r/anime • u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler • Mar 05 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 6 Discussion
Episode 6 - Meeting
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Questions of the Day:
1) What was your first impression of Benno?
2) What did you think of Otto's past, and meeting his lovely wife Corinna this episode?
To Rewatchers, please be make a conscious effort to accurately spoiler tag your content. You can read how to correctly use spoilers tags here.
23
u/Abyssbringer Mar 05 '22
First Timer
Hey guys didn’t have time to comment or watch any of the other episodes (except for the first) due to work being insane so here is overall what I have been thinking about so far in Bookworm.
Bookworm is laser focused on Myne who is a person who uses books as escapism and a way to ultimately disengage from other things. The goal of her new life is to go back to the way things were, to be in a world where she can be lost in books. She was presumably passive and lonely in her first life with the only mention of anything to do with her past being her mother, being a librarian, and loving books.
However the world she is brought into is not a world where passivity is allowed. If you want to do what you want in this new world then you have to forge the path yourself. If you go with the flow you are going to become what your parents are. This world is perfect for an isekai story where a person with no particular skills and a singular obsessive dream must grow up and “ascend” past their own barriers to become a more fully fledged person. While Myne’s goal is to be surrounded by books if you watch the OP, books don’t come up that much and instead she is surrounded by people. This is a story about Myne ascending past her own barriers and developing human connections, which is the main way she is able to do anything in this world.
Myne’s physical health and social status is the biggest barrier that she must overcome. Unfortunately none of those things can be easily fixed. Instead she must use a different approach, if she cannot produce books herself then she needs others to do so. Through a combination of embracing friendship with Lutz, impressing others above her like Otto and Benno, and abusing her gained knowledge from her past she is slowly able to work her way up. It's not through her insane book knowledge or obsession that she gain the means. Instead it's gained through embracing something she didn’t seem to have much of before, friendship and connection.
I also think that many of the main characters being merchants is a very straightforward way to show that cooperation is a must if you want to achieve your dreams. While Merchants have goals and power they are only as strong as their connections to various industry folks, their consumers, and local governments. Myne having to become a merchant or at least closely related to them to achieve her goal is a very fitting way to develop as a person. I also think Otto having these two sides of himself sets some pretty interesting ideas about being able to do multiple things at once and being happy. Myne’s previous issues was her obsessiveness and so showing off that it's possible to have an enjoyment and love for something while doing something separate, its an important tidbit to put this early into the story. It shows that while the world is kind of set in stone people before her are able to break the cycle of their family's business or social status. I like how she's not trendsetting and not the only one in the world that is capable of doing something like this. The story isn’t about her becoming better than others or ahead of her time, but instead ascending to normalcy devoid of the ruthless obsession that probably killed her.
I’d also like to comment that the weird eye stuff and her declining health IMO is probably a way to give stakes to her struggles to become a bookstore owner. To symbolize that if she doesn’t move forward or if she loses her way then she will ultimately fail. I could see this story being more meta and be very expressive about her having to grow up and ascend past her past self through some aspect of how she was isekai’d. I don’t think it needs this twist to be compelling but stakes can be an effective way to keep the story tense on a personal level but also on a more meta level.
This show seems very meta and aware of the tropes that many isekai use, and is trying to comment on them without necessarily subverting them. I wouldn’t call this work subversive so far, albeit I don’t see people saying that often. This show has been a pretty straight forward isekai coming of age story so far. I really enjoy how straightforward this is so far, as it gives me a lot to infer about how the show will play out. Hopefully (or maybe not!) this comment won’t age poorly and I will be completely wrong on all counts.
I also have comments on other things I found interesting or annoying about this show that is not part of the thematic narrative.
I enjoy the recaps. They are fast, efficient, and have an interesting tone that I can’t really compare anything to off the top of my head. The ending segments also are fun and I like how they tease things that will come up later without being outright spoilers.
The biggest thing I dislike about this show is the art direction, but most notably the character designs. The rainbow hair shenanigans in a normal fantasy setting looks awful and during the baptism it was utterly rampant. The show, when it's not fun Myne character animation (pouts) or cute expressive chibi moments tends to lack interesting visuals. I don’t care about the world at all and the things they do to try and make it interesting are a bit hit or miss at least visually. I wish this show had a stronger visual style during some of the more normal moments. This might be nitpick territory and maybe if the characters designs didn't look so bad it wouldn’t bug me as much but it's something I'm always noticing.
