Anime: Toshokan Sensou 123v2r

Animated by Studio I.G. which means it’s going to have amazing science fiction overtones… What the heck, it doesn’t? And it’s a romantic comedy to boot??? Man, these guys are out of their league for trying to pull something good out of this. And the show is directed by the guy who did Prince of Tennis! Ok, I guess the premise is over the top here as well (Books are serious bizness!) but it seems like we are heading for the rule of cool and not because the story seems interesting. And I mean it does sound interesting; 90% of the people who decided to watch the show was because of the description.
“Many books are banned and libraries now have armies in order to protect them.”
Don’t you just want to find out what this is all about? Doesn’t it sound familiar to Fahrenheit 451? Isn’t it relevant to the recent Act Japan voted in order to censor several works of fiction? Isn’t this a social-political heavy story around law-given liberties?

And the answer is no, it isn’t; it is just an excuse to place the main characters in a situation where they need to team together for the same goal. The whole premise is handled very lightly, it is hardly exploited beyond the obvious, and it is usually thrown aside for comedy and romance. In effect, it is just a lure to watch a romance with a pretext. And before you think of anything else YES IT WORKS! Romances work fine as long as they have something other than high schools (gah, how I hate those) and the characters have some sort of goal or objective that keeps them together (other than being forced to go to the same school every day that is and study hard to in the same college). So there you go, this time it is in libraries, and they are armed and trained to defend the bookshelves from opposing oppressors of free thought or something.

As I said, it is just a cool premise; nothing too violent or important ever happens and it is mostly stereotypical comedy and romance. Which is just fine if you realize the target audience is GIRLS and not BOYS despite being tagged with a seinen demographic. And thus you get some clutz girl who pretends to be dynamic but keeps being in need for some hunk to save here from pretty much everything in a most non-violent and romantic way. I mean, ok, there is action too, but it is cartoony and aimed at destroying books and not at killing or injuring people. For the same reason, you must love books or be a strong er of liberties, or even the premise won’t work and the whole thing will backfire as being completely stupid. A WAR FOR BOOKS? And since it never tries to be serious or delves deep into politics and morals, it is nothing more that a generic excuse for the story to exist and to lure in the bookworm audience. It worked for Inkheart, so why not here as well?

Well, it’s still an almost standard shoujo fare if you check out all the important characters. The dynamic female protagonist who is otherwise frail and in constant need of her super handsome commander… and some others. Yup, it is basically a two-character show with the rest flavouring it with silly action and goofy comedy. It works to place everything in a context (other that goddamn schools) and to have a theme while everything unfolds predictably but also nicely and end rather satisfactory after 12 episodes. It is still very basic as a whole, and all secondary characters are left undeveloped and always easily acknowledged as either good (ers of books) or bad [/i] (Nazi-wannabies and trashers of the former). [/i] It would be really cool to see some reasoning behind the baddies and some actual political implications but NAH nothing of the sort happens.

I leave for last the production values which are nothing much in of background details or cinematics. To the most part everything looks ok and the crossfire scenes lack tragedy or excitement for being light and bloodless. There are also no exceptional music pieces or memorable voice action, and the comedy is almost ever-present to make things appear even more simplistic with deformity and cartoony violence.

So as a whole it is not a great show but if you get past the stupid logic of WAR FOR BOOKS then you get a nice time waster. But nothing more. I prefer my wars with blood spilling, lives lost, and people screaming.

Good pace, fun and remarkably enjoyable characters to make up for the ridiculous plot.

The impression this show left on me is an amalgam of the characters of Planetes together with the easygoing mood of Pumpkin Scissors in a serious world. Perhaps a comparison with Gunparade March for a seinen public is a better match. Still, it doesn't feel like it is a proper comparison for a review, so let's elaborate.

First off, the plot is ridiculous and that annoyed me. A government which presses a censorship law, but that same government agrees also with another law which allows the libraries to fight back with violence on legal grounds. It doesn't make sense; it's like making smoking a violation of the law, but when you get arrested for violating that law, you're free to kill the police officer who comes to arrest you, without being persecuted for that.

