenene about her writing. Nenene in turn serves as a bit of a "reality anchor" for Yomiko.
Nenene's future life after 17 is very different according to the manga versus R.O.D the TV. In the manga, Yomiko seems to temporarily disappear, but Nenene befriends Yomiko's coworkers Drake and Wendy, who have decided to look after Nenene in Yomiko's absence. She happily continues her writing.
In R.O.D the TV, Nenene has never met Drake or Wendy (though she meets them later in the series, under very different circumstnaces), and Yomiko has disappeared even more mysteriously than in the manga. She says she cannot write until she hears what Yomiko thought of her last published book, "Midnight Liberation Zone," which came off the press shortly after Yomiko disappeared.
When Nenene turned 18, her parents emigrated to the United States because her father was hired for a computer programming job there. Feeling more comfortable to write and wishing to stay closer to Yomiko, she opts to remain in Tokyo, where she lives in a very spacious apartment. Nenene lives as somewhat of a recluse; before meeting the Paper Sisters in Hong Kong while promoting the film adaptation of "Midnight," Nenene's only major contact is her editor, Lee Linho.
After the Paper Sisters save her from an insane critic, Linho hires them to protect Nenene and also to help her overcome her writer's block. At first much to Nenene's dismay, the Sisters end up moving in with her, but she ends up warming up to the eccentric trio of Paper Masters. At the 10th anniversary gala celebrating the young writers' award she first won at the age of 13, Nenene announces she has begun writing a new novel and, four months later, has completed rough versions of the first three chapters. This prompts Lee to conclude the Sisters' contract and send them back to Hong Kong.
Lee's termination of the Sisters' employment sparks off a succession of events beginning with Nenene being kidnapped by Dokusensha in order to include her in a world brainwashing plot. The Sisters rescue her and begin on a journey to find special books coveted by both Dokusensha and the British Library. This adventure reunites her with Yomiko and sees her aiding her friends in saving the world from the British Library's machinations.
After their adventure ends, Nenene's new novel "Staircase to the Angel" is published several months later.
Personality
Young Nenene, as portrayed in the manga, is a very energetic young woman who nearly devotes all her time to writing. She hates distraction when she writes, to the point of screaming at construction workers, asking them to stop buiding until she's finished her work. In general, she is very assertive, though can be temporarily cowed when frightened, though she recovers from that fear quickly. She does not appear to have many friends, and tries to push Yomiko away until Yomiko nearly kills herself trying to rescue her. Later, they become quite close, and Nenene shows herself to be quite dedicated to her.
Young Nenene is intelligent and keen to pick up on details (in the Manshu Academy adventure in the manga, she gleans very quickly that Wendy is not the "fellow student" the young agent is pretending to be). She has a mischievous streak as well.
The older Nenene seen in R.O.D the TV has many of the same qualities as her younger counterpart: outspoken, assertive, bright, and quick to defend her territory. Her solitude and worry for Yomiko have worn away her enthusiasm, however, making her cynical and far more irritable. She engages in "comedy violence" when irritated, such as kicking the Paper Sisters when they've done something she considers wrong, and she often "wrestles" with youngest Paper Sister Anita.
Showing any emotions other than anger seems to be difficult for her. When she realizes she enjoys the company of the Paper Sisters, she makes them look away so they don't see her blush when she asks them to stay with her.
Nenene is less obsessive about her writing than her younger self, though as she regains her confidence through the series, she becomes equally dedicated to getting her thoughts down on paper.
Like other characters in the series, she gets annoyed at Yomiko's bibliomania and meek, childish character quite easily. She also gets very easily annoyed at the Paper Sisters Michelle, Maggie and Anita as they settle in her apartment in the TV series, largely due to their lack of etiquette and inability to do simple things like clean a room. Beyond that irritation, however, she obviously admires the warmth, honesty, and intelligence seen in both Yomiko and later the Sisters. Slow to befriend people, Nenene is nonetheless extremely loyal once she allows someone past her guard. Her faith in her friends allows her to remain calm in the face of seeming hopelessness, and her calm demeanor in turn reassures others. Surrounded by superheroes, Nenene is willing to face the same danger armed only with her considerable willpower and her pen.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:48 pm
* Donnie Nakajima (ドニー・ナカジマ, Donī Nakajima?) is Yomiko's deceased mentor and lover. The agent known as "The Paper" before Yomiko, he died at at her hands under mysterious circumstances. She now wears his glasses in his memory, and believes that reading through them enables him to continue reading as well.
