{ "id": "epgakq1mf6", "slug": "library-wars", "title": "Library Wars (図書館戦争)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.anime-movie-entries", "label": "Anime 'the Movie' franchise entries", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.anime-movie-entries" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Asia (other) · 2001 to 2020: Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001", "label": "Asia (other) · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Library Wars (図書館戦争, Toshokan Sensō) is Hiro Arikawa's 2006 light novel series about Japan's Library Defense Force fighting state censorship under the Media Betterment Act, adapted as manga, 2008 anime, 2012 anime film, and 2013 and 2015 live-action films.", "snippet": "Library Wars (図書館戦争, Toshokan Sensō) is Hiro Arikawa's 2006 light novel series about Japan's Library Defense Force fighting state censorship under the Media Betterment Act, adapted as manga, 2008 anime, 2012 anime film, and 2013 and 2015 live-action films.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.anime-movie-entries", "markdown": "# Library Wars (図書館戦争)\n\n**Library Wars** (図書館戦争, *Toshokan Sensō*) is a Japanese light novel series by Hiro Arikawa (有川浩) about a near-future Japan in which state censorship of media is legal, and a library self-defense organization called the Library Defense Force (図書隊) fights armed government units to protect books and the freedom to read. First published in 2006, the series was adapted as a manga, a 2008 television anime, a 2012 animated film, and two live-action films directed by Shinsuke Sato in 2013 and 2015.[1](https://eiga.com/news/20120801/1/) • [2](https://eiga.com/movie/77331/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original novels | Six volumes including spinoffs, first released in 2006; cumulative sales passed 2.8 million copies by 2012 and 6 million by 2015[1](https://eiga.com/news/20120801/1/) • [3](https://cinema.ne.jp/article/detail/35100) |\n| Setting | Year Seika 31 (2019), 30 years after the Media Betterment Act (メディア良化法) made censorship of expression legal, including armed enforcement by the Media Betterment Forces[2](https://eiga.com/movie/77331/) |\n| Main characters | Iku Kasahara, a new female recruit, and Atsushi Dojo, her harsh instructor; their romance runs alongside the Library Defense Force's battles[2](https://eiga.com/movie/77331/) |\n| Anime film | *The Wings of Revolution* (革命のつばさ) released June 16, 2012, 105 minutes, animated by Production I.G[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/57685/) |\n| Live-action film | Released April 27, 2013 by Toho, 128 minutes, directed by Shinsuke Sato, starring Junichi Okada and Nana Eikura[5](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/3718) |\n| Box office | The 2013 film earned 1.72 billion yen, ranking 22nd among Japanese films released that year[6](https://eiren.org/toukei/img/eiren_kosyu/data_2013.pdf) |\n| Sequel | *Library Wars: The Last Mission* opened October 10, 2015, 120 minutes, with the same director and leads[7](https://filmarks.com/movies/60445) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and setting\n\nThe story takes place in an alternate Japan using a revised calendar: the year Seika 31 corresponds to 2019, three decades after the Media Betterment Act was passed. The law authorizes censorship of expression deemed to violate public order and morals, and its enforcement arm, the Media Betterment Forces, may use force. In response, libraries created the Library Defense Force, an armed self-defense organization that protects books and the freedom to read.[2](https://eiga.com/movie/77331/) • [8](https://www.primevideo.com/-/ja/detail/0FJZJJOFCKIU6BBPXQOFJENQWI) An English-language review of the film places the act's passage in 1989, with its enforcement bureau later militarized.[9](https://chlotrudis.org/review/library/)\n\nThe heroine, Iku Kasahara, joins the Library Defense Force after a library officer protected a book she wanted during her high school years, an officer she remembers as her \"prince.\" She is assigned to the Library Task Force as its first woman, and trained under the strict instructor Atsushi Dojo, whom she initially clashes with before falling for him.