R.O.D The TV Series Vol-4: The Turning Point (2003)
Animation Production: Studio Orphee/Aniplex Inc.
Released by: Geneon Entertainment
Official Website: R.O.D The TV Series
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

After watching the third disc in the R.O.D. TV Series release by Geneon I was ecstaticand could barely wait to see the conclusion to the cliffhanger we were left with in episode twelve! Thankfully volume 4 was released not too long after I finally got around to checking out the last DVD so the conclusion I was waiting for was only a matter of days away.

After a short wait the much awaited fourth volume arrived and now it was time to see what happened to our heroines! With a bowl of Frosted Flakes at hand and some orange juice for good measure I sat down to check out R.O.D the TV Series volume 4, what follows is my report on it.

Story

"The paper Sisters attack Dokusensha's headquarters in Hong Kong to rescue Nenene, although they must first defeat legions of machinegun-wielding security guards, laser-firing robots and an even more dangerous foe- another paper master! Taking advantage of the chaos, Mr. Carpenter kicks-off his own plans and the world will tremble from the conflict!"-- Back of DVD Box

Review

Volume four of R.O.D The TV Series includes the following episodes:

Episode 13: Twilight of the Papers II
When we last saw the Paper Sisters they had just defeated all of Dokusensha’s automated security forces and were about to take on the resident paper master. We pick up right were we left off as the girls take on one of the most powerful adversaries they’ve ever known in a battle of paper vs paper! This time however the stakes are raised higher than ever and Hong Kong may end up paying the price!

Episode 14: Paper Leaf Wood
Wendy of the British Library puts together a report for Joker to read at the annual assembly. As she types up the document we are given a wider understanding of what really is happening and why this current conflict between the UK, China and the rest of the world is taking place.

Episode 15: In the Great Light of the Abyss
After so many years of not having contact with her best friend Nenene might have finally found her again! The reunion may be short lived however as Joker of the UK also manages to quickly find the agent who used to be known as “The Paper” and the Paper Sisters! What does he want from them!?

Episode 16: Fahrenheit 451
Trapped and confronted by anti-Paper Master weapons and personnel “The Paper”, Nenene and crew somehow manage to escape from harm's way, but their victory is not one they really get to enjoy as the British Library's forces waste no time in rounding up all books in the area and begin a new operation code-named Fahrenheit 451.

This has to be one of my most anticipated DVD’s of the last couple of months of 04 and when it hit it delivered the goods as I had hoped. What I was looking for the most was an action packed conclusion to the storyline that started with episode twelve and that’s exactly what I got, but then the show’s producers took it a step further and not only filled us in on what’s really happening here, but also let all hell break loose as not only do our heroines become full fledge fugitives thanks to Dokusensha’s efforts, but also an entire country is destroyed to hide the evidence of what was happening in their corporate offices in Hong Kong!

The action scenes in episode thirteen alone I think are worth the price of admission here. Instead of fighting normal henchmen or evil robots the Paper Sisters are forced to deal with the most powerful Paper Master they have ever encountered, which brings about some of the most creative action sequences I have ever seen in anime as different paper attacks are traded back and forth between each side. Then when the girls pursue a break and conquer strategy it only gets more intense as Maggie alone faces this powerful adversary over a continuously evolving battlefield that goes from a falling platform to the main halls of Dokusensha’s building while Michelle and Anita each face other challenges on their own, all as the building their in is falling apart thanks to a self-destruct mechanism. This is what anime is all about!

With the episodes on this DVD not only does the action and intrigue pick up, but also (and more importantly) the storyline reaches a new point and begins the process of snowballing into a bigger, more complex beast. What had so far been several loosely connected stories with some common threads now becomes a large scope narrative that works in everything that happened in the original OVA series to bring full circle the R.O.D story.

The biggest surprise I would have to say is the switch of Dokusensha as the main evil entity behind everything our characters had been fighting up to this point to the British Library Task Force as the main villain of the series. This adds a great layer of mystery, intrigue and unpredictability to a story that was already gripping. Now, instead of having to deal with one single group vying for power you have two with similar goals and ambitions. Whose aims are the most noble? We are given a lot of information on what the UK has been working on for the past 5 years and what their ultimate purpose is, however I’m willing to bet that the real goal behind their efforts is yet to be revealed.

In addition to having the storyline turn the corner and head into a new direction the writers of the show also saw fit to expand on the main cast of characters with the re-introduction of Yomiko, better known byn her agent name of “The Paper” and Nancy who were two of the main character in the previous OVA series. Their addition bridges the gap between the events of the previous story and this one. They also add some new dynamics to the character relationships as they’re all forced to work together by the threat of a common enemy, the British Library Task Force.

As the last episode in this disc comes to a close the stage is set for the second half of R.O.D the TV series and a definite final direction that will change everything we’ve known about this universe and hopefully conclude the story with a huge bang! As operation Fahrenheit 451 begins in the final minutes of the sixteen episode (the fourth on in this DVD) I could barely hold on to my seat and was going nuts over the thought of having to wait another month to see what happens next. This is definitely a good sign! Now the question is whether they can keep this suspense and momentum building as more of the UK and Dokusensha’s plots are revealed and we learn more about our main cast.

Continuing the trend established with the previous episodes in the series the production quality of these episodes is impeccable. This is especially so in episode thirteen as a myriad of Paper Master attacks are put to good use with many different variations of the concept being visually conveyed to us with some brilliant designs and drawings. The frame rate is for the most part solid and visual effects are used for atmospheric effects throughout each episode. One thing I did notice this time out was the cel painting job in many scenes which seemed to be off and at points blocking off the black outlines of the drawings. I picked up on this on various scenes, but it didn’t really detract from my overall enjoyment. In addition, parts of episode fifteen seemed out of place due to the animation style being almost different in some instances. Probably the result of the scenes being sent out to different animation house? Not sure.

On the DVD front this disc is at the same level of quality as the previous ones. The front cover has some nice artwork depicting Wendy of the British Library Task Force. The back features information on the overall story contained within the disc as well as screengrabs from each story. Extras include promos for each episode, a clean copy of the ending theme, US production commentary on one episode by the dubbing staff and an art gallery section.

Both the video and audio transfers are excellent with no real problems to speak of. The image quality was particularly sharp here and the audio is encoded in 2.0 Digital Dolby for the Japanese soundtrack and 5.1 Dolby Digital for the English dubbed track. Subtitles were easy to read and had a nice easy flow to them.

Final Thoughts

Without a doubt one of the best series releases in a while. Do not miss R.O.D the TV Series! This is a great example of why we love anime as a story medium and source of entertainment.

Extremely, highly recommended!

Jeffrey Couto