* Faust (ファウスト, Fausuto?) is a prisoner of the British Library. Like Gentleman and China, he has lived for hundreds of years and, because of it, Gentleman trapped him to hide the secret.
Ridley Wan
Donnie's distant friend; another Paper Master who worked for the British Library and for Dokusensha at different points in his life
Grandmother
A female counterpart to Mr. Gentleman, Grandmother, also called "China," she is the controller of Dokusensha. Dokusensha is ostensibly a Chinese bookstore chain selling rare books, but in reality, Dokusensha is an intelligence-gathering operation rivalling the British Library. It is the power behind China's authority, much in the way the British Library is the power behind the United Kingdom.
Junior
A mysterious young agent of the British Library under Wendy's supervision. Like Nancy Makuhari, he is able to "phase" through solid objects and is a master marksman.
Lee Linho
Often referred to as "Mr. Lee," he is Nenene Sumiregawa's editor and a fan of her novels. He hires the Paper Sisters (being familiar with them as a Hong Kong expatriate) to be Nenene's bodyguards, with hopes that they can help her overcome her writer's block.
Mr. Kim
Called the Paper Sisters' "Handler" by Michelle Cheung, Kim is a Dokusensha operative who hires the Paper Sisters to retrieve rare books for him in the TV series. He is often seen with Sonny Wong.
Sonny Wong
Code name: "The Recycler"
An extremely powerful Paper Master who works for Dokusensha.
Hisami Hishishii
Hisami, also called "Hisa," is close friends with Anita King and likens their relationship to that of Anne Shirley and Diana Barry's in Anne of Green Gables. She is a shy 13-year-old who becomes a novelist (in Read or Dream the Paper Sisters are her bodyguards, rather than Nenene Sumiregawa's).
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:57 pm
ROD the TV Main Characters
Michelle Cheung (ミシェール ・チャン Mishēru Chan, a.k.a. Mi-nee) is the oldest of the Paper Sisters and is generally considered the leader and strategist of the group. Michelle's love of books almost match that of Yomiko's; when she arrives in Japan, Michelle buys out so many of the Jinbo-cho bookstores that people begin to speculate Yomiko Readman has returned. If not for her sister Anita's intervention, Michelle's book buying habits would result in the sisters not having enough money left over for food.
Voiced by: Shoko Kikuchi (Japanese)
Hunter MacKenzie Austin (English)
Profile
Aliases: Mi-nee
Age: 25 (ROD the TV)
Occupation: Bodyguard to Nenene Sumiregawa
Known relatives: Maggie Mui (younger sister), Anita King (younger sister)
Appearance and Personality
Michelle is 168 cm (5'6") tall with long blonde hair. She is mainly characterized by her cheerful yet ostensibly ditzy personality. Her favorite books are the Harry Potter series and she has a soft spot for cute things and small children. Michelle's love of books almost match that of Yomiko's; when she arrives in Japan, Michelle buys out so many of the Jinbo-cho bookstores that people begin to speculate Yomiko Readman has returned. If not for her sister Anita's intervention, Michelle's book buying habits would result in the sisters not having enough money left over for food.
Powers and Skills
Michelle's preferred paper manipulation is a bow and arrow. Her arrows can also have special effects, such as multiple arrows, encasing the object it is shot at or creating a web to capture a person.
She also carries a metal briefcase that contains a number of paper traps and weapons.
In battle, Michelle leads the group and performs a support role to her sisters.
Character History
Junior revealed to Michelle when they were together getting away the truth about the three of them, that their memory and existence was only a mere manipulation created for them by Dokusensha, creating their own line of artificial Paper Masters.
Relationships
Anita King
Michelle and Anita care deeply for one another, but Michelle's airheadedness and Anita's down-to-earth nature frequently clash. While Anita is usually concerned about practical matters like buying food over books and shows a greater degree of restraint, Michelle tends to live for the moment and cannot resist buying any book that catches her eye. Though Michelle means well, she usually ends up in unusual situations that Anita finds foolish and troublesome. However, Michelle is also unafraid to discipline Anita when necessary.
