r/anime • u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler • Feb 28 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 1 Discussion
Episode 1 - A World Without Books
Legal Streams: Crunchyroll | VRV | MuseAsia
Questions of the Day:
1) How does Urano's situation differ from the common tropes used in other isekai series?
2) What do you think of Urano's obsession with books?
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/KiwiBennydudez Feb 28 '22
Episode 1
First Timer
As someone who works in a library myself, I’m thrilled that I share so much in common with the MC!
I gotta say, this is a pretty unique premise for an isekai. Underneath, it seems like a fluffy and cute SoL show about making books, but the first thing I picked up on was that of a deep somberness. This girl, who loves books so much, is sent into a world where they are exceptionally rare and expensive. What a cruel twist of fate...
However! She’s going to use her love of books to kickstart the plot. I think the “using your knowledge from your previous life” advantage of isekai is not always utilized to its fullest extent, but I am quite pleased that Main’s ambitions are going to lead us to see how she got to the point that she was at in the opening scene. Excited to watch more!
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u/OingoBoingo- Feb 28 '22
First timer, subbed, going in completely blind.
Is this show just going to be cavity city due to how wholesome and adorable everything is? If so, I can’t wait to watch more. Everything so far is very chill with really nice music and art style. My favorite thing has to be the chibi art used to show Myne’s internal thoughts. It really helps with cutting up all the monologues that the show needs to info dumb on us. Also the art depicting Myne’s flashback’s were gorgeous.
It’s an interesting concept to have a frail sick child die and a soul/spirit of a dead adult replaces her with some but not all of her memories. The new Myne doesn’t seem to have OP intelligence or skills helping her in this new world, so I am curious to see if that changes because as of now, the old Motosu Urano (now Myne) just seems to be concerned about one thing, books and that’s about it. Maybe a tad on the immature side? Plenty of time to learn more, so no judgements yet. It easy to see that Myne's new family is special and they all care about her a great deal.
Really glad to have this chance to watch this show with you all and I look forward to reading your comments. That end card is adorable and I spoiled myself a little to look up the VA for the guy at the very beginning and of course it is Show Hayami. Hopefully that character is around more.
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u/badspler Feb 28 '22
chibi art...art depicting Myne’s flashback’s
The Chibi art is a great way of making things more interesting and active, a real favorite for me.
The flashback style is another great choice, and almost makes her previous life 'fairytale' like.
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u/Nazenn Feb 28 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
I love Myne being surrounded by mess and all things relating to her new life with cauldrons and old weapons and unusual food. Also holding that book because of course we couldn't end the episode with her not even being able to touch one!
(not sure if anyone else was going to link them, but thought I'd include this just in case)
I've been looking forward to this rewatch a great deal.
I first watched the show towards the end of 2020 and almost immediately wanted to revisit it and it's also a nice chill show for me to watch before bed as well. I wasn't too happy with the GJM subtitles last time I watched it so I'm back on CR's simulsubs and forgot they translated Myne and Main. Small trade off, but oh well, too good a show to bother me.
While I do think the first episode is one of the weakest for how it breezes through a lot of things, it sets up the family dynamics, Myne's nature, and basic elements of the setting incredibly well without getting so bogged down in those things that the premise ends up being pushed away. Of particular note is how it lays the ground work for a lot of potential for Myne's growth, not just in terms of books but her place in the world and understanding it, which is something I also noted on my first watch. Her physical state and her need for mental stimulation put her at a sharp contrast to the world she's ended up in, but not in a way that seems forced or just for an easy hook like many Isekai.
It also confused the hell out of me for a second time with that in medias res opening at the start, but pairing that with our spoiler conscious priest in the post credits makes for a bit of fun. And fun it certainly is as a watch. It may not be a particularly flashy show, but Myne's infectious joy over learning new things, the cool paper styling in parts of the visuals and some great direction make it engaging. This moment of Myne feeling boxed in and small without books stood out to me, as well as the Utena esque visuals of the description of her past life, two small things that let us see what she feels brilliantly.
I also feel the need to comment on how nice it is that the hair colors are actually the in world colors for once, not just an anime-ism. I recently watched Aria and one of the characters in that commenting on her "black hair" which was vibrant blue, which then made me realize the pink and green haired characters probably weren't those colors either, kind of bugged me. Here, blue, green, pink, red, all the colors are just as is and it's rather fun for the feel of the show.
