Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 5 (Manga Review)
Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 1 (If there aren’t any books, I’ll just have to make some!!)
Honzuki no Gekokujou: Part 1
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～ 第一部 「本がないなら作ればいい！」

I know this series has been around for a while. But the nice thing about getting into it so late in its run is that I get to marathon everything currently published. And to make matters better, Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 5 did not disappoint.

–> Buy Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 5 from Amazon.com

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Myne meets with Frieda, the granddaughter of the guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild. She learns that Frieda also has the Devouring. While there is no cure, there is a very expensive treatment. Frieda helps design the hairpiece and even offers expensive thread to help. Myne feels they are ripping her off and gives her a second one for half price. Benno chastises Myne for not getting the money she can while she can. He gets her to understand that she’ll need the money to help with her disease.

Benno continues to teach Myne the harsh realities of life as a merchant, or a supplier. Myne offers money to her sister and mom to make hair ornaments. They happily get to work on them. She also pays Lutz’s brothers to make the wooden pins. Unfortunately, after fighting to keep it suppressed, the Devouring overtakes Myne.

Pressing Forward

With the proper introduction of Frieda in Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 5, we now have a friend for Myne. Both suffer from the same disease. They have similar tastes and ideas. However, they come from different sides of the tracks since Myne’s family is poor, and Freida’s family is rich. But it could be interesting to see if they have more contact beyond the business relationship and small friendship they have now.

I like how Myne continues to learn about business. As someone who used to run a mowing business from 12 years old through 16, I get Myne’s reluctance to charge a lot for her products. But Bunno is correct in his assessment. I realize that I undercharged everyone but one customer, who got charged more because she had lots of demands. But I digress. Myne learns to handle things, such as the secret of her Motosu self. Bunno knows there’s something different about Myne, but thankfully, he’s okay with it so long as Myne keeps producing the goods.

It was funny how Myne offering to pay her mom and sister to make hair ornaments got them motivated. Likewise, Lutz’s brothers and the wooden pin.

Another humorous even was Myne’s first carriage ride. I’ve watched enough period piece British shows to wonder about how carriage rides really were. I suspect they are bumpy and not very comfortable, as Myne discovered.

Finally, the Devouring plotline continues to advance. At this point, the story clearly sets up why it is so important for Myne to make money. The treatment for her illness is quite expensive. And it will be interesting to see what the resolution is. When I read the volume, I had no clue, but afterward, it made sense. But I’ll talk about that next volume. 😁

Omake

The omake manga chapter deals with the immediate events between Lutz and Bunno once Myne passes out. The short story is a first person narrative from Benno in a meeting over the hair ornaments Myne created. There are notes from Suzuka-sensei and Kazuki-sensei. And finally, there are a couple of 1-page manga centered around Myne’s weirdness.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

In the end, Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 5 continues the interesting story of Myne in another world, with the knowledge of Motosu from Earth. While the story is pure slice of life, it is quite engrossing and enjoyable.