Ascendance of a Bookworm - Season 1

Ascendance of a Bookworm is a wonderful and enchanting anime series, from the fantastic opening, which is definitely the best opening of the anime season Fall 2019, to the very end of each episode, along with the magnificent (artsy) pictures at the end. Sometimes, just when you think that those isekai anime shows have said and done it all, along comes something new which surprises you again... This anime series is really well-produced even though it admittedly has a very slow pace. The whole wonderfully calm, sweet, and pleasant atmosphere of the narrative is only occasionally disturbed by some of the more suitably mysterious, thrilling, and dramatic moments, thanks to the fact that the enemy is a strange, life-threatening illness. While nine out of ten isekai protagonists are on a mission to save the world, the impossibly adorable main female protagonist in this show just wants to make her little dreams come true, so instead of fighting monsters, she creates much simpler and more ordinary things like shampoo, paper, and various decorative ornaments. Do you think that sounds boring? Well, there is the storyline going on in the background following her constant struggles in life, and then there are other seemingly run-of-the-mill storylines in the foreground that stem from her need to create and therefore needing materials, people and finances. All of that plus the fact that Myne has to constantly hide the fact that she is not really an ordinary little girl means that it ends up not really being that boring. On the contrary, it is quite charming in its own way. On the one hand, it is very understated and about everyday life, and yet at the same time it is quite beautiful with hidden depths that have a profound impact. It is great to watch, you cannot help but like the main female protagonist, and I thought several of the other characters were great too. Also, it is very hard to find something to compare this anime series to - for me personally, it is like Spice and Wolf meets Hakumei and Mikochi - both of which are also very strong and charming anime series with a few similar aspects... Anyway, I was really satisfied and this was one of the highlights of anime season Fall 2019 (and I am really looking forward to the next season in the spring 2020) 8.4/10. (16/10/2020)