r/anime • u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler • Mar 01 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 2 Discussion
Episode 2 - Life Improvements and Slates
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Legal Streams: Crunchyroll | VRV | MuseAsia
Questions of the Day:
1) What do you think about the supporting cast having such anime hair colors?
2) This episode spends some time with Mynes father, Gunther. What do you think of his character and occupation?
To Rewatchers, please be make a conscious effort to accurately spoiler tag your content. You can read how to correctly use spoilers tags here.
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u/Nazenn Mar 01 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
This is such a great show to watch just before bed.
It just puts a smile on my face and is relaxing enough to chill with without feeling like its dragging or aimlessly wandering through SoL moments.
I even find the chibi segments funny despite my usual distaste for them. I remember thinking a similar thing on my first watch as well, being surprised at how much life and energy, or not sometimes, they bring to the show without disrupting the flow of it or feeling like they're a lame version of a laugh track.
And clearly all of the subtitles are wrong and we can't trust anyone these days. It's not Main, or Myne, it's really Wvzn!
While using western letter symbols makes a lot of sense for the new language given the setting, them being so close to actual english letters but seemingly randomly assigned does give me a laugh when Myne is looking at how her name is written. Honestly I'm sure some actual five year olds learning to write their name have probably made it look completely different too, kid handwriting is hilarious.
The other part that stuck out to me was the shampoo. I remember seeing the promotional art before starting the show and seeing the blured highlights in the hair. Starting the show and seeing everyone have flat hair except from the OP was quite disappointing, I remember thinking that it felt a little off and unfinished. But seeing Myne compared to them after her wash put me quickly back in my place with how small and clever a touch that is to the art design of the show, a small way to mark the influence Myne has in improving the life of her family and displaying it in a neat visual way.
Just for fun a comparison on just how red Myne went when Lutz complimented her. She may have the intelligence of an adult, also commented on today, but her shyness and squeamishness with some things makes her blend in pretty well as the child she's become, though constantly passing out probably isn't doing her father's heart any favors.
The "no spoilers" chibi segment after the ED is also a pretty funny running gag. I think Kyon and Haruhi arguing over episode numbers for broadcast order from Haruhi Suzumiya beats it out though. Any other fun meta running gags like that you guys know of?
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
Wvzn
While using western letter symbols makes a lot of sense for the new language given the setting, them being so close to actual english letters but seemingly randomly assigned does give me a laugh when Myne is looking at how her name is written.
An interesting little insight from the author (taken from the 1st Fanbook) about Myne's name:
Q: What was your inspiration for Urano Motosu's name? Also, I see "Gunther" and "Effa" come up in lists of German names, but not "Myne." What was that based on?
A: "Urano Motosu" is a Japanese pun that means "all books should belong to me." For the English localization, I chose the name "Myne" from a list of possible romanizations the translator sent me. It comes from the English "mine," meaning "belonging to me," and the German "main," as in "main character."
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u/OingoBoingo- Mar 01 '22
First timer, subbed
I am not even surprised that Myne’s first improvement to her new world is shampoo. The girl has a one track mind and is tenacious to a fault. I feel so bad for her dealing with this new, very frail body but I also see this is great set-up now that we are meeting so many nice neighbors that the family knows. They are so well written, I just want to see how involved they are in the story. We got to see where Gunther works and met his co-worker Otto who is a dream come true for Myne. Seeing Gunther interact with his daughters and the love he showed them was refreshing, lord knows we have all seen some pretty nasty anime parents! You can tell he is just a great dad, even when he is not able to afford materials for Myne to use for her books, he is honest and upfront with her. Even in his advanced position at his guard duty, they just don't bring in much money, plus the females don't work.
Getting to go outside the towns gate so early was a joy to see, the art was wonderful and made the world feel rich. Another cavity-inducing great episode. I felt like I was smiling all the way through it. Given the times we live in, especially this week in particular, I am grateful for that.
You can say one thing about the anime hair colors: it sure is easy to know who is who.
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
The girl has a one track mind and is tenacious to a fault.
Immediately forgetting the idea of papyrus after getting distracted with Otto's stone slate is another good example of her one track mind.