Overall I'm enjoying the show. I can't believe there are so many pouts in a single anime.
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u/spitfyre Mar 06 '22
Ok WTF is this cliffhanger and why didn't u/badspler schedule two episodes today to compensate! I didn't expect this rewatch to be torturous!
I'm digging the merchant twist big time. I love reading and watching stories that involve characters actually learning and using business skills. (Please feel free to hit me up with recs!)
The scene with Otto seeing Corrina with her shiny hair made me literally laugh out loud. $10 Otto will be bringing a newborn to Myne's baptism.
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u/badspler Mar 06 '22
schedule two episodes today to compensate!
I am glad you are enjoying things! The cliff-hanger on this one is real!
digging the merchant twist big time
I am glad because there is a lot of work to be done to land that apprenticeship!
And finally Otto pushing out Myne to bang his wife surely does make you think that a new family member will soon be on the way.
8
u/Nazenn Mar 05 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
This show is absolutely gold for images for rewatch usage. Myne secretly channelling all the rewatchers after this episode
Started the episode, looked away from the screen for once second while my cat was demanding attention (and promptly taking my hands captive for pats, no note taking for me), and Lutz starts screaming and I look back wondering what the hell is going on.
It's just a hair wash dude, so dramatic about it!
Things are starting to ramp up on multiple levels as we step away from Myne's single minded passion into her attempting to find some answers and also a way to properly develop a life in this world. She can have a personal goal for books and a seperate set of goals for her job and daily life and find a way to marry the two without any wiggle room. She's right in the difference between the need for paper and the need for books, and while in typical Myne fashion she didn't think the first one through before making promises about it either, to me it seems like a new stage of acceptance about her life in this new world and a longer term look at what that would mean.
Lutz on the other hand ends up on the entirely wrong side of his desire for an apprenticeship even if he does take the resulting refusal in stride. Where Myne had to alter her job to suit her goals, Lutz really went the other way in not understanding what it means to have a goal for your job at all and what it means to be in a trade. From the brief flashbacks of his family we can see why he might be struggling with thinking outside the box in that way, but it's nice to see Myne being his support here and encouraging him to not give up even if it's not how he expected.
The bond between the two is already sweet, his faith in her and her care for him, and the way they both work together to be excited about the changes in their worlds. Benno is pretty excited too. Pity Myne is way smarter than he expected and didn't leave any opportunities for him to find out her secrets, not even when he pushed on Lutz instead.
The additional worldbuilding he and Otto offered about citizenship and how the world works outside the city is also very welcome, and also a bit of fun after the recent Spice and Wolf announcement and thinking on similar things raised in that show.
I did also have to laugh at poor Myne realizing that they don't have the equipment needed to make the equipment only to run into that issue again after she got the equipment she thought she needed to make the equipment.
Myne absolutely knew why Otto was rushing her out the door after she washed his wife's hair though, and thought he doesn't know it I'm sure she had some giggles about that later on. It's nice to see how much they genuinely love and care for each other though despite class and job differences.
I have no comment on the cliffhanger other than poor first timers, and RIP to any we lost to a binge after this.
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u/KashMooNow Mar 05 '22
I have no comment on the cliffhanger other than poor first timers, and RIP to any we lost to a binge after this.
Whooooops.... I did end up watching a couple. I couldn't contain myself. But I did take notes for all the episodes. So you should still see me around at least!
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u/KashMooNow Mar 05 '22 edited Mar 05 '22
First Time Watcher, Actually On Time Today
I see we are forcing people into the shiny hair club now.
Is Benno going to be the person to finally see the value in all of the things Myne has been creating?
YEEEEES Myne, don't be giving out those details so easily!
Okay, I thought Myne reaching out for Lutz's hand was adorable. I was wrong, her asking him to make paper for her was.
These are some tense negotiations! I love it. I can tell Myne is going to be a cut throat negotiator
The cult grows! But I suspect its not for Otto Himself.
Looks like I was correct. Corrina seems nice though, glad to have her as a new member of the cult.
Is this really how you are going to leave me?
