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A review by moonlightcupofcocoa
The Spellbook Library, Vol. 1 by Uta Isaki
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC! All the thoughts below are my own.
I happened to be scrolling when the cover caught my attention. I’ve enjoyed a fair share of manga before, but my experience with shonen has been hit or miss. While some have caught my interest, others started to feel like variations on the same formula. But reading the synopsis, I had to give this one a try -- it seemed to be a lovely tribute to books and book lovers.
And I wasn’t disappointed. This is a shonen with librarians!
Overall, I enjoyed the worldbuilding that was revealed so far. The different departments, the entrance exam, the training. All were pretty fun to learn about and had me wondering what's to come next.
The characters, while so far very formulaic and predictable, have potential. I am curious about Yan and Tohru specifically, while really not caring for the princess. The side characters seem like they could be interesting too, but we haven’t seen quite enough of them yet to form strong impressions.
The art style is cute and expressive, and I loved the sketches included at the end of the volume. That said, I did find some of the action panels a bit hard to follow. The scenes often felt crowded with onomatopoeia that could be repetitive or confusing, so I sometimes skimmed these parts, hoping the dialogue would fill in the gaps.
If there’s one thing I’d like to see more of, it’s a sense of urgency. By the end of Volume 1, I still felt unclear about the main characters’ goals. We have one character who seems to be mostly mysterious (and probably has a hidden agenda), another whose simple ambition doesn’t require much to achieve, and a third who seems content just doing her job. While the worldbuilding definitely shines, this lack of drive makes it a bit harder to feel truly invested in the characters. At times, it felt like they were simply going through the motions.
Overall, I enjoyed this. The concept is delightful, and as a tribute to books and libraries, it has plenty of charm. I hope we get to see more of the characters and the worldbuilding in Volume 2.
I happened to be scrolling when the cover caught my attention. I’ve enjoyed a fair share of manga before, but my experience with shonen has been hit or miss. While some have caught my interest, others started to feel like variations on the same formula. But reading the synopsis, I had to give this one a try -- it seemed to be a lovely tribute to books and book lovers.
And I wasn’t disappointed. This is a shonen with librarians!
Overall, I enjoyed the worldbuilding that was revealed so far. The different departments, the entrance exam, the training. All were pretty fun to learn about and had me wondering what's to come next.
The characters, while so far very formulaic and predictable, have potential. I am curious about Yan and Tohru specifically, while really not caring for the princess. The side characters seem like they could be interesting too, but we haven’t seen quite enough of them yet to form strong impressions.
The art style is cute and expressive, and I loved the sketches included at the end of the volume. That said, I did find some of the action panels a bit hard to follow. The scenes often felt crowded with onomatopoeia that could be repetitive or confusing, so I sometimes skimmed these parts, hoping the dialogue would fill in the gaps.
If there’s one thing I’d like to see more of, it’s a sense of urgency. By the end of Volume 1, I still felt unclear about the main characters’ goals. We have one character who seems to be mostly mysterious (and probably has a hidden agenda), another whose simple ambition doesn’t require much to achieve, and a third who seems content just doing her job. While the worldbuilding definitely shines, this lack of drive makes it a bit harder to feel truly invested in the characters. At times, it felt like they were simply going through the motions.
Overall, I enjoyed this. The concept is delightful, and as a tribute to books and libraries, it has plenty of charm. I hope we get to see more of the characters and the worldbuilding in Volume 2.