English Dub Review: Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke “New Dress and Printing Press”

Overview

Brigitte tries on the dress that Rosemyne designed while the printing press is finally ready for a test print.

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, Ascendance of a Bookworm delivers a surprisingly solid chapter despite the series’ increasingly compressed pacing. There’s a lot of information packed into a short runtime, so paying attention is essential, but the episode generally manages to connect its various developments without losing sight of the bigger picture. The mana-related scenes are particularly effective, adding a sense of mystery and significance to what initially seems like a straightforward process.

The rest of the proceedings also give several supporting characters and ongoing projects some welcome attention. Damuel’s growing feelings for Brigitte provide some lighter moments, while Hugo finding a new opportunity and the completion of the printing press represent meaningful progress for Rozemyne. At the same time, her expanding responsibilities continue to pull her in different directions, creating the sense that these seemingly ordinary developments could have greater consequences down the line. Unfortunately, the constant jumping between subplots makes the episode feel somewhat disjointed, even when the individual moments work well.

Overall, this is a step up from last week, but the pacing continues to hold the anime back. Much of the material feels flatter than it should because the adaptation moves through so many developments so quickly, leaving little room for certain moments to breathe. Even so, there’s plenty of worthwhile progression here, and the episode closes with an intriguing setup that should make the next chapter more interesting. It may not be the most exciting installment, but enough is happening beneath the surface to keep things moving forward.