Alright geeks n’ nerds. It’s been awhile since we’ve done one of these, so we figured we’d bring it back. Its time for another ‘checkpoint check-in’, cuz’ we’re in the final quarter of 2023. A lot has happened in the anime industry; from new shows debuting this season, to a prime staple (RightStuf) of the anime community closing its doors. This month is not just ‘Spooky Month’, its also the month where ya boys FINALLY return to the anime convention circuit after a three-year hiatus! This weekend we’ll be at StellarCon in Bel Air, MD, and then two weeks later we make a road trip to The Camelback Ski Resort in the Pocono Mountains in PA for PuchiCon. Our convention content has been quite dry since 2020, so we’re hoping we can fix that with these two conventions.
Also as a side note; D&A’s founding member D.J. Lewis is on an occasional appearance schedule both with D&A Anime Blog, and D&A Studios Entertainment’s Youtube channel. This means you won’t see him every week on Youtube or posting on the blog, but he’ll make select appearances (and posts) throughout every month via “Nerdz of the Decade”. In the case of this month, you’ll see him on Youtube more often because we’ve got two conventions instead of one. We’ll keep you posted on when the ‘big guy’ drops by.
That’s it for this check-in. Until next post, stay nerdy! ๐ย
Alright nerds and nerdettes. I honestly didn’t know how to start this post since my last one was…two, or three months ago? (Yeesh!) So I thought it was time to give you guys a status update on what’s next for D&A Anime Blog, and D&A Studios Entertainment going forward. Now I know many of you guys are wondering “When is the ‘Big Guy’ gonna return on Youtube? We only saw him one time about a month ago, and that’s it!”. Yes, it’s true; I did return on Youtube a month ago only to let everybody know what I was up to, but I also said that I would be making appearances on Youtube, occasionally. I don’t want you guys to get the idea that I’m slowly fading to black, because that’s not what’s happening here. Over the past three years, there have been some moments that have happened in my life that really put a lot of things into perspective, and made me think about what my next moves are for D&A as a whole going forward. But before I lay it all out for you guys, I gotta confess something to you…
As much as I love this project that Aaron and I have been on for seven (going on eight) years, I don’t want it to be the only thing people know me for. D&A has done so much for me as not just an individual, but as a partnership with ‘Jr. Hef’ himself. (*chuckles*) This project has allowed me to meet my childhood heroes, collab with Nerdcore Hip-Hop artists, and most recently; create my own ‘Afterparty’ entertainment brand known as “BASSMODE: Nerdz Nite Out”!
Does this mean that with my occasional appearances on Youtube and posting on the blog, that I’m phasing myself away from this project Aaron and I created? No. It means that I’m expanding my creative abilities and attributes, and not pigeonholing myself into one place, and one place only. With only four months of 2023 remaining, its time people knew me for more than just the ‘Big Guy’ on Youtube and Nerdz of the Decade. I’ve got a lot going for me in this season, and I don’t plan on missing out on any opportunities that will enhance and expand my creativity and ideas.
So to wrap this up; I’ll be making Youtube appearances one week before and the week after a convention we’re doing press for, or booked at. With PuchiCon 2023 happening October 21-22, you’ll see me before and after those dates. As for any other dates Aaron will let you know when I’ll make another occasional Youtube appearance, at the end of one of his videos, so stay tuned for that. So to review; you’ll see me twice during a ‘convention month’, and once in a while any other month. Also we’re still looking for contributors for the blog, so if your interested let us know.
It’s been a while now, and Rudeus has adjusted to life at school. Every morning he wakes up, does his exercises, spends time with Zanoba, takes classes, and then does reserach on teleportation while spending time with Sylphie in her alter ego. It’s not the most exciting life, but given what’s happened in both his lives, he’s earned it. However, there’s one problem: Zanoba won’t stop asking him how to make figurines and dolls. And when his normal methods won’t work, Rudy has to resort to means that would be frowned upon in modern life: slavery.
ใOpening Themeใ Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2
Last week, we saw how Rudy reunited with his childhood friend, Sylphie, but was completely oblivious over her true identity. Out of shyness, and a bit of a desire to tease him, Sylphie’s keeping him in the dark for now, but he’s slowly starting to catch on. Everytime he’s in her presence, his heart starts beating faster and he blushes a lot. Since he doesn’t know she’s a girl, though, that just leaves him confused about his preferences in romance.
Sexuality aside, seeing Rudeus and Sylphie have the chance to enjoy the school life they always wanted is genuinely endearing. After all the hell they went through, they’re able to live a semi-normal life, even if only for a short while. At this rate, Sylphie will be in the running for 2023 waifu of the year.
Zanoba Really, Really Likes Dolls
Zanoba is like the Mushoku Tensei equivalent of Pygmalion. In Greek mythology, he was a sculptor who shunned the company of women in favor of his craft, until he fell in love with his masterpiece and she was brought to life by the gods. Given how his superhuman strength prevents him from making meaningful connections with others, it’s understandable why Zanoba would be in a similar boat.
