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#blacklagoon — Public Fediverse posts

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  1. Pop Culture Library Review @popculturelibraries.wordpress.com@popculturelibraries.wordpress.com ·

    Recently added titles (July 2026)

    Yamada checks his phone for messages from Nishi outside the Municipal Center and Library in an episode of the new season of You and I Are Polar Opposites

    Building upon the titles listed for July/August, September, OctoberNovember, and December 2021, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of 2022, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of 2023, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, SeptemberOctober, November, and December of 2024, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of this year, and January, February, March, April, May, and June of this year, this post notes recent titles with libraries or librarians in popular culture which I’ve come across in the past month. Each of these has been watched or read during the past month. No films, animated series, or other entries with libraries (or librarians) to add for this past month, but I did come across some in webcomics and anime. There may be spoilers for these series, so be aware.

    Animated series recently added to this page

    None for this month.

    Anime series recently added to this page

    • I Want To Love You Till Your Dying Day, “Friends” (s1 ep 3)
    • I Want To Love You Till Your Dying Day, “Accomplices” (s1 ep 4)
    • Detective Conan aka Case Closed (s2 ep 22)
    • You and I Are Polar Opposites, “Dilemma of a Winter’s Night” (s2 ep 2)
    • You and I Are Polar Opposites, “New School Term” (s2 ep 4)

    While Ascendance of a Bookworm continues into a second cour (with no more episodes with libraries or the protagonist Myne as a librarian), Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (set in the 13th century) has the protagonist aiming to get back her book of Eucidlis from an arrogant imperialistic Mongolian princess, and Draw This, Then Die! has the protagonists cleaning the room of a manga book store on the second floor to become their club space, in the second episode of season 2 of You and I Are Polar Opposites, “Dilemma of a Winter’s Night”, Yamada meets Nishi in the middle of winter break as a pretext to see her. While he doesn’t confess his feelings, and nor does she, he wrongly thinks the library doesn’t have a “nice” atmosphere, even though it does. They choose between going to the study room where talking, food, and drink are forbidden, and a free space, with Yamada going with the latter.

    Otherwise, in the episode, Nishi admits she comes to the library “quite a bit,” which Yamada finds commendable, and admits he can’t study at all, at home, as it is far too distracting. He admits that inviting her there was just a pretext by accident while she admits that she comes there every day, and has finished all her homework. He is shocked, she admits she wanted a pretext as well, and he stops himself from saying they should date, feeling it isn’t a right place. He ends up being quiet during their date-not-date while studying.

    There’s another library scene in the episode “New School Term”. Even the description on Crunchyroll indicates this, saying, “Suzuki takes Yamada to the school library, with an ulterior motive in mind. Nishi is happy that Yamada came, but anxious that others might find out about their relationship.” Shenanigans ensue, while Nishi and Taira work as library for their student library duty. At one point, Taira even wants to process the book returns, while Nishi isn’t sure how to handle Yamada there, and Suzuki offers to help Yamada with reshelving books at another point. She also came to see Yamada. Funny enough, no one else comes into the library except them which seems strange (and they comment on this later, saying few people come there anymore), because this is the school library after all! I also like how Taira helps out Nishi and even gives Yamada a book recommendation, showing he is a true friend. I liked how Yamada and Suzuki enjoy reading books in the library, while showing the library duties, like checking in and out books in a way that seems relaxing, making it seems like something you do every day. There is a cute moment where Yamada and Nishi say each other’s full names.

    Then there’s the awful news that Crunchyroll removed Black Lagoon, along with other series like Blood Blockade Battlefront and Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions, as has been reported elsewhere, without any warning. I have an account on that streaming service and the history (which shows what anime series I have watched) doesn’t even mention it at all! I mention this here because that series has a library scene as I noted in my post on here on July 2nd, in the episode “The Succession” (s1 ep 20), first saying that in the episode “Yukio is reading a book by Martin Heidegger as shown in the 20th episode (“Succession”) of the classic crime thriller anime Black Lagoon, which is replete with having girls with guns, particularly hothead Chinese-American Revy.” I went into further detail, saying:

    …Yukio is reading a book by Martin Heidegger, as she tells her friend Maki, in the school library, calling the book philosophical and “very powerful.” In contrast, Maki says she likes skincare guides and modern horror books, with Yukio saying she remembered Maki saying she liked Anne Rice. They talk a bit more with Yukio saying she sometimes feels like she is caught inside of book worlds, and viewers see some of the library bookshelves. She says she doesn’t like Stephen King and Maki says she thought Yukio would like Edgar Allan Poe. She says she doesn’t like the ones that imagine the night, and she does not like the world as it makes her scared, that it is not romantic at all.

