#cleopatrainspace — Public Fediverse posts

Knowledge, research, zoologists, and beyond in fictional libraries of yore

When I originally wrote about Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror on this blog, I believed there was only episode focusing on libraries in this idolish anime fantasy series, a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff. I could not be more wrong, as I learned in the sixth episode. I’ll talk about the role of libraries in this series and connect it to other posts on this blog. This may also require some plot summary.

At the end of the second episode, “My Job”, there is a short library scene. During that scene, a scholar realizes that the animals are in danger, after looking at a book showing the effects of an evil virus, with the protagonist in danger. This is followed up in the sixth episode, “The Harmony of the Shy”. In that episode, the scholar is revealed to be a zoologist named Riko. She has a huge library and is researching the strange behavior of animals in Numazu. As such, she is drawn to unique/rare animals and life forms. She even travels to the Administrative Bureau, which has all the information on the town, and talks to Dia about the strange incidents affecting the animals (and the town by extension). After this, Riko declares she is leaving the town the next day, surprising them all. Late at night, Riko reads more books about the calamity which is affecting the town and the animals.

It is later revealed that she moved around a lot when she was little, and stopped trying to make friends. As such, after a bog she bonded with was returned to its owner, she didn’t want to deal with the sadness caused by separation, causing her to begin loving to read books about animals, then researching animals. All the while, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone or make any memories. Yohane (the anime’s protagonist and namesake) and Mari comfort her. Ultimately, Riko tells them she is going to stay in town for a “little longer”, saying she will help out, if her skills as a researcher can benefit those in the town.

I liked this aspect of the episode as is showed that the books and research she is doing is being put to a good use. More than that, considering that Riko likely organized the books herself, she is a bit of a defacto librarian. However, considering that librarianship itself involves those who work professional within a librarian, providing either instruction on information literacy or access to information, Riko is not that at all. Furthermore, not everyone who works in a library is a librarian, as there are pages, library associates, library assistances, branch managers, cataloging staff, and so on, all while librarians receive low wages, are not quiet places, and have an organizational system for the books. While you can argue that Riko is helping Yohane, Lailaps (Yohane’s wolf companion), and Mari find information, she is the researcher. She is not facilitating them to conduct “research for personal and professional use.” [1]

This series is not unique in showing characters research in the library. Characters in the series Adventure Time, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Stretch Armstrong, Let’s Make a Mug Too, Bravest Warriors, LoliRock, Trollhunters, and Hilda, and films like Solaris, to name a few, do the same, conducting research within libraries. In a few cases, like Adventure Time, the new She-Ra, Trollhunters, and Hilda, there are librarians, specifically Turtle Princess, George and Lance, Blinky, and Kaisa. This differs from Yohane the Parhelion, as that series has a librarian. There isn’t much more to say at this point, unless libraries have more of a role in episodes beyond the aforementioned ones.

The library reappears throughout the series, including in the episode “What’s a Girls’ Night?” when Riko is shown briefly in her library and isn’t sure about going to a girls’ night. It is even a place or refuge as made clear in the 12th episode, “Farewell, Lailaps”. In that episode, Yohane shelters in the library while her wolf gets better, with Riko, and a little girl comes in worrying about Sakura (a pig) who ran way. It finally appears in the series finale, “Once Again Today.” In that episode, the library becomes a shelter of sorts for people and their animals, with Riko worried about Yohane. Mari is there too and is trying to listen for Yohane. The associated game may have scenes in the library as well, but I can’t say for certain.

That’s all for now. Next week’s post will be on a witch, a vampire (cat), and a magical library in Morgana and Oz!

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Hargreaves, Abby. “Being a Librarian: Expectations vs. Reality,” Book Riot, Nov. 3, 2021; “What Librarians and Library Media Specialists Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed Jul. 31, 2023. Yohane, Riko, and Mari are known as “Guilty Kiss” when singing in Love Live! Sunshine!!, and sing an insert song in the sixth episode.

#AdventureTime #animals #BravestWarriors #CleopatraInSpace #definitions #Hilda #Kaisa #LetSMakeAMugToo #LGBTQ #LoliRock #LoveLiveSunshine #MorganaAndOz #pigs #research #SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower #SheRaFranchise #SolarisFilm #StretchArmstrong #Trollhunters #YohaneTheParhelionSunshineInTheMirror #yuri

Knowledge, research, zoologists, and beyond in fictional libraries of yore

When I originally wrote about Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror on this blog, I believed there was only episode focusing on libraries in this idolish anime fantasy series, a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff. I could not be more wrong, as I learned in the sixth episode. I’ll talk about the role of libraries in this series and connect it to other posts on this blog. This may also require some plot summary.

At the end of the second episode, “My Job”, there is a short library scene. During that scene, a scholar realizes that the animals are in danger, after looking at a book showing the effects of an evil virus, with the protagonist in danger. This is followed up in the sixth episode, “The Harmony of the Shy”. In that episode, the scholar is revealed to be a zoologist named Riko. She has a huge library and is researching the strange behavior of animals in Numazu. As such, she is drawn to unique/rare animals and life forms. She even travels to the Administrative Bureau, which has all the information on the town, and talks to Dia about the strange incidents affecting the animals (and the town by extension). After this, Riko declares she is leaving the town the next day, surprising them all. Late at night, Riko reads more books about the calamity which is affecting the town and the animals.

