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[[caption-width:400:'''"Please give me back my book!"''']]

Welcome to ''JamesBond [[XMeetsY Meets]] the Comicbook/{{X-Men}} [[XMeetsY Meets]] ReadingRainbow''.

''ReadOrDie'' is a three-episode {{OVA}} about the adventures of Yomiko Readman -- [[BunnyEarsLawyer eccentric]] (and [[MoeMoe very cute]]) bibliomaniac, part-time substitute teacher, and [[BadassBookworm super-powered agent]] for the British Library's secret intelligence division. Codenamed "The Paper", Yomiko possesses what can only be called [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental]] [[PaperMaster paper powers]]. With her talent, she can do almost anything with paper -- including stopping bullets with notecards and dueling a lightsaber-wielding opponent with a sword made of $100 bills. This power results in an insatiable addiction to reading that rivals drugs. Yomiko literally ''must'' spend thousands of dollars a week on reading (just in case you didn't figure that out from [[JustifiedTitle the title]]). Yomiko is an odd combination of giggling innocent schoolgirl-ish woman (one gets the distinct impression most of the time that her mental age and, ahem, general level of life experience, are those of a twelve-year-old) and stone cold killer.

Set in an alternate late 20th-century Earth with rare and mostly hidden superhumans, ''ReadOrDie'' tells of Yomiko's efforts along with a pair of compatriots to oppose a mysterious group of supervillains calling themselves "I-jin" ("Geniuses"). Strangely resembling notable figures from history, the I-jin want (among other things) [[{{MacGuffin}} a book once owned by Beethoven that Yomiko has recently purchased]], within which lies the key to an evil plan with world-wide consequences. The result is a globe-trotting rollercoaster ride of action, friendship, betrayal, wild plot twists and a small leavening of sly humor. Don't miss the highlight of the first episode, an aerial dogfight over the Manhattan skyline between a [[SteamPunk steam-powered glider]] and a giant paper airplane, punctuated by Yomiko's plaintive cries of "Please give me back my book!" There are other things not to miss, as well, but even mentioning them would be a spoiler!

Originally a book series and then a manga. The {{OVA}} follows ''some'' of the characterization introduced in the first manga chapters, but then drastically becomes an ''AlternateContinuity''.

Made in 2000, the first episode clearly shows the World Trade Center in New York, with one scene actually set on the roof of one of the towers; those who are [[TooSoon excessively sensitive]] about the events of 9/11 may want to avoid it for that reason. Other than that, this is a must-have show. Strangely for a Japanese production, its [[SuperHero superheroes]] are far more Western in concept than [[{{Sentai}} sentai]], but the writers and producers are clearly comfortable with the idiom and make it work very well.

''ReadOrDie'' was incredibly popular, and was quickly followed by a 26-episode TV series simply entitled ''RODTheTV'' or simply ''ROD TV'' (or "R.O.D. the TV Series" as it's called in the West), which itself has been wildly popular. Please note that ''RODTheTV'' has a separate page; this page is for the OVA.

There is a community project to translate the original novels [[http://www.baka-tsuki.net/project/index.php?title=Read_or_Die here]]. At the time of this being added to the page; they've only gotten as far as the prologue of the first book, which was added on July 8th 2008.
The first page of the first chapter is also up (3rd August '09).