     

    There is a second scene in the episode in the reading room where Yukio is thinking about the gang war between the Russian mafia and Japanese yakuza, and does not listen as much to what Maki tells her and decides to not tell her troubles. The reading room is shown briefly in the next episode, but not enough to mention it here. It is worth noting that Heidegger was directly involved with the Nazis from 1933 to 1945, and even banned from teaching after the war until 1949 (when the ban was lifted). He also never expressed remorse for being involved with the Nazis, which is funny because Hannah Arendt, who became known for her political theory against authoritarianism, including Nazism and fascism. I’m not sure why Heidegger was mentioned (in the manga as well), except to possibly indicate that Yukio was intellectual, nihilistic, and his existential philosophy was appealing. At the same time, I seriously doubt she was a Nazi as there was an earlier plot line in the series where the protagonists stole loot from a submarine filled by wannabe Nazis/neo-Nazis and killed a bunch of them, but rather a bit of a mob boss, if I have to guess. At the same time, during his life, Heidegger had intellectual contact with Japanese scholars like racist Hajime Tanabe (who later regretted defending claimed Japanese state and racial superiority) and pro-militarist Shūzō Kuki over the years, influencing his work, according to Reinhard May.

    This all comes when I came across recently this video of an anime fan expressing anger it was removed (along with Crunchyroll locking their anime store behind a paywall effectively), along with this video on the fading, yet important, legacy of the series:

    A late entry here is the third episode of I Want To Love You Till Your Dying Day. In that episode, Sheena Totsuki goes to the library of her school-of-sorts/orphanage/training institute, to study. She had wanted to go with Mimi Kagari, but she is unable to so because Mimi left to fight enemies. While there she meets her school friends, Lizzy Seiran and Ali Maud who are a couple themselves, and she reveals what Mimi’s guardian (Fran) told her. Later in the episode, however, Mimi reveals her secret to Sheena, shocking her beyond belief. In the scene itself, you see the wonder of the library which is well-used by students, and seems like a place to relax (and study), with wooden tables, and all the books you’d like to read.

    Sheena, and other girls at the school, studying in the school library. Note the ornate tables and books on the bookshelves. Sorry for the blurriness.Sheena’s friends talk to her in the library. Sorry for the blurriness.Sheena shushes her friends because they are in the library, while other patrons look over at her her. Sorry for the blurriness.Sheena is reading a book when someone calls out to her. Sorry for the blurriness.

    There was an additional library scene in the fourth episode of that same series, with flashbacks to Sheena thinking of Mimi, and a new scene of Mimi balancing books on her head, while Sheena is learning about resurrection magic, and is surprised by Airi and Seiran. One of my favorite parts (shown below) is when the bell rings and breaks Mimi’s concentration, annoying her, as she almost trying to show off a bit by balancing books on her head.

    My favorite part of this episode, because Mimi is really showing off here

    Last but least is episode 50 of Detective Conan (also known as Case Closed), “The Library Murder Case” / “The Book Without Pages”.  I have been looking forward to watching this episode for a long time, but I finally got to watch it this month, at long last, an episode which fulfills so many stereotypes when it comes to fictional librarians and libraries. I’ll write a whole post on this, but to give the quick and short version of this, Conan Edogawa, a kid detective (wasn’t always a kid) works with his school friends of sorts to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of a librarian, and soon suspect the library director. They learn that there are fake books in the children’s section where drugs were being stored, and this is why the director murdered that librarian. He even tries to kill all of them too, but they turn all the bookshelves into dominos so they fall on him, allowing the police to come in and arrest him, taking him away, while they find the body (which was on top of an elevator). It’s gory, but also feeds into many stereotypes, which, perhaps, is not at all a surprise for an episode that came out on March 1997. Some even put some parts of the episode as one of the top scariest moments in the series!

    Comics recently added to this page

    In the fourth issue of The Burning Scheme, the protagonists, Vera at Sierra Verde Preparatory School, go to the library together, for a group project, with one of them, Calliope, saying the other (Vera) is “pretty.” Vera doesn’t like this closeness and leaves shortly thereafter, to the disappointment of Calliope.

    In the episode “CH 12 | Library Hours” of My Awkward Princess, Alice Evelyn and Luna Charlotte do library service together, with Luna annoying Alice, and Luna getting “tamed” by someone else when they give her a lollipop. At one point, Luna catches Alice when she falls, to her annoyance, saying Luna just wanted to touch her, when in reality she just wanted to make sure she wasn’t hurt. And Alice thanks Luna. All this time she is giving instructions to the student vice-president who is relatively incompetent.