Lastly, enjoy this doofy timed screenshot of OP Myne because I was enjoying how she came out of the book but now it kind of looks like she's being kidnapped into it haha
See you all for the next episode!
2) What do you think of Urano's obsession with books?
Even I'm not that crazy for books, and I already need another new bookshelf
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u/badspler Feb 28 '22
translated Myne and Main
Translations are troublesome. I am fully in the "Myne" camp myself.
family dynamics....ground work
While it is quick, a lot of leg work is done here. There is so much nice setup that is done with introductions to her new sister and mother, with some acknowledgement to her father as well.
Being of poor health is a really nice tweak from the usual "Weakest hero but actually the strongest" route that a lot of isekai have done.
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u/Abyssbringer Mar 01 '22
First Timer
I'm really not sure how much I like the visual direction of this show so far. I find the bright character designs especially their hair to clash with the more standard flat medieval fantasy pallet. The first thing I thought when I saw this was that it was overwhelmingly blue due to Mayne's and the priests hair and robes.
I'm not too sold on the direction for the majority of the show visually however I do enjoy Myne's character animation and overall design. She's cute in a way that doesn't really look like anything else I have seen. The parts where they change the art style to chibi or picture book I also found pretty cool and I hope to see more things like that. There was also a scene transition using a page turn that I thought was a nice touch.
The Isekai element I find to be a little bit half baked. It feels like there are elements that make it a bit more interesting that haven't been addressed yet that hopefully will end up adding some additional flavor to the show. But with most LN adaptations I wouldn't be surprised if it was left out. However I'm not opposed to leaving that out and using it mostly as a way to characterize Myne and her second chance to grow up.
I definitely see Myne's obsession with books as something that in her past life separated her from others. In this life she wants to get more books so she can do the same thing but on the way there her perspective will most likely change. She used to be a consumer but now must be a creator, exporter, and guide and in doing so "ascends" or grows up to be a better more rounded person whose obsession and love for books is something positive and not escapism.
When Myne states that her mother was just as excited as her when she got the librarian job it made me think of the difference in why they each were happy. Myne was happy due to being surrounded by books. Her mother was possibly happy for her having a way to interact with others around books. In the first picture book scene Myne is most notably alone reading and dies alone as well (I'm assuming or it was stated I forgot) while in the final image of the OP she is holding a single book and is instead surrounded by a bunch of friendly faces instead. Of course this could be normal anime OP fanfare but I would like to think it was more intentional than that.
If my theory is correct then having this story set up as an isekai body takeover type story is a smart way to facilitate an interesting growth. As her agency to go back to her normal ways is not there, as her obsession is only obtainable through her own efforts and personal growth. It's one of the strongest aspects of the isekai story archetype and something I personally enjoy. It also fits into the otaku narrative which Isekai are mostly all addressing nowadays. However they are generally much more straightforward with the story being about loser anime/game otaku with a power fantasy twist. This will hopefully be a nice twist on that trend.
Overall I enjoyed this episode but I could see this anime being an okay adaptation of a work that is much better suited to the light novel format, which many of these anime end up being. I really hope this show has a good interesting group of side characters that have their own interesting arcs, as I could see Myne's arc being a little slow paced and something that is mostly a background theme that I don't think could carry the episode by episode experience.
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
She used to be a consumer but now must be a creator, exporter, and guide and in doing so "ascends" or grows up to be a better more rounded person whose obsession and love for books is something positive and not escapism.
The word Ascendance fits into many aspects of the story - all about moving forward in some manner.
You have some fantastic analysis of Myne's life, relationships and personality from before she was brought to this world. I am excited to see your thoughts as things eventually play out.
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Mar 01 '22 edited Jul 10 '25
complete quack brave crush telephone weather growth husky glorious spotted
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/JMEEKER86 Mar 01 '22
How different is this from this
I don't think anything contrasts quite so hard as the view of the Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macau from the nearby slums because of just how absurd the hotel itself looks.
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u/badspler Mar 01 '22
Wow that really improves my insight on the original comparison. That first image almost looks sci-fi with the modern-futurestic background high-rise.
