Myne is the protagonist of "Ascendance of a Bookworm." Urano Honjo is reincarnated into another world as a frail girl, aiming to create books using the knowledge she gained in her previous life. However, this new world is completely behind the times. Even the letters and numbers are different... But Myne continues to grow as she creates various things and meets a variety of people in this new world. This time, we'll introduce you to the protagonist, Myne.
What kind of person was she before she was reincarnated as Myne?
Myne, who appears as the main character in the anime, was born in a previous life. Her real name was Urano Motosu. Her personality, just like Myne's, was a huge fan of books, and reading was her life's purpose. She loved them so much that she wanted to die buried in them. Unfortunately, that dream came true. After graduating from university, Urano was set to work as a librarian, but one day, an earthquake occurred and the books she had piled up in her room collapsed... Urano was crushed to death by the collapsed books. This leads to the main story, where she is reincarnated as Myne.
Myne, reincarnated as a sickly 5-year-old
One day, Reno suddenly dies, only to be reincarnated as a young girl. She wakes up in a strange room, where she encounters a strange woman. However, the language in this other world is different from that of her previous life, and she has no idea what they're saying. Suddenly, memories of this world return to Myne, and she understands the words and the fact that the woman is her mother. Myne herself is frail. Despite being 5 years old, she relies on her mother, Eva, for support when going out, and even walking down a few stairs leaves her breathless. By the time she leaves the house, she's exhausted and unable to move. Even the slightest exertion would leave her with a fever and her bedridden state for several days.
Myne is an adult inside, but has no romantic experience?
On the day Myne first collapses, Ralph carries her to the gate on his back. At the time, she was carried on the boy's back without any reaction, and she smiled as she watched Ralph and Tuuli's innocent exchange... But then, when Ralph, who is the same age as her and 5 years old, complimented her on the smell of her hair and how cute it made her look, she blushed and became embarrassed. At the time, Myne was rolling around in a fantasy world, thinking, "I've never had anyone do that to me at my age, so I don't know what to do!"
Myne, who had many hobbies in her past life, is knowledgeable
Myne's greatest weapon is her knowledge! In her previous life, she was so absorbed in books that her mother encouraged her to try out various hobbies so that she would develop an interest in other things, and she continues to put that knowledge to good use in her reincarnation. The things that Myne does and makes are all mysterious and groundbreaking to the people of this world. She is skilled at making hairpins, sewing, and cooking, and she amazes those around her by showing off cooking methods, menus, and products that do not exist in this world. Furthermore, the vast knowledge she has gained from books seems to give her extensive knowledge of ancient civilizations... (She tried to make paper using that knowledge, but failed). Additionally, the use of chopsticks is not customary in this world, and Lutz is sometimes suspicious of her skillful use of chopsticks when he sees her using them.
Lutz is the only one who knows Myne's true identity
While this isn't a staple of reincarnation stories set in another world, Myne keeps her true identity a secret, just like most other reincarnation stories. In the story, she lives as a five-year-old girl named Myne, going along with the flow. However, many people think she's "not a normal child" due to her unusual ideas and technology... However, in the first season of the anime, Lutz, who always accompanies her, is the only one who knows Myne's true identity. Lutz realizes that Myne is a different person inside, and Myne confesses everything that happened to her. In the end, this was the only time Myne revealed her true identity in the first episode of the anime. Lutz also didn't tell anyone about it, keeping it a secret between the two of them.
Myne Will Stop at Nothing for Books
Myne was working as an apprentice merchant to make books. She was successful in making paper and everything was going smoothly, but when she visited the temple for her baptismal ceremony and saw the books lined up on the shelves, her eyes lit up. "If I become a shrine maiden, I'll be able to read books," she thought, and immediately decided to leave her job as a merchant and become a shrine maiden. When Myne told the temple master that she wanted to become a shrine maiden, he told her that she needed a suitable donation. She offered a large gold coin, the world's most valuable coin. (One large gold coin shocked both the temple master and the shrine maiden.) This was the most Myne could offer, demonstrating her willingness to sell all her possessions to become a shrine maiden and read books.
The "Flesh-Eating" Eater Eats Myne's Body
Myne's family and friends knew she was born with a frail constitution, but her symptoms were not due to illness, but to the "Flesh-Eating" effect. A Devourer is a commoner who is rarely born among the commoners and possesses magical powers on a par with that of a noble. If this magical power becomes so vast that it exceeds their capacity, they will suddenly collapse, and it is said that if a commoner becomes a Devourer, there is an almost 100% chance that they will die by the age of seven. There is one way to escape this devourer; become a noble's mistress and reduce the overflowing magical power caused by magical tools. It is possible to deal with this without becoming a noble's mistress as long as you have magical tools, but the magical tools themselves are rare and expensive items that commoners cannot afford.
The Dangerous and Vast Magical Power Sleeping Within Myne
Although a commoner, Myne possesses immense magical power within her. When her powers unleash, they are so powerful that they can kill any noble who approaches her. When her parents were nearly killed, her rage reached its peak. Although she was persuaded by the high priest to stop at the last moment, she still attempted to kill the temple master without any hesitation. Her magical power is so great that the high priest later asks her, "Why are you still alive?" (The magical power was too great for a commoner child to withstand.)
Summary of the Story's Protagonist, Myne
So far, we've introduced the story's protagonist, Myne. While she displays genius abilities when it comes to crafting various things, her "Devouring" ability leaves her extremely sickly, and she's also dangerous, as she can do anything if she goes out of control. While the second season of the anime will likely focus on life at the temple, we'll be keeping an eye on her future growth in many ways.
