Books I Read In 2022 (and by read I mean actually liked)
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 5 by Kiiro Yumi
I keep telling you. This is what I want to do!
⭐⭐⭐(2.75 STARS)
Spoilers Below!!!
It actually pains me to rate a Library Wars volume so low, especially since it's my most re-read one. (And by most re-read, I do mean that I would just skip to the bonus manga because that’s what salvaged it for me.)
“You’ve overcome your shyness… so you could become my hero.” - I would’ve liked this more if their relationship didn’t creep me the fuck out.
Unfortunately, even this series wasn’t spared from a weird age gap relationship. Marie and Komaki’s relationship is weird as fuck. They acknowledge the age gap, yes, but not the fact that this is a grown man in his late twenties going for a girl who quite literally just turned eighteen.
“Who knows? Sometimes that doesn’t stop a grown-up man” was an insane line choice, and having Dojo flashback to when he met teenage Iku was even crazier because those are completely different situations. Another absolutely wild line was what Komaki said to Marie when they came to rescue him: “I can’t see you as a child anymore. What am I going to do?” (Am I the weird one here? Does no one else see what’s wrong with this?)
Things I actually liked about this volume:
Iku’s dad having her back for the first time ever is still one of the most iconic moments of the entire series.
Marie as a character! She is adorable and I love the friendship she develops with Iku and Shibazaki. I also love how she tells off those officers for their ignorance. How dare they use her disability, which they knew nothing about, as an excuse to torture Komaki?!
The fact that Iku was the one who caught on to how Marie and Komaki felt about each other. (I love how she’s perceptive about everyone’s feelings but her own… and also Dojo’s.)
I like how we get small appearances and anecdotes about Tezuka’s brother before he finally shows up, because the build-up pays off in the end since he’s such a vital character. (Tezuka only calling him because he wants to help Komaki… You just know that’s a tense family dynamic.)
IkuxDojo Quotes/Moments which I desperately clung to so I wouldn’t have to think about Marie and Komaki:
“Next time you take off crying, hide someplace an emotional girl is more likely to hide.” - I’m convinced this man looked everywhere for her before he caved and Shibazaki for help. (You’re pathetic, Dojo, and also kind of an asshole… I unfortunately like that about you now.)
“What happened to the menstrual cramps so terrible you couldn’t get out of bed?!” // “I lied. I was picking Marie up!” - Literally just them arguing like an old married couple throughout this entire volume, in front of everyone.
The bonus mangas did a lot of the heavy lifting in this one, especially the second one because it truly lives in my head rent-free. I only have this volume to read the bonus mangas, I’m not even joking.
The first one was about Iku trying to capture a photo of Tezuka smiling, because she just has to see it for herself. It was really funny and just so wholesome! It was incredibly in-character of Iku and Tezuka to instinctively leap into oncoming traffic to save a little girl. And then you had Iku being so in awe of seeing him smile that she completely dropped her plans to photograph him. Iku is a stronger woman than I am because I would not have been able to survive both Tezuka and Dojo smiling at me consecutively. (Sidenote, how did she get those other pictures of him though? The one of him brushing his teeth feels impossible. Shibazaki’s right, she’s definitely got a talent there.)
“There were so many threats for me to neutralize.” - Dojo really is my favourite dumb dumb The second one is simply iconic. It’s so iconic that I forgot it was a bonus manga and not an actual part of the story. Main protagonist who’s unfamiliar with traditional feminine styles turns into a princess when she has no other choice but to wear the pretty dress, but she still manages an epic takedown anyway - gotta be one of my favourite micro-tropes. (Poor baby has no idea how gorgeous she is!) Also, paying for the ruined dress is the least that sleazy novelist could do. Dojo should’ve held him up for Iku to use as a punching bag.