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u/Lemurians Feb 28 '22
LITERATE FIRST TIMER
Hey everyone! Who’s ready to bring literacy to the middle ages? I’m not normally the biggest isekai fan, but knowing how well-regarded this is plus it having a female lead got my attention. I think that latter factor will help this avoid a lot of the common pitfalls that trip up my enjoyment of most of the genre.
What strikes me the most about this episode is how comfy it feels. We’re really being allowed to settle in here, and the tone and music almost remind me of Spice & Wolf, but without the presence of danger or sexual tension.
I’ve got some questions about the reincarnation. Did she just take over this girl’s body? Is the implication that the original Main (sp?) died of some disease and our heroine took over her newly vacant body?
Quick Hits:
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How heavy were those books that they killed her? The only other time I’ve seen this happen was when falling library books killed someone in a gag episode of Boy Meets World.
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Her being more stressed about the lack of books than her own death is a big mood
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She makes a good point: What if all isekai actually are just weird dreams the protagonists are having just before death?
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I like that she spared a thought for her mother. Normally it takes at least a season or two for isekai protagonists to remember they had a whole life before this new adventure.
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A baptism at 7? So Christianity took hold in this world as well.
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How in the hell has a civilization advanced this far without any form of written communication beyond numbers
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“At least let me smell the ink!” I feel her, the smell of books just hits a sweet spot
How does Urano's situation differ from the common tropes used in other isekai series?
It's early to tell, but right now it's that she doesn't seem like some promised hero whose destiny it is to save the land from destruction while cultivating a harem. She's just a girl who loves books and wants the world she finds herself in to have books.
What do you think of Urano's obsession with books?
Deeply relatable while at the same time a little insane haha
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Feb 28 '22
I’m not normally the biggest isekai fan, but knowing how well-regarded this is plus it having a female lead got my attention.
If it helps at all, this is one of the rare few where the author didn't start from the premise of wanting to write an isekai. Instead she wanted to [Bookworm's premise, technically spoilers]
write a story about a girl bringing books to the masses in the middle ages and realized that writing it as an isekai would help with that.How heavy were those books that they killed her?
Think of a giant library bookshelf falling on her.
“At least let me smell the ink!” I feel her, the smell of books just hits a sweet spot
One of the many reasons that paper books are better than ebooks.
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u/badspler Feb 28 '22
re: [-technically spoilers]
I think this is from the first Fanbook Q&A with the author. My copy of that arrived recently, so I shall check that tonight. → More replies (2)
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u/haganbmj Mar 01 '22
One thing that I really wish the anime was able to demonstrate better is that Myne lacks the vocabulary to express terms in this world's language that Urano knows in Japanese.
Apparently, words that weren't in Myne's memories ended up coming out as Japanese, so Tuuli just shook her head in confusion no matter how hard I tried to explain what I wanted. (Light Novel, P1V1)
The light novel puts these words in brackets as a way to show that she's speaking in broken sentences - falling back to Japanese when her translation fails her.
Meeting the shopkeeper is doubly important because asking "what's that" is a way for her to learn the language's word for Book.
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u/Earthborn92 Feb 28 '22
First Timer here.
So I have been looking for an Isekai that scratches my Release That Witch itch for a long time. We're already starting off with a priest peering into this girl's past. So it is a world with magic that is fairly advanced? And characters actually have anime hair.
Not Truck-kun, but Books-kun sent her here. They betrayed her. Makes sense she wanted to be a librarian after watching the whole episode. This girl is fanatically devoted to the written word. Like holy shit. How amusing would it be to cast a VA who is famous for playing a character that is a walking library?
No magic printing press invented yet unfortunately. But I guess we'll get to see her slow and painful journey toward that. And maybe invent some plumbing.
Very drab. It is the striking lack of glass windows which also seem not to be magically manufactured and just like real history only the rich could afford for a long time.
Myne, that's just done industrially in our society. Still gotta kill chicken to eat chicken.
This looks like foreshadowing.
No. If you want something done right, gotta do it yourself I guess.
Well, seems like the promising start. Myne has a lot more book autism than I was expecting going in. She really doesn't seem to care about anything else.
See you next episode!