At any rate, despite his desire to create dols and figurines, Zanoba’s strength makes it impossible for him to with his own two hands. Feeling bad for his student, and at the advice of Sylphie, they decide to go recruit some outside help to teach magic and aid Zanoba in his work. As an aside, the way Sylphie asks to come along makes the entire thing sound akin to a date, something that Rudy remains ignorant to.
Here’s the catch: they don’t go to hire someone. They go to buy a slave.
Slavery is a common staple in the Isekai genre and like it or hate it, it doesn't erase the fact that stories shouldn't shy away from sensitive topics. Granted, most are surface level in execution but here it's tackled with overall purpose. pic.twitter.com/WnQULFGpj5
No one needs to be told in the modern day that slavery is bad; it’s a moral drummed into our heads since childhood. However, before we judge Rudeus and Zanoba for buying a slave, it’s important to remember the context:
This is in a world where slavery continues to exist. Rudeus may not like it, but he knows it’s impossible for him to get rid of it, even if he had an army.
Given who Rudeus and Zanoba are, whoever they get would be a slave in name only. In truth, they’d be an assistant, or partner and treated as such.
Given how they’re looking for a young child to teach skills such as reading, writing, and magic, as well as providing with everything a child would need, they’d be better off with them than they would otherwise.
In the end, the trio ends up purchasing a little dwarf girl. Since she doesn’t have a name, they choose to name her Juliette, or Julie, after Zanoba’s late baby brother. However, here’s where Rudeus’ empathy comes into play again. When they first meet Julie, Rudy sees right away that she’s given up on life. That was the mindset he had in his first life, and the one he’s trying to overcome since Eris left him. So he helps her in the best way possible, by making her say she wants to live.
This is what makes Rudeus a good protagonist. He knows what it’s like to feel like everything’s hopeless. Thus, he knows the best ways to give people the will to live again. This time, it ends up gaining him and Zanoba what amounts to a little sister. She’ll be good for Zanoba, in particular.
Yet another good episode, even if it was a bit slow. Then again, much like in real life, it’s the slower moments people may remember the best.
ใEnding Themeใ Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2
So, if you’ve been watching the new season ofย Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, you’ll know that Rudeus’ going to school. He’s got a free ride into the best magic school in the world, and he doesn’t have to attend classes if he doesn’t want to. The only mandatory course is homeroom with the other special students, and he’s either met or has indirect connections to them. One classmate, though, makes it clear from the get-go that he doesn’t like him: Cliff Grimoire. And the crazy thing is that Rudeus hasn’t done anything wrong to him; he’s never met the guy. Yet Cliff hates him anyway.
There are several reasons why Cliff’s got an axe to grind with Rudeus. However, All of them stem back to an incident several years ago that I didn’t cover in my first season recap. An incident covered in a 2022 OVA starring the resident tsundere, Eris. Since Cliff will be a VIP in Rudeus’ life from here on out, it seems fitting that I backtrack and recap this in full. Gather around, and you shall hear the tale of “Goblin Slayer Eris Greyrat or: How I Pulled Up on an Arrogant Brat and Gave Him a Reality Check.”
From the Streets Did He Emerge
So, backstory time. Cliff was born to a loving family in Milis, only for them to get murdered by bandits. Thus, he wandered the streets of Millishon as an orphan, alone and sad. Then one day, the Pope of the Millis Church, AKA this world’s version of the Catholic Church, found and adopted him. And before you question how that can happen, there’s no rule about Catholic Priests and Nuns adopting kids. So, that’s good for him.
Now that he’s the grandson of religious royalty, Cliff gets the finest things life offers. He’s got the best clothes, food, tutors, the works. So he starts learning how to magic, and he’s good at it. Everyone’s telling him that he’s a magical genius. It has nothing to do with the fact that he’s the Pope’s grandson and a likely candidate to become Pope in the future!
So, since he’s a kid, Cliff lets this praise go to his head. This becomes a problem when he sets out to try adventuring for the first time.
You Shouldn’t Have Made Eris Mad, Cliff!
So, you might recall when Dead End made it to Millishon. While Rudeus was dealing with all that stuff with his Dad, Eris went on a solo adventure. Ever since she was little, she had this dream of hunting goblins. And now that she was older and more robust, she wanted to scratch this item off her bucket list. So she goes to the local guild and takes up the goblin-slaying quest when she notices Cliff arguing with this adventuring party. He keeps trying to get them to let him join their party, and, remember, he’s got an attitude. He thinks he’s hot stuff, and they should feel honored he’s offering to help them. That only makes them mad, and they’re about to fight when Eris steps in and talks them down.
Does Cliff thank Eris for helping him out? No, the ungrateful kid snaps at her for butting in and tells her not to stick her ugly face in stuff that doesn’t concern her. Big mistake. Eris, being Eris, responds the same way she does to anyone who makes her mad: punching their lights out! Even Rudeus, one of the people she listens to, isn’t safe from this mad dog!
Eris Tells Cliff, “You not that guy, Pal.”
So, for whatever reason, Cliff does a total 180 after getting punched by Eris and starts following her around, saying he’s sorry and how impressed he was with that punch. So he keeps trying to talk her into letting him join her on her mission and bragging about how great he is. Eris, barely pays attention to him, though, since she’s not impressed. She can tell from a glance that Rudeus is more potent than this guy. But since he keeps following her like a stray puppy, she relents.
