R.O.D. (Read or Die) thoughts, question

[something]

I just watched the OVA for this. I'd held off all these years because OVAs in and of themselves are usually too short for me to fully appreciate them. Even if they're brilliant, like this one, I still feel like it doesn't *mean* much without something more. Even if that something more is "only somewhat" related, as I always heard ROD TV was. Still, just knowing I can continue on with the franchise in some respect, that's enough to improve my opinion of an OVA immensely. And, well, I do know Yomiko comes back in the TV series, albeit briefly, so it's something to look forward to. Anyway, I'm posting on the OVA now and will add thoughts on the TV series when I watch that (I hope to start tonight).

ROD was, in short, stunning. No, the story is not fleshed out at all, yes, the rise of the I-Jin is completely random and pretty much no serious attempt at explanation is made, no we have no clue at all why these people have powers or where they got them. I also have no idea why Yomiko is so particular about her glasses. Well, yes, she needs them to see (and read!) but she practically went zombie-mode and nearly took Nancy's head off the first time they met as comrades and Nancy touched them. Best to just ignore it and watch the pretty animation. Such is an OVA, I guess. That's usually what keeps me away. But viewed purely as a visual treat, it works very well. It's just amazing to watch, even if the use of brain cells for any sort of analysis only results in frustration.

Everyone who ever said paper is the best weapon ever was completely right. The ammo is a bit bulky, which sort of works against easy deployment, but under the right circumstances, you might find more of it than you'd ever need. And the creativity in how it was used... just spectacular. Just watching Yomiko toss a suitcase of paper into the air and literally sculpt her weapon of choice is something I don't think I've ever really seen before, or expect to again (well until I watch the TV series). There's an innocence and playfulness inherent in Yomiko's character, and it's something she can't completely suppress no matter how serious the situation is. And it's probably her greatest asset, because the act of creation inherent in the use of her power demands an active imagination. If there's anyone with an imagination, it's Yomiko.

The paper plane is where I realized that this may be one of the greatest concepts ever. And it never disappointed after that (or before really) either. Extra points for the money sword and hair-tie chain breaker. And weathering a torpedo blast with a paper shield wins my respect.

But the sheer creativity of her power and the childishness she shows only partially mask her proficiency as a special operative. Yes, she can be clumsy, but she can also fend off a dual sword attack from a samurai and catch bullets shot at point blank range with a sheet of paper. She's not exactly as nimble as Nancy, aka Miss Deep, but she's not some bumbling fool with a power she doesn't know how to use either.

Speaking of Miss Deep, good lord she moves like a black ops ninja gymnast stripper. And how cool is the ability to pass through solid matter at will? The equivalent of the paper plane moment for her was when Genjo swings his staff at her after blocking a number of shots she fired at him. He goes for the killing blow when her ammo runs out, and as the staff swings towards Deep, she doesn't move. The staff goes right through her and takes off the cape she was wearing. She smiles at him and slowly reloads. Muahaha.

Back to Yomiko, what the hell is up with the fact that her voice actress has never done any other role... ever? She was adorable, emotional, perfect for Yomiko and I'd love to hear her play other roles. What a damn shame. I mean, did she DIE or something? I guess "About: A semi-popular idol (a member of CoCo) and dorama actress, Read or Die was her first anime voice role." explains it, but bah! Who needs live action? NOT ME!

I guess I *could* try to talk about the story or something, but does anyone give even the most minuscule iota of a damn? I don't. I guess in retrospect it's kind of intriguing to think that a revived Beethoven would fly into space in a rocket and play a symphony that would make humanity commit mass suicide, but it's so absurd and rushed and lacking background that it just comes off as silly. Besides, if you want anything beyond the pretty fighting, the most interesting thing would probably be Yomiko's friendship with Nancy. It all went far too fast for my taste, but I still adored the dynamic between them, right from the start but especially when I saw Deep doing Yomiko's hair up in braids, and then getting the bookmark from her.

Well I have remarkably little of substance to say and yet so many words have been typed, so maybe it'll be different with the TV series, where story will matter. El Cazador 12 calls out to me first (taco taco taco...) but I think I'll watch and perhaps comment on at least volume 1 today.

Oh, almost forgot... I wasn't lying in the subject line, I really do have a question :sd: The ending was a little confusing. Deep/Nancy stays behind on the rocket to die with her stupid man, and passes the bookmark back to Yomiko with the message 'take care of my little sister'. Am I correct in interpreting this to mean her clone? At the end Yomiko (ZA PEIPAH!) is talking to Joker about if "Nancy" would recover or not. They mention something (too lazy to check back to confirm) about a lack of oxygen and brain damage. I thought immediately about space/thin upper atmosphere, but then I remembered the clone being face down in the water after the original kicks her ass. So the assumption is that this is Nancy's clone at the end there, who has lost her memory and much of her mental ability?

[Andrew Cunningham]

Your question will be answered by the TV series.

[Fencedude]

...you never watched ROD?

Man, I coulda sworn you had.

And now you get to marathon it. This show was hell when it aired. some truly horrid cliffhangers.

[something]

Your question will be answered by the TV series.
Oh? All the more reason why I was right to wait for the TV series to be in my possession before I grabbed the OVA. I'm not sure which question you alluded to (the I-Jin issue or where Yomiko et al got their powers), but either way I'm popping disc 1 in now.

[Shale]

All I can say to that is "damn right." ROD just kicks all kinds of ass.

I know you don't like dubs, generally, but give this one a try if and when you rewatch it. The acting is all excellent, and the bad guys get even more cheesily awesome with over-the-top accents.

[something]

Well it's 5am and I'm tired as hell, but I finished volume one and I'll try to say something at least 22.7% coherent about it.

Most immediate and general impression is that it's a far more mumblemumble** anime than I expected.

[** = fill in appropriate adjective because I can't come up with it. Something that's a mix of mature, laid back, serious, deliberately paced and unique. I guess the visuals themselves are representative of what I'm getting at. The colors are far more subdued and detailed than the bright, in-your-face look I was expecting, and I'm pleasantly surprised.]

The first episode is a textbook perfect example of what an introduction should be. Get the characters, get the premise, get the conflict, get great action sequences, and then get set up for the coming storylines. Between disarming the bomb and the anti-hijacker plane infiltration, ROD delivered more top-rate action than most shows even dream of doing. I was worried if the TV series would maintain the level of fluidity and creativity in battle seen in the OVA, but this one episode totally dispelled any such worries. It's just as good, if not better. Yeah, I'd say better.

Nenene-nee-san won me over instantly. NENENE NOT NUNUNU! And when she backed up with action all her boasts about not being cowed by terrorists, not once but twice, she cemented her status as "frickin awesome". Also, she's hot. That's a nice bonus. The best thing about her is the promise of a Yomiko connection she offers, but I'll address that separately.

