stephs_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
starryorbit12's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jay_mack9712's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
OH this is going to be delightful!! I am already thoroughly enjoying the concept and the series! The characters are so loveable and I have a vibe of found family and maybe haters to lovers .... I just have a second sense for these things!!
aeskare23's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
keeley_allen's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
schnoebs13's review against another edition
3.0
3.75⭐️
Lots of fun and I’m enjoying the subtle feminist themes through out. The main character is a little ditzy but she’s growing on me. I love the setting of libraries forming armies to protect freedom of speech and the right to read whatever book you want. I’m ready to see where this series leads.
Lots of fun and I’m enjoying the subtle feminist themes through out. The main character is a little ditzy but she’s growing on me. I love the setting of libraries forming armies to protect freedom of speech and the right to read whatever book you want. I’m ready to see where this series leads.
pagesofpins's review against another edition
2.0
Though a lot about this manga is predictable, I like the idea of badass librarians with guns.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read 2021: Decided it was high time for a re-read! This was such a fun first volume though I felt sorry for Iku, she tries hard but she isn't so booksmart as others are. I liked that she never gives up. I love that she keeps fighting no matter how hard things get. Her friendship with Shibazaki was just the best and I love seeing them together. Dojo, not sure how I feel of him, I know he will change but it was really tough to read in this book. Plus, how does she not know who he is is hilarious and typical of manga.
Despite not having read this one in 7 years (almost to the date) I still remember that the next volume gets exciting, will be reading it soon!
--------------------------
Review for when I re-read this one in 2014:
5 stars. Decided to re-read this one, since I now have Volume 1 to 5, and plan on reading this series fully.
I totally love this series. The anime was fantastic, and I have a good feeling that the manga will be even better. :)
The world setting is one that attracted me to the anime in the first place. A world where books are being censored, where books are taken from bookstores, where there is a war going on at times between two fronts. And I loved the idea of libraries as being the one protecting the books and having their own defence/attack force.
Then we have the characters, Iku and Dojo, who really, well this is no spoiler, like each other though they are both denying it and acting (in the case of Iku) as if she hates him. Iku is a wonderful character, though her hating/crushing on Dojo gets a bit annoying at times, I just wish she would be honest with herself. And her motivation to join the library forces. *snort* I can imagine the committee was laughing about that too.
The side-characters are fun too, and make the story more complete. And they all get a little bit of the spotlight, making them just as important as the main characters.
All in all, I know what is coming (I saw the anime and the movie), but I am still very much excited about it. Can't wait until we reach that point.
Despite not having read this one in 7 years (almost to the date) I still remember that the next volume gets exciting, will be reading it soon!
--------------------------
Review for when I re-read this one in 2014:
5 stars. Decided to re-read this one, since I now have Volume 1 to 5, and plan on reading this series fully.
I totally love this series. The anime was fantastic, and I have a good feeling that the manga will be even better. :)
The world setting is one that attracted me to the anime in the first place. A world where books are being censored, where books are taken from bookstores, where there is a war going on at times between two fronts. And I loved the idea of libraries as being the one protecting the books and having their own defence/attack force.
Then we have the characters, Iku and Dojo, who really, well this is no spoiler, like each other though they are both denying it and acting (in the case of Iku) as if she hates him. Iku is a wonderful character, though her hating/crushing on Dojo gets a bit annoying at times, I just wish she would be honest with herself. And her motivation to join the library forces. *snort* I can imagine the committee was laughing about that too.
The side-characters are fun too, and make the story more complete. And they all get a little bit of the spotlight, making them just as important as the main characters.
All in all, I know what is coming (I saw the anime and the movie), but I am still very much excited about it. Can't wait until we reach that point.
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
I'm absolutely convinced that if I were to write a children's book, I'd write about libraries. Every library in the US would purchase a copy because we librarians have just as much vanity about the awesomeness of our jobs as the next person - perhaps more because our jobs actually are that awesome.
So needless to say, a book titled, "Library Wars" was certain to grab my attention. The premise has been seen before - in the not-to-distabt future books are being censored and inappropriate titles are confiscated by a federal government task force. Not cool, say the librarians. They in turn form their own task force to oppose the censors and keep their materials safe for public use. What makes this rendition of the concept interesting is that many of the librarians on this task force are trained in combat along with librarianship. Sweet! These are librarians for the modern age - capable of finding whatever it is you need, but who also kick butt on behalf of freedom of information.
Enter our main character, Iku Kasahara. She has dreamed of being part of the Library Defense Force ever since her teens when a gallant Defense Force member rescued a book for her when the government attempted to confiscate it. She looks up to this mysterious man as her hero, her idol, her knight in shining armor. Iku is actually very good at the combat training and has passion in spades for the cause, but lacks focus and has fallen behind on her library studies. She butts heads with her superior officer and one of the other new Defense Force recruits. Antics ensue. All in all, it's a fun story and I will happily track down the rest of the series.
Keeping the characters straight was kind of tricky in the beginning, because several of the characters have pretty similar designs. But once you get it all straight you see that the art is clean and interesting to look at. And not that this first volume wasn't a lot of fun, but I have a feeling that as the series progresses and characters become better developed the story quality will improve as well.
So needless to say, a book titled, "Library Wars" was certain to grab my attention. The premise has been seen before - in the not-to-distabt future books are being censored and inappropriate titles are confiscated by a federal government task force. Not cool, say the librarians. They in turn form their own task force to oppose the censors and keep their materials safe for public use. What makes this rendition of the concept interesting is that many of the librarians on this task force are trained in combat along with librarianship. Sweet! These are librarians for the modern age - capable of finding whatever it is you need, but who also kick butt on behalf of freedom of information.
Enter our main character, Iku Kasahara. She has dreamed of being part of the Library Defense Force ever since her teens when a gallant Defense Force member rescued a book for her when the government attempted to confiscate it. She looks up to this mysterious man as her hero, her idol, her knight in shining armor. Iku is actually very good at the combat training and has passion in spades for the cause, but lacks focus and has fallen behind on her library studies. She butts heads with her superior officer and one of the other new Defense Force recruits. Antics ensue. All in all, it's a fun story and I will happily track down the rest of the series.
Keeping the characters straight was kind of tricky in the beginning, because several of the characters have pretty similar designs. But once you get it all straight you see that the art is clean and interesting to look at. And not that this first volume wasn't a lot of fun, but I have a feeling that as the series progresses and characters become better developed the story quality will improve as well.