Beethoven, playing his Suicide Symphony.
The Suicide Symphony (also known as Death Symphony) is central to the I-Jin's plot in Read or Die OVA. When heard, the listener will be compelled to commit suicide.
History[]
Ludwig van Beethoven originally wrote the music in the Immortal Beloved, seen on the first pages of the book. It is unknown exactly what else is written in the book that would give the I-Jin the information to compose the piece.
OVA Episode 1[]
Yomiko Readman purchases the book at Toto Books after a confrontation with another woman over who can buy it (later revealed to be Nancy Makuhari). She has barely started reading it when Jean-Henri Fabre appears on a giant grasshopper and takes it. Yomiko stops him and recovers the book, killing him in the process, but Joseph Carpenter takes the book to analyze it.
Yomiko is allowed to bring the book to Washington with her as Drake Anderson investigates the wreckage and Nancy Makuhari arrives, but Otto Lilienthal arrives to take the book from her. The 3 agents engage on a high-speed chase in the skies of New York. The women succeed in destroying Lilienthal, smashing him against the Statue of Liberty. The book flies free of him during his, and Yomiko willing leaps into the air to save it.
OVA Episode 2[]
Yomiko brings the book with her to India, where Miss Deep and her are investigating a man named Jahal, a book dealer involved with the book. Genjo Sanzo bursts in, demanding for the book; Yomiko escapes while Miss Deep holds off the I-jin. The I-jin catches up when the women are in the Ganges river and fleeing to the submarine. However, Sanzo summons spiritual powers to part the waters, rendering the submarine helpless and trapping the two agents in underwater ruins.
During the fight Nancy drops the fight during her distraction of Sanzo. After killing Sanzo, Yomiko rushes to Miss Deep's aid, leaving the book unprotected. Sanzo revives to grab the book and toss it to a young Fabre on a dragonfly.
Only after the fight, during Ikkyu's announcement to the world, does Ikkyu hint at what his plan is.
OVA Episode 3[]
Back at the Special Operations Division, a team of analysts is busy arranging the data into music files to send to Joseph Carpenter so they can learn the plan behind it. However, Wendy walks in to see that they're all dead.
Yomiko, while trapped in Ikkyu's chamber, learns of the Suicide Symphony: a song that will kill humanity, "leaving only Paradise". The I-jin will fly to the equator and launch a rocket into the atmosphere, where it will be impossible to avoid hearing the music. Yomiko, however, stops this by killing Ikkyu (and possibly Beethoven by cutting his strings).