| Kokoro Library | |
 | |
| ココロ図書館 (Kokoro Toshokan) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Slice of life,Drama,Comedy |
| Manga | |
| Kokoro Library | |
| Written by | Nobuyuki Takagi,Yōsuke Kuroda |
| Illustrated by | Nobuyuki Takagi |
| Published by |
|
| Imprint |
|
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | April 2000[1][2] –July 2002[3] |
| Volumes |
|
| Anime television series | |
| Kokoro Library | |
| Directed by | Koji Masunari |
| Written by | Yōsuke Kuroda |
| Music by | Hisaaki Hogari |
| Studio | Studio Deen |
| Original network | TV Tokyo (eps 1-12) AT-X (ep 13) |
| Original run | October 12, 2001[4] – December 28, 2001 (ep 12) February 17, 2002 (bonus ep 13) |
| Episodes | 13 (12 + bonus episode)(List of episodes) |
Kokoro Library (ココロ図書館,Kokoro Toshokan) is aslice-of-life Japanesemanga series byNobuyuki Takagi andYōsuke Kuroda, originally serialized between April 2000 and July 2002 inMonthly Comic Dengeki Daioh. It follows the peaceful daily lives of three sisters who live in a library.
The manga was adapted into a 13-episodeanime television series directed byKoji Masunari, who is also known as the director of the animeOVA seriesRead or Die (2001) andKamichu! (2005). It is described by critics as a prime example of theiyashikei or "healing type" anime genre.[5]
Kokoro Library is a heartwarmingslice of life series depicting the peaceful everyday lives of three orphaned sisters as they take care of the library which also serves as their family home. The anime delves more deeply into the library's history, its connection to the local town, and challenges faced by the sisters.
Kokoro, the youngest, has just joined her sisters Aruto and Iina as an official librarian. The library receives few visitors, and each visit is often the subject of an entire episode. Kokoro learns the meaning of being a librarian, meets her favourite author, and takes a family trip to the seaside. The library is called "the place where miracles happen", although we see nothing more magical than Kokoro's ability to produce rainbows with her watering can.
Events take a dramatic twist when phantom thief Funny Tortoise steals a mysterious locked book which belonged to Kokoro's father, who died when she was very young. Worse, the town mayor announces that the library will be closed due to lack of visitors. Kokoro is heartbroken, but believes the answer may lie in the stolen book, which has meanwhile been returned to the library.
The next episode is seen from the point of view of a young soldier named Sant Jordi,[a] during a war which has seen the town heavily bombed. Jordi's positive attitude makes an impression on his comrades, who occupy a ruined library. When the town is approached by an enemy armored division, Jordi's decision to destroy the bridge without killing the enemy ultimately saves the town. He begins to distribute library books to the townsfolk to lift their spirits in the difficult post-war period, ultimately settling in the town and constructing Kokoro Library.
Kokoro, reading the story in what is revealed to be her father's diary of the war, finally has a connection to the parents she never knew. The sisters head to town hall to show the diary to the mayor, hoping to change her mind. They arrive to discover a massive protest against the library's shutdown—the people of the town have not forgotten Jordi's contributions. The mayor allows the library to remain open, and Kokoro and her sisters continue to live their peaceful days together in the library.
Yōsuke Kuroda, a scriptwriter who had highly appreciated Takagi'sdoujin works published under the name "Boo", heard from Takagi himself that he was going to retire from his company and train to become a manga artist. "It's too late to train to become a manga artist now when you have the ability," he said, and pitched Takagi to the editor-in-chief ofMonthly Comic Dengeki Daioh, whom he knew.
The editor also appreciated Boo's drawing style and immediately gave him a positive response for serialization. At that time, Kuroda was instructed to write a scenario, which he accepted, and the serialization took shape. According to Kuroda, it took only an hour and a half from the time he was informed of Takagi's resignation to the time he informed Takagi that the serialization had been decided.[6] As a result, Kuroda was in charge of the script for both the original story and the animation.
