Miya Kazuki (香月美夜, Kazuki Miya), born on January 22nd, is a Japanese female light novel author and essayist best known as the creative force behind the Ascendance of a Bookworm franchise. She also played a contributing role in the manga and anime adaptation.

Career

Kazuki started writing novels when she was in her second year of junior high school. After taking an entrance exam, she entered into a national university^[1] before graduating and becoming busy with work, stopping her from writing. Once she was married and her child entered kindergarten, Kazuki had more free time, which she used to start writing again.^[2] From 2013 onwards, she started publishing her novel Ascendance of a Bookworm on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō which saw success. In 2015, she officially debuted with said series under T.O. Books imprint.

From 2015 to 2017, she wrote a series of essays for "Everyone's Library" (みんなの図書館, Minna no Toshokan), a journal released by The Society of Study on Library Problems. ^[3]

Everyone's Library

Kazuki's involvement began when an old college upper classman contacted her, asking her to contribute. This upper classman, who worked at a library, organized a workshop and requested Kazuki to write a column for the accompanying magazine. Kazuki wasn't heavily occupied with other commitments, and the project involved writing 10 separate columns on books and libraries. With the manageable workload, she agreed to participate, contributing her insights to the workshop magazine. It was a relatively informal undertaking for Kazuki, who didn't have a specific goal in mind initially. Her collaboration with her upper classman from college allowed her to delve into topics related to books and libraries, aligning with her interests and availability at the time.^[4]

Role in the Manga Adaptation

In the anime adaptation of Ascendance of a Bookworm, Kazuki played a pivotal role in overseeing and contributing to various aspects of the production. The script development and approval process involved Kazuki receiving scripts, covering one or two episodes at a time, alongside art/visual elements and character settings. Approval from Kazuki marked the initiation of work on storyboards, triggering parallel processes in animation and voice-over work for each episode. Kazuki's involvement extended to attendance at recording sessions. During Season 3, she remotely participated in all sessions, while in Seasons 1 and 2, time constraints occasionally limited her attendance. However, she prioritized being present for sessions introducing new characters to ensure their voices aligned with her creative vision. Beyond observation, Kazuki actively engaged with the director and voice actors. She provided guidance on character portrayal and occasionally made specific requests, emphasizing certain lines. The collaborative nature of the process allowed for on-the-fly adjustments, such as modifying lines or inflections to fit within episode runtime limits. Kazuki highlighted that while scenario scripts served as a foundation, actual dialogue scripts underwent alterations during production to meet time constraints. In summary, Kazuki's multifaceted role in the anime adaptation encompassed script approval, visual elements, attendance at recording sessions, and active participation in shaping character portrayal and dialogue nuances. Her commitment to preserving the essence of the story within the constraints of the medium added a dynamic layer to the adaptation process.^[5]

Role in the Anime Adaptation

In the anime adaptation of Ascendance of a Bookworm, Kazuki played a pivotal role in overseeing and contributing to various aspects of the production. The script development and approval process involved Kazuki receiving scripts, covering one or two episodes at a time, alongside art/visual elements and character settings. Approval from Kazuki marked the initiation of work on storyboards, triggering parallel processes in animation and voice-over work for each episode. Kazuki's involvement extended to attendance at recording sessions. During Season 3, she remotely participated in all sessions, while in Seasons 1 and 2, time constraints occasionally limited her attendance. However, she prioritized being present for sessions introducing new characters to ensure their voices aligned with her creative vision. Beyond observation, Kazuki actively engaged with the director and voice actors. She provided guidance on character portrayal and occasionally made specific requests, emphasizing certain lines. The collaborative nature of the process allowed for on-the-fly adjustments, such as modifying lines or inflections to fit within episode runtime limits. Kazuki highlighted that while scenario scripts served as a foundation, actual dialogue scripts underwent alterations during production to meet time constraints. In summary, Kazuki's multifaceted role in the anime adaptation encompassed script approval, visual elements, attendance at recording sessions, and active participation in shaping character portrayal and dialogue nuances. Her commitment to preserving the essence of the story within the constraints of the medium added a dynamic layer to the adaptation process.^[6]

Journey into Writing and Creative Process

Kazuki embarked on her journey as a writer during her middle school years, crafting novels as a hobby. However, as adulthood unfolded, she temporarily set aside her writing pursuits. It wasn't until marriage and motherhood, specifically when her daughter started kindergarten, that she rediscovered her passion for writing and resumed it as a hobby. Initially approaching writing as a fun and cost-free endeavor on syosetu.com, Kazuki had no aspirations to turn professional. Engaging with her readers through Q&A sessions on the Bookworm Fanbooks, spanning four volumes, she provided insights into both her literary work and personal life. In the first Fanbook, Kazuki detailed her creative process for Ascendance of a Bookworm, showcasing meticulous planning:

• Extensive world-building using over 50 reference books.
• Plotting the entire story on a single sheet of paper (top level).
• Plotting each part (5 parts) on individual sheets (middle level).
• Developing character settings.
• Filling in bottom-level plots, connecting events between middle-level milestones.