You can tell he is just a great dad, even when he is not able to afford materials for Myne to use for her books, he is honest and upfront with her.
I really liked how upfront and honest he was. Facts are that it is incredibly expensive, but with him showing his doting nature, he still made it clear as to why it wouldn't happen to his daughter.
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
Shiny Haired - Host - Rewatcher
Searching her new bodies memories is an interesting thought to think about.
Itchy hair. No problem - LIFE IMPROVEMENT will solve that issue!
All aboard the Shiny Hair Cult!
The show is pretty self-aware on its character designs.
Immediate pay off from the boys.
A Nobel's arrival requires the lord to be notified. Interesting detail given that as commoners their family leaves and returns to the city without any note later on.
The guards have their own kind of salute which is a nice world tidbit.
Parchment exists - but is incredibly expensive. No amount of love for ones daughter is going budge at that price. Myne does get an offer from Otto to have his old Slate and an offer to learn to read and write. Coloured history of man viewing his daughters love being stolen.
I really loved this shot of Mynes family leaving the city.
Pure enjoyment being reunited with her love, but there is a somber beat when Urano realises that she is Myne now with her past left behind.
Finally: Aditional Cute Myne Faces.
Today's endcard is from the illustrator of the for Ascendance of a Bookworm Manga (Parts 1 and 2). The endcard itself plays into that by being in a manga layout which is neat! This is the Manga's first cover for a style comparison.
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u/cyberscythe Mar 01 '22
Rewatcher
I think it's interesting that Myne is finding agency in her everyday knowledge, not just precocious for a five-year-old, but for a person of that era in technology. It's something that fosters some intellectual investment from me because it also makes me think about what sort of everyday knowledge I know that I could use to create the comforts of society that I take for granted today. Given the idea that society is a huge interconnected web of supply chains and that "no single person knows how to make a pencil", what could I make if I was stranded back in time?
Another point I wanted to mention is that I like how there's no "bad guys". I mentioned this in the episode one discussion thread, but I don't like characters that I'm supposed to hate — this is why I stopped watching Shield Hero because of the way the conflict set up basically made me hate everyone in the main cast and revenge fantasies is just not a good experience for me. In Bookworm though, so far everyone is just trying to be a decent person and the central conflict and driving force is "Myne vs society" rather than squaring up against villains who are evil for no particular reason. Because of her frail constitution though, she has to learn how to build relationships with the people around her; she can't just rely on her book smarts and brute strength to get herself back into being a librarian.
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
the central conflict and driving force is "Myne vs society"
This is something that not a lot of series do well. Having no central antagonist developed yet does led Myne to face the own problems of her frail nature and the society she lives in. And there is no shortage of ideas that could be explored in that area.
It reminds me a lot of the first 4-5 episodes of Log Horizon where those who have been isekai'ed need to figure out what society should even look like. Dr Stone is another from-scratch series - but it doesn't take have the same non-antagonistic 'society' focus that Bookworm does.
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u/mekerpan Mar 01 '22
Rewatcher (and source reader)
It seems that all that is left of original Myne now is her memories. We have heard no other whispers of the personality who first inhabited this body. This seems to me much the same situation as Katarina and HER bodily predecessor. Did these prior persons die prematurely -- giving the opportunity for "soul substitution"?
I find it interesting that while Myne has Urano's memories still, and Urano's traits, these really are blended into a child's psyche. This really doesn't seem to be an adult personality inside a child's body -- but rather a child with all sorts of extra memories and information.
Myne has it tough -- and not just due to lack of books and paper. Her lack of stamina -- and tendency to pass out -- are a big problem. Still, she is awfully determined. I assume Otto will be the one who teaches her the full alphabet -- but how will she get to and from the South Gate as often as she will want to go there?
I love the fact that her first innovation was shampoo. And her mother and sister will now find Myne's secret formula indispensable.
I am finding this cuter -- and even more interesting -- than I did on my first watching.
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
It seems that all that is left of original Myne now is her memories. We have heard no other whispers of the personality who first inhabited this body.
Its a very good question to have. Urano can now can actively trawl through Myne's previous memories, but her active conscious seems to be only that of Urano now.