Junior
Because of Michelle's kind nature, Junior is easily attached to her and comes to see her as a mother-figure of sorts. When Junior betrays the Paper Sisters and their allies, he rescues Michelle and seemingly attempts to keep her apart from everyone else. When he becomes upset that his mother, Nancy Makuhari, is more concerned about the safety of Yomiko Readman and expresses his resentment towards her, Michelle disciplines him as she would of Anita for speaking thoughtlessly. However, when Nancy, affected by Junior's words, goes to defend them, Junior leaves with Michelle and reveals the truth behind Michelle and Maggie's existences as Paper Masters.
Maggie Mui
Michelle and Maggie share a close relationship, held strongly by their extreme love of books and of Anita. While Michelle is outspoken and bosses Maggie around somewhat, Maggie is shy and content to let Michelle speak for her. Michelle is aware of Maggie's lack of confidence and does not tolerate Anita's thoughtless comments concerning Maggie's "usefulness". Because of their love of Anita, they do not hesitate to put their lives in danger to protect her.
Nenene Sumiregawa
As with Anita, Nenene can become frequently annoyed with Michelle's eccentricities. However, since Michelle respects (and fears) Nenene, Michelle usually accepts whatever Nenene tells her to do (unlike when Anita suggests an equally reasonable order). Nenene does not share as close a relationship with Michelle as the other Paper Sisters, but Nenene has faith in Michelle and trusts her.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:00 pm
Maggie Mui (マギー・ムイ Magī Mui, a.k.a. Ma-nee) is the tall, boyish, quiet middle sister of the Paper Sisters Detective Company. Her surname (which can also be spelt as Mei or Moy, depending on the system used) means "plum" or "prune" and is a common one in Hong Kong and the neighboring Chinese province of Kwangtung. (Until her recent death, Anita Mui was a leading Hong Kong actress and recording star.)
Voiced by: Hiromi Hirata (Japanese)
Sara Lahti (TV, English)
Profile
Aliases: Ma-nee
Age: 19 (ROD the TV)
Occupation: Bodyguard to Nenene Sumiregawa
Known relatives: Michelle Cheung (older sister), Anita King (younger sister)
Appearance and Personality
Maggie is the tallest of the three sisters, standing at 185 cm (6'1"). Her black, unruly hair is cut short. She usually dresses in slacks and long, loose shirts. On other occasions, she wears mens' suits. Like her sisters, Maggie also has an elaborate white fighting costume with a black combat leotard underneath. Though often careless of her appearance, Maggie is actually quite attractive.
Maggie is the quietest and the most modest of the three Paper Sisters. She is the typical middle sister, balancing Anita King's fiery temper and Michelle Cheung's bossiness with her own realism and straightforwardness. Maggie says little, but when she does speak she cuts straight to the heart of the matter and her suggestions show calm good judgment. She looks up to her older sister Michelle and feels she's nothing compared to her, but occasionally she will restrain Michelle's wilder flights of fancy. Maggie is extremely protective of Anita, and can calm her little sister down when Michelle cannot.
Maggie's quietness and placid exterior mask a complex and conflicted personality. Maggie is brave and decisive in battle and times of physical danger, but many ordinary situations leave her baffled and uncertain. She blushes frequently and is easily embarassed. She never complains, but she sometimes feels overwhelmed by her role in the family and the many tasks that her sisters thrust upon her.
Despite her great abilities, Maggie suffers from a lack of confidence. This is especially true in social situations. Maggie is almost pathologically shy; Michelle bluntly calls Maggie "antisocial," and Anita thoughtlessly reminds her that she has no friends. Maggie is very reclusive, and spends much of her time "nesting:" reading and relaxing in tight cozy spots. She even sleeps in a closet. Most of the time she seems perfectly happy being by herself, but sometimes her lack of friends depresses her.
Maggie certainly has few human contacts outside her family. She seems to be somewhat closer to Nenene Sumiregawa than her other sisters are; she often gives Nenene back massages.
Maggie's sexuality--like that of several other ROD characters--is uncertain. Her fondness for men's clothing may be indicative. Michelle refers to her as "unfeminine," a description Maggie accepts without complaint. Yet when a sleeping Nenene snuggles up against her, Maggie reacts with something like panic. Fans have speculated that Maggie and Nenene may have crushes on one another. In the Japanese script of the TV series, Nenene uses the suffix "chan"--a term of endearment--when addressing Maggie. Maggie also has a close friendship with a younger girl, and this friendship seems to have some romantic or sexual overtones (see below).
