There’s been a lot of anime series out there based on visual novels that try to bring the fun of playing them to match up with various girls to the animated medium. One of the latest titles from Funimation, A Good Librarian Like A Good Shepherd: The Complete Series, does a pretty good job capturing it across twelve episodes that fans of the game, cute girls, and giant libraries will go crazy for.
The plot follows Kyotaro Kakei, who loves books more than anything and is the only member of his school’s Library Club. He also just so happens to have access to a magical library with tons of books as well, thanks to a being known only as the “shepherd” he met long ago. Turns out this mysterious being is looking out for Kyotaro as he receives an e-mail that triggers flashes of a young girl named Tsugumi Shirasaki that he sees later that day about to get hit by a tram. After saving her life, she becomes attached to him and wishes to join his club. This in turn lures other girls to join the club and becoming a part of Kyotaro’s life after hearing about what he did, which we all know leads to harem-like situations that are both funny and sometimes dramatic.
Watching this series, I found it pretty interesting to see Kyotaro go from bookworm to finding a special someone in his life to be with. It takes a little while for it to get to that moment, as he’s pushed himself away from people quite a bit, but it makes seeing him overcome that all the more thrilling. The girls serve out the typical anime tropes, but they’re not like most harem shows as they try to figure where Kyotaro’s heart and mind are at before really putting themselves out there for him. Funimation did a great job with the production of this set, as the visuals and audio shine in high definition. There’s a lack of any special features, but the show itself is special enough for those who watch.
A Good Librarian Like A Good Shepherd: The Complete Series takes the visual novel and harem genres into a slightly different direction that’s fun and interesting for viewers. I had a good time watching the sometimes zany and other times dark situations play out, and I’m sure any who give this a chance will want to read up on this magic library.