Ascendance of a Bookworm - My Favorite Fantasy of 2019 

That moment when anime shows us that it's actually cool to care about knowing the world around you

6:48 "Like most Japanese speakers she's prone to talking with her hands" Me: *stops video* *stares at the screen for a few seconds* *laughs in italian*

5:49 Damn, that's slower than a tsundere confession.

"Luxury items that only the nobility can afford to possess" grrrr stupid nobles

"Not actuallly her family." -hol' up, nah. They're totally family. In practically every aspect of the word. Otherwise total agreement, good job.

Am I sick for laughing at the irony that her one true love was reading books and she was crushed to death by them? Because I did, and I don't feel bad about it. Maybe because I have no personal connection with the character yet because I haven't watched this anime yet. But I certainly plan on it. Been looking for a good fantasy anime I can just relax with and enjoy.

The anime also cut lots of worldbuilding or small of details. Not complaining, just saying that if u like the anime, you'll love the light novel :D

All I can say is that Because of this anime, I appreciate all the things that we have, the easy access. Like Books, Shampoo.

To those that are only seeing the anime, as an LN reader i can tell you that we are in the prologue of the prologue. And trust me, every part of this road is beautifully written and also probably has the most realistic portrayal of society in medieval times was like. Its truly beautiful.

Finally someone else is raving about how good this show is!!

Absolutely loving the slow-burn approach in this anime! 🌟 The careful pacing really does wonders for the world-building. It's such a refreshing change from other anime that sometimes overwhelm with information without giving it the proper time to sink in. Kudos to the creators for taking their time and letting the audience savor the details. 🙌

I love this show and after watching 2 eps pretty much went out and caught up in translated manga almost instantly! I especially like how she will just create something or let some enlightened idea slip and one hand her family is usually like wtf maybe just help us prepare for winter but on the other the merchant guy is like maybe slow your roll on these entire industries we could be making a fortune off of please until we have the rights and ability to profit off it. A part of me thinks she could probably trade her cooking recipes alone to get some nobles giving her books but I guess it is more satisfying this way as she earns them on her own.

Such a unique and heartwarming anime. The characters are lovable, the world has a lot of depth and it makes Myne's quest that much more interesting. It feels real, and it's a welcome very different take on the isekai genre

Ahh, _Bookworm,_ definitely my favorite anime of this year (though...I thought rather than Urano "recovering her memories of her previous life" in the way, say, Katarina does in _My Next Life as a Villainess_ that it was basically that Myne died and Urano's soul inhabited the left-behind body? Though I haven't read the LNs so it's entirely possible I'm completely wrong) for all the reasons cited herein. Speaking of well-crafted fantasy worlds, may I give a shoutout to _Seirei no Moribito?_

Every time I watch a series and think "this thing is totally underrated" you come along and make a video on it. Good taste you have there!

Talking about "epic battles" while showing Seya annihilate a slime. Nice.

Life before death Strength before weakness Journey before destination

This had been my favorite light novel for a while, and I'm so glad you're bringing attention to the anime because it deserves it. I hope you can do a book club on the series eventually!!!

I was so happy when this became an anime! I read the manga and really loved seeing the series animated

I love the manga for this and hadn't realised it had been made into an anime, looking forward to binge watching this :)

Geoff: *suggesting a third season of Spice and Wolf* The anime industry: We don't do that here

YES!!! Bookworm is my favorite anime this season!!!

Yeah, this is definitely my favorite show of the season. After two episodes I got my hands on of the LN and now I'm waiting for the next release.

this has become my absolute favorite book series, just hope that you all are still continuing on reading the LNs

The original Myne actually died from the Devouring, around the same time when Urano was crushed to death by the books in her bedroom during the Earthquake. Urano's soul was reincarnated into the body, bringing with her her memories of her former life. This was hinted at in episode 1 and confirmed in a later episode when Myne confirmed Lutz suspicions that she wasn't the "Myne" he knew.

I love this series so much, that I finished it, it's sequel and sidestory to the current chapter. Reading several hundred chapters in Google translate is not something I would recommend to anyone, but THIS was more than worth it.

