The penultimate volume of R.O.D. the TV really ratchets up the tension and suspense as the British Library comes close to achieving their goals.  Though there are only three episodes contained on this disc, they are packed full of surprising revelations and unexpected plot twists.  We learn more about Anita's past, the nature of the paper masters, and Dokusensha's plots in volume six of R. O. D. the TV.

The last volume in this series ended in quite a cliff hanger:  Nenene, most of the paper sisters, Drake and Junior all were taken away by the British Library in a helicopter.  The only two people not captured by the nefarious agency were Anita and Yomiko.  They built a paper airplane and caught up with the copter just in time to see it explode and crash to the ground in a fireball.

Anita lays the death of her friends squarely on Yomiko's shoulders.  If she hadn't stolen the book in the first place, none of them would have been attacked by Mr. Joker, the head of the British Library.  Heading back to Tokyo, Anita starts school again and lives in Nenene's apartment by herself.

Things stay that way for a while, but not for long.  The Library tracks Anita down at school and offers her a choice: let them take blood and tissue samples and the Library will let her live her life out in peace, after they erase her memories and implant false ones.  If she doesn't like that option, they will kill her.

Being afraid and alone in the world, Anita turns to the only person she thinks can help her: Yomiko.  But can these two women, even though they are paper masters, take on the might of the British Library and their Special Ops division?

While the two girls are fighting for their lives, Mr. Joker's plans are starting to bear fruit.  He's succeeded in gaining control of all the book stores and publishing outfits in the world.  His organization has also started constructing huge libraries.  Not just in the capitals of the world, but all over the globe.  What does Mr. Joker plan to do with these libraries, and how does it relate to the resurrection of Mr. Gentleman?

This is an extremely enjoyable series.  It just keeps getting better and better as it approaches the conclusion.  Though this volume doesn't have quite the action that the last instalment had, but it more than makes up for it by the plot advancement.  When Anita confronts Mr. Joker, he tells her some things about her past and her sisters that she'd rather not know.

The last volume promises to be a dozy.  This installment was a lot like The Empire Strikes Back: everything bad that could possibly happen did.  The last episode end in a cliff hanger, and it seems almost impossible for the good guy to triumph.  The fact that some Japanese shows do end with the bad guys winning (some of the chapters of Robotech for example) adds a little edge to the suspense too.  There are still plenty of unanswered questions, too.  Overall a very engaging disc.
 

Audio:

This DVD has the original language track in stereo and in 5.1 also.  Usually the Japanese track doesn't get the multi-track treatment, so this was a nice treat. There is also an English dub in 5.1.  I viewed the disc listening to both 5.1 soundtracks, and I had a slight preference for the Japanese audio.  The main thing I had against the English track was that Anita, being a young girl, had a high-pitched voice that was whiney and irritating. I'm getting more used to it as the show goes on though.  Yamiko's English accent is also fake sounding.  The other voices sounded appropriate.  On both tracks, the rear channels were used to very good effect, with effects and voices coming from all corners of the room.

Video:

Being a recent program, the video quality was for this episode was very good.  The full frame video had bright colors and excellent detail.  You could clearly see the steam rising from the morning coffee, and discern the strands of hair trailing behind the women as they ran.  There was some aliasing in the picture, a little more than I'd like, but it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the show.  I was very pleased with the way this show looked.

Extras:

This disc includes the Japanese previews for the episodes presented on the disc, an art gallery, non credit ending, and some trailers.  There is also another fun commentary track on episode 21 with some of the voice talent.

Included in the case (of the first printings at least) is a limited edition pencil board.

Final Thoughts:

As this story winds to a close, the pace keeps accelerating and the tension rises.  The chapters just seem to whiz by, is seems like the show is only about half way through when the ending credits start to roll.  This volume puts the good guys in a really sticky situation, and it doesn't look like there is any way that they can triumph.  The next disc promises to be a great one, and I can't wait for it.  Highly Recommended.