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 the way, let me briefly tell you why this show is kinda garbage - that's right, "briefly." There's almost nothing to talk about in regards to this show. People will tell you that this is "not your average Isekai" because it's not about an overpowered protagonist.
What they fail to realize is it's still totally about that, but the MC is overpowered in terms of knowledge.
The first half of season one is part How It's Made, part meandering rinse and repeat cycle: MC Main gets an idea, she does the idea, everyone save for one are only ever mildly curious as to how she suddenly knows such things, but it doesn't matter because everybody loves Main always for everything she does. Always.
And then that's the second half of season one: part How It's Made, part average Isekai where the MC is blessed and gifted thanks to no effort on her part. She's just special, and that's not even related to everybody loving her to pieces.
Because of this, you might be wondering if there's even any conflict or entertainment value outside of the "How It's Made" portion of the show. And the thing is, there really isn't. Main is frail and that's where all genuine conflict comes from, but because you know she won't die because of plot armor, it's a moot point that feels like empty drama.
And part of the reason for that feeling is because Main has nothing else opposing her. Ever. She does what she wants, gets what she wants, and if she can't she finds a way to get it within the next episode or two. Her sickness isn't a compelling opposing force because it does not challenge Main internally, which is what makes conflict compelling. But Main never has to change who she is or how she goes about things - the season ends with her caring more about this family she pretended was hers for a year, and it's trying to convince us that this is the mark of character growth without ever showing us Main getting closer to her fake family. In fact, before this point it seems as if she's drifting apart from them - not that THEY care, however, as everybody loves Main in this story no matter what she does.
The worldbuilding, which you might hear a lot of, is at once kinda cool and utterly pointless. It's unique and down-to-earth due to the perspective of the MC's disposition, and the whole of her society is organically developed and feels grounded in some kind of reality. But it's the fantasy aspects which feel like a negative - every time one is introduced it's for the sake of Main getting ahead in her plans in a manner that would be impossible in our reality.
And nothing else.
Never do these aspects of the worldbuilding develop the world or challenge the characters in any way. They are genuine plot devices. And that's not even mentioning the religion and the magic system of "mana" - totally out of left field and convenient enough for Main to get exactly what she wants at the end of the season. The gods of this world are so archetypal and vaguely explored that you could grind them up into paste and they'd come out vanilla.
People will tell you this anime is part Slice of Life, but I found (as someone who is a fan of the genre) that the best Slice of Life are the ones where you get to know the characters and see their personalities develop outside of big sweeping emotional plot developments or character moments. This is, I've learned, what makes the best SoL shows their own kind of "compelling" - because you want to see these characters doing stuff more, you want to hang out with them and see what shenanigans they get into next.
If this show is a Slice of Life, it utterly fails in my eyes. Rarely do we get scenes that don't contribute to Main's ambitions, and that goes for the characters. Nearly all of them barely have a character, and that's no exaggeration. And because they're part of the reason that Main is never challenged, they rarely feel like actual thinking people - just set dressing to make Main look good. The one exception to this is her business partner and, for a couple episodes, Lutz.
That's not to say this show is utter garbage - I DID give it a 3 after all. Despite my griping about the characters, all of them are enjoyable presences, even Main surprisingly. She never feels condescending despite her intelligence, which I think is the one thing that keeps her and her perfection from being horrendously received by most viewers. The character Lutz, while not interesting as a person, has an arc that is so compellingly presented and resolved that you could be forgiven for thinking the entire season was just as good. The animation style pops and is quite clean, and the How It's Made portions are interesting and makes the story's sense of progression still feel earned despite the complete lack of actual conflict.
I'd say you should watch this if you want a different kind of Isekai - just don't forget that this is not only still an Isekai, but a fairly boring one in terms of plot.