It is later revealed that she moved around a lot when she was little, and stopped trying to make friends. As such, after a bog she bonded with was returned to its owner, she didn’t want to deal with the sadness caused by separation, causing her to begin loving to read books about animals, then researching animals. All the while, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone or make any memories. Yohane (the anime’s protagonist and namesake) and Mari comfort her. Ultimately, Riko tells them she is going to stay in town for a “little longer”, saying she will help out, if her skills as a researcher can benefit those in the town.

I liked this aspect of the episode as is showed that the books and research she is doing is being put to a good use. More than that, considering that Riko likely organized the books herself, she is a bit of a defacto librarian. However, considering that librarianship itself involves those who work professional within a librarian, providing either instruction on information literacy or access to information, Riko is not that at all. Furthermore, not everyone who works in a library is a librarian, as there are pages, library associates, library assistances, branch managers, cataloging staff, and so on, all while librarians receive low wages, are not quiet places, and have an organizational system for the books. While you can argue that Riko is helping Yohane, Lailaps (Yohane’s wolf companion), and Mari find information, she is the researcher. She is not facilitating them to conduct “research for personal and professional use.” [1]

This series is not unique in showing characters research in the library. Characters in the series Adventure Time, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Stretch Armstrong, Let’s Make a Mug Too, Bravest Warriors, LoliRock, Trollhunters, and Hilda, and films like Solaris, to name a few, do the same, conducting research within libraries. In a few cases, like Adventure Time, the new She-Ra, Trollhunters, and Hilda, there are librarians, specifically Turtle Princess, George and Lance, Blinky, and Kaisa. This differs from Yohane the Parhelion, as that series has a librarian. There isn’t much more to say at this point, unless libraries have more of a role in episodes beyond the aforementioned ones.

The library reappears throughout the series, including in the episode “What’s a Girls’ Night?” when Riko is shown briefly in her library and isn’t sure about going to a girls’ night. It is even a place or refuge as made clear in the 12th episode, “Farewell, Lailaps”. In that episode, Yohane shelters in the library while her wolf gets better, with Riko, and a little girl comes in worrying about Sakura (a pig) who ran way. It finally appears in the series finale, “Once Again Today.” In that episode, the library becomes a shelter of sorts for people and their animals, with Riko worried about Yohane. Mari is there too and is trying to listen for Yohane. The associated game may have scenes in the library as well, but I can’t say for certain.

That’s all for now. Next week’s post will be on a witch, a vampire (cat), and a magical library in Morgana and Oz!

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Hargreaves, Abby. “Being a Librarian: Expectations vs. Reality,” Book Riot, Nov. 3, 2021; “What Librarians and Library Media Specialists Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed Jul. 31, 2023. Yohane, Riko, and Mari are known as “Guilty Kiss” when singing in Love Live! Sunshine!!, and sing an insert song in the sixth episode.

#AdventureTime #animals #BravestWarriors #CleopatraInSpace #definitions #Hilda #Kaisa #LetSMakeAMugToo #LGBTQ #LoliRock #LoveLiveSunshine #MorganaAndOz #pigs #research #SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower #SheRaFranchise #SolarisFilm #StretchArmstrong #Trollhunters #YohaneTheParhelionSunshineInTheMirror #yuri

Knowledge, research, zoologists, and beyond in fictional libraries of yore

When I originally wrote about Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror on this blog, I believed there was only episode focusing on libraries in this idolish anime fantasy series, a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff. I could not be more wrong, as I learned in the sixth episode. I’ll talk about the role of libraries in this series and connect it to other posts on this blog. This may also require some plot summary.

At the end of the second episode, “My Job”, there is a short library scene. During that scene, a scholar realizes that the animals are in danger, after looking at a book showing the effects of an evil virus, with the protagonist in danger. This is followed up in the sixth episode, “The Harmony of the Shy”. In that episode, the scholar is revealed to be a zoologist named Riko. She has a huge library and is researching the strange behavior of animals in Numazu. As such, she is drawn to unique/rare animals and life forms. She even travels to the Administrative Bureau, which has all the information on the town, and talks to Dia about the strange incidents affecting the animals (and the town by extension). After this, Riko declares she is leaving the town the next day, surprising them all. Late at night, Riko reads more books about the calamity which is affecting the town and the animals.

It is later revealed that she moved around a lot when she was little, and stopped trying to make friends. As such, after a bog she bonded with was returned to its owner, she didn’t want to deal with the sadness caused by separation, causing her to begin loving to read books about animals, then researching animals. All the while, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone or make any memories. Yohane (the anime’s protagonist and namesake) and Mari comfort her. Ultimately, Riko tells them she is going to stay in town for a “little longer”, saying she will help out, if her skills as a researcher can benefit those in the town.