She soon regrets this because Cliff proves he’s weaker than he thinks. He is strong; it’s just that she knows Rudeus is stronger and wiser, so she’s not impressed. And all his attempts to prove otherwise backfire. He burns the goblins, so they can’t bring back proof. He gets them lost in the woods. He’s not that guy, and Eris lets him know it.
So, eventually, they come across this group in the woods. On one side is this knight of the Millis church and this little shrine girl she’s guarding. On the other side are these Papal assassins. Eris doesn’t know this, but there’s a power struggle in the Millis Church. The side the night and girl are on is anti-Demon and Beastmen, while the Pope’s side promotes co-existence. However, Eris doesn’t know this, so while Cliff watches, she jumps in and wastes the assassins. Who also happen to be some of Cliff’s teachers. Cliff just watched his teachers die!
Again, Cliff is not that guy!
So, after getting punched, talked down to, and watching this girl kill his teachers without realizing it, is Cliff mad? Does he swear revenge for everything that happened? No; as soon as they get back to town with that knight and girl, the first thing that Cliff says is :
“Will you please marry me?”
Yes, that’s right! Despite hitting him in the face with a hard dose of reality, Cliff doesn’t hate Eris. He’s got a crush on her! Eris’ response? “Absolutely not!” And poor Cliff can’t understand why. He doesn’t get why she’d reject a genius like him. She responds that he’s not that guy; Rudeus is that guy.
Eris then goes into this whole spiel about how amazing Rudeus is. He might be younger and smaller than her, but he’s smarter, can do magic without incantations, and is just an all-around badass and future CHAD. She probably throws in a remark saying he’s better-looking than Cliff, too, and will likely be a total chick magnet when he’s older.
Hearing all of this, it doesn’t take too long for Cliff to realize that Eris is in love with Rudeus. And compared to someone like him, he’s got no chance in Hell. Thus, Cliff heads home to sulk and think about the heavy dose of reality he just got.
Cliff Grimoire Be Hating Rudeus
So, in a single day, Cliff realized that there was someone better at magic than him, got rejected by his crush, and had three of his teachers die. In other words, he got hit with a heavy dose of reality. But the one thing that Cliff can’t stop thinking about is Rudeus, this guy he’s never even met. He’s jealous of him, not just because of Eris, but because he’s better at magic than him. And that resentment stays with him for years.
Now, the bad news. Thanks to Eris’ meddling and saving that shrine girl, the anti-Demon faction in the Millis Church got stronger. Power struggles ensue, and since he’s the Pope’s grandson, Cliff’s a target. Thus, his grandfather sends him to Ranoa University to train and learn in peace. And that’s when Rudeus shows up in their classroom one day.
And that’s why Cliff hates Rudeus from the get-go. However, that doesn’t mean he’s going to hate him forever. Cliff Grimoire will become one of Rudeus’ most significant allies in life. You’ll just have to wait and see what happens, though.
It’s the end of the world, there are zombies around every corner, and the future of mankind is in doubt. But if you’ve spent three years of working in a hellish job like Akira has, you don’t care. You’re just happy to be free to do whatever you want now. As Akira navigates life in the zombie apocalypse, he remains happy as ever, caring only about his own wants. He’s essentially the antithesis of Takashi from High School of the Dead. However, he soon runs into a woman who fits more in line with the mentality of HOTD. Enter Shizuka, who, despite her cold nature, might be in the running for top waifu of 2023.
Akira Makes Homer Simpson Proud
While the rest of Japan (and probably the world) are freaking out over the zombie apocalypse, Akira’s enjoying his job-free life. He finally cleans his apartment, throws his trash out onto the zombies below, and his only plans are to sit back and drink some beer. It’s the kind of attitude that would make Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin proud…until he runs out of beer. Thus, Akira’s first day off gets cut short when he has to go on a beer run through his zombie-infested neighborhood.
In real life, the last thing people should care about in a disaster is having enough beer to drink. As if to contrast this, the episode introduces viewers to Akira’s neighbors who react to things more realistically: they’re panicking and don’t know what to do. Then Akira shows up, casually climbing down a pipe with a smile, and they’re dumbfounded. The contrast makes the moment work as a black comedy.
As lovely as it is to see someone remain so cheerful despite the world going to Hell, the episode introduces us to someone whose demeanor is Akira’s polar opposite: Shizuka Mikazuki.
Shizuka, the No-Nonsense Survivalist to Akira’s Fool
When first introduced to Shizuka, the anime depicts her from Akira’s perspective. She’s young, intelligent, attractive, and utterly serious about how things are now. She criticizes how foolish it is for Akira to risk his life to get something non-essential to survival and refuses to give him her contact information. She doesn’t mention her name in the episode; I had to look it up afterward. But after showing Akira’s return home from his beer run, the episode does something interesting. It shifts perspectives to depict how Shizuka’s handling things.
