Ascendance of a Bookworm is an isekai anime based on the light novel of the same name by Miya Kazuki. The series follows the journey of a book-loving girl named Urano Motosu, who suddenly passes away during an earthquake. However, she is reincarnated as a weak child named Myne in an alternate world where books are extremely rare and precious. Utilizing her love of reading, she makes it her mission to spread the joy of reading to others. Even despite her physical weaknesses, she cleverly navigates this new world to climb up the social ladder and make her way into the royal palace. At this year’s Anime Expo, Asia Blooming spoke with TO Books’s Managing Director Yui Shibata and Yomiuri TV’s Anime Producer Goshi Yoshida about the anime’s upcoming fourth season.
Thinking back to the beginning, Shibata reminisced about joining the initial project. “It was through acquaintances that we began discussions about me working with the team on the novel side as a publisher. Once talks about the anime series came up, we thought we would need a powerful TV station, and that’s where Yoshida’s team at Yomiuri TV came in.” As the story was originally published as a light novel and later adapted into manga and then anime, it was important to keep the plot and overall feel of the story across all mediums.
“Every element and every aspect of these mediums must go through author Miya Kazuki to review and approve,” Shibata shared. Expanding a bit more, Yoshida revealed that this also included the show’s music. “We’re really keen on using the music to set the tone for certain scenes,” he started. “The original writer even has input on the lyrics for the soundtrack. It works great for us, but I imagine it can be very hectic for the writer,” he finished with a chuckle.
During that initial process of creating season one, the team learned to really lean into their roles and work as a team to get the job done. “My main role is being the liaison between the original writer and everyone else,” Shibata began. “Between each medium, we just changed emphasis during the creative process. In a novel, it’s only words. In a manga, it becomes picture and words. Finally, in anime, it becomes a very comprehensive media with music, sound, and motion.” Yoshida, on the other hand, works more externally than Shibata. “I work on all of the marketing for the show itself, and making sure it gets to the right audience. But, I also work hand in hand with the writer and the publishers on entertainment and content levels.”
Fast forward to the upcoming season, Shibata revealed that things will really begin to pick up speed for Myne. “Up until now, the tempo and pacing of the conflicts and the story building have been relatively slow. We did this intentionally because we wanted to build the time when she adjusts to this new world after transferring from a different world,” he started. “From this part of the anime on, it’s going to become fast-paced with a different atmosphere, and it’s going to move fast. Myne has risen in social status now, so she’s become a leader with access to different parts of the world. This moves the whole story so much faster.”
One important aspect of Ascendance of a Bookworm is expressing Myne’s internal dialogue and thoughts. “Anime allows us to dynamically express someone thinking in their head from multiple perspectives. What really expresses these thoughts and emotions are actions, and being able to show different movement to that inner dialogue,” Shibata shared. Another aspect of these inner thoughts is nostalgia, which comes up often as Myne thinks back to her old life. “Usually in anime, when somebody’s reflecting back on the past, they use the past footage as a flashback. But for us, we re-drew everything,” Yoshida revealed. “We wanted to really embrace that with style. When you think back on memories, you’re not completely returning there, rather, you’re seeing those memories from a current point of view and mindset.”
While the first three seasons of the anime were produced by Ajia-do Animation Works, the team is working with WIT Studio for this next season, marking a new era for Myne in more ways than one. Shibata expressed excitement for what’s to come, while reminiscing on the last decade. “We’re coming to the 10th year anniversary of Ascendance of a Bookworm, and the story has been translated for readers in over 20 countries,” he began. “This partnership with WIT Studio is very exciting, and should make the visuals and action better than ever.” Agreeing that the signature WIT quality will only serve to elevate the audience’s experience, Yoshida shared his wishes: “I hope to make Ascendance of a Bookworm into the Japanese Harry Potter.”
“With our new partnership with WIT, we were able to really manifest the drastic change of environment that the character goes through from this new part on. The first three seasons took place in a town, but now Myne is moving to a very fancy palace. This partnershop really helped us become able to execute that big change,” Shibata began. “The amount of characters in Season 4 also increases exponentially with the new environment, as Myne meets new people and friends. Additionally, she’s now in a more powerful position, and she’s now able to use magic more. WIT has really helped us with explaining and expressing a new level of magic as action, and really making the story vibrant.”
Season 4 of Ascendance of a Bookworm will premiere in Spring 2026.
