Read or Dream
Read or Dream (
Shin Read or Die) is a
manga about the "Three Sisters Detective Agency," Anita King, Michelle Cheung and Maggie Mui. Also called the "Paper Sisters," Maggie, Michelle, and Anita are
papermasters, meaning they can telekinetically manipulate paper to do anything they want, such as creating bulletproof shields and razor sharp swords. Some consider
Read or Dream to be a sequel to the
Read or Die manga, which is about another papermaster,
Yomiko Readman. Both series are written by the same author. However, while this series has some similarities to
Read or Die, they share neither the same characters nor setting, and there is a greater focus on character and domestic life with less action.
The
anime R.O.D the TV brings together for the first time the characters from both
Read or Die and
Read or Dream. The story of the anime begins in the Hong Kong setting of
Read or Dream, introducing Anita King, Michelle Cheung, and Maggie Mui to one of
Read or Die's main characters, author Nenene Sumiregawa (more characters from both mangas and the
Read or Die OAV eventually appear). Many fans have noted that the earlier episodes of
R.O.D the TV show a much greater influence from the
Read or Dream manga series than the
Read or Die manga, despite appearances by
Read or Die characters like Nenene, Wendy, and Joker. The "R.O.D" in the title of the TV series refers to the initials in the titles of both manga.
Read or Dream is written by
Hideyuki Kurata.
Ran Ayanaga is the series artist.
The series was published by Shueisha in Japan. It is licensed by Viz Media to be distributed in North America starting November 2006.
Anita King, Michelle Cheung and Maggie Mui are the "Paper Sisters" who run the "Three Sisters Detective Agency" in Hong Kong. They serve a variety of clients, mostly seeking out lost books! Trying to finance Maggie and Michelle's expansive book budget often causes them to be out of money, and when they are not working they are usually arguing with Anita about how to maintain the apartment and eat.
In volume 1, the Paper Sisters seek out valuable books to assist a pair of lovers, find the Shangri-la of libraries, convince an alien not to destroy the world, help a girl with a serious illness find the courage to undergo a risky treatment, and battle the greatest horror of all horrors: cleaning their own apartment.
In "R.O.D the TV," the Sisters reveal that December 24th is the day they consider their mutual birthday because that is the day they first became sisters. Their individual birthdays are never revealed in the anime.
Michelle Cheung
Name: Michelle Cheung
Fighting Style: Michelle is a specialist at ranged attacks, usually using a paper bow and arrows
Michelle is the eldest sister, age 23 in the manga. She is generally considered the group leader, as she is best at devising tactics for the team. She is much like "Read or Die"'s Yomiko Readman in being almost naively carefree about everything and spending all the money she has, including the house money, to buy every book she walks past. She helps earn the sisters extra money (quickly spent) doing translation work. She serves as a strong contrast to her other sisters, being talkative and peppy (unlike shy Maggie) and calm and collected (unlike spitfire Anita). Michelle is very skilled in the use of her paper bow and can use it with great precision and speed. She is also seen using paper darts and other projectiles to great effect. Being the "head sister," Michelle is in charge of the "paper case" which has slots for the various types of paper the sisters might need. It also has a dispenser for easy access in emergencies.'''
Maggie Mui
Name: Maggie Mui
Fighting Style: Defense and use of paper familiars.
Maggie is the middle sister, age 19 in the manga. Michelle describes her as "Big! Strong! Slow!" She is shy and quiet, preferring to let her sisters speak for the group, although she will speak up if she feels she has something important to say. She, like her sister Michelle, loves books, and little can distract her once she is absorbed in a book. She loves small spaces and tends to have a somewhat depressive nature. She is the sisters' primary food provider. Of the three sisters she is the bravest in combat. Maggie creates the strongest paper shields, and she can create paper "familiars" or marionettes to attack or defend as she wills. Her most common puppets include a wolf with great attack prowess, a strong golem which lifts heavy things and destroys obstacles, and a giant bird for transport. Maggie however appears to have the weakness of needing physical contact to control her familiars, using strings of paper to connect herself to them.
Anita King
Name: Anita King
Fighting Style: Offensive specialist of her sisters, much more a martial artist than a paper user.
Youngest of the three sisters, 12-year-old Anita is brash and outspoken. She is also the most practical and is forever trying to get Maggie and Michelle to save SOME money for food. She loves milk and drinks as much as she can whenever she can, hoping it will make her taller. She also collects things with frogs on them. Unlike her sisters she hates books, a dramatic difference from most other papermasters. Michelle says Anita is simply going through a rebellious phase (although
R.O.D the TV contradicts this, citing a deep, traumatic memory that causes her aversion to reading). She is best at using paper to cut, able to slice through rocks and steel, and uses paper as a short blade or short-range thrown weapon. Anita is also an agile, skilled martial artist and often uses her paper skills to supplement her impressive physical prowess.
* Yomiko's Library
Read or Dream section[
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