Month: September 2026

We’re Going back to the Demon Continent With this One

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S3 Ep 9 Review

I am sick and tired of the vile accusations that our dear Sylphiette is somehow responsible for Nanahoshi coughing up blood. We knew it wasn’t Sylphie’s fault, so why are we making memes about it?!? Even Rifujin, the author of Mushoku Tensei, is getting in on it!

In all seriousness, though, we know that Sylphie didn’t do this to Nanahoshi; she’s Rudy’s Goddess of Love for a reason, after all. This is just our way of coping with what has happened to her. And, as this episode confirms, this isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved with magic. If Nanahoshi wants to survive, then Rudeus and the others need to find her a cure.

DON’T DIE, NANHOSHI!

Three days after Nanahoshi collapsed in a pool of blood, her condition begins to stabilize a little. Perugius’ familiars are skilled at their work, but there is only so much they can do. At the very least, they confirm what Nanahoshi’s suffering from: Dryne Syndrome. In a nutshell, her body’s unable to neutralize the mana saturating this world, and it’s been slowly killing her. If I had to compare it to a real-life counterpart, it feels a bit like radiation poisoning. Since Nanahoshi has no mana, this means that she’s suspectible to it. And if nothing changes, she’s going to die.

What happens next can only be described as one of the most valid crash outs in the history of crash outs.

I TOTALLY Get why Nanahoshi feels like this!

This moment is one of the reasons why I consider Mushoku Tensei to be one of the best isekai of all time. A lot of isekai treat coming to another world as a form of escapism and act like it’s a good thing. But the truth is, not everyone will see it like that. Nanahoshi was happy with her life back home. She misses her family, her crush, her friends, modern technology, everything. And she was summoned to this world without being asked or even wanting it and has had to work hard to survive.

I think a lot of our hearts went out to Nanahoshi in this moment. A lot of us may see isekai as a means to live the lives we have always wanted, but for every person that would thrive in another world, it feels like there will be plenty who just want to go home. And as harsh as she is to Rudy, she’s also right. He’s had his own share of struggles, but he could’ve gotten it way, way worse. And that’s why Rudy is determined to find her a cure.

How are we going to find he-never mind!

Now, there’s only one person alive who could possibly know a cure for Dryne Syndrome (or is it Drain Syndrome?): Kishirika Kishirisu, the former Demon Empress. AKA that little shrimp that Rudy gave food to one time, and she gave him his magic eye. She wanders around the Demon Continent at her own leisure, doing whatever she wants. Which means that, in order to track her down, Rudy has take himself, Cliff, Zanoba, and Elinalise to the Demon Continent.

Considering how this is the first time in years that Rudy has set foot in the land where he began his great odyssey home, you would think that he would feel a little nostalgic. But the city they end up doesn’t exactly have pleasant memories for him, and he’s too focused on saving his friend.

And then, just when it looks like they’re in for a wild goose chase trying to find Kishirika, this happens.

Un. REAL. The plot must love Rudeus and his friends, because that is the only feasible way that this could happen. The bad news is that they’re not the only ones looking for her: someone has a bounty out for the former Empress. But no spoilers! Let’s just say that we’re about to deal with someone…crazy.

I Give “Lament” a 3.5/5

Welcome to Chaos Breaker, the Castle in the Sky

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S3 Ep 8 Review

You know what’s cooler than a floating castle? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I CAN THINK OF RIGHT NOW! Sorry, I’m just a little excited at the fact that we are starting a new arc for Mushoku Tensei that will take us to some interesting places. To begin with, though, Nanahoshi decides to reward Rudeus and their friends and family with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They’re getting the chance to travel to Chaos Breaker, the floating castle that’s home to the great hero and Nanahoshi’s mentor, Perguius Dola! Several of Rudy’s loved ones have reasons to want to meet him, and we get to see some cool stuff in the process. But then, something bad happens.

It’s Like Magic Uber!

