A private home security officer with excellent surveillance skills and a military background, is appalled at his father's decision to remarry a younger woman. Not only that, but this intruder into his home has brought her sexy, voluptuous daughters with her! In his mission to ruin these women's lives, he resorts to blackmail. Starting with the youngest daughter, Sakaya. After struggling to find anything indecent to use against his innocent step-sister, he eventually comes (literally) across footage of Sakaya's swimming coach trying to rape her. The kind-hearted high school student still wants to protect her coach from losing his job and the ensuing social repercussions. The big, bad step-brother uses this information to coerce his new sister into dropping to her knees and using her gigantic breasts to slowly massage her step-brother's cock. His next target is going to require a slightly different approach. Sakaya's sister is much more feisty and aggressive. Perfect practice for leading up to his main goal. Like Ore ga Kanojo wo *su Wake, this anime features surveillance and manipulation. Both main characters take out their sexual frustrations by violating their most innocent family members.

A stressed-out teacher is trying to cope with life after his wife leaves him. To top it all off, his two youngest daughters are starting to act very strangely around him. One night he mistakes his daughter, Ayame, for his wife while sleeping. He passionately gropes and sucks her nipples before waking up and realizing what he's done. Ayame then decides to take over her mother's role in the house. Cooking, cleaning, and sexually gratifying her own father! He tries his best to explain what they're doing is wrong, but Ayame won't listen. She forces herself on top of him, riding him cowgirl style until he can no longer fight back. Embracing this unusual turn of events, he has sex with Ayame at school. Even teaching his daughter about the joys of anal sex. Ayame happily opens herself up further to please her father. He still feels guilty however, for driving away his wife and morally corrupting his daughter. To make matters worse, he eventually catches his other daughter masturbating whilst wearing his underwear over her face and inhaling deeply. This is similar to Ore ga Kanojo wo *su Wake since both anime feature daughters lusting after their own fathers. Each girl wants to show their Daddy how much they love him, societal taboos be damned!

The Sagimiya twins are cursed to feel sexual arousal when they are around anyone related to them by blood. Naturally, being twins makes this extremely difficult for Misaki and Shun to resist each other. They fight their urges for so long, causing them both misery and suffering. Misaki, in particular, is determined not to let this curse destroy her moral values. Even if it damages the closeness she once had with her brother. After Shun seeks sexual comfort from their older sister, Kagu, Misaki decides to claim her twin brother for herself. It starts out fairly innocent. Misaki is merely doing her brother a favour, she tells herself. But as he starts to gently caress her breasts, she quickly discovers how much she needs her brother's cock inside her. Misaki appears to be at war with herself as she struggles to repress her own sexual desire. She soon realizes that it's not just a physical craving for her brother, but in fact a genuine, deep love. Does Shun feel the same way? Or is it merely the lustful pull of the family curse? The moral implications of incestuous relationships play a big part in this series, just like Ore ga Kanojo wo *su Wake. Whether it's a blood curse between siblings or a love-struck uncle, it leads to a similar outcome. Wild, frowned-upon sex. It's very wrong but feels so right somehow.

As a little girl, Chitose loved her uncle so much. She believed she would marry him in the naive way children sometimes think. Unfortunately for "Chii-chan", her uncle never forgot about her "promise". Now in high school, Chii-chan prepares herself for a date with her senpai the next day. As she returns to her bedroom for a change of clothes, she catches her uncle rummaging through her underwear. With both her parents away, her uncle takes this opportunity to rape his niece. After stealing her virginity and making her a cum-stained mess, he takes compromising photos and video footage of her to use against her later. As long as he has that footage, Chii-chan belongs to her uncle. This anime has a lot of immoral behaviour similar to and way beyond Ore ga Kanojo wo *su Wake. An uncle raping his niece, drugged beverages, manipulation via technology. That's only the similarities. From there it escalates to public sex, urination fetishes and control with a collar. Things get very intense for poor Chii-chan.

Nanami and Sakura are two best friends that grew up together. Closer than siblings, Nanami even calls Sakura's dad "Uncle". One day, during a bad thunderstorm, Nanami stays over at Sakura's house. She accidentally catches Uncle masturbating with Sakura's underwear. He tells her that he regularly massages his daughter's breasts while she sleeps and it's only a matter of time before he has his way with her. Nanami has always protected Sakura from bullies, so now she must protect her friend from her own father! She offers herself as a replacement for Sakura. Uncle agrees, but keeps having sex with Nanami in places where Sakura could catch them. Each time it appears they'll get caught, Uncle convincingly portrays himself as the loving father. How can Nanami get people to believe her? In Ore ga Kanojo wo *su Wake, Rinka is substituted for her mother, Haruka. The leading man in both anime manipulates these girls by using a loved one as motivation.

