feelsalike.com

Shows that feel like Ascendance of a Bookworm (2019–)

If you loved Ascendance of a Bookworm, the closest series we have are The Misfit of Demon King Academy (2020), The Wheel of Time (2021) and KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! (2016). All three share Ascendance of a Bookworm's cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 12 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu and others, checked against today's data.

When a sickly young girl suddenly becomes obsessed with inventing new things, her family and friends are all puzzled. "What has gotten into Myne?" they wondered, never dreaming that the answer is not a "What" but a "Who": Urano Motosu, a book-loving apprentice librarian who died in an earthquake in Tokyo who somehow found herself in Myne's body! And since Myne's world is still in a medieval stage, where books can only be owned by the elite, the new Myne intends to do everything she can to bring her beloved books to the masses in the time she has left.

7.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗2 seasons · Nippon TVcontemplativecerebraldreamlike
Stream it:Crunchyroll

If Ascendance of a Bookworm hit the spot, these will too

The Misfit of Demon King Academy poster
The Misfit of Demon King Academy
2020–2024 · 2 seasons · AT-X
7.1animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy

Both are working the same pair: magic, reincarnation

The difference: None of the stillness Ascendance of a Bookworm is built on

Anos Voldigord was a tyrannical Demon King that eradicated humans, spirits, and even the gods, but became bored of eternal warfare and reincarnated with dreams of a peaceful world. However, what awaited him in reincarnation after 2000 years were descendants who became too weak after being accustomed to peace, and all sorts of magic that deteriorated to the extreme. Anos enters Demon King Academy that gathers and educates those who are viewed as the reincarnation of the Demon King, but the academy could not see through his true powers and ends up branding him as a misfit.

Feels alike?
The Wheel of Time poster
The Wheel of Time
2021–2025 · 3 seasons · Prime Video
7.2sci-fi & fantasy · drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: magic

The lives of five young villagers change forever when a strange and powerful woman arrives, claiming one of them is the child of an ancient prophecy with the power to tip the balance between Light and Dark forever. They must choose whether to trust this stranger – and each other – with the fate of the world before the Dark One breaks out of His prison, and the Last Battle begins.

Feels alike?
KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! poster
7.8action & adventure · animation · comedy

The same two preoccupations: anime, and isekai

The difference: Not nearly as contemplative as Ascendance of a Bookworm

After a traffic accident, Kazuma Sato’s disappointingly brief life was supposed to be over, but he wakes up to see a beautiful girl before him. She claims to be a goddess, Aqua, and asks if he would like to go to another world and bring only one thing with him. Kazuma decides to bring the goddess herself, and they are transported to a fantasy world filled with adventure, ruled by a demon king. Now Kazuma only wants to live in peace, but Aqua wants to solve many of this world’s problems, and the demon king will only turn a blind eye for so long…

Feels alike?
Hellsing Ultimate poster
Hellsing Ultimate
2006–2012 · 1 season
8.2animation · drama · sci-fi & fantasy

Common ground: religion

For over a century, the mysterious Hellsing Organization has been secretly protecting the British Empire from the undead. When Sir Integra Hellsing succeeded as the head of the organization, she also inherited the ultimate weapon against these supernatural enemies: Alucard, a rogue vampire possessing mysterious and frightening powers. Now, Hellsing must deal with a more dangerous threat than vampires.

Feels alike?
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid poster
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
2017–2021 · 2 seasons · Tokyo MX
7.7animation · comedy · sci-fi & fantasy

Two things both keep coming back to: slice of life and based on manga

The difference: Leans harder into comedy than Ascendance of a Bookworm does

Kobayashi lives alone in an apartment, until one day, Tohru appeared and they ended up living together. Tohru looks down on humans as inferior and foolish, but having been saved by Kobayashi-san, she does everything she can to repay the debt and help her with various things, although not everything goes according to plan. A mythical everyday life comedy about a hard working office lady living with a dragon girl.

Feels alike?
Overlord poster
Overlord
2015–2022 · 4 seasons · AT-X
7.6animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure

One thread runs through both: based on light novel

In the year 2138, virtual reality gaming is booming. Yggdrasil, a popular online game is quietly shut down one day. However, one player named Momonga decides to not log out. Momonga is then transformed into the image of a skeleton as "the most powerful wizard." The world continues to change, with non-player characters (NPCs) beginning to feel emotion. Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary young man Momonga then strives to take over the new world the game has become.

Feels alike?
The Magicians poster
The Magicians
2015–2020 · 5 seasons · Syfy
7.6drama · sci-fi & fantasy

Contemplative and cerebral in the same breath

Brakebills University is a secret institution specializing in magic. There, amidst an unorthodox education of spellcasting, a group of twenty-something friends soon discover that a magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real— and poses grave danger to humanity.

Feels alike?
Fate: The Winx Saga poster
Fate: The Winx Saga
2021–2022 · 2 seasons · Netflix
6.8sci-fi & fantasy · drama

Dreamlike drama in both cases

The coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.

Feels alike?
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live poster
7.7sci-fi & fantasy · drama

Contemplative sci-fi & fantasy, and it commits to that

Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead... And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they've ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive – or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

Feels alike?
Shadow and Bone poster
Shadow and Bone
2021–2023 · 2 seasons · Netflix
7.5drama · sci-fi & fantasy

Both lean on ideas more than on animation

In a world cleaved in two by a massive barrier of perpetual darkness, a young soldier uncovers a power that might finally unite her country. But as she struggles to hone her power, dangerous forces plot against her. Thugs, thieves, assassins and saints are at war now, and it will take more than magic to survive.

Feels alike?
Dark Matter poster
Dark Matter
2024– · 2 seasons · Apple TV
7.6sci-fi & fantasy · drama

Drama with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

Jason Dessen is abducted into an alternate version of his life. To get back to his real family, he embarks on a harrowing journey to save them from the most terrifying foe imaginable: himself.

Feels alike?
Travelers poster
Travelers
2016–2018 · 3 seasons · Showcase
8drama · sci-fi & fantasy

Sci-fi & fantasy built on stillness, twice over

Hundreds of years from now, the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century. These "travelers" assume the lives of seemingly random people, while secretly working as teams to perform missions in order to save humanity from a terrible future.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative shows →

The best-reviewed series that share Ascendance of a Bookworm’s defining feeling.