As an avid reader, I found the premise of Ascendance of a Bookworm to be quite interesting.
Based off the light novel by Miya Kazuki, the anime follows Urano Motosu, a lover of books who is ironically killed by falling books.
She is then isekaied into the body of a young girl named Myne (Yuka Iguchi), only to find she has been reincarnated into a bibliophile’s worst nightmare.
Myne is of the peasantry class in her new life and, given that most of the people in her town are illiterate, it makes finding a book next to impossible.
Refusing to be dissuaded, Myne sets out to make her own books, surprising her fellow townspeople with her creations brought from her previous life.
This premise was such a good one that, after I heard it, I immediately sat down to watch it and was met with a charming anime that has a lot of heart.
Myne’s struggles to find a way to read again are relatable, and the cast around her are just as endearing.
This is especially the case with Myne’s new family, as her father Gunther (Tsuyoshi Koyama) would probably be high up on a list of great anime dads.
Myne’s friend Lutz (Mutsumi Tamura) also serves as her constant supporter, while also slowly growing suspicious that Myne is now more than she seems.
Other interesting characters like Benno (Takehito Koyasu) and Ferdinand (Shou Hiyami) are also encountered by Myne as her prominence grows in the world.
Speaking of that world, it seems to be a simple medieval one at first, yet it slowly expands into a more fantastical one as Myne’s knowledge and desperation to read books lead to her encountering the nobility.
This leads to further world building accompanied by solid animation.
Granted this animation is nothing spectacular but it never needed to be, as a simple confrontation scene in the Season One finale is quite intense on its own.
Along with occasional moments of intensity, Ascendance of a Bookworm is capable of bringing out emotional gut punches when it wants to.
This is especially apparent in the Season Three finale where a bittersweet moment between Myne and her family actually had me tearing up.
Myne’s journey across the three seasons we have got so far have been endearing, humorous and emotional.
It makes me excited for what will come next in the story, both in terms of Myne and the other characters’ development and in terms of the world building.
I hope we get a Season Four soon.
I would highly recommend Ascendance of a Bookworm, especially if you are an avid reader like me, as Myne’s struggles will be all the more sympathetic.
The anime has a lot of heart.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 