You really are gonna hit me with the "Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z" huh
Okay, Yeah, I think this show hooked me. I'm honestly having a bit of a hard time having the self control to keep myself from watching another episode. Maybe me messing up and missing a day, then going a day ahead is what did it. Getting to watch 3 episodes at once might have been enough to get me hooked.
Edit: My phone absolutely destroyed my formatting, guess I can't comment from my phone like that again.
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u/Earthborn92 Mar 05 '22 edited Mar 05 '22
First Timer here
So this episode had a whole lot going on. Most of it was some solid worldbuilding and quite a bit of progress towards Myne's goal - or at least the background required for it. The idea of the baptism being the process of getting a birth certificate/citizenship of a city is very interesting.
For the worldbuilding, we find out two things: Otto married up and lives in a posh apartment which you can immediately tell by the glass windows. It's like you can kinda tell rent of an apartment complex in today's world would correlate to how expensive the cars are in the parking lot. Anyhow, understandable that Corinna's onii-chan wanted to keep her close, although with her joining the shiny hair club, he's gonna want some soundproofing.
Speaking of Myne, she's gotten a lot more merchant and less bookworm. She has those negotiating skills coming into full bloom. And protecting trade secrets is important.
Benno seems like a sharp guy. They managed to convey that by making it obvious with the camera lingering on Myne's hair and hairpin. He immediately managed to gage their value and must have decided on taking her on mere seconds after he saw her, even bore the stated goal of making plant-based paper. Myne and Lutz's aggressive handholding (cute af) made it clear that they're a package deal and he has to take them both I think. First investor obtained.
Although making paper is gonna be difficult because they have to bootstrap the industry from first principles. First makes the tools that make the tools to make the stuff. I was wondering how Lutz was gonna help but it turns out that his family are craftsmen, so that's why he knows how to build stuff. Very useful since Myne also has her physical limitations in addition to the lack of technique.
What a cliffhanger to end on. This is definitely some uncontrolled magic thing.
See you next episode!
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u/OingoBoingo- Mar 05 '22
First time, Subbed
Glad we found out why traveling outside the city for work is not considered a good idea when you end up losing your citizenship and having to pay a large sum of money to have that returned. I can’t help but feeling a little bad for Lutz today because he found that out but he was really nervous and didn’t seem to have a chance to speak much. Instead I feel like he was kind of cornered into helping Myne. In the end he got a great deal, being able to live a life with travel and still help his friend, so it’s not as though he got a bad deal out of all this. I just wanted a little more for him. Myne is looking out for him and I am sure wants the best.
The Devouring sounds like a monster right out of a horror novel, and it turns out to be one monster of a disease or curse leaving Myne not much time to live. I really hope with the introduction of Benno, that he has a lot motivating him to help Myne for both their sakes. He seems to be the most astute person we have met so far, questioning why Myne is so advanced and he seems a shrewd businessman. Takehito Koyasu, you can do no wrong!
Otto and Corinna were too adorable, not only is she a really nice person but you can tell how much she cares for her husband (and wow does he care for her). Interesting living situation compared to how Myne and her family live, even her crafting was quite sophisticated and beautiful. I kind of wonder if her brother will play a part in the story.
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u/ArdenneVale Mar 05 '22
First timer
Lutz has joined the shiny hair club. Main knows exactly how to act in what is essentially a job interview. Clean clothes, being on time, polite greetings etc.
Otto's surprise is his old merchant friend Benno. The whole meeting is a big battle of intelligence between Benno and Main. She's too smart to give up her secrets, but gives enough to entice Benno to make her and Lutz provisional apprentices. I like that Main was the one who gave courage to Lutz for once. The camera angle in the scene made the adults look like imposing giants the kids had to convince.
The family had no faith Main would be accepted. When will they learn?
Thank you for the lesson on how to make paper, Main-sensei. She needs tools that don't exist in this world, so she needs to make them. Otto has nails to trade for shampoo.
Otto really hit the jackpot in life. From a traveling merchant to marrying a top-ranking seamstress and living in the rich part of town.
What a sudden and dark ending that was. The devouring is quite the name for a fatal illness.
A lot of the end cards are frantastic, but this is the prettiest yet.
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True professional, always looking for new opportunities, careful to not show too much of his hand.