Having said that, despite the show serious undertone, the series is enjoyable and the characters make up for a whole lot of lacking aspects.

Animation: Surprisingly bland, both characters as backgrounds.

I was surprised by the sloppy animation. Not only do the characters look different from seperate angles or in seperate situations, but the backgrounds are sometimes done perfectly well – while at other times they don't look more than two strokes of a brush.

The perfect backgrounds scream for characters who fit in there and while the interaction between them isn't wrong (CG integration goes really well in the show), the characters simply feel bland. There isn't a lot of detail on them and even if there is, there are plenty of times where they lack them in other places. For instance, a military suit is simply one green spot with outlines. There are no seams, there are no wrinkles, which makes it feel really bland. It made me feel disappointed whenever I saw such display of lack of detail over and over again. The biggest problem is that it is not always like that - sometimes uniforms do look detailed and/or wrinkled, which only shows that they are indeed capable of doing it, but simply don't take the time for them.

It isn't that they didn't pay attention to details, but that simply disappointed. Examples where they did take care of details are – for instance – the hair of characters, which seem much more realistic and prone to wind and such than the regular static hairdoes in most other anime which always fall back in their original position. The also take time to give characters some different set of clothes every now and then, which is a nice addition too, as shows usually don't do that much.

The rarely degenerated characters when there is something funny/comical is going on is done superbly and also the movement of characters seems to have given lots of attention, as to make sure that everyone moves realistically. Thumbs up for that. Unfortunately, there are too many aspects which detract from all the good animation, so I feel I cannot give this a good score overall.

Sound: Good voice actors, good music.

I felt the voice actors were chosen based on which character they would represent. It might not be the very first choice to think of, but all regular characters have a fitting voice actors with a lot of quality. There is literally nothing bad to say about anything the voice actors do as all emotions are properly displayed through voices. This means they are not simply ‘good’, but ‘really good’ in my humble opinion.

The music is good, fitting and doesn't seem all that experimental. I have to it that the ED song gets more appreciation once you are further in the show. At first I didn't think much of it, but at some point it starts fitting more and more, which is remarkable.

Story: Ridiculous idea to build a story around, but the flow does a good job.

I've already expressed my disgust about the idea, which is truly ridiculous, in my opinion, but if you can look past that, you're in for an enjoyable ride. Just like in many shows, the war is only a setting and doesn't get the main focus. What does get the focus is the life of female protagonist Kasahara Iku and her being the very first female in the elite squad. It does a good job in trying to give the show a little lighthearted feeling, without ridiculing any of the characters.

The pace of the story is done well. Most of them are theme-of-the-day stories, but they're all done in order to get a feel for how Kasahara lives and how the squad experiences the atmosphere when she's there. There are plenty of hidden references to social problems, just as much as there is criticism to the entire idea of censorship, but they're all underlying issues. They don't bring it out to the front in order to rub it into your face as moralistic anime often do, but the facts are all there to see and it is up to you to accept it or ignore it.

Yet, the story starts and stays pretty solid. Even the follow-ups manage to stay on a fairly realistic level – taking into that the initial idea was never anywhere realistic, so it would be unfair to judge the story solely by its initial aspect.
It isn't anywhere near a political thriller, but it certainly does have plenty of political aspects. It's also nowhere near a full-out comedy, but it manages to add plenty of comical aspects throughout the show.

Characters: Good characters, as long as they have lines.

The only real flaw in the characters is that the only characters on the pitch are the ones with lines of text. As soon as they don't have that, they're often displayed as shadows, or shadow-casted faces, if the uniform has to be visible. A lack of facial features is also possible, by the way.

But when it comes to the characters which do have a role in this show, they are truly worth it. Characters with a personality, perfectly matched voices and development in both character development and relationship development. The dialogues are good. There are conversations which are simply enjoyable to see taking place, but there are also in-depth conversations which are adding to the serious undertone of the war.