    Otherwise, in the episode “|CH 13| Routine”, Alice is overworking herself in the library, feeling it will get better the next day and that there cannot be any distractions because the student council depends on her. She feels that she is almost perfect. One day, Luna is with her in the library, believes with Alice believing she should not slow down, and that she has keep working. She pushes it off, despite blood coming out of her nose, saying she isn’t her problem, telling her to stop distracting her, while Luna is deeply worried.

    In the episode after this, “|CH 14| Almost Everyone,” Luna goes to the library to read, with Alice asking her why her section of the library isn’t organized yet, and starts bossing her around. Luna finds Alice, who she calls “puppy,” entertaining, and thinks back to when Alice thanked her for catching her, saying that doesn’t happen. Later, in the stairwell, Alice gives her cookies and tells her to show up the next day on time, making Luna blush because Alice gave her sweets (remembering that she likes them), and calls her “dangerous.”

    The new version of Literary Link is finally out! That series focuses on libraries at its center, as noted in the series description: “Delinquent Faye Scott just wants to keep her head down and get through her latest sentencing — finish her community service and make it across the graduation stage as unscathed as possible — but her old enemies aren’t letting her go without a fight. However, a certain library volunteer might be the one to show Faye just the kindness she needs to change her life for the better.” I wrote a review about this series a while ago, saying:

    Literary Link Review

    I was going to add in some issues from Love and be Loved, but I had already added that into a posting I did on recently added titles in April, so I nixed that for this post:

    Recently added titles (April 2026)

    Lastly, there are two issues of Pinky Promise. In the first of these, the protagonist, Eva, tries to remind the school group to stay on task (picking books for their presentation), as they work together in the school library, and threatens to tell their teacher, Miss Cielo, that they are wasting time. Another classmate tells Hallie that Eva is too serious about school, asking her to convince Eva to not report them. Through it all, Eva is worried about Hallie and the group she is a part of, and when admiring her, she thinks back to a sexy dream she had, leading her to begin blushing. After her fellow classmate believes something may be wrong, Eva denies it, then gets up to find a book. Following this, Hallie gets up to follow Eva.

    In the next of those issues, Eva thinks about her reaction and how embarrassing it was, while she starts to look for a book. Hallie comes behind her, startling her, when all she wants is to check in on her. Eva keeps blushing and denying that anything is up, saying she had been different since that morning, after Hallie spent the night at her place. She notices that Eva has been avoiding her, with Eva literally turning her head away, as she stands in front of a library bookshelf. She ends up admitting she can’t look her in the eyes because of a dream she had, where Hallie was touching and kissing her. Even after she says she is embarrassed and shouldn’t have dreamed about it, Hallie teases her about it, saying she is being “naughty,” with Eva saying it is only because she has been teasing her so much lately. Hallie gets close to her and says she is cute every time she teases her, something Eva thinks about later.

    Films recently added to this page

    None for this month.

    Other entries recently added to this page

    None for this month. However, there was the recent news that…

    • HIDIVE will be streaming The Dangers in My Heart: The Movie on July 14th [English dub]
    • The Apothecary Diaries Anime Film’s Trailer Reveals Title, Cast, December 11 Opening

    The first of these has libraries as central to the series itself, with library scenes in 16 episodes (“I Was Stolen Away” (s1 ep1), “I Died” (s1 ep 2), “I Want To Hug You” (s1 ep 3), “I Have A Problem” (s1 ep 4), “We Split Up” (s1 ep 5), “I Melted It” (s1 ep 6), “We Swapped Places” (s1 ep 7), “I Had A Dream” (s1 ep 8), “Karta 9: I Hate Yamada” (s1 ep 9), “Bonus Dangers” (s1 OVA), “We’re Searching” (s2 ep 1), “I’m growing up” (s2 ep 2), “Yamada Likes…” (s2 ep 4), “We’re Overflowing” (s2 ep 7), “I Want to Be Closer to Yamada” (s2, ep 10), “I, We, Fell in Love” (s2 ep 13, series finale)), as it is a key meeting place of the male and female protagonists, Kyotaro and Anna Yamada respectfully. As for second series, there’s one library scene I briefly described in a post last year:

    In terms of a place of knowledge, consider the 10th episode of the drama/mystery/romance entitled The Apothecary Diaries. In the latter half of the show’s 10th episode, entitled “Honey,” Gaoshun, an assistant of Jinshi, tells Maomao that he will search the court library for information about past events in the rear palace. Later, an assistant behind the information desk helps him. He finds a relevant book and he gives it to Maomao. In it, she learns about events in the past, and that a baby was delivered by Doctor Luomen (her dad!), moving this story in an interesting direction!