The sisters are three unique and terribly fun individuals. Maggie is a bit dry (and androgynous), yes, but that's just the kind of person she is. She certainly showed what she's made of in episode one, at least. I also liked how shy she got when confronted by the author she idolized. Michelle, aside from being crazy hot, does fit a little too neatly into the "bumbling but caring older sister" cliche, but I think that on the whole she's much more than that. Even so, her bumbling is a source of hilarity, with her declaration that she's buying the whole bookstore easily being up top, with seeing her in a school uniform coming next =D Also, paper bow kicks ass.

Surprisingly, Anita is my favorite. I never expected her to be as mature as she is, but it definitely seems like she's had to grow up fast to take care of her troublesome sisters. She's the most levelheaded by a mile, and doesn't slow them down when it's time for action. On the contrary, she's their front-line melee combat sister. She moves like a cat, sort of like a more refined Mikoto from HiME. ::imagines Anita with a giant paper sword a la Miroku:: In episode 4, she completely stole the show with her breathtaking style and paper manipulation skills.

She stole the episode in other ways too. I totally didn't predict her having to go to school, though in retrospect I have seen fanart with her in a school uniform. And she fits in much more easily than I anticipated. The show eschews the school-drama bullying and angst, and instead Anita is accepted by the majority of her class very early on. She's also school-intelligent, something else I didn't expect. I figured she'd have her combat- and street-smarts but not be interested in school-smarts. And indeed it seems like she isn't, but she's got her shit together anyway. Granted, I don't know what kind of questions will be asked now that she's paperbombed the library, but maybe they'll brush that little detail under the rug :sd:

I had read a bit of complaining that ROD wasn't a "true" sequel, or that the connections were superficial, but just from the first disc I'm wondering how anyone could seriously say that. I'm quite pleasantly surprised by how they're integrating this into the original ROD storyline. The most obvious is one I've already alluded to, that being Nenene's relationship to Yomiko. I noticed early that we see Yomiko's empty bedroom in the OP, but I didn't think we'd actually be visiting it, let alone the underground Toto Books, the booksellers being pumped over what turned out to be a false Yomiko alarm, and Joker showing up with the president and later with the cute secretary from the OVA. At least so far, this definitely deserves to be called a sequel in my book.

A very good one. The feeling of mumblemumble it gives me has me hugely intrested in seeing more, and the idea that they might be able to pull off, throughout the whole series, action sequences of the caliber seen on this disc blows my mind.

[Fencedude]

with the cute secretary from the OVA.

Who's a lot less cute and a lot more hot.

Anyway, many people were expecting the ROD OVA all over again, so were disappointed when thats not what it was.

[gpn]

Your question will be answered by the TV series.
Oh? All the more reason why I was right to wait for the TV series to be in my possession before I grabbed the OVA. I'm not sure which question you alluded to (the I-Jin issue or where Yomiko et al got their powers), but either way I'm popping disc 1 in now.

Pretty much all of your questions should be answered by the end of the TV series. To say much more starts getting into spoiler territory. You're in for one hell of a ride though, R.O.D the TV keeps getting better and better as it goes along.

[Shale]

The most obvious is one I've already alluded to, that being Nenene's relationship to Yomiko. I noticed early that we see Yomiko's empty bedroom in the OP, but I didn't think we'd actually be visiting it,

Speaking of that! Those notes in the OAV were from Nenene. The translators just had never heard of her and translated her name as if it were "ne, ne, ne" instead.

[something]

Speaking of that! Those notes in the OAV were from Nenene. The translators just had never heard of her and translated her name as if it were "ne, ne, ne" instead.
Hah! I thoughts those were... really weird. "Why is everything in triplicate? That makes no sense!" And then when I heard that Nenene was alluded to in the OVA, I thought I was going crazy because I sure as hell didn't remember any references.

Well, that would explain it. Silly Manga Ent. translator~ Oh well, without knowing ahead of time I can't imagine that's something they'd think to research, so I guess it's forgivable, but I'd have loved for it to be caught the first time.

[something]

with the cute secretary from the OVA.
Who's a lot less cute and a lot more hot.
This is true, but I like her better as she was =P

Anyway, many people were expecting the ROD OVA all over again, so were disappointed when thats not what it was.
I guess that was it. That just seems silly though, because I do feel like this captures the best elements of the OVA, sometimes improves them, and then promises so much more.

[something]

Your question will be answered by the TV series.
Oh jeeze, it took me about 12 hours but I just realized that by "question" you're probably referring to the "question" I asked at the end. The one I alluded to in my own subject line :sd: I'm braindead sometimes. I blame this migrane that WONT GO AWAY. >_> I definitely look forward to an answer to that and any other questions they want to deal with.

[Speedy Boris]

Ah yes, ROD, one of my favorites.

[populuxe]

The R.O.D franchise is one of my favorites in anime. The OVA was excellent, but the TV series is amazing. Nenene is all kinds of hot, and possibly the greatest woman in anime. And she does it without having any special powers, other than being very intelligent.

By the way, have you seen Kamichu yet? It was made by the same people who made R.O.D the TV, and there are some small cameos by Michelle, Anita and Lee in it. I think two of the store owners from Jinbo-cho are in it, too.

Oh, and get all three R.O.D soundtracks. You won't be disappointed.

[something]

By the way, have you seen Kamichu yet? It was made by the same people who made R.O.D the TV, and there are some small cameos by Michelle, Anita and Lee in it. I think two of the store owners from Jinbo-cho are in it, too.
I did see and love Kamichu, though I wouldn't have noticed the ROD cameos at the time (watched it when it finished up end of last year/early this year).

There's also the same slight focus on... feet. :sd: Is most anime you don't even know characters have them, but in both of these shows they're definitely there. Feet sort of creep me out, but then again it's not like either show is a monument to foot fetishism or anything. It's just a somewhat noticeable characteristic, though with Kamichu I may be more remembering Besame Mucho's art and thinking that focus carried over into the anime... can't remember.

Anyway I think I'll be watching Vol 2, maybe in the next few hours, and then marathoning as much as I can tonight like it's my job. Oh what a wonderful job that would be...

[touma]

The R.O.D franchise is one of my favorites in anime. The OVA was excellent, but the TV series is amazing. Nenene is all kinds of hot, and possibly the greatest woman in anime. And she does it without having any special powers, other than being very intelligent.

I love the Read or Dream manga also. It gives me the same good feeling as the TV series, but the stories are different so it is not redundant.

By the way, have you seen Kamichu yet? It was made by the same people who made R.O.D the TV, and there are some small cameos by Michelle, Anita and Lee in it. I think two of the store owners from Jinbo-cho are in it, too.
I have watched Kamichu and R.O.D the TV twice each and never noticed that. Now I will have to watch Kamichu again, which will not be a hardship. :)

[populuxe]

I have watched Kamichu and R.O.D the TV twice each and never noticed that. Now I will have to watch Kamichu again, which will not be a hardship. :)
Wait, it wasn't Michelle, it was Yomiko who showed up in Kamichu. Yomiko, Anita and Lee are definitely in it. Just be aware that they usually just flash by, and don't look for pink hair on Anita. It's brown.

