08 Sep / Library Wars: Love & War (vol. 2) by Kiiro Yumi, original concept by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Kinami Watabe
Here’s an entertaining title just in time for upcoming Banned Books Week – this year, it’s September 25 through October 2, which means you’ve even got time to read Volume 1 and catch up before grabbing this latest installment.
Here’s the set up: in the not-too-distant future, libraries and even private bookstores are constantly threatened by the federal government’s secret police sent out to cleanse the shelves of offensive material. Who decides what’s offensive is a whole other matter, but the members of the Library Defense Force are willing to risk their very lives to protect the reading freedom of all citizens.
As a trainee in the ultra-elite Library Task Force, Iku Kasahara still has a lot to learn, both on and off the job. She’s rightfully shocked when her nemesis – the perfect Tezuka – suddenly asks her out! Meanwhile, Instructor Dojo still has no patience for Iku’s fumbles, but nevertheless, he’s also somehow always around to both bail her out and comfort her when she has a meltdown (or two).
While Iku is busy trying to figure out the challenging nuances of her dating life, her roommate and friend Corporal Asako Shibazki uncovers a potential plot: the temporary head librarian just might be responsible for the censorship of certain titles in the library itself! Uh-oh … who else might be involved in the cover-up? And is this plot somehow connected to the now infamous Hino Massacre that got innocent people killed?
Iku’s got to get her temper in check … and find out the truth before anyone else gets seriously hurt – herself included! She’s got quite the legacy to live up to: “Winning the war on information, one book at a time.”
Manga artist Kiiro Yumi finds just the right balance between girlish heartbeats and defending humanity to take on something so serious as compromised freedom. In Kiiro’s brave new world, freedom fighters can have a little fun, as long as they get the job done!
Readers: Young Adult
Published: 2010 (United States)
Toshokan Sensou LOVE&WAR © Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa
Original Japanese edition published by Hakusensha, Inc., Tokyo