Kasahara Iku is a character which can be best described as Ai from Planetes. Expressive personality, headstrong, clumsy when nervous and completely oblivious to whoever has a love interest in her. Characters such as her are often excellent characters when there is a proper cast backing her up.

The main cast here consists of strict Instructor Dojo, who always seems to pick her out due to her being so immensely clumsy and the habit of acting before thinking; her near-perfect colleague Tezuka Hikaru, who succeeds in all aspects of life except for being social; and Kasahara's roommate, a combination of Yamato Nadeshiko and Mata Hari who goes by the name of Shibasaki.
There are a few more worth mentioning, but these people form the main cast and they are one by one all interesting characters to have in your show.

Unfortunately, due to the show only having 12 episodes, they can't develop any further, but for the time being they do a good job in holding their position in the show, without being overrun by the rampaging protagonist.

Value & Enjoyment: Very enjoyable, save for the hideous plot.

I won't complain about the plot anymore, but it took away a lot of my enjoyment for the show. There are a few more aspects which make the entire plot even more complicated, but generally the pace of the show is fun and enjoyable.
It also helps that the actual plot is only a setting, rather than dominating the entire show, so it is generally run by the characters rather than the plot. This way it is still a show which is fun to watch, because of the characters setting the pace.

The times where the show takes a turn for the more serious issues, the show becomes good in an entirely different way, but the show never loses its edge when it comes to the characters. And since the characters make this show, I can accept the weak initial plot.

It might be a bit farfetched to make this a solid recommendation, but it surely is a show worthy to watch, as it never really fails anywhere - except for the initial plot.

I normally don't write reviews, and defintely not when I haven't finished the series. But this is a special occasion.[br][br]I started Toshokan Sensou, aka Library War, one day ago, I've caught up to episode 9, so 3 more episodes to go.[br][br]The story's about a special trained military group for the "Library", to protect good and important books. At first I was like, "This can't be good.". But I started to watch the show anyway, to kill some time.[br][br]I'm glad I did, the characters are great, you can really see yourself in them (if you have any in comment), like personalities, they look more human then in your average anime. Sometimes the laughing is on the lesser side, but that doesn't bouth the show. About the story itself, very intresting, never saw a story like this, the "love"-plot that's mixed in it is one of "those" average plots, but who won't enjoy that?[br][br]The art's okay, sometimes I wished they would've draw some things more realistic, like the women, at first the lead character looked to much to a guy, but once you see her soft-side, she's really beautiful, same goes for the other female character. The sounds pretty good to, although it is off the animation sometimes (could be the subbers fault..)[br][br]But all-in-all, Toshokan Sensou (Library War) is an highly enjoyable anime if you like intresting story's, good/realistic art and romance or humor. Every aspect is worked in it, and of course, don't forget the action that happens once in a while.[br]

