The hit anime "Ascendance of a Bookworm: I'll Do Anything to Become a Librarian" is already scheduled to air its third season in April 2022. This time, we'll take a look at the series' protagonist, Myne, and summarize the events that happened to her throughout the first and second seasons.
Myne
Motosu Urano was a girl who loved books so much that she aspired to become a librarian. But on the verge of death, she was reincarnated into another world. Myne, the second daughter of a family of four, was reincarnated into this alternate world as Myne, the second daughter of a family of four: her older sister Tuli, who looked worriedly at her as she lay in bed in a strange wooden room; her mother Eva, who was doing handiwork like sewing; and her father, Gunter, a guard who was very attached to the children.
Myne's Ambition
Frustrated by the fact that she didn't have a single book in her room, Myne decided to go out into town to look for one. Due to her frail constitution in this world, it took her three days after reincarnation to finally go shopping in town. Although there were what appeared to be letters on the price tags in the store, there were no books to be found. When she asked around, she was told that the books belonged to nobles and were expensive, having been copied out letter by letter by hand. Naturally, there were no bookstores in town, and Mine was worried that she wouldn't even be able to touch a book. This led her to the ambition of making her own books if she couldn't find any.
Text
When she was reincarnated as Mine, she somehow naturally understood the language of this world, but she still couldn't read the characters. One day, Mine went to the South Gate to return something her father had forgotten. At the South Gate, many workers worked on making seals and parchment for nobles, and some were literate. After seeing this work, Myne learned basic writing from her father's subordinate, Otto. She began by writing her name on a small, chalkboard-like board with a white stone, learning the writing system of this world from scratch.
Making Paper and Ink
Now, to the main topic of book-making, Myne begins by making paper. His first attempt at making papyrus from woven grass proved too difficult and he gave up; his next attempt at making a clay tablet failed as it exploded during the baking process; and his next wooden tablet was shaped using a knife, but his mother accidentally burned it as firewood, resulting in failure. While paper-making was difficult, he saw signs of success with ink fairly early on. Ink in this world is expensive and difficult to obtain, so he used a substitute, mixing soot from the hearth with the clay used in making clay tablets, kneading it, and hardening it like a pencil, and finally completing ink for writing.
Making Plant Paper ①
As a condition for Lutz's apprenticeship as a merchant, his employer, Benno, requires him to submit a paper prototype by next summer. The paper Myne intended to submit for this assignment was plant paper. Plant paper is made by extracting fiber from trees, mixing the fiber with water and grated yam, passing the mixture through a fine mesh mill, and then hardening and drying the resulting mixture. Through these steps, paper is finally made from plants. To make this plant paper, Myne and her friends first had to make the tools they needed to make it.
Making Plant Paper②
Thanks to Benno's upfront investment, Myne and her friends secured the tools and raw materials, and began full-scale work in a rented warehouse as a workshop. Searching for trees suitable for paper among the trees in this world, and using nuts instead of grated yam, they finally completed a paper prototype. Having successfully completed Benno's challenge, the two officially earned the right to make and sell paper. The first step in bookmaking was the completion of the paper.
Eater
Myne, who is naturally frail, frequently collapses and becomes bedridden. However, when she failed in her bookmaking endeavors—in other words, when she was in despair—she developed a fever. When Myne's emotions were heightened, her eyes would glow yellow and an unidentifiable power would emanate from her entire body. This was a sign of a disease called "migui," a terrifying illness that causes the body's magical power to overflow and, if uncontrollable, lead to death. Furthermore, this disease is not widely known, as most commoners who cannot release their magical power with magical tools die before their baptismal ceremony.
To the Temple
On the day of her baptism, Myne gets lost in the temple and accidentally finds the library. Excited by the large number of books she sees for the first time in this world, she learns that if she becomes a shrine maiden apprentice, she will be able to read them freely. Benno also informs her that she needs the magical tools at the temple to contain the Devourer's overflowing magical power. Thanks to Myne's outrageous discussion with the temple master, she agrees to three conditions: becoming a blue priestess with equal treatment to nobles, continuing to run Myne's workshop, and being allowed to commute to the temple from home. Now, Myne will be commuting to the temple.
Myne as a Blue Priestess
Myne begins her work at the temple with her three attendants. Myne, who performs daily prayers, offers magical offerings, and memorizes scriptures, is given the orphanage director's office as her own room. She also teaches her attendants that those who do not work should not eat, and assigns them daily tasks. In return for their work and results, Myne first creates a comfortable living environment for her three servants.
Major Reforms of the Orphanage
One day, while trying to give the orphanage's surplus bread as a blessing from God, Myne witnesses the starving orphans. Wanting to help them somehow, Myne became the director of the orphanage, assigned workshop jobs to the orphans, and opened a branch of Myne Workshop Orphanage. She began by cleaning the orphanage and conducting physical examinations, teaching the orphans that they could be paid for their work. Instead of giving everyone equal blessings, Myne introduced a new work system to the temple, such as gathering their own food and doing handicrafts during the winter.
Children's Scriptures ①
Myne had completely distanced herself from bookmaking due to her work at the orphanage, but when she heard that her mother was pregnant, she decided to create a picture book for children. However, the story of Myne's former world seems difficult to understand in this world, so she changes direction and chooses the holy scriptures, which would be of interest to the children of the temple. Myne, searching for a way to reproduce the scriptures on paper so that many children in the temple could read them, chose woodblock prints.
Children's Scriptures ②
Wilma, who is skilled at drawing, draws a rough outline. Then, she carves the wood according to the outline, paints it with oil-based ink mixed with soot and oil, and applies it over the wood with a baren. The children's scriptures are completed. The binding for this picture book was kept as simple as possible, but two years after Myne arrived in this world, she finally completed her first book, a children's scripture picture book.
Summary
After Parts 1 and 2, Myne finally completes her first book. At first, Myne was too sick to even go outside, but with the help of Lutz and Benno, she set up a workshop, visited the temple, and finally completed the book. It's easy to root for Myne as she struggles to put her knowledge into practice. The third part of the anime is also scheduled to begin airing in April 2022, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story progresses.