High school student, Risa runs away from her strict parents to stay with her kind uncle. While she sleeps, he decides to examine how much she's grown up. Unfortunately, Risa wakes up to find her uncle using her panties to masturbate with. He reminds her that a delinquent girl who cares more about seeing her boyfriend than improving her grades should think twice before alerting her already strict parents. He promises to let her go in the morning if she allows him to have his way with her. She agrees as long as he wears a condom, which he does… at first. Her uncle gets more adventurous with his niece's body, thrusting into her with increasing vigour. First sucking on her breasts, licking her clit, then eventually tugging on her pubic hair! The torture continues when her mother calls and Risa must try to keep her voice steady as her uncle continues pounding inside her. Just as Risa believes the end is soon in sight, she realizes her uncle isn't wearing a condom as agreed. Looks like this nightmare isn't over for her anytime soon. Just like Ore ga Kanojo wo *su Wake, these feisty girls with attitude turn to their uncles to help them get away from their strict parents. Only to find these men aren't the kind and gentle family members they seem on the surface. These bad girls are getting punished in the kinkiest way.

Controversial Elements Ultimatums, not taking no for an answer. WOW if there’s one thing that might turn someone off from Dakaichi, it would be Chunta’s obsession with bedding Takato any and every chance he gets whether it be chasing him around his apartment or threatening him with leaving. This can be too much for some but the combination of how much man-on-man action we get to see combined with Chunta’s love and puppy-like adoration for Takato is perfect for others. Chunta wants sex all the time but he also wants Takato to be happy and will erase any problem or person who threatens that. Being celebrities, there are a lot of threats from jealous costars, romantic rivals, and the paparazzi. Chunta is like a yandere that’s socially aware and kind to others while Takato is a tsundere that still manages to reassure his partner and eventually asks for what he wants. One thing that sort of cements that Chunta’s love is more meaningful than a current obsession is his ability to plan for the long term. It may not seem that way when he ignores his partner’s embarrassed pleas to wait, but the way he molded his life to be around Takato shows he is planning not for instant gratification but for a long life together. Similarly, the way Chunta handles the paparazzi harassing them by wasting their time for months instead of attacking someone shows he’s always thinking of his and Takato’s future.

Similarities: Celebrity lives, dog-like seme, acting gig from the past brings lovers together in the future, romantic/physical intimacy. After falling in love with Izumi at a commercial shooting when they were both children, Ryoma insists on bringing Izumi back into the spotlight with him. Too bad Izumi has decided never to enter showbiz! While Ryoma and Izumi couldn’t be more different, their relationship blooms into a sparkling romance. Ryoma does make an unwanted move on Izumi, which he later deeply apologizes for and decides to take things at Izumi’s pace. He follows Izumi around like a dog and Izumi learns to consider other people’s emotions instead of just his own desires. They support each other in their professional goals and show each other regularly how much they love the other. Ryoma helps Izumi even when his dreams are far beyond his abilities and Izumi is determined to step into the limelight after swearing off show biz for years in order to be closer to each other. While this goes into the OVA, these two even work through an uncomfortable first time together. Through patience, understanding, and a desire to bridge the awkwardness between them, Ryoma and Izumi tackle a subject not often shown in BL!

Ever since Nintendo’s competitor transitioned into a third-party game company in response to the failure of their Dreamcast system, a crossover game between their blue blur and Nintendo’s portly plumber had been a hot topic of discussion. After years of back-and-forth, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games released for the Wii in 2007 to near-universal commercial and critical success. This was thanks not only to its incredible star power but also to its elegant simplicity. The game stands out in the ocean of Wii motion-control minigame collections thanks to the minimal controller movements required for each game, representing 24 varied Olympic events in bite-sized formats that keep the action precise. Speaking of which, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games features a healthy 32-person/hedgehog roster with unique stats. The differences are always tangible, but having the right stats still won’t let you beat significantly better players. The game may not have had that much depth, but with so much of its design tailored for simple fun, it didn’t need to be. Which leads us to…

