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The Library Defense Force was established in Seika 16 (2004) after the Hino Nightmare Incident where a pro-Media Betterment Committee group raided the library over pro-censorship activities. The LDF is a paramilitary unit that's mandated to defend libraries and its staff, patrons, visitors and VIPs from the Media Betterment Corps and hostile pro-Media Betterment Act groups operating in Japan.
The LDF works with ten bases throughout Japan: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chubu, Kanto, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa under the command and control of local governments. They at least have one main public library for visitors to use them for reading and borrowing books as well as to conduct research without being harassed by the MBC.
The LDF has their arms, gear and vehicles acquired from surplus supplies from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
General
- Flower Motifs: Part of the LDF's emblem is a chamomile, which in the language of flowers means "energy in adversity". This was based on the life of Inamine's wife, who liked it.
- Mildly Military: The Library Defense Force may get into gun battles, but they're still librarians and are responsible for everything from checking out books to running storytime for kids.
- Punch-Clock Hero: Everyone in the LDF, while committed to ensure the safety of libraries and books from the MBC and pro-MBC groups, aren't the type of people who really help those taken advantage of by the MBC because they have limits according to what's stipulated in the library laws. In the Spitfire manga, Genda spells it out clearly for Kasahara to understand.note Genda: Don't get the wrong idea, Kasahara. We aren't champions of justice. The [LDF] exists to protect the library. If we don't consider our coverage and just keep expanding, the rules established to regulate hostilities in the last 30 years will collapse. Or would you extend the fighting into urban areas?
- We ARE Struggling Together: Doujo mentions that not everyone recruited in the LDF is working to ensure that the libraries and the staff/patrons/visitors/VIPs are protected from the MBC and pro-MBA factions. They constanly suffer from moles, double agents and from self-entitled officers who were secretly turned by the MBA or by the LFPC.
- Some prefer to be under Tokyo's control to effectively fight the MBC on an equal front while others prefer to be under local government control.
Musashino First Library
Administration Department
Kazuichi Inamine
Gen Nishina
Hikoe Mitsumasa
Sunagawa
Toba Toshio
Sadahiko Etou
Defense Department
Library Task Force
Iku Kasahara
- A-Cup Angst: While Kasahara never really complains about it, she does calm her heart by thinking, "Settle down under those A-cups."
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Iku has brown hair in the novels and in the anime but blonde/light-brown hair in the manga.
- Badass Adorable: Kasahara's shoujo manga design.
- Book Dumb: Iku states that she didn't do well in lectures. Cue scene of her passed out in class with her textbook over her face.
- The novel explains this a bit more — because the university Iku went to didn't offer the classes she needed to qualify for a library job, she had to take night school courses on the side. She's still not a great student.
- The manga has Iku say she planned to be in the Defense Force since they only handle combat duties. It comes back to bite her when she's accepted to the Task Force, which handles both combat and library duties.
- Combat Pragmatist: Kasahara is not afraid to attack people from behind during sparring sessions.
- Girl Next Door: Kasahara's appearance is plain and somewhat boyish, befitting her personality. She's also frank about how she sees things, particularly when it comes to Dojou constantly being on her case.
- Hero-Worshipper: Iku starts to worship Doujo even before and after she finds out that he's the Prince.
- A Hero to His Hometown: Kasahara is widely viewed by female LDF members in Ibaraki as a hero since she was the first one to be recruited successfully to the LTF.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Kasahara is a terrible shot. Just hitting the paper with the target (though not the target itself) was an improvement.
- Leg Focus: The novels and manga have Shibazaki point out her legs when Kasahara had to wear a mini-skirt.Kasahara: My legs aren't for show! They're for running fast and kicking ass!
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Iku. When she has to go undercover as a normal library customer to catch a vouyeristic pervert and in a bonus chapter of the manga where she ends up wearing a Pimped-Out Dress. In the former, she feels embarrassed by everyone's compliments and in the latter, she isn't able to figure out why all the guys are suddenly staring at her.
- Shipper on Deck: Iku and Shibasaki ship Marie and Komaki.
- The Squadette: Kasahara after she enters the LTF.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Kasahara (as the tomboy) to Shibasaki (the Girly Girl).
- Unequal Pairing: Kasahara is Doujo's subordinate, after all. Not that they're officially a couple (yet).
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Kasahara, at the start of the series. That's before she gets exposed to LDF ops and realizes that the MBC and their extremist supporters don't play fair that she's sometimes forced to be a Combat Pragmatist.
- You Go, Girl!: Iku Kasahara is the first female to join the Library Task Force.