There's also the same slight focus on... feet. :sd:
I don't think I really noticed that about the feet. Then again, feet don't turn me on or off, so I don't really pay attention to them.

I think the genius of this show is that they understood they couldn't keep throwing Big Action Episodes at viewers every week. So they saved it up and gave us some very well-written slice-of-life episodes in-between. So episode 1 is a big slice of action, then episodes 2 and 3 allow us to get to know the adult Nenene and the Paper Sisters, then episode four hits us with more big action. It's a great way to make sure that the action doesn't become stale. When they use it, it has more impact. And the slower episodes allow the writers to better flesh out the characters and give them more depth and complexity.

[sawmill]

Just wanted to add the commentaries for R.O.D. the TV are very well done. Intelligent. Informative. Well worth listening to. You'll learn more about the R.O.D. universe too (not just random chatter).

[The Great Bear]

I enjoyed both the OVA and the TV series, though as you've pegged it right, the OVA focuses more on action, and less on plot while the latter has lots of it (and it matters!).

Of course, a lot of the things I really like are all things that would be major spoiler territory to discuss right now, so I'll wait until you have seen more of the show.

And like Mike D mentioned, it has a great soundtrack. The action pieces work very well.

[jojo_home]

I, too, would like to know what happened to Ms. Yates. Fallen off the face of the dubbing industry, she has.

[something]

I, too, would like to know what happened to Ms. Yates. Fallen off the face of the dubbing industry, she has.
Ah, I meant Yomiko's Japanese voice actress, Miura Reiko. She's literally done Yomiko and... ...that's it. Nothing else ever... I guess her live action roles keep her busy, and the anime thing was just her testing the waters ::shrugs:: She did a damn good job though.

[something]

Edit: Well, I just found out that they DID dub them. I went to watch them on Vol. 3 and for some reason it reverted my language choice, and that was definitely dubbed. Weird, I really don't get why they were moved out then.

---------
I just finished volume two, and I think I'll hold off commenting until after vol. 3 so I don't spend more time typing than watching. I did have a quick question though... Why are the next episode previews in the extras?

I kept skipping the ED (don't really like it) and when the previews never came, I just figured they were lumped into one chapter stop. I didn't bother to confirm because I'm marathoning, and, well, who needs previews in that case?

But then I (on a whim) checked the extras and saw that the previews are included there. And damn they really should be in the episodes in their own chapter stop, because they're absolutely hilarious. It's just the main Japanese voice actresses

Did they just not want to try and dub them? I can sort of understand because it's very impromptu and casual, not something you can really "act out", only something they could try and make their own original version of, but they opted to ignore it. And I guess since in the dub version there'd be no preview in that case, they just took it out of the flow entirely? Or were they in the extras on the R2s as well?

Anyway, I'll have to remember to watch them after each disc, because I love them~ Now I wish I had seen them for disc 1, but I don't know if I want to go swap disc and load it back up just for that. I'll just remember for the coming discs.

[Dagger]

Talk about being late to the party! ;)

Overall I think I slightly prefer the OVA to the TV series, but I enjoyed both of them. Especially anything involving Nancy and/or (big spoiler!) her offspring. Sometimes I loved Anita, and sometimes she grated on me...

[something]

This covers episodes 5-12.

Well, Vol. 3 ends on quite the cliffhanger, but I'll throw out some comments now before I start Vol. 4 and get overloaded with things to say. Needless to say, I'm enjoying it immensely.

First things first... in the OP, when we see Nenene in the elevator, is the bird seen off in the distance taking a shit? XD Maybe it's John Woo-san dropping off a mission >_>

The paper ammunition concept is much more refined in the TV series than the OVA. The Paper Sisters are a lot more methodical about it than Yomiko was. Their briefcases are specifically set up to accommodate different sorts of paper, and the paper holsters that Anita wears are just brilliant. You can also see how they've specialized their attack types to take advantage of their work as a team rather than an individual.

Hisami rocks. I half expected her to be in the employ of the enemy or something at some point, but she definitely seems like a very normal little girl. Her visit to Anita's place was really nice, and Maggie and Michelle are completely in love with her. I'm sure Hisami likes them back, but she has "love" of her own... She's utterly smitten by Anita. Fantastic! XD DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE HER ALONE, ANITA!

One of the big story developments in this batch of episodes was Joker's role. Finding out what partially crippled him will be interesting (assuming it has significance), and how his assistant got to be how she is. These four years have clearly been hard on everyone, and it seems like they've all hardened to some degree. But what does he have planned? By the end of the volume it's clear he's working on getting all these books together to "save everyone", but what's in it for him, or the British Library if he is indeed working under their auspices still? He seems to have pledged fealty to Dokusensha, but is very clearly just using them. Does he still have good intentions? Is Gentleman really dead? What happened to Britain in the past four years? How does Yomiko play into all this? Well, I'm not looking for answers in this thread of course, that's what the next 4 discs are for. But those are just a few of the things I'm interested in finding out.

Another theme in these two discs was back story on the Sisters. We find out that they're not related by blood at all (as you can sort of see by just looking at them), or even marriage. Rather, Michelle was on a mission where she paired up with Maggie. Nothing comes of the mission itself, but for Michelle and Maggie, it's a huge turning point. They meet Anita, a starving, homeless orphan. The scene where Michelle suggests (sort of abruptly) that they become sisters was yet another great bit of emotional drama. Anita's goodbye to Hisami was as well, proving that this show does emotional scenes as well as it does action, and that's pretty damn well. We also get a hint at why Anita hates books, though only from the perspective of Michelle and Maggie, who don't know the details.

Junior has been a pleasant surprise. There's a great dynamic between him and Anita (though it pales in comparison to Hisami-Anita ::nods:: ), and he's quite the mysterious little boy. The fact that he's working for Joker just emphasizes that. He almost kills Anita in one episode, then becomes friends with her, helps Michelle out in the cave, steals the key from Dokusensha's paper master, and tops it off with taking out the man Anita gave the library book to. I'd ask what the world is up with him, but it's Joker calling the shots.

Episode 5 (the vampire guy) was easily the weakest of the series so far, but it was definitely made up for with, well, everything else. Episode 6 had much Hisami goodness, and a sweet scene where Anita finally reads a book, and Episode 7 was like a Stanley Kubrick movie. :sd: "Come to our house! we have a soft bed... hot food... cute dogs... a nice family room... where we can watch porno together!" O_O

Episode 8 was very fun, because it was the first time they really acknowledged Hisami's feelings for Anita. "I think I might be in love..." Well now. And she seemed to sad when the other students were joking about Junior being Anita's boyfriend. Oh, and stupid Nishizono, making me dislike a character voiced by Tamura Yuki... UNFORGIVABLE!! Well, only dislike a little bit, I guess. She turned out alright, but she's still annoying.