Here’s a sequel whose entire M.O. is to take everything from the first 11 games. While Winter Games could have just copied and pasted its predecessor’s formula onto a few dozen winter sports, it instead expanded Mario & Sonic’s design with an experience that felt bigger in every way. Customization was no longer limited to character selection, but now included unlockable skins for your equipment, minigames were generally much longer and more complex with some even bringing co-op play to the series for the first time and the new festival mode which took players through the entire Olympic experience from opening to closing ceremonies gave a reason to play alone for a change. The trippy dream events were probably given the biggest expansion, though. They were a footnote at best the last game, mostly just a few events already in the game lightly retooled to feel more like a Mario or Sonic game. That wasn’t going to cut it for Winter Games though, which practically recreated some of the characters’ finest moments through their various sports. Snowboarding turned into Mario Kart-esque races through radical highway, figure skating turned into an icy platforming adventure to save the Mushroom Kingdom and Ski Jumping turned into an interplanetary trip through Good Egg Galaxy. The sheer amount of stuff to do in the game towered over its predecessor, but would soon have to face succession.

Just kidding, Mario & Sonic’s English adventure completely failed to reach Winter Games’ heights. Okay, maybe that’s a bit unfair, but Nintendo and Sega’s third Olympic expedition didn’t make much of an effort to build upon the series’ foundation like the second did and in some cases ignored its many innovations. The cast was shrunk down to 20 characters, Festival mode was scrapped and only a few new sports were added. It still had its bright spots; The new London Party mode spiced up the gameplay with a Mario Party-style board game and the dream events continued to impress as they had before. But the former didn't really justify the loss of festival mode and the latter only featured 10 minigames, the same number as the previous entry. There was still fun to be had, but it came with a sense that the series was spinning its wheels.

Mario & Sonic's 2014 incarnation also spun its wheels… in reverse, undoing even more of the polish brought by the original Winter Games. It marked the series' jump from Wii to Wii U with a graphical upgrade and 2 new minigames (figure skating pairs and slopestyle snowboard, so not all that new after all) in exchange for a reduced Dream Event lineup of 8 and the sacking of party mode. There were a few new points of interest, the online mode—the series’ first—was fun, the Wii U Gamepad was integrated in some creative ways and the new mixed event where players competed in multiple sports simultaneously breathed some new life into these old events, but not enough to stop 2014 from feeling like a downgrade.

The Rio Olympics were somewhat controversial, but not because of their Mario & Sonic tie-in which broke the series out of its slump. Players could choose from a whopping 36 characters and although there were technically only 2 new sports (rugby and golf), plenty of returning events such as swimming and athletics were retooled and refined, finally setting the game apart from what came before. Some games didn't even use motion controls, giving the game even more of the varied identity the last few had lacked. A lack of single-player content and a series low for Dream Events of only 3 held the game back a lot, but with the core experience finally rejuvenated, the Mario & Sonic series had its second wind.

And thankfully, the newest game in the series only kept that momentum going. Granted, it’s not a lot of momentum since they skipped the PyeongChang Games of 2018 and many still feel burnt out on the mediocre entries. But the Tokyo take on the Olympic formula is by all accounts a polished title that revives the multiplayer fun of the Wii minigame collections of yesteryear. There are a few drawbacks, like the downgraded roster of 32 characters and 3 dream events or the downgraded netcode, but the advantages more than make up for it. Most noticeably, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing have been added as new sports along with a fully-fledged story campaign for a little single-player healthcare, which was the feature we were the happiest to see going into the game for the first time. But the real treat was a less-publicized mode simply titled Tokyo 1964. These are absolutely adorable 2D events that repurpose the characters’ 8 and 16-bit sprites for games that feel and play much more like something from the NES or Sega Genesis. We’re glad that the story of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will have a happy ending for the time being.

Running from January to March, the otaku club meets every Friday afternoon at 3:30 in the main library’s multipurpose room. All teens in grades 6 through 12 are invited, as long as they fill out the proper registration form in advance.

The club has been gaining traction at a quick rate thanks to the many ways in which it accommodates and entertains the Ohioan otaku that make up its patronage. Its reputation has grown so much since opening that news outlets—even out of state ones—have taken notice. Never ones to be left behind, Honey’s Anime reached out to the library and spoke to Children's and Youth Services Supervisor Kate Brennan-MacGregor who told us all about the program’s many points of interest. She told us that the otaku cafe came about as a result of renovations that gave the library a spare room equipped with all the necessary conveniences for a group like this one, including a film projector to play anime shows and films to large audiences. She also told us that the activities involved anime and manga viewing/reading groups with an interest in shared discussions. Their meetings also include workshops and crafts where the young fans learn skills essential to any card-carrying otaku like cosplaying or caring for bonsai trees. Visitors are also served sushi and drinks to truly immerse themselves in the eastern experience, making their time with their fellow otaku and their favorite media all the more enjoyable. Brennan-MacGregor was also happy to inform us that the meetings were all well attended by plenty of happy kids and run by co-ordinators who completely shared their passion for anime and manga.

