Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Toshokan Sensō, Library War Japanese: 図書館戦争
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 10, 2008 to Jun 26, 2008
Duration:
23 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.771 (scored by 4694 users)
Ranked: #5652
Popularity: #551
Members: 9,088
Favorites: 102 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action comedy military romance |
SynopsisToshokan Sensou tells the story of Kasahara Iku, the first woman to join the Library Task Force. In the near future in Japan, the Media Enhancement Law has been forced upon the population censoring all books and media. To counter this, the Library Defense Force was created. To protect themselves against the Media Enhancement Law Commission, all major libraries are fully equipped with a military Task Force, who take it upon themselves to protect the books and freedom of media of the people. This anime follows Iku and her fellow soldiers as they protect various special books and artifacts from the oppression of the Media Enhancement Law Commission. A love story, war story, and comedy all rolled into one. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Toshokan Sensou, Toshokan Sensou: Spitfire!, Toshokan Sensou: Love & War
Side story: Toshokan Sensou Special
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Archaeon
82 of 114 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
Toshokan Sensou (or The Library Wars), is another one of those odd anime that I seem to end up reviewing. The show has a nice premise which is reminiscent of Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 all rolled into one.
The anime is based on a series of four light novels by Arikawa Hiro (entitled Toshokan Sensou, Nairan, Kiki, and Kakumei respectively), which were published from 2006 to 2007. The novels were later serialized in two mangas. The first manga was made by Yumi Kiiro, and published in Lala magazine from September 2007. The second was made by Furudori Yayoi, and was published Dengeki Daioh magazine from November 2007. The twelve episode anime was made by Production IG, and released in April 2008 on Fuji TV's Noitamina (which is animation written backwards) timeslot.
Story
The basic plot for the novels is based on the "Statement of Intellectual Freedom in Libraries" that went into effect in Japan in 1954. The story is set 30 years after Japan passed the Media Enhancement Act in 1989, a law which effectively gave control of all published material to the government. The law was passed in an effort to censor any media that could be deemed as hazardous to Japanese society, but 30 years later blanket censorships, book burnings, and a culture of fear and exclusion have become the norm for society, as Media Enforcement troops are everywhere.
Because of this, and because of a tragedy that occured 20 years prior to the beginning of the story, the libraries now have their own defense forces, and the main character, Kasahara Iku, joins the Kanto Library Defense Force as she was saved by a member of the that team some years back. The show follows her struggle to become a good librarian and a good member of the defense team.
Art
The art style is very much hit and miss. Although the characters are nicely designed Production IG have adopted a style that has quite noticeable black borders around characters and objects. This give the show a far more "cartoony" feel than it should possibly have, especially during the dramatic moments. This "cartoony" feel can be off putting to some people, whilst others may be oblivious to it.
The backgrounds and settings are well designed, but overall they aren't anything special. The animation itself is usually quite smooth and flowing, although there are some glaring faults (the scene in episode 11 with a van crashing through a barrier made from two buses and receiving no damage is a prime example).
Sound
The sound is okay overall. The OP is nice, if unmemorable, as is the ED. The VA's are quite good overall. Inoue Marina plays the role of Iku very well, and her voice suits the design of the character. The same goes for the rest of the VA's with their resepctive characters. The sound effects are pretty good throughout the show. Most of these are used in the more dramatic or action filled moments to good effect.
Characters
The characters weren't bad on the whole. Iku is a nice enough lead on the whole, although I found it a little off putting that she is a stereotypical "jock" (i.e. all muscle and no brain). She is determined and caring, but coupled with that is a short temper, reckless behaviour, a dislike of serious study and classrooms, and a endency to overreact. This can make her character confusing as it's sometimes unclear how the show is trying to develop her.
The other characters (Doujo Atsushi, Shibasaki Asako, Tezuka Hikaru, etc), receive very little development throughout the course of the show, especially given the fact that the show is about Iku. This makes the show unbalanced as, although we are clear about what drives Iku, we are rarely shown any of the other chaacters' motivations.
Enjoyment
Here's the reason why I said this show is a bit odd. It never seems to settle on being one thing as it has drama, action, suspense, comedy, and even romance all mixed into it. he unfortunate thing though, is that it never quite pulls of the comedy, the romance is a little on the limp side, the drama is sometimes hammed up, and the suspense is normally easy to work out. Couple this with the cartoon style art and the show is difficult to take seriously.
However, the show is enjoyable on the whole, especially if you don't treat it as a serious anime. It's effectively a coming of age story and as such it actually works on quite a few levels.
