Ascendance of a Bookworm (2022)

[本好きの下剋上～司書になるためには手段を選んでいられません～]

Part 3

Director: Mitsuru Hongo
Studio: Ajia-Do Animation Works
Starring: Yuka Iguchi, Show Hayami, Megumi Nakajima
Episodes: 10

Synopsis:
As Myne prepares for her winter stay at the temple, she has to contend with her business rivals.

Impressions:
The previous season had to do a fair bit of work establishing how things in the temple, but now that that's been done, there's a better balance struck between the religious/political side of Myne's life and her business ventures. The first half of the season in particular pays a lot of attention to the enemies Myne has made with the guilds, which is just one more thing for the people who are concerned for Myne's welfare have to worry about, as she doesn't have much sense when it comes to navigating such treacherous waters. The disgraced knight Sir Damuel gets assigned to serve as her bodyguard, so we do get to see a bit of culture clash from a highborn getting thrust into the commoner environment Myne hails from. Of course, Myne's enemies aren't just found in the guilds, as Bad Santa (Bezewanst the High Priest) is plotting to avenge himself on her. Meanwhile Ferdinand is trying to make arrangements to have Myne adopted by a nobleman to give her a greater degree of protection, and this serves as one of the primary conflicts as it would force her to sever ties with her biological family. We also have the introduction of the freewheeling Sylvester, who has an amusing dynamic with Myne. Amid all this, we have Myne trying to introduce things like movable type and colored ink. If you like the intrigue aspect of the series, you should be fairly well pleased with this season. I'd happily recommend it for a watch and given the major changes that happen at the end, I'll be readily awaiting the next season when/if it comes around.

Rating:
Watch it