best episodes of Ascendance of a Bookworm poster

Avid bookworm and college student Motosu Urano ends up dying in an unforeseen accident. This came right after the news that she would finally be able to work as a librarian as she had always dreamed of. When she regained consciousness, she was reborn as Main, the daughter of a poor soldier. She was in the town of Ehrenfest, which had a harsh class system. But as long as she had books, she didn't really need anything else. However, books were scarce and belonged only to the nobles. But that doesn't stop her, so she makes a decision... "If there aren't any books, I'll just create some."

1 Seasons
36 Episodes
Returning Series
Animation Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comedy Drama
Cast & Characters
episode image Conclusions
8.6/10 (66 votes)

#1 Conclusions

S1:E14

Main, Gunther, and Eva head to the cathedral for their fateful meeting, knowing that Main's life is riding on a successful negotiation. But will things really go so smoothly for them?

episode image Baptism and Divine Paradises
8.0/10 (51 votes)

#2 Baptism and Divine Paradises

S1:E12

The day of Main and Lutz's baptism has arrived. Wearing a fancy dress and a new hair ornament, Main appears a clear standout from the rest of the kids, but soon she loses her way and finds herself in what she sees as heaven on earth.

episode image Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings
7.9/10 (55 votes)

#3 Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings

S1:E11

With Main collapses, everyone she knows comes together in a bid to save her life. But soon, she is faced with a life-or-death decision, one that she must discuss with her family.

episode image Trombe and Battles
7.9/10 (48 votes)

#4 Trombe and Battles

S1:E25

Main and the head priest set out to join the knights on a mission to take down a rampage trombe. With this being her first exposure to proper noble society, who knows what perils lie in Main's path?

episode image The Events of Winter
7.8/10 (54 votes)

#5 The Events of Winter

S1:E3

While everyone is snowed in by the harsh winter, Main has a plan: a plan to craft pseudo-papyrus as the first step towards making a book. Meanwhile, Eva teaches Turi a bunch of skills in order to prepare her for her upcoming baptism in the summer. Main is told to think about where she wants to apprentice, but as always, books are the only thing on her mind. As winter rolls on, however, the family bonds and grows closer together, and Main hits upon the perfect gift to give Turi to wear on her baptism day.

episode image Meeting
7.8/10 (51 votes)

#6 Meeting

S1:E6

Lutz and Main prepare for the meeting with Otto. But Otto brings someone with him, turning a casual meeting into an interview that will decide both Lutz and Main's futures.

episode image Lutz's Main
7.8/10 (54 votes)

#7 Lutz's Main

S1:E8

As Main and Lutz begin making their paper for real, Main's excitement gets the better of her, and Lutz's suspicions come to a head. He resolves to talk to her about it after the paper is finished.

episode image To the Second Winter
7.8/10 (50 votes)

#8 To the Second Winter

S1:E10

Main learns from Frieda that the illness she has is called the Devouring, and that it will flare up if she ever feels anxiety or loses hope. Almost on cue, her fever starts acting up...

episode image Wilma and Holy Scriptures for Kids
7.8/10 (43 votes)

#9 Wilma and Holy Scriptures for Kids

S1:E22

With the picture-book production in full sway, Main must navigate several hurdles regarding the process and, more pressingly, Wilma's condition.

episode image Forests and Clay Tablets
7.7/10 (52 votes)

#10 Forests and Clay Tablets

S1:E4

Spring has arrived, and Main is raring to go make clay tablets in the forest. But first, she must convince her family that she can handle the journey.

episode image The Guild Master's Granddaughter
7.7/10 (51 votes)

#11 The Guild Master's Granddaughter

S1:E9

Benno looks to have Main and Lutz registered with the Merchant Guild, but the guild master proves to be an obstacle. This results in them making plans to meet Frieda, his granddaughter.

episode image The Choice To Be an Apprentice Priestess
7.7/10 (49 votes)

#12 The Choice To Be an Apprentice Priestess

S1:E13

When Main brings up wanting to become an apprentice priestess to her family, she learns the truth about the role and what it entails and soon comes to realize that she is in for the fight of her life.

episode image Orphanage Reforms
7.7/10 (43 votes)

#13 Orphanage Reforms

S1:E18

Main is taken to the orphanage and collapses in shock when she sees the state it and its inhabitants are in. She wants to help the kids, but will she really be able to?

episode image Knight Orders and Requests
7.7/10 (45 votes)

#14 Knight Orders and Requests

S1:E24

Main has to break the news to her family that she has to stay in the cathedral over winter. Meanwhile, the request from the knight order looms large over the horizon.

episode image Life Improvements and Slates
7.6/10 (55 votes)

#15 Life Improvements and Slates

S1:E2

Having learned how expensive books are in this world, Main resolves to make books of her own. However, she soon finds out just how frail her new body is when she and her elder sister, Turi, decide to go to the gate to deliver something their father forgot—she can hardly take a few steps before running out of breath. But that's when Lutz, a neighborhood kid the same age as Main, offers his help. Main is touched by this and soon makes it to the gate. There, Otto gives her his old slate, letting her experience the joy of writing once again

episode image Baptisms and Strange Fevers
7.6/10 (50 votes)

#16 Baptisms and Strange Fevers

S1:E5

The season has shifted to summer, and the day of Turi's baptism has arrived. Turi attracts attention with a hair ornament made by Main. Main, who has more opportunities to go to the forest, starts making wooden tablets with the help of Lutz. Meanwhile, Lutz asks Main Lutz to let him meet Otto. Lutz had a dream of becoming a traveling merchant. However, Main, shocked by her repeated failures at making paper, collapses from a high fever before the meeting with Otto.

episode image Seeds of Suspicion
7.6/10 (52 votes)

