Ascendance of Bookworm Season 4 Production Committee Confirms AI Use in Opening; Wit Studio Issues Official Apology

Below are the official statements from the Production Committee (left) and Wit Studio (right) regarding the confirmed generative AI usage in the Season 4 opening sequence:

The committee announced that the opening animation will be revised beginning with Episode 2. The affected sections of the sequence will be replaced with corrected footage.

In addition, the updated opening will also be applied to previously aired and streamed versions of Episode 1 after Episode 2 is broadcast. This ensures that all official distributions reflect the revised version.

Any potential changes to Blu-ray and DVD release schedules resulting from these updates will be announced separately.

Wit Studio and Production Committee Response

Wit Studio and the production committee issued a formal apology addressing the situation. The statement expressed regret toward viewers, the original author, and all staff involved in the production.

The committee stated that the issue has caused concern and inconvenience to audiences who were anticipating the series, and emphasized its responsibility in addressing the issue and improving production management:

"We deeply apologize for the considerable inconvenience and trouble caused to our viewers who were looking forward to the work, as well as to the original author and other related parties. Going forward, we will work in cooperation with Wit Studio Co., Ltd. to review our production system and strive to prevent this from happening again."

Going forward, the production committee confirmed that it will work in close cooperation with Wit Studio to review its production workflow and internal review systems.

The goal, according to the statement, is to strengthen quality control processes and implement measures to prevent similar issues from occurring in future productions.

The issue surrounding the opening sequence drew attention following viewer observations and online discussions regarding visual elements in the opening animation. This led to increased scrutiny, which ultimately resulted in internal confirmation of generative AI usage in part of the production process.

The opening theme song for Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 4 (Part 3) is "Pages" by Little Glee Monster. The new season, animated by Wit Studio, premiered on April 4, 2026, featuring this song in its trailer and creditless opening. 

Opening has been updated for Episode 2
NEWS UPDATE (April 12, 2026)

Following the recent confirmation of generative AI usage in the opening sequence, Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 4 has begun rolling out an updated version starting with Episode 2.

The revision comes after Wit Studio and the production committee previously announced that the affected portions of the opening would be corrected. The updated sequence replaces the identified segments with revised visuals, in line with the measures outlined in the official statement.

It’s genuinely impressive that the production team managed to deliver such a quick turnaround, updating the opening in less than a week after Episode 1 first aired. Initial viewer reactions to the updated opening have been mixed. While some welcomed the swift response, others expressed concerns online regarding differences in visual detail compared to the original version.

The update marks the first implementation of the promised corrections, as the production committee continues its efforts to address the issue and apply revisions across broadcast and streaming releases. Availability of the updated opening may vary by platform as these changes continue to roll out.

Ascendance of a Bookworm is a Japanese light novel series written by Miya Kazuki and illustrated by Yō Shiina. It began web serialization in 2013 on the user-generated novel site Shōsetsuka ni Narō, before being published in print by TO Books starting in 2015.

The series is adapted into an anime produced by Ajia-do Animation Works for its first three parts:

• Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll Do Anything to Become a Librarian! (Season 1) aired from October 3, 2019 to December 26, 2019
• Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 2 – I’ll Do Anything to Become a Librarian! (Season 2) aired from April 5, 2020 to June 21, 2020
• Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 3 – I’ll Do Anything to Become a Librarian! aired from April 12, 2022 to June 14, 2022

The light novel series has a total of 33 main volumes, concluding in 2023 with Volume 33. The series also includes additional side stories and spin-off volumes expanding the narrative beyond the main storyline.

A continuation titled Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke (commonly referred to as Season 4) began airing in April 2026, produced by Wit Studio, continuing Myne’s journey as she enters noble society and higher political structures.

Crunchyroll streaming season 4, describes the story:

“A book-loving college student dies and is reborn in a world where books are rare and only the elite have access to them. Reborn as Myne, a sickly girl in a poor family, she decides to create books herself if none exist for her to read.”

Sources: ORICON News, Wit Studio official announcement, Gizmodo Japan coverage 
© Miya Kazuki, TO Books/Ascendance of a Bookworm Project/WIT Studio.