Manga in The Crosshairs: The State of Manga Bans in 2025

Back in 2005, I'd often find myself racing my friends to the public library around the corner from our middle school. Once we walked through the building's double doors, our obnoxious chattering would drop and we'd start exploring everything the library had to offer—be it access to computers, after-school events, and, of course, the large collection of manga they kept next to the young adult novels. Within the walls of this library, a lifelong love of anime and manga was nurtured for the first time. Not only had I discovered some new favorites, I'd ed a small community, and learned things about myself that I hadn't fully grasped at the time.

Nearly two decades later, I'd just nabbed my first library card in years when ANN Executive Editor Lynzee Loveridge hit me with a potential headline to chew on over the Thanksgiving break: “How Many Manga Are Now Banned in American Schools?” As I dug into the concerning bundle of recent news stories that focused on this exact topic, I set about reaching out to educators, publishers of the pulled titles, and librarians from across the country. In the process, I realized that I wasn't looking into a simple quantitative question to be answered—I had waded into a hyper-focused microcosm of the book-banning debate gripping America. At the same time, I learned just how amazing libraries are.

While book banning is nothing new, the focus on manga, specifically, became supercharged in the lead-up to Donald Trump's reelection and has intensified in the months that followed. The flood of Executive Orders enacted within the president's first 100 days in office has empowered potential banners and introduced a wide web of intentionally disorienting threads that kept unraveling as my investigation continued.

Before we're dragged further into the deep end of this petulant pool, it's best to start with where the situation stood before inauguration day and the tools librarians have to fight back.

Before Inauguration Day and the First Executive Orders

Challenges targeting manga specifically have occasionally popped up in the news, with titles like Death Note hitting local news stations on a regular cadence. However, the frequency of these challenges seemed to pick up in the 2020s.

Goblin Slayer!. However, it's noted that Shaheen conveniently left out a handful of facts while making his case. The representative never clarified whether he was talking about the Goblin Slayer! manga or light novel series, nor did he say whether he had found it in a public or school library. However, it seemed to further his goal in singling out the LGBTQ+ autobiographical graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir—a recurring target mentioned frequently by the librarians I spoke with.

As far as manga is considered, Soul Eater. In their investigation, Comics Beat's Aiden Church noted the sharp increase in manga-focused challenges at the time. The Assassination Classroom challenges continued in 2024, but a trio of bans in the months before Trump's return raised the alarm bells even more than before.

The first of these bans took place in August 2024 within Chainsaw Man as a potential alternative. School Board Chair Megan Wright also raised objections to the traditional right-to-left format of the title, referring to how children are taught to read from “left to right” and “from the beginning.”

The next pair of news stories came just before Thanksgiving, with the The Seven Deadly Sins, was removed on October 24 in compliance with a suggested pull list.

By the time January 2025 rolled around, the intensity and frequency of these bans continued to frighten readers and librarians alike. This was especially thanks to the thick tension that wafted into the air as many started bracing themselves for the istration to come. But just days into the president's second term, that tension was dialed up to 11 when librarians lost an effective tool in the fight against these bans. Under the Trump istration's direction, the Department of Education claimed to be doing away with “Biden's Book Ban Hoax” in a January 24 press release, effectively gutting the department's Office of Civil Rights. Through the OCR, bans could be fought with Title IX and VI protections.

On the very same day, I sat down with one of America's premier advocates for the presence of manga in schools, Ashley Hawkins—The Manga Librarian. The Brooklyn school librarian's work varies from simple advocacy to organizational tips and guidelines for manga collection development. Most recently, Hawkins has collaborated with a team of librarians from across the country to pen Manga Goes to School, a textbook guide that walks interested librarians through the process of starting and curating a manga collection. In addition to working as an elementary school librarian, Hawkins also teaches information literacy courses to the next generation of librarians at Queens College.

When asked about the goals of these book bans, Hawkins referred to the struggles faced by That Librarian author Amanda Jones before focusing on manga specifically.