Kokoro Library was animated digitally, rather than oncels as had been used forStudio Deen's animated productions until the late 1990s. However, limited-edition hand-painted replica cels were made available to collectors for ¥5,000 by online sale.[7][8]
The setting ofKokoro Library is ambiguous. The town is identified in signage as "Toaru City" (都亜瑠), a homonym for the phrase "a certain city", although it is never named in dialogue.[9] We are never explicitly told the name of the country where the library is situated, or the year when the series takes place. Rather, it is a pastiche of Japanese and European cultural elements. Several pieces of mid-20th century technology appear: Iina drives a redecorated World War IIVolkswagen Schwimmwagen, while other characters drive the post-warCitroën H Van andCitroën DS. In episode 11, Jordi's side carry theKarabiner 98k used by German troops in World War II, while the enemy armored unit fields the RussianT-34 andGAZ-67; however, neither side's nation is explicitly identified. Modern computers and cameras also appear, along with science fictionandroids.[10]
The anime was notable asChiwa Saitō's first major voice acting role. Saitō would go on to perform over three hundred anime voice roles in the following two decades.
Kokoro and the comparoidJune make appearances in Nobuyuki Takagi's 2003 mangaPure Marionation, set eight years afterKokoro Library.
The names of the three sisters together form the phrase "kokoro aru to ii na," meaning "it's good to have a heart". In the anime, it is revealed that the sisters were intentionally given these names by their parents in order to spell out this motto. This phrase appears as a subtitle on the cover of the manga, but is not immediately revealed in the anime, the DVDs for which instead use the subtitle "Do you remember these heartful days?"
A number of characters are original to the anime but do not appear in the manga.[16]
Kokoro Library began serialization in the April 2000 issue ofMonthly Comic Dengeki Daioh.[1][2] It ran until the July 2002 issue,[3] ending on 51 chapters in all. It was collected and published in a set of three A5 loose-leaf volumes between April 2001 and August 2002, under the Dengeki Comics Ex imprint. "A Fan Book" was released in June 2002 containing artwork and interviews.
Kokoro Library was reprinted in April 2013 in two smaller paperback volumes under the Gum Comics Plus imprint. These volumes featured new cover art by Nobuyuki Takagi which pays homage to the original April 2000Dengeki Daioh cover.[18]
A German translation was released byEgmont Ehapa in 2004. To date, the manga has not received an official English release.
| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 25, 2001[2] | 4-8402-1821-8 | ||
| ||||
| 2 | November 15, 2001[19] | 4-8402-1964-8 | ||
| ||||
| 3 | August 25, 2002[3] | 4-8402-2185-5 | ||
| ||||
| Fan Book | June 30, 2002[20] | 4-8402-2124-3 | ||
| An artbook featuring original character concept sketches, color artwork, production sketches and scenes from the anime, interviews with the anime production staff, and an index of all officialKokoro Library merchandise released at time of publication. | ||||
| First Volume (上巻) | April 10, 2013[21] | 978-4-8470-3866-2 | ||
| A reprint ofKokoro Library chapters 1-28 in a smaller paperback form factor, by Gum Comics Plus. | ||||
| Last Volume (下巻) | April 10, 2013[22] | 978-4-8470-3867-9 | ||
| A reprint ofKokoro Library chapters 29-51. | ||||
The October 2001 issue ofDengeki Daioh announced the adaption ofKokoro Library into an anime.[1] The first episode aired on TV Tokyo on Friday, October 12, 2001, at 01:15am JST (the night of Thursday, October 11 at 25:15am).[4][23] Its time slot was used in the previous cours byNoir, and was followed in that slot byAquarian Age: Sign for Evolution.
The final free-to-air television episode ofKokoro Library was episode 12, which aired on December 28, 2001 (the night of December 27). It was followed by a bonus thirteenth episode, which aired only on premium channelAT-X on February 17, 2002. A repeat of all 13 episodes aired on AT-X in 2002, again on that channel from November 2003[24] and again from on March 1, 2005.[25]
The series was released in Japan onVHS and DVD in 2002. The first DVD was released January 23, 2002, containing a single episode for ¥2,500. Subsequent volumes were released monthly, containing two episodes per disc for ¥5,800, with the second disc including a box to hold all seven volumes. The first VHS was released on February 21, 2002, containing four episodes for ¥9,800, with each subsequent tape containing three episodes for ¥8,500, for a total of four tapes. Both releases included the thirteenth bonus episode. The final DVD was released on July 24, 2002.[26] The DVD release used the 4:3 aspect ratio and was notable for use oflinear PCM audio rather than the lossyDolby Digital format.[27]
In March 2002, theJapan Library Association announced that copies of theKokoro Library anime would appear in 500 libraries across Japan.[28]
From November 2002, all 13 episodes were released on DVD andVideo CD inTaiwan by Mighty Media Co., Ltd.[7]
All thirteen episodes were subsequently made available in Japan on Amazon Prime Video. To date, the series has not seen an official English translation.
