Some days, I desire to sit down to wholesome entertainment.  Entertainment that sweeps me away with a real adventure, or a real wonderment, or a dramatic human story.  Other days, I want to laugh at stupid fun, characters with bizarre, gimmicky super powers, and stories that have no other purpose than to perforate the series' length.  Sometimes, I place in a harrowing, brilliant series or a Ghibli film for great entertainment.  Other days, I am unfortunate enough to have seen a dull series with tangled writing, stale direction, and bland animation.  Though, once in a great while, I come across a series that has crazy superpowers, yet refuses to completely insult my intelligence or my tastes.  It has simple, spectacle shots while still having a beautiful sense of cinematography.

The brilliantly titled Read or Die is a series of the latter persuasion.  The three episode OVA, in particular, and not the television series unseen by me.  The OVA series has just the right length, has just the right flavor of humor, action, class, and character weight, and interesting references to literary characters and historic figures to make me glad I am able to watch the series over again and again.  Does the series hit the right spots perfectly every time?  I say absolutely not, but I forgive it generously.  The series is too much goofy fun to expect perfection, or even flawed perfection.

Yomiko Readman is an agent for the Japanese government.  Her power is the ability to control paper in any way she desires.  When she is in contact with paper, she can turn it into a shield that can refract flame, or make a sword that is sharp enough to cut steel, or a giant paper airplane that can transport her and several others as a huge glider.  Her codename is, obviously enough, The Paper.  Ms. Deep is the only female character that wears an odd, skin tight uniform.  She can pass through solid objects and reemerge on the other side.  Her limitations are that she can only stay submerged so long, depending on her condition and energy level.  Finally, there is Drake, who seems to not have a superpower at all, but seems more like a highly trained explosives engineer and weapons master.

The three end up in search of a book written by Beethoven.  Within its pages contain the notes for constructing a death song, in which people, upon hearing the song, will commit suicide.  Super villains end up with the book in their grasp and our trio of agents must attack head first to disable the enemy’s plans.

Read or Die stays at a ridiculously high level of energy and continues to thrill and delight all up to its conclusion.  Some series pander when using superpowers.  Other series can use them to a dramatic or comedic effect.  Read or Die stands at a sort of pinnacle of throwaway superpower shows.  Its animation is very crisp and fluid.  The character designs are interesting, appealing, and certainly effective.  With three episodes, much of the character traits are either built off just habits and visual cues, or in Yomiko’s case, built off their living quarters.  There are enough plot twists and turns to keep a viewer guessing while the plot climaxes out at sea in a giant fortress.

How was the fortress built in secret?  Why are clones of literary figures being used?  For a three episode OVA, there are very few answers.  However, the show moves along at such a pace and with such style that many things can-and most definitely should-be looked over.

Perhaps it was a title suggesting that people read.  Perhaps it was the use of literary and historic figures that made literature seem so appeal, and frankly, bad-ass.  Perhaps the slick animation and fun appeal made me more excited over the series than I should rightfully be.  Whatever the magic bullet was, Read or Die made me laugh and swept me away, and I will remember the name, looking, and actions of Yomiko Readman.

It is not brilliant in terms of plot or story, but Read or Die is great anime.  It is a culmination of superpower anime made to a sort of masterpiece of throwaway entertainment.  Yomiko Readman is a very interesting and loveable character.  Though, with only three episodes, one only sort of develops an association to her.  However, that is one of many appeals to the show.  Anime Expo named it best in show and I can see why.  Not every day such a series comes around, just as not everyday I want my brains to be worked.