[2](https://eiga.com/movie/77331/) • [8](https://www.primevideo.com/-/ja/detail/0FJZJJOFCKIU6BBPXQOFJENQWI) Supporting members include intelligence specialist Asako Shibasaki, Mikihisa Komaki, and Satoshi Tezuka.[10](https://www.scifijapan.com/library-wars/)\n\nThe premise borrows the framework of dystopian science fiction while treating freedom of expression as its central theme; reviewers have noted that the films keep the emphasis on entertainment rather than a heavy ideological drama.[11](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/77331/)\n\n## The novels\n\nHiro Arikawa, a novelist born in 1972 whose other works include *Hankyu Densha* (阪急電車) and *The Prefecture's Hospitality Desk* (県庁おもてなし課), wrote the series as four main volumes, *Library War*, *Library Infighting*, *Library Crisis*, and *Library Revolution*, plus two spinoff volumes, *Bessatsu Library War I* and *II*.[12](https://promo.kadokawa.co.jp/toshokan-sensou/) • [13](https://prtimes.jp/a/?c=1227&f=01c6b85bf5ae7fc38e35086f564a6cab.pdf&r=291) The first volume appeared in 2006, and by the time the live-action film was announced the six-volume series had sold over 2.8 million copies.[1](https://eiga.com/news/20120801/1/) By 2015 cumulative sales had passed 6 million.[3](https://cinema.ne.jp/article/detail/35100)\n\n## Anime adaptations\n\nA television anime series aired in 2008. The animated film *Library Wars: The Wings of Revolution* followed, released on June 16, 2012 by Kadokawa, with a running time of 105 minutes.[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/57685/) [Production I.G](https://www.edgepedia.org/production-i-g) animated it, with Takayuki Hamana directing, Yugo Kanno composing the music, and Base Ball Bear performing the theme song \"Hatsukoi.\" The main voice cast carried over from the TV series: [Marina Inoue](https://www.edgepedia.org/marina-inoue) as Kasahara, Tomoaki Maeno as Dojo, Miyuki Sawashiro as Shibasaki, Tatsumi Suzuki as Tezuka, and Akira Ishida as Komaki, with Issei Ogata voicing the novelist Toma Kuzuhara (当麻蔵人).[14](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/toshokan-sensou-movie/staff-cast.html)\n\nThe film's plot centers on a series of terrorist incidents whose methods closely resemble the plots of Kuzuhara's novels; the Media Betterment Committee moves to seize the novelist, and Kasahara and Dojo are assigned to protect him. Dojo is seriously wounded in fighting with the Betterment Forces.[4](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/57685/) Released on 30 screens, the film earned 39.1036 million yen in its first two days and finished at 210 million yen.[15](https://www.lanovelibrary.com/toshokan-sensou/)\n\n## Live-action films\n\n**The 2013 film.** Kadokawa announced the live-action adaptation in August 2012, with Junichi Okada of V6 as Dojo and Nana Eikura as Kasahara in their first shared screen appearance. The two had been ranked first in a *Da Vinci* magazine reader poll on desired casting, and Arikawa said their names were the only ones raised even at the planning stage.[1](https://eiga.com/news/20120801/1/) Shinsuke Sato, director of the two-part *GANTZ*, directed from a screenplay by Akiko Nogi; Toho distributed the 128-minute film, produced by Sedic International as the \"Library Wars\" Movie Project, on April 27, 2013.[5](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/3718) The cast also included Kei Tanaka, Sota Fukushi, Chiaki Kuriyama, Naomi Nishida, and Koji Ishizaka.[10](https://www.scifijapan.com/library-wars/)\n\nSato said the \"war\" of the title was meant literally, not symbolically, and the production sought realism in equipment and movement with cooperation from the [Japan Self-Defense Forces](https://www.edgepedia.org/japan-self-defense-forces); reviewers singled out the gun battles staged inside library spaces as a striking visual contrast.[16](https://secure.eiga.com/news/20130319/9/) • [11](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/77331/) The film screened at overseas festivals including the 2013 Fantasia International Film Festival, the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, and the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco.[5](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/3718) It earned 1.72 billion yen, placing 22nd among 2013's Japanese releases.[6](https://eiren.org/toukei/img/eiren_kosyu/data_2013.pdf)\n\n**The Last Mission (2015).