⋙ Download Library Wars Love War Vol 1 Kiiro Yumi Hiro Arikawa 9781421534886 Books

Library Wars Love War Vol 1 Kiiro Yumi Hiro Arikawa 9781421534886 Books

Download As PDF : Library Wars Love War Vol 1 Kiiro Yumi Hiro Arikawa 9781421534886 Books

Library Wars Love War Vol 1 Kiiro Yumi Hiro Arikawa 9781421534886 Books

*This review is a general review of the series. At the time of this review, I have read up through all available 8 volumes (volume 9 is coming out in April...and it's still ongoing). I will update as needed. Also, the subsequent reviews I will do for the other volumes will be in relation to how well they tie in, and progress the story.*

CONTENT ISSUES:
This manga is pretty safe content-wise. Not much profane language except for the rarely used "D-Word" or "BS" (fully said). No real innuendos and provocative fanservice (makes sense since this is a shojo manga). There is an instance of plot progressing dialogue in the public bath house between two of the female leads, but nothing is shown. Most is just the typical shoulder-and-up view, and the "worst" you see is the upper back-side as one of them leaves.

MY REVIEW (ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS):
I'm not a particular fan of manga (for the sake of them being manga or Japanese) in general. I'm interested in good narratives an premises, and not much manga (with some notable exceptions) have really interested me. This one is one of those notable exceptions. This manga is about legal rights and the very delicate relationship of local versus national rights...and media censorship. It does it well.

"Library Wars: Love & War" is what is called a SHOJO (or SHOJOU) manga. What this means is that it's a manga especially targeted for the young female demographic (below the age of 20)...and that it will be women-centric in that the main protagonist will be female. With that said, it has a very universal charm, appeal, and covers themes that can really connect with men and women alike. And as in Shojo fashion, it's not gonna be all about action, muscle, and explosions...but also has good drama and feature other aspects of life. Also, just as a note, this manga is based off of the light novel series, "Toshokan Sensō ".

THEMES:
So many themes and social commentaries abound in this manga. This manga takes place in a Japan where the national government is trying to control the circulation of various media...especially books. In response, the local governments also enacted their rights to protect said media from extreme censorship...and thus they instituted the libraries as the guardians of their legal right to keep accessible those said materials. What I liked about this series, however, is that this is not a flat rebel-versus-institution story at all. In fact, both extreme censorship and disruptive/violent/rebellious protest and terrorism is looked down upon. What it proposes is proper and lawful dialogue. A major theme is that the library will fight lawfully and uphold the law...not stooping down to mere "thugmanship". In addition, it takes on issues of "political correctness" and what real concern for children and the handicapped looks like; as well as the notorious "seeing/making-an-issue-where-there-was-none-to-begin-with". Themes of family are also delved into, as well as the difference between training and sports (a very important life lesson that you can discover if you read it). There is also a very wholesome romance that is simply charming and very good (meaning it's one that actually develops with some meat and meaning...not just a shallow love-at-first-sight relationship). There are many other themes, too...this is but a taste. All these themes work naturally into the story :-)

On top of all this, the the balance between seriousness and lightheartedness/humor is wonderful. You are in for much laughter and tears. And it definitely reminded me of why I love books.

STORY COHESIVENESS:
The story is real smooth and works together...the one thing I did have to get used to was some of the scene transitions. It just wasn't a style I was used to...but after awhile, I got used to it. Approach it as if you are watching an anime with occasional sudden scene changes. Also, the plot points and the themes are seamless and smoothly work with the narrative.

I also enjoyed the extra bits the author included in each volume. Each volume features "mini-comics" that are scattered throughout the volume as a light and humorous diversion, and short side-comics featuring some of the other characters (like Kasahara Iku's bumbling secret admirer colleague). In addition, each volume also has 2-3 "extra manga" at the end. These extra manga either elaborate on events that occurred in the main story arc or serve as a separate look at the other independent operations and duties of the Library Task Force. Also, there are endnotes at the very end of each volume that helps clarify cultural things that happen in the manga...and they do include page numbers.