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This series makes use of the following tropes:
* ActionGirl (Yomiko, Nancy)
* AdultChild (Yomiko, who admirably retains the kindness and faith in humanity of an innocent child)
* AGodAmI
* AlternateContinuity: The ''Read Or Die'' novels, the ''Read Or Die'' manga, the ''Read Or Dream'' manga and the TV adaption (consisting of this {{OVA}} and ''RODTheTV'') are all separate continuities, but borrow key concepts and characters from each other.
* AnimeAccentAbsence: Yomiko is half-Japanese, half-British, but in the English dub of the {{OVA}}, she speaks with an American accent. This is corrected in the dub of ''RODTheTV'', as a [[TheOtherDarrin different voice actor]] provides her with an English accent. Meanwhile, her original actress is playing one of the other characters.
* ApocalypseHow: The I-jin plan to use the Death Symphony to wipe out the human race.
* ArchivedArmy: The I-jin.
* ArtInitiatesLife: Ikkyu can do this in illusion form.
* ASinisterClue: Features quite prominently in the final episode.
* BadassAdorable: Yomiko.
* BadassNormal: Drake Anderson.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: If you're dumb enough get someone as sweet and kind-hearted as Yomiko-chan '''mad''', you better damn well wish you have your will wrtten.
* BigBad: Ikkyu
* BondOneLiner: Nancy, right before clipping Otto Lilienthal's glider:
--> "Thanks for flying the friendly skies."
* BrownNote: Beethoven's "Death Symphony", which causes anyone hearing it to commit suicide.
* ButNotTooForeign: Yomiko is half-Japanese and half-British, while Wendy Earhart is of Indo-European descent.
* ChristmasCake: Yomiko is 25 years old, but looks younger.
* ClothingSwitch
* TheCutie - Yomiko-chan.
* DarkSkinnedBlond: Wendy.
* DeadpanSnarker: Nancy and Drake.
* DidNotDoTheResearch: Viz Comics translated the manga, but made several glaring errors. For one, they translated the British Library as the "Library of England". For another, the very first page introduces it as the Library of "Great Britain ''and Northern Ireland''". Normally, this would be correct, but this ''is'' an AlternateHistory, and clearly so.
* {{Dojikko}}: Wendy
* DoNotAdjustYourSet
* DramaticWind
* {{Eagleland}}: Flavor 2. Skip this anime if you're an American who loves his country...
* EvilTwin
* ExtraordinarilyEmpoweredGirl: Yomiko, Nancy
* {{Fanservice}}
* {{Gainaxing}}
* GirlNextDoor: Yomiko-chan... ImTakingHerHomeWithMe!
* GratuitousEnglish
** "Zah...PAAAAAYPAAAAAAHHH!!!"
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Nancy #1]]
* HeroicBSOD: Yomiko experiences this near the end of manga volume 3 after [[spoiler:she learns that ''she'' was the one who murdered her lover and mentor, Donnie Nakajima.]] She snaps out of it JustInTime to face the Underground Library in the climax.
* HotLibrarian + BadassBookworm: Yomiko. Her extreme love of books can get to be a very expensive habit (at one point, she even asks her boss for a cash advance so that she can purchase more books), but the British Library still regards her as [[BunnyEarsLawyer one of the best in her field]].
** When her voice actress was replaced for the dub, her accent suddenly became [[BritishAccents British]]. And yes, it made her ''even hotter''.
* HumanityOnTrial (in the ''Read or Dream'' manga, an alien challenges the Paper Sisters to select a book from their large collection to satisfy him. They don't find anything he likes, but Anita manages to find her own way to shut him up).
* IHaveTwoKidneys: Nancy vs. Genjo Sanzo
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Come on, most of us have had a paper cut now and then, but this is just funny. :P
* IntangibleMan: Nancy (a.k.a. "Miss Deep") has the ability to phase her body through just about anything: walls, doors, machinery -- even flesh and blood.
* KissOfDeath: Sort of. [[spoiler:Nancy]] gives a Kiss Of Unconsciousness to Yomiko.
* LesYay: There's a little bit to go around in every incarnation. The OVA has a few Yomiko/Nancy moments, and there are hints of Yomiko/Nenene in the manga, even though Yomiko is twice as old as Nenene. (However, these are both red herrings -- Yomiko [[spoiler:is still carrying a torch for a long-lost ''male'' lover, whose glasses she wears]].) Maggie and the IllGirl Faye share a moment in the ''Read or Dream'' manga, aided by ''Faye's mother!''
** Based on just reading the manga, this troper was already thinking that Yomiko was bi (not that she'd [[BiTheWay just tell you]]). "Where's that hand going next?", indeed.
* LibraryOfBabel -- The Fantasy Library in the Read Or Dream manga, appears once every 10 years in the living world. Has every book ever written; mostly read by the dead. (But the living can check out one book.)
* LovelyAngels: Yomiko and Nancy
* {{Meganekko}} -- Yomiko Readman is widely considered the Queen of All Meganekkos.
* MidairRepair: Yomiko manages to add a tail to her giant paper airplane in ''mid-flight''. It helps that it's, you know, made of paper.
* TheMessiah - Yomiko-chan again.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Nancy, for the I-Jin. She ''is'' a clone of the great spy Mata Hari, after all.]]