I jumped on this one 2 years ago with the second season and I'm just now speedrunning my way through the lightnovels. I'm not much of a reader, I read rather slow and as a result I get distracted all the time but I have powered through 13 volumes in the past 2 weeks. I'm also not very good at analyzing stories, I just take things at face value but this series has me so invested. I just love the world, it isn't crazy different from any other isekai world, but the way the author slowly introduced elements instead of dumping lore on the readers constantly has me so enamored. Myne's actions has severe consequences that she has no clue she's pushing for. It's fascinating seeing everything she has ever done lead up to different plot points in future arcs. I can't express how much I adore this series

Didn't have what to do and stumbled upon your video, watched it for 5 seconds and decided to binge watch the anime first so I wouldn't get any spoilers, best choice I've ever made! After finishing 1st season and the other 5 episodes from on-going second season I believe it's one of the best animes I got the chance to stumble upon! Made me giggle and shed tears like a some man-child HAHA! And after that I watched your video and your points were very accurate! For anyone that's wondering to watch it: just do it! :)

After browsing the first couple hundred comments, I was surprised no one had recommended "Delicious in Dungeon" a similarly well built world, in which a group of adventurers, low on time and money, decide to eat the monsters on their way to their goal. The meals are well thought out, and the protagonists are fully 3 dimensional, and only getting more so. The series builds it's world so well and at such a great pace. There are no narrative info dumps, you get all aspects of this series fleshed out gradually, interspersed with interesting monster fights and interpersonal drama. It's amazing, and they might have announced an anime for it? It's like 68+ volumes long so far, available on Bookwalker, so there's tons of material so far, enough for 5 seasons already. I honestly think it could be the next FMA: Brotherhood, if it ends well.

I haven't watched any of your videos in quite some time. Coming back, you're just as sharp as ever and your in depth analysis of these small points that build a world and what makes good characters is still downright astonishing. I actually used the lessons I learned from your Erased analysis in a class a few years back and the teacher was absolutely floored by my second-hand knowledge that I gleamed from your videos. You are a heck of a teacher, wether it be intentional or not. Keep making quality videos man.

@Mother's Basement I Just wanted to say thanks for making this video. I had written this show off like all the other isekai's that came out this year and now, having marathoned the series up to this point since your video came out, I love the show. So thanks for introducing me to it! Happy Thanksgiving!

Almost stopped watching this after the first two episodes, but I'm glad I persevered because this story has a lot of heart, and is one of the shows I currently look forward to most.

I get the feeling that if you really like this show, you might also enjoy an old anime Katri, Girl of the Meadows. Story of a small Finnish farm girl in the 1917'ish Finland. No plot armour, slow pacing that allows the world to build, grow, and breathe. Yet the finale beautifully shows how the character has grown.

The greatest merit of the show isn't mentioned. The nice priest dude (who becomes a major side character later) is played by the VA of Sosuke Aizen. But now he's a good guy??? Amazing.

mentions its even has a semblance of spice and wolf and fantastic world building, immediately pauses video and goes to streaming platform for said anime.

I finally got around to actually watch this show right after Christmas, and not only did I watch it all in one sitting, I immediately went and bought all the books available on Bookwalker. I must also say that I read them all in the span of two days (yes, I am a Bookworm much like Myne/Urano), and the books are really good and one of the few books if not the only books I've read in recent memory that actually made go into full-on cry mode during book 2 part 4, but at other times they had me smiling with glee and laughing out loud. For anyone who enjoys a good read, I recommend this series, it is truly fantastic so far, and my only regret is that I cannot read Japanese so I have to wait for the translated books.

When she goes full rage mode OMFG i live for that fantasy power scene so fkn satisfying! 😍😍😍

First video I've seen of yours. This is an amazing analysis that has sold me on the anime and your channel

I'm glad a friend of mine recommend this to me, I never missed a single episode (I even dropped Fate Grand Order and Kemono Michi).

This anime is truly one of the rarities between its art style and story telling I can't get enough, it pulls you in fast and makes you want to watch one episode after another the pacing is also in that perfect sweet spot from start to finish not to fast or to slow, what's even more amazing is the fact that even though it comes to a great stopping point for now, there's still so much more story to tell 36 episodes at the moment and its only at the end of part 2 of the books which has 5 parts total, if they stay with the same pacing it could easily go for another 4 to 5 seasons witch I'm looking forward to, but like I said without spoilers it stops for now in a way that leaves you feeling satisfied but looking forward to to more in the future.

I woke up one morning with a memory of Main looking over 5 documents with wax-seals on them, followed by closing credits and the realisation I had forgotten the rest of the dream but knew I had just watched a whole episode. Yes, I DREAMT a whole episode of this anime.