ART: Standard pop anime style...and it's very clean cut and nice. Also, I appreciate the fact that the body proportions are natural, professional, and not fanservicey at all.

TRANSLATIONS:
The translation is very smartly written and no real hiccups as of yet. Very natural sounding and plain well done.

ALL IN ALL:
I highly recommend this manga to anyone who loves books and reading. It'll give you much to think about as well as provide an emotional roller coaster. Even though this is a Japanese narrative intended for the Japanese populace...there are still many parallels and things of value we can glean from this work. I find it to be very inspiring and a welcome change to all the dark and dreary or the pie-in-the-sky. It's a realistic optimism. Even if manga is not your cup of tea, you may find some exceptional worth in it. So I hope you pick it up and that you enjoy!


Tags : Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 1 [Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Fight for your right to read!<BR><BR>R to L (Japanese Style). Fight for your right to read!<BR><BR>In the near future,Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa,Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 1,VIZ Media LLC,1421534886,FBA-|303721,Manga - Romance,Books and reading,Cartoons and comics,Censorship,Censorship - Japan,Challenged books,Comic books, strips, etc,Comic books, strips, etc - Japan,Government policy - Japan,Graphic novels,Graphic novels - Japan,Graphic novels.,Libraries,Libraries - Japan,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga Fantasy,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga General,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga Media Tie-In,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga Romance,Comics & Graphic Novels,Fiction,Fiction-Romance,Graphic Novels-Manga,Graphic novels: Manga,Manga - Fantasy,Manga - Romance,Serials, 1st only,TEEN'S GRAPHIC WORKS MANGA AND ANIME,United States,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga Fantasy,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga General,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga Media Tie-In,COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Manga Romance,Manga - Fantasy,Graphic Novels-Manga,Comics & Graphic Novels,Graphic novels: Manga

Library Wars Love War Vol 1 Kiiro Yumi Hiro Arikawa 9781421534886 Books Reviews

Library Wars is possibly the best shojo manga series I've ever read. In fact, in general, its one of the best overall, and I've read everything from Dramacon to Zatch Bell, and Skip Beat to Fullmetal Alchemist. Basically, this story occurs during a time when Japan is experiencing extreme censorship (fictionally of course). The federal government is at odds with the local governments. The federal level wants to contain "harmful" books, words, materials, etc. by censoring them. On the other hand, the local government is fighting back by allowing the libraries to continue to keep censored books in their facilities and available to the people. This causes a bunch of different problems, as you can imagine--raids, battles, etc. And as a result, the library has built up a private military to protect the books and the people in its facilities, as well as future interests.

This story follows a young woman who was sparked to join an armed unit of the library forces due to an experience she had as a little girl. It follows two people (and their group of friends) from a seeming mutual dislike to an incredibly deep love, which gets deeper in every volume. This series has a great balance of action, tragedy, suspense, and romance. It also has a way of making you care about the other on-going romances that occur in the series, which is a sign of great writing--being able to seamlessly balance multiple plots in a way that appears effortless. I've reread this series something like 20 times, and my eyes are still glued to the page every time I start reading.

This series isn't about love triangles or shallow high school romances. So if you're looking for a manga that embodies "Mean Girls," look elsewhere. This isn't that kind of story. It deals with a bunch of men and women who face a reality of any day being their last on a regular basis, so romance and friendship in this series are much slower and more meaningful. It's full of that complexity in relationships that occurs when you become an adult and have to make life decisions. It worries about politics and plays out tactical strategies. It is one of the smartest and sweetest stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and I highly recommend reading it.
*This review is a general review of the series. At the time of this review, I have read up through all available 8 volumes (volume 9 is coming out in April...and it's still ongoing). I will update as needed. Also, the subsequent reviews I will do for the other volumes will be in relation to how well they tie in, and progress the story.*

CONTENT ISSUES
This manga is pretty safe content-wise. Not much profane language except for the rarely used "D-Word" or "BS" (fully said). No real innuendos and provocative fanservice (makes sense since this is a shojo manga). There is an instance of plot progressing dialogue in the public bath house between two of the female leads, but nothing is shown. Most is just the typical shoulder-and-up view, and the "worst" you see is the upper back-side as one of them leaves.