“In the case of what's going on with Amanda, the people who are seeking to disrupt her library system—and this is her public library, it's not even her school library—it's all about trying to seize control of the money that goes into the public library and reallocate it to other things. When it comes to schools, we're seeing a lot of things that are about really controlling what kids think, like the dismissals of DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] and LGBTQ+ content, which is really what was targeted first in of manga from these particular book banners [the most recent challengers]. There was a case in Florida where Sasaki and Miyano was brought up, and there was a very 'slippery slope' dangerous moment for manga.”

In such situations, the OCR's services were a suitable avenue to combat such challenges. However, Hawkins also mentioned they have other options available to help them, be it the services of the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), Pen America, and everylibrary, who can assist librarians (just as they did Amanda Jones) in any legal battle with harassers. As I learned while speaking with school librarians, the need for this additional also hinges on how ive their s are.

What's at Stake and Collection Development Policies

With that troubling baseline and the tools in place to defend libraries, it is essential to clarify what is at stake. I was, like a wide swathe of the American public, woefully undereducated on the exact services these institutions offer. It's not just a place to borrow a book or rent a movie—no, it's much more. For starters, libraries (both school and public) provide free internet and computer access to all visitors, equitable access to a wide range of media, a space to socialize and organize, and, most importantly, a place for readers to find themselves. One public librarian told me that the library can even serve as a refuge for those unjustly targeted by government entities such as ICE.

While the recent glut of bans has primarily targeted school libraries, it's happened in public libraries as well. There's also the sad truth that some may see a library as a library without fully recognizing the differences between school and public institutions. Each type is crafted to serve a specific audience, be it a particular age group in a school setting or the general populace in a public setting. As part of developing these two separate settings, each deals with its distinct funding sources and collection policies. On the topic of funding, it might be possible for a Hawaii public library to purchase the entire 31-volume run of Slam Dunk in one fell swoop, but it might be a struggle to buy even a handful of books in a more rural, underfunded location in the Midwest.

With that in mind, libraries are way more complicated than one might initially imagine at first blush—in public or schools. That's why the deft touch of a librarian is key in any institution. The school librarians I spoke with made it clear rather quickly how important their presence is. When it comes to manga specifically, what are the guidelines these librarians follow to build out their collection? Every librarian I spoke with told me that it all starts with a strong collection development policy. Hawkins was fast to elaborate on these policies and how she employs them in her current day-to-day life.

“Every school should have a collection development policy, and every library [school or public] has a collection development policy, but it's particularly important in a school. For example, I am an elementary school librarian, so the titles that I select are different from what a middle school or a high school would. We for age relevance, the development of the children we work with, and their particular reading needs at that point in their lives. I order a lot of picture books. I do order manga, but it's mostly Pokémon, and a lot of cat manga; very fluffy sorts of books. My first graders are eating the new Mofusand manga from Udon. There's a readership for manga and anime among my kids."

"Interestingly, our kids are very aware of the popular titles." Hawkins continued. "They ask me for Jujutsu Kaisen and we laugh over that, but that's the thing. I know as an elementary school librarian, particularly me as an elementary school librarian, I know what Jujutsu Kaisen is, and I go 'absolutely not, that's not appropriate for this particular age group.' That's built into my collection development policy, because I follow the New York City DOE's [Department of Education] Office of Library Services' collection development policy—that's what everybody in the city follows. It's a pretty blanket policy, but it's able to be interpreted at each level, so whatever is age-relevant to your kids."

These policies lay out what types of books the library is looking to purchase and the standards behind those purchases. However, manga is in more of a nebulous zone. Only a handful of books exist for librarians on this topic, including Jillian Rudes' Manga in Libraries and the aforementioned Manga Goes to School. Librarians employ their system's developed policies, reviews, and their gut feelings to decide what will be purchased for their collection. While public librarians have multiple collections and age groups to work within, school librarians focus on professionally written peer reviews and publisher information to discover titles that best fit their students. For instance, a middle school library will tend to feature more tame titles compared to ones potentially found in a high school. As she already alluded, Hawkins is quite familiar with the review process.

