Toshokan Sensou: Kakumei no Tsubasa

Following a terror attack in which a helicopter crashed into a nuclear power plant, the Japanese government passes a law expanding the powers of the Media Betterment Committee (MBC). Knowing that the MBC will target author Kurato Touma due to the similarities between one of his novels and the terrorists' actions, journalist Maki Orikuchi asks the Library Defense Force (LDF) to act as his bodyguards.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups of the LDF prepare to indict the MBC on the grounds that parts of its new authority are unconstitutional. With the very existence of the Media Betterment Act coming under scrutiny, the members of the Library Task Force must navigate both their blossoming relationships and the precarious political situation they find themselves in.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Doujou, Atsushi Main

Maeno, Tomoaki Japanese

Kasahara, Iku Main

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Shibasaki, Asako Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Komaki, Mikihisa Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Tezuka, Hikaru Supporting

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa Japanese

Tezuka, Satoshi Supporting

Yoshino, Hiroyuki Japanese

Nakazawa, Marie Supporting

Ueda, Kana Japanese

Inamine, Kazuichi Supporting

Satou, Haruo Japanese

Kojima, Kiyoka Supporting

Han, Megumi Japanese

Touma, Kurato Supporting

Ogata, Issey Japanese

Nishimura, Tomoyasu Producer

Hamana, Takayuki Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Konuta, Kenji Script

Base Ball Bear Theme Song Performance

Reviews

Feb 19, 2013

Frog-kun

Recommended

The best reason to watch this movie is for the romantic development and overall feeling of conclusion given to the characters. It's hard for any longtime fan of this series not to feel satisfied with the developments here.

While this movie does explain the major plot points of the anime series and features a standalone story that can be enjoyed by anyone, it is still a direct sequel. You'll get the most out of this movie if you're familiar with the characters and their relationships with each other.

So how does this compare with the original anime series? The feel is more or less the same, though ... it's great to see the story play out with Production I.G.'s top-notch animation. Some scenes, particularly the chase scene and the climax, stand out quite well because of the dynamic sense of movement and detail in the backgrounds, and the romantic moments are portrayed with great use of lighting and atmosphere.

The plot, too, is what you would expect from the Library Wars setting. Our heroes Iku and Dojo are charged with protecting an elderly writer from the heinous clutches of the Media Betterment Committee. The story is well-paced from start to finish and moves along briskly, not even dragging in the middle part where the action is slow.

It's interesting how at one point in the movie Iku admits to being more interested in characters and forgetting the overall plot whenever she reads books - this is precisely how I feel about Library Wars as a whole. The setting is still ridiculous and the villains are never really given an identity or a proper motivation, but the characters are so down-to-earth and charming that it is hard to focus on the flaws. Library Wars treats its unbelievable setting with seriousness and dignity, but it is hard to believe the characters are ever in any real danger even as the bullets fly. Even so, it's so easy to root for the characters and to cheer for Iku when she displays her boundless courage. To be able to pull this off without much serious dramatic tension takes some great writing.

The movie will probably best appeal to romance fans who enjoy a bit of action here and there. Picking up directly where the series left off, Iku and Dojo's newly discovered intimacy lies at the very heart of the story. It inspires Iku in particular to be braver, and the influence is always felt while never feeling overstated. It is not a particularly deep love story but it works in this movie in particular because of how grounded the interactions are in the characters and their idiosyncrasies.

Library Wars is an underappreciated gem of a series and it is a shame the movie has not seemed to have gotten the exposure it deserves. While the setting might not get the closure it deserves by the end, the characters certainly do. It's definitely worth your time to check out, both for newcomers and veterans to the franchise. It's easy to watch and the characters are fun. There's really not that much more we can ask for in a story.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Feb 18, 2013

munem939

Recommended

I like how the character development progresses over the period of the movie. The story starts off a bit shallow but then, as the story progresses, becomes more in-depth and more enjoyable. For those who have not watched the original show, you have nothing to worry about. The movie explains the main part of the plot from the original series.

This movie was incredibly fun to watch and there was a lot of emotional moments especially (Without giving too much away) near the end of the film. It's one of those movies that give your soul a bit of "boost" (Sorry if that sounds corny) and ... makes you feel happy after watching it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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May 26, 2014

ravenwritingdesk

Recommended

I read a manga adaption of this series (Library Wars: Love & War) and from the very first page I loved it, but I didn't know how much it would come to mean to me. The idea is unique to me and the characters are realistic in a way that can jump out at you if you can relate to them.

While certain things are easy to predict in this series, it's done in a way that still leaves you curious about things and this causes one to continue on with the series despite situational irony. While the main focus is events that occur in ... the library and protecting books, the drama and dark aspects of these concepts are lightened by giving you breaks in the story so that you can see the relationships the characters have with each other outside of work and how the things actually affect them- as emotion cannot rule when they are right in the middle.

I found while looking through the books, that the ideas presented in this story are actually highly relevant to today's society- governments and certain citizens are fighting to censor certain things from the general public because they feel that these things are dangerous to society. There are people who fight back against this censorship with the argument that we choose our own actions. Censorship becomes a bigger issue each year and this story proves that when taken too far, the consequences can become dire, requiring drastic measures to try to fix the damage that has been done.

The relevance to today is amazing, especially when coupled with how the anime was created. The art is great- it doesn't make the characters look too cartoonish and it also doesn't make them look too adult or real. The art helps lighten up the story with how amazing the expressions have been drawn- you can almost see EXACTLY what the characters are thinking. The anime also stayed true to the story presented by Hiro Arikawa- sensei; it was not embellished or drastically changed from what it is. If you are a person who prefers accuracy to the manga or original form, Library Wars is a GREAT example of that.

Despite knowing what was going to happen, when I watched this I was riveted and intrigued. The way the characters interact is engaging and amusing and if you haven't read the story, you will be surprised because somethings you just CAN'T expect!

No matter what genre you enjoy, if you're looking for a great story with engaging, amusing characters, and plot twists that will make you go back to watch again, I DEFINITELY recommend this one!

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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noitaminA (Programming Block)

by MyAnimeList

111 Entries · 337 Restacks

Book Lovers

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Literary & Library themes

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The 10 Best Anime Movies 2012

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