    © 2024-2026 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

    #AscendanceOfABookworm #BlackLagoon #BloodBlockadeBattlefront #books #CaseClosed #DetectiveConan #friendship #girlsLove #GrimgarAshesAndIllusions #IWantToLoveYouTillYourDyingDay #JaadugarAWitchInMongolia #libraryPatrons #lists #LiteraryLink #LoveAndBeLoved #MyAwkwardPrincess #orphans #PinkyPromise #reading #RecentlyAddedTitles #romance #shortBlogs #shushing #students #studying #sweets #TheApothecaryDiaries #TheBurningScheme #TheDangersInMyHeart #TheDangersInMyHeartTheMovie #YouAndIArePolarOpposites #yuri
  2. Where would one find a drinking glass and eyeglasses in the same place? How about a bar... like say The Yellow Flag, a bar frequented by the Lagoon Company in Roanapur, Thailand.

    Here, Dutch, Rock, and Benny enjoy a quiet drink after a long day of piracy and kidnapping... with Rock being the one pirated from and kidnapped with Dutch and Benny being his kidnappers!

    #anime #BlackLagoon #AniMangaFoundIt

  3. Where would one find a drinking glass and eyeglasses in the same place? How about a bar... like say The Yellow Flag, a bar frequented by the Lagoon Company in Roanapur, Thailand.

    Here, Dutch, Rock, and Benny enjoy a quiet drink after a long day of piracy and kidnapping... with Rock being the one pirated from and kidnapped with Dutch and Benny being his kidnappers!

    #anime #BlackLagoon @apc #AniMangaFoundIt

  4. First 86, now #BlackLagoon?!

    Ever since #Crunchyroll and #Funimation merged, I knew they weren't going to be able to hold onto all the series that each company had licensed pre-merger, but still.
    #86EightySix #anime

  5. Pop Culture Library Review @popculturelibraries.wordpress.com@popculturelibraries.wordpress.com ·

    Recently added titles (June 2026)

    Yukio is reading a book by Martin Heidegger as shown in the 20th episode (“Succession”) of the classic crime thriller anime Black Lagoon, which is replete with having girls with guns, particularly hothead Chinese-American Revy

    Building upon the titles listed for July/August, September, OctoberNovember, and December 2021, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of 2022, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of 2023, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, SeptemberOctober, November, and December of 2024, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of this year, and January, February, March, April, and May of this year, this post notes recent titles with libraries or librarians in popular culture which I’ve come across in the past month. Each of these has been watched or read during the past month. No films, animated series, or other entries with libraries (or librarians) to add for this past month, but I did come across some in webcomics. There may be spoilers for these series, so be aware.

    Animated series recently added to this page

    None for this month.

    Anime series recently added to this page

    • Ascendance of a Bookworm, “The Gathering of Gutenberg[s]” (s4 ep 11)
    • Black Lagoon, “The Succession” (s1 ep 20)
    • Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku, “Zing!” (s1 ep 11)
    • A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, “Akiho Kashiwabara & Wakana Tabata” (s1 ep 9)

    In the 20th episode of Black Lagoon, Yukio is reading a book by Martin Heidegger, as she tells her friend Maki, in the school library, calling the book philosophical and “very powerful.” In contrast, Maki says she likes skincare guides and modern horror books, with Yukio saying she remembered Maki saying she liked Anne Rice. They talk a bit more with Yukio saying she sometimes feels like she is caught inside of book worlds, and viewers see some of the library bookshelves. She says she doesn’t like Stephen King and Maki says she thought Yukio would like Edgar Allan Poe. She says she doesn’t like the ones that imagine the night, and she does not like the world as it makes her scared, that it is not romantic at all.

