You’ve probably heard the phrase “knowledge is power”. One of the fundamental elements of power comes from books and even in our modern world today, that phrase remains as true as ever. Ascendance of a Bookworm attributes to a bookworm named “Myne” who is reincarnated into another world as she hopes to regain her ability to read.
With the amount of isekai anime coming out in recent years, it’s easy to paint this show as another clone. However, you should actually take a careful look into this anime and see it more of as a slice of life isekai. What does that mean? In some ways,
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Ascendance of a Bookworm contains fantasy elements but also relies a lot more on realism than what people will realize. The first episode drops main protagonist Myne into a world of uncertainty. It doesn’t take long for her to adjust to her newfound life as she carves for books and love of reading. To her, reading books is equivalent to a life necessity and she would do anything to get her hands on them.
We shouldn’t judge on Myne too much. She’s a child who is eager to learn and explore. My impression of the show at first is that of a slow paced story to teach us about the person Myne really is. She’s an innocent girl who is staring a new life with a passion to collect books. On the surface, she is a kind girl who is also eager to make friends. Considering the difficulty to acquiring them in the new world, it comes to no surprise that she would have to use some creativity to further her ambitions. She experiments with inventing objects associated with books and begins to gain a reputation among their society. This is where a certain level of realism comes in. Throughout the anime, the show rarely relies on magic when inventions are made. Most of it comes down to trial and error in the hands of Myne’s ideas. Ironically, Myne seems to be suffering from a mystical mana related illness that often puts her into a weakened state. This happens often in the show where viewers may wonder if her life is at jeopardy. The main plot doesn’t devote too much time into this although it does limit Myne’s abilities to make books and inventions. Instead, we are treated with a show that focuses on the life of Myne and her character. Whether you like her or not, this is an anime that dedicates time into exploring the reincarnated life of a bookworm.
And as the starring protagonist, it didn’t take long for Myne to establish meaningful relationships in the show. Myne is highly protective of her family where in one particular episode, she shows a dangerous side of her after they were threatened. It’s the type of bond that translates into how much she values her family. Similarly, Myne makes friends with the locals including a young child named Lutz. As someone close to her age, Lutz often looks after her well-being and they forge a close relationship. While the anime doesn’t truly dedicate them as a couple, there’s some charming amount of teases that fans can imagine. Other close relationships Myne develops throughout the show includes Eva, Ralph, Turi, and others who realizes how kind and gentle she is. Even someone as stubborn as the merchant Benno sees her good side despite not showing it. However, I should say off the bat that most of the anime is focused on Myne. Most of the characterization is limited to our protagonist so it may disappoint some people if they wish to see more depth into the other cast members. Thankfully, the character chemistry among the cast is charming and often embedded to get us to understand Myne more.
I’m not going to lie though. Watching Ascendance of a Bookworm can be a bit of a chore sometimes due to its repetitive story nature. Most of the episodes revolves with the same concept of storytelling and recycled themes. With each passing episode, it’s easy to see how slowed pace the show is. Unlike most isekai, you won’t find much action. This actually feels more like a coming-of-age slice of life but taking place in fictional fantasy world. There’s a balanced amount of drama and comedy that shouldn’t be overlooked. The drama comes from Myne living her new life but often facing obstacles when she isn’t prepared for. Meanwhile, the comedy comes from Myne’s own imaginative mind that often takes the shape of cartoonish skits. I mean, she is a child after all and her imaginations are limitless. It’s often played for laughs but also shows how open minded she can be. For a bookworm, she definitely shows exactly why she loves books.
As someone who has read the novels, the 14-episode anime adaptations serves more as a baseline to get viewers into the franchise. Make no mistake though, there’s definitely more that I wish to see being adapted. But on the plus side, I do welcome studio Ajia-Do’s effort into making the show as colorful and vibrant as it can be. As an anime that doesn’t rely on magic, the show tells some surprising amount of choreography with the body language and character designs. In fact, characters looks like they belong in this setting with their simple clothing and everyday lifestyle. The most noticeable character is protagonist Myne. Designed with a frail and petite look, there’s no doubt people will see vulnerability in her character. Also, I would also give praise to the voice acting to her character as taking on the role of a child is no easy task. Yet, voice actress Yuka Iguchi is able to portray Myne perfectly. It’s exactly how I pictured Myne as a character bought to life in animated form.
If you’re a fan of isekai anime, this may be something unorthodox that you’re not used to. Rather than a decorating itself as a fantasy adventure, Ascendence of a Bookworm explores more of the mundane life of a bookworm. I can’t say it’s easy to recommend this show with the story’s slow pacing. But if you want a different type of isekai than what you see too often these days, then this anime might just surprise you.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: 本好きの下剋上 ~司書になるためには手段を選んでいられません~
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
14
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 3, 2019 to Dec 26, 2019
Premiered:
Fall 2019
Broadcast:
Thursdays at 00:30 (JST)
Producers:
WOWOW, Genco, MediaNet, KlockWorx, flying DOG, BS Fuji, Yomiuri TV Enterprise, ABC Animation, Happinet, Tokyo Animator Gakuin, TO Books, JTB Next Creation
Studios:
Ajia-do
Source:
Light novel
Genre:
Fantasy
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#7142
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#757
Members:
344,243
Favorites:
3,364
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 88 / 96
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Your Feelings Categories Dec 25, 2019
You’ve probably heard the phrase “knowledge is power”. One of the fundamental elements of power comes from books and even in our modern world today, that phrase remains as true as ever. Ascendance of a Bookworm attributes to a bookworm named “Myne” who is reincarnated into another world as she hopes to regain her ability to read.
