Library - Oneshot

[MangaDex]

 

[AgentKuga]

w...wwhat

 

[Weasalopes]

@AgentKuga
It's just my guess, but...

It's a dungeon.

The dungeon is a vast underground ruined library.

The robot maids are "Librarians" with the ability to identify the subject matter of the volumes/items they encounter. It's not clear if this is due to their containing a copy of the original shelving plan, or an understanding of the classification labels, or the ability to identify such items upon sight; an appraisal skill geared to library items, as it were.

They are prone to overload/failure. Hence the interchangeable upper torso units; that's where the AI resides. It's far cheaper to maintain a small number of ambulatory units and use interchangeable "knowledge" units when said units are prone to failure.

Items recovered from the ruined library are still subject to a two week checkout period, upon which they must be returned.

And, yes, this was rather odd.

I'll admit, being a former Librarian myself, the title was such that I had no choice but to examine this oneshot.

 

[Purplelibraryguy]

@Weasalopes I, too, was drawn to the title for professional reasons.
It's post-apocalyptic in some way . . . I wonder if there's radiation and the head units break down from it, but humans would just die so they send the robots around to do the retrievals in the "hot" areas.

 

[Weasalopes]

@Purplelibraryguy
Hmm...

But wasn't the patron there with the library unit? I have a distinct memory of one frame where the patron was kneeling before a shelf, item in hand, while the unit was on the other side of the low bookcase, describing the item.

Which would argue against the environment being that inimical to humans.

The possibility might still exist for something that impacts the units at a more serious level than it impacts humans.

Or it might be that the tech level is now low enough that the units really are just that unreliable. Or it's early enough in the design process that they don't have all the bugs worked out; it's not like that doesn't happen, products being released prior to their really being ready, with the initial purchasers paying for the "privilege" of being beta-testers?

 

[Purplelibraryguy]

@Weasalopes Or maybe it's just an example of that Japanese tendency to do SF-style stuff with pure atmosphere and not worry if it makes any sense.

 

[Weasalopes]

@Purplelibraryguy
True, that. Nothing says this has to be Hard SF.

Being open to multiple interpretations actually makes it a better story, if one isn't worrying about adherence to a specific "Laws of Physics", as it can trigger interesting discussions that stretch the mind.

 

[infinity781]

I love this discussion

 

[Mang-Oh]

I like to imagine that humanity's been at war against alien beings after a terrible near world-ending disaster, and soldiers just visit the planet of a library sometimes to wind down

 

[temaccgdx]

Cool author, wish there were more works from him translated