I liked this aspect of the episode as is showed that the books and research she is doing is being put to a good use. More than that, considering that Riko likely organized the books herself, she is a bit of a defacto librarian. However, considering that librarianship itself involves those who work professional within a librarian, providing either instruction on information literacy or access to information, Riko is not that at all. Furthermore, not everyone who works in a library is a librarian, as there are pages, library associates, library assistances, branch managers, cataloging staff, and so on, all while librarians receive low wages, are not quiet places, and have an organizational system for the books. While you can argue that Riko is helping Yohane, Lailaps (Yohane’s wolf companion), and Mari find information, she is the researcher. She is not facilitating them to conduct “research for personal and professional use.” [1]

This series is not unique in showing characters research in the library. Characters in the series Adventure Time, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Stretch Armstrong, Let’s Make a Mug Too, Bravest Warriors, LoliRock, Trollhunters, and Hilda, and films like Solaris, to name a few, do the same, conducting research within libraries. In a few cases, like Adventure Time, the new She-Ra, Trollhunters, and Hilda, there are librarians, specifically Turtle Princess, George and Lance, Blinky, and Kaisa. This differs from Yohane the Parhelion, as that series has a librarian. There isn’t much more to say at this point, unless libraries have more of a role in episodes beyond the aforementioned ones.

The library reappears throughout the series, including in the episode “What’s a Girls’ Night?” when Riko is shown briefly in her library and isn’t sure about going to a girls’ night. It is even a place or refuge as made clear in the 12th episode, “Farewell, Lailaps”. In that episode, Yohane shelters in the library while her wolf gets better, with Riko, and a little girl comes in worrying about Sakura (a pig) who ran way. It finally appears in the series finale, “Once Again Today.” In that episode, the library becomes a shelter of sorts for people and their animals, with Riko worried about Yohane. Mari is there too and is trying to listen for Yohane. The associated game may have scenes in the library as well, but I can’t say for certain.

That’s all for now. Next week’s post will be on a witch, a vampire (cat), and a magical library in Morgana and Oz!

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Hargreaves, Abby. “Being a Librarian: Expectations vs. Reality,” Book Riot, Nov. 3, 2021; “What Librarians and Library Media Specialists Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed Jul. 31, 2023. Yohane, Riko, and Mari are known as “Guilty Kiss” when singing in Love Live! Sunshine!!, and sing an insert song in the sixth episode.

#AdventureTime #animals #BravestWarriors #CleopatraInSpace #definitions #Hilda #Kaisa #LetSMakeAMugToo #LGBTQ #LoliRock #LoveLiveSunshine #MorganaAndOz #pigs #research #SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower #SheRaFranchise #SolarisFilm #StretchArmstrong #Trollhunters #YohaneTheParhelionSunshineInTheMirror #yuri

Knowledge, research, zoologists, and beyond in fictional libraries of yore

When I originally wrote about Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror on this blog, I believed there was only episode focusing on libraries in this idolish anime fantasy series, a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff. I could not be more wrong, as I learned in the sixth episode. I’ll talk about the role of libraries in this series and connect it to other posts on this blog. This may also require some plot summary.

At the end of the second episode, “My Job”, there is a short library scene. During that scene, a scholar realizes that the animals are in danger, after looking at a book showing the effects of an evil virus, with the protagonist in danger. This is followed up in the sixth episode, “The Harmony of the Shy”. In that episode, the scholar is revealed to be a zoologist named Riko. She has a huge library and is researching the strange behavior of animals in Numazu. As such, she is drawn to unique/rare animals and life forms. She even travels to the Administrative Bureau, which has all the information on the town, and talks to Dia about the strange incidents affecting the animals (and the town by extension). After this, Riko declares she is leaving the town the next day, surprising them all. Late at night, Riko reads more books about the calamity which is affecting the town and the animals.

It is later revealed that she moved around a lot when she was little, and stopped trying to make friends. As such, after a bog she bonded with was returned to its owner, she didn’t want to deal with the sadness caused by separation, causing her to begin loving to read books about animals, then researching animals. All the while, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone or make any memories. Yohane (the anime’s protagonist and namesake) and Mari comfort her. Ultimately, Riko tells them she is going to stay in town for a “little longer”, saying she will help out, if her skills as a researcher can benefit those in the town.

I liked this aspect of the episode as is showed that the books and research she is doing is being put to a good use. More than that, considering that Riko likely organized the books herself, she is a bit of a defacto librarian. However, considering that librarianship itself involves those who work professional within a librarian, providing either instruction on information literacy or access to information, Riko is not that at all. Furthermore, not everyone who works in a library is a librarian, as there are pages, library associates, library assistances, branch managers, cataloging staff, and so on, all while librarians receive low wages, are not quiet places, and have an organizational system for the books. While you can argue that Riko is helping Yohane, Lailaps (Yohane’s wolf companion), and Mari find information, she is the researcher. She is not facilitating them to conduct “research for personal and professional use.” [1]

This series is not unique in showing characters research in the library. Characters in the series Adventure Time, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Stretch Armstrong, Let’s Make a Mug Too, Bravest Warriors, LoliRock, Trollhunters, and Hilda, and films like Solaris, to name a few, do the same, conducting research within libraries. In a few cases, like Adventure Time, the new She-Ra, Trollhunters, and Hilda, there are librarians, specifically Turtle Princess, George and Lance, Blinky, and Kaisa. This differs from Yohane the Parhelion, as that series has a librarian. There isn’t much more to say at this point, unless libraries have more of a role in episodes beyond the aforementioned ones.