With the amount of isekai anime coming out in recent years, it’s easy to paint this show as another clone. However, you should actually take a careful look into this anime and see it more of as a slice of life isekai. What does that mean? In some ways, ... Dec 25, 2019
To round off this year of abysmal drops in the bucket from the rusty spigot tapped into the vast ocean of low-effort isekai anime still waiting down the pipeline, “Ascendance of a Bookworm” hit me like a brief mouthful of ambrosia that I desperately desired.
There are only so many ways to frame an isekai anime nowadays, it’s like when Fox announces they’ve renewed The Simpsons for another 3 seasons and realizes, “Haven’t we already done everything?” In this regard, Bookworm isn’t exactly novel when you think about how it recontextualizes this tired concept. It’s not an original concept, but it’s one that recognizes the ... Nov 6, 2019
This is currently my favorite isekai anime as of making this review.
I understand having favorite and isekai next to each other is in itself like a cardinal sin in the anime community. But hear me out, it’s unlike every other brain numbing action fantasy isekai. It’s not when Kirito— sorry, some dumb, brokenly strong character gets bitches and slays any monster without real consequences. Ascendance of a Bookworm gets what so many other isekai get wrong. Ascendance of a Bookworm is a isekai, but that’s not really what sells the show for me. It’s the slice of life that makes me adore Maine the ... Dec 25, 2019
Isekai Bookworm: the Isekai we needed but didn't deserve, and furthermore, the most underrated and least watched Isekai of the season, that's at least getting a continuation in Spring 2020 for its 2nd cour...like how great is that! It's almost like in the slew of all-too-familiar Isekai LNs that purge the same formula as if that's the ONLY way to make it interesting, that Ascendance of a Bookworm FINALLY saw the change towards that formula to forge and become its very own thing.
*Spoilers be warned* In the sense of realism, Isekai Bookworm retains the fantasy that the genre is all but known for, but with the ... Jan 12, 2020
*NO SPOILERS*
I watched this anime due to the high ratings it has been receiving on this website and I can say that it most certainly did not live up to them. Honzuki no Gekokujou is an isekai in which a japanese bookworm gets reincarnated into a sick five year old's body and lives as Myne/Main, the daughter of peasants. One of my primary gripes with this anime is the MCs mental age. Myne is meant to be at least a young adult, but instead acts and thinks like a child with the knowledge of an encyclopedia. Subsequently, she fumbles around social interaction with the emotional ... Dec 25, 2019
It’s going to be a fairly lengthy review since I want newcomers to know how critically underappreciated this show is. If you want a shorter review, there’s one on the final paragraphs.
As a blossoming anime watcher, there are a lot of steps you naturally take in order to become the person with the most sophisticated taste from scratch, obviously. This is my first season, fall 2019, where I tried to hand pluck individual shows for my very own list. I have to say, finding that special show is difficult. There were just so many continuations and so many new shows that it was hard ... Dec 28, 2019
Bookworm is a perfect example of why preliminary reviews should not be allowed on this website and allowing them only lowers the credibility of MAL reviews.
I truly must apologise to this series for writing it off when I first started watching it. When I made my first review for this show, I gave it a 6/10 after 4 episodes and felt that there was little to no substance here. I could not have been more wrong. It wasn't the show that had issues, it was me. It was the fact I wasn't appreciating the little things that make good storytelling and instead of substance, I ... Jan 24, 2020
The premise of the anime, at least in the Synopsis section made it feel like it was going to be something interesting and out of the ordinary. Turned out to be one whiny anime riddled with plot holes and plot armor left and right.
Even in the first episode when the protagonist gets the memories of the body it now inhabits, she doesn't get all of them and starts looking through the house for books as if she doesn't already have the memory of the body that there are no books there. This trend of things not making any sense continues as the anime develops. The most ... May 17, 2020
*contains spoilers up to episode 21 when I dropped it. I've seen beyond this one season.*
I was wondering why the ratings were so high as the previews looked like an isekai slice of life show meant for kids. That's exactly what you are getting and not much more. It's something you can turn on when you are wasted on a Saturday night and your mind can't form basic words, and it has its "cute" moments, but it definitely does not deserve an 8 with how childish, nonsensical and slow the plot is. Let's start off with some of the good things before I start rambling with ... Jan 3, 2020
Welcome to my review of Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen! This review contains minor spoilers!!