“Many policies call for professional reviews. My collaborators and I usually say, 'Hey, if you want to get a wider sense for the work than you would for a pro review, you need to look at the more advanced sites like ANN, Anime Herald, and the others.' This is because pro reviews are very short. I only have 180 words in my reviews, so it's very poetic—very 'Boom, boom, boom: here's what it's about, here's what's in it, and here's who it's relevant to.' This is because it's meant for a professional to look over and get a quick sense of the material. After all, they don't have time to read the whole book. They [school librarians] don't have time to read an in-depth analysis.”

"In many states, school libraries must have two professional reviews to purchase any title. I review 15 manga a month, as only two of us at Booklist review manga. It's still very much an unknown to a lot of librarians, but it's less becoming that way as we're getting younger librarians in. My students that I see at Queens [College] have a greater lexicon for what manga and anime are. However, a lot of what I do is educate people on what manga is. 'Guess what? It's not porn,' which is also something that hurts manga—the public perception that manga and anime are porn.”

In addition to these professional peer reviews, many of the librarians I spoke with praised the work of anime-and-manga-focused publications, especially in public institutions with collection policies geared to serve a wider audience. As she continued to detail the review process, Hawkins quickly pointed out an ironclad rule for school manga collections: no nudity, period. This rule applies even if the nudity is matter-of-fact or used as a comedic device in titles like Dragon Ball.

“In certain states, if there's any flat-out nudity, it can't be in a school library. [In my professional reviews], we always say if there's nudity, and we have to put a line about it. That helps the librarian not get into a bad situation, but that also means those books aren't selected in those schools, no matter how good they are. You exclude a lot of works that have artistic things going on. Viz recently rereleased the film comic of My Neighbor Totoro and I had to say there was nudity because of the bathing scene in there.”

Additionally, while the occasional concerns surrounding nudity are present in libraries of all stripes, they have never been raised regarding the selection in a store such as Barnes & Noble, where one can find a plastic-wrapped adult title or two. Regarding any additional protections for librarians based on the content of a book, this varies from state to state. A Freedom to Read law was recently ed in New Jersey, with other states are looking to put similar laws on the books. However, such efforts have stalled out in states like Hawaii.

The Game of Telephone, Staffing Issues, and Smoke from the Mainland

While reviewing the freshly signed Freedom to Read law with a New Jersey-based educator, we simultaneously experienced the real-time game of telephone that occurs when the specifics of a story are ed from one source to another. This was a phenomenon I noticed more than a few times while combing through different reports on the same book ban. For example, ANN's reporting on the aforementioned Tennessee bannings went for a streamlined, manga-focused approach to the story. Meanwhile, the sourced reporting from Chalkbeat focused on the wider context of the story before diving deep into the nitty gritty. In this situation, the proper information was conveyed in the jump to another publication, but that's not always the case. Upon reviewing this example with Ashley Hawkins, we discussed how it is paramount to nail down any key details to avoid any misrepresentation from bad actors.

Already quite familiar with the details of this story, Hawkins elaborated on the specifics of the pull lists discussed. Rather than serving as a “hard” ban, these advisory lists act as a “medium” ban, with school librarians opting to simply pull the books rather than deal with the headache, irrational individuals, and the threats posed to their careers. It's not as if these workers want to pull the books and potentially censor themselves, but Hawkins revealed that many American school libraries have been left unstaffed. Even within the streets of the Big Apple, Hawkins is only one of two elementary librarians in her district. Additionally, she estimates that only around 260 librarians serve the entirety of New York City.

These staffing issues originate from a decrease in funding for these roles, which are critical in ensuring that students have access to titles that are a perfect fit for their ages and interests. According to a public librarian I spoke with, they had encountered a librarian at an ALA conference who had paid their way to the show while keeping the trip a secret from their s due to lack of funds and fear of reprisal. On the note of istrative malpractice, Hawkins explained that the lack of a dedicated librarian can lead an to make impulsive book purchases without properly researching the content first. If this specific scenario did result in a challenge, the still-pervasive “it's all porn” preconception of manga might be likely to dominate the ensuing conversation—especialy in the continental United States.

