Read or Die discussion thread...?

[Isuzu Inugami]

Back when it was freshly announced, I made some intemperate remark about running a discussion thread when the Blu-ray set came out. Well, now I have it in my hands, not yet denuded of it's shrink-wrap (later... tonight... wine... candlelight.... oh, that's probably more than I needed to type....)

The question is if there's still any interest in such a thread (and if so, when would be good to start?).

[EmperorBrandon]

I don't have the OVA (though I've seen it twice before, once subtitled and once dubbed), but I would be willing to get out the TV series DVD's (which I do have) and watch it again when you get to it. I've been meaning to watch through the whole series dubbed, since my last viewing was abruptly interrupted little less than halfway through by real life circumstances and I never picked back up on it later.

[bci110]

The question is if there's still any interest in such a thread (and if so, when would be good to start?).

Yeah, I'm interested. I was meaning to re-watch both the OVA and TV series anyway :sweat:.

[Mitsuki]

I didn't get the new set but I have the Geneon release and might be interested in watching along.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Well, barring any objection, I'll get started in a day or two.

[One Vorlon]

I don't have the OVA (though I've seen it twice before, once subtitled and once dubbed), but I would be willing to get out the TV series DVD's (which I do have) and watch it again when you get to it. I've been meaning to watch through the whole series dubbed, since my last viewing was abruptly interrupted little less than halfway through by real life circumstances and I never picked back up on it later.
How does everyone want to handle the OVA and manga? Should we assume that people are already familiar with both? Or only deal with the OVA/manga elements when the anime gets to them (such as the tv episode that recaps the events in the OVA)?

[Isuzu Inugami]

How does everyone want to handle the OVA and manga? Should we assume that people are already familiar with both? Or only deal with the OVA/manga elements when the anime gets to them (such as the tv episode that recaps the events in the OVA)?

I was going to start with the OVAs, so that should take care of itself, but I wouldn't assume anyone has read the manga.

[Hayate Kurogane]

How does everyone want to handle the OVA and manga? Should we assume that people are already familiar with both? Or only deal with the OVA/manga elements when the anime gets to them (such as the tv episode that recaps the events in the OVA)?

I was going to start with the OVAs, so that should take care of itself, but I wouldn't assume anyone has read the manga.

But the manga (neither Read or Die, nor Read or Dream) doesn't technically exist in continuity with the anime anyway, though. At least, it shouldn't, unless events in one format are intended to officially supercede/retcon events in the other.

[Asrialys]

How does everyone want to handle the OVA and manga? Should we assume that people are already familiar with both? Or only deal with the OVA/manga elements when the anime gets to them (such as the tv episode that recaps the events in the OVA)?

I was going to start with the OVAs, so that should take care of itself, but I wouldn't assume anyone has read the manga.

But the manga (neither Read or Die, nor Read or Dream) doesn't technically exist in continuity with the anime anyway, though. At least, it shouldn't, unless events in one format are intended to officially supercede/retcon events in the other.
Yeah...the novel, Read or Die manga, Read or Dream manga, and anime are only somewhat related to each other, but are not really all that connected. I mean, I'm sure those are Joker's real hands in the anime...

[Isuzu Inugami]

But the manga (neither Read or Die, nor Read or Dream) doesn't technically exist in continuity with the anime anyway, though. At least, it shouldn't, unless events in one format are intended to officially supercede/retcon events in the other.

I don't really remember--I though the (Read or Die) manga was basically adapted from the novels, which (mostly? all?) occur before the OVAs whether they're in continuity or not, and I never did get around to Read or Dream. :sweat: It seems to me the anime series is self-contained enough that we shouldn't have to refer back to supporting materials in any case.

[Fencedude]

How does everyone want to handle the OVA and manga? Should we assume that people are already familiar with both? Or only deal with the OVA/manga elements when the anime gets to them (such as the tv episode that recaps the events in the OVA)?

The OVA would be covered in this thread.

The manga and novels are not part of the subject of this thread, and thus should not be referenced.

[bci110]

How does everyone want to handle the OVA and manga? Should we assume that people are already familiar with both? Or only deal with the OVA/manga elements when the anime gets to them (such as the tv episode that recaps the events in the OVA)?

The OVA would be covered in this thread.

The manga and novels are not part of the subject of this thread, and thus should not be referenced.

And I hope not, too, because there are some people on this forum that hadn't read them yet :sd: .

[Hayate Kurogane]

But the manga (neither Read or Die, nor Read or Dream) doesn't technically exist in continuity with the anime anyway, though. At least, it shouldn't, unless events in one format are intended to officially supercede/retcon events in the other.

I don't really remember--I though the (Read or Die) manga was basically adapted from the novels, which (mostly? all?) occur before the OVAs whether they're in continuity or not, and I never did get around to Read or Dream. :sweat: It seems to me the anime series is self-contained enough that we shouldn't have to refer back to supporting materials in any case.

The Read or Die manga is...sort of...adapted from the novels, which...kind of...take place before the anime, if you were to throw a lot of stuff out and rewrite some of what's left. Read or Dream does technically take place in continuity with the Read or Die manga, but it's almost like somebody saying K-On! takes place in continuity with, say, High School Girls; the two are so isolated, with no mutual in-story references, that it doesn't even matter.

But yes, the anime is self-contained. Anyone trying to use the novels or manga to explain things about it is pretty much wasting their time.

[HitokiriShadow]

I don't really remember--I though the (Read or Die) manga was basically adapted from the novels, which (mostly? all?) occur before the OVAs whether they're in continuity or not, and I never did get around to Read or Dream. :sweat: It seems to me the anime series is self-contained enough that we shouldn't have to refer back to supporting materials in any case.

I think the Read or Die manga is an adaptation of the first novel while the Read or Dream manga is original. As Hayate mentioned, trying to treat them as part of a single continuity with the anime brings some problems. The Read or Die manga is pretty plot heavy but the plot has nothing to do with the stories in the OVA or TV series from what I can recall. Its only relevant to the TV continuity in that it gives Yomiko some backstory and shows how Yomiko and Nenene first met. The Read or Dream manga was all either fluff or very short stories, none of which had any bearing on the TV continuity.... though I recall it containing some things that made it really hard to consider it taking place in the same continuity as the anime. I believe Hisami appeared as a significant character in the manga... even though Hisami and Anita only first meet each other at the beginning of the TV series. I think there were some other problems regarding Hisami and possibly other issues that make it really hard to consider the Read or Dream manga as part of the same continuity as the anime.

I don't think the novels have been translated into English even.... unofficially, so very few people here could have read them if they wanted to. Though Anime Insider (or maybe it was still Anime Invasion in that issue) did a write-up on the various R.O.D. incarnations that included plot-summaries for the novels. But I don't think there was anything in those that had any more bearing on the TV continuity than the manga (i.e. basically none). I think the only relevance it had is that the novels already had a history of the English and Chinese agencies fighting against one another over various things.

Anyway, in short, the manga have nothing of relevance the TV anime anyway and certainly nothing that could spoil anything in it (except maybe that the Joker is pretty clearly in the "bad guy" category). The novels have possibly even less relevance to the TV series and English speakers are unlikely to have read them anyway, so they are pretty much a non-issue.

[Asrialys]

The only relevance the Read or Die manga would have on the anime would be in regards to her relationship with Nenene, Yomiko's glasses, and her predecessor, and the last two are pretty much touched on for about a second.

So as others have said a few times already, it really isn't anything that we need to discuss. I imagine that it would only serve to isolate people from the conversation.