Hikaru Tezuka
- The Ace: Tezuka's known to be a good shot, an excellent librarian and is physically fit. He seems to have problems with rappeling from heights and being a storyteller to the kids. By the end of the series, he gets the hang of it.
- Aloof Big Brother: His older brother, Satoshi. He happens to be the head of the Library Future Planning Committee.
- Berserk Button: Try and taunt him on why he doesn't join the LFPC. He'll beat you up until you're knocked out.
- Cold Sniper: Tezuka acts like this against Media Betterment Corp tac teams during a combat op.
- Friendly Sniper: However, he acts as the backup for LDF elements on the ground.
- Hero-Worshipper: Tezuka towards Doujo since he's a role model.
- Late to the Realization: It takes until volume 12 of Love & War for Tezuka to realize the UST between Kasahara and Doujo.
Atsushi Dojo
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Doujo's usual method of comforting Kasahara.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Doujo in a bonus chapter of the Love & War manga. For various reasons Kasahara gets a makeover, and is suddenly the object of much male attention. Dojo does not take this entirely well:Doujo: She's mine.
- Distracted by the Sexy: When Kasahara ends up in a Pimped-Out Dress, Doujo can only stare until Kasahara snaps him out of it.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: What Iku thinks of Doujo. Justified since Doujo was trying to work Kasahara so hard she would quit.
- Heroic BSoD: In the anime, Doujo develops memory loss (specifically, agnosia) following the battle at the Ibaraki Branch Library.
- The Napoleon: Doujo. This trait is highlighted more in the anime version.
- One Head Taller: Inverted: Doujo is noticeably shorter than Kasahara. Needless to say, he's not exactly happy about this.
- Right Behind Me: In the prologue after recruit training, Kasahara calls Dojo a "Mean shorty" and he overhears it.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Whenever Doujo does something nice for Iku, he justifies that he is doing it because he is her boss. An example: When he goes after her to comfort her, before exiting the room he unnecessary says "I'm going as her superior officer, okay?"... You're not fooling Komaki and Shibasaki Doujo!.
- Tsundere: Doujo is a male version of this, especially if something involves Kasahara.
Mikihisa Komaki
- Beware the Nice Ones: Komaki is usually pleasant and smiling. But when he gets pissed off, it's enough to make Kasahara and Tezuka shudder.
- The Hyena: Komaki laughs at just about everything.
- Nice Guy: Komaki helps Kasahara figure things out when she was recently recruited to the LDF.
- Shipper on Deck: He ships Iku and Doujo pretty hard, due to their similaries.
- Stealth Mentor: He helps Kasahara think about why Doujo gets mad at her at times. For instance, he asks her if LDF training is the same as participating in sports events.
Makoto Shindo
- Friendly Sniper: Shares this role with Tezuka during a combat op.
Maburo Agohige
- Butt-Monkey: Yonkoma strips in the Love & War manga paint Maburo like this. Every time he tries to approach Kasahara, he stumbles upon an intense Doujo/Kasahara moment or otherwise gets shut down.
- Canon Foreigner: He only shows up in the manga adaptation.
Ryusuke Genda
- Boisterous Bruiser: Genda happens to have a fun time and nice to his subordinates in and out of the field.
- Go Through Me: The climax of the Mito library arc sees Genda pull this on an anti-censorship art display. A Media Betterment Corp operator shoots him point-blank in plain daylight, causing a PR nightmare for the MBC and saving the exhibit.
- Large and in Charge: Genda, especially when he tries to go Large Ham.
- You Are in Command Now: As of the fourth light novel, he's in charge of all LDF forces in Japan.
Akiya Ogata
Intelligence Department
Asako Shibasaki
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Shibasaki has dark brown hair in the novels, black hair in the anime and brown hair in the manga.
- Brutal Honesty: She tends to be too honest... usually when Kasahara is being particularly flaily. The light novels mentions that it's because of this that she doesn't have a lot of friends aside from her.
- Hot Librarian: The novels indicate that Shibasaki has quite a following as an Aloof Dark-Haired Girl among the library's male employees — and though she hates the attention (and the jealousy it provokes in some of her female colleagues), she'll take advantage of it when she needs to gather information.
- Little Miss Snarker: She snarks a lot and is sometimes blunt to the point of cruelty at times.
- Shipper on Deck: Shibasaki ship Marie and Komaki. Meanwhile, she and Komaki ship Iku and Doujo pretty hard.
- Spell My Name With An S: Shibasaki (anime) or Shibazaki (manga)?
- Stepford Smiler: Shibazaki tends to act like this in the manga version.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: hibasaki (the Girly Girl) to Kasahara (as the tomboy).
Mito Library
Administration Department
Akiko Sugahara
Defense Department
Yokota
Shizuka Nonomiya
