Reviewed by Tamara, age 16, of the Waldo Branch Library.
Review for Library Wars: Love & War Vol. 1
by Kiiro Yumi
This manga takes place in the near future the government has decided to rid the society of books that it labels as inappropriate. These books are seized from bookstores and any people found carrying them by strict MBC (the Media Betterment Committee) officers. The libraries vowed to protect their books from the corrupt government and established their own military task force called the Library Defense Forces. Iku Kasahara is a new recruit on the Library Forces and is excited to finally have the job of her dreams. But will she lose her enthusiasm as her perfect job turns sour when her drill instructor seems to have it out for her?
The characters in Library Wars are both identifiable and typical. Iku is the strong, courageous girl who strives to be the best at a job dominated by men. But because of the fact that she’s so impulsive, her struggles occasionally bring about a laugh. Her desire to keep books out of the MBC’s clutches is admirable.
Sergeant Atsushi Dojo is Iku’s stern, short (he’s five foot four) drill instructor. Dojo may appear to be unfeeling and mean but some of his actions hint that he truly cares about Iku.
Hikaru Tezuka is Iku’s sullen teammate. He’s an exceptional officer and regards Iku as a wannabe and an annoyance. Teezuka is smart, handsome, and full of himself.
Girls and guys will like Library Wars because it’s about books (and all of you obviously like books or you wouldn’t be reading this), combat, and determination.
I give it four out of five stars!
Review for Skip Beat Vol. 1 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Kyoko Mogami is a sixteen-year old girl who lived to please the love of her life, Sho. But when Sho dumps her for his career as a famous singer, Kyoko realizes her foolishness and vows to destroy Sho by becoming even more famous. After trying out at an acting audition, Kyoko fails the test because she’s lost the ability to love! Now sent to the Love Me section of the agency, Kyoko must learn how to love again. Along the way she slowly makes friends and realizes who she really is.
Kyoko is hilarious. She is so emotional that people actually can see her aura of anger and feel her hate waves. But she is determined to have her revenge on Sho and nothing stops her. And she also realizes she has a natural ability to act.
There are many other characters in Skip Beat but I’ll leave it up to you to discover them as you read the series. I normally don’t read manga but this series is very interesting, funny, and romantic. I’m in the process of re-reading it! WARNING! This is a girls’ manga, so boys beware!
I give Skip Beat five out of five stars!