I expected this to get only 3-4 ratings, so I'm pleasantly surprised.  Rate me! It's important to provide the writer with just a little , so that he can stop sulking in the corner over being ignored and write another review.[br]This review is based on the h264 HD fansubs provided by Ocha! and Frothbite-Menclave. The series transferred nicely in both instances, and I can recommend either.[br][br]Quick Take: This short series (12 episodes) is a great candidate for good quick-watch for 2008.  It's a morality play (think Farenheit 451) and a romance, based on "Library War" (the novel series) by Hiro Arikawa. It's about a girl coming of age, and her relationships with friends as well as her superior, about whom she develops a "complicated" relationship. It's an alternate timeline from ours, and information censorship is the rule, enforced by police and government agencies in Japan. However, libraries are allowed to defend their collections with deadly force in the form of "book soldiers." In 2019, we are introduced to new recruit Iku Kasahara, and follow her as she becomes a unique asset for the libraries. Be warned: the series has liberal gunplay and military violence, not all of the comic variety. Some might find it inappropriate for children, and others might say it's ok, so let your values guide.[br][br]Animation: I usually love I.G. Productions. As this is an I.G. production, so as usual it's has excellent animation. The in-betweens are incredible, the key animation outstanding, and the backgrounds are detailed and lovely.  Character design mostly follows the manga, with little changes of height and hair color, etc. It's obvious that a goodly amount of money went into the animation, because it's got everything that I.G. is famous for. The director, Takayuki Hamana, was also responsible for another favorite of mine, The Prince of Tennis, and this has much the same feel for pacing, setting and mood, although this is more of a military theme than a sports theme. The original stories were turned into manga in 2007, and the series art follows episodes directly from the Hiro Arikawa manga, Toshokan Sensō: Spitfire! Occasional 3D efx directed by Makoto Endo (GITS, Seirei no Moribito), are mixed in with the excellent digital 2D. Though they are mostly obvious intrusions, the quality doesn't lag. I can't emphasize enough that the animation here is excellent, and although the story might be eyebrow-raising, the animation is outstanding. This earns a rare 10 from me.[br][br]Sound: My fansubs were excellent in depth and width of soundstage, with directionality present and outstanding foley and sfx. Background music by Yuugo Kanno (D.C. ~ Da Capo) is both stirring and has obvious battle and love themes, and they contributed mightily to the emotionally moving parts of the series. Opening Theme is "Atashi no Machi, Ashita no Machi (あたしの街、明日の街)" by Hitomi Takahashi and it's lovely; Ending Theme is "changes" by Base Ball Bear and it's a fitting end for the series. The seyuu are professional in the best sense of the word, not going in for extreme voicings (the animation only occasionally delves into super-deformation) and giving a complete, mature rendering. In particular, Marina Inoue ( who debuted in Petite Cossette (OAV) as Cossette d'Auvergne) voices the main character of Iku Kasahara so well that I could not imagine another person behind the animation. I give the sound quality a solid 9.[br][br][br]Story: Alas, it's all about the story, and the story has some illogical premises. The series basically follows the manga, but there's material still left undone. However, you have to first buy the premise of an alternate reality, where books have been banned and confiscated, but libraries can defend themselves. Then you have to buy that there would be separate and competing (not cooperating) armed police entities within a state, and that state would allow them to do live-fire and the elected officials wouldn't do anything about it. [br]Allowing for the suspension of  disbelief required here, it's a charming story of coming-of-age and romance. Kasahara is given good character development, and is allowed to grow through 12 all-too-brief episodes. There is military-style fighting, from commando raids to platoon assaults, but the essential aspect of the story is the relationships. By the time you get to the final episode, you want to see how the relationship(s) and the job develop. You also want to see some comeuppance to those who would burn books!  Standard side-characters populate the story, but they mostly don't have enough backstory or motivation to create narrative drive. I deduct points for illogical premises, but the rest of the story works fine, so it's an 8 for me on the story.[br][br]Character: You'll love Kasahara. She's tall and spunky, kind of like Risa Koizumi in Lovely Complex. her character design is almost masculine, and she's in a masculine job, but doing her best to be a good child to her parents and a grown woman, in spite of her aggressive and masculine tendencies. It's quite endearing, especially when she has a complete Japanese Idol opposite her in the form of Shibasaki. I didn't catch the motivations of the men, they tended to be obscure and distant, but the character designs are also very good. There are several changes of clothing for each character almost in every episode, but I doubt any will be the object of cosplay as they are mostly martial/military. The rest of the cast are mostly anime archtypes, but are still nicely cast even if as foils and plot devices. This gets an 8 from me.[br][br]Value and Entertainment: I looked forward to my next installment each week, and that's a good sign. There were not many cliff-hangers, but the narrative never flagged. Since it's technically excellent, you should find the value worth collecting and maybe even having in DVD. As for enjoyment, as long as you can suspend disbelief, it's an enjoyable series. 8 points all around from me.[br][br]Conclusion: I predict that if you watch the first two episodes, you'll be hooked. Not a kiddie series because of the gun violence. It's good enough for the older kids to watch, but don't set-and-forget, watch it with them and discuss the issues guns and of censorship it brings up.  [br][br][br]