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TinyRedLeaf · 2008-04-19, 09:57

It's funny how I haven't noticed those points. I am usually quite fast at catching such implausibilities. I guess I've enjoyed Iku's antics so much that I didn't stop to think about the possible plot holes.

To be fair, I think the whole idea of a country fighting a war over books is a tad far-fetched in the first place. Moreover, such concepts tend to fit in more neatly with dystopian societies such as those depcited in 1984 or Brave New World. Someone had pointed out that Toshokan Sensou's version of Japan seems surprisingly calm and peaceful for a country at war. Soldiers are literally dying for the sake of books, while members of the public were peacefully visting the library.

Due to the lack of subs, it's difficult for me to tell what part of the premise has been explained so far. Future episodes will probably reveal more details about this version of Japan. Impz had speculated that the people are so used to information control that they've become desensitised to the violence. That sounds possible.

As for the library, it probably depends on which faction gets to the book first. If the Media Improvement Brigade (MIB) confiscates the book before a customer buys it, then he would probably have to visit the Task Force Library for a copy. Even then, that individual would not get to own the book - only browsing copies would be available. That possibly explains why that library-user wanted to cut out the centrefold photo.

Another theory just came to my mind. Perhaps the control of books is a proxy war for political control over the country. Assuming that the government has no wish to kill its own civilians, the various factions inside the government fight each other to control the means of spreading information to the people, and by extension, winning the people's hearts and minds. If that's what each faction wants to achieve, they wouldn't want to kill civilians, would they? Nothing like a blood bath to turn a population to full-scale revolt. The government would want to avoid that.

On the other hand, they wouldn't have any qualms killing a rival faction member. Indeed, it would probably help their own faction gain an upper hand in government. Meanwhile, as long as there is no collateral damage, life goes on as normal for the average citizen.

How's that? It makes sense, don't you think?

2008-04-19, 09:57	Link #74
TinyRedLeaf Moving in circles Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Singapore Age: 49	It's funny how I haven't noticed those points. I am usually quite fast at catching such implausibilities. I guess I've enjoyed Iku's antics so much that I didn't stop to think about the possible plot holes. To be fair, I think the whole idea of a country fighting a war over books is a tad far-fetched in the first place. Moreover, such concepts tend to fit in more neatly with dystopian societies such as those depcited in 1984 or Brave New World. Someone had pointed out that Toshokan Sensou's version of Japan seems surprisingly calm and peaceful for a country at war. Soldiers are literally dying for the sake of books, while members of the public were peacefully visting the library. Due to the lack of subs, it's difficult for me to tell what part of the premise has been explained so far. Future episodes will probably reveal more details about this version of Japan. Impz had speculated that the people are so used to information control that they've become desensitised to the violence. That sounds possible. As for the library, it probably depends on which faction gets to the book first. If the Media Improvement Brigade (MIB) confiscates the book before a customer buys it, then he would probably have to visit the Task Force Library for a copy. Even then, that individual would not get to own the book - only browsing copies would be available. That possibly explains why that library-user wanted to cut out the centrefold photo. Another theory just came to my mind. Perhaps the control of books is a proxy war for political control over the country. Assuming that the government has no wish to kill its own civilians, the various factions inside the government fight each other to control the means of spreading information to the people, and by extension, winning the people's hearts and minds. If that's what each faction wants to achieve, they wouldn't want to kill civilians, would they? Nothing like a blood bath to turn a population to full-scale revolt. The government would want to avoid that. On the other hand, they wouldn't have any qualms killing a rival faction member. Indeed, it would probably help their own faction gain an upper hand in government. Meanwhile, as long as there is no collateral damage, life goes on as normal for the average citizen. How's that? It makes sense, don't you think?