I was going to read this and participate in a book club but then I just read the whole thing at once because my library had it. Which is eerily fitting. Library Wars seems to have a ridiculous premise but its not too far from Fahrenheit 451. Armed libraries seem a bit ridiculous until you think of the rampant book burning in the classic novel which may have inspired the light novels this manga was based on. Library Wars is set in an era where censorship runs rampant. No book is safe from the Media Betterment Committee who seek to remove books that dont meet their requirements from having violent content to having a few banned words or what the Committee dubs problematic phrases. This created a rift between the national and local governments and things escalated leading to both sides baring arms. Working in libraries is now a dangerous job involving its own defense force to protect the books its patrons and the freedom of speech. Iku Kasahara is the first female member of the defense force and she strives to be like her prince a defense force member who helped her defend her beloved books. Library Wars balances its political plot with its romance well. Neither overpowers the other and they blend beautifully. The identity of Ikus prince isnt kept a secret even if it takes her a while to realize who he is. Im grateful for this since it is super obvious and making it into a mystery would detract from the rest of the series. Since we know who he is it makes her blooming romantic relationship with her superior more impactful. The other romantic relationships are well executed except one an age gap where they were childhood friends and one of them knew the other since birth. They dont get together until shes around the age of consent but its still weird and uncomfortable given the younger party pretty much idolizes the older one so theres a clear power imbalance. As for the action and political plot its engaging. However it is extremely dense at times and it was a bit tricky for me to follow along with what was going on and who stood for what. It does pose very interesting ideas about censorship authorhunts and critical analysis. The bit where they discussed critical analysis was interesting for me as a reviewer since it talked about bashing books without providing any other insight. I also adored the parts where they discussed media literacy and how things that contain problematic material might not be endorsing said problematic things. One of my favorite parts of the story regarding commentary was when it discussed how it isnt harmful to share stories with people that reflect their life experiences even if said experience is hard since it might give them something to relate to. One character was accused of abusing a disabled girl by giving her a novel that featured a character with a similar disability. Hes accused of abusing her for giving her a book reminding her of her disability when it featured a character who was loved and ultimately treated positively despite her disability. Theres just a lot to unpack in each arc and it has fascinating commentary even if the political parts can be extremely difficult to follow along with. Iku our main protagonist feels like a battle shounen character. Shes physically strong emotional and kindhearted. Shes very by the book and has strong loyalty towards both the library and her companions. Iku is tall for a woman and shes a tomboy with a lot of traditionally masculine attributes. Even though shes a bit rash and impulsive which can cause problems and she isnt academically gifted she always follows her conscience. Shes so straightforward that shes able to lead the other characters to do what they believe is right. While I would ordinarily talk about the male lead second I feel like I should talk about Ikus best friend Asako Shibasaki immediately after. Shes Ikus exact opposite in every way. While Iku is physically strong and masculine Shibasaki is more feminine and petite. While lacking in physical strength Shibasaki has a ton of mental fortitude and competence. In stark contrast to Ikus straightforwardness Shibasaki has trouble being genuine due to being hurt and criticized constantly for voicing her opinions. She wants the love of people who could never love her and I can really empathize with that since I want the approval of people who I could never sustain a healthy friendship with. I love her character and Im happy that she placed third after the two leads in the popularity pole. I think its great that in a male dominated cast that there are two strong women with such different personalities and strengths since theres more than one way to be a strong female character. The male lead is fantastic. Atsushi Dojo is Ikus commanding officer and hes hard on her but he deeply cares about her. There is a reason behind his harshness and he deeply regrets his past actions and wants to shelter her from what happened to him and the dangerous precedents he created. Hes very similar to Iku in many respects. Hes straightforward dense and a rulefollower at heart. However hes much more disciplined and mature than his subordinate. Hes very princely in many respects and hes always there to support the ones he cares about. The other characters are deeply compelling mostly the other two members of the team Iku and Dojo are on. Komaki is full of goodnatured teasing and he has more maturity and selfawareness than many of the other characters. This makes his relationship with his significantly younger childhood much creepier but I do like him outside of the relationship since he adds much needed levity to the team. Tezuka is another subordinate at Ikus level though he has more talent and discipline. Hes very serious and held back by his family issues but he becomes mature enough to approach his issues headon even if hes a bit socially lacking. I have a deeper appreciation of the art since the mangaka herself is a huge fan of the original novels and was selected due to her art matching the novelists vision. It actually kind of reminds me of a more shoujo Fullmetal Alchemist. Dojo even has a striking resemblance to Roy Mustang. Its very simple bold and charming. This series was a lot of fun and has a lot to offer in every respect. Im glad this is my 75th review and that I ended up reviewing a series I liked instead of say Vampire Knight. For anyone looking for military political focused shoujo Id recommend this one even if the synopsis is a bit crazy and seems to fit a specific niche.