Episode 9 with Nenene's old classmates thinking that Yomiko was her girlfriend is made me all giddy XD And It's great to see something about how they met. Yomiko's substitute teaching she takes on at the end of the OVA is when she became the teacher for Nenene's class! I adore little interconnections like that. And there was a much bigger connection in this episode... Drake! He's back, working as a bodyguard for a woman named Alice from the British Library. Dokusensha hires the Sisters to track her down. Nor do they have any remorse in killing Alice at the end of the episode either, and are in no way intending to be friendly with the British Library, which makes me think Joker is, at least nominally, separated from the Library now. They might have said something that confirms or denies this already, and maybe I missed it. At any rate, very interesting. Oh, also, wtfsuddenlynipples! So much happened in that episode, not least of which is Dokusensha's paper master Wong revealing what a bastard he is, and Drake nearly sacrificing himself to save Anita. Also, this is where we fine out that Junior's skills are the same as Ms. Deep's....

Episode 10 had a great bit of development between Nenene and her editor Lee, but later events definitely taint the emotions the episode creates. Episode 11 was the goodbye episode I mentioned. Anita is rightfully sad, but I'm so glad she got to see Hisami before she left. "I love you, Anita~" This episode also gave us the Sisters flashback, making it perhaps the best episode yet in terms of emotional impact packed into 22 minutes. And then they hit you with a great twist -- Lee works for Dokusensha, and has been misleading Nenene all these years in an effort to get her back into her groove, so Dokusensha can do all sorts of experiments with her. He doesn't seem completely happy with himself, and no doubt will repent later, but whether that's as he's sacrificing himself for her, who knows?

Episode 12, of course, is very much an action episode. Things really move fast here, and we're treated to some of the best Paper Sisters combat scenes yet. And of course, now they have to deal with someone far worse... At the same time, it looks like Joker is setting some major plans into action.

Anyway, that's enough time spent on this post, I'm getting back to the show now. Vol. 4 go~

[Fencedude]

C-cup-chan!

;_;

[The Great Bear]

It's been a long while since I last saw it, but you're reminding me of many good reasons to watch it again some time.

As for your questions, they do get answered in the next 4 volumes ;)

[something]

As for your questions, they do get answered in the next 4 volumes ;)
Hell, most of them just got answered in 22 minutes. ::just finished episode 14::

[Fencedude]

As for your questions, they do get answered in the next 4 volumes ;)
Hell, most of them just got answered in 22 minutes. ::just finished episode 14::

Most informative recap episode EVER

[Chubaka]

This covers episodes 5-12.

Episode 9 with Nenene's old classmates thinking that Yomiko was her girlfriend is made me all giddy XD And It's great to see something about how they met. Yomiko's substitute teaching she takes on at the end of the OVA is when she became the teacher for Nenene's class! I adore little interconnections like that. And there was a much bigger connection in this episode... Drake! He's back, working as a bodyguard for a woman named Alice from the British Library. Dokusensha hires the Sisters to track her down. Nor do they have any remorse in killing Alice at the end of the episode either, and are in no way intending to be friendly with the British Library, which makes me think Joker is, at least nominally, separated from the Library now. They might have said something that confirms or denies this already, and maybe I missed it. At any rate, very interesting. Oh, also, wtfsuddenlynipples! So much happened in that episode, not least of which is Dokusensha's paper master Wong revealing what a bastard he is, and Drake nearly sacrificing himself to save Anita. Also, this is where we fine out that Junior's skills are the same as Ms. Deep's....



Knowing Junior's ability makes his first meeting with Anita a nice recreation of a scene from the OVA. :)

- Kasey

[The Great Bear]

As for your questions, they do get answered in the next 4 volumes ;)
Hell, most of them just got answered in 22 minutes. ::just finished episode 14::

Well, there you go :)

[populuxe]

I don't know why the next-episode previews are in the extras, but I do know that to dub them, the ADR director Taliesin Jaffe had all the actresses (and Patrick Seitz in one case) in the booth together so they could try and recreate that feeling of spontaneity that's obvious in the Japanese.

[Spirit Of The Stage]

I enjoyed the OVA a lot but the TV series absolutely blew me away. The characters I loved, a couple more than the awesome Yomiko (Anita and Michelle mainly) and it's a great series to lead in the ties to the OVA, as well as a number of significant changes to the existing characters (Wendy and Joker in particular...)

And yes, I have to agree, the Anita/Hisami dynamic was the cutest thing EVER. It cannot be argued otherwise and anyone who does is wrong automatically. :D

[EmperorBrandon]

And yes, I have to agree, the Anita/Hisami dynamic was the cutest thing EVER. It cannot be argued otherwise and anyone who does is wrong automatically. :D

Hard to argue with that. Now that I have the whole series finally, I'm really looking forward to listening to them in the dub (since I liked the VA's from what I heard in Vol. 1).

[The Great Bear]

I don't know why the next-episode previews are in the extras, but I do know that to dub them, the ADR director Taliesin Jaffe had all the actresses (and Patrick Seitz in one case) in the booth together so they could try and recreate that feeling of spontaneity that's obvious in the Japanese.

I'm curious if they showed the next episode previews during the TV broadcast run of the show. The only reason I can think of why the next episode previews would be separated is that they were never dubbed during the original dubbing of the show for the TV broadcast, and then dubbed later for the DVD release, but since it would be extra work to splice that segment in, and have to make sure the timing and everything else is lined up right, they just decided to dump them into the extras.

Of course, I have absolutely no evidence to back up this theory. If Taliesin or JK would like to jump in (should they be reading this thread) and enlighten us, it would be appreciated :)

[Chubaka]

I don't know why the next-episode previews are in the extras, but I do know that to dub them, the ADR director Taliesin Jaffe had all the actresses (and Patrick Seitz in one case) in the booth together so they could try and recreate that feeling of spontaneity that's obvious in the Japanese.

I'm curious if they showed the next episode previews during the TV broadcast run of the show. The only reason I can think of why the next episode previews would be separated is that they were never dubbed during the original dubbing of the show for the TV broadcast, and then dubbed later for the DVD release, but since it would be extra work to splice that segment in, and have to make sure the timing and everything else is lined up right, they just decided to dump them into the extras.

Of course, I have absolutely no evidence to back up this theory. If Taliesin or JK would like to jump in (should they be reading this thread) and enlighten us, it would be appreciated :)

I'll jump in instead. :)

To my knowledge the previews never aired on TV. They were shown on the R.O.D website. Another note is that the episodes aired first on the internet, then aired on TV and then released on DVD. The Japanese DVDs also placed these "previews" in the menu instead of apart of the program.

