Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke

Episodes 1-3

I'd love to say that the new season of Ascendance of a Bookworm hasn't missed a beat, but there are, in fact, some beats missing. Just coming off the end of the premiere into the following episode, there's the jarring omission of the freshly renamed Rosemyne's bloody collapse not being immediately followed up on. Obviously, I can see it was meant as more of a general confirmation that her constitution would continue to cause problems for her, rather than a direct cliffhanger. But it's still whiplash-inducing the way it's barely acknowledged at all. It gives the audience the impression that they missed a scene or something.

Rosemyne's collapse at the end of the first episode gets lightly followed up on in the third episode, as Rosemyne gets to see Sylvester's impulsive son again, who apologizes for not considering her. As well, there's a scene where Rosemyne actually gets to medicate herself after expending her magic in another ceremony, this time indicating that Ferdinand managed to improve the formula in a way that makes it more pleasant for her to do so. Progress, but procedurally so, and it seems even after so many status quo transitions (and a completely new studio approach, but I will get to that) that Ascendance of a Bookworm is not going to be shifting from that style anytime soon.

What those shifts in the status quo actually do is allow a fresh emotional undercurrent to power Rosemyne's new life. She's always been all about her family, of course, but now she's cut off from directly interacting with them. After an affecting breakdown in the first episode, the second episode highlights how Rosemyne's efforts to prove herself in the world of nobles are powered by the background radiation of her birth family. Everything she does is in the name of being rewarded by just getting to glimpse them and offer some silent affirmations at the end of a ceremony. There are direct interactions with other friends from her old life, like Gil and Lutz, but finding any way to reconnect with her family is Rosemyne's main motivation.

Within that same spectrum, it seems family in general might be an area Rosemyne is eyeing with uncertainty. This season's third episode highlights the strict requirements of unbaptized noble children not to be seen out or even to dine openly with their families. It applies even to Sylvester's children, unsettling Rosemyne, and making it seem like she could communicate the true power of family™ onto this new class as an arc. Or possibly not, given the sheer number of projects she's got going at this stage, pointedly referenced by Sylvester as the "trends" she's enabled in this society. This also applies to the marriage prospects of characters like Brigitte and Eckhard, which still ostensibly occupy that "family" idea. These are all potential places for this season to go with this theme; it's just the staggered, procedural nature of Bookworm makes it uncertain when it might get there.

Similarly, despite being the nominal focus of the new title and tying into that "family" theme, it'd be nice if Adopted Daughter of a Duke could find space to explore Rosemyne's relationship with her new family. Thus far, they seem perfectly nice, but there have only been fleeting glimpses of elements like how her adopted mother had her room recreated across multiple moves. It's another case where there's so much going on that there simply might not be space for it. But it just feels ironic that for all the characters keep title-dropping that Rosemyne is "the adopted daughter of a duke" almost to the point of parody, there hasn't been a lot of interrogation of what that means for her, family- and relation-wise, apart from showing how she has to adapt to the etiquette and table manners of nobility.

What makes this stringent slide into business as usual for Bookworm stand out oddly more is the new coat of paint on the series courtesy of Wit Studio. There's still a lot of workmanlike approach to the show, as there must be due to its structure, but there are a lot more flourishes in the animation. There are more detailed character acting, like Rosemyne fidgeting with emotional anticipation, or some of Ferdinand's recoils of frustration. Plus, some of the magic effects are genuinely wow-worthy, to the point that I presume they're making an effort at shoehorning their ceremonial use into each episode thus far simply to show off. The added insistence on glitz does make me miss the little chibi interludes that characterized studio Ajiado's handling of the show, but those are at least still around as ending omake, so that's something.

What's not forgivable is WIT's continued cramming of generative AI down our collective throats as a substitute for actual artistry. The opening of this season originally uses (really obvious) backgrounds blurted out of the slop machine, and while outcry seemed to spur them to swap them out in the second episode, they're back in the third episode's OP in all their stupid, smeary glory. It's honestly absurd—you guys are Wit Studio, you're able to produce incredible work without relying on this crap! The worst part is how this means the stank of AI art permeates the whole project now. I'm constantly checking and second-guessing backgrounds and details in the show itself, wondering if some uncertain element or blurred bit is down to the studio choosing to extrude part of the show instead of properly crafting it.

That's the bad side of business as usual for Bookworm, and accompanies the hovering uncertainty around this season. The base is still rock-solid as the series has ever been, and I could watch Rosemyne go about her errands while cutely remarking on everything all day. There's just the question of how much of the fresh theming it'll actually follow through on, or if the structure will keep overloading itself with new projects, like gleefully skipping over a seeming serious cliffhanger so they can just move on to the next chapter.

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Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris is back to hit the books. You can see him posting about anime, transforming robots, and other quality reading material over on his BlueSky.