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A review by princess_starr
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 13 by Kiiro Yumi
4.0
So, I just found out that there’s only one volume left in this series, and I’m a little sad. I’ve really enjoyed Library Wars since it first came out, and although the story did meander at times with the Iku/Dojo love-hate relationship, I still thought it was a lot of fun and I really do enjoy reading the series, even though the releases are so far apart. (I think one volume left—someone asked about simultaneous releases on the Shojo Beat Tumblr page, and I think they said volume 14 is going to be the last one? Also the fact that the anime is coming out in the States later this year! WOO! I mean, it’s the vanilla, subtitled only edition, but still.)
Volume 13 does definitely read like the beginning of a final arc. Iku and Dojo have come to some understanding about their feelings for one another (although they haven’t fully admitted that they love each other yet), and things between the Library Defense Force and the Media Betterment Committee are beginning to come to a head with the targeting of Toma-sensei. There are still a number of threads that don’t feel as explored yet, especially with Director Kawahara, but I do think that the ending is in sight.
The thing that got me interested in Library Wars in the first place was the light-dystopia angle of the Media Betterment Act and how it’s affected this world since its implantation. Although this series has examined the negative effects of the MBA and how the general public has spoken out against it, there really hasn’t been a nationwide outcry against it in the series until now. I really like that this series not only explores the characters’ reactions to political developments, but also the civilian aspect as well. We get a few man on the street reactions throughout this volume, and I think this has shown a lot more of the civilian outrage than the previous volumes. I don’t know if the series will end easily for any of the characters, given the tendency for the MBC to either stall important developments or to go in with guns blazing. (I also like how it’s Iku who unknowingly comes up with the best solution for Toma-sensei to continue writing while still adhering to the MBC ruling.)
The other thing that I really enjoy about Library Wars is that I really don’t know how the story is going to turn next, so while the long wait between volumes doesn’t keep me excitedly jumping up and down (and admittedly going “Okay, what happened last time?”) , it does surprise me whenever the story goes into a different place. (Really, I ought give the entire series a big reread before the final volume comes out. The problem is that the majority of my manga collection is in storage bins and until I move out of my house and I can actually go through and arrange everything, I can’t really do a reread and clean some stuff out.
…my manga collection is large and terrifying. So much shojo manga. So many sparkles and flowers.)
That said, I do really love Library Wars as a manga series—it’s had a spot in my heart since I’ve read the first volume, and I’m really sad to find out that it’ll might be ending soon. But I have high hopes as what may happen in the next-hopefully-not-last-volume and I’ll wait patiently until it finally makes its way over stateside.
Volume 13 does definitely read like the beginning of a final arc. Iku and Dojo have come to some understanding about their feelings for one another (although they haven’t fully admitted that they love each other yet), and things between the Library Defense Force and the Media Betterment Committee are beginning to come to a head with the targeting of Toma-sensei. There are still a number of threads that don’t feel as explored yet, especially with Director Kawahara, but I do think that the ending is in sight.
The thing that got me interested in Library Wars in the first place was the light-dystopia angle of the Media Betterment Act and how it’s affected this world since its implantation. Although this series has examined the negative effects of the MBA and how the general public has spoken out against it, there really hasn’t been a nationwide outcry against it in the series until now. I really like that this series not only explores the characters’ reactions to political developments, but also the civilian aspect as well. We get a few man on the street reactions throughout this volume, and I think this has shown a lot more of the civilian outrage than the previous volumes. I don’t know if the series will end easily for any of the characters, given the tendency for the MBC to either stall important developments or to go in with guns blazing. (I also like how it’s Iku who unknowingly comes up with the best solution for Toma-sensei to continue writing while still adhering to the MBC ruling.)
The other thing that I really enjoy about Library Wars is that I really don’t know how the story is going to turn next, so while the long wait between volumes doesn’t keep me excitedly jumping up and down (and admittedly going “Okay, what happened last time?”) , it does surprise me whenever the story goes into a different place. (Really, I ought give the entire series a big reread before the final volume comes out. The problem is that the majority of my manga collection is in storage bins and until I move out of my house and I can actually go through and arrange everything, I can’t really do a reread and clean some stuff out.
…my manga collection is large and terrifying. So much shojo manga. So many sparkles and flowers.)
That said, I do really love Library Wars as a manga series—it’s had a spot in my heart since I’ve read the first volume, and I’m really sad to find out that it’ll might be ending soon. But I have high hopes as what may happen in the next-hopefully-not-last-volume and I’ll wait patiently until it finally makes its way over stateside.