The contrast between the two couldn’t be more significant. Unlike Akira, Shizuka’s living in a high-rise apartment where she’s got a home treadmill to stay in shape. She’s constantly trying to contact other people to determine how widespread things are. Her tv’s always playing every zombie flick or show in existence to help her understand what she’s dealing with. She’s a smart and dedicated woman determined to survive the apocalypse and is more than capable of doing so.
Here’s the unspoken question that the anime’s asking about Shizuka, though: is she happy?
Happiness is Most Important in Bleakest of Times
When faced with a catastrophic event like a natural disaster or a nuclear meltdown, the last thing most people think about is being happy. They’re more focused on staying alive, which is only natural, and waiting for things to return to normal. Here’s the thing, though: what if returning to normalcy could take months or even years? What if things can never return to a standard of normalcy? Staying constantly focused on survival in something like a zombie apocalypse can be mentally taxing to even the strongest-willed people. We’ve already seen a recent example of how people react to a globally-disruptive event like COVID-19, and how that put people under a lot of stress. Dealing with that every day can make people bitter and cynical at best, or break them altogether. Yet Akira’s happier than ever.
The thing about Akira that Shizuka doesn’t understand is that he understands the importance of being happy, especially when things are at their bleakest. While his actions are reckless, his desire to follow his new bucket list (which we see him write this episode) does wonders for his mental health. If he survives to see the zombie virus cured, he’ll come out of things far better than someone like Shizuka. She’ll be even more bitter and cynical than she already is, and some of her seems to understand that. Surviving is important, but so is remembering to have fun.
So, I stand by my assertion: Shizuka has the potential to be a top-tier waifu for 2023. She may be cold and cynical initially, but that will likely change as the series continues. Given how she’s in the opening and ending, it’s a given that she’ll run into Akira again. Once she opens up some more, fans will start clamoring for her.
Over the years, there have been a lot of takes on the Man of Steel. Some have stood the test of time, like Christopher Reeves’ live-action version or the animated version from the DCAU. However, few, if any, are like the incarnation found in Adult Swim’s new series, My Adventures With Superman. Instead of their usual depictions, we get quirky, funny, and downright endearing versions of Superman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen. In addition, much of the show’s style takes influence from anime, proving the medium’s continued popularity worldwide.
I’m RJ Writing Ink, and here are five reasons why you should watch My Adventures With Superman, especially if you’re a fan of Shonen anime!
The Boys Jack Quaid Plays Clark Kent to Adorkable Perfection
The irony!
Over the years, many people have gotten the chance to play Superman in various mediums, from live-action to animated video games. However, the fact that this series sees him voiced by Jack Quaid brings a new adjective to mind: ironic. For those who don’t know, Jack Quaid’s most famous for playing Hugh Campbell in the live-action Amazon Prime series, The Boys. That show’s infamous for essentially being the anti-superhero show, complete with a corrupted version of Superman himself.
So far, Jack Quaid is nailing his role as Superman, but not as the confident man of tomorrow that everyone knows. Instead, this Clark Kent is a lovable, socially awkward, gentle giant. He gets embarrassed when he can’t control his strength, freaks out when he thinks people see him using his powers, and can’t stop blushing around Lois. In other words, he’s adorkable!
This Show’s Version of Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen is a Breath of Fresh Air
Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are, and always have been, two of the most influential people in Superman’s life. The former is a tough-as-nails reporter who is Superman’s great love and biggest supporter. The latter is an intrepid photographer who serves as Superman’s best friend. The versions found in the show, though, aren’t like any seen before.
Firstly, besides the change in ethnicity, this Jimmy Olsen serves as Clark Kent’s best friend and roommate. He also happens to be a conspiracy theorist who thinks the world’s stranger than most people think (and he’s right!). As for Lois, she’s what anime fans call a ‘genki girl.’ She’s confident, energetic, and a tomboy who wears her emotions on her sleeve. Between the two of them, is it any wonder that fans are reminded of Luz and Gus from The Owl House?
Speaking of which…
The Show Brought in fans from The Owl House
From the moment the promo images for the show were released, the Internet started making comparisons. Let me explain.
The Owl House was a popular Disney cartoon from 2020 to April 2023. It was about a confident, self-assured girl who wound up in a world of Demons and Witches, which inspires her to stay to become a Witch herself. Among the friends, she makes is a young boy named Gus, who has a huge fascination with Humans, who are considered weird by his world’s standards.
So, a confident, energetic girl and a guy interested in things people consider weird. Suppose that sounds like Lois and Jimmy, plenty of fans have noticed that, too. On top of the fact that Lois and Jimmy look like adult versions of Luz and Gus, it’s no wonder that fans of The Owl House have flocked to My Adventures With Superman. With a sizeable fandom, these comparisons could ensure the series’ long-term success. That helps The Owl House fans cope with that show getting cut short due to Disney’s foolishness.
This Version of Superman Starts Not Knowing His Heritage
Most versions of Superman either start with the Man of Steel already aware of his Kryptonian heritage or soon discover it themselves. While that holds in MAWS, there’s a big difference for this version of Clark Kent. While he’s aware that he’s not human, a language barrier prevents him from fully understanding his Kryptonian Heritage when he finds what brought him to Earth. As a result, he’s left clueless about who he is going into his life in Metropolis.