    There is a second scene in the episode in the reading room where Yukio is thinking about the gang war between the Russian mafia and Japanese yakuza, and does not listen as much to what Maki tells her and decides to not tell her troubles. The reading room is shown briefly in the next episode, but not enough to mention it here. It is worth noting that Heidegger was directly involved with the Nazis from 1933 to 1945, and even banned from teaching after the war until 1949 (when the ban was lifted). He also never expressed remorse for being involved with the Nazis, which is funny because Hannah Arendt, who became known for her political theory against authoritarianism, including Nazism and fascism. I’m not sure why Heidegger was mentioned (in the manga as well), except to possibly indicate that Yukio was intellectual, nihilistic, and his existential philosophy was appealing. At the same time, I seriously doubt she was a Nazi as there was an earlier plot line in the series where the protagonists stole loot from a submarine filled by wannabe Nazis/neo-Nazis and killed a bunch of them, but rather a bit of a mob boss, if I have to guess. At the same time, during his life, Heidegger had intellectual contact with Japanese scholars like racist Hajime Tanabe (who later regretted defending claimed Japanese state and racial superiority) and pro-militarist Shūzō Kuki over the years, influencing his work, according to Reinhard May.

    Otherwise, in the ninth episode of A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, there is a brief library scene of the students studying on the library together, learning about people at the school and searching on the local computers, even reading newspaper articles.

    Lastly there’s an episode of Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku, the 11th episode. Previously, in episode three (noted later), there was a library scene. In this episode, to relax from the festival and feeling he is taking up the time of Kotoko Ijichi and Amane, Takuya Seo (otherwise known as Otaku-kun) hangs out in the school library. While there he hears the rumor that the Mister and Misses from the contest begins dating, with mention of Amane and Ijichi, and some other kids dating them. After they find the book they want and leave, Takuya looks through his phone and sees images of him with Amane and Ijichi, and thinks they may have better matches than him, and he feels anxious about the idea of other people dating them. It seems he is starting to say that he would make the next move, somehow, although it isn’t clear what that would be.

    A sign that indicates the library scene is going to begin: the sign outside the library says that word in JapaneseA screenshot of the school library in the episode. Sorry for the blurriness. This library is full of books!The first shot in the episode that shows Takuya sitting at a table by himself in the library, where he wanted to get away from the festival.The camera moves to focus on Takuya, who is happily reading a book and enjoying himself, getting away from the hustle and bustle of the school festival.

    Before this, there have been other episodes in this series with library scenes. In April, I noted that in the third episode of the series, saying that “Ijichi helps the two other protagonists…Takuya…and Amane) study in the school library for midterms but Takuya admires the two gyaru gals in front of him. Some of the books in the school library are shown. Despite Kotoko saying they should keep studying, instead Takuya and Amane have an art battle over their favorite characters of Glittermon in the library.”

    Takuya reads a book in the library during the 11th episode. He starts to feel he made the right decision to go there to the library himself (later his view of this changes, of course). Sorry for the blurriness.

    Last but not least, Ascendance of a Bookworm FINALLY had an episode with a library, which has been an utter crime for a while, despite the focus of the series on books and the fact that the protagonist was a librarian in her former life. According to my records, the last episode with a library scene, “Re: Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2”, a recap episode, was in late March 2022! There were no library scenes, at all, in season 3. Entitled “The Gathering of Gutenberg[s],” Myne finds a key to the rare books shelf of the cathedral library, which she happily checks out. She goes to the cabinet with rare books, unlocks it with a key (another barrier to entry). Her attendant, Fran, tells her that these “books” are not actually books. Instead, they are letters on parchment, inside of a box, which were addressed to the former High Bishop. She even agrees, after Fran says she can read the letters as she is now the High Bishop, and report the contents to the Head Priest (Ferdinand).

    The letters are filled with bitter grievances about their bad position in life, revealing bribery, and deep ties between the viscount (Gerlach) and the former High Bishop (Bezewanst). She later describes these letters, to Ferdinand as “filled with wicked schemes and evidence of…wrongdoings” by Gerlach. The letter end up being helpful to Ferdinand in his schemes. It is also revealed that one of those mentioned in the letters, Veronica, was the mother of Ferdinand and his brother Sylvester, and charged with forging official documents and acting as an accomplice to Bezewanst. Apart from Myne later looking at the existing printing press and bringing together different tradespeople (a carpenter and smither) to create an improved printing press in this episode, with Myne buying the blueprint, among other plot points, Fran says her conduct as a noble is fine, “as long as it doesn’t involve books.” Then there’s a short scene of her laughing while reading a book, with Ferdinand saying it is best to keep her away from books (not good!). In the post-credits scene, one of the priests says he told Myne a story, to get over her drowsiness: the size of the collection, the types of books, names and ages of the librarians, and sealed archives at the Royal Academy. While the priest thought this was boring, Myne comes onto the scene saying the information was entertaining and useful. The ending credit illustration by Somchira Katsu has Myne smiling happily as she grabs one of the books in the church library.

    Myne is back in the library again, during this episode.

