It’s going to be a fairly lengthy review since I want newcomers to know how critically underappreciated this show is. If you want a shorter review, there’s one on the final paragraphs.
As a blossoming anime watcher, there are a lot of steps you naturally take in order to become the person with the most sophisticated taste from scratch, obviously. This is my first season, fall 2019, where I tried to hand pluck individual shows for my very own list. I have to say, finding that special show is difficult. There were just so many continuations and so many new shows that it was hard
...
to keep up with each and every one of them.
It was in these harsh conditions, enlaced with a little bit of anime fever, where I got to learn more about show that I immensely enjoyed watching grow this season:
“Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen”
or
“Ascendance of a Bookworm” in short+english. A story about a hard bookworm isekai’ed to a world without books.
Bookworm was released in a season of a total of 5 other new isekais. Most of them rely heavily on immediately introducing an over-capable main character or using slapstick comedy to push the story forward, a trait that is popular among so many shows of the same genre throughout its recent trend. Bookworm, on the other hand, starts slowly, equaling the horsepower of a frail 5-year-old girl, which also happens to be a main trait of our main character, Maine (also spelled Myne and Main).
The slow first 3 episodes are there to create an image of how weak Maine’s body is and how inaccessible seemingly ordinary objects or favors are in the other world that our MC finds herself in. The family is busy and struggling. Literature is a luxury. She's a victim of Isekai, not blessed by it. Though the choice of making her weak is a solid choice. Being a weak person means that Maine is going to pay more attention to her relations much more than if she were able to do everything herself. Making her weak means that everyone around her is important to her, and if she doesn’t get people to care for her, then she might lose the trust of a friend or family member who is several times stronger, more capable or more influential than she is. Her initial physical capabilities serves as a multifunctional plot device itself, and it deserves credit for staying loyal to what such a character trait promises.
Eventually, the curse of slow pacing then gets broken down the more capable our MC is, whether it be physically or influentially. The closer our MC gets to achieving the goal of making literature easily accessible, the more she has to learn about her new world to make it happen, which means that the narrative is adjusted to newer settings and characters. Even the magic system is introduced as trivial facts, which makes sense since the social setting isn't very familiar with constant exposure to magic. Even though this is an isekai without power levels, but you feel a sense of progression here better than you would in most isekais with a bunch of spammed numbers flashed on the screen. Each episode ends with a small and specific victory or a happy accident, and no increase of mana can portray progression as well as getting results on something that you’ve been working hard on.
The general predictability is minimal. Whenever you guess the next event, it’s because of the consistency of the storytelling and common sense from the characters rather than overused isekai tropes. The buildup is just honest, which is something that we rarely see in hard action or slice of life animes.
The story is filled with conscious people surrounding Maine. Every mess she makes is noticed by others. People notice how polite she is. People get envious. People get greedy. People get suspicious. There are lots of pieces of humanity spread across the series. This results in a very comfortable social environment. The cast’s bystanders aren’t Maine’s launchpad for her own goals and dreams, nor are they exclusively deposits of expositions. The different shades of personalities are planned, not just a roll of the die.
For example. So you know those anime characters who are the dedicated motivated character? Probably male, tall, fairly muscular compared to the rest of the cast, fiery hair and can't shut up about how he's the most motivated guy in the room? I've only realized how sick I was of these characters until I've seen the most beautiful boy Lutz in Bookworm. His most defining character trait is his love for Maine and his strength to stand up against his family’s expectations. Lutz sometimes faces conflicts where he knows he might not be able to do anything. But he still fights for his goals, even if he has lost so much hope. It's such a heart-warming thing to see, and you can't do anything but to root for him to be happier, making him succeed as a side character.
Sadly, the art is fairly lacking. The animations can get choppy from time to time, the faces of the characters can seem wonky at times and the opening wasn’t visually impressive. Nevertheless, the characters have a fair share of character design that makes each character distinguishable from every other character, which is a big win. None of the main or main side characters look like each other.
The sound design is good. The ending song is really chill, the medieval music/slice of life music hybrid fits so well with the whole show and the opening song is phenomenal. I know I might get into music theory a bit too much, but the odd time signature is a delightful surprise compared to the formulaic drum+guitar+bass+vocal kick/snare/kick/snare/sick solo combo these days. Basically, it’s a song that sounds natural to sing but hard to dance to, which is my kind of music. The sound effects is a bit off tho. It’s kinda hard to explain. The violins, lute and trumpets sound really uplifting. The piano intro is very recognizable and the singing is nice.
But enough with the intro. The show does well to include small sound effects to make the watch more interesting, but sometimes the sound effect doesn’t fully fit. Although it’s not that bad for me to complain that much.
I do have a couple of more things that I wished they did. The annoying first episode could have either been avoided or improved on. Maine starts as a one-trait character, and that’s introduced well with her constant minding the lack of literature. If we got a real isekai introduction at the start, where her personality fits in her former world, then we’d have a greater chance believing that she’ll develop in the new world without books.
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So for a quicker review,
this was my anime of the season. For the past 3 months, I’ve enjoyed telling people, who haven’t heard of this show, to watch it. It stays true to its unique premise that is: "If you, a hardcore bookworm, were sent back to the past in a younger body in a society without literature, what would you do?"
It’s a smart show for both being consistent in its niche ways and for how each obstacle that the MC has to conquer doesn’t seem out of place. It did its best to be as trope subverting as it can without telling you that it’s doing so. It succeeds as a show that focuses on the characters’ relations and emotions, which are more precious than the “depression” and “darkness” that many shows can’t live without. It’s definitely one of the sleepers this season.
If you are going to watch this show, then I suggest that you focus on Maine’s growing love for everyone and everything in her new world, not just the books. It’s the driving force and backbone, and it would be much more enjoyable if that was where the viewers focused on. Go on, it won’t hurt you.
Wholesome. Wholesome. Whole-lotta-some. Can’t wait for season 2.
Dec 25, 2019
It’s going to be a fairly lengthy review since I want newcomers to know how critically underappreciated this show is. If you want a shorter review, there’s one on the final paragraphs.
As a blossoming anime watcher, there are a lot of steps you naturally take in order to become the person with the most sophisticated taste from scratch, obviously. This is my first season, fall 2019, where I tried to hand pluck individual shows for my very own list. I have to say, finding that special show is difficult. There were just so many continuations and so many new shows that it was hard ... |