#17 Seeds of Suspicion

S1:E7

With the paper-making process about to begin, Main can't hide her excitement as she and Lutz go to meet Benno as per his invitation. He reveals that he is willing to arrange for all the equipment and materials they need to make paper, but the ensuing conversation makes Lutz see Main in a very different light.

episode image Blue Robes and Uncommon Sense
7.6/10 (46 votes)

#18 Blue Robes and Uncommon Sense

S1:E16

The stark contrast of the values at the church compared to life downtown continues to bewilder Main, as she butts heads with her retainers and her expected duties at the church.

episode image Needs
7.6/10 (46 votes)

#19 Needs

S1:E17

With Fran now fully on her team, Main must then get to work on winning Gil and Delia over.

episode image Harvest Festivals and Staying Home
7.6/10 (45 votes)

#20 Harvest Festivals and Staying Home

S1:E23

The Harvest Festival is here, and Main finds the library ransacked. She is outraged at first, but this may be a welcome opportunity for her...

episode image Cleanups and Star Festivals
7.5/10 (44 votes)

#21 Cleanups and Star Festivals

S1:E19

As newly appointed orphanage director, Main's first task is to lead a major cleanup of the orphanage and its inhabitants. And as summer comes around, she also has some festivities in mind.

episode image Apprentice Priestess
7.4/10 (47 votes)

#22 Apprentice Priestess

S1:E15

Main is now an apprentice priestess at the cathedral. How will she adapt to a new life in new surroundings, and how will they react to her?

episode image A World Without Books
7.3/10 (65 votes)

#23 A World Without Books

S1:E1

Motosu Urano, a college student and a bookworm of the highest order, loses her life in an avalanche of books and wakes up in another world as a sickly girl named Main. Nevertheless confident that she can deal with any situation as long as she has books to read, she looks all over her new home for one, but doesn't find any. To make matters worse, she couldn't see any writing in town when out with her mother Eva. She realized that she found herself in a world with a low literacy rate, one where books were prohibitively expensive.

episode image New Retainers
7.3/10 (43 votes)

#24 New Retainers

S1:E21

When Main hears that Eva is pregnant, she decides to make a picture book for the baby and looks to recruit Wilma to be her artist. However, she finds a few roadblocks on her path...

episode image The Path Ahead of Lutz
6.8/10 (46 votes)

#25 The Path Ahead of Lutz

S1:E20

The friction in Lutz's family caused by his choice of profession comes to a head, and he runs away from home to get away from it all.

Cast & Chracters

character image Main (voice)

Main (voice)

Actor: Yuka Iguchi
character image Ferdinand (voice)

Ferdinand (voice)

Actor: Show Hayami
character image Lutz (voice)

Lutz (voice)

Actor: Mutsumi Tamura
character image Benno (voice)

Benno (voice)

Actor: Takehito Koyasu
character image Tuuli (voice)

Tuuli (voice)

Actor: Megumi Nakajima
character image Gunther (voice)

Gunther (voice)

Actor: Tsuyoshi Koyama
character image Effa (voice)

Effa (voice)

Actor: Fumiko Orikasa
character image Otto (voice)

Otto (voice)

Actor: Satoshi Hino
character image Mark (voice)

Mark (voice)

Actor: Tomoaki Maeno
character image Frida (voice)

Frida (voice)

Actor: Aya Uchida
character image Gustav (voice)

Gustav (voice)

Actor: Hiroshi Naka
character image Sylvester (voice)

Sylvester (voice)

Actor: Kazuhiko Inoue
character image Karstedt (voice)

Karstedt (voice)

Actor: Toshiyuki Morikawa
character image Damuel (voice)

Damuel (voice)

Actor: Yuuichirou Umehara
character image Gil (voice)

Gil (voice)

Actor: Yuko Sanpei
character image Fran (voice)

Fran (voice)

Actor: Sho Karino
character image Delia (voice)

Delia (voice)

Actor: Chiyo Tomaru
character image Rosina (voice)

Rosina (voice)

Actor: Minori Suzuki
character image Wilma (voice)

Wilma (voice)

Actor: Kiyono Yasuno
character image Shikikoza (voice)

Shikikoza (voice)

Actor: Haruki Ishiya
character image Corinna (voice)

Corinna (voice)

Actor: Rika Kinugawa

The highest rated episode of Ascendance of a Bookworm is "Conclusions" (S1E14) with a rating of 8.60.

This episode received 66 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Path Ahead of Lutz" (S1E20) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 46 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Conclusions" (S1E14) with a rating of 8.60.

This episode received 66 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Path Ahead of Lutz" (S1E20) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 46 votes.

Name Department Job
Ryo Hirata Art Prop Designer
Ryouka Kinoshita Art Art Direction
Toshiki Amata Art Art Designer
Naoki Kitamura Camera Director of Photography
Mitsuru Hongo Directing Series Director
Yoshiki Kawasaki Directing Assistant Director
Tomoki Nagasaka Editing Editor
Emi Kashimura Production Producer
Hiroaki Tsunoda Production Producer
Keisuke Sato Production Producer
michiyoshi koyama Production Producer
Shinichiro Ozawa Production Producer
Hiromune Kurahashi Sound Sound Effects
Jun Watanabe Sound Sound Director
Megumi Nakajima Sound Theme Song Performance
MICHIRU Sound Original Music Composer
Sumire Morohoshi Sound Theme Song Performance
Miyoko Ichinose Visual Effects Color Designer
Toshihisa Kaiya Visual Effects Character Designer
Yoshiaki Yanagida Visual Effects Character Designer
Mariko Kunisawa Writing Series Composition
Miya Kazuki Writing Novel

Similar Shows You Might Like