** A sequel, *Library Wars: The Last Mission*, opened on October 10, 2015, again directed by Sato from Nogi's screenplay, with Okada, Eikura, Tanaka, and Fukushi returning and new cast members [Tao Tsuchiya](https://www.edgepedia.org/tao-tsuchiya), Tori Matsuzaka, and Aoi Nakamura joining.[7](https://filmarks.com/movies/60445) • [12](https://promo.kadokawa.co.jp/toshokan-sensou/) Its story draws on the second and third novels and centers on the Task Force guarding an exhibition of the one-of-a-kind \"Library Law Compendium\" at an arts festival in Ibaraki, where an ambush by the Betterment Forces pushes the unit to the brink of destruction.[17](https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~wf3r-sg/vatoshokansensothelastmission.html) • [3](https://cinema.ne.jp/article/detail/35100) A special television drama, *Library Wars: Book of Memories*, connected the two films.[18](https://www.cinematoday.jp/ent/toshokan-sensou-series-delivery/)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe 2013 film holds a 3.5 average from 174 user reviews on Eiga.com, with critics crediting its action realism while judging its political world-building to be lightly sketched.[11](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/77331/) On IMDb it carries a 5.9 rating from about 1,100 users.[19](https://www.justwatch.com/jp/%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB/tu-shu-guan-zhan-zheng) The 2015 sequel averaged 3.8 on Filmarks from over 26,000 reviews.[7](https://filmarks.com/movies/60445) As of 2025 the live-action film streams in Japan on services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and U-NEXT.[19](https://www.justwatch.com/jp/%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB/tu-shu-guan-zhan-zheng)\n\n## References\n\n1. [岡田准一＆榮倉奈々「図書館戦争」実写映画化で初共演, 映画.com (2012)](https://eiga.com/news/20120801/1/)\n2. [図書館戦争 : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/77331/)\n3. [現代社会の危機を巧みに示唆し得た 『図書館戦争THE LAST MISSION』, CINEMAS＋ (2015)](https://cinema.ne.jp/article/detail/35100)\n4. [図書館戦争　革命のつばさ : 作品情報, 映画.com](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/57685/)\n5. [JFDB - 図書館戦争 (LIBRARY WARS)](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/3718)\n6. [2013年興行収入10億円以上番組, 一般社団法人 日本映画製作者連盟](https://eiren.org/toukei/img/eiren_kosyu/data_2013.pdf)\n7. [図書館戦争 THE LAST MISSION, Filmarks映画](https://filmarks.com/movies/60445)\n8. [Prime Video: 図書館戦争](https://www.primevideo.com/-/ja/detail/0FJZJJOFCKIU6BBPXQOFJENQWI)\n9. [Library Wars review, Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film](https://chlotrudis.org/review/library/)\n10. [SciFi Japan - LIBRARY WARS production notes](https://www.scifijapan.com/library-wars/)\n11. [図書館戦争 : 作品情報・レビュー, 映画.com](https://secure.eiga.com/movie/77331/)\n12. [『図書館戦争』KADOKAWA総合サイト](https://promo.kadokawa.co.jp/toshokan-sensou/)\n13. [図書館戦争シリーズ電子書籍配信プレスリリース (2012)](https://prtimes.jp/a/?c=1227&f=01c6b85bf5ae7fc38e35086f564a6cab.pdf&r=291)\n14. [Production I.G｜図書館戦争　革命のつばさ スタッフ・キャスト](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/toshokan-sensou-movie/staff-cast.html)\n15. [『図書館戦争』の小説・漫画・アニメの概要、売上, ラノベライブラリ](https://www.lanovelibrary.com/toshokan-sensou/)\n16. [岡田准一、アクション再挑戦に喜び！実写版「図書館戦争」完成, 映画.com (2013)](https://secure.eiga.com/news/20130319/9/)\n17. [映画note：図書館戦争 THE LAST MISSION](https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~wf3r-sg/vatoshokansensothelastmission.html)\n18. [「図書館戦争」実写映画/アニメの配信調査, シネマトゥデイ VOD比較](https://www.cinematoday.jp/ent/toshokan-sensou-series-delivery/)\n19. [図書館戦争 - 動画配信・視聴情報, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/jp/%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB/tu-shu-guan-zhan-zheng)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Anime 'the Movie' franchise entries*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Library Wars (図書館戦争)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Library Wars (図書館戦争)](https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Library Wars (図書館戦争)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/library-wars. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Library Wars is Hiro Arikawa's 2006 light novel series about Japan's Library Defense Force fighting state censorship under the Media Betterment Act, adapted as manga, 2008 anime, 2012 anime film, and 2013 and 2015 live-action films." }