And for those who tend to skip the Opening and Ending credit animations, the Opening does change slightly a few times during the second half of the series. And one should at least watch the 2nd Ending Animation at least once. ^_^

- Kasey

[populuxe]

One of the more interesting relationships in R.O.D is the one between Nenene and Anita. Despite the antagonism between them, it's Anita, more than the other two Paper Sisters that Nenene always seems to open up to. I wonder if that's because Nenene sees a bit of herself in Anita. Strong and completely committed to doing what she thinks is right, just like Nenene when she was in junior high.

It's a shame the early days of Yomiko's and Nenene's friendship was never animated. Well, that's what the manga is for. Now if only we could get the novels all this is based on.

[populuxe]

I don't know why the next-episode previews are in the extras, but I do know that to dub them, the ADR director Taliesin Jaffe had all the actresses (and Patrick Seitz in one case) in the booth together so they could try and recreate that feeling of spontaneity that's obvious in the Japanese.

I'm curious if they showed the next episode previews during the TV broadcast run of the show. The only reason I can think of why the next episode previews would be separated is that they were never dubbed during the original dubbing of the show for the TV broadcast, and then dubbed later for the DVD release, but since it would be extra work to splice that segment in, and have to make sure the timing and everything else is lined up right, they just decided to dump them into the extras.

Of course, I have absolutely no evidence to back up this theory. If Taliesin or JK would like to jump in (should they be reading this thread) and enlighten us, it would be appreciated :)

I'll jump in instead. :)

To my knowledge the previews never aired on TV. They were shown on the R.O.D website. Another note is that the episodes aired first on the internet, then aired on TV and then released on DVD. The Japanese DVDs also placed these "previews" in the menu instead of apart of the program.
Also, all those next episode previews are different lengths, like they let the actresses go with the free-form nature and didn't try to hold them to a set time. So they wouldn't fit into a TV time slot even if you tried.


And for those who tend to skip the Opening and Ending credit animations, the Opening does change slightly a few times during the second half of the series. And one should at least watch the 2nd Ending Animation at least once. ^_^

- Kasey
I agree, especially with the opening animation. It's fascinating to see how it subtly changes as the story progresses. Also, how can anyone skip over that great opening theme?

[something]

I'll jump in instead. :) [snip answer]
Thanks, that makes sense.

And for those who tend to skip the Opening and Ending credit animations, the Opening does change slightly a few times during the second half of the series.
Yep, I watched it probably 20 of the 26 times, partly because it's awesome and partly for the little changes.

And one should at least watch the 2nd Ending Animation at least once. ^_^
Yes! I love how the ending of the show revealed that the two on the bench were Hisami and Anita <3

[Fencedude]

So are we getting your impressions on the rest of the episodes?

[The Great Bear]

I'll jump in instead. :)

To my knowledge the previews never aired on TV. They were shown on the R.O.D website. Another note is that the episodes aired first on the internet, then aired on TV and then released on DVD. The Japanese DVDs also placed these "previews" in the menu instead of apart of the program.
- Kasey

Thanks for the info.

Score one for The Great Bear's Wild Theories. :D

[HitokiriShadow]

I had read a bit of complaining that ROD wasn't a "true" sequel, or that the connections were superficial, but just from the first disc I'm wondering how anyone could seriously say that.

Apparently, those people only saw the first episode. Because if they had watched much more at all, it is quite clear this is directly linked to the OVA. I'm trying to figure out how someone could watch more than one episode and think that. If they saw the whole series and said that, they are idiots and anything they say needs to be ignored.

[HitokiriShadow]

By the way, have you seen Kamichu yet? It was made by the same people who made R.O.D the TV, and there are some small cameos by Michelle, Anita and Lee in it. I think two of the store owners from Jinbo-cho are in it, too.
I did see and love Kamichu, though I wouldn't have noticed the ROD cameos at the time (watched it when it finished up end of last year/early this year).


I've seen R.O.D. before seeing Kamichu and I still didn't notice those cameos.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Knowing Junior's ability makes his first meeting with Anita a nice recreation of a scene from the OVA. :)

- Kasey


Yes, that was an awesome little parody of the Yomiko meets Miss Deep scene!

[Isuzu Inugami]

I just watched the OVA for this. I'd held off all these years because OVAs in and of themselves are usually too short for me to fully appreciate them. Even if they're brilliant, like this one, I still feel like it doesn't *mean* much without something more.

You're silly! But okay. :P

I also have no idea why Yomiko is so particular about her glasses. Well, yes, she needs them to see (and read!) but she practically went zombie-mode and nearly took Nancy's head off the first time they met as comrades and Nancy touched them.

I don't remember if the TV series got into this, but it was in the manga, and shouldn't be too spoileriffic, but the glasses were given to her by Donnie Nakajima, a previous Paper Master who was also Yomiko's old flame, and who died.


Besides, if you want anything beyond the pretty fighting, the most interesting thing would probably be Yomiko's friendship with Nancy. It all went far too fast for my taste, but I still adored the dynamic between them, right from the start but especially when I saw Deep doing Yomiko's hair up in braids, and then getting the bookmark from her.

Part of the brilliance of R.O.D. is its ability to balance the full throttle action with these moments of perfectly realized tenderness.


Oh, almost forgot... I wasn't lying in the subject line, I really do have a question :sd: The ending was a little confusing. Deep/Nancy stays behind on the rocket to die with her stupid man, and passes the bookmark back to Yomiko with the message 'take care of my little sister'. Am I correct in interpreting this to mean her clone?

Yes, that's it exactly.

then I remembered the clone being face down in the water after the original kicks her ass. So the assumption is that this is Nancy's clone at the end there, who has lost her memory and much of her mental ability?

Yeah, it's all there in the OAV--not any kind of TV spoiler. "Evil clone" Nancy is the one who survived and who Yomiko visits.

[something]

Well, my internet connection being out pretty much all day meant I didn't get to post my thoughts as I went. I have way too much noted down to try and edit together and post in full, so I'll just go from scratch. It's kind of hard to do so when so much happened, but what the heck. The real miracle will be if my connection stays alive long enough to post what I do write.

When the show moved into volume 4, we got the conclusion to what appeared to be the story thus far. I haven't seen such a showy mid-series climax since Stellvia. It seems so long ago now (last night :sd: ) but yep, Lee did indeed sacrifice himself for Nenene, as I figured. At this point, Joker's intentions and true nature weren't known. What I never understood was... how the hell did them blowing up the Dokusensha building wind up flooding so much of Hong Kong? :sd: It looks like Second Impact, not a couple remotely detonated explosives.

As I alluded to earlier, Wendy's report in episode 14 was... well, explanation like crazy. It's nearly overwhelming with revelation after revelation. I had typed up a whole summary of it initially, but if you're reading this post you already know, so I'm not going to go into it. I'll just note a few things.

1) At this point, it was still vague just who Mr. Gentleman was. As I'd find out, that doesn't change at all through the end of the series. He's more of a mysterious force than an actual person, closer to god than man. A plot device basically, but an interesting one I guess.