    Comics recently added to this page

    None for this month.

    Films recently added to this page

    None for this month.

    Other entries recently added to this page

    I was reminded of Love Live! songs this month and came across, again, a song by Shioriko, entitled “Emotion” behind a library backdrop in  an episode of Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, which I wrote about back in August 2024. In that post I said:

    Let me start with Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, a series which ran from 2020 to 2022. In the episode “The Memory of Dreams,” of aforementioned idol music series, a library is featured. At the end of the episode, Shioriko sings a musical ballad which features her going through a library, touching the spines of books, and walking down stairs in the library. This might be indicating how academic she is, as a person. She also, during the song, changes outfits in the library and finds a key… within a book. The song isn’t about libraries at all as a translation of the lyrics makes abundantly clear.

    Here’s the related video:

    © 2024-2026 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

    #AHundredScenesOfAwajima #AscendanceOfABookworm #BlackLagoon #GalsCanTBeKindToOtaku #JapanesePatrons #JapaneseWomen #lists #LoveLiveNijigasakiHighSchoolIdolClub #music #Nazis #newspapers #rareBooks #readingRoom #RecentlyAddedTitles #shortBlogs #songs #students
  6. Pop Culture Library Review @popculturelibraries.wordpress.com@popculturelibraries.wordpress.com ·

    Recently added titles (June 2026)

    Yukio is reading a book by Martin Heidegger as shown in the 20th episode (“Succession”) of the classic crime thriller anime Black Lagoon, which is replete with having girls with guns, particularly hothead Chinese-American Revy

    Building upon the titles listed for July/August, September, OctoberNovember, and December 2021, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of 2022, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of 2023, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, SeptemberOctober, November, and December of 2024, and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December of this year, and January, February, March, April, and May of this year, this post notes recent titles with libraries or librarians in popular culture which I’ve come across in the past month. Each of these has been watched or read during the past month. No films, animated series, or other entries with libraries (or librarians) to add for this past month, but I did come across some in webcomics. There may be spoilers for these series, so be aware.

    Animated series recently added to this page

    None for this month.

    Anime series recently added to this page

    • Ascendance of a Bookworm, “The Gathering of Gutenberg[s]” (s4 ep 11)
    • Black Lagoon, “The Succession” (s1 ep 20)
    • Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku, “Zing!” (s1 ep 11)
    • A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, “Akiho Kashiwabara & Wakana Tabata” (s1 ep 9)

    In the 20th episode of Black Lagoon, Yukio is reading a book by Martin Heidegger, as she tells her friend Maki, in the school library, calling the book philosophical and “very powerful.” In contrast, Maki says she likes skincare guides and modern horror books, with Yukio saying she remembered Maki saying she liked Anne Rice. They talk a bit more with Yukio saying she sometimes feels like she is caught inside of book worlds, and viewers see some of the library bookshelves. She says she doesn’t like Stephen King and Maki says she thought Yukio would like Edgar Allan Poe. She says she doesn’t like the ones that imagine the night, and she does not like the world as it makes her scared, that it is not romantic at all.

    There is a second scene in the episode in the reading room where Yukio is thinking about the gang war between the Russian mafia and Japanese yakuza, and does not listen as much to what Maki tells her and decides to not tell her troubles. The reading room is shown briefly in the next episode, but not enough to mention it here. It is worth noting that Heidegger was directly involved with the Nazis from 1933 to 1945, and even banned from teaching after the war until 1949 (when the ban was lifted). He also never expressed remorse for being involved with the Nazis, which is funny because Hannah Arendt, who became known for her political theory against authoritarianism, including Nazism and fascism. I’m not sure why Heidegger was mentioned (in the manga as well), except to possibly indicate that Yukio was intellectual, nihilistic, and his existential philosophy was appealing. At the same time, I seriously doubt she was a Nazi as there was an earlier plot line in the series where the protagonists stole loot from a submarine filled by wannabe Nazis/neo-Nazis and killed a bunch of them, but rather a bit of a mob boss, if I have to guess. At the same time, during his life, Heidegger had intellectual contact with Japanese scholars like racist Hajime Tanabe (who later regretted defending claimed Japanese state and racial superiority) and pro-militarist Shūzō Kuki over the years, influencing his work, according to Reinhard May.

    Otherwise, in the ninth episode of A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, there is a brief library scene of the students studying on the library together, learning about people at the school and searching on the local computers, even reading newspaper articles.

