Library Wars 3

Kiiro Yumi / Hiro Arikawa – Viz – 2010 – 6+ volumes

I don’t know. I really just can’t get into this series. The plot here is okay. It’s equal parts… well, love and war, as the title suggests. It shifts between business and pleasure for the characters pretty quickly, and we see a lot of Iku fighting with Dojo and the two of them growing closer in their own slow, aggravating way. It’s not my favorite type of relationship, since the “growing closer” usually comes in the aftermath of a misunderstanding, and I hate it when the main couple fight this much. It’s hard for me to root for anyone in that situation, especially since everyone keeps… well, disrespecting Iku. Nobody ever says anything nice to her. It’s not malicious, and she seems to take it in stride, but it’s hard to read when it seems like the main character can’t seem to do anything right and always yells at the love interest.

Last volume, it was hinted that Tezuka was also a possible love interest, but he’s put aside in this volume. It’s all about Dojo, and Tezuka hardly makes an appearance. It’s hard to tell these two apart, though, since they wear the same uniform, both yell at Iku a lot, and both have dark hair. One has smooth hair, one slightly spikier. Why Iku would prefer one over the other? A mystery. Both are occasionally nice to her. Except they do it in such a way as to make them look like a jerk, so Iku gets mad and yells, only realizing their kindness later.

Okay. I can’t get into this series because of the characters.

The plot is also a little hokey, but at least it’s fairly original. In the first half of the book, Iku and company help a pair of junior high students stand up to a committee that is looking to further censor books in schools. And after that, an information archive closes and there is an actual battle, with guns, between the library forces and the media committee that wishes to steal and censor the material that’s being transferred to the library.

That there are actual wars being fought in order to keep information free from censorship is a little heavy-handed, and the story doesn’t really handle it well. The other side of the fight is fairly faceless, and the committee that wants to censor the books in the schools is villainized to a ridiculous degree. The leader, after making a fuss when the children are allowed to voice their opinion, she tries to throw hot coffee on Iku. It’s pretty ridiculous.

It ends in an interesting place, though. Forced to sit the battle out, Iku is charged with guarding the head of the library. Both are kidnapped, and we are left wondering by who and how exactly Tezuka and Dojo will save them.

It’s just… pretty mediocre. That’s a shame, because it’s got a good premise, but it’s not handled very well, and I just can’t get into the characters. There’s definitely better shoujo out there, but this still might not be bad for a young teen (caveat: some violence), especially with such an original premise.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.