Ascendance of a Bookworm (2019) s01e01 Episode Script

1
Ah.
Now then, if you'll wear this.
A quick question.
What's this about, head priest?
Can you really not tell?
It's a magic item.
Uh. I was trying to ask
what we're going to use it for.
Would you please fill me in, sir?
Myne's the only one who
uses this to tie her hair.
And it's not just that, she's brought
us all manner of creations,
but the most surprising thing
of all is her passion for books.
She treasures literature and even wrote
some picture books for children.
Her obsession is clearly abnormal. What
goes through that little head?
With this circlet. I shall take
a look into your past Myne.
Before I was Myne, I lived in
a vastly different era.
As Urano Motosu.
Psychology. Religion. History. Geography.
Education. Folklore. Mathematics.
Physics. Geology. Chemistry. Biology. Art. Health. Language.
Fiction. Literature was my life.
I loved books
more than anything.
The held the wealth
of mankind's knowledge,
and the thought of living a life
surrounded by them filled
me with joy.
But then
On the verge of death,
I uttered a prayer.
Oh God, may my next life
once again be filled
with all kinds of books.
So hot, can't breathe.
I can't take it anymore.
- Yes.
- It's hot. Please help!
-Yes!
-Somebody help me!
Huh? The voice is fading. No, wait!
Wait. Where?
Are these really my hands?
Wait a sec.
I feel pretty certain I died.
Of course. I guess this could be
part of some weird dying dream?
Huh? Oh. I'm not dreaming.
What's going on?
Just what am I doing here?
- Huh? Who is that? She has green hair.
- Vai! No Tam! Kima.
What? I don't understand
what she's saying. Oh.
Someone's memories are
bursting into my mind!
- Myne.
I'm not Myne.
My name is Urano Motosu.
- Myne. Are you all right, dear?
- I can understand her now.
- Myne. How are you feeling?
- My mother.
This was the moment Urano
Motoyasu began her life as Myne.
That was when
I suddenly realized my mother
had been just as happy as I was
when I landed my librarian job.
But now I would
never see her again.
I'm so sorry.
Mom.
If only I had a book.
That's right. If I have books,
I can deal with things
no matter where I find myself.
I will, I have to.
All I need are my books.
Though I wonder where I can find one.
Huh? Hey, there.
Are you okay to be up and about?
Tuuli my older sister. Ask her!
- Hey, Tuuli, would you bring
me a book?
- A book?
- I want to read something.
- What's this book thingy?
Huh? Does she really
not know what a book is?
Hang on a sec, how does that even happen?!
Could it be possible there are
no books for kids in this house!
Myne. Are you okay?
Myne. How's your fever?
Hey, mom. It looks like her head is bothering her.
The fever is finally starting
to drop a little bit,
but I guess you're still
not feeling your best.
- Sleep tight until dinnertime. Okay, sweetie.
Tuuli, I'll need your help.
- Sure.
This is my chance
to track down some books.
Finding a book is worth it.
grumbling
Hmm? Clothes, huh?
And whatever this is. It would
have been perfect if there
were books ready to be
found in this room,
but I guess
that would be too easy.
Well, then it's time
to check the next room over.
grumble We've already hit
a snag in our plan.
Panting
Whatever it takes to find them,
books are worth it.
Grunting
Alright I made it!
Ah!
Ow. This pain
will be my medal of honor.
It's open.
The kitchen, huh?
No books in here, I bet.
A storeroom. No good. It's locked. I
wonder if it leads outside.
I looked all over the house
and I couldn't
find any books at all. But why?
In this world,
books could be expensive. Maybe?
Even in the history of my world,
books were rare and pricey till
the printing press was invented,
which made their
mass production possible.
At the time,
if you weren't an upper class,
you would never get
the chance to read one.
Oh, bother. There must be
something to read though.
If not books, then newspapers or calendars.
Nothing?
Why is there no writing anywhere?
How the heck am I supposed to live here?
We're back Myne.
Now now, Didn't I say to stay
in bed until dinnertime?
And all this?
Look at this mess you've made.
- I want a book.
- Huh?
- Tell me what's wrong, darling?
- Does it hurt somewhere?
I can't find a book anywhere.
Oh why I wanna read!
That's not asking for much.
Who can I talk to that'll understand me?
Somebody tell me, please.
I woke up as Myne three days ago
and all three days
have been an absolute hell.
Also life here totally
sucks beyond comparison.
The toilet is a bedpan which
is dumped out the window.
And then dad,
who I barely even know,
grabs me to change my clothes.
Oh, this place stinks.
I'll have to abandon these
things or I'll never survive.
Now I've given up
struggling and even
get them to wipe me down.
Tuuli thought that was weird,but it
made me feel a lot better. And then
What are you doing Myne?
I'm trying to tie up my hair
because it's bothering me,
but it's not working out.
Well, you do have really
straight hair, for one thing.
Yeah. If I use a ribbon,
it slips away. Oh. That's right.
You mind if I break this?
No way, that's my doll!
You know how important it is to me you meanie!
Ah. I'm sorry. I want a hair pin,
but I guess he wouldn't
know what I'm talking about.
I need a thin wooden stick, just
like the legs on your
doll to do my hair.
If that's it, I could just make
one for you instead
of us breaking my toy.
Is this close enough to what
you wanted?
Oh, yeah, It's perfect Tuuli!
- So how does that look?
- No, you can't do that.
Grown ups are
the only ones allowed to wear their hair tied up.
I didn't realize
- Then would this be okay?
