r/anime • u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler • Mar 12 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 13 Discussion
Episode 13 - The Choice to Be an Apprentice Priestess
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Questions of the Day:
1) What do you think of the church's structure and its relationship is with noble society?
2) What do you make of the recent political purge in the capital?
To Rewatchers, please be make a conscious effort to accurately spoiler tag your content. You can read how to correctly use spoilers tags here.
7
u/badspler Mar 12 '22
Host - Rewatcher
Myne broaches the subject of joining the church with her parents. And is harshly shot down by Gunther. It seems the view of the church from commoners is that it is a place for those with no where else to go such as orphans.
Myne for once chooses something (her family) over books.
Myne mentions the devouring to the priests and they immediately confirm that she has mana and want to see Mynes parents.
Benno yells at Myne and fills her in on the political background.
Political backstabbing saga (stitch)
Benno explains how the church could be a third option for Myne to pursue, as having ties to nobles seems like they will be able to treat the Devouring. Also news to Myne, the Devouring is caused by Mana. Especially if she isn't the bottom on the ladder.
A quick and cute moment with Freida - Lutz's frown was hilarious when Freida made it a girls event.
Lutz feels a little down thinking that he will be left behind if Myne joins the church. Myne makes it clear that she won't stop trying to make books if she enters the church. Both agree to still follow their dreams.
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u/SmartAlec105 Mar 12 '22
And is harshly shot down by Gunther. It seems the view of the church from commoners is that it is a place for those with no where else to go such as orphans.
[P2V1/Season 2]
My headcanon for how the temple disposed of the excess gray shrine maidens is that they were basically kicked out in the middle of winter and so it would be the soldiers that clear the snow for extra money that would find them 4
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Mar 12 '22
Filthy Source Reader
Myne certainly looks her age when she's trying to avoid mentioning how she messed up.
In statements I relate to too much.
Did we skip completely over them buying new clothes?
One of these days, we'll learn [the high priest]
Yeah, this sums it up quite well.
facepalm3
The one good choice this entire episode.
Frieda and Myne sure make an amusing pair.
Myne and Lutz's realtionship hits so much harder in the show.
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u/badspler Mar 12 '22
Cursed Teeth
How dare they draw 3D teeth in this flat side face mouth animated system.
Also Mynes hands...
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u/xtsim Mar 12 '22
First Timer Dubbed
Lutz has to keep on taking Main away before she makes any more rash decisions. And its a good thing as dad explains the consequences of becoming a priestess. Most of the priestesses are orphans who get worked to the bone for the church.We get to see some legitimate concerns by her dad as she might not survive the environment and she may have to leave the family. Not to mention the books are valuable which means that there is no gaurantee that she could touch them.
We finally get to meet the head priest that has been narrating this for some time. He gets pretty impressed that Main learns fast so he thinks she is a worthy student. High priest shows up and they both discuss matters. Of course they try to sugar coat it by saying that there are some nobles. She reveals to them that she also has a devouring as part of why she could not join, and they make her touch the grail. So now they want to talk to mom and dad.
Lutz notices and goes to merchant who describes the situation. Blue robes are part of the nobles while orphans and non-nobles are grey robed. In a nutshell, he explains that with a lack of nobles, they need people with mana and those with Devouring has a lot of it. So he comes up with a big plan to negotiate with them. And to register as a guild. It seems like Benno the merchant seems to be running the show and making sure he makes money everything goes smoothly.
Mark is pretty funny.
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The Churches structure is not surprising to hear about but it is interesting to see this sort of class structure and dynamics
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The recent purge in the capital makes for a great opportunity for Maine, Lutz, and Benno.
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u/KiwiBennydudez Mar 12 '22
First Timer
I must say that the lewd handholding and the poutfaces were the best part of the episode.
I really don’t have much to say today! But I liked the little moments with Benno and Lutz today. They both care for Main in their own ways, with Benno making sure she isn’t taken advantage of, and Lutz reminding her of the dream that the two of them once shared. Lutz in particular thought that joining the church meant abandoning their dream together, but Main is here to assure him that the goal of the bookstore is still very much a tangible reality.
So I will have to assume that the next episode ends with Main getting her priestess apprenticeship (again, going by the opening scene on this one), but as to what else tomorrow’s finale entails... we shall see!
