The second volume of R.O.D the TV is afflicted with a few issues, both in the writing and production, but I ended up liking it even more than the first volume. I've racked my brain for hours trying to figure out why this is, but the only logical conclusion I could reach is that the alignment of the planets has affected the magnetic potential between myself and this DVD, thereby triggering a subliminal message telling me, in no uncertain terms, that I love this show. To put it more succinctly, I'm insane. Brainwashing and guilty pleasures aside, there remain sufficient mechanical and literary qualities to make the show interesting enough to chew on - even for the masses of mindless consumer sheep. They made me say that last part.

The show has walked a tightrope since the beginning, but it pulled off the early act flawlessly. The stumbling act it's currently performing seems rather unbecoming given the previous successes, but it's still far from a nose dive. One issue is quality of drama - a difficult thing to quantify, though a look at the dramatic situations of the first volume is revealing. For example, the first episode of the show has a scene where Nenene asserts her identity as a writer in response to someone who accuses her of being a hack. Her actor in this scene is forceful, yet retains her composure - and most importantly, it was appropriate for the scene and had strong writing backing it up. The drama in the second volume is not as carefully written or executed, though the troublesome incidents are isolated.

Never leave these two alone with books.	Anime characters can go from zero to shocked in 0.01 seconds.

I would say that the majority of the drama is in fact spot-on; the talent for it is certainly present. The few blunders unfortunately disrupt the story progression, but they do not negatively affect the character development in any way. Michelle, Maggie, and Anita are the best thing the show has going for it at this juncture. Incidentally, the writers had opted for making each episode of this volume more self-contained. Despite such a change, they did right by the sisters - showcasing their bond to each other and challenging the stability of that bond.

Self-contained episodes were probably not the right thing to do in this volume, given the escalation of the main plot at the end of the first. However, I would be remiss not to make note of how enjoyable these episodes are. Three in particular have a storybook feel to them: a mad scientist, a mystery thriller, and a fun little ghost story. Even though these episodes are a thinly veiled character development engine and a chance to show the Brewing Big Evil at work, somehow it just doesn't matter, because the entertainment value renders me a blissful catatonic.

This is perhaps the first anime I've seen since the wonderful Spirit of Wonder OVAs that I would say is genuinely appealing to literature enthusiasts. A love of literature is embedded deeply into this show - subtly popping up in each episode as well as being trumpeted by its book-fanatic characters. Even though I will continue to point out any negative observation as I see it, it almost seems futile, because I am hopelessly addicted. This is one drug I would happily push on the streets.

Video Quality: A+
Audio Quality: A+
Presentation: A
Content: B
Overall: A-