We were also given complete assurance that all the club material was screened beforehand to ensure everything remains age-appropriate, for all you parents reading this.

Most MCs in harem anime are far from the brightest crayon in the box. They tend to be average in intellect and looks, and others are either antisocial and/or just horny d-bags waiting for the next nip-slip. In traditional harems, the MC usually can’t believe they are so lucky and are constantly gifted with accidental panty shots and/or boob grabs, and then there are the ones who end up surrounded by beautiful girls who are prone to drama, bad decisions and/or violence, though… the daily fanservice and ecchi accidents make it worth it! That’s what we’ve gotten used to expecting from typical harem anime. Tons of cute girls for every taste and one undeserving bland/dumb/horny teenage boy who gets to spend his days accidentally groping his well-endowed friends—while viewers live vicariously through them. Many times, the MC tends to be a placeholder for the viewer, which leads to his blandness—reverse harems do this too, unfortunately—and more often than not, he never grows or develops much, if at all, as a person.

Well, this has all slowly been changing over the last 20 years. We now have harem male leads with well-rounded identities and kind personalities instead of just being hormone-driven idiots—classics like Clannad and Kanon or newer anime like BokuBen and OreSuki are good examples. Yes, Joro in OreSuki starts off as a typical horny teenage harem lead, but the series even points out this purposeful technique of luring the audience in by offering the typical panty shots and ecchi in the first episodes. While Joro starts off as a typical Harem MC, he is the character with the most development and growth and he actually becomes someone the girls might want to date! 20 years ago, when Love Hina came out, it was all about hot girls having a punching bag who could also serve as a receptacle of over-the-top PDA. Is he dumb? Is he a jerk? Does he actually care? Who cares!? He’s getting smothered in boobies and punched through a wall in the same episode! “Yes, Ms. Hina. May I have some more?”. But eventually, after enough times being blown away, love takes over and the main characters end up together. After that, we had more serious harems like Clannad in which a seemingly typical jaded boy befriends a group of girls and helps them with their issues and thus grows into a mature, caring, well-rounded man who eventually even marries The One—Heartwrenching love-filled moments ensue. Bokuben follows in these footsteps just a little. While much more of a comedy than Clannad could ever be—things actually get pretty depressing at some points—Nariyuki is not a creep, nor is he trying to sneak a peek at the girls he tutors, nor is he jaded. In fact, he just wants to help these girls succeed in their goals once he gets to know them, even to the point that he forgets he’s also supposed to be figuring his life out. He is definitely a boy to bring home to mom. Back to ORESUKI… Joro does have a few epiphanies brought about mostly by the hard blows at his ego and he evolves quite a bit throughout the series, giving up on his lustful feelings toward the girls and realizing he actually cares regardless of whether they are interested in him or not and does his best to help them win Sun-chan’s heart… or whatever they may want/need at that point. However, Joro is still kind of a selfish jerk even toward the end which balances him out a bit and makes him even more believable as a real person. Joro doesn’t do a full 180 (baby steps), but he’s also not a 100% scumbag throughout, you can tell he’s a good guy deep inside. The series also has room to continue so here’s hoping he does actually learn his lesson, count his blessings and stay with the adorably co-dependent Pansy!

Well, we did say “harems” and not “ecchi harems” so they don’t all fall into the same category, and after Love Hina—which was equal parts ecchi, comedy, romance, and harem—things seem to have split between drama-heavy harems or ecchi-comedy harems. Series like To Love Ru and High School DxD are great examples of harems that only exist to feed the male gaze and nobody cares how much more woke the MC is as long as we see some bouncing boobies and faces smothered by all kinds of jiggly body parts. Oh and accidental groping, don’t forget that! Then we have the series that went for a balance of fanservice but with a more female-inclusive feel to them which meant a male lead who is able to look past the fact that he’s a teenager surrounded by gorgeous girls. Kodaka—from Haganai: I don't have many friends—for example, is constantly surrounded by all this fanservice but seems not to care so much about it, he’s not looking to grope or bang every girl in his harem! Good boy! But... then the show just insists upon its ecchi genre and it’s a bit of overkill making it a typical ecchi harem with a slightly above-average MC.

