Library Wars:Love and War:Volume 4

Library Wars: Love and War: Volume 4
by Kiiro Yumi, illustrated by Hiro Arikawa

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves--the Library Forces!

Iku and Commander Inamine are abducted by Bakushu-kai terrorists, who demand sensitive material from the library's protected collection in return for the hostages! Dojo is worried about Iku, his problem student with limited field experience. But what Iku lacks in training she more than makes up for in gumption, and she is not going to let library material go without a fight! (description taken from Amazon.com)

Aside from the fact that this series rocks because it's about librarians fighting for peoples' rights and freedoms...AWESOME...it also has a really great love story, full of tension.

What I really liked in this volume was how, when Iku's parents come to visit, everyone rallies around her to help keep her secret, even Dojo! I love when a character has a crisis and everyone bands together and that person can see how much they've come to mean to their friends, family, coworkers, etc.

This series just makes me smile all around.

Library Wars: Love and War Vol. 1

Library Wars: Love and War - volume 1
by Kiiro Yumi
illustrated by Hiro Arikawa

Fight for your right to read!

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves---the Library Forces! Iku Kasahara has dreamed of joining the Library Defense Force ever since one of its soldiers stepped in to protect her favorite book from being confiscated in a bookstore when she was younger. But now that she’s finally a recruit, she’s finding her dream job to be a bit of a nightmare. Especially since her hard-hearted drill instructor seems to have it out for her! (description taken from Amazon.com)

I am not much of a graphic novel reader. I find that I am just not interested in a lot of the story lines OR when there is a lot going on I sometimes have trouble following the order of the panels and I get confused. So, I tend to shy away from reading them personally, though I order a ton for the Library based on reviews and requests from the teens.

When I saw the plot for this new series, though, I was immediately intrigued enough to pick it up. The idea that the whole story is based around the Freedom of Information act that Libraries uphold...that Librarians have gone militant to fight for peoples' right to read...AWESOME! This is what I fantasize about sometimes when I get asked questions like "What kind of superhero would you want to be?" (HUGE GRIN)

Bonus - the characters are cool and their interactions are downright funny. The drawing was good and the panels were pretty easy to follow. (There were a few spots where I started to go the wrong way, but I figured it out quickly.)

Now, I really just want to go out and read volumes 2-4, but I have to wait until we get them into the Library, since no one else owns them... :(

Yay! I found a manga series that I like. :)