We have a rare opportunity to see a Superman stumbling as he tries to figure out who, or what, he is. The show can frame it as part of this big, overarching mystery it can dive into as it progresses. While fans know the general outcome regarding what Clark will eventually learn, it will still be fun to see Clark and his friend’s reactions as they learn more about him.
It Wears its Anime Influences on its Sleeve.
The last time Superman had his cartoon show, anime was still a niche medium making its way to the West. Fast forward to the present day, though, and it’s not only firmly entrenched in Western culture but also serves as a big influence for Western Cartoons. Be it in themes or art styles, anime has seeped its way into Western Cartoons, and MAWS is a glorious by-product of that.
Firstly, we have the art style that the series uses. Besides being visually pleasing, the show also frequently uses the vivid facial expressions regularly found in anime. Secondly, the moments when Superman powers up are reminiscent of a Shonen hero unleashing their designated super form. The biggest example of all, though, is when Superman first receives his iconic costume. The entire sequence is ripped straight from the legendary Sailor Moon transformation. Look me in the eye and tell me that that doesn’t scream anime!
If that’s not convincing enough, series producer Jake Wyatt admitted in an interview to being a big fan of Toonami and Dragon Ball. Considering how Goku wound up being partially inspired by Superman himself, it makes the Shonen anime influence all the more poetic.
If this hasn’t convinced you to go watch this show, then I don’t know what will. You are missing out! Also, Lois Lane is now the Waifu of 2023 until further notice!
Alright. So from last week’s post, you guys are aware that I made my return to our Youtube channel, as well as the blog itself. The only major change was that fact that I would only be posting occasionally, as well as making occasional appearances on Youtube. That’s great news, right? Well yes, and no. Since making my “seemingly” farewell post on March 31st; thanking all of our fans and followers for making D&A Anime Blog what it is, it left me with time to think about the future of this project. I don’t think I’ll ever grow bored or tired of anime, because if I did, this project would’ve ended a long time ago.
I think now in the seven (going on eight) years that we’ve been active in the anime community, as well as the convention circuit, there are functioning aspects about D&A that I fear will put us on the path to a slow death. I’m not trying to scare you guys into thinking that D&A won’t be able to function at 100% capacity, now that I’ve pulled back on consistency. However at this stage of the game I got to be honest; we really need help!ย
Yep…we need help.
Growing a business also comes with growing pains, and in our case, D&A is growing at a rate that we might not be able to keep up in the long term. So what exactly do we need help with? Well, I’m gonna tell you.
#1. Writers and Contributors
Since stepping away, the rate of content that we produce for the blog has declined over recent months. At the time, I was the only writer producing articles and reviews just to keep the consistent flow of content going. However it was only accelerating my burnout, which in turn led to making a post about needing more writers and contributors to help produce content for us. From first glance I get that we ‘look’ like a high profile article print/publishing company, but that’s only on the outside. We are nothing but a staff of two guys who really love anime, Japanese culture, Marvel, and DC comics, and want to talk about it whenever we want. Our only problem now is the fact that for many writers, you have to pay them. (They do a lot of work, so they should be paid.) Which leads us into our second biggest issue.
#2. Revenue
There are so many ways you can make money as a blogger despite it being only passive income. We tried generating enough content and promotion to help land us 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours. (The subs we got, but the watch hours…not so much.) So we looked into other ways to try and make some revenue for this project, in order to cover operational costs and upgrades to on-site equipment for press coverage of conventions. Recently we’ve finally opened up our own merch store and got a couple new affiliates to try and generate enough revenue to keep us operating, but that’s just it – it’s only enough to keep us operating.
We want to make more revenue to provide compensation for our writers and contributors as a way to thank them, plus there are some other projects that we want to work on to help expand our brand’s presence within the community, and to other conventions everywhere. We’re really limited in the things we want to do, so if you guys want to see more quality content (and even exclusive content), you can send us a donation on the D&A Donations page, or by so merch from our store. Every little bit helps.
#3. Convention Content
Cons are expensive, there’s no other way I can say it. Because of the pandemic, a lot of our local cons have either dissolved or moved to other states. The average con goer is probably looking at $750-$1000 at best to go to a 3-day convention in 2023; depending where that convention is located, the hotel that they’re staying in, badge cost, etc. Its gotten harder for us to try and provide convention content for you guys due to the rise of prices, and lack of revenue. So we’ve been working on trying to get guest bookings in hopes of elevating half, or all of the cost of getting to these conventions. This will not only help us produce more convention content, but also expand our brand as a whole.
To close this out; D&A has become something special to both me and Aaron, and although many people have stated that we have so much potential, we’re also in dire need of help to reach our full potential. So if you’re out there and you like blogging about nerdy stuff, or want to become a part of our project, subscribe to our blog and social media platforms, and even send us a donation or by some merch.