- Yeah, I think it should be.
But from here, it looks like you've
got a splinter stuck in the back of your head
Oh. That's fine.
Now, what about washing my hair?
It's starting to feel gross and sticky.
Myne. How are you feeling?
Seems like your fever's gone.
- Are you still feeling tired?
- Nope.
Great. Do you want to go
out shopping with your mom then?
Go shopping? I didn't
find any books here at home,
but there might be
a bookstore out there,
and if there is one, I won't
feel so lonely with books.
I'll watch over the house
all you want, mama.
That's gotta convince her
to buy me some.
- Sure. I want to go with you.
Goodness, where'd all this energy come from?
I know it'll be fun.
All right, we're ready
to head to the market.
Cold. Scary. Stinky.
Okay, come hop on.
Oh, you can't walk to the market on your own, right?
I see.
Myne's body is pretty frail, so mom's
always giving her piggyback rides,
but I'm pretty sure
I could handle this easily.
Our building has five floors.
Wow.
This area is full of townhouses.
Looks like that's where
we get our drinking water from.
Amazing!
It's like a medieval European
town straight out
of all those photo books.
- Mom, is that a castle?
- It's the cathedral.
Oh.
When you turn seven, you'll get
to go there for your baptism.
Wow, that's an awfully
big gate, isn't it Mama?
That's the Castletown
gate. Beyond it lies
the Lord's castle
and the mansions of
the rest of the area's nobility.
Though nearby, it's like a different world
to the rest of us.
What about that wall?
That's the city wall
which keeps us safe.
Dad's a gate keeper at the south
gate, remember? Huh?
Oh, wait. Yeah.
Gatekeeper. But if the Lord's
castle is located
here and it's surrounded
by such great walls,
then I think it's safe to assume
this place would be considered
a big city.
And yet, I don't see any
writing anywhere in town either.
Do these people not have
a writing system at all?
The thought hadn't
even crossed my mind.
Myne, we've reached the market.
- Can I have three?
- Sure thing.
- 85
- Fresh vegetables.
- That's way too much
- Cheap.
I hadn't even considered that they might
not have a writing system.
If that's true,
then there's no way
they're going to have any books.
Look Mama! What's that on that plank?
Oh, that. It tells us the price.
So you know how much you need in order
to buy something.
Numbers. They have a number system.
Wow! So what does this one say mom?
This is 20 Leone and that's 23 Leone.
- Then is this 130?
- That's correct.
I can't believe you picked it up
so quickly. Aren't you clever?
Huh?
What is this stench? Blech!
- Myne dear. What's wrong?
- Dead Chicken!
Myne. Sweetie, can you hear me?
- What happened?
- Well, you fainted, and I had
no idea what to do.
Are you okay Myne?
- I'm not feeling so well.
- Oh. That's a problem.
We won't be able
to get the shopping done.
- No, mom. Go ahead, I'll just wait here.
- But, uh.
Pardon?
I'm not feeling very well.
Do you mind if I wait
here for a while?
I promise I won't
be any trouble.
Oh, my goodness,
such a polite young lady.
I'm impressed.
It's not a problem if you'd
like to get your shopping done.
You don't want her fainting
on you again, do you?
If you're worried,
she's welcome to wait
here in the shop for you. Nobody's
going to try to kidnap her
if she's in the back
of the store with us.
I'll be a good girl and wait.
Thank you very much.
I'll be right back.
- Stay right here. Okay?
- Okay.
- Thank you again.
I'm afraid it's all too much for me to take in.
Thanks for having me.
Huh?
Wait, could it be?
Sir, that!
What is that?
Oh, we call that a book?
I found one. I finally found
a place that has some books.
I take it this is your first
time seeing one, correct? Yeah.
Um, sir, do you know
of a shop that sells books?
Could you tell me where it is?
A shop?
I'm afraid they don't exist.
So there are books here,
but no bookstores.
They're rare because books
have to be copied by hand.
You see,
they end up costing so much
that very few
people can afford them.
The one in the case was pawned
off by a noble who had
no way to pay his debt.
I haven't put it on sale.
Only other nobles would even think about purchasing
something that was so expensive.
Damn, those lucky nobles.
In that case.
Please, sir.
Give me permission to hold that book,
~Dogeza~
Used in Japan as a deep apology
or when asking for a favor
I know I can't buy it, but I'm willing to
make do with just holding it
I'd like to at least enjoy the sweet
scent of ink. I beg you.
I don't exactly know why,
but I get
the feeling it'd be risky
to let you touch it.
Please. Mr.
I'll just flip through it.
- I promise to be real careful.
- No can do.
- I understand.
Thank you for looking after my
daughter. Right.
Let's go home Myne.
I didn't get to lay
a finger on it.
I know it's your favorite.
So I got some raffle fruit.
- Are you still not feeling well?
- Yeah.
They definitely don't have
any bookstores in this town.
In fact, I might not find
them anywhere in this world.
I'm not going to get
any books if they don't have any
What can I do?
- I'll just have to make them myself.
- Make what?
- Oh, my.
- What are you trying to make?
- Oh, don't mind me.
Forget it. I don't care what it takes.
I'm gonna get my books If it's the last thing I do!
This world won't beat me.
Ah, so your obsession
for books remained
with you even
after the demise of your
former self. Ah.
Makes my head hurt.
Oh, come on, what are you
complaining about? Your old grumpus.
You don't even show
up in the story until.
No spoilers. Foolish girl.
Watch your tongue.
Illustration Yu Shiina