As a large carnivore, Legoshi could have it all; friends, popularity, girls, you name it. But even before Tem was eaten, Legoshi lived with crippling insecurity and anxiety. He hates being feared and so files his claws and keeps to himself so as not to make anyone scared or uncomfortable. He would like nothing more than to be greeted with a smile by everyone. Not to be popular but just because his main concern is how he makes everyone feel. He’d rather hide than make his classmates uncomfortable after losing their clubmate Tem.

As sweet as Legoshi is, a wolf is a wolf and like Bill the tiger points out at the Black Market, carnivores have needs, so Legoshi’s instincts kick in when he tries to scare Haru away by chasing her and just can’t stop himself. His mind was telling him no, but his body was definitely saying “Kill”! Legoshi’s somehow able to stop himself but is understandably confused by his conflicting emotions. He wants Haru but… does he want to love her? Or eat her? Much like some—rare—rich, influential, and/or socially privileged individuals in real life who don’t want to be treated differently, Legoshi almost seems to be ashamed of being a carnivore. He struggles with the burden of being considered superior in some way by society but not wanting to abuse his place in the food chain—which infuriates Louis, who would take full advantage of the situation, were he in it. There are things in Legoshi’s nature that he can’t help because that’s just how he was born, or in humans, being socially privileged is all they know so even when they try to be “normal”, they end up doing things that make others uncomfortable. But they really, truly mean well! Just like Legoshi.

Then we get to Legoshi’s confusion between love and predatory instinct. It’s easy to understand how a predator in a world where carnivores aren’t allowed to eat other animals would be confused in that situation. But, imagine Legoshi is not a wolf and Haru is not a bunny. It’s not rare to confuse love for a friend with romantic love, especially among teens and young adults, though adults can go through that as well. “I think I’m in love with my friend!” Are you? Or do you just love your friend because they are your friend? Or is that attraction simply lust because you find them so attractive? Lust doesn’t always go hand in hand with love and that can cause a confusing situation like Legoshi’s—though in his case “lust” is replaced with his instinct to kill and feed—especially when one already struggles with accepting who they are to begin with. And then there are those situations where one side has issues of their own that translate into a skewed perception of love which involves, for example, being overly possessive or jealous. In the end, Legoshi becomes Haru’s beast to save her, knowing she may find out it was he who attacked her and won’t look at him the same way again. But it’s worth it. So it’s love, right? Well… “she’s my prey” isn’t the most romantic of statements and that’s what Legoshi said as he rescued his girl. Needless to say, that only made Legoshi’s confusion worse, but at least he was able to put it all out there. Now Haru knows he’s broken, Legoshi knows Haru’s broken too and they can both try to fight their natures and fix each other. What a romantic way to begin a beautiful co-dependent love story!

Isekai (異世界) is a popular subgenre of fantasy where a protagonist is transported to another world. The means through which they are transported can vary, but commonly death or teleportation is used. Most animated isekai originally came as light novels from a website called Shōsetsuka ni Narō (Let’s Become a Novelist). A few examples would be Arifureta, KonoSuba, and The Rising of the Shield Hero. Thus, when we are referring to isekai, we will be referring to stories originating from this website. Ascendance of a Bookworm, like several of its contemporaries, utilizes popular conventions. However, by making conventions integrate naturally--feel necessary--much of Bookworm’s charm is revealed through careful execution. As standard, after Mototsu Urano’s death, she is transported to another world. By chance, she is revived, not as herself, but as a pre-existing character, Myne. This kind of revival is not atypical. For example, being reborn as an existing character is popular within otome (game) isekai. Otome games (or “maiden” games) are story-centric video games aimed primarily at women where the goal is usually to pursue the heroine’s romantic interest. Otome isekai commonly feature a Victorian-esque or medieval fantasy setting where one’s social position is inherited through blood. Thus, being reborn is a roll of the dice. Just like how one can’t choose their parents, one can’t choose their social rank. It’s common in these settings that the “blessing” of being reborn can come with its burdens. A protagonist’s death can be unfair, but furthermore, so can life. Heroines of these stories typically start with a social burden. They can revive as villains, be born into poor families, or turn into social outcasts. The privilege of being reborn comes with its own challenges, and authors will justify a character’s rebirth through their actions. Even if these heroines are outsiders, they must work to become an integral part of the story.

