R.O.D.: the TV Volume 7

The Paper Masters put their difficulties behind them and set off for London to prepare for the final confrontation with the British Library. With Junior and Nenene in the custody of Mr Carpenter, can they mount a daring rescue and halt the British Library’s plans?

The final volume promised some edge-of-your-seat action and true to form it delivers: there are some memorable moments that do the OAV proud as the Paper Sisters, Yomiko, Nancy and Drake launch a three-pronged assault of the Library. Before they can carry out the final attack they must contend with an almost unrecognisable city of London, guarded by classics of literature. What follows is a relatively slow-paced episode in which our heroes use their literary knowledge to make sense of things and find their way around.

This is where the series gets pretty strange (although admittedly not for the first time!), as we see an impressively-researched portrayal of Victorian London with all the sights and sounds of the age. Relatively speaking it does run at a fairly sedate pace but the last episode makes up for this and the series ends on good footing. There are paper battles, explosions and confrontations aplenty but the TV series achieves what the OAV never had the time to do: it focuses on the characters too.

The “bad guys’ of the British Library are misguided enough to make the viewer side with the Paper Sisters and their companions, yet Mr Carpenter has enough suave charm and an intelligent enough plan to force you into at least understand his way of thinking. All the way through the lines between the British Library and the Dokusensha, memory and reality, right and wrong, have been less than clear and as a result the overall story has more depth and complexity.

By the end of it all there is a satisfactory resolution to the main story arc concerning the British Library done in great style, as well as paying attention to the cast that we’ve followed from the first episode. Without giving too much away there are even openings for a follow-up series: a prospect that I am personally quite looking forward to.

In Summary

The series ends on a suitably explosive note, tying up the plot threads without losing sight of the warmth and emotion shown by the main cast. It’s a satisfying ending to what has proved to be an enjoyable and action-packed adventure: sometimes a little surreal but consistently exciting and entertaining.

Final thoughts

Overall I’ve found the TV portrayal of the R.O.D. universe to be very enjoyable, capturing the feel and scope of the prequel OAV while adding its own atmosphere and ideas. The 26 episode running time is used well with little filler and no recap episodes; it is the time devoted to exploring the characters and their motivations which makes it especially outstanding. In addition there are appearances of the likes of Drake, Yomiko and Nancy that are guaranteed to please existing fans while at the same time being accessible to those who are unfamiliar with the background; the balance of action, humour and drama is also handled well. Despite one or two over-ambitious themes during the second half, R.O.D. the TV is highly recommended.