In the Read or Dream manga, Maggie is sometimes mistaken for a boy. Her closest personal relationship outside her family is with Fay, a young blind girl who is seriously ill. Fay initially believes that Maggie is a boy; even after she learns that Maggie is female, Fay still asks her for a kiss. Maggie finds the proposal both tempting and anxiety-provoking. Maggie finally persuades Fay to go overseas for a medical procedure, and Fay later writes to Maggie. When Michelle Cheung asks her if the letter is from "a boyfriend," Maggie denies it and refuses to let her sister see the letter.
Maggie's tastes in literature reflect both the stoical and emotional sides of her personality. Like a true bibliophile, Maggie can be fascinated by any book, but her favorite author is Ernest Hemingway. She also likes Nenene Sumiregawa's works too. In the Read or Dream manga Maggie enjoys the action/adventure books of the author Yunfat, yet she also loves the romantic dime novels of Wupin.
Like Anita and Michelle, Maggie is ignorant of her own past. She finally learns the truth about herself and her sisters after Wendy Earheart leaves a notebook describing her and Michelle as creations of Dokusensha. She finds out later that Anita was also a creation, but she was made by the British Library.
Powers and Skills
Maggie's preferred paper manipulation is puppetry, the creation of familiars or animated paper objects, though she also excels at other forms of papermastery. Of the three sisters, her role in battle is defence. Maggie may well be the most powerful papermaster of the three. When the sisters seek to rescue Nenene Sumiregawa from the headquarters of Dokusensha they are confronted by Dokusensha's own extremely powerful papermaster, the sinister Sonny Wong. Maggie elects to stand off Sonny on her own, thus allowing her sisters to proceed unhindered.
Maggie has other abilities as well, though she is extremely modest about them. She may be the most intelligent of the Paper Sisters, and she learns information very quickly. Maggie is a very good cook, and seems to wind up doing the many household chores that her sisters are too lazy or distracted to perform. She is an expert driver and can handle other forms of transportation as well. Like her sister Michelle, Maggie is a proficient translator. However, she tends to become too fascinated reading the material she is given, thus missing deadlines.
Relationships
Anita King
Maggie is very protective of Anita ever since she and Michelle found her and became her "sisters" and would not hesitate to risk her life to protect Anita. They generally get along, but Anita's thoughtless comments to Maggie can be especially hurtful; Maggie regards herself as someone who is not terribly useful compared to Michelle or Anita and to be called "useless" by Anita can render Maggie unable to fight at times. However, when they feel Michelle is being too frivolous, the two will work together to ensure she gets down to earth.
Michelle Cheung
As the oldest sister, Michelle is respected and admired by Maggie, who feels that despite her own abilities, she can never match Michelle's ability and strength. Despite their extreme differences in personality, they get along very well and love books more than anything else they own and vehemently refuse to allow Anita to throw away any of the reading material they have accumulated over the years. They rarely fight, and usually over matters like how to sort all the books in their apartment. They also both care deeply about Anita, from things like Anita bringing home a friend Hisami Hishiishii to protecting the youngest Paper Sister in battle.
Nenene Sumiregawa
Of the three Paper Sisters, Nenene appears to trust Maggie the most, allowing Maggie to massage her back, considers her honest, and regards her the most competent in practical matters, like cooking (though not cleaning). Maggie respects (and fears) Nenene much like she does Michelle and is quick to mention upon their first meeting that she likes Nenene's books. Even when threatened by Wendy Earheart concerning Anita's safety, Maggie is devastated with her eventual decision to betray Nenene, who immediately realizes that Maggie's betrayal is actually because either Michelle or Anita is in danger. After Nenene surrenders to Wendy, Maggie insists on staying with Nenene to protect her.
Some fans believe that as a result of their apparently close relationship, Maggie and Nenene may have romantic feelings for one another.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:05 pm
Anita King (アニタ・キング Anita Kingu) is the youngest of the Paper Sisters, a spitfire who specializes in using her paper offensively (by throwing index cards like shuriken), but also uses her physical agility as a fighter. She loves frogs, yet ironically dislikes books. At the time of R.O.D the TV, Anita is 13 years old.
