Library Wars: Love and War volume 1

Manga
Library Wars: Love and War volume 1
By Chris Zimmerman
June 3, 2010 - 13:10

Viz Media
Writer(s): Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa
Penciller(s): Kiiro Yumi
Letterer(s): Sean McCoy
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3488-6
$9.99 US
Genre: Manga

In Japan, the government no longer tolerates freedom of expression. A special committee has been established to oversee the censorship of all forms of media, confiscating any books that violate the Media Betterment Act. This extreme form of censorship prompts a group of rebel fighters to stand up for their rights, calling themselves the Library Defense Force. Often times, the two forces clash with the fate of literature at stake.

Iku Kasahara strives to be a member of the LDF, having been saved by one of its members when she was a child. Training hard, Iku strives to be the first woman to join the force, with the only problem being that her instructor, dojo seems to hold a personal vendetta against her, pushing heer harder than any other recruit. This creates an uneasy tension between the two, often leading to various confrontations with Iku and Dojo, in which Iku comes out the worse for wear.

Similar to 1984, Library Wars: Love and War explores the premise of what would happen if a government decided to eliminate any materials that are deemed intolerable. The series gained enough of a following to warrant a leap into animation, with the production handled by Production I.G., also known for Ghost in the Shell. Judging by the first volume it’s easy to see why.

The artwork stands out from most shojo works as it resembles more of a mix between shojo and the shonen style. This keeps in line with the overall tone of the title as despite being labeled a shojo beat title, it could just as easily fall into any manga category, thus extending its appeal to more than just its specific demographic.

The characters are fleshed out and by no means generic, while their world, though not wholly original in any sense, is well developed. Iku is a departure from the norm of what a female protagonist of a manga series is. She is strong, albeit a little ditzy, but no less determined to turn herself into a soldier. The series features a nice blend of humor and action with some political intrigue thrown in, not to mention a possible romance, though that’s a given considering this is a shojo title. In any case, Library Wars delivers a steller first volume that provides something for everyone.

Rating: 8.5/10