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I'll Become a Librarian" Transliteration: "Shisho ni narimasu" (Japanese:司書になります) | 12 October 2001 (2001-10-12) | |
Kokoro begins her first day working as a librarian alongside her two older sisters Aruto and Iina. She helps a visitor named Kaede Hoshino to find a book she read as a child. When Kaede fails to return the book as promised, Kokoro sets out on a journey into town by herself to recover the book, but slumps into depression when she learns that Kaede left town without returning it. Her smile is restored when her sisters reveal that Kaede actually returned the book by post. Kokoro realizes that the meaning of being a librarian is to have faith in people. | |||
| 2 | "What I Can Do At This Moment" Transliteration: "Ima no watashi ni dekiru koto" (Japanese:今の私にできること) | 19 October 2001 (2001-10-19) | |
August. The library receives the latest book by Kokoro's favourite author, Himemiya Kirin. Seeking to attract visitors to the isolated library, the sisters distribute a flyer to the town. Upset when she overhears her sisters' pessimism about the flyer she worked so hard on, Kokoro runs away and falls asleep under a tree. Waking that evening, her first instinct is to return to the library—Kokoro realizes that ofcourse she should return to the library, because she's a librarian now. She returns to find that Akaha and her mother Midori saw the flyer and came to visit the library, along with a long line of townsfolk. | |||
| 3 | "The Secret Ms. Kirin" Transliteration: "Naisho no Kirin-sensei" (Japanese:内緒のきりん先生) | 26 October 2001 (2001-10-26) | |
Kokoro and Iina excitedly discuss the works of Kokoro's favourite author, Himemiya Kirin. That night, Aruto dons a wig to assume her alter ego—Himemiya Kirin is her pen name, and the reason she is that she is so sleepy in the mornings is that she writes her novels secretly at night. When Kokoro wins a contest to meet Himemiya Kirin, she doesn't recognize her sister in disguise, and abandons a photo opportunity to rush off and look for Aruto so she can be in the photo. | |||
| 4 | "A Librarian's Motto" Transliteration: "Shisho no motto" (Japanese:司書のモットー) | 2 November 2001 (2001-11-2) | |
The sisters take a working holiday at a library by the beach. Kokoro befriends Fukami Misato, a sickly girl from a rich family and a relative of Akaha. Kokoro spends the entire vacation playing with the girl outdoors, against the wishes of her cautious butler. Kokoro explains that the librarian's motto is to make visitors happy. | |||
| 5 | "The Targeted Library" Transliteration: "Nerawareta toshokan" (Japanese:狙われた図書館) | 9 November 2001 (2001-11-9) | |
The phantom thief Funny Tortoise announces that he will steal a locked book from the library. Despite the protection of Inspector Kajihara and a squad of female officers, the book disappears under their noses. A master of disguise, Funny Tortoise disguises himself as Kokoro, but is uncovered by the real Kokoro, who issues him a library card, entrusting him to return the book in a week. From the shadows, Funny Tortoise reveals that he was asked to steal the book by Kokoro's father before he died. | |||
| 6 | "The Comparoid Librarian" Transliteration: "Konparoido no shisho" (Japanese:コンパロイドの司書) | 16 November 2001 (2001-11-16) | |
October. Kokoro leaves by train to undertake librarian training, where she meets a comparoid librarian named June. Kokoro abandons her practical test to run into town and find an overdue book requested by a visitor, despite the risk of having her librarian license revoked for failing. Kokoro defends her actions as the duty of a librarian. She does not fail, but must retake the test at the next training session. | |||
| 7 | "The Day Kokoro is Gone" Transliteration: "Kokoro ga inai hi" (Japanese:こころがいない日) | 23 November 2001 (2001-11-23) | |
October. Iina badly misses Kokoro while she is away taking librarian training, and even dresses Akaha in Kokoro's uniform to serve as a temporary replacement Kokoro. One night, after seeing her parents in a dream, Iina discovers that Funny Tortoise has returned the stolen book. Now unlocked, she is finally able to read the book and realizes the importance of Kokoro Library. | |||
| 8 | "I Want to See My Mom" Transliteration: "Okaasan ni aitai" (Japanese:お母さんに逢いたい) | 30 November 2001 (2001-11-30) | |
A quiet girl named Inoue Hikari arrives at Kokoro Library. Like Kokoro, she is given special dispensation to become a librarian despite her age, and Kokoro is excited to help train her. Hikari is upset because she wants to be with her mother who is ill in hospital, and runs away at night, crying beneath a tree. Kokoro follows her, and admits that she too wishes she could be with her mother, who died in childbirth. The two cry together until they are too tired to cry any more. | |||