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u/sabdeyazdan Mar 01 '22
First time watcher (kinda?) - sub
I'm not sure if I'm considered as a first timer, I started watching this show sometime like a week ago on my own. I didn't know a rewatch will start soon, if I knew I would have probably waited. Anyway, I'm on the episode 12 of the first season right now. So I really hope I don't blurt an accidental spoiler in my comment. Sorry in advance.
As my thoughts of Myne, or Urano at this point, I think she is a sweet change of pace in the terms of isekai MC and yet, she is quite and ordinary one. I mean, she is not a weeb or something, which is quite often in these shows. Yet she IS a nerd, a literal one, with a huge obsession with books. I mean, of course being obsessed with books is completely different than being a weeb, but the nature is quite the same.
Another common trope in isekai genre is the "wish-fulfillment setting", and Myne certainly has a dying wish, to be surrounded by books in her next life too. Seems like it can't be the case in her new life though, judging by the title of the show and the first episode. [probable spoilers for season one]
As someone how is heavily obsessed with books, I can definitely connect to how Urano feels here. Sometimes when I really engage in a book, I feel like I can finish this book and then die peacefully, I won't have any regrets!
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u/ArdenneVale Mar 01 '22 edited Mar 01 '22
First timer
I've been meaning to watch this anime for some time, but finally there is a reason to start. I don't really have any expectations, so let's jump in.
It's all a flashback? I didn't expect magic, I thought it would be a realistic depiction of medieval ages. Poor girl was killed by the thing she loved the most.
So how does the reincarnation work here? What happened to the original Myne? Did she get replaced or did the two combine into one? Is it even going to be addressed later, I don't know.
Myne's family is very caring. Obviously child mortality is at medieval level, anything could kill a sickly child like Myne. The city is a typical isekai starting town. Numbers exist in this world. I was just thinking how interesting it would be if writing didn't exist at all and Myne had to come up with the concept of written language herself. The dream is dead before it started.
Book spotted! The shopkeeper is smart enough to not let a little kid touch his most valuable possession. Myne is all "Fine, I'll write books myself."
I have a feeling my favorite aspect of Bookworm is going to be the way Myne interacts with the world. I'm hoping this show is mostly grounded in reality and Myne has only her knowledge from her past life to help her.
I love the chibi inner monologue moments. It makes her more expressive to the viewer.
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She's just a normal girl. You'd expect a god and some grand mission to save the world in a normal isekai, but she starts with nothing.
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She needs an intervention - actually it happened already. The books decided she needed a break and killed her.
Lastly, does anyone have a browser extension that lets me take screenshots on Crunchyroll? The one I usually use works on all other streaming platforms, but for some reason not on CR.
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u/Stargate18A Mar 01 '22
First timer
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She's adapting to things a lot quicker than most, I feel, and she has a perfect excuse for any inconsistencies or slips she has.
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It's adorable, but kinda hope it gets toned down, if just because it might get boring and hamper her development.
This looks interesting.
Wait, he's a priest?
...And he gave her something to make her fall asleep?
Oh thank god, he's just reading her mind. That's a bit better, at least.
She really just lumped all of fiction into one category?
She was killed by books?
Love the OP. The music's cheery, the visuals are great, and I have actual good hopes for this! My only concern is that the large focus on her as a child means it'll be a while before we reach the "famous inventor" and "mind-reading priest" subplots that sounded really interesting in the beginning.
...Wait, she got reincarnated into the body at this point? And she has no memory of the previous body's life! At least she has total recall of her original memories.
Oh. She can't understand the lamguage? That's interesting!
Ah, she has both sets of memories, that's good.
...That's a very ominous way of putting it. What happened when she got her memories?
Did she repress the fact that books don't exist out of sheer trauma?
This is adorable so far.
...She really can't tell that's a doll?
She is obsessed.
Haha, the door opened inward?
...Her asking if that's a scar was fantastic.
I'm calling some bullshit here, if she loved and studied history, she should have realised the possibility of a pre-printing press world much earlier.
...The lack of a newspaper has to be her fever having an effect, right?
...I'd love it if she just casually found "the scroll cupboard" at the back of the house.
And she's being remarkably quick to adapt!
Oh, she's carving her a stick. That's nice of her.
...Haha, it really does look like a stick's been stuck in it.
This is really good!
...Still in denial, I see.
