Fresh college graduate Motosu
Urano loves nothing more than reading books.
For all her life, she has dreamed of becoming a librarian, in which she
can make her living while being surrounded by books. But just as she has scored her dream gig, an
earthquake topples a huge pile of books on her, crushing her to death. In her dying breath, she wishes she will get
to read tons of books in the next life.
She indeed gets reincarnated,
waking up in a medieval world as a frail, sickly 5-year-old named Myne, the
second daughter of a poor city gate guard.
Unfortunately, in this new world, most of the common folk are illiterate,
and books are rare and expensive that only the rich have them. She’s understandably devastated that what she
loves the most are out of her reach in this new life. However, her desire to become a librarian eventually
prevails, and thus, she resolves to create her own books.
This is the premise of Ascendance of a Bookworm, and it’s
definitely distinct from the usual “reincarnated as…” isekai. The MC is not a male, but female (and not just
an adult man trapped in a preadolescent girl’s body).
It’s not action-oriented. And,
most importantly, it’s not a power fantasy.
Myne starts from the bottom, and
has to struggle toward her goals. In the
case of similar isekai protagonists who start out weak, their rise to the top
is often made quick by luck or destiny.
Isekai is all about power fantasies after all. Thus, an initially puny, hapless protagonist has
to end up thriving or becoming proficient sooner than later so that some “power
fantasizing” can finally be done. In
contrast, Myne’s journey is slow – frustrating, tedious, difficult, and full of setbacks.
After all, she’s not been given much to work with. She’s basically just a toddler. On top of that, she’s poor, and she’s often coming down with a fever. If not for her determination and the fact that she retains the memories, knowledge, and skills she had from her previous life, pursuing her dream while contending with the social, economic, and political hurdles of this world should be impossible.
After all, she’s not been given much to work with. She’s basically just a toddler. On top of that, she’s poor, and she’s often coming down with a fever. If not for her determination and the fact that she retains the memories, knowledge, and skills she had from her previous life, pursuing her dream while contending with the social, economic, and political hurdles of this world should be impossible.
Moreover, although there’s also
magic in this world, it’s just like books – very uncommon and exclusive to the elite. That means the presence of magic doesn’t really allow much convenience or short-cuts to
happen in Myne’s character arc – at least, as far as the first 14 episodes go anyway (by the way, like No Guns Life, it has a split-cour season, where Part 1 aired during fall 2019, while Part 2 will air on April 2020. But with
the same reason why I already reviewed No Guns Life, I’m now reviewing Ascendance
of a Bookworm). Thus, it feels more grounded, relatable, and earnest than most isekai character arcs.
However, to be honest, I was occasionally
bored by it. While the grinding, measured narrative can be fascinating, it can sometimes be a drag as well. I guess I still prefer my isekai to be more
action-packed and fantastical.
In the end, although I don’t think I found it as rewarding as it may really be, I do like Ascendance of a Bookworm in general. It is primarily original, undeniably charming, decently engaging, and fairly smart. I will definitely be watching again once it returns on April.
In the end, although I don’t think I found it as rewarding as it may really be, I do like Ascendance of a Bookworm in general. It is primarily original, undeniably charming, decently engaging, and fairly smart. I will definitely be watching again once it returns on April.
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