Blessings come in all forms. In the anime KonoSuba God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World, Kazuma is granted the subgenre’s iconic blessing. However, unbeknownst to him, his wish to bring the goddess Aqua with him is more a curse than a blessing. Aqua’s unbelievable ineptitude turns Kazuma’s fantasy world into a nightmare. In Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World-, the protagonist is a former NEET. His lack of social awareness and life experience burdens him in the next world. After he leaves his world (the conditions are unknown at first), he brings a set of expectations. To him, his revival is a chance to start anew. He will become more than what he was before. The problem is his second chance becomes his third, then his fourth. Reviving quickly becomes a curse. Both titles are self-aware isekai. They critique the accepted norms by parodying or synergizing conventions. Thus, death is not a plot device in Re: Zero. It is an integral part of its story. The lackluster abilities of Konosuba’s cast is not by whim. It’s a reversal of its contemporaries. It pokes fun at the absurd strength of isekai protagonists through a contrast. Ascendance of a Bookworm isn’t a parody or satire, but its writing does address isekai conventions. By streamlining its writing, Bookworm shows how methodically using conventions can still produce a fresh story. Thus, let’s discuss how Bookworm’s form of revival (the inheritance of a new role) is helpful for the writer. First, this type of revival establishes a backstory through one’s past. By inheriting a new role, the protagonist recalls their world’s history and relationships. This allows exposition to work easily into the story. No other character has to explain things to the protagonist. It simply is in their head. Second, once the main character has been revived, the cast will interact with them organically. These characters will treat them as they did before, but with a twist. The protagonist is now acting out this new role. This unique dynamic will be further discussed in parts 2 and 3. Lastly, reviving into another role makes it easier to write introductions. By having the protagonist usurp their new role, they are dropped into the world as an insider--someone who already belongs. Taking full advantage of this can help a story’s pace, pushing readers and viewers into the heart of the story.

Ascendance of a Bookworm does plenty well with its first episode. With a short but effective opening, the show smoothly explains its premise. As priest Ferdinand examines Myne’s memory, viewers see into her past. During this segment, Myne speaks through narration. As she does so, her visage is likened to a picture book. As she cites her love of literature, she moves with her head deep within a book--until an unfortunate accident. Books tumble from a shelf, crushing her from below. She dies by the very thing she loves. As her life fades, she prays, “O God, may I be able to read all kinds of books in my next life, too.” Her wish is granted, but not in the most ideal way. Typically in reincarnation isekai, knowledge is the greatest blessing for a protagonist. This can be (but is not limited to): knowledge of who they were, knowledge of technology/science, or knowledge of events that will transpire in the new world. Mototsu (henceforth called Myne) is gifted with two: knowledge of her previous self and knowledge about her passion--books. However, while she does have isekai’s greatest strength, Ascendance of a Bookworm is not a story without obstacles. Myne’s knowledge is kept in check by her inability to pursue it. Her frail body prevents her deepest wish: to read more books. From a writing standpoint, this creates a natural tension and an obvious character arc. By denying what the character desires, the author can show what they might need. By showing that a character’s desire is not necessarily what they need, an author can create character development. By having a character develop, they naturally learn. Thus, the problem the author faces is how to teach someone who’s spent their life pursuing knowledge. What lesson is there to teach such a bookworm?

To send a message, Ascendance of a Bookworm focuses on its characters. While Myne fervently pursued her desires in the past, she can no longer in this world. Despite her limitations, her stubbornness wins out, and she jeopardizes her health in pursuit of her own happiness. Pursuing her wishes is not without consequence. Myne’s health is influenced by a disease called “the devouring,” an overabundance of mana that eats away at one’s body. Mana, while typically found within nobles, has a rare chance to be found in commoners--and unfortunately for Myne, her appetite for knowledge is held back by this sickness. Furthermore, a class system exists within this world. Since mana is commonly possessed by nobles, only the rich have access to magical items, some of which may help Myne recover. Both her social and physical conditions prevent her from living out her new life in old ways. Thus, if Myne was a character who walked through life with her face buried in books, then to avoid the same fate in this world, she must learn quickly. However, without books, she will find that her teacher won’t be literature. It will be the people around her.