For her daily writing routine, she mapped out the next day's content on paper before transcribing it to her computer. Maintaining a disciplined schedule, she uploaded a chapter each day, reflecting that, in hindsight, she might have benefited from limiting uploads to weekdays. Kazuki initially had five separate plot ideas, eventually merging them into the cohesive narrative of Ascendance of a Bookworm. Active on Twitter, Kazuki shares glimpses of her personal life and writing process. It became evident that her husband played a crucial role as her first-level reader and editor. She often bounces ideas off him, even recounting an instance where he rejected an entire side story for a light novel volume, urging her to start anew. Her daughter once described Kazuki as pretty weird. There's a particularly amusing incident where she stopped cooking to demand a notepad, seeking her daughter's assistance in the kitchen.^[7]

Inspirations and Preliminary Plot Concepts

In the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2024 interview with Miya Kazuki, Kazuki provides insights into the diverse influences that shaped her creative vision and the early plot concepts that laid the foundation for the narrative. When asked about works that influenced her writing, Kazuki playfully notes a multitude of sources, drawing from a lifetime of reading. Girls' novels, a genre she frequented, significantly contributed to the thematic elements in her work. Overseas fantasy, exemplified by renowned series like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, left a lasting impression on her storytelling. In addition, works such as The Twelve Kingdoms and those by Natsuhiko Kyogoku, along with in-depth research into myths, played pivotal roles in her creative process. Regarding the preliminary stage of writing, Kazuki unveils the existence of various plot ideas, each exploring distinct themes. These ranged from narratives featuring craftsmen creating intricate things to tales of magician apprentices searching for clues about their parent's demise. Other plot concepts included parent-child conflicts over opposing ideas, stories set in schools, and more. Notably, the segment set at the Royal Academy drew inspiration from the thematic atmosphere of the Harry Potter series. Despite the medieval European ambiance in Ascendance of a Bookworm, Kazuki underlines the narrative's roots in literature and storytelling rather than gaming elements. Her limited exposure to games translates into a unique perspective, as she navigates the narrative without a deep understanding of game-world components like levels or status effects^[8] . Even when faced with requests to quantify skills or mana, Kazuki admits uncertainty about assigning specific numerical values. This distinctive perspective contributes to the series' nuanced storytelling and world-building.^[9]

Glico Pose

The iconic "Glico Pose" scene from Episode 12 of Season 1 in Ascendance of a Bookworm was conceived through collaborative creativity, with Kazuki drawing inspiration from discussions with her husband. In exploring the portrayal of religious rituals in the alternate world of Yurgenschmidt, Kazuki and her husband questioned the appropriateness of replicating real-world practices. With insights from her husband's education in Catholic schools, they delved into the complexity of Christian prayer rituals, emphasizing that the commonly perceived hand-folding gesture is a simplified representation. Acknowledging the need for rituals in Yurgenschmidt to have meaning, Kazuki's husband suggested that every action should serve a purpose. When Kazuki proposed the idea of characters raising their hands and one leg to the sky as a form of prayer, they humorously recognized its resemblance to the famous "Glico Man pose." This recognition sparked laughter and prompted the decision to incorporate the pose into the scene, adding a whimsical and culturally resonant touch to the narrative. Kazuki's husband played a pivotal role in shaping the creative process behind this memorable and amusing moment in the series.^[10]

Bibliography

Accolades

As of January, 2024, the series has surpassed 10 million copies in combined physical and digital sales. Its rankings in the annual light novel guide book, Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, reflect its success, securing the fifth position in 2017, first in 2018 and 2019, second in 2020 and 2021, and third in 2022. Notably, in 2023, it claimed the top spot before earning a place in the Hall of Fame. This recognition is featured in Takarajimasha's guide book in the tankōbon category. Additionally, in 2017, the manga adaptation achieved a notable seventh place ranking in the web category at the third Next Manga Awards. The anime's second season garnered attention in 2021 by receiving a nomination for "Best Fantasy" at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.^[11]

References

External links

• 香月美夜 - syosetu.com
• Miya Kazuki on Twitter