MY REVIEW (ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS)
I'm not a particular fan of manga (for the sake of them being manga or Japanese) in general. I'm interested in good narratives an premises, and not much manga (with some notable exceptions) have really interested me. This one is one of those notable exceptions. This manga is about legal rights and the very delicate relationship of local versus national rights...and media censorship. It does it well.

"Library Wars Love & War" is what is called a SHOJO (or SHOJOU) manga. What this means is that it's a manga especially targeted for the young female demographic (below the age of 20)...and that it will be women-centric in that the main protagonist will be female. With that said, it has a very universal charm, appeal, and covers themes that can really connect with men and women alike. And as in Shojo fashion, it's not gonna be all about action, muscle, and explosions...but also has good drama and feature other aspects of life. Also, just as a note, this manga is based off of the light novel series, "Toshokan Sensō ".

THEMES
So many themes and social commentaries abound in this manga. This manga takes place in a Japan where the national government is trying to control the circulation of various media...especially books. In response, the local governments also enacted their rights to protect said media from extreme censorship...and thus they instituted the libraries as the guardians of their legal right to keep accessible those said materials. What I liked about this series, however, is that this is not a flat rebel-versus-institution story at all. In fact, both extreme censorship and disruptive/violent/rebellious protest and terrorism is looked down upon. What it proposes is proper and lawful dialogue. A major theme is that the library will fight lawfully and uphold the law...not stooping down to mere "thugmanship". In addition, it takes on issues of "political correctness" and what real concern for children and the handicapped looks like; as well as the notorious "seeing/making-an-issue-where-there-was-none-to-begin-with". Themes of family are also delved into, as well as the difference between training and sports (a very important life lesson that you can discover if you read it). There is also a very wholesome romance that is simply charming and very good (meaning it's one that actually develops with some meat and meaning...not just a shallow love-at-first-sight relationship). There are many other themes, too...this is but a taste. All these themes work naturally into the story -)

On top of all this, the the balance between seriousness and lightheartedness/humor is wonderful. You are in for much laughter and tears. And it definitely reminded me of why I love books.

STORY COHESIVENESS
The story is real smooth and works together...the one thing I did have to get used to was some of the scene transitions. It just wasn't a style I was used to...but after awhile, I got used to it. Approach it as if you are watching an anime with occasional sudden scene changes. Also, the plot points and the themes are seamless and smoothly work with the narrative.

I also enjoyed the extra bits the author included in each volume. Each volume features "mini-comics" that are scattered throughout the volume as a light and humorous diversion, and short side-comics featuring some of the other characters (like Kasahara Iku's bumbling secret admirer colleague). In addition, each volume also has 2-3 "extra manga" at the end. These extra manga either elaborate on events that occurred in the main story arc or serve as a separate look at the other independent operations and duties of the Library Task Force. Also, there are endnotes at the very end of each volume that helps clarify cultural things that happen in the manga...and they do include page numbers.

ART Standard pop anime style...and it's very clean cut and nice. Also, I appreciate the fact that the body proportions are natural, professional, and not fanservicey at all.

TRANSLATIONS
The translation is very smartly written and no real hiccups as of yet. Very natural sounding and plain well done.

ALL IN ALL
I highly recommend this manga to anyone who loves books and reading. It'll give you much to think about as well as provide an emotional roller coaster. Even though this is a Japanese narrative intended for the Japanese populace...there are still many parallels and things of value we can glean from this work. I find it to be very inspiring and a welcome change to all the dark and dreary or the pie-in-the-sky. It's a realistic optimism. Even if manga is not your cup of tea, you may find some exceptional worth in it. So I hope you pick it up and that you enjoy!