Voiced by: Chiwa Saito (Japanese)
Rachel Hirschfeld (TV, English)
Profile
Aliases: Chibikko, brat
Age: 12 (manga) 13 (ROD the TV)
Occupation: Middleschool student, bodyguard to Nenene Sumiregawa
Known relatives: Michelle Cheung (older sister), Maggie Mui (older sister)
Appearance and Personality
As well as being the youngest sister, Anita is also the shortest, standing at 141 cm (4' 7") tall. She also has pink hair, although British Library records indicate that Anita is a redhead. Anita is extremely quick and agile, which not only makes her extremely dangerous as a fighter but also ingratiates her into her seventh grade class.
She is well liked in her class, and especially admired by classmate named Hisami Hishaishi, nicknamed Hisa by Anita. The relationship between the two is compared by Hisa to the extremely close friendship found between two of the characters in Anne of Green Gables.
Although she sometimes acts bratty and self-important, she deeply loves her sisters. It was revealed by Mr. Joker that Anita was originally a genetic test subject of the British Library Special Operations Division to be their artificially created Papermaster but ended up as a failure. She was then kidnapped by a Dokusensha undercover agent and was brought to Hong Kong.
Powers and Skills
Her preferred paper manipulation is a throwing blade. In battle, she is responsible for offence.
Anita's abilities are strongly offensive. In battle, she prefers wielding small blades and engaging in close combat with the enemy. Other tactics include spreading paper over the floor to 'sense' invisible enemies and using telekinesis to 'throw' blades of paper. Unfortunately, her focus on offense usually leaves her wide open for a counterattack, and Anita relies on a partner to cover her back.
Anita's defensive abilities are much weaker. She requires large amounts of paper (a thick book) to block projectiles such as bullets and drills, a task that most Paper Masters only require a few or a single sheet to accomplish. She has basic paper 'support' abilities, such as summoning paper (telekinesis) and using it to create a disguise.
Anita wears two holsters on her legs, where she can draw sheets of paper, both individually and 'chained'.
Unlike most Paper Masters, Anita's paper abilities serve to enhance her physical ones, instead of solely relying on paper to fight.
Character History
[edit] R.O.D the TV
Anita was created by the British Library as an experiment - to see if a Paper Master who didn't love books could exist. The result was Anita, who was deemed a failure despite her successful inheritance of the Paper Master genes. Her paper powers never manifested until Yomiko's terrorist attack on the British Library, but in the confusion she was kidnapped by Dokusensha.
Dokusensha was unable to use Anita as a lone agent because of her phobia to books, so they created other Paper Masters using the British Library's data. Unfortunately, these users were 'psychologically defective', so to train them Dokusensha rewrote their memories and staged meetings between them to make them live in 'families'.
Anita, Maggie and Michelle met in a church when Anita was ten years old, on Christmas Eve: Maggie and Michelle were sent by Dokusensha to investigate a cache of books and Anita was hiding there after running away from her foster family. On Christmas Day the two older girls return with presents for Anita - each of them with a book titled "Story of a Giraffe with a Shrunken Neck". From then on they lived as the Paper Sisters, running the Three Sisters Detective Agency to support themselves.
It is several years after this incident when they meet Nenene Sumiregawa meets them and R.O.D the TV begins.
[edit] Read or Dream
Anita was brought to Maggie and Michelle by Dokusensha to 'look after her'. Anita was initially silent and sullen around the girls, not understanding their love of books. However, she came to accept them, gradually hanging around them even if there were books around. She was finally given Story of a Giraffe with a Shrunken Neck to read, as it was a simple picture book. As Anita read it, her paper abilities awakened and she fainted.
Dokusensha came in to retrieve Anita at that point. They congratulated Maggie and Michelle for their success and gave each of them a blank cheque to fill in with whatever amount they pleased as payment. The girls are upset at their 'sister' getting kidnapped, however, but leave to claim their reward.
Anita is strapped into a chair, having returned to her indifferent self. She is to be used in one of Dokusensha's experiments, similar to Nenene in episode 12. Maggie and Michelle bust in, demanding their reward and holding their cheques: "Anita". Despite Dokusensha's threats, the pair take Anita back to live with them.
Character History
R.O.D the TV
Anita was created by the British Library as an experiment - to see if a Paper Master who didn't love books could exist. The result was Anita, who was deemed a failure despite her successful inheritance of the Paper Master genes. Her paper powers never manifested until Yomiko's terrorist attack on the British Library, but in the confusion she was kidnapped by Dokusensha.