As stated previously, the original Myne was both young and sickly. Without help, she couldn’t even leave her house. To further cause issues, the current Myne disregards her own health, often worrying those around her. Just as Mototsu died in her world, it’s implied that the original Myne died by sickness. This makes the current Myne an imposter, an actor in the original’s body. This creates a dynamic where to survive, Myne must rely on strangers. By necessity, the story forces Myne down a road she’s barely walked, and it’s on this path the story tells its message. To begin, Myne has a tendency to ignore those around her. Roughly 3 minutes into episode 2, Turi (Myne’s sister) comes home with meryl fruit. Upon hearing her mother, Myne learns oil can be extracted from it. Myne is hit with inspiration and proclaims her excitement with an inner monologue. With accompanying visuals and Myne’s explanation, viewers learn how to make shampoo. Excited by this prospect, Myne asks Turi for some meryl fruit. Turi’s face brightens up, a chance to bond with her sister has arrived. As she turns her back, she says, “Listen up. You have to wrap it in cloth so it doesn’t splatter…” Upon finishing her line, she turns around only to see Myne raise and slam down a mallet. The result doesn’t need mentioning. Turi looks in dismay as her sister repeats aloud the lesson she could have learned with patience. In episode 8, she picks up a Tromba, unaware of what it does. A Tromba is a dangerous plant that sprouts and absorbs the nutrients from the land around it. Luckily, before it becomes unmanageable, her friends destroy it. Upon looking at its remains, Myne realizes it can be turned into paper--she can make books out of the very thing that almost killed her. There’s a common thread here. Without the help of others, Myne would never have made the things she did. While this is a minor observation, in the grand scheme of isekai, this is a significant step forward. Commonly in isekai stories, the reason characters are transported/reborn is to fix something. Kingdoms will summon heroes to fight demons. Gods and goddesses will summon the protagonist to guide and improve their world. Even in revenge-based isekai, the protagonist sees an injustice and seeks to right a wrong. These types of stories place the protagonist in a position of power--that they know more than the denizens of a new world. If handled incorrectly, this can seem belittling. After all, if an entire world cannot solve its own problems, then it invites scrutiny. Perhaps the world is simply incapable or at worst, incompetent. However, in Ascendance of a Bookworm, the problem isn’t the outside world. It’s internal, literally devouring Myne from within. Myne is a child, and much like her predecessors, they are also young. Bookworm is critiquing Myne’s character, questioning if she realizes her flaws. To make this evident, Bookworm has reduced her blessings, effectively countering her own wish. Thus, if the conventional (isekai) blessings are denied, the story must emphasize what’s remaining. And what’s left over, Myne finds, is these strangers she starts to call family.

In a world where firefighters use magic, the best support you can get is from Iris, a nun. Despite her reserved nature in everyday social situations, when it comes to being on the field, she’s willing to put everything on the line. While she may not have the abilities of her peers, she can still contribute by treating wounds or fighting other enemy combatants. Considering her position and that she lacks any true natural abilities, she can be humble when necessary and brings a balance amongst the egos of the brigade she belongs to. Even when she’s very limited with what she can do, that does not stop her from doing the right thing for her teammates or anyone in danger.

When it comes to leading her team, Botan perfectly balances being strict and fair. She takes crap from no one and when it comes to Semimaru, a former criminal in her group, she uses reverse psychology on him to keep him in line. When he says he wants to have sex with her while she’s bathing in a waterfall, she tells him she is ok with it if he can handle having children. Upon hearing the consequences, he actually restrains himself. Forget the fact that she’s a great supporting character, she’s simply a great leader. Thanks to her training and background as a police officer, she is very composed no matter how tense the situation gets and she does everything she can to help. We feel that if we were ever in a situation where we potentially had to survive in the wild, we’d certainly feel safe with Botan.

While Dororo is the titular character of this Osamu Tezuka remake, she is more of a co-lead with a strong supporting role. Throughout most of the series, the audience is given the impression that she’s a boy, but with how gender identity has changed in the past decade, we’ll admit Dororo’s inclusion is controversial. Due to Dororo’s upbringing and how her father wanted a boy, she was raised as a boy but comes to embrace her femininity in the end. What makes Dororo a great co-lead is how she helps Hyakkimaru maintain his humanity as they progress in their journey. As Hyakkimaru regains his body, he starts to give into his rage and Dororo does what she can to make sure he doesn’t lose control. Despite having to steal upon her introduction, she learns to take better care of herself and the people she meets on her journey. By the end of Dororo, she learns to become a leader and does what she can to support the peasants of Japan.