The story is the biggest problem in my opinion! It has an awful start and just keeps failing as it moves along!! Motosu Urano is a Librarian and writes books for children. She lives in a distant world and she loves books in all their forms! Fiction to mathematics philosophy and everything in between. She is the definition of a bookworm and literature is her love in life! And she surrounded herself with books! But the books was not happy at all!! They were angry ... Jan 23, 2020
If you don't like Business Studies, then Myne would prove you wrong with her inventions and her intellectual brain she brought to an unfamiliar world! You can hate the isekai genre all you want. But Ascendance of a Bookworm will surely imprint a question mark above your head and make you think otherwise.
Ascendance of a Bookworm is the closest thing we'll get for another season of Spice and Wolf. And of course, the closest thing we'll get for an isekai that doesn't actually suck. Despite of the fact that Ascendance of a Bookworm's MAL thumbnail looks like some kind of rip-off of Kenja no ... Sep 1, 2023
No spoilers:
I recommend this if youre okay with slow pace and slice of life. The world building is wonderful and I really enjoy watching the MC overcome her hurdles as she gets closer to her dream of reading more books. Its not all about books though, the overall story is pretty interesting but like I said before its slow, theres not a lot of fighting or anything like that. I teared up a few times watching it, its not your typical isekai, but it does have common isekai elements like magic and knights. But i say gice it a try, if you want to drop ... May 19, 2020
The isekai genre in recent years has done exceedingly well. Especially when we look at the more popular ones like Rezero, No game no life, and konosubarash, being mindful of the fact that none of these anime are not typically what you'd call "happy go lucky" animes in the sense that they don't give the audience a feeling of infancy. Honestly I have nothing against making an isekai into a slice of life; well, I didn't at first. Honzuki no Gekokujou is one of those anime types that you see on forum sites, become intrigued by positive reviews, and then go
...
Aug 27, 2023
Like many others I picked up this series due to the high score and many good reviews. I generally like fantasy isekai so it was going to make it on my list eventually, but the good reviews pushed it up the "watch asap" list. I don't usually write reviews for things I watch, anime or otherwise, so excuse the lack of structure. However, I just felt the need to express my opinion for this one because I have some pretty strong mixed feelings about it after watching all 3 seasons. This series can be summed up as having an interesting premise, a good story but
...
Nov 20, 2019
This show is pretty awful. There's major issues in every part of this production pipeline. From nonsensical sound fx almost appearing non-diajetic in nature half the time to the limited expression allotted to them from their limited budget being wasted on caricatures and presentation which detract from the overall theme and tone of the show.
The overall narrative itself seems incredibly disjointed, ill-paced and not really thought out. The through-story ends up making the protagonist come off selfish and conceited, and the pacing and presentation only serves to double down on that conclusion. There's nothing good to say about this show except that going insane while ... Jun 10, 2024
This is real "Anime". I am surprised to have found this masterpiece after so much time of starting to watch anime, it is certainly not something normal that you would see, and it is not at all what we are used to seeing in current works.
Each episode of this play makes you want more, in some, it makes you cry and in others it makes you excited and excited because that is what will happen. This is not a review, nor is it a recommendation, it is a call from the universe for you to see this masterpiece. This is Anime. Sep 3, 2020
Never have I been so baffled about the popularity of an intellectual property.
And that's not to say I "just don't get it," because I believe I do get this show. And I'm NOT HERE to tell those who enjoy 'Ascendance' that their opinion is wrong and mine is right, because that's pompous as all hell first and foremost. All of us have our own tastes and priorities when it comes to what a story "should be" about what it "should" focus on, and by proxy, what it does right by our personal standards' measure. Now, with my "everyone's taste is valid" disclaimer out of ... Jun 21, 2020
This anime is not as good as the rating. I have no idea why people are giving it 10/10, because it is clearly not that good. For one, a 10/10 implies a perfect show, and this show has flaws and errors all over the place, specifically, the show fails in animation, art, characters, and story. While at least art and animation can be chalked up to a low budget, it's really bad sometimes, especially those fire sprites. I swear, a Youtuber could make a animated fire better than what they use, it atrocious and tears you out of any semblance of immersion the show builds
...
Nov 1, 2019
Someone give this girl some books lol.
But seriously, it's a great lil anime here, and an interesting tale on reincarnation. Following a young girl in Maine and her quest to explore her new life and her quest to get a book. It's quite amazing how Maine is portrayed also. I honestly feel like she could be a secret genius with hos she acts haha. But that just drags my interest more with what else she'll learn and do in this new place she's in. Speaking of such. It's quite a nice place. Seems very peaceful and well worked. A good lil place to live in my ... May 20, 2023
“Ascendance of a Bookworm” is what happens when You have an interesting premise with a cool twist to the isekai genre and skill to make watching it enjoyable.
The story is pretty simple. A young girl, who loves books more than anything and I do mean anything, dies. Instead of going to the great beyond she ends up in the body of a little, frail, sickly girl in a different world. A world where books are a luxury only for the nobles or the rich. Possessing the knowledge from her former life and assimilating the memories of her new host body she embarks on a ... |