Dokusensha was unable to use Anita as a lone agent because of her phobia to books, so they created other Paper Masters using the British Library's data. Unfortunately, these users were 'psychologically defective', so to train them Dokusensha rewrote their memories and staged meetings between them to make them live in 'families'.
Anita, Maggie and Michelle met in a church when Anita was ten years old, on Christmas Eve: Maggie and Michelle were sent by Dokusensha to investigate a cache of books and Anita was hiding there after running away from her foster family. On Christmas Day the two older girls return with presents for Anita - each of them with a book titled "Story of a Giraffe with a Shrunken Neck". From then on they lived as the Paper Sisters, running the Three Sisters Detective Agency to support themselves.
It is several years after this incident when they meet Nenene Sumiregawa meets them and R.O.D the TV begins.
Read or Dream
Anita was brought to Maggie and Michelle by Dokusensha to 'look after her'. Anita was initially silent and sullen around the girls, not understanding their love of books. However, she came to accept them, gradually hanging around them even if there were books around. She was finally given Story of a Giraffe with a Shrunken Neck to read, as it was a simple picture book. As Anita read it, her paper abilities awakened and she fainted.
Dokusensha came in to retrieve Anita at that point. They congratulated Maggie and Michelle for their success and gave each of them a blank cheque to fill in with whatever amount they pleased as payment. The girls are upset at their 'sister' getting kidnapped, however, but leave to claim their reward.
Anita is strapped into a chair, having returned to her indifferent self. She is to be used in one of Dokusensha's experiments, similar to Nenene in episode 12. Maggie and Michelle bust in, demanding their reward and holding their cheques: "Anita". Despite Dokusensha's threats, the pair take Anita back to live with them.
Relationships
Hisami Hishaishi
When Anita begins attending junior high school, she quickly befriends the soft-spoken and shy Hisami Hishaishi and gives her the nickname, "Hisa". While Anita generally dislikes books, she reads them for the sake of Hisa, who loves books and reads often. The two girls become very close friends, comparable to Anne Shirley and Diana Barry in Anne of Green Gables.
In the Read or Dream manga, Hisami appears in Hong Kong as a young author and the two soon become friends when the Paper Sisters are hired to protect Hisami from possible kidnappers.
Junior
Anita first encounters Junior when he is attempting to recovering one of Mr. Gentleman's books hidden at her junior high school, but is unaware of who he is because he is masked. She subsequently meets Junior when he poses as a student at the school and befriends him, unaware that he was the assailant at the library. Junior is drawn to Anita because of her kindness and soon finds it difficult to betray her to Joker and his plans. Anita, upon discovering his true identity, feels betrayed and finds herself unable to trust someone she considered a friend.
Maggie Mui
Maggie, as Anita's sister, will do anything to protect Anita, even if it means dying or reluctantly handing Nenene over to the British Library. They trust and love each other, but Anita's thoughtless criticism of Maggie has, at times, affected Maggie's confidence concerning her ability to help and protect her sisters.
Michelle Cheung
While Anita is down to earth and practical, Michelle is free-spirited and acts on impulse. They two frequently clash over matters of money - when ever Anita thinks that they should be spending money on food, Michelle spends all their money on books. Like Maggie, Michelle would not hesitate to put her life on the line to protect Anita, but does not hesitate when she feels that Anita needs to be disciplined, especially when Anita accuses Maggie of being useless.
Nenene Sumiregawa
While Michelle and Maggie respect and at times fear Nenene, Anita does not hesitate to speak her mind concerning the author and her work. Nenene becomes another older sister figure to Anita, who despite saying otherwise, comes to care and respect Nenene for her courage. The two have similar personalities.
Yomiko Readman
During the incident where Yomiko burned down the British Library, Anita witnessed Yomiko in the flames and developed a subconscious hatred of books from the sheer terror she felt during that moment. While Dokusensha had erased her memory numerous times, Anita retained that memory, but does not fully recall it until Junior dives into the Book of All Seeing Eyes and she witnesses her past. Anita, upon discovering that Yomiko was responsible for the traumatic memory, despises her, but works with her because she hates those who have taken her sisters, Michelle and Maggie, even more.
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