Librarian Anime Character wears "real glasses"

Eyeglass Store Sells Official Library War Glasses
posted on 2008-04-16 03:28 AEST
Asako character to wear different pair of Zoff prescription glasses every week

Full article from Anime News Network

Oh YEAH!!!

Not only is it a anime about libraries, and censorship but one of the characters wears glasses that are available in Japan from a particular store...

Shibasaki's eyeglasses can actually be bought at Zoff, a chain of Japanese eyeglass stores.

Now where is that credit card???

Based on a light novel series by Arikawa Hiro, illustrated by Adabana Sukumo.

In the year 2019, the explosion of information and misinformation became a direct threat to society. In a daring decision, it was decided to create a new government agency dedicated solely to information management. Now some thirty years later, the government still monitors and controls information, suppressing anything they find undesirable, but standing against their abuses of power are the libraries, with their special agents called ‘the book soldiers.’

Taken from AniDB.net

Ok so does this just show my uber geekiness or am I really so sad that I'm getting excited by a character wearing glasses, and not just any but ones I could buy for myself, and based in and around libraries. I'm all for no censorship and freedom of expression and find this whole idea of a guerilla movement of librarians fighting for the rights of the people and their libraries just a little exciting!!

Listings for Toshokan Sensou (Library War)

AniDB.net
Anime News Network
AnimeNFO
Official Site (Japanese)

The Twelve Kingdoms Novel 2 - Review - Anime News Network

The long awaited 2nd novel of the Twelve Kingdoms Series has been beautifully reviewed on Anime News Network...

Synopsis:

In all of the lands of the Twelve Kingdoms there is only one Sati-tree, on Hohzan, one of the Five Mountains at the heart of the Yellow Sea. From that tree spring the fruit that become the noble kirin. Shortly after the fruit for the new kirin of Tai began to grow on the Sati-tree calamity strikes, resulting in the fruit being blown across dimensional boundaries into Hourai (i.e. Japan). Ten years later the fledgling kirin, now grown into a boy who has had immense trouble fitting in, is found and recovered, bringing Taiki back to his proper place. Though Taiki, an auspiciously rare black kirin, quickly comes to accept his new reality, the ten years he spent in Hourai have prevented him from developing what should be instinctive kirin traits, such as how the world of the Twelve Kingdoms works, how to pacify demons to become his sirei (i.e. bonded servants), and how to shift into his animal form. Despite that, it falls to him to choose the new king of Tai, a holy task that he has little time to prepare for or understand.

For the full review ---> The Twelve Kingdoms Novel 2 - Review - Anime News Network

The HP Saga Continues

Sued by Harry Potter’s Creator, Lexicographer Breaks Down on the Stand

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS
Published: April 16, 2008

Shhh! The librarian at the heart of the Harry Potter copyright-infringement lawsuit stood up to J. K. Rowling on Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom, and then broke down sobbing.

The librarian, Steven Jan Vander Ark, had the mild-mannered demeanor of Ron Weasley, and the intelligence, charm — and haircut — of Harry Potter. Even his name sounds like that of a character in one of the books, if preceded by “Lord” or “Master.” Although, at 50, he is older than Ms. Rowling, 42, he looked like a schoolboy, with an unlined face and caramel-colored hair parted down the middle.

On the witness stand in Federal District Court, he portrayed the famous writer as his idol, his true literary love, who had been unaccountably bewitched by the evil money-grubbing forces of publishing, like one of Voldemort’s vassals. One day, he testified, Ms. Rowling was singling out his Harry Potter Lexicon Web site, out of “hundreds of thousands” of Potter fan sites on the Web, for praise; the next, she was accusing him of plagiarism for wanting to turn it into a book.

A rather dramatically titled article but interesting none the less...

One could imagine all sorts of things happening with this. I would also ask where all the research that went into the lexicon will go, would JK Rowling list all of the conflicting information that exists in her books? What about the essays and other articles written about her books that may be published...

While Ms. Rowling argued on Monday that people who bought the “Harry Potter Lexicon” would have little incentive to buy her books, Mr. Vander Ark argued that, on the contrary, only people who read her books would be interested in his encyclopedia.

This is a valid I think, I dont know of anyone that would buy an encyclopedia on a item of fiction that wasn't a researcher or a major fan. And lets face it, what with the content being on the web already for free, they would have to be a major fan!!!

The full article here ---> NY Times

HP Lexicon being sued

Rowling to Testify in Trial Over Potter Lexicon

By MOTOKO RICH

Published: April 14, 2008

J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, is expected to testify against a small publisher looking to bring out an encyclopedia based on her work.

Not really sure what to think about all this...

Part of me says that the Lexicon is ok to publish and if done in the right way, will be ok with the copyright restrictions etc. but admitedly, I'm no copyright expert.

Check it out and see what you think... NY Times

Would you buy it if it went to print???