2) I sort of wish Manga had actually translated the "Great Men" phrase, because I-jin meant jack shit to me. But in this context, and actually translated, it all makes so much sense. And putting Dokusensha behind everything is brilliant.

3) In one episode, Wendy fleshed out the entire basis for the OVAs and connected every single aspect to the TV series. Yes, I think this may the best example ever of an OVA that is worth so, so, so, SO MUCH MORE when viewed as a piece of a more complete whole. Suddenly the OVA is an integral part in a vast story, not just 90 minutes of fun but shallow eye candy.

Hooray for the return of Yomiko in episode 15! And hooray for her becoming such an integral character in the entire second half. Part of me expected (and I thought I had heard complaints along these lines) that she'd have sort of a bit part, being of a shallow cameo than a main character. Well, that was completely wrong. And well, ok, someone on ANN spoiled it anyway when they put exactly what episode she shows up next to her voice actress info >_> Was that really necessary? Anyway, at this point it was clear that Joker was eeeeeevil, and Yomiko and Nancy's quite life was ooooooover.

Ever since the first visual from Anita's trauma, I'd assumed the person in the flames was Yomiko, though for what reasons I didn't know. By this point, I was pretty much certain of it, because if anything would drive Yomiko that crazy, it was what Joker did to Nancy by stealing her child. And well, we later find out about something that happened to an old lover of Yomiko's, but they brush by that so fast I barely got to think about it. At any rate, the big question arising from all that was why was Anita there?

The revelations about the sisters were interesting, and really forced them to come together as siblings, although it took time. What's interesting is that they never confirm what Joker and Wendy told them, but I guess the fact that Junior verified it with Gentelman's knowledge makes it true. But even so, Anita in particular took it hard. "We're not really sisters!" No, but you never were to begin with, were you? Did that ever stop you? Well, it's still going to be traumatic either way I suppose, and it really gave Michelle a chance to shine as the big sister.

...You know, it's only in thinking about this right now as I type that I realized something very important. I had typed up a big paragraph of my thoughts as to when they really got together (Were they 'born' as Sisters with the mission to protect Nenene? Is anything from Hong Kong real?) and then I remembered something we see at the very end. M.A.M. In their memory, they carved it into the stone under the statue of Mary. That was where they met. But we see at the end... it's really there. That means they *did* meet, just as they thought they did! This is part of the reason why I post so damn much about pretty much everything I watch. If I wasn't making ths post right now, I'd probably never have realized the significance of that scene. And I'd be forever confused about the claims of a made up past. Well damn, I'm glad I realized that.

I need to give credit to Drake for kicking ass. His entrance during the Jinbo-cho book burning was perfect. When he showed up in volume 3 or so with the ill-fated nipple girl (it's still really weird that there was virtually nil skin-showing fanservice in the show, apart from one scene where they go all the way), I wondered when he would be back. Well, there was no better time than this. When Nancy got her special ops hooker suit back at the end, we had all three OVA leads back together again =D Drake gives me a very Batou (GitS) feeling.

Hmm, Junior... if I were posting this earlier in my viewing of the series, I'd probably have more to say about him. But his largely passive role in the final stretch sort of sapped away any desire to analyze his character much. So... yeah, next.

The unexpected Anita-Yomiko team made for some incredible action sequences. Taking out Mirror Man was cool, but the "3...2...1..." attack outside the house definitely topped it. Anita is so amazing when she's moving like a blast of wind. And on the whole, you can really see the difference between Yomiko and the Sisters. They're far from weak, certainly, but Yomiko is just another level, because of sheer ability, but also experience. She wasn't special ops for nothing.

That said, I was horribly disappointed with Yomiko near the end. They split up into three teams to take down Joker and his plans, but Yomiko just... she just completely wusses out. She had the power to kill Joker and everyone else in the room, and to destroy the experiment as well. Joker's claims that they'd "just rebuild it" were nonsense, shallow tricks. There's no rebuilding Gentleman if there are no books. And losing Joker and the rest *would* be a fatal blow. Yomiko's complete submission in the face of Joker's lies really bothered me, because she put *everyone* in danger by giving up. If it weren't for Drake and Nancy (and some well hidden paper by Nenene, they *would* have all failed. All because of Yomiko. It worked out in the end, but I'm still disappointed in her.

Anime seems rather fond of offering protagonists a choice of, as this episode puts it, "dream of die". You need to give up finding justice, give up your mission, but in exchange you can live the lie we carefully construct. It'll be everything you want. You'll be happy. Everyone else will be happy. But it'll all be for our gain. That's how Wendy's offer to Anita went, but as always, the protagonist refuses. You think evil organizations would get the point by now? At any rate, Wendy was a mix of evil bitch and awesome. I think the scene that best sums up her change from the OVA is when Joker and another guy involved in the Gentleman project are chatting, and Wendy starts listing out her recommendations for ways to plan and implement test centers for the brain reformatting. On and on she goes, anticipating the project;s every need, and the man Joker's talking to just stares in awe. She finishes up by looking at him and asking "Want another cup [of tea]?" XD

As for the ending, it got... weird. London reverts to how it was 150 years ago... old books become the backdrop... pteradons and War of the World robots >_> The heroes infiltrate, and their plan is to learn as much about the town as possible by.... reading lots of books. Maybe I'm crazy but I don't know how reading, as Maggie is in one scene, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, will help them. Silly silly silly. But funny in a way, I guess.

I already expressed my temporary disappointment with Yomiko, and Joker and Wendy never deserved to survive the ending, but on the whole the ending was a good one. It's not going to be in my top 10 or anything, but they wrapped everything up, threw in some nice action, and didn't forget to knock the drama up a couple notches. ::notices his internet connection just died AGAIN, wonders when he'll be able to post this::

R.O.D. the TV was a very enjoyable show, and really managed to spread character development and screen time fairly among the Sisters, Nenene, and Yomiko. Anita was undeniably the central focus of the show, and I don't mind that at all. She was pretty mature for her age and situation, she's an incredible fighter to watch, and the growth in her relationships (with her sisters, with Nenene, with Yomiko, with Junior and of course with Hisami) was central to the story. Seeing that the two characters in the ED were Anita and Hisami made me so happy =D

Now all we need is a final special covering their wedding ::nods::

Well, now to wait for my internet connection to revive...

...shit it's up! for a second or two anyway! ::lobs post at forums like a rioter with a molotov cocktail and runs from evil verizon::

[Jimmie M]

Reading your posts has been a good reminder for me to get back to this show as soon as I can. I had already seen the OVA so I bought the 1st volume with the book-like case when it was first released (Blind-buy) & was sold after watching the first episode. I didn't think about it that much when I first watched R.O.D. The TV but I agree with you about Anita being the real focus of the show (Along with being the voice of reason for the Paper Sisters). Glad you enjoyed it too! :)

[touma]

Yomiko's complete submission in the face of Joker's lies really bothered me, because she put *everyone* in danger by giving up.
That was the one thing that really disappointed me about the story, and the character.
I wonder if there is something in the novels that puts it in a context that makes it more believable?