In Hawaii, manga is seen as relatively normal given the state's large Asian population. As I spoke with Hillary Chang, a 25-year veteran librarian and public library branch manager in Honolulu, she shared stories of growing up with manga, tokusatsu, and anime. To her and most of the state's residents, manga isn't anything new. Her library primarily serves readers of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean heritage. It's not uncommon to see dedicated collections in those languages. Chang took a moment to specifically highlight their Korean book collection in light of the explosive popularity of manhwa, webtoons, and K-comics. However, this veteran librarian has taken the most pleasure in social opportunities her multi-language collection provides.

“It's great seeing some of the stuff that hasn't been translated into English yet. It's sometimes funny because there are teen and children's titles without any English, but there are kids in the section. And you can tell one of them is fluent, and he's reading it to his friend in English because they want to know about it, right? I think it's great because I have older siblings, and I watching Kamen Rider when I was a little kid and couldn't read the subtitles. So my sister or my brother, who are five and six years older than me, would be sitting in front of the TV and reading the subtitles for me.”

When looking at the bans hitting the continental United States, my conversation with Chang painted the stories circulating on the mainland as a series of warning shots for what was coming their way. Perhaps it was a reminder that most of the state's residents are accustomed to living with our nation's darkest realities, rather than trying to escape them. In her experience with book challenges, Chang explained that paperwork is the highest hurdle for most banners to clear, with most preferring to raise a vocal stink instead of putting pen to paper. With the presence of potential challengers in even the predominantly blue state of Hawaii, the veteran librarian remains vigilant on the mainland side of this story, because those bans could hit them as well—even in paradise. It's a strong warning that Hawkins regularly echoes to her students at Queens College.

“You may think if you're in New York City, you'll never deal with this. You absolutely can deal with this.”

Teens Don't Live PG-13 Lives

As we spoke, Chang made a salient point that revealed a core problem with how younger readers and students are perceived—teenagers in particular.

“You the director of that American Pie movie and how he said, 'You know, I had to make a R-rated movie, even though it's completely for teens and about teens, because teens really don't live PG-13 lives.' They live Rated R lives—they swear, they have sex, you know what I mean?”

According to North Carolina school librarian and Manga Goes to School co-author Julia Stivers, the wide range of age groups served by these educational institutions is often flattened into one group. This results in students only being perceived as the lone five-year-old who wandered into the library, when their actual age and lived experiences are way broader than many want to it.

“[The opposition] will always say 'children.' So I always try to say 'student', because they want you to picture this five-year-old reading something that we wouldn't have available to a five-year-old. Like with those lists [referring to the Tennessee story], they might say a list of books that would only be in high school or maybe middle school, and then they'll intentionally compare it to like an elementary school reading them... Which no elementary student will have in their library, but it's a way that they can kind of 'K12' [condense into a single group] these lists, and they're just trying to stoke fear. Say I'm a parent and don't know how a library collection works, and I don't want my six-year-old exposed to a high school book. Your elementary librarians don't want them exposed to that either.”

This condensing of the age groups only serves to empower bad actors when a certain title might actually be perfectly matched to its reader. Stivers noted that this is a particularly important issue when it comes to manga, because the medium is driving young readers into the library and getting them to read—an observation corroborated by everyone I spoke with in this investigation. If it wasn't for manga, these students wouldn't be developing a lifelong love of reading. Stivers explained it as such.

“It's a great form of literature. Your students are decoding just as much or more on a text-only page, right? Because they're looking at the difference between images and text, and it's like this 'dual' kind of literacy. Sometimes the author has intentionally made the words mismatch the images, and students have to figure that out. I've never had someone push back on me, and certainly I've not only talked to left-leaning parents, so I feel like the great majority understands, 'Oh my gosh, we want our students to read!' Why would we in 2025, when students have so many pulls on their time, including their phone, where they can access anything—why are you coming for books when they can access anything in their pocket! It's maddening and that's why it's not about the books.”