| 9 | "A Miracle" Transliteration: "Kiseki" (Japanese:奇蹟) | 7 December 2001 (2001-12-7) | |
Hikari's librarian training at Kokoro Library continues, but Kokoro is worried by news that Hikari's mother is undergoing major surgery. Aruto and Iina encourage Kokoro to trust in the ability of Kokoro Library to produce miracles. Hikari is moved when she hears Kokoro cry out to the night sky asking her late parents to help Hikari's mother, who soon recovers. Hikari sneaks out to take a train home to be with her mother again. The sisters rush across country in their car—Volkswagen Schwimmwagen— to let Kokoro see Hikari off at the train station, and Kokoro promises herself that they will see each other again one day. | |||
| 10 | "The Library May Disappear" Transliteration: "Toshokan ga naku naru" (Japanese:図書館がなくなる) | 14 December 2001 (2001-12-14) | |
Iina and Kokoro dress asteru teru bōzu to wish for an end to the rainy weather. The sisters excitedly prepare the library for a visit from the mayor, but learn that she intends to cancel the town's funding for the library due to lack of visitors. Kokoro tries her best to cope, but breaks down crying when she fails to produce rainbows from her watering can. Overhearing her sisters talk about the unlocked book—their father's diary—Kokoro finally decides to read it in search of an answer. | |||
| 11 | "Jordi's Diary" Transliteration: "Jorudi no nikki" (Japanese:ジョルディの日記) | 21 December 2001 (2001-12-21) | |
September. The town has been bombed heavily during an ongoing war, and a nurse named Shindou cares for sick and wounded in an old church beside a library. A squad of soldiers defending the town are dismayed when their request for reinforcements is met by a single conscript: Sant Jordi, whose positive attitude soon improves their morale. When an armored column approaches the town, the squad's military android sacrifices herself to allow the squad to destroy the bridge. Jordi's decision to destroy the bridge before the enemy begins to cross is credited with saving the town from enemy retribution, and the war ends soon after. Settling on a hill outside of town, Jordi distributes books from the library to lift the spirits of the locals, and decides to build a library on the spot, which he names Kokoro Library. Kokoro cries as she reads this whole story in her father's diary—Jordi and nurse Shindou were her parents, and she now has a connection to the father and mother she never knew. | |||
| 12 | "Kokoro Aruto Iina" Transliteration: "Kokoro Aruto Iina" (Japanese:こころ あると いいな) | 28 December 2001 (2001-12-28) | |
Kokoro and her sisters come to terms with the library's pending closure. A talking bunny appears to Kokoro one night, claiming she has watched over Kokoro from the moon, from where her parents watch over her too. She is inspired to take the diary to the town, believing the mayor will change her mind if she reads it. The sisters are aided on their way by people whose lives they have touched—the delivery driver Uezawa, the bikers who helped Kokoro on her first visit to the town, and the thief Funny Tortoise. At the town hall, Kokoro finds that large crowd has amassed to protest the library's closure, and the mayor declares that due to public demand the library will remain open. The following spring, Kokoro delivers a copy of Himemiya Kirin's latest book:Kokoro Library, a story about a library where miracles happen. Kokoro continues to live her peaceful days with her sisters in the library. | |||
| 13 | "Kokoro Library's Winter" Transliteration: "Kokoro Toshokan no fuyu" (Japanese:ココロ図書館の冬) | 17 February 2002 (2002-2-17) | |
December. The sisters dress in Santa costumes and deliver books to the town. Akaha stays for a sleepover with Kokoro, and they make a wish to the Moon for snow, only to find the library completely snowed in. Kokoro has a dream about meeting Akaha when she was little. Keeping his promise to watch over Jordi's daughters, the thief Funny Tortoise uses lenses attached to his hot air balloon to melt the snow around Kokoro Library. | |||
A CD single was released for the series opening theme "Beagle" on October 24, 2001. The CD also includes the ending theme "Tsuki wa miteru" ("The Moon is Watching Over Me") and off-vocal versions of each.[26] The vocals to both songs were provided byYasuko Yamano, while the lyrics to both were written byYuuho Iwasato, who also wrote the lyrics toCardcaptor Sakura ending "Fruits Candy" and theMacross Frontier insert song "Infinity".Dan Miyakawa composed and arranged "Beagle", and composed "Tsuki wa miteru", which was arranged byNoriyasu Kumagai.[26] The lyrics to "Tsuki wa Miteru" reference the children's bookPapa, Please Get the Moon for Me byEric Carle, as well as Kokoro's understanding that, like the moon, her late father continues to watch over her.