[something]

That was the one thing that really disappointed me about the story, and the character. I wonder if there is something in the novels that puts it in a context that makes it more believable?
I think it was just your standard "the hero doesn't like to kill and has faith in the enemy to change" type development, only handled poorly. Well, extra poorly, because in general those scenes never work. They tried to emphasize Yomiko's faith in humanity, her faith in the people she worked with for so long, but they chose a bad time to do it. Too much was at stake and she seriously endangered Nenene, Junior and the sisters. And the entire world.

It just strikes me as a development the creators can't possibly have been satisfied with, but didn't have enough time to rework. Thankfully it doesn't ruin the ending, but it does dampen my enthusiasm for Yomiko a bit.

[The Great Bear]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's a great show.

And the real continuity between the OVA and the TV series is, of course, the American President pissing himself :P

I'm not sure I felt as disappointed in Yomiko as everyone else seems to be when I first saw it (which was over a year ago). I think we all have to remember that there is a lot of history between Joker and Yomiko that we don't see just by watching the OVA and the TV series. Perhaps someone with a fuller knowledge of the novels could fill in some of the missing details.

Awesome show. Have to watch it again some day.

[pianocello]

Seeing that the two characters in the ED were Anita and Hisami made me so happy =D

Now all we need is a final special covering their wedding ::nods::



Seconded.

[Isuzu Inugami]

What I never understood was... how the hell did them blowing up the Dokusensha building wind up flooding so much of Hong Kong? :sd: It looks like Second Impact, not a couple remotely detonated explosives.

Yeah, that was... a little bit much. I kind of roll with it because it's ROD, and I had no problem rolling with anything the OAV threw at me, but still, it was weird and if they explained it, I didn't catch it. I don't really see why destroying Hong Kong would be necessary for the plot anyway....


As I alluded to earlier, Wendy's report in episode 14 was... well, explanation like crazy. It's nearly overwhelming with revelation after revelation.

I thought, Oh, obligatory recap ep, sigh. And then, Wait, I didn't know that. Or that! Holy crap!


Hooray for the return of Yomiko in episode 15! And hooray for her becoming such an integral character in the entire second half.

I had to bite my tongue on your initial "Yomiko comes back in the TV series, albeit briefly" comment, knowing how pleasantly surprised you were going to be.

I had typed up a big paragraph of my thoughts as to when they really got together (Were they 'born' as Sisters with the mission to protect Nenene? Is anything from Hong Kong real?) and then I remembered something we see at the very end. M.A.M. In their memory, they carved it into the stone under the statue of Mary. That was where they met. But we see at the end... it's really there. That means they *did* meet, just as they thought they did! This is part of the reason why I post so damn much about pretty much everything I watch.

(Why my Tutu posts were so ginormous as well. :sd: )

If I wasn't making ths post right now, I'd probably never have realized the significance of that scene. And I'd be forever confused about the claims of a made up past.

I missed it, and I'm really glad to have you notice it. I'd hoped that they had been inserted into Hong Kong before that Christmas episode, because I really wanted it to be real, but it's good to have some confirmation.


Hmm, Junior... if I were posting this earlier in my viewing of the series, I'd probably have more to say about him. But his largely passive role in the final stretch sort of sapped away any desire to analyze his character much. So... yeah, next.

Heh. Junior was supposed to provide romantic tension with Anita, but since Hisami already filled that role more than adequately, he just became Yuuno. :>

At any rate, Wendy was a mix of evil bitch and awesome. I think the scene that best sums up her change from the OVA is when Joker and another guy involved in the Gentleman project are chatting, and Wendy starts listing out her recommendations for ways to plan and implement test centers for the brain reformatting. On and on she goes, anticipating the project;s every need, and the man Joker's talking to just stares in awe. She finishes up by looking at him and asking "Want another cup [of tea]?" XD

Making fun of her own clumsy office lady past!


As for the ending, it got... weird.

Yeah, while I sort of appreciate the idea of trying to revive the golden age of British Empire by forcing the books that depict that golden age into reality, some of the implementation seems a bit off... I mean, the Martians left Britian in ruins, after all....

Seeing that the two characters in the ED were Anita and Hisami made me so happy =D

Oh yeah. If it's for Hisami, Anita can read a book. :P

[something]

Yeah, that was... a little bit much. I kind of roll with it because it's ROD, and I had no problem rolling with anything the OAV threw at me, but still, it was weird and if they explained it, I didn't catch it. I don't really see why destroying Hong Kong would be necessary for the plot anyway....
Haha, good, so it's not just me thinking that was... totally random. I kinda get *why* they did it though. It forever cuts the sisters off from their past. The church they met in is under the ocean. But the physics of it didn't even make the slightest attempt at being sensible :sd: but whatever~

Heh. Junior was supposed to provide romantic tension with Anita, but since Hisami already filled that role more than adequately, he just became Yuuno. :>
Seems like it :sd: They did get the whole "friends" angle in, but any romantic beginnings were just utterly smashed by the hammer of HISA-CHAN LOOOOOOVE!

[HitokiriShadow]

Yeah, that was... a little bit much. I kind of roll with it because it's ROD, and I had no problem rolling with anything the OAV threw at me, but still, it was weird and if they explained it, I didn't catch it. I don't really see why destroying Hong Kong would be necessary for the plot anyway....
Haha, good, so it's not just me thinking that was... totally random. I kinda get *why* they did it though. It forever cuts the sisters off from their past. The church they met in is under the ocean. But the physics of it didn't even make the slightest attempt at being sensible :sd: but whatever~


It also ensured that Dokusensha was incapacitated.

As for how it happened, yeah, I didn't think about that too hard.

[Spirit Of The Stage]

They did get the whole "friends" angle in, but any romantic beginnings were just utterly smashed by the hammer of HISA-CHAN LOOOOOOVE!

Seeing that decided I'm going to be a little naughty and post a spoiler here from my upcoming Animazing Race fanfic - The Anim-azing Race 5.

For those unfamiliar with the race format, it revolves around 11/12 teams of 2 travelling the world, solving clues, finding locations and completing tasks to advance in the legs of the race, and whoever comes last is usually eliminated.

This is Leg 2, and there are spoilers because it tells basically a few teams that are in the 1st leg, but when I tell you the leg is Strawberry Panic...

Well, let's just explain the detour first.

*

(We return back to our original host Tamao-chan, now inside a hall way which looks rather large. Tamao explains.)

Tamao: A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with it’s own pros and cons. In this detour, teams must choose between an activity to prove themselves to be the best…either as an Etoile…or as someone who likes fun. The choice…Kiss…or Tell.

(Shot of the hallway again, which now has a ceremonial necklace – two in fact – on a table. Tamao herself is there along with a taller woman with cropped blue hair.)