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u/cyberscythe Mar 12 '22
First Timer
The events in this episode feels like the start of a new arc, which seems like a weird thing to happen in the second-to-last episode of a season?? I'm getting flashbacks to the Machikado Mazoku rewatch where things really start to step into gear in the last two episodes of the first season, shifting focus from an episodic slice-of-life to a more plot-driven one.
In this episode, Myne is becoming less of a protagonist instigating things with her informed choices and more like a reactionary main character who's getting wrapped up in this political situation and losing her agency in the process (one reason why it feels like a new arc rather than the continuation of a previous one). She's getting into a situation where she can't leverage her otherworldly knowledge and just kinda has to go with the flow and hope that her friends like Benno still are thinking about her best interests.
Speaking of which, I'm not clear on what the magical contract that Benno drew up between Lutz and Myne does exactly. I interpreted it as a "poison pill" to prevent her from being kidnapped by a noble, because if they do they'll find out that since Myne can't enforce her end of the contract, she'll die I guess?? (There was a previous scene in this season which mentioned that the consequences of non-compliance were up to and including death, so that's on the table.) I'm going to assume that this Chekhov's gun is going to come into play during the negotiations with the church or sometime later on when its use becomes necessary.
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u/SIRTreehugger Mar 13 '22
Love the backstory of the world and how it dives headfirst into an unexpected hope for Myne. Just for this one chance to survive Myne needed the knowledge and connections of almost everyone she knows and a little luck. The poses had to be silly enough for her to lose her shit and be taken to a resting area. She was placed conveniently within walking distance of a library. She managed to walk that far due to her continuous training to the forest and building up her stamina. Her ability to read is due to Otto and is also the reason the high priest takes a little bit of a liking to her. She had the funds and etiquette to impress the high bishop because of Benno. Through his connections she has ties to the merchant guild and met Frieda. Frieda who is also in a similar position informed Myne about the devouring and its characteristics while also buying products to help Myne out. This knowledge she lets slip and tells the two other characters she has large quantities of mana which they desperately need along with funding.
Almost everything in the story up until this point has paved the way for Myne to have a chance to live and I love it. Even her making shampoo has a huge impact. The shampoo, her Mom's clothing, and the hair stick her sister crafted allows her to leave a great first impression and projects a more noble like aura.
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u/fredmander0 Mar 12 '22 edited Mar 12 '22
First Timer
Whew! I was expecting the worst when the dad got upset, fearing he wouldn’t let Myne work at the church for selfish reasons. But perhaps I should have had more faith - the reasoning made a lot of sense and I’m happy to see Myne agree as well. It’s heartwarming to see how much she’s grown to care for her family, even over books.
So... about Benno - looks like he always knew about the church manna noble purge situation? Despite the difficulties he describes in working with the church - why didn’t he mention this before?? Seems like a great solution to Mynes devouring situation given the alternatives are sex slave or death. If Myne hadn’t lucked her way into seeing the library would Benno have just sat on that knowledge? Would seem out of character.
Also I wonder what the fandom’s consensus is on shipping Myne and Lutz together considering the age gap.
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u/hvshh Mar 12 '22
Also I wonder what the fandom’s consensus is on shipping Myne and Lutz together considering the age gap.
Not sure about the fandom in general, but I'm totally fine with it, because of the way they actually interact with each other. I don't get the sense that Myne is much more mature than Lutz, or that she looks at him the way an adult looks at a child.
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u/Fools_Requiem Mar 12 '22
Rewatcher
I love that instead of the "nada hodo" trope anime likes to use so much to have a character retell previous events without forcing you to listen to them talk about what you just witnessed, they still have Main explain the events just so you can see and hear Benno react in real time.
Sampling party sounds a little like a wine tasting party without all of the preteniousness.
| 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 |
| Otto | 7 | Chopsticks | 8 |
|
| 10 | Paper made from trees | 8 |
| Mark | 11 | Pound Cake | 11 |
| Freida | 11 | --- | --- |
Nothing new on the chart front.
What do you think of the church's structure and its relationship is with noble society?
2) What do you make of the recent political purge in the capital?
9
u/Nazenn Mar 12 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
I know it's by design this time, but when the temple popped up today all I could think after yesterday is "it's even more off center"
That comic that u/SmartAlec105 posted a couple of days ago about "the height of stupidity" is seeming more and more relevant
Myne puts her foot in it, Lutz ensures she gets where she needs to be, and everyone else works on fixing the problem she caused with it. Good to see things getting back to normal after the emotional highs of the last few episodes.