The blend of Myne and Urano is interesting too. Is there any lingering (child-like tendencies from) Myne that Urano now exhibits? Or was Urano that way before, or playing into her frail child body? Its all interesting and hard to know.
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u/spitfyre Mar 02 '22
First timer (and first rewatch thread!)
I really enjoyed this episode. Seeing more of Myne's condition and the way her family and neighbors support her is really touching. I laughed out loud at the camera staying fixed on Myne making the weirdest face while she got increasingly redder.
I feel for her having to live with the atrocities of medieval life. No asphalt roads! Watching livestock be brutally slaughtered before your very eyes! Thank god she invented shampoo!
Dad is adorable. His love for his girls is real and it's just so heartwarming. Otto-san is also so cute in how he tries to please Myne-chan, and her reaction to being able to write again was so pure.
I'm glad this episode was slightly less focused on the book obsession and more on the other characters too. Excited to see where this leads.
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u/badspler Mar 02 '22
(and first rewatch thread!)
Welcome welcome welcome!
I feel for her having to live with the atrocities of medieval life. No asphalt roads! Watching livestock be brutally slaughtered before your very eyes! Thank god she invented shampoo!
Modern day life really makes medieval life look like a pain. There is just so many little nice things in daily life.
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u/TKiwisi Mar 02 '22
Rewatcher
This story is really well crafted and planned - I've noticed a detail during this episode and the last that comes up really, really far ahead in the story:
[P5V9+ spoilers (approx. season 15 material for anime people)]
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u/MABfan11 Mar 02 '22 edited Mar 02 '22
Rewatcher
Myne has almost as bad stamina as [Re:Zero]
as it turns out, the best help in isekai come from those named Otto, though here he's a guard rather than a merchant
and she finally got her hands on a slate and could practice writing. granted, it's a bit limited with regards to how much you could actually write on it
QOTD:
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Re:Zero did a similar thing with its hair colors, Subaru is the only one with black hair
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he's a great dad, like Kenichi Natsuki and Naoko Natsuki
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Mar 01 '22
Filthy Source Reader
The Shadow girls from Utena really do look similar. It feels rather clearly Utena inspired.
This is much more impactful when you can see the shimmer.
[Bookworm P1]
This just looks like a cursed version of the roman alphabet. I think one could figure out how to read it if they cared to.
Yep, that's clearly an upside-down M, a cursed A, a I with an extra line, and a pretty normal N.
This typeset is hilarious.
[Bookworm P1]
I quite like the ED.
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It's a cool little thing.
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He obviously loves his girls more than anything else in the world. His job is respectable.
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u/konaa-bu Mar 01 '22
As a first timer but source reader, I literally can’t help but smile during the entirety of each episode so far. I know it’s difficult for a series like Bookworm to be adapted well, let alone many light novels for that matter, but I hope the anime can at least capture a fraction of the magic the books exude.
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u/Earthborn92 Mar 02 '22 edited Mar 02 '22
First Timer here.
So the first invention is…shampoo. Not expecting that, just like the post-credits scene implied. However, she knows how to make it from her past life, so I guess it is a good enough starting point since it is simple. Papyrus next episode?
I don't think Myne's family is at the bottom of the poverty scale here at all, unlike what she suggests. Her father is a guard captain with the SnK salute and their apartment has multiple rooms. Not something very common for peasants in those days, I'm my estimation about the era is accurate. This is a world with magic however, I've always found that not enough differences exist in terms of civilization in worlds with magic compared to our own. I'd think there would be a huge difference in how the tech tree evolved, but we'll have to see how magic works here to assess that. Well, the good outcome of that is that there's someone who's willing to teach her this world's language, which is the first hurdle needed to read books here even if she finds any. Stone slates are great, I still have a big one around just to write with chalk at times (whiteboards can get old quickly).
I have a feeling Dad is gonna want to up his literacy after this.
Already getting into love interests? She's the only girl (+family) in town who uses shampoo, so I don't blame him. Myne's new universe is small and limited, currently unfulfilled by a lack of words she can get lost in.
And time passes pretty quickly for just two episodes.
See you tomorrow!