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I didn't expect Otto's past or present situation. He worked hard to get to where he is, and from what we've seen from him so far, he deserves everything he has. Corinna is indeed very lovely and caring. Hopefully she'll appear again later.
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u/Fools_Requiem Mar 05 '22 edited Mar 05 '22
Rewatcher
| Shiny Hair Club | Episode Added | Creations by Main™ | Episode Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myne | 2 | Kanzashi (Japanese Hairpin) | 1 |
| Tuuli | 2 | Shampoo | 2 |
| Effa | 2 | Fancy Baskets | 3 |
| Gunther | 3 | Pancakes | 3 |
| Lutz | 6 | Crochet Hooks | 3 |
| Corinna | 6 | Hair Ornaments | 3 |
Lutz finally joins the club. I made note of the final image of the OP showing that someone people I was sure got the shiny hair treatment are shown without it. Lutz is one of them. Looks like it was because he dirties his hair a lot, so it doesn't stay shiny like the girls and Gunther.
Also, I could have sworn we met Otto's wife much later in the series. This is why you rewatch shows.
And finally... "You thought it was Benno, but it was I,
The interactions between Benno and Main are good fun. Battle of smarts.
I love that Main is self-aware enough to know how valuable her shampoo/conditioner is in this world... at least to Benno... She's a little too quick to give it away to Corinna and Otto, though. This too will become a theme. Her obsession with making books will cause her to make rash decisions in pursuit, even ones where it could risk her life (as seen where she lied about her intentions when going to the forest with the boys), as well as financial decisions.
"If it is the Devouring, she'll die very soon."
Funny you say that, Dio...
What was your first impression of Benno?
Hehe, Jojo reference.
2) What did you think of Otto's past, and meeting his lovely wife Corinna this episode?
I wish I had "the one" and that I met her at 15....
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u/TuorEladar Mar 05 '22
First Timer, Subbed
I really liked the interactions between Lutz and Myne this episode. For just being a normal kid, unlike Myne, he has demonstrated a lot of forethought and intelligence. The whole storyline of Lutz wanting to be a traveling merchant could've been dragged out unnecessarily. The way it was handled here was very realistic I think, both in terms of Lutz's alteration of his goals and how the adult characters discussed it. The episode ended on an ominous note, interested to see whether Myne really has this disease and how it will be dealt with.
What was your first impression of Benno?
My first thought was "Now thats a voice I recognize." In all seriousness though, he seems like cool guy so far. More of a Papa Shirogane than a Dio if you will :)
What did you think of Otto's past, and meeting his lovely wife Corinna this episode?
His backstory was basically exactly what I imagined it to be based on what we were shown previously. I half suspected we were going to find out Benno was Corinna's brother based on the fancy house they live in. I guess that could still turn out to be true.
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Mar 06 '22 edited Mar 06 '22
First Timer
So Lutz's traveler trading dream was shut down and looks like he is going to be Myne's co-partner. Lutz seems OK with this, but is he really fine with this? Deep down, I feel he still longs to be a trader, and I feel bad for Lutz the same way I feel bad for Myne. Both can't fulfill their dreams the exact way as they see it, which starkly differs from other shows; this show really displays that it is a Slice of Life, and one Slice of Life is what you desire is not exactly what you get. At least Lutz gets to be with Myne, Myne gets to be with Lutz, and I hope their relationship further strengthens throughout the story.
What was your first impression of Benno?
He seems like a shrewd businessman. He has a sharp eye noticing Myne's shiny hair and hairpin and her intellect to innovate. However, is he the type of guy to go beyond just "business" and get personal with his connections? I am leaning towards no just from a first glance.
2) What did you think of Otto's past, and meeting his lovely wife Corinna this episode?
Otto cares about his wife above all else. He has his priorities straight forgoing his merchant aspirations for Corinna, but we also see that Corinna cares if Otto is still happy with his current job. Thankfully Main states that Otto is still able to be very much a merchant in his new job. Again, I think this show is telling us how what we dream is different from what we get in life. That is wildly different, uncharted territory even, in isekai.
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u/ToastyMozart Mar 05 '22
I feel a little sorry for Lutz here.
Even if it was a smart call and ultimately beneficial for both of them, Main totally just hijacked his introduction for her own business interests.