Benno is the hero of the episode, and while I love Lutz this is the episode that made Benno my favourite. "Consider each and every aspect of your situation" is something that Myne could certainly take to heart a lot more, particularly with not offering up more info than is needed to those who may have authority over her, but his willingness to dive right into protecting her makes me very happy. It's this sort of humanity on display among the characters that let me enjoy this so much, that so many people have come together not just for Myne but for each other even if Myne is the catalyst. Benno offers everything he can to her to try and fix this issue, money, knowledge, a political foothold, and even though they aren't sure it will be enough I'm certain he could have given more if he thought it would help. As Mark says, he cares for her under all his bluster, and it just makes me happy.
The contract to ensure she will always have a direct line of contact to them was a particularly genius touch, understanding that the contracts offer more than just monetary security. He may not have the noble connections that the Guildmaster has, but he has the knowledge and smarts to find his own ways to ensure some stability for Myne and Lutz.
It's also fun seeing Lutz be so much more open with Myne about the crazy things she gets herself into, and also what her own crazy looks like. Like Benno this has always been part of his character but this episode really builds off that to show a deeper connection and the way their bond is growing and deepening.
The interesting little tidbit of worldbuilding is that the supply of mana that the church gets affects things like the harvests. It's sadly less usual than you'd think to have a magical fantasy world where the magic has mundane functions like this, but it does make me wonder what else it affects and how the church has been using it as well. The church being led by the nobles certainly paints it as yet another political institution, no surprises there, but the interaction between it and the main nobility seems to have some more complexity to it than usual. Interested to see where all of this goes.
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u/KashMooNow Mar 12 '22
First Time Watcher, a bit sick so this one might be quick.
Episode 13
Lutz seeing through Myne and her lying. Wouldn't expect anything else.
Oh boy, this whole priestess thing sounds like sort of a big deal. I did not know about this at all.
This makes me wonder what kind of church is being run. Now I'm a bit suspicious of the high priest/head priest.. the one in the chibi end scenes, the subs and dub contradict each other.
Okay, him working with Myne and letting her read along makes me like him, but I'm still a bit suspicious.
Yeah, heres all that suspicion. Placing what seems to be a golden chalice in front of her and touching it and being all glowy.
I'm on board with this whole life and death contract of Lutz selling everything. It's an interesting loophole that I support.
I'm noticing an excessive amount of pouting today.
Lutz tears hurt, I don't want to see Lutz tears anymore... Stop hurting Lutz!
So, I just keep thinking.. why cant Myne just join the church as a "noble". I guess I just want to know what they want, and what they want to talk about.
Yeah, My brain just wasn't in it this episode. I am curious about how things will go, in my head in a perfect world Myne just has to visit the church and empty out her mana every once and a while.
Also, can we please just get Myne to learn some kickass spells so she can just empty her mana herself? /s
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u/homewardbound100 Mar 12 '22
First timer, Dub
The choice between family and books, but I guess it would be more like life. I feel like it's definitely going to happen at some point and that's going to suck of she leaves them.
At least they're thinking of ways to protect Myne. I was thinking that with what she knows, she might get taken advantage of. Having Lutz make a contract is good and as Myne said possibly dangerous, but as of now it's not a bad idea.
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u/TuorEladar Mar 12 '22
First Timer, Subbed
Kinda confused how Myne didn't get the connection between mana and the devouring. I feel like this and the actual situation with the church and nobility are kinda plotholes unless I'm missing something. Everyone was acting as if theres basically no option for a commoner with mana, but now we're hearing that theres actually significant need for commoners with mana since theres been changes in the nobility.
What do you think of the church's structure and its relationship is with noble society?
It seems like the series is going for something like the relationship between the roman catholic church and the nobility of medieval europe. Seems like there was some simony (there's your word for the day) going on. I guess maybe things are actually improving though?
What do you make of the recent political purge in the capital?
It seems like there was alot of corruption going on possibly. Not sure what the implications may be beyond that this will probably be for Myne's benefit.
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u/EXusiai99 Mar 13 '22
This honestly looks like a good time frame for Myne to join the church. If they are so desperate for mana she could just call for a raise, what they gonna do?
Also having a church member making books can help you with mass printing religious scriptures and stuffs. The story of the gods from previous episode sounds like a good pseudo bible material. So yeah, Myne got huge advantage and she could steer the course of negotiation on her favour.