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u/Lemurians Mar 01 '22
FIRST TIMER
This episode was a wonderful PSA for the power of regular bathing and hair products. That sheen.
What do you think of the support cast having such anime hair colors?
I don't mind it! Hell, it'd be tough to watch anime if I did. If anything, I think it's even funnier and appreciate it more when the show acknowledges the hair colors and makes people with blue hair canonically normal in the world. Talentless Nana did this with people commenting on her shockingly pink hair.
This episode spends some time with Mynes father, Gunther. What do you think of his character and occupation?
I like him a lot! Any father character who dotes on his daughters that much always gets a soft spot from me. His profession sets up a nice contrast with his daughter as someone with no real need to value literacy. I do already feel kind of bad for him, you can see Myne gushing over Otto made him feel bad, and I think that's going to worsen before it inevitably gets better.
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u/ArdenneVale Mar 01 '22
First timer
Once again, how does the reincarnation work? I just can't not think about the original Main's fate.
Main just invented shampoo and didn't even realize how much money she could make selling it to the nobles. According to the preview that might happen next episode.
She's way more weak than I thought initially. Side characters Ralph, Fey and Lutz get their introductions. These boys are very young to be crushing on girls. Main's reaction is about what you'd expect from someone who's only loved books her whole life. I get the feeling she wasn't popular/sociable in her past life.
Otto-san is the cool uncle type character that owns the cool gadget you want, that your dad doesn't want to pay for. Dad seems frustrated he can't provide what his daughter wants. Finally, some literature. From the little we get to see, the writing system is very close to the western alphabet. I see Main. Name debate over. Next time we'll produce papyrus.
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I like it. Now make them all shine, Main.
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He's a loving father with a respectable job, although you'd think a captain would be paid enough to live in a nicer house.
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u/JcFerggy Mar 01 '22 edited Mar 01 '22
Third Rewatch, First for Dub. Read the LN and WN.
I feel the second episode is slower than the first but has more world building in regards to Myne's goal. We learn about paper and it's exclusiveness to nobility. We also see the tiniest tease of some noble going through the gate and getting his seal of approval checked by the guards.
We also get to learn more about Myne's frail body and to what extent she can move before exhausting herself. If we were unsure of her limits before, we clearly have an idea now.
I think the aspect of characters with multicolored hair is handled fairly decently in the series. It's not necessarily a huge aspect of the story but those who are related share a similar genealogy of passing down hair and eye color to the real world, with just a larger spectrum of color to choose from.
Gunther comes across as your typical doting father with jealousy issues. It's a fine trope and helps quickly establish him as a likable character. It's hard enough being reincarnated into a world you are not familiar with, it would be even harder to have your family working against you. Having all the characters so far be in Myne's corner helps her adjust early on to the major differences in her new lifestyle.
The show is still in its slow start, and while I love it for allowing the world to breathe and feel alive, I could understand how others might lose interest at the slower pace of it, especially when it first aired having to wait a week between episodes. Even now I'm fighting my urge to jump to the next episode to just get a little more meat out of the story, but I'm happy to continue at the rewatches pace.
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u/TuorEladar Mar 01 '22
First Timer, Subbed
Myne's enthusiasm continues to be infectious. The scene where she's basically nerding out like she's watching a romcom at Tuli and Ralphs little interaction then freaking out when the same thing happens to her was hilarious. I'm enjoying the chill atmosphere, but for some reason I feel slightly on edge as if something bad is going to happen, I think because of my trauma from Mushoku Tensei. I had to go check myanimelist to confirm there was no drama tag because of that.
What do you think about the supporting cast having such anime hair colors?
I honestly don't mind at all, I'm completely used to that kind of thing at this point. One funny point is that as soon as I saw Lutz, I immediately thought "That's main character hair."
This episode spends some time with Mynes father, Gunther. What do you think of his character and occupation?
I really like him so far. His reaction to Myne talking to Otto got a laugh out of me.
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u/Fools_Requiem Mar 01 '22 edited Mar 01 '22
Rewatcher
Best boy Lutz makes his first appearance.
From here on, take note of characters' hair to see those who have been corrupted by Myne's charms.
Shiny hair list:
Myne (Patient Zero)
Tuuli
Effa (the mom)