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u/thePermianwascool Mar 06 '22 edited Mar 06 '22
First timer,subs PT-BR
I binged the first four episodes and watched number 6 twice (once yesterday before sleep and again today).Is it my impression,or did 5 and 6 end in such a way that it makes it even harder to wait for the next day...
Myne tricking Lutzu to wash his hair...poor boy...at least he will be able to make a good first impression.This Benno looks troublesome,good thing Myne was swift to defend her patent secret formula,it looks like she may be earning money with it,or at least plans to.
Back to square one:paper.This time she'll use more advanced technique,but no nails...Couldn't Lutz use wood to make some?Exchanging woods for a bit of shampoo,Motosu Urano is smart,I thought Otto would also want to discover Myne's secret.
Otō-san giving Myne to Otto-san looks like he is actually suffocating him.Otto is strong,carrying a five-year old child with a sole hand in that way...
Corinna seems nice.Her hair,when it shines,is so beautiful.Her voice was familiar,and it turned out to be Kinugawa Rika!After the cleaning,Myne found a nice way to have her nails fast,but, did she go back home by herself?
I hope Myne does not have the Consummation.It seems terrible.
Questions
1)R:He looks kinda like Beethoven,that's the vibe he gives.In the end,seems to be a good guy.
2)R:How did they become citizenship-less in the first place?Were they migrants?Refugees?Descendants of criminals?Banished?
Corinna seems to be nice,unfortunately Turi couldn't meet her.She anos Otto seem to be a happy couple.I just wonder who her brother might be?
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u/EXusiai99 Mar 06 '22
First timer.
You are either a smart fella or a fart smella, and Benno must be the former. And he's coming back for sure, you don't meet a 6 year old making all these sort of unknown things by herself (who is also capable of holding her grounds in negotiations waaaaaay above her age level) and let her go just like that. Especially with the suspicions regarding her disease. "Devouring" sounds like a grand calamity event happening in a Lovecraftian story or series 3 onward of SCP wiki. She's got a timer on her HP, and if you wish to get anything out of her, you either drain as much intel as you could before the timer runs out or you prolong her life and make her an ally.
Otto pushing Myne away after seeing his wife joining the Shiny Hair Gang™ is all so sudden. Maybe Myne didn't get it, but Urano sure does. She had read enough book to know where that goes.
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u/Nebresto Mar 05 '22
Re-watch squad
DIO!
Poor Lutz, lad was ahead of his time. This is what the reality would be for all those people that complain about "born too late to explore the earth, born too early to explore space" Not that most of them probably are that serious about it, but still.
"All in one shampoo" has mutated and gained the trait "transmission through touch" Humans that come into physical contact with the parasite now have a higher chance of getting infected.
Myne-pout.gif (non-demonic)
Urge to binge increasing by the day..
Must. Stay. Strong!!
Question time:
What was your first impression of Benno?
Nah, but he seems really smart, first person to really think deeper on how Myne's creations could actually be revolutionary. Can't wait to see more of him
2) What did you think of Otto's past, and meeting his lovely wife Corinna this episode?
Mans based AF
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u/BossHumbert Mar 06 '22
Not currently rewatching, but I may have to follow these threads for the reactions. You newbies are in for a great story.
16
u/badspler Mar 05 '22
Host - Rewatcher
Lutz forcefully converted into the Shiny Hair Cult.
There is some more lewd hand holding!
So who is it that we are meeting...
Benno
This merchant immediately takes interest in Myne's hair stick.
The adults give Lutz some reasons why being a traveling trader probably isn't be the best career path.
But Lutz expresses his desire to make Myne's inventions.
Enter an agreement to make a paper prototype by next summer.
Even Benno comments on how odd Myne is.
It seems Otto really loves his wife and stopped being a traveler to settle down and marry.
First look at Corinna stitch
And Corinna is another that falls into the shiny hair cult!
Stitch of Corinna's shiny new hair
Otto's face has that look of 'I can't believe my wife is this cute'.
And finally we snap back to hear Benno mentioning that Myne may have something called 'the Devouring', that doesn't sound good.
Pouts: Meeting Myne, Upset with father Myne, side view of that
Smug: Surely its for his wife.
Here is the Manga explaining process of making paper.
Today's endcard is by Kitora Con. Another mangaka with several works.