Magus of the Library (Toshokan no Daimajutsushi) is a manga by Mitsu Izumi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Good! Afternoon since 2017. It has 7 volumes out as of 2023.
Ages ago, the Altatonan continent was nearly conquered by a dangerous tyrant, The Emissary of Wormwood. In his quest for domination, he nearly carried out a genocide against the Haupi people. This tyrant was only defeated thanks to the efforts of a powerful Magus, who united the various clans of the continent into one force to fight against him. This Magus sincerely believed that to protect books was to protect the world. Thus, in order to preserve peace and knowledge and to help prevent another such tyrant from arising, he founded the Great Library. Centuries later, they continue to follow their central goal: Protecting books and ensuring that the people have access to them.
The story follows Theo, a poor boy from a small village who is a half Haupi and is often ridiculed by his racist peers. His life changes forever when he encounters a Kafna named Seodona. A Kafna is a scholar of the Great Library who makes sure that books are kept safe, catalogued properly, and that everyone's freedom of information is maintained. Seodona was dispatched to his town in search of a rare book, and she entrusts one such book to Theo and encourages him to pursue his dreams. This convinces Theo to become a Kafna and ultimately puts him on the path to change the world.
This work contains examples of:
- All There in the Manual: Each volume has several pages of notes about the background of the world; for example, the highly popular novels 'The Adventures of Shagrazzat' note was carefully chosen and promoted by the library, as it involves a crew of people from many different nations working together, as a way of promoting intercultural harmony and fostering good reading habits in children.
- Author Avatar: Each title card is followed by the subheading, Based on Kafna of the Wind by Sophie Schwimm. Sophie is an Asian coded character in-universe. The manga is presumably a memoir of Theo's life as written by Sophie.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: This is a requirement to being a Kafna.
- Blow You Away: Seodona possesses wind magic, which she uses to extinguish the fire in the Amun library.
- Cat Girl: Dianasys
- Chekhov's Gun: Remember that great view Theo shows Seodona from the cliff that only he visits, with that awesome (in both senses) tree? According to the end notes on volume one, it's called 'The Tona Tree', and it's magic in some way.Notes from Volume One: The mana bursting forth from it's branches has greatly affected Theo over his many hours spent playing nearby
- Cursed with Awesome: Cynthia from birth has had so much mana that the Library specifically recruited her with the intention of having her become the next Great Magus. Unfortunately, people coming into contact with more mana they can handle get sick, with stronger sources killing people who don't have high capacity. As a result, Cynthia was basically raised in isolation. Theo is one of only a handful of people who can make physical contact with her without issue. Her powerful mana even got her mother killed when she was born.
- Dare to Be Badass: Seodona to Theo, volume 1. He asks her, sobbing, when a hero is going to come along and save him, in the answer to his many prayers. Seodona tells him flatly there are no heroes... and the only hero in Theo's story is Theo himself.Seodona: This is the beginning of a new epic!! A tale of adventure that you are about to spin!! What scenes will appear on the pages spread before you? At times you may want to look away. But... you mustn't forget! Yours is the only hand that can turn the page. Theo!! You are the hero! Drive the story yourself!! Change the world!!!
- Face–Heel Turn: Volume four ends by revealing that Seodona is going to become a major antagonist.
- Fantastic Racism: Despite it being wrapped up in fantasy tropes, the bigotry seen is rather realistic in some senses. A false rumor about minority groups getting pushed through the Kafna exam to meet diversity quotas, for instance, spreads due to how people who speak the Hyron language as a second language having their exams graded on a curve since the exam is only offered in Hyron. The evil tyrant from the setting's backstory wasn't possessed by a demon to do what he did: He read an ordinary book filled with racist lies.
- Forced Transformation: The magic rabbit Theo takes in appears to be a person who was cursed to be sealed in the body of a rabbit.
- Foregone Conclusion: We know that Theo is going to become a Kafna, as the story would end if he failed. The manga still spends more than a volume after Theo declares his intentions to become one showing us how arduous making it through the selection process is. Sophie will sometimes add a bit of detail about the setting and things to come at key points in the story. We know that this story is going to revolve around the next Great Magus of the Library thanks to this.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Theo is belittled for being one. It's also played with, as only bigots see the Haupi as truly being another species.
- Innocent Fanservice Girl: Dianasys, who comes from a culture where dressing in more revealing clothing is not frowned upon.
- Large Ham: Seodona in volume 1; the phrase "always with the dramatics!" is used frequently.
- Ms. Fanservice: Dianasys is the only character raised in a culture where dressing in revealing clothes around members of the opposite sex is not frowned upon, and is usually showing her midriff at a minimum when not in her Kafna uniform.
- Non-Uniform Uniform: The highest ranking Kafna don't have to wear the trademark uniforms.
- Promoted to Parent: Tifa for Theo; she nearly dies of exhaustion and malnutrition at age fifteen struggling to care for them both. She apparently arrived at the village of Amun with baby Theo at the age of nine.
- Shout-Out: At one point when telling some children who don't like to read about the kinds of stories they can find in books, Seodona mentions a saga unfolding at a school of wizardry, a story about two brothers mastering alchemy and an epic tale about warriors fighting a horde of giants.
- Time Skip: Seven years pass between the penultimate and the last chapter of volume 1, Theo going from six to thirteen.
- Truth in Television: One thing about the setting of key note is the infamous Black Text. This book was what convinced an ancient tyrant to attempt to carry out a genocide. What's scary and realistic about it is that it wasn't some cursed Tome of Eldritch Lore that drove the tyrant in question insane. Physically, it was an ordinary book, but one filled with bigoted lies and misconceptions.