The library reappears throughout the series, including in the episode “What’s a Girls’ Night?” when Riko is shown briefly in her library and isn’t sure about going to a girls’ night. It is even a place or refuge as made clear in the 12th episode, “Farewell, Lailaps”. In that episode, Yohane shelters in the library while her wolf gets better, with Riko, and a little girl comes in worrying about Sakura (a pig) who ran way. It finally appears in the series finale, “Once Again Today.” In that episode, the library becomes a shelter of sorts for people and their animals, with Riko worried about Yohane. Mari is there too and is trying to listen for Yohane. The associated game may have scenes in the library as well, but I can’t say for certain.

That’s all for now. Next week’s post will be on a witch, a vampire (cat), and a magical library in Morgana and Oz!

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Hargreaves, Abby. “Being a Librarian: Expectations vs. Reality,” Book Riot, Nov. 3, 2021; “What Librarians and Library Media Specialists Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed Jul. 31, 2023. Yohane, Riko, and Mari are known as “Guilty Kiss” when singing in Love Live! Sunshine!!, and sing an insert song in the sixth episode.

#AdventureTime #animals #BravestWarriors #CleopatraInSpace #definitions #Hilda #Kaisa #LetSMakeAMugToo #LGBTQ #LoliRock #LoveLiveSunshine #MorganaAndOz #pigs #research #SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower #SheRaFranchise #SolarisFilm #StretchArmstrong #Trollhunters #YohaneTheParhelionSunshineInTheMirror #yuri

Knowledge, research, zoologists, and beyond in fictional libraries of yore

When I originally wrote about Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror on this blog, I believed there was only episode focusing on libraries in this idolish anime fantasy series, a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff. I could not be more wrong, as I learned in the sixth episode. I’ll talk about the role of libraries in this series and connect it to other posts on this blog. This may also require some plot summary.

At the end of the second episode, “My Job”, there is a short library scene. During that scene, a scholar realizes that the animals are in danger, after looking at a book showing the effects of an evil virus, with the protagonist in danger. This is followed up in the sixth episode, “The Harmony of the Shy”. In that episode, the scholar is revealed to be a zoologist named Riko. She has a huge library and is researching the strange behavior of animals in Numazu. As such, she is drawn to unique/rare animals and life forms. She even travels to the Administrative Bureau, which has all the information on the town, and talks to Dia about the strange incidents affecting the animals (and the town by extension). After this, Riko declares she is leaving the town the next day, surprising them all. Late at night, Riko reads more books about the calamity which is affecting the town and the animals.

It is later revealed that she moved around a lot when she was little, and stopped trying to make friends. As such, after a bog she bonded with was returned to its owner, she didn’t want to deal with the sadness caused by separation, causing her to begin loving to read books about animals, then researching animals. All the while, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone or make any memories. Yohane (the anime’s protagonist and namesake) and Mari comfort her. Ultimately, Riko tells them she is going to stay in town for a “little longer”, saying she will help out, if her skills as a researcher can benefit those in the town.

I liked this aspect of the episode as is showed that the books and research she is doing is being put to a good use. More than that, considering that Riko likely organized the books herself, she is a bit of a defacto librarian. However, considering that librarianship itself involves those who work professional within a librarian, providing either instruction on information literacy or access to information, Riko is not that at all. Furthermore, not everyone who works in a library is a librarian, as there are pages, library associates, library assistances, branch managers, cataloging staff, and so on, all while librarians receive low wages, are not quiet places, and have an organizational system for the books. While you can argue that Riko is helping Yohane, Lailaps (Yohane’s wolf companion), and Mari find information, she is the researcher. She is not facilitating them to conduct “research for personal and professional use.” [1]

This series is not unique in showing characters research in the library. Characters in the series Adventure Time, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Stretch Armstrong, Let’s Make a Mug Too, Bravest Warriors, LoliRock, Trollhunters, and Hilda, and films like Solaris, to name a few, do the same, conducting research within libraries. In a few cases, like Adventure Time, the new She-Ra, Trollhunters, and Hilda, there are librarians, specifically Turtle Princess, George and Lance, Blinky, and Kaisa. This differs from Yohane the Parhelion, as that series has a librarian. There isn’t much more to say at this point, unless libraries have more of a role in episodes beyond the aforementioned ones.

The library reappears throughout the series, including in the episode “What’s a Girls’ Night?” when Riko is shown briefly in her library and isn’t sure about going to a girls’ night. It is even a place or refuge as made clear in the 12th episode, “Farewell, Lailaps”. In that episode, Yohane shelters in the library while her wolf gets better, with Riko, and a little girl comes in worrying about Sakura (a pig) who ran way. It finally appears in the series finale, “Once Again Today.” In that episode, the library becomes a shelter of sorts for people and their animals, with Riko worried about Yohane. Mari is there too and is trying to listen for Yohane. The associated game may have scenes in the library as well, but I can’t say for certain.