A Candid Recap of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Pt. 4
Last time on Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Rudeus and Eris got sucked into this giant pillar of light that sent them across the world to the deadly Demon Continent. With no other choice but to make the long trip back home, they fall under the care of this super-strong Demon named Ruijerd, the so-called last of the Superd Demons seeking to clear his people’s violent name. As their journey spans across continents, they see untold wonders and experience great joy and hardship. After unexpectedly reuniting with his old man, Rudeus learns that the teleportation incident yeeted their entire home, with many of his and Eris’ family still missing; not to mention his best friend, Sylphie!
Despite this, Rudeus decides he still needs to get himself and Eris home. After that, he’ll help in the search for his missing family. Thus begins the final leg of Rudeus’ globe-trotting journey in the final part of our recap of the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.
Saving His Little Sister
Turns out Rudeus doesn’t need to wait long to start looking for his family. He gets another visit from, you guessed it, the Man-God! That weird guy gives Rudeus some traveling advice, telling him, “Hey, man. You oughta head to the Shirone Kingdom on your way home. That’s where you’ll find Lilia and Aisha.” And last he heard, Roxy was tutoring the Prince of Shirone, so he thinks it’s his chance to reunite with his beloved teacher. However, he is told to use an alias, though.
Things go off the rails pretty quickly, though. He finds Aisha (who is way smarter than I remember 6-year-olds being,) running from the royal guards. Naturally, he performs his big brother duties and saves her, only to discover that Man-God was right with his advice. Aisha’s so smart that she managed to locate his “Holy Relic” from Roxy, and pegged the brother she’s never met as a pervert. Ouch! It’s one thing to hear it from Eris, but from your own sister? That’s sad, Rudeus!
At any rate, Aisha’s been trying to get a message out to Paul for months without success, so Rudeus decides, “Bet. I’mma head in there, find Roxy, and she’ll help clear this up.”
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Yeah, it doesn’t work. Turns out the Prince of Shirone, Pax Shirone, is holding Lilia hostage along with the families of his guards. And all of this is part of some convoluted scheme to lure Roxy back. She quit years ago because Pax was pervy as Rudeus is. Unlike him, who worships Roxy as this holy god, Pax just wants her back to make her his unwilling baby mama. And he’s the same age as Rudeus! How messed up is that? And he takes Rudeus prisoner in an anti-magic force field.
Thankfully, this is where Rudeus years of working with earth magic as a side gig comes in handy. A few years ago, Rudeus sold this high-quality figurine of Roxy. And I mean super high-quality. We’re talking collectible-worthy. And to Roxy’s dismay, Pax got his hands on it, but it wound up in the hands of his older half-brother, Zanoba. He’s a Blessed Child, which is a layperson term for someone with extraordinary power; in his case, super strength that would make Sakura Haruno jealous. The downside is that it leaves him unable to experience the sensation of touch, his social skills are nonexistent…and he could kill someone by accident.
No, seriously. He accidentally killed one of his younger brothers, and did the same thing to his wife!
Gaining a Fanboy
Now, Zanoba describes the Roxy doll that Rudeus made down to the most minute detail. And this is one of the funniest scenes in the series, because this man is talking it up like it’s the dang Venus de Milo or David of Michaelangelo. The whole thing sounds like a promotion for an actual figurine the studio’s putting out (and it is!) Seeing this grown man gush over something reminds Rudeus of being an artist or celebrity at a fan convention getting to see their fans drool over them. And once Zanoba confirms that Rudy made the doll, he decides he’s gonna call him his master. Except…the barrier. So Zanoba goes, “Bet. I’m gonna go sort this out. Be back in five minutes.”
Spongebob Narrator: A Few Minutes Later…
So, Zanoba just wastes Pax’s guards like they’re ragdolls, grabs the guy out of his bed, and drags his butt down to where he’s holding Rudeus and demands he let the boy go! Otherwise, he will crush his skull! Zero hesitation here, people!!
It works, though. Between that and Eris and Rujerd breaking in and resolving things with the guards, who, I might add, have their families held hostage by Pax, the whole thing comes to an end. Pax and Zanoba, though, are exiled.
So, after this, Rudeus has found two of his missing family members, and both are grateful to him for it. Lilia even gives him some belated 10th birthday presents: the box with Roxy’s “Holy Relic” in it, and a necklace that sweet Sylphie made for him. With the two now safe, they head off to reunite with Paul and Norn, and Aisha tells Rudeus “Sorry I called you a pervert, big brother!”
…Yeah, she knew who he was the whole time. Dang, that kid’s smart!
Rudeus got Sephiroth’d…
Now, by this point, Rudeus, Eris, and Ruijerd have been traveling for about two, two-and-a-half years, and they’re finally reaching the end of their journey. They’ve had their ups and downs, and fair share of hardships and fun, but they’ve come out of it on top. So, by now, they’re feeling pretty confident in themselves. Heck, Eris even gets Ruijerd to acknowledge her as a warrior. That’s when the story takes another 180 and reminds everyone, viewers included, that things can change in a fraction of a second. In this case, the party of Dead End…gets Sephiropth’d.
They’re traveling on this mountain pass when Eris and Ruijerd suddenly freeze up in complete terror at this man coming their way. This man, this white-haired, sword-wielding man accompanied by a teenage girl in a mask, walks right past them, and the two look ready to wet themselves! Rudeus, though, just gets confused and wondering why they’re freaked out by this edgelord; or why he seems to know who Eris and Ruijerd are. He doesn’t know it, but he’s just met Orsted, the strongestbeingin the world. The man’s so terrifying, he’s literally cursed to make everyone who meets him want to wet themselves in terror!