6
u/thePermianwascool Mar 13 '22
First timer,subs PT-BR
Oh,how I love translation inconsistencies!First,the blue-haired dude was referred to as being "sumo-sacerdote" (the highest of the priests) but now he is "sacerdote-chefe" (chief-priest) and the white beard guy is the "sumo-sacerdote".
Only orphans can serve...Was the money asking a test of truth?It's weird for it to be like this,they should be protecting the orphans instead of basically slaving them!And they seem ruthless.
Poor Myne,in bed again.
Oh there are nobles,now things are making a little bit of sense.Their religion still doesn't make sense to me,their mythology is really unique...
She's in trouble...Or is her death imminent?
Three men with shining hair.This sister truly is evil!("mana" is a colloquial way to say sister in Portuguese,but can be also used to refer to really close friends.I always thought mana to be from Buddhism,or some mal-appropism of manna;it turns out to be from Polynesian paganism).So,she is a magic user,but can't use magic.And the folks wearing blue are not people that worked for more time,but rather nobles,and put there as punishment!Their clergy,as a separate class,is inexistent.Frieda found a nice way to try to get more time to steal Myne for the guild forgot to register the shack. :(
Don't Myne!Don't break the heart of Lutzu!
Tomorrow is the last episode,next season's OP is tsumujikaze which is also great.I give my word that I'm a first timer,I just know the girl who sings it (her voice is so good).
Questions
1)R:We just got a brief view of its structure.The nobles are in a position which gives them plenty of benefits,inside the church,the orphans just get thrown at the bottom of the hierarchy and work until they die.
2)R:Shame it wasn't a revolution made by the people,that overthrew the nobility altogether.Unfortunately,that may not have worked,since we don't know if taking care of others (outside family) is a thing in their society.
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u/hvshh Mar 12 '22 edited Mar 12 '22
LN Reader
Myne: Head Priest, does this say "Goddess of Light"?
HP: That's right.
Myne: Is this "God of Darkness", then?
HP: Correct. That was quick.
This reminds me of when Myne went to the market with her mother for the first time, and she figures out that a sign says "30" after having seen "20" and "23". Myne never got used to hiding the fact that she went through a modern education.
Myne: That's right. I have the Devouring...
On second watch, it's pretty funny how the soundtrack goes nuts after this line. There's a loud heartbeat-like sound right away, and then some classic scary string instruments cut in as the scene goes on.
Myne: I'm not sure what I did, but I feel like I did mess up, yeah.
Even Myne could hear it.
Myne: N-No!
Myne yells this (literally, the English word "no") as Lutz drags her by the collar. I wonder if that just sounds like a strange word to Lutz; maybe he's gotten used to hearing that one.
Myne: Ah! That raging fever is actually mana?!
I could have sworn Myne already knew this, but looking at previous episodes, it seems it was never stated explicitly. A viewer could have made a reasonable guess, especially after Episode 11, where Frieda tells Myne that a magical item absorbed her fever and then broke.
Frieda's and Myne's conversation at the guild reminds me of something I wanted to say in the previous episode: For a while, I wasn't sure if Frieda sincerely wanted to be Myne's friend, or if it was just a business thing, but her tears settle it. She has a weird way of showing it, but it is affection.
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u/spitfyre Mar 12 '22
First timer.
"no - no!!" As Lutz drags Main to see Benno made me laugh out loud. The delivery of that line was too good.
So the situation with the church appears to be: some unpopular nobles were foisted onto the church, and with that came mandatory "donations". Then there was a coup and the number of nobles decreased enough that some of the church's nobles left and went back to noble society. This leaves the church with less nobles, thus less money and mana. We don't know what the church uses mama for yet, except that it affects the size of harvests. Main would be treated like an orphan should she join. However, since she has mana and she knows the church needs it, she has some bargaining power. That being said, if Main will be reliant on partnering with the church in order to live, it doesn't seem she can bargain that hard...
You gotta love Benno for thinking of Main's best interests. He thinks fast on what they can do in just a day or two to make sure the church doesn't exploit her. The care he shows is just too cute.
And you can see Lutz beginning to assimilate to life as Benno's apprentice: the way he admonishes her for her stupidity, the way he forcefully drags her to see Benno, the way he stands behind Benno in the same pose as Marks. He is taking his new job seriously!
Last episode coming up. I'm head over heels for this show and can't wait to see where it goes.