That’s all for now. Next week’s post will be on a witch, a vampire (cat), and a magical library in Morgana and Oz!

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Hargreaves, Abby. “Being a Librarian: Expectations vs. Reality,” Book Riot, Nov. 3, 2021; “What Librarians and Library Media Specialists Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed Jul. 31, 2023. Yohane, Riko, and Mari are known as “Guilty Kiss” when singing in Love Live! Sunshine!!, and sing an insert song in the sixth episode.

#AdventureTime #animals #BravestWarriors #CleopatraInSpace #definitions #Hilda #Kaisa #LetSMakeAMugToo #LGBTQ #LoliRock #LoveLiveSunshine #MorganaAndOz #pigs #research #SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower #SheRaFranchise #SolarisFilm #StretchArmstrong #Trollhunters #YohaneTheParhelionSunshineInTheMirror #yuri

Princess Syalis’ sleep quest, spells, and forbidden library knowledge in “Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle”

I’ve written about sleeping on this blog throughout this past year, whether in regards to Rin Shima in Laid Back-Camp, who sleeps at the information desk when she was in school, one of the few characters who is a librarian which I have seen doing this, while comfortably wearing a hair bun. Another example is the unnamed librarian in We Bare Bears, who lets patrons sleep overnight at the library, perhaps because she saw them working so steadily, so she let them stay there and rest in peace. Otherwise, there’s Shirusu Mochizuki who wakes up a sleeping patron in a weird first-person series, while claiming that naps disturb the other patrons and to not sleep in the library. Rin does the same in another episode, to her friend, Nadeshiko. Even more blatant is Dantalion in As Miss Beelzebub Likes, a part-rabbit librarian of the Pandemonium Library. He remains overly dedicated to his job that he reads but doesn’t eat at times, loving the smell of paper and ink. At the same time, he is very knowledgeable about what is in the library’s stacks, filled with millions of books, and is hundreds of years old, and works alongside over 10 possible library assistants. Others, such as Myne in Ascendance of a Bookworm, may fall asleep during their librarian duties as well, while Yomiko Readman almost sleeps on the huge pile of books she has in her apartment, in R.O.D. the TV.

All of these examples stand against rules in libraries banning sleeping, which can be used against homeless people if they unevenly/unfairly enforced. This all goes out the window when it comes to Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, an anime based on an ongoing manga written by Kagiji Kumanomata, which mixes the slice-of-life, fantasy comedy, and adventure genres, into one. In one episode, the protagonist, Princess Syalis (her full name is Aurora Sya Lis Goodereste) travels to the forbidden library in hopes that it will provide what she needs for a good night sleep, as she remains a hostage-in-name-only in the Demon Castle, where her antics make her the defacto castle ruler, in some ways. It differs from other series where the library is shown to be a place of studying, work, and even fun. [1] There will be some summaries of the show’s third episode.

In the episode, entitled “The Princess and Forbidden Knowledge,” of the aforementioned series, Syalis reads a Grimoire, a book which contains fruits of human wisdom, but can cause people to lose their sanity or gain magic knowledge. She believed that if she reads one of these sealed books, she might be able to fall asleep. As a result, she secretly travels to the Demon Castle Underground Library, hoping to find such a book, and makes her way past the guards (Bigwig Penguin and Jester Soldier). At first, her quest is not successful, as she reads many boring, dull Grimoires, which reduce her hit points/health to almost nothing. After this, something miraculous happens, she begins rolling down the stairs, going through a wild process which unlocks all the parts needed to unlock a forbidden magical book, sitting in its own secluded, secret library room. She finds herself in a pile of books and is able to easily to take off the chains around the aforementioned Grimoire, which releases Alazif, the spirit of the Grimoire.

Although Alazif attempts to convince Syalis to destroy all the demons, she refuses. She remains annoyed until she learns about a sleep spell. She wields the power and it so effective that it envelops the entire castle, with no one able to resist the magic, not even the demon king. This backfires as the spell doesn’t work on the spellcaster (her), causing her to be wide awake while everyone else is asleep. She falls asleep on a book in the library, with the book as a pillow of sorts. shocking Alazif. This library has no active librarians, so there’s no one, like the librarians Sanae Dekomori smears as slacking off for “not shelving books,” in  Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, for Syalis to criticize. [2]

Later, Syalis gets a book from the library, thanks to Alazif, outlining pressure points that humans have. In the sequence that follows, she asks people around the castle to touch her in a specific place (which they interpret as sexual), but she is only asking them to touch her pressure points. She is able to pull the Demon King into her prison room, and he believes that what she wants is sexual, remembering what he once read in a book. Once it is clear that it was just a way to get her to sleep, he, and the rest of the demons, are embarrassed.

