MAGUS OF THE LIBRARY (Toshoukan no Daimajutsushi), by Mitsu Izumi. First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2019.
PLOT:
Theo loves nothing more than read. He spends most of his days being scorned for his pale skin, elven ears, and general poverty. He's even prohibited from using the village library, so he treasures every opportunity he gets to read and escape his everyday life. His dream is to visit the far-away city of Aftzaak, where it is said that every book in the world is stored. That dream becomes a reality when a quartet of librarians from Aftzaak come to his village. Through them, he discovers potential and kindness that Theo never though possible, and his own adventure is soon to begin.
STORY:
The cover would suggest that this is an adaptation of some unknown children's author. In truth this is just a fictional conceit, but it's easy to see how people could be fooled. Magus of the Library feels like something that would be right at home in the Young Adult Fiction section, for better and for worse.
Part of what makes it feel like children's fiction is how thuddingly obvious it is with its morality. Theo is so wholesome and so oppressed by the world that it verges upon saintliness. Meanwhile, those that bully or oppress him are painted in broad strokes of villainy until they are forgiven in the final third of the book. Considering how much others harp on Theo's pale skin and pointed ears, his oppression is a pretty obvious metaphor for real-world racism, but it's handled so simply and resolved so neatly that it loses much of its impact.
Even if the morality is simple, Theo's kindness is enough to charm the reader (as well as the visiting librarians and the odd magical beast). I was also charmed by the emphasis on preservation of books, and it's clear that Izumi has done their research as the travelling librarians all use real-world conservation methods. It's just a shame that the story reaches its big climax (both in terms of action and emotion) only to drag things out a little to wrap up most of the loose ends and perform a time skip. This is one of the few times where a cliffhanger ending would have been the best choice, as it would have made the story feel less like a fairy tale and allow it to wrap up the volume on a high note.
ART:
Izumi's art is lovely and full of exotic flavor. Flashbacks are conveyed with Indonesian shadow puppets and the world around Theo seems to take a lot of cues from the Middle East. Izumi puts a lot of detail into this series, be in the elaborate uniforms of the librarians or Theo's humble hovel. There's also a lot of shadow used here, which helps to give some dimension and enhances some of the mood. The closest thing I have to a criticism here is that Izumi's character designs are kind of safe. They're all very attractive, but not terribly distinct.
RATING:
Magus of the Library is both a quaint and sincere fantasy story. Those looking for a fantasy series that isn't catering to the otaku audience might find this one charming, and I would strongly recommend it for anyone looking for a good child-friendly fantasy manga.
This series is published by Kodansha Comics. This series is ongoing in Japan with 3 volumes available. 2 volumes has been published and is currently in print.
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