R.O.D. (also known by the expanded name Read or Die) refers to a series created by the Japanese author Hideyuki Kurata, which first began as a series of light novels published under Shueisha's Super Dash imprint (the first volume appeared in 2000, and volume 9 in 2004); spinoffs include a four-volume manga series, a three-episode OVA, the related manga series Read or Dream, and associated anime series R.O.D the TV. The manga series was licensed for North American distribution by Viz Communications, with the first volume having been released in March of 2006; the second volume in early April, volume three on 9 June, and Volume four on 1 September.

The 3-episode OVA series was produced by Studio Deen and first released in 23 May 2001. It was later aired across Japan by the anime satellite television network, Animax. It was also later licensed for North American distribution by Manga Entertainment and first aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on Saturday, 23 October 2004. The version aired combined all three episodes of the OVA into a single movie-length TV feature, leaving out only the repeat of the opening and closing sequences between episodes.

The premise is that the British Empire (supported by the British Library and the superpower-endowed agents of its "Special Operations Division") has remained the major world power through the 20th century and into the 21st century. The novels chart the career of agent Yomiko Readman as she fights various book-related criminal organizations; the OVA tells the story of a major incident in which clones of major historical figures threaten to wipe out civilization, the British Library being central to both the creation and the resolution of the crisis; R.O.D the TV continues the story five years later, after Britain's fall from power.

- From Wikipedia