So, in order to travel to the fabled castle in the sky that is Chaos Breaker, Nanahoshi brings them to a secret location marked by this tablet. From there, she can basically summon one of Perugius’ familiars, Almanfi of the Bright. Rudy actually knows this one, though. Right before the Displacement Incident, Perugius sent Almanfi to investigate what was happening, and he tried to kill Rudy and Eris. He might have if Ghislaine hadn’t been there. The good news is that he’s willing to take everyone there…except for Roxy. Thanks to his experience with Laplace, Perugius doesn’t like Demons. So, Roxy has to be left behind, to her and Rudy’s dismay.

Once they get teleported to Chaos Breaker, though, it proves every bit the wonder of the world that books say it is. The castle is gorgeously designed and ornate, there are beauitful gardens with flowers. The whole thing is nothing short of incredible. The fact that Rudy and the others are able to set foot there is incredible. And several of them have things to ask of the Dragon God.

Perugius is Chill

For such an intimidating-looking figure, Perugius is actually a pretty chill guy as long as you don’t offend him. He’s very friendly with Nanahoshi, having agreed to help her with her efforts to get home by telling him everything he knows. Plus his familiars are nice enough to go out and get food for them, allowing Nanahoshi to have something close to a Japanese meal for the first time in forever. He is, however, a little weary of Rudy, saying how his mana levels remind him of Laplace. If he had resisted getting teleported, he could have stopped himself from going.

To business. Rudy asks Perugius if he can help restore his mother. Alas, he doesn’t know what’s happened to her. The most he can say is that her time in crystal made her some sort of Blessed Child, like Zanoba. He does, however, reveal that that’s how Elinalise was found almost two centuries ago by one of his friends. She kept it secret because a.) she never regained her memories from before she was in crystal, and b.) that was how she was cursed to have s** or die. It also indirectly led to the death of her first husband and her being exiled from the village she made her home.

Ariel’s request is much more overt: she wants his backing to become the next Queen of Asura. But Perugius isn’t going to just give it to her like that. She’s going to have to work to secure his support, and it’s going to be a slow-going process.

Sylphie tries asking Perugius if he knows what caused the Mass Teleportation incident, but not even he knows why or how it happened. All he knows is that it wasn’t man-made. Almost like there was some sort of error in the universe.

Oddly enough, it’s Zanoba who hits it off the best with the Dragon Hero. All he wanted to know was if Perugius knew anything about the automaton they found in Rudeus’ house. It was made by the Mad Dragon King Chaos, a long-dead artisan and craftsman. But Zanoba and Perugius have a mutual love of arts and craftsmanship, so the Dragon God agrees.

I Wish I could Find that Mural to show you!

Everything seems to be going well for the group as they explore the legendary castle, but there was one moment that stood out to me. Nanahoshi shows Rudy, Zanoba, and Cliff this secret room that’s filled with this old mural that came with the place. Not even Perugius knows what it’s for, but…it feels familiar. A little bit like what we see at the end of every episode as we get the title of the next one. That can’t be a coincidence.

Whatever this mural is supposed to be about, though, it winds up getting a backseat, as the episode ends with an emergency. Nanahoshi is in worse shape than we thought.

Nanahoshi doesn’t feel so good!

The anime has done a good job of dropping hints that whatever Nanahoshi has been suffering from isn’t normal, but it really starts to gain attention in this episode. She’s coughing a lot more and she looks notably weaker than normal. But it’s the final moments of the episode that make us realize just how dangerous things are.

I knew that this moment was coming, but that didn’t stop me from being just as horrified as Rudy and Sylphie were. That was a lot of blood that Nanahoshi just coughed up. And the look of horror on her face right before she passed out! She was probably thinking that she was going to die. Death can be scary at any age, but she’s still a teenager. A scared teenager who came to this world against her will and just wants to go home. We can’t let her die here!

I Give “The Flying Fortress” a 4/5

LINIA VS PURSENA IN RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , ,

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S3 Ep 7 Review

Ahh, graduation day! One of the most important milestones in any young person’s life! Of course, it’s not Rudeus who’s graduating. He’s got years before that actually happens, and since he lives nearby and Roxy works at Ranoa University, it doesn’t really matter. No, this is the graduation for two of his friends who are getting ready for the next stage of their lives: Linia and Pursena. But it’s a reminder of how time continues to move forward!

