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Memorable Manga Moments: Library Wars

August 22, 2011

Okay, obviously I like stories that have romantic tension between the two characters. A great example of that is in Viz’s series Library Wars.

Main protagonists Iku and Dojo are serving in a military capacity. Dojo and Iku had a prior encounter before Iku joined the Defense Forces. As a high school student Iku tried to save a book from being taken by the Media Betterment Committee. When the soldiers were going to arrest her, a younger Dojo stepped in to protect her in the name of the Kanto Library Forces. Iku was deeply inspired by that encounter, and considers that man her prince. However, she doesn’t recall his face, and so doesn’t realize years later that her “prince” is actually her commanding officer Dojo.

Flash forward to this scene. The Library Commander has been captured by terrorists. Iku was with the commander during his capture, so she is also being held by the terrorists, and doing her best to defend the commander without giving away her real ability. When her team discovers that they have been captured, they immediately set out to determine the commander’s whereabouts for a recovery mission.

The panels prior to this show Dojo recalling the incident from when Iku was in high school, recounting how brave she was and confirming that Dojo was in fact the one who saved her. He worries that now, with her amount of courage, she may do something to put herself in danger. The team arrives and the commander and Iku are recovered. I’ve chosen the ending panels because they convey the most emotion. Dojo is relieved to find Iku unharmed and he apologizes for earlier stating that Iku was not fit for her job. Iku is relieved.

I love this scene because the two characters are experiencing true emotion of their feelings for one another, but so much is left unspoken. This would be an opportune time to make a confession, but Dojo talks around it. Iku still doesn’t realize that her prince is really Dojo, although her emotions echo the feelings of the past.

I wish Iku would get a clue already! I can’t wait for that first real kiss to happen!

5 Comments

The series is ending this October! 😀

Mary May 02, 2015
Hello , Hum , I’m not english , i’m french and I don’t speak very , very english …. but , I understand your paragraphe and I LOVE <3 ! I like Library Wars !

Kiss

No life passion (y) .

No life passion (y) Apr 29, 2012
- Vous pouvez écrire en français et je vais le traduire. Merci pour vos commentaires!
  
  Laura May 01, 2012
Seems like a lovely manga! I’m a sucker for these types of stories as well… 😛

Charles Aug 23, 2011
- It was first a light novel. It also has an anime. I’m a sucker for military romance, so of course I love this series. I’ll have to check out the anime after the manga finishes publication.
  
  Laura Aug 23, 2011