And what happens next…can barely be described in words. When Rudeus brings up the name “Man-God,” Orsted goes full-blown Sephiroth. He proceeds to fold Ruijerd in seconds, slaps Eris into the mountainside, and proceeds to royally cook Rudeus. And then Orsted says, “Give the Man-God a message from me when you die. Tell him Orsted’s coming for him.” And then…Rudeus dies. He actually dies.
And the next thing he knows, he’s back with the Man-God, who says “Oh, yeah, sorry you got caught up in that. Me and old Orsted have beef with each other, I won’t bore you with the details. My bad!” But then, something crazier happens. Rudeus wakes up alive. After he died, Orsted’s friend, Nanahoshi, talked him into saving his life for reasons they couldn’t understand. But all Rudeus knows is how glad he is to be alive, and Eris is just holding him in her lap, bawling her eyes out over the fact that the guy she likes almost died in front of her, and she couldn’t do jack to stop it.
And thus, the second turning point in Rudeus’ second life ends.
…Came Home to Find it Gone…
After all of this, the trio finally makes it home to the Fittoa region, and just like Paul said, the whole place is in ruins. Most of the people are gone or still missing, and Rudeus’ hometown is abandoned. Rudeus finally sees home again, only for it to no longer exist. But now that they’re back and able to fend for themselves, Ruijerd bids them farewell. He has to continue his mission of finding other Superd’s and clearing his people’s good name.
When Rudeus and Eris make it to Eris’ former home, it’s no better. The good news is that Ghislaine and her other servant Alphonse survived, but that’s about it. Tragically, Eris’ parents wound up in a dangerous place, and by the time Ghislaine reached them, they were already dead. Her grandpa survived, but some sleazy politicians used him as a scapegoat for the whole disaster and had him executed for that. In other words, Eris has no family left. Rudeus is all that she has left in the world.
What happens next remains a massive controversy. Later that night, while contemplating what to do next, Rudeus finds Eris showing up in his tent and telling him she turned 15 recently. She’s an adult now, and there’s only one thing she wants: for Rudeus to be her family.
Remember the promise they made on his 10th birthday? Eris doesn’t want to wait another two years. She wants Rudeus now.
…And Then Gets Walked out On.
Now, this is where Rudeus shows just how far he’s come since he started his second life. Because, at one point, he would’ve jumped at this opportunity with no hesitation. But now he’s gotten the chance to emotionally mature enough to appreciate what Eris is offering him. And he’s smart enough to recognize that Eris is likely jumping the gun on this as a means to A.) cope with the fact that her family’s gone and he’s all she has left. And Rudeus says, “Eris, look. As much as I would love to take you up on that, we can’t. It’s not how our first time should go!” But Eris managed to roll a Nat 20 on feminine charm for that night, and despite Rudeus’ brain saying this is a bad idea…his heart won’t listen. And on that night, Rudeus and Eris both became adults.
When Rudeus wakes up the following day, he’s on cloud nine. Even with how his home’s in ruins, he’s got himself a girlfriend that he loves and thinks they will be together forever! But then, when Rudeus is at his happiest, he experiences one of the absolute worst things that he could ever experience. As he goes back inside the tent, thinking about important stuff, like all the dates they’ll go on, their wedding, what to name their kids. Except…Eris is not there. All he finds is a pile of her hair and a short letter saying they’re not compatible right now and she’s leaving on a journey.
…
…
…
…
…Did Rudeus just get dumped?
Eris Fs Up. BIG TIME
Now, before we start hating on Eris, let me explain.
So, Eris did mean every word she said about wanting Rudeus to be her family. She had fallen for him a long time ago, and if he had told her that they should elope, she would’ve without a second thought. But after Rudeus fell asleep beside her after sharing their first times, she realized that what happened…wasn’t healthy. Learning her family was dead, coupled with the chance that he might leave her to find his Mom and Sylphie, and multiplied by watching him almost die in front of her…she panicked. She didn’t want to lose Rudeus, so she did all this to keep that from happening. But then she realized, “Oh my God, what did I just do? I just tried to baby-trap my man to keep him from walking out on me. That is so messed up. WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!” It was that same co-dependency thing that made Paul split Rudeus and Sylphie up for a few years. It’s not healthy, and would hold them both back.
So, Eris came to a decision. She was going to go with Ghislaine and have an anime training arc for the next few years to get stronger. Strong enough not to have to rely on Rudeus to protect her anymore and stand by his side as his equal in life.
Now, nobody can fault Eris for doing all of this. She’s doing it to protect her man, which is understandable. But here’s the thing: firstly, she doesn’t tell Rudeus this face-to-face. She knows if she does, he’ll talk her out of it, so she writes a letter to him, hence the letter. Also understandable. However, instead of explaining all these complicated thoughts and emotions like she should, her bright idea is to write a letter that says “Right now, we’re not compatible, so I’m leaving on a journey.” That’s all she wrote. Like an idiot. Like a 15-year-old idiot who thinks that Rudeus would be smart enough to figure that stuff out on his own.