The smartest he's-a-guy anime is Dr. Stone obviously lol.

I like how often things just don't workout without it being completely grim.

I love this series. How did I not know about an anime being made of it.

An interestingly extreme yet irrelevant alteration at the same time was the reincarnation itself So the anime showed us that Myne was dying from the devouring and Urano simply took over that dead body. The OG story was that this was a full reincarnation and Myne often dreamed about an interesting world while she was bedridden. Cut content, but she often said she wanted to stay sleep because she was healthy, and had fun... which clearly fightened Iffa, since it sounds like a wish to be dead... So both cases the personality just "switched", yet we can argue about how much of a fragile, sick 5 year old have as a personality... In the LN sometimes the behaviour is targeted, but as simple peasants just brushed this aside, because the kid is at least healthy and energetic and... while boarderline lunatic, its on the good side, since she doesnt cause problems... aside from delaying the chores and "wasting resources". Which again was an interesting cut content... or more like it was animated, but not narrated. Everything is dirty. Covered in dust. And Urano started almost obsessively cleaning the place since she believed the lack of hygene could be the reason of her frequest sickness. The first memory of her mother and sister was that they are pretty, but on first sight she would think they are just homeless people... Clearly the animation budget just skip these parts and the only difference we see is that merchants and nobles have more emboidering on their clothes...

Season one ending was so satisfying! Main the absolute badass!

This is the only anime I will watch as it is coming out week to week and probably the one that makea me feel the most

Back to rewatch this video for more bookworm clips, the latest episode had to end in a cliffhanger

If you're in Asia region, the anime is available at Muse Asia channel. It's fullscreen HD subbed anime and more importantly, it's legal! So try not to skip the ads when you watch there to support them and the anime.

I can't put into words how much I love this series it, much like other series, has a world that lives and breaths with unfathomable depth in both world and character. Much like Mushoku tensei we follow a character through a world they shouldn't be in and we see what there existence does, but that world doesn't need this characters to be intriguing and fascinating. I could write a whole essay about this but I'm gonna put a stop to it here.

I adore Ascendance of a Bookworm! I’ve watched the available anime seasons, read the available English translated manga and likewise the available English translated light novel! I am awaiting the release of Part 5, Volume 11 with breathless anticipation! I think AoB is a wonderful example of story telling and world building and adore that each part explores how Myne deals with a new part of her world with ever increasing challenges and higher stakes! As for new anime with equally wonderful story telling, may I recommend Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End or Apothecary Diaries? Happy watching! 🌸🥰

"Here's how the story goes:" Me: "YA YO YA YO!!!!!"

Ascendance of a Bookworm really surprised me, it feels like a Fantasy/Slice of Life anime. I really enjoy it.

Five minutes into the video and I thought I had my ffxiv on by accident in the background haha It was a very good music choice, bias notwithstanding, for setting the atmospherrrrre

blade of the immortal for the storytelling and honzuki for cuteness overload is what i look forward to in this anime season

Just finished season 1 and reminds me of classical anime franchise World Masterpiece Theater. So nostalgic and slow build yet you can root more.

I appreciate your using Final fantasy music in the background. Fit in!

The FFXIV music in the background is killing me

I have personally only read the light novels released so far, but i find myself pleasantly surprised at every turn with a series that takes this much effort into world building; a lot of time is spent not on a nation level or anything like that.. a town, most of the time just a few buildings in the town. Yet, there is progression, drama, hopes and dreams... all a good story needs, and is a story i will keep following; i will catch up with the anime adaptation when it's done, but it is good it seems to have gotten a fair adaptation.

When I was going through my cringe isekai phase I found this anime. I’m so glad I clicked on that random anime, it was a great decision. I usually prefer animes with a lot of fighting, but this anime was just amazing in almost any way.

If that wasn't enough of a pull for me, imagine my pleased surprise when I saw that the illustrator behind this was one of my favourites Shiina Yuu. I bought two of their artbooks a long time ago and never got to see their works before now on the screen. I was also pleased that the show was so good! And yes, Kadokawa, make the third season of Spice and Wolf please! :)

Thank you for putting me onto this, I binged season 1&2 and can't wait for season 3

This one one of the best written shows ive had the pleasure of watching highly recommended

2021 here: I adored this anime! In a way that literally no other anime since Shippuden enthralled me. I even read some of the manga because I was so invested. I really really *really* hope there’s a 3rd season soon!