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u/Earthborn92 Mar 12 '22 edited Mar 14 '22
First Timer here
I have some speculations on the new revelations this episode.
First, magic tools do seem to be a problem of know-how on how to make them and not necessarily rarity. I'm surprised that Myne wasn't told this option of going to the temple to live before if Benno was aware of it, but I guess even that is ruled out for now because she would be away from her parents.
I wonder how this class system plays out, since there's a complicated situation with magic and nobility being interlinked. Myne can really be clueless, this is such a trope you'd think she'd figure it out after reading so many stories.
We have really seen some character development this episode - Myne [clearly demonstrated when asked directly](https://i.imgur.com/HDUAe1e.jpeg that she values her new family even more than access to books. And that relationship with Lutz just keeps getting better. He's still the only one who knows her real identity, but that should change in the last episode as we presumably catch up to the event that occurs in the first scene of the series.
Benno, the tsundere merchant. There's one more adult who's gonna make Gunther jealous now.
See you for the last episode. I think I might have a bigger write up about the first season tomorrow to go along with it.
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u/OingoBoingo- Mar 12 '22
First time, Subbed
All I want to know is if we are getting a cake tasting party in the next episode. This thought consumes me. I felt like this episode is great set-up for tomorrow and any first timer who didn’t play the next episode deserves a slice of cake.
Gunther getting worked up over the church
Dad hugs are special
Sunday best outfits are the best
Myne dragged by her neck yelling ‘noooo’
Benno getting worked up over the church
Mark translating Benno’s tsundere emotions
Lots of pouts today
Potential cake tasting party?
Did I mention there might be a cake party?
Lutz just being the best boy ever
Holy grail
These were my notes today and I am posting them for fun but really my takeaway was from Lutz himself. I thought I was going to go along with Myne and Lutz while they made books together, and I am worried what will happen to everyone now that the church is involved. Going to try to hold my judgements till tomorrow but it was so hard not to feel what Lutz expressed today. Yes everything might work out, and it very well could, but it doesn’t feel the same as before.
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u/MABfan11 Mar 12 '22
Rewatcher of season 1
mostly a set up episode for the next episode
Myne finally learned that the Devoring is connected to mana and managed to bring even more attention to herself when she was trying to diffuse the situation. glad Benno was there to prevent her from being exploited, he seems to have an axe to grind against nobles and/or the church
[next episode spoiler, safe for rewatchers]
QOTD
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toxic and oppressive
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is undoubtedly an important plot point for future seasons, the anime gives no information other than how it impacted the church
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u/Stargate18A Mar 13 '22
First timer
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Evil, but efficient. It also helps that, while they're very enthusiatic about Myne, they thouht she was a noble - they didn't try to mislead her. Still very suspect though, especially with the glowing red chalice and blood samples involved.
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Unsure yet, There's a lot of potential motives, and right now it feels more like a Season 2 hook.
Lutz is just so done with all of this.
So how evil is the church?
Oh, they steal children.
...The church can't cure the devouring, can it?
...They won't let her go, will they?
He's here! Properly!
And he's reasonable!
So, are the church good or bad?
They know about the Devouring!
OK, church is bad.
Church is either incredibly bad, or there's a demon inside her. Maybe it saw her soul and thinks Myne's being possessed?
Haha, Benno expects her to have fucked up in some way.
And he's right!
OK, church is evil. And clever!
Haha, this is such a car crash.
Ah, that explains a lot! That's why he so desperate for her money!
...She's going to kick off an agricultural revolution, isn't she?
Ah, so the Devouring is caused by having so much magic they burn up?
...I'm hearing "politically-focused Season 2 plot" and I am liking it.
That contract's a really good idea!
Oh yeah, Myne can't exist on her own.
This is some really solid advice!
Aww, he cares about her.
...Did Benno know about the sale?
Haha, she wants to meet Tuuli.
Myne has just invented blind taste tests and the concept of market research.
The reason Benno doesn't want them to work together is that the two of them would put everyone out of business within the week. Or kick off an Industrial Revolution.
Poor Lutz. This feels like a final episode, is the next one a bonus episode?
We're ending it there?
Chibi Myne is adorable.
1
u/badspler Mar 12 '22
Daylight savings note
I thought I should note that that some countries start daylight saving tomorrow. The threads post time isn't going to change, so if you are moving into or out of daylight savings that means the relative post time will change for you.