Reviews

Dec 30, 2019
I'm surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this show, even though it's a light novel-based isekai. That's usually a bad omen, but Bookworm makes the right decision of rejecting all the Dragon Quest based isekai tropes and instead goes for the mundane subgenre in which the main character tries to live a quiet life, rather than going on an adventure.

It takes a while for the show to pick up the pace, so if you're already interested by the premise, I'd recommend sticking with it for more than just 2 episodes. The beginning is admittedly a big roadblock: The main character Main is just as clueless as the audience about the new situation, but she's slowed down by her weak constitution and can't find out more about the fantasy world until she's healthy enough. That means she's stuck on the first rung of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (physiological needs), even though the show promises us the 5th (self-actualization). I know this can be frustrating, but when you know that there's a good reason for it and that there is a payoff, it'll be a little easier to endure. Most of the time when I found myself wondering why something wasn't addressed yet, it got addressed soon after, proving that the author gave a lot of thought to the worldbuilding. The pacing is just a little unfortunate.

What appears to be a Stranded Time Traveler plot into a medieval world where letterpress printing and paper haven't been invented yet at first turns out to be more of an exploration into business in feudal societies and class struggle. That's where the show shines the most in my opinion. The revela-tion that magic exists and that the rift between haves and have-nots is mostly based on this offers some further intrigue, but as long as the limits of magic aren't fully explained it's hard to tell if the magic isn't just a writing crutch or a cop-out. In the beginning, magic is only used for contracts and other legal work which I found very acceptable within the bounds of the setting. But in the later epi-sodes it was shown to have more force-related uses too - and that's where things might get a little too convenient. Admittedly, the one convenient magic thing in the final episode was very satisfying to me, so I'll accept it for now. Hopefully the 2nd season keeps the magic shenanigans to a minimum lest it breaks the fragile suspension of disbelief that this fantasy world could function on its own.

When spectacle or comedy isn't the focus, I treasure progress the most in my stories. Watching some-one work their way up through hardships and obstacles is motivating. Bookworm certainly delivers in that regard.
I kinda wish it went even harder on Main using her modern world knowledge for enterprising purposes once she finally found an outlet for it. Though maybe that would've betrayed the show's family-oriented tone and ultimate goal. Main wants to create books after all, not become a rich business-woman. If she was as smart as she sometimes proves to be, she should realize that she could reach her goal much faster and more efficiently and maybe even change society for the better with the vast riches she could make with her knowledge. That's why I feel a little cockblocked that the merchant guild plotline was cut short by the introduction of the church, even though it was obvious from the start that Main would get majorly involved with the church. After all, her baptism ceremony had a set timer. Plus, the real-life church used to be the main consumer of books for the longest time. And the episode forecasts always foreshadowed the Head Priest as a major character too. Let's just hope the enterprising aspect doesn't get too overshadowed in the following season. I'm certainly looking for-ward to seeing more of Main's ascendance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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