I fell in love with the manga after randomly encountering it a year or so ago. I didn't even know they had an anime until earlier this year

If you like Ascendance then you’ll also love My next life as a villainess. It has interesting character details and is the most moe thing on the planet.

Slice of Life, meet your Isekai. This was a blend of everything I love in a show, thank you and curses to you for doing this video and RU-vid for recommending it....I need more.

The ascendance of a book worm is one of my favorite isekai season 2 just came out

I mean, ascendance of bookworm is basically same strain of anime as Dr. Stone, even if the latter isn't isekai (controversial topic)

There's something really compelling about the worldbuilding in Legend of the Legendary Heroes. I don't remember how I stumbled into watching the first episode, but I remember shaking my head at how dumb the translated title sounded in English... as I quickly devoured the whole series... :D

How I got into ascendance of a bookworm was I found it on Wattpad. Then I somehow found out it was a manga. Not even a month later it's announced it's becoming an anime I'm like omg what yes please

Im so glad that this manga got an anime. I absolutely love reading it and im glad to see that people enjoy the anime now that it has came out.

I love the mildly hidden joke about her father getting jealous of Otto. It isn't because she is spending time with him or being appreciative of him teacher Main to read. It is because of his name. Main calls him Otto-san and in Japanese the word for Father is Otoosan which is pronounced basically the same. Every time she says Otto's name, she is essentially calling him father which her "real" dad apparently doesn't like. Love the little tidbit.

Totally recommend anyone who's interested in reading this story. It's even better than the anime

"Ah yes a lovely family fantasy anime" *reaches episode 11* "oh"

Effa (Myne's mother) is a dyer; not a seamstress. (Also Spoiler below) If you read the lightnovel; there is a short story in the epilogues in which Effa actually thinks that (Urano) Myne is just like Gunther (her Dad) It's rather cute and heartwarming.

This anime was beyond my expectations

I cried when you mentioned spice and wolf season 3

Personally, I'd actually consider HonZuki way more interesting than the PopScience of Dr Stone.

The only glazing over my eyes is due to the dozing off to a good story. I've been watching the series and I'm loving it. Granted, it's helped by the fact that, as a D&D DM, I value a quality in-depth world over the current actions in it.

Ty this is a great recommendation always like realism and down to earth for the idea of reality

If you liked the immersive world building of this you would also really like Kemono no soujirou Erin

Even though the animation isn't Ghibli level, the production from manga to anime is perfect!

Thank you for talking about this underrated anime ;_; Do Carol and Tuesday next

Great, now I want to re watch both seasons. Thanks alot.

have been reading this manga for a while, didnt know that it was adapted to an anime, so far im enjoying the story, later i will see the anime :)

This anime is actually good

I believe that she has a special super power that we may not notice till you observe the story closer (like King from one punch man). It's the power of DID (Damsel In Distress). Let me explain. The damsel in distress thing is a that expresses men's desire to help women in their time of need. Her power seems to amplify men's desires to help her and plausibly amplify their abilities to do so.

I really like anime like this where someone from a different time/space etc has to grow and adjust in a very different place, I dont know if you ever watched gargantia on the verdurous planet but it's one of my favourites that has a similar mood like this anime

Hello, I have been looking to get into this manga since the first episode aired. Thanks for starting off my collection

I'm on the 2nd Season. There was an episode where she wanted to make a book of the story about the three little pigs and the Wolf. But the pictures for the book couldn't be drawn because they didn't know what pigs or wolfs were. BUT they do eat pork and in episode 10 you even see a pig and they call it "pig". I am outraged! What a plot hole.

iv been sleeping on this series bc i though based on a few pictures the show looked childish, but with your blessing, i might varry well make this my new must watch show if i like it as much as you do.

I read the manga and it's fantastic. The passing is a bit slow but the world building. Go watch it!

Welp, a new anime to watch while i wait for my lazy teacher to arrive. Thanks

Dr. Stone is about advancing human technology with the creations Ascendance of a bookworm is about advancing human culture with the creations.

"I'd watch that for at least 3 seasons, almost certainly more." *cries in Spice and Wolf*

November is almost over and it’ll be the ascendance of every guy’s bookworm.

One of my favourite isekais.

Did they animate the part where Main scared the living shit out of the kid that destroyed her clay tablet

The two stages of watching ABW thus far 1. What a cute little story about achieve success and failure 🥰 truly there’s hope even in the bleakest of times 2. Oh shit this is going to make me cry