Tweet Or Die: ROD Volume 1 is Fully Tweeted

So I finished the first volume of the #RODLiveTweet marathon for the Read or Die manga. There are three reasons why I’m doing this live tweeting of Read or Die:

1: Chris Sims inspired me to live blog/tweet something.

2: Because it’s really, really fun to do.

3: Because if I can’t have a sense of humor about Read or Die, I’m no better than the Twilight fangirls.

Here are my instantaneous impressions of Read or Die Vol. 1, but for a more serious approach to literary (or in this case manga) criticism, here it is. Read or Die is not by any means the most literary, in depth manga around. It’s a seinen series based on the act of reading and enjoying books, and it sends up the supposed stuffiness of libraries very well by making them interesting places to be in. It also stars an unconventionally hot meganekko character called Yomiko Readman who has become a poster girl for both reading books in the anime and manga community and nerd girl hotness.

The plot is at the same time immensely silly, but at times really, really touching, because as you will find out if you read it, Yomiko Readman is a more complex character than she appears to be, she’s not just there for fanservice, she’s a well constructed character who has an aesthetic of loving books to the extent that 2D anime girl otaku would blush at her preference of brain candy to just mere eye candy. Her character flaw is not a bad one, and one that underpins the four volume series: She killed her boyfriend in order to gain her powers and be who she became, The Paper.

Her love life has a poignancy to it, because she used to love a man very much, but he’s dead now and she doesn’t make room for anyone else to love her back. Except books. That’s what makes her so tragic, she’s a fantasist who escapes from her troubles and traumas by sitting down and reading all the time. Joker uses her as one of his best secret agents, but he’s pretty messed up in how he does things, for one thing he tortures people with medieval literature, literally. He is a ruthless foil to Yomiko’s sweetness and innocence which is subverted by the terrible truth behind Yomiko’s darkest secret, the fact that she killed her lover Donnie.

Interestingly enough, Yomiko calls Nenene “Sensei”, because it seems like Nenene’s books have had a huge impression on her and how she associates them with memories of Donnie, who she shared a love of books with. Read Or Die isn’t just a fanservice manga, it’s a story of love and loss as well. It also touches on the importance of reading books in today’s society, in a humorous and serious way. But you know what’s the best part?

Yomiko Readman might be a rarity in anime, a 25 year old female character in a sea of schoolgirl moe, but she teaches us one thing. Women’s sex appeal is not their sole worth. Yomiko exemplifies personality that transcends the fleeting nature of youth, and she has character that builds her morality as she overcomes the mistakes in her life. She enriches the lives of those who surround her, and they give her respect in return. Even if she is a bit weird.

This is one of the most feminist of all fanservice manga I have ever read. And that includes Love Hina. Read Or Die succeeds as a humorous manga as well as a serious one that makes us think of how we percieve reading and the act of it, as well as our perceptions of people (in particular women) who read (and write) books.

I recommend you pick it up if you’re looking for a humorous, but at the same time mature, manga series to read. And read it. Or die. Because I’m a big fan.

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Copyright (c) Jacob Martin 2009. All Rights Reserved.