The Importance of Seeing Yourself in the Library and the Fight for Institute of Museum and Library Services

Nurturing this love of reading is incredibly important in communities that both struggle with literacy and see themselves in the books on the shelf. Sybil M. Touré, a Black public librarian and another one of Manga Goes to School's co-authors, serves a primarily Black patronage at her public library in Virginia. With plenty of notable Black voices in the industry, I was curious to hear Touré's thoughts on why manga resonates so deeply with Black readers.

“Black readers often see themselves in many manga and greatly enjoy the windows into other worlds that the stories provide. Blerd (Black Nerd) culture has really risen as its own unique thing in the past few years. Multiple Black public figures and celebrities, such as Michael B. Jordan and Megan Thee Stallion, have frequently expressed their love for manga. I highly recommend reading about the concept of 'Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors,' coined by the literary scholar Rudine Sims Bishop," Touré said. "'Mirrors' are when you relate and see yourself in a story. 'Windows' are getting a glimpse into an experience or situation you may not have had yourself. And 'Sliding Glass Doors' are stories that transport the reader into the story's world."

Speaking on her own experience with the medium, Touré said, "Manga has proven to provide all of these for many readers of color. I grew up wondering why so many stories about Black characters had to be about racism or suffering. Reading manga—especially Shōjo Manga—was my escape, and my reflection. I see countless amounts of Black readers finding manga to be appealing in a similar way, and creating their mirrors through creating art of their own.”

Touré continued by sharing how she and her colleagues curate titles for their young patrons, as well as how she introduced a kid who loved Goku to his new favorite thing.

“We have lots of graphic novels that feature Black characters and protagonists, for example Clock Striker, Enemies, and Twins, just to name a few. The literacy rate in my area is unfortunately very low, so I'm always highlighting the benefits of graphic novels in reading comprehension and fostering a love of reading. One positive experience I very clearly is that of a young boy obsessed with Goku from Dragon Ball Z. He mostly played games on the library computers without looking at the collection. But when I noticed how much he liked Goku, I told him we had several of the Dragon Ball omnibus editions. He was so excited to see it, and immediately picked it up!”

Clock Striker by Issaka Galadima and Frederick L. Jones especially stuck out to me as especially notable because another librarian had mentioned just how popular the title is with their similarly young patronage of color. Until very recently, New York school librarian, manga advocate, and Manga in Libraries author Jillian Rudes had been researching the deep relationship between the medium and young readers of color.

“I am currently working on a research grant with Dr. Joe Sanchez, a professor at Queens College, funded by the Institute of Museums and Library Services. Our project focuses on understanding the manga reading habits among BIPOC teens, and seeks to explore how manga influences these teens, focusing on key areas like representation, emotional impact, and personal growth," Rudes said.

"Manga has become a cultural phenomenon for BIPOC teens, offering more than just entertainment—it serves as a mirror for identity and connection. Our research is centered on understanding how BIPOC teens see themselves represented in manga, how it affects their social and emotional well-being, and how libraries can better serve this audience. In our first year, we traveled the country hosting focus groups with BIPOC teens to hear directly from them about their experiences. Year two will focus on data analysis, and in year three, we will share our findings, aiming to inform libraries, educators, and publishers about the needs and preferences of BIPOC teen readers. All findings will be available at mangainlibraries.com."

Unfortunately, this Queens College study became one of the many casualties in the aftermath of a Square Enix Books) made an April 3 appeal to Congress, urging the governing body to restore the institution. And as of the time of this writing on April 7, the ALA and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced their plans to challenge the Trump istration in court over the order.

Identity through Manga, Cultural Differences, and How Medium Unite Communities

On a more positive note, LGBTQ+ titles such as Boys Run the Riot have allowed many readers to discover themselves within their pages. During her time as a high school librarian, Ashley Hawkins changed one young man's life by recommending the latter title to him.