Overall
Toshokan Sensou isn't a bad show on the whole. Yes, there are some obvious failings in the show, but it is still rather enjoyable in a no-brain kind of way. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants a serious show, or to anyone who wants a comedy. Although the basic premise is a serious one, the show works better as a straightforward action anime, and as such it's not a bad way to waste half an hour (hence my overall score of 7).
If you're going to watch the show then don't have any expectations of high drama, challenging concepts, or any kind of socio-political message. It doesn't require any introspection or deep philosophical ponderings, and the best advice is to watch it in the same way you'd watch Die Hard, Rush Hour, or any other action movie.
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formosan
35 of 58 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
I tried really hard to hate this anime. I watched the first episode and I was absolutely geared up to hate the whole thing and bring all my negative emotional baggage down on it.
I failed. I fell in love with this anime.
It deals with a war very unlike Western wars, and with laws very unlike Western laws. In the real world war is incredibly lawless and ugly, and law enforcement is terrible. But this anime deals with an extremely civilized war with very strict rules of engagement, very limited weapons, and scrupulous regard for human life, so it's not like watching documentary footage of real wars. The war is also in effect a limited civil war, so it's not like any war story I can recall ever having seen before.
This anime is short but extremely complete. The visuals are gorgeous. The character development, plot, and pacing are very well-balanced. It packs a huge amount of energy into a very concentrated package.
Obscure trivia note:The main character of Mahou Shoujo Tai Arusu was played by Kojima Sachiko, but for whatever reason, I keep thinking that she sounds exactly like Inoue Marina playing the main character of Toshokan Sensou. read more
Recommendations
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Besides sharing the same genre, both have female protagonists working to the future of their respective roles and accomplishing their missions. Although their plots are entirely different, the two series have a fair share of conflicts and purpose that pertains to their respective stories.
In Pumpkin Scissors the main character is fighting with tanks and other military people. On the other hand, Toshokan Sensou's is set in the future, gun fights are also a common thing and are no different of those presented by Pumkin Scissors. In the two animes there is the lead characters always someone that wants to be part of the team...And help each other.
Whoever is keen on breathtaking gun fights and the army, may be interestied in watching Pumpkin Scissors where the lead male character is constantly fighting tanks and which is more intriguing, he always wins. On the other hand, Toshokan Sensou's plot is set in the future, where in spite of the advanced technology, gun fights are also a common thing and are no different of those presented by Pumkin Scissors. In both anime, the main characters - Oland in PS and Aihara in TS, try to be a part of a team, despite the obstacles that stand in their way.
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Both series feature an endearing, enthusiastic airhead of a protagonist making her debut in her dream job with the support of a very colorful (and equally endearing) cast of strong characters. While in one case the goal is to protect books (and therefore culture and knowledge) and in the other it is the environment that is at stake, Kasahara (Toshokan Sensou) and Tanabe (PlanetES) share a same ideal and a similar approach in how to defend it. They also encounter the same hardships and embark on similar journeys, which makes for great character development and emotional involvement in both series.
Oh, and last but not least – the dynamics between Doujou and Kasahara are highly reminiscent of the sparks-ridden chemistry shared by Hachimaki and Tanabe in PlanetES! :)
even though the main plot is different these two anime remind me a lot of each other. The main character Toshokan Sensou and the main character of PlanetES are almost exactly the same in how they act and the main male character of both animes are very similar too. Both anime also have a lot of comedy but can be serious at times too
The main characters of Planetes, Ai Tanabe and Hachirota Hoshino, resemble those of Toshokan Sensou, Iku Kasahara and Atsushi Doujou.
Ai Tanabe is working hard to strive her goal, same with Iku Kasahara, and they both are stubborn when it comes to what they believe in. They will fight for their views. They also share the same pride for their work. Ai Tanabe, as well as Iku Kasahara, both share the same feelings they have for their respective main male characters.
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Opening Theme"Atashi no Machi, Asu no Machi (あたしの街、明日の街)" by Takahashi, Hitomi
Ending Theme"changes" by Base Ball Bear
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Related ClubsMarina Inoue fanclub, noitaminA, Production I.G Appreciation Society, The Romantic Manga, Anime and Drama Club, !~~tsubasalover's Friendships~~!, Akira Ishida, Kanto Library Task Force, Pittsburgh Japanese Animation Club, MAL Book Club, Anime Experience, chiaki's favorites!, Miyuki Sawashiro Club, Daisuke Ono Fan Club!
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