R.O.D the TV

R.O.D: The TV (2003) is a 26-episode TV anime series about the adventures of three paper-manipulating sisters, Michelle, Maggie and Anita, who become the bodyguards of Nenene Sumiregawa, a famous Japanese writer. The series is a sequel to the Read or Die OVA. Its official title, written precisely, is "R.(period)O.(period)D the TV." This is likely a catch-all acronym referring to the inclusion of characters from both the Read or Die manga and OVA (e.g., Nenene) and the Read or Dream manga, which revolves solely around the Paper Sisters.

When R.O.D: The TV first aired in Japan (from September 9, 2003 through March 16, 2004) it ran on pay-per-view television. Though an airing of the reanimated telvision version did take place on a non-pay-per-view station (from October 15, 2003 through March 18, 2004) only the first twenty episodes were aired.

The entire series was broadcast in English by the anime television network, Animax within its respective networks across the world, including the entire Southeast Asian region.

Background

The series starts in 2006, five years after the "I-Jin" incident detailed in the Read or Die OVA, and Yomiko Readman (AKA The Paper, agent of British Library Task Force) seems to have gone missing. Nenene Sumiregawa, her former student and best friend, is searching for her. Beyond their strong friendship, Nenene is frustrated that her sensei has never read her last book, and she feels she can't write again until she hears Yomiko's reaction to the book.

During a trip to Hong Kong, Nenene meets the three sisters, Michelle, Maggie and Anita, who become her bodyguards after Nenene's life is threatened by a jealous rival. Each sister has paper manipulation skills similar to Yomiko, although significantly less powerful and more focused in scope. After the initial action-filled adventure, the first several episodes take on the feel of an odd-couple comedy which focuses on tension between Nenene and the sisters, who move into her apartment and mooch off her, all while dealing with various crazies and psychos in their everyday lives. The sisters also perform odd jobs as agents of the Dokusensha (ostensibly a Chinese publishing company, but more like an Illuminati-type organization focusing on the collection of rare and powerful documents). This eventually puts them and Nenene in direct conflict with the British Library (the protagonists from the OVA series and manga; Dokusensha is established as the British Library's rival in the manga).

Events grow more serious as the series progresses as, in typical anime fashion, atrocities are committed by both sides, thrusting the main characters into the middle of a conflict between literary superpowers, the British Library and Dokusensha, who are both trying to collect ancient artifacts (books, of course) to control the entire world and even rewrite history. After a horrific collision between the two superpowers, Nenene and the Paper Sisters set out to find the missing Yomiko to learn the truth about the conflict and save the world from literary terrorism.

Characters

The Four Principals

* Nenene Sumiregawa (菫川ねねね Sumiregawa Nenene), a.k.a. 'Sensei,' Nene-neesan: A prodigy novelist in her high school years, usually referred to as sensei and originally featured in the Read or Die manga as a teenage friend of the older Yomiko. She is often frustrated with Yomiko's obsession with books and chides her for being absentminded, leaving post-its in her room. Due to Yomiko's disappearance, she has become very self-sufficient but unfortunately wistful and bitter at times. She remained in Japan, despite her parents' wishes, in order to housekeep and tend to Yomiko's personal effects until her (presumed) return. Along with two other characters within the series, many fans argue Nenene's dedication to Yomiko borders on the romantic, and the series has a strong yuri fandom.

The Paper Sisters' names are derived from names of three real Hong Kong action stars: Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh (who has also been credited as Michelle Khan). These three actresses starred together in the 1993 movie The Heroic Trio as the titular superpowered heroines.
* Michelle Cheung (ミシェール ・チャン Mish�"ru Chan), a.k.a. Mi-nee: The oldest sister, generally considered the leader and strategist of the three. She has a cheerful, ostensibly ditzy personality. Her favorite books are the Harry Potter series, and she has a soft spot for cute things and small children. She manifests her power primarily through ranged weapons, such as bows and arrows. Michelle's love of books almost matches that of Yomiko's; when she arrives in Japan, Michelle buys out so many bookstores that people begin to speculate Yomiko has returned.
* Maggie Mui (マギー・ムイ Magī Mui), a.k.a. Ma-nee: A tall, boyish, quiet wallflower, her power usually manifests through animal-like paper projections; her sisters also rely on her for her strong defensive capabilities. She’s known for being easily embarrassed and enjoying tight cozy spots to relax in (which is why she sleeps in the closet). Michelle says her favorite author is Ernest Hemingway, but Maggie quickly points out that she likes Nenene's works too. She strongly looks up to her older sister, Michelle, and feels she's nothing compared to her. She cares for her sisters and always tries to protect them at the expense of her own safety. Anita believes Maggie to be strongest Paper Sister in combat.
* Anita King (アニタ・キング Anita Kingu): The youngest sister is a spitfire who specializes in using her paper offensively (by using paper "blades" and throwing index cards like shuriken), but she also relies upon her physical martial arts skills in combat. Unlike all other known Paper Masters, she dislikes books (but is obsessed with collecting frogs and drinking milk). Although Anita sometimes acts bratty and self-important, she deeply loves her sisters. She frequently fights with Nenene, who is equally outspoken, but beneath their squabbles, one can see they develop a strong friendship through the series. She is well liked in her class and is especially admired by classmate named Hisami Hishishii (whom Anita nicknames "Hisa"). Hisa compares the two to the main characters with an extremely close friendship in Anne of Green Gables.