“I had a student who wanted a manga recommendation. This was a trans student, and he came to me saying he was struggling to find something that spoke to him. I offered him Boys Run the Riot that I recently got. The next day, he comes in, 'Miss Hawkins, I have never read a book that gets me the way that book does.' I was satisfied. That's the sort of book they want to take away from our kids. That moment was very important to me because he just started to, as he was reading through the rest of the volumes, was almost kind of embodying—mirroring the journey that the character goes on. He was getting more confident because he saw himself reflected in the work. I'm so glad I was able to connect that kid with that story.”

Through her research on the study, Rudes has learned that personal manga is particularly meaningful for teen readers and how it helps them cope with the challenges of their lives.

"Teens have shared powerful reflections on how manga resonates with their lives. Some have said it 'brings people together' and 'allows me to meet people who understand me.' Others emphasize its ability to address real-life struggles, with one teen sharing that manga 'informs you about social issues, especially LGBTQ+ issues.' Another explained that it 'has helped me to cope with the loss of people in my life.'," Rudes shared. "Manga also fosters deep emotional connections. One teen noted, it 'Allows me to see emotion so that I can have a deeper connection to the story and characters,' while another shared, 'Has taught me to be true to myself.' Many highlighted how manga inspires growth, such as 'Has taught me to be brave and finish what I start' or 'Helps me to see how mangaka feel about their country (Japan).'

These responses underline the significant role manga plays in both emotional expression and connection for BIPOC teens, demonstrating how it reflects their lived experiences.”

Beautiful stories like these become all the more bittersweet when one re that LGBTQ+ books are a primary target for book banners. Gender Queer is a long-held fixation for these challengers, but Sasaki and Miyano sent shock waves through the industry for being the first manga to fall into these specific crosshairs. In addition to the blatant homophobia at play, xenophobia entered the conversation around the Yen Press title due to the aforementioned comments by Brevard County School Board Chair Megan Wright. Sybil M. Touré said this in response to the chair's statements.

“I used to live in Egypt—texts in Arabic are also right to left, so getting into manga wasn't a big jump for me. It was still a cultural experience, an opportunity to learn! Manga's right-to-left format challenges what the uninitiated see as the 'right' or 'proper' way to read, from a primarily-white American perspective.”

With every new person I interviewed, I was constantly reminded that this love of manga (and anime by extension) is bringing readers of all ages together. It helps students build connections with their peers and teachers in school settings. While I spoke with Julia Stivers, she pointed out a handful of students waiting outside her office, champing at the bit to talk about the latest anime and manga with her. She continued to speak on the importance of both mediums to students with her school's GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance/Gender-Sexuality Alliance) and how it had brought her closer to her child. Stivers told me that she had become a fan of anime and manga during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but found that the connections she made through it—whether with her students or child—had lit a fire in her heart.

Putting the Power Back in the Parents' Hands, With or Without Chainsaw Man

The librarians I spoke with regularly reiterated their desire to empower parents with the information they need to their child's reading, without affecting the reading of other students. After all, libraries serve a larger community than just a single student, whether in a school or public library. Whenever a parent has questions or concerns regarding the books their kids have been reading, Julia Stivers encourages parents to talk with her.

“If someone comes and talks to us about a book they're concerned about, the first thing I always do is say 'Thank you! Thank you for being interested in your student's literacy, and let's talk about this book...' And I've never had anything go farther than a parent talking to me about it.”

As a parent herself, Stivers also emphasized the importance of parents having these conversations with their children.

“What frustrates me about this is that every time, if you are concerned about something your student is reading, have a conversation about it! It's such a perfect time to talk about something in a book. It's such an accessible way to talk about whatever it is—if it's like violence or sexual content or substance use. Whatever it is, it's a book and we can talk about it. We can have a conversation. It's so hard to have conversations with your kids sometimes, speaking as a parent. If you can do it because of something in a book, it's so much easier, right? Why would you not take that opportunity to connect with your kid over something?”