If there’s someone you want to have your back in a fight, it has to be Kohaku. While she can initially be hostile to strangers, once she gets to know you, she will become one of your most valuable allies. Beyond her natural combat abilities, she is loyal to her friends and family. What makes Kohaku an amazing supporting character is that she deeply cares for her sister Ruri, the village priestess. She goes as far as entering the village tournament to make sure that Magma, a selfish warrior, does not win because, if he does, he would have to marry Ruri and become village chief. When she starts to see the value of what Senku has to offer with his scientific knowledge, she also becomes one of his most trusted friends and willingly helps with his experiments.

Raphtalia is a true representation of someone who started from rock bottom and leveled her way up to the top. While Naofumi, the main character, initially purchases her as a slave, he truly cares for her. He bathed, clothed, and fed her when she was in a child-like state (and her body grows as she levels up). Thanks to Naofumi’s kindness, Raphtalia starts to become a great warrior and person in her own right. Even when the spell that made her Naofumi’s slave is unsealed, she is still loyal to him. On their journey together, she sees that Naofumi is really a great guy and doesn’t give in to the propaganda that makes him look like a bad guy. Whenever they face danger, Raphtalia is willing to put herself in harm’s way for him. Her loyalty and belief in Naofumi is what ultimately makes her an amazing supporting character.

Ristarte is the type to overreact to everything like Marty McFly from Back to the Future, but on acid. For starters, the expressions she makes when she is dumbfounded probably surpass the faces Senku from Dr. Stone and Kazuo from Kengan Ashura make when they’re in similar situations. In addition to her reactions, she shows a child-like curiosity and the series takes that quality to the highest degree to make the audience laugh. Her attraction to Seiya, like he’s an AXE body spray model, gives her more human-like qualities despite being a goddess and further adds to her comedic presence.

Amatasuyu, or Jouro, is a unique selection because he puts on this image of being an average schoolboy but his front also makes him the butt of the joke because the two girls he went out with at the start of Oresuki are only interested in his best friend, the star baseball player. As a result, he concocts a ridiculous plan to help his friend get one girl so he can keep the other, which is funny, but in a pathetic kind of way. What also makes him funny are his reactions. While it’s not as enthusiastic as Joseph from JoJo, in the Japanese version, Jouro likes to react with English expressions such as saying “oh no.” Daiki Yamashita, who you may know as Deku in Boku no Hero Academia, shows a very different side of his talent since Jouro is the complete opposite of Deku.

What makes Chrome a funny character is the exaggerated energy and passion he puts into science. Before Senku arrives, many people assume science is sorcery and Chrome likes to be a show-off thinking he’s all that. When he is first introduced to Senku, Chrome shows what he has learned just by trial-and-error. When he shows Senku he can do a certain experiment, Senku gives him advice and he overreacts with shock because he can’t handle the fact that there’s someone who is as smart as he is. Eventually, they become science bros. What also makes Chrome funny is how he wants to beat Magma in combat. We have to give him credit for making a legitimate game plan (think of where a guy’s weak point is) that could’ve worked, but failed (he still found a less comedic way to win). Lastly, what makes Chrome funny is how he deals with Kohaku’s teasing and how she knows that he likes Ruri, her sister.

We know we shouldn’t make fun of people who lack an education but JoJo just goes out of its way to show that despite being 17, Narancia can’t even do basic multiplication to the point that he should seek Jamie Escalante to be his math teacher! Due to having the same education as Bart Simpson, he consequently has a very childish personality and is prone to temper tantrums which further solidifies his role as the comic relief. In case some of you didn’t know, the fifth arc of JoJo is famous for a certain torture dance scene to a song that spoofs Prince’s Pussy Control. It just happens to be that it was Narancia who initiated this dance and why we chose him for this list

King has this mean look to him with his slick hairdo and he’s got the scars to show that he’s a badass that no one wants to mess with. When Saitama finally crosses paths with him, it turns out King’s just a regular guy who circumstantially got the credit for Saitama’s deeds because he was always present whenever Saitama took out a villain. When we finally see him in action, he has no combat capabilities! The foundation of what makes King funny is that he’s a fraud and he got carried away with it. Furthermore, he’s actually a fan of dating sims and tries to hide this fact from Saitama! While he may not have Saitama’s titular power, what he makes up for in lack of brawn, is an appropriate sense of charisma and psychology to not let his opponent’s bother fighting him. The fact that this intimidating man is weaker than the lowest class of hero is truly a joke that the audience can laugh at.