Characters from Read or Die

* Yomiko Readman (読子・リードマン Yomiko Rīdoman): Does not appear until about halfway into the series, with only the vague suggestion before she appears of something terrible happening to her around the same time the British Library was destroyed. Yomiko's abilities and power as a papermaster are far greater than those of the Paper Sisters. She also doesn't seem as limited to one form of use for her powers whereas Anita, Maggie and Michelle all have one speciality when it comes to using their powers.
* Nancy Makuhari (ナンシー・幕張 Nanshī Makuhari): She is the second I-Jin clone of Mata Hari that Yomiko met in the R.O.D. OVA. At the end of the original series, Nancy suffered extensive brain damage as a result of oxygen deprivation; the result was that her mental state was reduced to that of a child, with no memories of her earlier actions. Desperate to protect her, Yomiko took Nancy and ran off into hiding. When introduced in the TV series, Nancy's personality is that of a young girl, far from the femme fatale she was before she was injured.
* Drake Anderson: An American munitions expert and one of the B.L.'s main field agents. Anderson has no superpowers, but he is a pretty tough guy and is also good with weapons. He is a sarcastic realist who tries to keep situations calm and professional, although sometimes he is overwhelmed by the eccentric, super-human people around him. He has a young daughter named Maggie, but with no relation to the aforementioned Paper User. Probably because of his daughter, he's more soft-hearted and less ruthless than his fellow B.L. agents (i.e., when he fights the three sisters he doesn't try to murder them, and he refuses to kill children, such as Anita).
* Joseph Carpenter, a.k.a. Joker (ジョーカー Jōkā): The head of the B.L. Special Operations Unit and Yomiko's former boss. He took control of the organization after the death of the Gentleman and is now often referred to as "Mr. Carpenter." His face seems a bit more lined from stress (and, possibly, age), and he now walks with the assistance of a cane. As always, Joker smiles all the time and initially appears as calm, reassuring, and easy-going as ever, but as the series progresses he gets more violent and high-strung, revealed to be an elitist who holds the same "human selection" principles as the I-Jin (the villains from the OVA). Disappointed by the decline of British global influence following the Gentleman's death, Joker implements a scheme to regain control of the world, no matter the human cost.
* Wendy Earhart (ウェンディ・イアハート Wendi Iahāto): Seen in the manga and OVA as Joker's office secretary and junior agent of British Library Special Operations, she now serves as his right hand henchwoman. Wendy's character has matured radically, from an enthusiastic, if clumsy, over-eager young assistant into a serious, ruthless agent willing to fulfill the B.L.'s plans by any means necessary. She is highly resentful of Yomiko (whereas she adored her in the manga), likely due to events laid out through the course of the TV series, and she is one of the few B.L. personnel fully aware of Joker's plans.
* The Gentleman: Seen in the OVA, now deceased. He was the head of the B.L. and the true source of Britain's secret power over global affairs (i.e., it was because of Gentleman that Joker had the authority to order around the U.S. President in the OVA).