In light of the baffling recommendation of Chainsaw Man by the parent who sparked the Sasaki and Miyano scare, I asked Ashley Hawkins about the placement of Look Back was the only Fujimoto title she was comfortable ordering for a middle school library.

And even if the popular Shonen Jump title isn't the right fit for a high school, there's a good chance it can be found at the public library. The school librarians I spoke with occasionally advise their older students to check the public library for any titles they can't stock. However, these librarians will gently but firmly ask their younger students to confer with their parents, putting the power back in the parents' hands and avoiding potential mishaps. This all folds back into the true purpose behind a librarian's presence in the library—to connect students with books that are the right fit for them.

Where the Publishers Stand

Where do the publishers fit into all of this? Librarians noted that while manga publishers have provided numerous pre-purchase resources to various institutions and often appear at ALA conferences, their primary goal is to sell their products more than it is to assist them in addressing challenges. Officially, the most a publisher can do is provide clear and easily understandable age rating information.

In 2024, Otaku USA. Unofficially, publishers may leave it up to the discretion of individual employees to engage in anti-book ban advocacy if they are allowed to. Hopefully, with the country's largest publishers entering the fight to restore IMLS, perhaps manga publishers will follow their lead. However, some librarians, including Ashley Hawkins, are worried that publishers may shy away from licensing certain titles to avoid this conflict entirely. After all, there are most likely high-level industry who unfortunately see these bans as a “Republicans buy sneakers, too” situation.

Azuki, did issue a statement to ANN.

“The team at Azuki believes in the power of reading not just to educate and entertain, but also to foster empathy and understanding. We are appalled by book bans in the U.S. seeking to remove manga and other books from libraries, especially bans that target stories featuring queer people, people of color, and other marginalized people. These bans hurt kids and communities by removing opportunities for people to see their experiences reflected in stories, and to learn about the experiences of others.”

Yen Press and Kodansha USA have yet to return our request for comment upon the publishing of this piece. This story will be updated with their response if and when they reply.

Despite VIZ's refusal to comment, it seemed curious to me when Vagabond, encouraging readers to visit their local library. While that message is wonderful, I was taken aback when I realized the timing of this post lined up with the January release window of Vagabond Definitive Edition Volume 1. After talking to all those librarians, I got the impression that they would have preferred a statement of rather than a PSA wrapped in what could have been seen as promotional material for a new product.

What You Can Do

With all of this information in mind, how can you, the reader, your local libraries? The librarians made this crystal clear to me—show up to school board meetings, get involved in your community, protests or advocacy efforts, and just keep borrowing manga. The last suggestion here is incredibly important when it comes to getting more titles and keeping them in a library's collection—it's partly why Hillary Chang could buy all 31 volumes of Slam Dunk in one fell swoop. Additionally, make sure to talk with and get to know the librarians in your community! If you discover that a school in your district doesn't have a librarian, go to those board meetings and share the importance of their presence in your schools.

With the threat posed to libraries in the wake of Trump's Executive Orders and those emboldened by them, it's more important than ever to stand up against these attacks on our civil liberties whenever you can. One librarian I spoke with had a desire for people to stand up to these bad actors with the same intensity that fuels their attacks. If these people are allegedly going to drive across county lines just to raise a stink in a community they have no business visiting, it's best to send them packing with the same gusto that brought them into town.

In the months since my investigation began, proposed laws that could firmly target manga and graphic novels have appeared in states such as Florida and Texas. While this pair of states are obvious poster children for these sorts of laws, there's no guarantee that they will not show up in other states. For further updates on the larger book banning debate, I highly recommend the work of book-focused outlets like Book Riot and especially the work of Kelly Jensen. For anything further on the latest manga challenges, Anime News Network will keep you up to date as the situation continues to unfold.

As the “Hands Off!” protests that took place across America on April 5 demonstrated, if we show up, make our voices heard, and put the work in, we can stand up for democracy and the people we love. And in the case of the manga in libraries, we'll be propping the door open for readers of all ages to keep discovering new favorites and themselves as people.