Apart from the fact that the underground library and secret annex do not have libraries, the books are unique in more ways than one. For one, the books have built-in restrictions, as reading them would cause you to die. This is almost like the books in the library collection of the University of Southern Denmark which contained “large concentrations of arsenic on their covers.” Other libraries had volumes, but those books have long been destroyed. Additional researchers uncovered rare book collections and libraries which “often carry volumes that feature poisons on their pages.” [3]

In terms of the restrictions on books, I can’t think of any other examples where they are books which have chains on them apart from those in What If…?, as Jennifer Snoek-Brown describes: “…a few books hang from chains along the ceiling,” calling it “visually intriguing but very impractical.” She also pointed to chained-up books from the restricted section as shown in the film Doctor Strange, part of the never-ending cash cow, Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began in 2008. The latter is a series of films which have been criticized as equivalent of theme park rides, corporation products, despicable, ruining the industry, and is said to mainly cater to White adults. [4]

In addition, I’ve previously written on this blog about the so-called “restricted library” in That Awkward Magic!!, although the latter is a magic archives rather than a magic library. Similarly, the librarian in Hilda, named Kaisa, is a witch, can enter magic passageways and go to the Committee of Three, deep within the library. In the same point I pointed to restricted books in Equestria Girls, and the books only accessible to priests in Ascendance of a Bookworm. Then, in Merlin’s Story, the librarian on staff said that the school’s historical documents were not open to the public. It is further implied that the information inside the PYRAMID Academy library’s Ancient Egypt Room (part of the special collections), as shown in Cleopatra in Space, is restricted, perhaps to only academy professors, not students. At the same time, only certain students, like Callie, who heads the Ancient Egypt club at this intergalactic high school, may have access.

Last but not least, there’s the closed stacks in Riddle Story of Devil, authorized books in Soylent Green, and implied restrictions on a book that Somali (and the Golem) wants to read, in an episode of Somali and the Forest Spirit, as it has information about humans. In that case of that series, the librarian, Praline, is aggressive in her questioning of the patrons, going against guidance about reference interviews. Later, they can’t even use the book to get through the library’s catacombs, as witches get called when the alarm goes off, since Somali and Golem are labeled as “intruders.” After their harrowing escape, they reach their destination, but the witches appear and soon surround them, telling them to surrender, declaring this is a “restricted area.” Such limits on the information being shared are not unique.

This series is unlike any others I’ve seen, in part, because of the arrogance and privilege of Syalis. While this was clear from the subbed version, it came through even more through the dubbed version, with Kira Buckland voicing Syalis. She voiced Umi Sonoda in Love Live! School Idol Project, Beatrice (Hetaro Pearlbaton and Lucas) in Re:Zero, Luculia in Violet Evergarden, Sophia Ascart in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, and Makeru Yadano in Komi Can’t Communicate, to name a few. In terms of Syalis, her name probably is not a reference to the Cialis (also known as Tadalafil) medication.

However, the absurdity of this plot says a lot about libraries. For one, it says that this library is not very accessible. How can her information need (to find a book that makes her sleepy) be fulfilled if there are no librarians present? In some ways, Alazif helps her, but she does not appear to have knowledge of the library collections. A librarian would surely have been helpful. On the other hand, Syalis is capable by herself and can easily solve quests to ensure she gets a good night rest, with or without help. In the case of this episode, the librarian, more likely than not, would have been a demon and would have reported her.

In terms of libraries in real-life, some libraries in Wisconsin (Eau Claire) have taken measures against sleeping in libraries, while others have encouraged sleepy storytimes (Dickinson County, Michigan). Others have considered taking measures to stop sleeping outside libraries, or banned it when the library is closed. Additional libraries have installed sleep pods, like ones at McKeldin Library at University of Maryland, College Park, from what I remember. [5] The latter would definitely be something that Syalis would enjoy, for sure.

Although there are no fan fics for the manga, or anime adaptation, which use the “libraries” tag on AO3, there is one mentioning the aforementioned episode and the Demon Cleric. In this fic, the Demon Cleric thinks of sleeping in the library,which is said to have a quiet ambiance. It was further noted that “thousands of books were shelved on either side of the walls. Also, long tables and chairs were placed there for visitors to read books quietly with no noises disturbing them.” It was added that this library, like others, made it feel like the knowledge was seeping through you, and was vast. However, he wanted to avoid other people seeing him sleep there. Ultimately he and Syalis end up sleeping together and they kiss! It would have been interesting to see the anime, or manga, take this direction.

The manga, which is over 20 volumes, had various chapters set in the library. The first of these is the tenth chapter, which was adapted in the aforementioned “The Princess and Forbidden Knowledge” episode. In the chapter, Syalis, finds a forbidden grimoire, which includes “all the fruits of human wisdom,” after she reads books she deems boring. After she meets Alazif, in a secret room of the demon underground library and gets a sleeping spell, which doesn’t work on her. The second is in the 20th chapter, which Syalis goes to the aforementioned secret room, and asks Alazif for advice on sleeping better, and she gets a flower, known as Mangolasia, which induces a deep sleep. Then, in the 27th chapter, Syalis reads the forbidden grimoire, and learns about a mysterious device known as a kotatsu. Then there’s the 40th chapter, when Syalis learns about Valentine’s Day chocolates from Alazif, while she is in the demon underground library. She is told that people should give her chocolates because she is a girl.

