Read or Die
This is the clean opening credits to one of my favorite anime, Read or Die. It’s a three-episode OVA centering around the adventures of bibliomaniac Yomiko Readman, a mild-mannered substitute teacher. An anime about a substitute teacher who loves to read might sound boring, but Ms. Readman has another job… she’s a special agent for the British Library, code named “The Paper”. Yomiko is also a “Paper Master”: she can manipulate regular sheets of paper into weapons, gliders and defensive shields. The plot is pretty ridiculous, but the animation is excellent, and the music is fantastic. Dig the James Bond/Lalo Schifrin/Shaft groove the theme music has.
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Read or Die was followed by the 26-episode R.O.D. the TV, which IMO is even better than Read or Die.
By the way, “Yomiko Readman” is a Japanese/English play on words. “Yomi” is the Japanese word for “read” and “ko” is a common feminine suffix, so her name is “Readwoman Readman”
I’m running out of naming options for these increasingly sick people. I started out a month ago with Church Burners. Then I had to add Ebola Boys. Church Burning Ebola Boys. Now what - Church Burning Baby Butchering Ebola Boys? That’s too long. Too unwieldy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. (Source: 
February 12th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Is it too Cre0-like to make a comment about how I’d like to read that in Braille?
February 13th, 2008 at 12:37 am
I was shocked to find this playing on the SciFi channel one day. I’d encountered it before, I think my sister pointed it out to me. But I’m used to SciFi channel being nothing but Stargate reruns, Battlestar Galactica reruns, and lots of bad horror movies, primarily about animals that get big and then kill people.
So finding such a stylish and unique bit of anime on one night was a bit of a shock.
February 14th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I’m a big fan of Bond / Spy and “Blaxpoitation” Soundtracks.
Funk guitar is my thang. *think wah-wah Watson*