    Lastly there’s an episode of Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku, the 11th episode. Previously, in episode three (noted later), there was a library scene. In this episode, to relax from the festival and feeling he is taking up the time of Kotoko Ijichi and Amane, Takuya Seo (otherwise known as Otaku-kun) hangs out in the school library. While there he hears the rumor that the Mister and Misses from the contest begins dating, with mention of Amane and Ijichi, and some other kids dating them. After they find the book they want and leave, Takuya looks through his phone and sees images of him with Amane and Ijichi, and thinks they may have better matches than him, and he feels anxious about the idea of other people dating them. It seems he is starting to say that he would make the next move, somehow, although it isn’t clear what that would be.

    A sign that indicates the library scene is going to begin: the sign outside the library says that word in JapaneseA screenshot of the school library in the episode. Sorry for the blurriness. This library is full of books!The first shot in the episode that shows Takuya sitting at a table by himself in the library, where he wanted to get away from the festival.The camera moves to focus on Takuya, who is happily reading a book and enjoying himself, getting away from the hustle and bustle of the school festival.

    Before this, there have been other episodes in this series with library scenes. In April, I noted that in the third episode of the series, saying that “Ijichi helps the two other protagonists…Takuya…and Amane) study in the school library for midterms but Takuya admires the two gyaru gals in front of him. Some of the books in the school library are shown. Despite Kotoko saying they should keep studying, instead Takuya and Amane have an art battle over their favorite characters of Glittermon in the library.”

    Takuya reads a book in the library during the 11th episode. He starts to feel he made the right decision to go there to the library himself (later his view of this changes, of course). Sorry for the blurriness.

    Last but not least, Ascendance of a Bookworm FINALLY had an episode with a library, which has been an utter crime for a while, despite the focus of the series on books and the fact that the protagonist was a librarian in her former life. According to my records, the last episode with a library scene, “Re: Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2”, a recap episode, was in late March 2022! There were no library scenes, at all, in season 3. Entitled “The Gathering of Gutenberg[s],” Myne finds a key to the rare books shelf of the cathedral library, which she happily checks out. She goes to the cabinet with rare books, unlocks it with a key (another barrier to entry). Her attendant, Fran, tells her that these “books” are not actually books. Instead, they are letters on parchment, inside of a box, which were addressed to the former High Bishop. She even agrees, after Fran says she can read the letters as she is now the High Bishop, and report the contents to the Head Priest (Ferdinand).

    The letters are filled with bitter grievances about their bad position in life, revealing bribery, and deep ties between the viscount (Gerlach) and the former High Bishop (Bezewanst). She later describes these letters, to Ferdinand as “filled with wicked schemes and evidence of…wrongdoings” by Gerlach. The letter end up being helpful to Ferdinand in his schemes. It is also revealed that one of those mentioned in the letters, Veronica, was the mother of Ferdinand and his brother Sylvester, and charged with forging official documents and acting as an accomplice to Bezewanst. Apart from Myne later looking at the existing printing press and bringing together different tradespeople (a carpenter and smither) to create an improved printing press in this episode, with Myne buying the blueprint, among other plot points, Fran says her conduct as a noble is fine, “as long as it doesn’t involve books.” Then there’s a short scene of her laughing while reading a book, with Ferdinand saying it is best to keep her away from books (not good!). In the post-credits scene, one of the priests says he told Myne a story, to get over her drowsiness: the size of the collection, the types of books, names and ages of the librarians, and sealed archives at the Royal Academy. While the priest thought this was boring, Myne comes onto the scene saying the information was entertaining and useful. The ending credit illustration by Somchira Katsu has Myne smiling happily as she grabs one of the books in the church library.

    Myne is back in the library again, during this episode.

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    I was reminded of Love Live! songs this month and came across, again, a song by Shioriko, entitled “Emotion” behind a library backdrop in  an episode of Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, which I wrote about back in August 2024. In that post I said:

    Let me start with Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, a series which ran from 2020 to 2022. In the episode “The Memory of Dreams,” of aforementioned idol music series, a library is featured. At the end of the episode, Shioriko sings a musical ballad which features her going through a library, touching the spines of books, and walking down stairs in the library. This might be indicating how academic she is, as a person. She also, during the song, changes outfits in the library and finds a key… within a book. The song isn’t about libraries at all as a translation of the lyrics makes abundantly clear.

    Here’s the related video:

    © 2024-2026 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

    #AHundredScenesOfAwajima #AscendanceOfABookworm #BlackLagoon #GalsCanTBeKindToOtaku #JapanesePatrons #JapaneseWomen #lists #LoveLiveNijigasakiHighSchoolIdolClub #music #Nazis #newspapers #rareBooks #readingRoom #RecentlyAddedTitles #shortBlogs #songs #students
  7. @cthellis Oh, damn, I was searching through early episodes for a different kind of bowing! I like yours better! :p

    Good ole Rock had it tough back home in Japan. Not that his superiors were any less prone to necessary bows, at times...