That’s all for this post! Next week I’ll be writing about name changes and romance in the public library of Alter Ego. As a relevant reminder, I will be writing about sleeping in libraries in four other blogposts this year, often as secondary topics in posts about libraries as places of knowledge, refuge, studying, reading, and romance. [6]

Hope you all sleep soundly, as soundly as Princess Syalis!

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] I’m referring to the first two episodes of I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness. In the first episode, “Naughty Encounter, the protagonist, Allen Crawford, helps Charlotte Evans (a disgraced noble lady framed for crimes), and tells her that she can do whatever she wants, even spending time reading in the library. He is shown doing his work in the library, which is crossing out huge passages in to-be-published academic literature, which he loves to do. In the second episode, “Naughty Way to Release Stress,” Allen, reviews his progress to make Charlotte do “naughty” things (eat cakes), and tries thinks of ways for her to experience what she hasn’t before. The next morning, Allen wakes up, after doing an all-nighter, and is excited by the list of “naughty” things he has come up with for her.

[2] In the 11th episode of that series, entitled “One-Winged Fallen Angel,” Sanae Dekomori complains that the librarians are slacking off and not shelving books, and says the teacher is being carefree. Yūta Togashi is distracted, as he is thinking about Rikka Takanashi. Later, in talking with Yuta, Sanae admits she was scouted by the drama club, and asks if he regrets what happened to Rikka.

[3] Holck, Jakob Povl and Kaare Lund Rasmussen. “How we discovered three poisonous books in our university library,” The Conversation, Jun. 27, 2018; Zawacki, Alexander J. “How a Library Handles a Rare and Deadly Book of Wallpaper Samples,” Atlas Obscura, Jan. 23, 2018; “These green books are poisonous—and one may be on a shelf near you,” Art Conservation, University of Delaware Art & Sciences, accessed Oct. 19, 2023.

[4] Shevenock, Sarah and Alyssa Meyers, “Is Gen Z Too Cool for Marvel? Just 9% of Marvel Fans Identify as Part of the Generation,” Morning Consult Pro, Dec. 6, 2021; Bell, BreAnna. “Martin Scorsese Compares Marvel Movies to Theme Parks: ‘That’s Not Cinema’,” Variety, Oct. 4, 2019; Scorsese, Marin. “I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain,” New York Times (opinion), Nov. 4, 2019; Dalton, Ben. “Martin Scorsese talks “theme park films”, Netflix trade-off, de-ageing concerns,” Screen Daily, Oct. 13, 2019; Lattanzio, Ryan. “Martin Scorsese Defends Marvel Comments in New York Times Op-Ed: These Films Have No Mystery or Risk,” IndieWire, Nov. 4, 2019; Fleming Jr., Mike. “Turns Out The Most Despicable Thing About Francis Coppola’s Superhero Movie Comments Was The Faulty Translation,” Deadline, Oct. 29, 2019; Lattanzio, Ryan. “Denis Villeneuve Says ‘Cut and Paste’ Marvel Movies Have ‘Turned Us Into Zombies’,” IndieWire, Sept. 16, 2021; Crow, David. “Roland Emmerich: Marvel and Star Wars Are ‘Ruining Our Industry’,” Den of Geek, Feb. 2, 2022; Faughnder, Ryan. “What’s up with the MCU? A new book chronicles Marvel Studios’ reign and stumbles,” LA Times, Oct. 10, 2023.

[5] Loroff, Alex. “Eau Claire library looks to hire full-time security monitor,” WLAX/WEUX, Oct. 19, 2023; “Sleepy Storytimes at the Dickinson County Library,” The Daily News, Oct. 16, 2023; “New Hanover Co. considering changes to stop people from sleeping outside of downtown library,” WCET, Jan. 19, 2023; Cohen, Nancy Eve. “Once a haven for people sleeping outside, after fire, Pittsfield library bans loitering,” New England Public Media, Nov. 28, 2022; Yeung, Lien. “BCIT installs new sleep pods in library,” CBC News, Aug. 2, 2016; O’Connell, Elizabeth. “Sleeping area could come to Main Library,” The Daily Wildcat, Dec. 6, 2016.

[6] They are: “Fictional libraries as places of refuge and knowledge” (May 28, 2024); “The fictional library and the value of studying redux” (Jul. 31, 2024); “The dangers in “my” library?: Box cutters, food consumption, books, and romance, oh my!” (Aug. 21, 2024); and “Are libraries just “for reading”?: Neptune’s declaration and the reality of libraries” (Oct. 29, 2024).

