Ep 5. Parental Disturbance Strategy

In Library War season 1 episode 5, titled "Parental Disturbance Strategy," the story revolves around an incident that occurs at a public library in a city within the Media Betterment Committee's jurisdiction. The episode begins with a group of parents protesting against a book that they deem inappropriate for their children to read. The book in question is a science-fiction novel that they believe contains content that is not suitable for young readers. The parents confront the staff at the library and demand that the book be removed from the shelves.

Meanwhile, Iku Kasahara, the main protagonist of the show, is on her way to the library as part of her routine patrols. Her team is responsible for protecting libraries from threats that may arise due to the censorship laws enforced by the Media Betterment Committee. As she arrives at the scene, she sees the parents protesting, and immediately senses that something is not right. She goes to investigate further, and soon her instincts prove to be correct.

Iku discovers that the parents are being used as pawns by the Media Betterment Committee to suppress the freedom of the library. The committee is trying to create a scenario in which they can close the library down by using underhanded tactics. The protest is just a ploy to distract the staff at the library, so that the committee can enter the premises and plant fake evidence that would make it seem like the library supports subversive literature.

Iku, being a member of the Library Defense Force, decides to take action and stop the committee's plan. She alerts her team, and they hatch a plan to thwart the committee's efforts. Their first step is to find evidence to prove that the committee's accusations are false. They split up and start searching the library to gather any information that they can find.

While searching, Iku comes across a young girl who is trying to find a book that she wants to read. The girl tells Iku that her mother has forbidden her from taking out any books except for textbooks, as she believes that reading fiction is a waste of time. She also reveals that her mother is one of the parents who are protesting against the library.

Iku then realizes that the committee is not just trying to suppress the library, but they are also manipulating the parents to control what their children read. She sees this as a severe violation of individual freedom and decides to take a stand against it. She convinces the girl to take the book she wants to read and assures her that it is okay to read fiction. She also gives her a Library Defense Force sticker to show her support for the library.

As the team gathers evidence, they realize that the committee's plan is more extensive than they thought. The committee is planning to fabricate a raid on the library and plant fake evidence to make it seem like the library supports subversive literature. However, the Library Defense Force has evidence that could prevent the raid from happening.

The team then decides to launch a counter-attack on the committee. They use the evidence they have gathered to expose the committee's plan and threaten to take legal action against them if they don't back down. The committee realizes that their plan has been uncovered and decides to call it off.

In the end, the library is saved from being shut down, and Iku and her team are commended for their efforts. The young girl who Iku met earlier returns with a stack of books that she wants to read, clearly displaying the impact that Iku's actions had on her.

Overall, "Parental Disturbance Strategy" is an excellent episode of Library War that highlights the importance of individual freedom and the need to protect it from those who seek to suppress it. It also portrays the Library Defense Force's dedication to safeguarding libraries and ensuring that people have access to a wide range of literature.