    #BlackLagoon #AniMangaFoundIt

  8. @cthellis Oh, damn, I was searching through early episodes for a different kind of bowing! I like yours better! :p

    Good ole Rock had it tough back home in Japan. Not that his superiors were any less prone to necessary bows, at times...

    #BlackLagoon #AniMangaFoundIt

  9. Black Lagoon, a show where every problem is solved through violence.

    Great show.

  10. Black Lagoon, a show where every problem is solved through violence.

    Great show.

    #BlackLagoon

  11. 📰 Black Lagoon: Ed Initial Stage - New Volume Announcement & Details

    The official spin-off of 'Black Lagoon' is back with its latest volume, 'Ed Initial Stage', featuring Ed's intense revenge tale against his past comrades. Get the full scoop here!

    🔗 animenewsdaily.us/black-lagoon

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  12. 📰 BLACK LAGOON EDA Initial Stage Volume 8 Now Available: Where to Buy

    Get ready to dive into the dark world of Black Lagoon! The 8th volume of BLACK LAGOON EDA Initial Stage is now available at Amazon, Shogakukan e-Comic Store & Honto - grab your copy!

    🔗 animenewsdaily.us/black-lagoon

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  13. 📰 BLACK LAGOON - EDA Initial Stage: New Volume Release Date Announced!

    Get ready for another thrilling adventure with Rokuro Okajima and Revy in BLACK LAGOON – EDA Initial Stage, new volume 8 releasing March 18th!

    🔗 animenewsdaily.us/black-lagoon

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  14. 📰 Black Lagoon EDA Initial Stage Volume 18 Release Date Announced!

    Exciting news for 'Black Lagoon' fans, Volume 18 of EDA Initial Stage is set to drop on March 18th! Pre-order now at your favorite retailer.

    🔗 andaily.us/9mk5L

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  15. 📰 Win Signed Art! Negai and Black Lagoon Collaboration Campaign!

    Win a signed art piece by Levi's voice actress from Black Lagoon! Follow @jponegai & retweet to enter.

    🔗 andaily.us/2Veos

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  16. 📰 Black Lagoon: New Event "The Wicked Women" and Limited Star Scout!

    Get ready for "The Wicked Women" star scout event in ! Scout exclusive characters now until March 31st.

    🔗 andaily.us/7GqSU

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  17. 📰 Black Lagoon x Please President Collaboration: New Roberta Secretary Outfit!

    Get ready to take on Rokuro Okajima's world with Black Lagoon x Please President' latest collaboration - a fresh Roberta Secretary Outfit!

    🔗 andaily.us/Hk9J3

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  18. 📰 Black Lagoon Levi Bunny Figure: A 1/7 Scale Prize!

    Get ready to sink your teeth into this adorable Black Lagoon Levi figure - a must-have prize coming soon! Highly detailed & collectible, don't miss out on this collaboration!

    🔗 andaily.us/s2f3d

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  19. 📰 New Levi Figure from POP UP PARADE Series Announced

    A new Levi figure from POP UP PARADE series announced for shipping Feb 17th at ¥9,800 (tax incl), standing 210mm tall - perfect addition to any Black Lagoon fan's collection!

    🔗 andaily.us/JzpNH

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  20. 📰 Osaka Exhibition: Explore the World of BLACK LAGOON with Metal Canvas Art

    Get ready for an immersive experience as iconic anime BLACK LAGOON comes alive with 3D metal canvas art at Osaka's latest exhibition!

    🔗 andaily.us/AuWrh

    #AnimeNews #twitter #BlackLagoon

  21. #BlackLagoon (2006)
    A Japanese businessman, captured by modern-day pirates, is written off and left for dead by his company. Tired of the corporate life, he opts to stick with the mercenaries that kidnapped him, becoming part of their gang.
    #GirlsWithGuns #TVMastodon 📺 🎬

  22. #BlackLagoon (2006)
    A Japanese businessman, captured by modern-day pirates, is written off and left for dead by his company. Tired of the corporate life, he opts to stick with the mercenaries that kidnapped him, becoming part of their gang.
    #GirlsWithGuns #TVMastodon 📺 🎬

  23. Just another Monday at the Yellow Flag 💥💥

    #blacklagoon #revy