Place your bets Folks!

So, Linia and Pursena are finally graduating from Ranoa University. Which in and of itself is a pretty big achievement, because from what we’ve heard, they were so bad in their early days that they could’ve gotten expelled. At least losing to Rudeus gave them a lesson in humility, so I guess it worked out. But before they leave school forever, there’s one loose end that they need to tie up: which of them’s the strongest.

The whole point of Linia and Pursena coming to Ranoa University was to prepare one of them to become the next chieftain of the Beastfolk. They wanted to find a strong man to help them, but all their suitors were too weak to meet their expectations. So, in true delinquent fashion, they decide to settle the succession through a 1v1 fight. Winner gets to go home as heir, the loser can live their own life. And to make it even sweeter, they have Rudy, Zanoba, and Nanahoshi come along to witness it. Which is awesome, because this was one rumble that they didn’t want to miss!

This entire fight was like watching two pro wrestlers or boxers square off against each other, with all the implications that go with that. The two start off by throwing insults at each other, and then they go in for that mutual punch to the face. When Rudy used magic to make a bell and hammer and started doing commentary, I almost lost it. The guy just can’t help but be a goofball sometimes, can he?

We’re gonna see them again. I Know it!

In the end, Pursena comes out on top. In the fight between cat and dog, the dog wins! And with that, the two decide to part ways for good, with Pursena heading home, while Linia deciding to travel and try her hand as a merchant. It’s a very tender, bittersweet moment for the two of them…that then gets immediately ruined when they end up leaving from the same way out of the city. Last we see of them, they’re still arguing like cats and dogs.

By the way, as an aside, I thought you guys should know: according to the Man-God, if Rudy hadn’t gone to Begaritt, the two of them would have tried pursuing him next mating season. Which means that this fight could have turned into one over Rudy.

I’m sure we’ll see them again one day.

WATERMELON!

The back half of the episode, though, focuses on soemthing we haven’t covered in a while: Nanahoshi’s experiments to get home. She hasn’t had that many appearances in the first half of the season, and that’s because she keeps getting sick. It’s not that bad, yet, but she’s so focused on getting home that she has tunnel vision. But the results prove to be worthy it when she and Rudy manage to summon something organic from Earth: a watermelon.

The real win, though, is that this means that Nanahoshi can move on to phase four of her experiments. So everyone gets together to celebrate. And from Rudeus has said, these sorts of parties have become fairly regular and helped them all bond. Which is good, because it’s helping them all have the kind of fulfilling school life that they would want to have. Also, seeing drunk Roxy acting possessive of Rudy is adorable.

And then we come to the bombshell. Nanahoshi says that to proceed with phase four of her experiments, she’s going to seek out her mentor in magic, and she offers to introduce him to Rudeus and the gang. This mentor might also know some secret to returning Zenith back to her old self, sweetening the deal. Who is this mentor, you ask? Perugius Dola, the Armored Dragon God.

DRAMATIC BACKSTORY!

A quick lore dump is in order if you haven’t watched the first two seasons. Four hundred ago, the Demon God Laplace was out for world domination and threatening all of mankind. Thanks to the efforts of Perugius and his comrades, Laplace was defeated and sealed away, but it would not last forever. In the next century or so, Laplace will be reborn. Thus, Perugius has spent the last four centuries in his floating castle with his familiars preparing for the day he would come back. He’s a hero respected all over the world and one of the most powerful and influential people alive. So, he’s a big deal.

This marks the start of a new chapter in Rudeus’ life, and one that will not be as peaceful as what we’ve seen thus far. Things are about to get very crazy as we meet new faces, travel to familiar lands, and crazy things will happen.

https://x.com/OtakuSpirited/status/2076364629404426240?s=20

I Give “Phase Four” a 4/5