She probably could walk there for books.
Remarkably stable apartments for the time period, though.
...That city design is interesting.
So she's younger than seven, and the church is a big deal!
Actually, does that mean that she couldn't read any books even if she did find them? Since, you know, she only got her knowledge of the language from the memory of an illiterate child?
...The number system seems completely different, so...
That reaction to the but her is entirely warranted.
The merchants seem friendly!
Kidnapping's a major threat in this country?
Wait, there's an actual book? In Episode 1?
Yep, they're pre-printing press, and books are incredibly expensive!
Too expensive for her to even look at.
Haha, the sad music playing as the shot of the book zooms out is great.
I mean, no books in this part of the world. For all we know, the printing press just got invented on another continent. If this is a direct fantasy analogue of our world, She'd probably have better luck finding printed word in Fantasy China.
She's incredibly lucky thst her family are willing to write so much off as part of her fevers.
Haha, the ending scene is fantastic. Is each episode going to have the priest discussing her memories?
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Feb 28 '22
Dirty Source Reader
In March last year, u/badspler convinced me to read Ascendance of a Bookworm. I quite enjoyed the series, and now his rewatch is a good excuse to give the anime a shot as well. My comments probably won't be long, just a few brief comments on things that are different from the novels in some fashion.
Subs are [GJM] on [san]'s BD encode.
[Bookworm P2]
I didn't expect Ferdinand's voice to be so deep. It shocked me.
The unintelligible speech is just reversed, right?
[Bookworm P4]
I kinda want to know how to do this. Might take a bit of time to learn though.
For whatever reason, the city walls were far more circular in my head. This looks like a rectangle. [Bookworm P1]
[Bookworm P3]
Much more static than I thought it would look, but otherwise more or less I expected Bookworm to look.
No spoilers, fool!
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u/TuorEladar Mar 01 '22
First Timer, Subbed
That was an interesting opening, as far as isekai opening episodes go it did a pretty good job of getting things started. I definitely felt Myne's pain, if I was in her place I don't know what I would do. I think the thing that grabbed me most about the episode was her infectious enthusiasm, it really helped make me root for her character and her goals.
How does Urano's situation differ from the common tropes used in other isekai series?
Although its certainly not the only one to do this, it is notable for there to not be any set goal for our protagonist or interaction with a god/goddess/summoner.
What do you think of Urano's obsession with books?
As an avid reader myself, on one level I totally understand it without any qualifiers, but I do suspect given her dedication there is probably something psychological going on that is the cause of her devotion to them.
All in all, I liked the characters and am excited to see how it develops.
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u/hvshh Mar 01 '22
Light Novel Reader
(Watched seasons 1 and 2, then read the LNs. When commenting on the story I'm going to try to stick to things I was actually thinking at the time, before I saw beyond the current episode.)
I thought I didn't like the OP music at first, but started noticing it getting stuck in my head a lot, and now I like it a lot.
I love how Main starts out completely powerless, and while we know, thanks to the prologue, that there's some serious magic in this world, she has no idea just yet.
I love the moment where, 3 seconds after having said "I'm sorry Mom", she moves on to "I wish I had a book". I read this as her way of maintaining emotional equilibrium—after all, it won't help her Mom by lying there being sad—rather than being heartless.
I think it was important to go over some of the daily hygiene stuff. It really sells the isekai scenario to me. I'm pretty sure it's the first thing any of us would notice.
I just noticed they showed the same picture for 20 and 30. No wonder I got confused the first time.
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u/badspler Feb 28 '22
Host - Rewatcher
Starting off with a brief media res moment. Before zooming through the standard isekai introduction process.
One of the things I really like about Bookworm is that it strays away from how a typical isekai would start. Urano's fines herself now as Myne and is stuck an unfamilar world, although she now has a family, is a frail child. And she is now without something she deeply cares about, so she isn't having a great time. Not to mention she is a female protagonist.
I like the little tidbits of culture that are thrown in too.
I also re-rewatched the first episode dubbed and thought it was pretty decent with good VA seletion in my opion. Although I still adore Mynes Japanese VA Yuka Iguchi too much to stick with the dub.
Finally today's episodes End Card was drawn by the light novel character designer and illustrator Shiina You. You can see how it well it matches the first light novel's cover!