#AlterEgo #arsenic #AsMissBeelzebubLikes #AscendanceOfABookworm #Beatrice #books #booksThatKill #chainedBooks #chocolate #CleopatraInSpace #demons #dubbing #EquestriaGirls #fanFiction #femaleLibrarians #flowers #hitPoints #IMGivingTheDisgracedNobleLadyIRescuedACrashCourseInNaughtiness #JapaneseLibrarians #JapanesePatrons #JapaneseWomen #Kaisa #kissing #LaidBackCamp #libraryPatrons #LoveChunibyoOtherDelusions #LoveLiveSchoolIdolProject #Makuranodanshi #mentalHealth #MerlinSStory #MyNextLifeAsAVillainess #Myne #overwork #pressurePoints #RODTheTV #ReZero #referenceInterviews #restrictions #RiddleStoryOfTheDevil #sexualAttraction #sleeping #SleepyPrincessInTheDemonCastle #SomaliAndTheForestSpirit #SoylentGreen #spirits #studyRoom #studying #subtitles #teachers #ThatAwkwardMagic #VioletEvergarden #vocationalAwe #WeBareBears #WhatIf #YomikoReadman

Xmas Graphic Novel Haul.
#Bandett #CleopatraInSpace #Batman #BatmanAnimated #ModestyBlaise

Back in August 2020, when I had begun to write reviews of libraries in animation, I wrote that in the episode “Clubbing,” after Cleopatra, her friends Brian and Akila, and her teacher/mentor Khensu go to the Ancient Egypt section of the school’s library, equivalent of a special collections, that Cleo, dismayed by the amount of records on Ancient Egypt, offsets a positive depiction of libraries by sucking all the electricity of the school and nearby Mayet City into her body, resulting in a power outage. While that seems like a valid assessment, I’m not sure if what I said next is correct: “The message of this moment is that libraries need adequate resources and support to assist the communities they serve—otherwise there will be information deficits that put patrons at a disadvantage.” I decided to re-examine this scene, especially since I was encouraged to add this by Lindsey Simon of I Love Libraries when I wrote this post for that website. [1]

The scene begins when Cleo goes with her friends Brian and Akila to the special collections room after hours. At first, Cleo is excited to see what they have, but there are only a few dozen artifacts, fragments of scrolls, and books. Khensu shows her how to access all of it and hands her a scroll, the only thing that mentions her by name. Akila tries to cheer her up, but it doesn’t work, as she thought she might find something about herself. She is amazed to see they have a statue of her dad. As she begins feeling emotions for him, she starts glowing pink, giving off a “weird energy signature,” floating, sucking the power out of everything, including the shield protecting the city from asteroids. Following that, they run out of the library to avoid the asteroid attacks, ending the scene in the library, and they never end up returning to that room at any point in the series.

It is clearly a stretch and overreach to say that this scene somehow indicates that “libraries need adequate resources and support to assist the communities they serve” and that if they don’t there “will be information deficits that put patrons at a disadvantage.” This scene, prior to the asteroid strikes, is indicating the importance of preservation and value of information. I also incorrectly termed this the “library’s Ancient Egypt section,” with physical records in a trunk. While they can be accessed as holograms, it is a whole room of information, and it probably is not accessible to the general student body, as they accessed it after-hours. As such, the information inside is restricted, perhaps to only the professors of PYRAMID Academy, not the students who actually attend the academy. It is possible it may be accessible to specific students, like Callie, who heads the Ancient Egypt club at this intergalactic high school, but that can’t be confirmed.

Furthermore, Cleo’s use of the pink power is not as much a dismay at the records that are contained within the room. Rather it is a longing for her father who she will likely never see again, and her home. The imagery and symbolism of this scene makes this interpretation the right one, rather than the one I stated in I Love Libraries at the time. Unfortunately, with the attack in the final episode of the series by Octavian’s forces, this room was likely damaged during the fighting, and it is not known how much of it remains.

On the other hand, there is clearly a lack of information in this room, as Cleo is acutely aware of. There probably isn’t much in terms of weeding that is going on in acquiring materials for this room, i.e. the removal of items from a collection. Rather, there is careful acquisition since the villainous Octavian has destroyed much of the galaxy’s information in what they call The Blight, while likely keeping copies of this information for himself. Obviously it is not mentioned in this episode, but the upkeep of the room itself is undoubtedly incorporated into the budget of the PYRAMID library.

Unlike some other libraries, this library is about knowledge and learning, not some institution that is acting as a “profit center,” as some like to frame libraries and make them synonymous with business that is trying to gain a profit. That is something that libraries, especially those which are public or non-profit, should not be doing, even if they are encouraged to think that way in order to be “competitive” or speak like corporate CEOs. In the end, while Cleopatra in Space is not talking about information deficits in libraries, it connects to other library themes and remains relevant in terms of representation in popular media.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] My original draft of the post that I submitted to I Love Libraries did not include this line, only noting that the scene in “Clubbing” was two-and-half minutes long, ended when Cleo and her friends have to avoid asteroids crashing into the school.

https://popculturelibraries.wordpress.com/2022/09/13/is-cleopatra-in-space-really-talking-about-information-deficits-in-libraries/

#AncientEgypt #cats #CleopatraInSpace #corporations #informationLoss #informationNeeds #magic #restrictions #specialCollections

oh wow, looks like #hulu is going to get all three seasons of #cleopatrainspace

A nice conversation with Doug Langdale, Executie Producer of the Cleapatra in Space series

http://www.animationscoop.com/dreamworks-doug-langdale-talks-peacocks-cleopatra-in-space/

#animation #DreamWorks #CleopatraInSpace