An anime soundtrack CD,Kokoro Library Original Soundtrack (ココロ図書館 オリジナル・サウンドトラック) was released byVictor Entertainment on December 19, 2001.[26] It features 19 tracks from the anime, including the full-length versions of the opening "Beagle" and the ending "Tsuki wa miteru", and the TV size version of "Beagle". The series' soundtrack is provided byHisaaki Hogari, who also arrangedSpice and Wolf ending theme "Ringo Biyori" andCardcaptor Sakura ending "Fruits Candy".
AKokoro Library Fan Book was published on June 10, 2002, shortly before the release of the third manga volume. It featured previously unpublished concept art, new original color art depicting scenes from the anime, interviews, and a catalog of official merchandise.[29]
A piece of PC software was released, titledCommunication Library Kokoro Toshokan (コミュニケーションライブラリーココロ図書館), which retailed for ¥5,800. It is a program to track the user's book collection.[20][30] A CD-ROM artbook was announced, the release of which was delayed due to unexpected demand.[31]
A large amount of official merchandise was produced for theKokoro Library franchise. They included both dolls and 1/6 scale figures of the three sisters, at least ten separate posters,Broccoli trading cards,[32] a 2002 calendar, a mouse mat, pencil boards, a bookend, severaltelephone cards, a CD case, a watch, three pin badges, a memo pad, and even an official replica Kokorocosplay costume produced by Broccoli subsidiaryCospa and retailing for ¥44,800 (equivalent to US$376 in 2002).[20]
An officialKokoro Library website was maintained, which displayed screenshots and a synopsis of each episode, and informed readers of upcomingKokoro Library releases. While the website was no longer updated after 2002, it is still online as of 2021. TV Tokyo also briefly had aKokoro Library webpage.
Kokoro Library'sanime adaptation was met to generally positive reviews. The first DVD volume was reviewed by Paul Grisham of Mania.com, where he praised the use of color, saying, "Colors are rich and warm and convey the fairy tale setting of theKokoro Library and the nearby town effectively."[33] Paul also commented on the audio, calling it "warm and inviting without even the slightest hint of distortion."[33] Jeremy A Beard from THEM Anime Reviews praised the "general pleasant feeling and atmosphere" of the small town depicted in the anime.[34] Despite finding the "overallKokoro Library experience enjoyable", Jeremy remarked that its "accompanying relaxed pacing" would turn viewers off.[34]
Ryusuke Hikawa of Bandai Channel describedKokoro Library' as a monumental work which has perfected the "healing type" (iyashikei) genre of anime, intended to soothe the viewer after a hard day of work. He described it as lyrical and truly heartful, and praisedChiwa Saitō's voice as Kokoro.[5]
In theAnihabara anime rankings poll of anime fans in theKantō region for February 2002,Kokoro Library was rated #8, and #10 for November 2001. The December 2001 anime song ranking placedKokoro Librarys opening "Beagle" at #5, and the ending "Tsuki wa Miteru" at #8.[35][36]
2000年1月号 「あずまんが大王」初の表紙 2001年10月号 「ココロ図書館」TVアニメ化決定の表紙
テレビ東京にて 毎週木曜日 深夜1:15〜1:45放送 10月11日より放送スタート！好評オンエア中！
(Kokoro)
(Aruto)
(Iina)
未来蜂歌留多商会が98年冬のコミケで出したVIPトレカのイラストです。