New, Major Characters

* Junior (ジュニア Junia): A mysterious, effeminate boy with the power of intangibility (the same power possessed by Nancy) who befriends the Paper Sisters. Later in the series, he is revealed to be a tool in Joker's scheme--and that he is the child of Nancy and the I-Jin Ikkyuu Soujun. To Joker, he is considered "The Perfect I-Jin," hence why Joker is keen to use him. Extremely reserved and emotionally distant, he is drawn to people who show him kindness, especially Anita and Michelle. While he is an efficient agent, he lacks the ruthlessness of his father.
* Lee Linho: Nenene Sumiregawa's editor, who hired the Paper Sisters to guard her early on in the series. Usually very calm, despite apparently having recently given up smoking (evidenced by constant, nervous pencil-chewing). Seemingly minor at first, he plays a bigger role as the scope of Dokusensha's plansis revealed.
* John Woo: A carrier pigeon used by Mr. Kim to send messages and assignments to the Paper Sisters. The sisters name after the famous Chinese film director, one of whose trademarks is the use of doves to highlight dramatic moments. The pigeon demands respect and pecks Maggie when she forgets to call him "-san" ("Mr."). While originally serving Dokusensha, Mr. Woo remains a "friend" to the Three Sisters throughout the series.
* Mr. Kim: A Dokusensha operative who hands the sisters their mission briefings; Michelle refers to him as their "handler." He can usually be seen overseeing these missions from a safe distance away. Sonny Wong is often with him. During the "Twilight of the Papers," Mr. Kim disappears during the conflict in Dokusensha headquarters, only to turn up much later as a minor employee for the British Library.
* Sonny Wong a.k.a. "The Recycler": A Paper Master employed by Dokusensha. He's mysterious, wearing sunglasses and a large coat that conceal most of his face, and he never speaks. He's incredibly physically strong as well and probably at least seven feet tall (given he is much taller than Maggie, who is six feet). He has no qualms about killing people to achieve his goals. He challenges the Paper Sisters during "Twilight of the Papers" episodes and proves stronger than all three combined, even capable of ripping Maggie's familiars apart with his hands, and he only meets his fate after Maggie successfully manages to fight defensively until he is engulfed in a sea of ink released when a series of explosives in the building go off.

List of Episodes

# 紙は舞い降りた Kami wa maiorita; The Papers Have Landed# ダメ人�"ども集まれ Dame ningen domo atsumare; Rise Up, Oh Dregs of Humanity# 神保�"�で逢いましょう Jinbouchou de aimashou; Let's Meet in Jinbo-cho# 中一コース Chuuichi kōsu; The Seventh Grade Course# やつらは�'いでいる Yatsura wa sawaideiru; They Shout# ライトスタッフ Raito sutaffu; The Right Stuff# 薮の中 Yabu no naka; In a Grove# 夜に惑わされて Yoru ni madowasarete; Seduced by the Night# 闇の奥 Yami no oku; Heart of Darkness# クリスマス･キャロル Kurisumasu kyaroru; A Christmas Carol# さよならにっぽ�" Sayonara Nippon; Goodbye Japan# 紙々の黄昏 Kamigami no tasogare; Twilight of the Papers, Part I# 続･紙々の黄昏 Zoku - Kamigami no tasogare; Twilight of the Papers, Part II# 紙葉の森 Kami ha no mori; Forest of Paper Leaves# 仄暗き地の底で Kuraki chi no soko de; In the Gray Light of the Abyss# 華氏四�"一 Kashi yon-go-ichi; Fahrenheit 451# スイートホーム Suīto hōmu; Sweet Home# 告白 Kokuhaku; Confession# 家族ゲーム Kazoku g�"mu; The Family Game# 悲しみよ�"�"にちは Kanashimi yo kon'nichiwa; Bonjour Tristesse (In French: Hello Sadness)# D.O.D -DREAM OR DIE- # 奪取 Dasshu; Seize# 嘘、そして沈黙 Uso, soshite chinmoku; Lie to Me# 君が僕�'知ってる Kimi ga boku wo shitteru; You Know Me# たいした問題じゃない Taishita mondai ja nai; Not a Big Problem# それから Sorekara; From There On...

Fandom

*Nenene once mocked Anita's suggestion at having a codename ("The Bodyguard", in heavily accented English). Some fans think this is a self-referential joke to Yomiko's own codename ("The Paper") sounding awkward to native Anglophones.
*Maggie also had a female admirer in the Read or Dream manga, although this is likely not canon for the animated series.
*The frogs seen on and about Anita are possibly a reference to Gero-chan/Sgt. Frog, a popular character among the younger set in Japan.
*Dōjin game studio Easy Game Station has created a side-scrolling video game based on the series, entitled ElePaper Action.
*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.