Tamao: In Kiss, teams must head to the school of Miator, where they must perform a ritual of Etoile – consisting of a small prayer, and presenting of these necklaces. Easy right…well…I forgot to mention one small thing…

(Tamao seems to delight in this and chuckles slightly…)

Tamao: …teams must KISS to complete the ritual. And furthermore, in Astrea, being an all girls school, it has to be two girls making the kiss. So here, for male members, they must kiss the same sex as well. For co-ed teams, the female of the team will have to kiss myself and Rokujo-san here to complete the detour. Once they have, they will receive their next clue. The task is very embarrassing especially to people who don’t hold our beliefs, but it is extremely quick.

*

(We cut now to a very different scenario, in another school, where we see an attractive raven haired girl waiting with a magnifying glass in her hand.)

Tamao: In Tell, teams must head over to the third school on Astrea Hill, Lulim. There, they must locate Chikaru Minamoto’s costume club/detective club. There, they must deck themselves in the famous clothes of Sherlock Holmes, and search the neighbouring rooms for 8 letters. Once they have found them, they must unscramble them into an 8 letter word. Once they’ve got the word, they must confirm it with Chikaru-san, and she will then give them their clue. The task is not as embarrassing when it comes to their sexuality…but armed only with a magnifying glass in several rooms finding 8 small letters could take a while.

*

And Anita/Hisami are one of the teams here - and all four all female groups pick kiss. (This probably won't surprise people though when I say the other 3 pairings are Setsuna/Konoka (Negima), Fate/Nanoha (MSL Nanoha) and Sora/Rosetta (Kaleido Star)... :sd:

So just to enjoy a little Anita/Hisa love...

*

MIATOR

(Shot of Anita and Hisami…with Sora and Rosetta…)

Anita: Well…er…thanks…

Sora: No problem!

Sora: It seems that Anita is not too happy with a few teams here taking advantage of their small size and their skills being stolen. We caught up with them easily but instead of taking over, we stayed and waited. I don’t like competiton and the two kids are so sweet, and safety on my knowledge that the two other teams probably won’t take this detour, we should be O.K…

Rosetta: …that, and Sora didn’t want to do this detour on her own.

Sora: Rosetta, no fair!

(Shot of Anita, Hisami, Sora and Rosetta entering the hallway. Another gasp as Tamao now has to do overtime…)

Tamao: Well now, four…no worries.

(Tamao gets a second set of necklaces out and begins the ritual. Both she and Rokujou put the necklaces on over the girls necks as the girls in the audience whisper and squeal. Next, they go into a small prayer as the nerves of all the four girls seem to rise…)

Tamao: O.K, now the finale.

(Anita and Hisami do a very slow motion (similar to the Read or Dream manga) as they are both very nervous…Hisami has her eyes open whilst Anita’s is tightly shut. On the other hand, Rosetta is shaking slightly as she steps on her toes to reach Sora’s height. Sora eyes close slightly and Rosetta gets the first kiss…)

(…Hisami sees that the Kaleido girls have made their move, and Hisami leans forward quickly. Anita’s eyes open wide as Hisami made her bold move and made the kiss. Cue the euphoric fangirls.)

(Both teams break fairly quickly, complete with red faces. Tamao claps her hands excitely and hands Sora/Rosetta the clue, followed by Rokujou handing over the ROD girls theirs…)

Hisami: Head over to Shizuma’s family home off Astrea Hill…

Rosetta: … north of the woods via taxi to the next pit stop…

Sora: Girls, do you want to share a taxi?

Anita: What if we’re la…actually never mind, we can’t beat you in running anyway so it doesn’t matter…let’s share…

(All four move together, all hide their cheeks, Hisami’s and Rosetta’s the most flushed…)

*

Yep, I keep with my statement that Anita/Hisama interaction defies logic in insane cuteness...and this coming from a guy who has watched (and loved) Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar and Bottle Fairy in marathon sessions... :sd:

[something]

Anita's screaming voice and all the crying and indecision also did not play to my liking.
But it made sense more often than not, which is all I ask when crying and angst come into play. It may have been a *little* overdone, at least on Anita's part. Like I said in my post, they never were really sisters, so why should the revelation crack them apart? The time they've spent together with Nenene is as real as real can be, and they know that for a fact. They were all certainly justified in doubting, in anger, in depression, but Anita's angry words towards her sisters may have been a bit much.

Still, what they lacked in biological upbringing had been replaced for them by the events in the church. Hence celebrating it as a "birthday". With that taken from them, it's like the proof that they're human was taken away. We see in the end that it was real after all (M.A.M. in the base of the statue), but not knowing that -- hell, never being able to be sure now, after that flood -- had to hurt, especially coming as it did at a low point in their fortunes all around.

As a side note, Anita's (Japanese) VA unleashed some absolute roars of anger and sadness. I don't know if her microphone was just set higher, or if she was trying to blow up the speakers or what, but damn that girl is loud when she's expressing emotion :sd:

[Fencedude]

As a side note, Anita's (Japanese) VA unleashed some absolute roars of anger and sadness. I don't know if her microphone was just set higher, or if she was trying to blow up the speakers or what, but damn that girl is loud when she's expressing emotion :sd:

Anita == Chiwa Saitou == Subaru Nakajima

[something]

Anita == Chiwa Saitou == Subaru Nakajima
Been so long since I've seen any StrikerS, I've forgotten what they sound like =P At any rate, I definitely like her better as Anita then, though that means we might hear some good stuff from Subaru when things get angsty.

[Natsume_Maya]

ROD was, in short, stunning.

IIRC, I joined this forum when the OVA was announced in Japan.

Such is an OVA, I guess. That's usually what keeps me away. But viewed purely as a visual treat, it works very well.

Except for the animation foul-ups (eg people in the background moving backwards, staff of the British Library there one minute then missing in the next scene) :P

Episode 9 <snip> Oh, also, wtfsuddenlynipples!

The TV broadcast version also had some Yomiko fanservice, but the DVD version removed this (and re-did the animation in various scenes).

Now if only we could get the novels all this is based on.

A few years back I had a chat with Ahjenta about the differences between the novels and the manga. I'd read the manga, and he'd read the novels (at the time the 11th and final volume had not yet been published.). If anyone's interested, I can post some details of the novels. It won't be any summary of the novels, just bits and pieces of info from the flow of our discussion.

If I had the time, I'd like to have a go at the novels myself, but I'm already juggling too many things. (A third of the way through Seikai no Senki IV :D ).

[Fencedude]

The TV broadcast version also had some Yomiko fanservice, but the DVD version removed this (and re-did the animation in various scenes).


err...no. To the fanservice issue. You are right about the animation fixes though.

[Natsume_Maya]

The TV broadcast version also had some Yomiko fanservice, but the DVD version removed this (and re-did the animation in various scenes).


err...no. To the fanservice issue. You are right about the animation fixes though.


IIRC there was some fanservice deleted. But the quoting in my previous post may have been confusing. It wasn't in episode 9 and it wasn't nipples.