* MoeMoe: Is there a woman as sweet, kind, endearingly cute, and huggable at the age of ''25'' as Yomiko-chan in ''{{real life}}''? See, too good to ever be true.
** *sigh* We can dream.
*** ...or read. ...or die.
**** ... or make {{Incredibly Lame Pun}}s.
*** ...or [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe TAKE HER HOME WITH ME!]]
* MonumentalBattle: The first episode of the OVA ended atop the Statue Of Liberty.
* MonumentalDamage: Gennai Hiraga blows up the White House in the very first scene.
* MostCommonSuperpower: Every female associated with the British Library, ever.
** Except Wendy.
* MultinationalTeam: Yomiko (Japanese/British), Drake (American), and Nancy (at least partially Japanese).
** Nancy would technically be [[spoiler:Dutch]].
* MyRevengeIsMercy
* NerdsAreSexy: And so is Yomiko-chan.
* NotQuiteDead: Drake and the team think they took out Genjo Sanzo with a land-based torpedo, but [[spoiler:Genjo manages to avoid getting blown to smithereens by using Goku's staff to elevate himself into the clouds]].
* TheOtherDarrin: The TV series recast all the characters from the OAV, which wasn't too jarring for the most part, except that Yomiko went from having a ''very'' American accent to having a ''very'' British accent. Plus Jason Lee had been awesome as the forever-put-upon Drake.
* PaperMaster: The trope-namer.
* {{Pollyanna}}: Some of the most undeserved and spiteful criticism of Yomiko-chan (usually vile hypocritical crap written by a father-beating StrawFeminist) is that she is somehow a "doormat" for being so kind, idealistic and nice in spite of the CrapsackWorld around her. [[WhatAnIdiot Idiots...]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship
* PowerTrio: Yomiko, Nancy and Drake. Also, the Paper Sisters in ''RODTheTV'' and ''Read or Dream''.
* PreExplosionGlow
* PropheticNames: "Yomiko" = "reading child"; "Readman" is obvious.
* PuppyDogEyes
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Nancy repays Yomiko for her initial kindness by offing the I-Jin leader, but decides to stay in the rocket and die because she doesn't want him to [[DyingAlone die alone]].]]
** And then subverted, as [[spoiler:one of the Nancy clones survives, albeit with a fairly severe case of amnesia.]]
* RunningGag: Whenever things go bad, the American President wets his pants. Often with a close shot on his crotch, so you'll know he's doing it.
* ShoutOut: Joker does [[NeonGenesisEvangelion the Gendo pose]] in episode 3. [[spoiler: {{Foreshadowing}} ahoy, if you've read the manga and seen ''RODTheTV''.]]
** The opening credits is an obvious tribute to the ''JamesBond'' opening sequences, complete with Lalo Schriffin inspired swing-band musical score and SexySilhouette shots; except that unlike Sean Connery and Roger Moore, Yomiko-chan does her ''own'' silhouettes and make them look ''good.''
*** And if two wrinkled old buzzards like Moore and Connery tried to do the same... [[BrainBleach Oh]] {{Squick}}.
* SpotOfTea: Joker won't start work without it, Gentleman is also seen drinking it.
* StalkerWithACrush: To a disturbing extreme in manga volume one. Nenene's stalker calls her "Paul S." (from ''Misery''), has quotes from her books tattooed all over his body, and attempts to [[RapeIsLove consummate his love for her]] ''on a bed made of piles of her books''.
* SteamPunk: The I-Jin, especially Lilienthal.
** Not to mention much of the British Library in general. They appear to use 19th-century era ''cell phones'' for the entirety of ''RODTheTV.''
* StormingTheCastle
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Nancy. She even [[LampshadeHanging comments sarcastically on it, as well as other aspects of her secret agent persona:]]
--> '''Nancy:''' I never liked my code name anyway. "Miss Deep" sounds like a porn star.
* StuffBlowingUp: The White House, in the opening.
* {{Superhero}} (sort of)
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: The main theme kicks in during particularly important battles, such as the aerial fight against Otto.
* ThisMeansWar: "As of now, we begin Operation Exterminate I-Jin Corps!"
* TurnTheOtherCheek
* {{You Have Outlived Your Usefulness}}: Nancy (the first one) finds herself on the receiving end from Ikkyu who deems her too flawed and, to add insult to injury, clones a second Nancy whose meant to be completely obedient to him. [[spoiler: She [[{{Not Quite Dead}} gets better though]] ]]
* VaporWear: Nancy
* ThisIsUnforgivable: When someone as [[BewareTheNiceOnes nice as]] [[TheMessiah Yomiko-chan]] says this to Gennai, you ''know'' he's pretty much fucked.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: Joker eats a shrimp extremely dramatically in the manga.
** Also, it's...you know, an action/espionage series about books.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: '''Holy mother of God'''
* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo: Nancy complains to Ikkyu that he promised he wouldn't kill Yomiko.
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