Manga Review: Library Wars: Love & War, Volume 5, by Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Publish Date: 2011

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: Some.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf!

Goodreads Synopsis:

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 is about to face her most difficult challenge--her parents are coming to visit the library where she works! When she joined the Library Forces, she told her parents that she was just going to be a librarian Now they might discover that she's on the ultra-dangerous Task Force. Can her parents ever accept that she's a library warrior?

Review:

I love this series. I just love it. I was grinning and laughing through practically this whole volume, it was so good, and there were even a couple of parts where I had to just pause and stare and re-read. I just… this series is just kind of blowing my mind, I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. But it is.

The first chapter closes up Iku’s parents visit. It was sweet, and a little sad, and very nice. Iku’s mother is just worried, and afraid for her no matter what her job is. But her father, while also very obviously worried, is supportive, no matter what he knows of her job (and he knows more than we thought, it turns out!). Also, I loved seeing Dojo’s interactions with Iku’s father. They were so good.

Then—and then!—the plot took a very surprising, but fantastic!, turn. Such a good turn! Oh my god, I was fangirling so hard while reading this storyline. [Pause. Give me a minute. I have to get my emotions under control, here.]

Okay. Okay. So, you know how I’ve been kind of falling for Komaki, right? Right? Because I have. I love him, he’s awesome. Well, he got a whole three chapters to himself. (Well, not to himself—they weren’t in his head. But they were about him.)

It turns out, you guys, that Komaki has a totally unexpected love interest. And I love her and she’s perfect and oh my god I hope there’s more.

Okay, I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop fangirling.

Anyway, so, there’s this girl. Her name is Marie, and she’s deaf, and she’s been in love with him since she was young. (!! I know, right!?) He’s been there for her since she lost her hearing, and has helped her deal with it, and has connected with her through books, and ohmygod.

But then—but then!—he gets in trouble by the MBC, because they’re big jerks, who took some stupid rumor about him abusing a deaf girl.

I don’t think I want to say anymore? I do, but I also don’t want to spoil everything. So maybe I’ll leave things there.

Aside from saying that the endings so great, and I freakin’ love Komaki, and I really hope Marie shows up more. This was a whole new side to Komaki, and it was a fantastic side, and I loved it. I want more. Rawr.

It would be easy to say that that’s all I loved about this volume, but that’s such a lie. Because there was also some really good, good scenes between Iku and Dojo, and some nice time with Shibazaki. Then there was a bonus manga where Iku tries desperately to get a picture of Tezuka smiling. This causes all kinds of hilarity.

After that, there’s a bonus manga where the team is working for a party, and Iku ends up having to wear a really pretty dress and wig, and she looks gorgeous, but doesn’t realize it. Dojo realizes it, of course. This causes all kinds of cute, hilarious moments, particularly when Iku gets hit on (and doesn’t even realize why!).

These books are just perfect, I swear. I can’t help grinning and laughing every time I read them. The humor is just perfect. And then there’s all these serious, sweet moments mixed in with the hilarity, and those are done so effortlessly. And the arts really pretty—not outstanding, a little simple at times, but so pretty and nice to look at.

I love this series. I want the next volumes now, and it should be arriving at my house soon. Yay!