Morgan Freeman: Eris didn’t know it, but it was at this point…she f*cked up.
Not only does Rudeus not understand it, he thinks he just got dumped. Anyone would come to that conclusion after reading a letter like that. What were you thinking, Eris!?!?
Picking Himself Up and Starting Over Again
So, Rudeus has spent the entirety of his second life trying to better himself. He started off as a scumbag, but he learned from his first life and actually grew to be a better person. He even faced his fears of the outside world, met all sorts of new people, and thought he got a girlfriend. And where has that left him? His home’s gone, his mom and childhood friend are missing, and the girl he gave his first time to seemingly walked out on him.
So, just like that, Rudeus finds himself falling into the same trap that ruined him in his first life. He shuts himself off from the world, doing nothing but eating and sleeping as he wallows in self-pity. For real, what the heck was Eris thinking? She just broke his heart and left him when he needed people the most!
But this time, things are different. Even though he just wants to shut himself off from the world right now, Rudy remembers his family from both his lives. He shut himself off from his parents and siblings, and he let every chance to make things better slip by until it was too late. So, even though he got his heart broken, he’s not making the same mistake twice. Not while his mom and Sylphie are still out there waiting to be found! So what does he do? He picks himself back up, grabs his staff and his stuff, and leaves what’s left of Fittoa to find his mom, and hopefully, Sylphie.
And that is where the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation ends.
Mushoku Tensei is Isekai at its Finest
Now, say what you want about the Isekai genre and how it is everywhere these days. The medium of Japanese Cartoons are dealing with an overpopulation problem. It’s gotten to the point where Western Audiences are either sick of watching it, or hate-watch to call it trash. With that in mind, those not in the know would write Mushoku Tensei off as yet another piece of Isekai garbage. The thing is, it’s not.
Firstly, Mushoku Tensei was one of the early pioneers of the wave of Isekai that’s been hitting anime for the last decade. A lot of the tropes, plot devices, and the like that people complain are done to death in Isekai these days? Mushoku Tensei was one of the ones that made all that a thing. And if you look closely, you’ll see that it did this stuff better than a lot of the stuff that’s followed in its wake. All the stuff people call “Isekai Trash” tries to copy the success of Mushoku Tensei, Sword Art Online, Re:Zero, and the like. More importantly, though, Mushoku Tensei avoids the trap that a lot of Isekai fall into: world-building and character development.
Yes, the story starts out slow before getting into the big adventure, but it does this because it takes the time to develop the world and the characters who inhabit it into real people. More importantly, the main protagonist, Rudeus, doesn’t start out as another stock light novel hero who’s an instant ace and whose past life doesn’t matter. What happened in Rudeus’ first life shapes who he starts out as and who he wants to grow beyond, and despite his best efforts, he doesn’t always succeed. It takes him years to grow out of his perverted scumbag mindset, and even then, he’s still got that pervy aspect to him. Plus, he experiences just as much hardship as he does joy. This second life of his isn’t easy, but that’s the whole point. When it comes down to it, Mushoku Tensei is a story about life, and learning to appreciate it for all its worth. Even bad experiences can have value, not just the good.
So, yeah, Mushoku Tensei is what Isekai should aspire to be. This stuff’s good.
Season 2 Drops July 2nd, 2023
Now, the story of Rudeus Greyrat is not over, far from it. The light novel series it’s adapting is 25 volumes long, and so far, it’s only adapted up to the end of Volume 6. So, if each season has a similar amount of episodes and covers the same number of volumes…that’s about 4-5 seasons of this. Be ready for the long haul.
Fortunately, we’re in luck. The trailer for the new season dropped on Crunchyroll’s YouTube channel recently. According to it, the new season starts July 2nd, and it will see Rudeus embark on a new journey, meeting new and familiar faces. And more importantly, trying to get over what happened with Eris. I will review it, so be sure to check back in when the time comes.
My Clueless First Friend Initial Review by RJ Writing Ink
Have you ever had that one friend that’s so different from you? You question why your friend’s in the first place. Or you’ve seen a show about a gloomy person who has a super happy and upbeat person decide to be friends with them? Better yet, have you seen fictional protagonists who can win over the most closed-off people by being so kind, no matter how dumb they are? Combine all those concepts into one, and you get the anime “My Clueless First Friend.”
The result: something so hilarious, sweet, and heartwarming that you can’t help but smile!
The Shy Grim Reaper and the Embodiment of Kindness
My Clueless First Friend revolves around Akane Nishimura, this shy Elementary School girl. Because of how creepy her eyes look, everyone makes jokes about her, saying that she’s a “Grim Reaper” and that if they hang around her, they’ll get cursed! As a result, she has no friends and is very lonely in her life.
One day, a new transfer student, Taiyo Takada, this hyperactive, extroverted bundle of energy, shows up and hears about her nickname. His response? “THAT’S THE COOLEST THING EVER!!!!” Thus, Takada latches onto Nishimura like glue, becomes her first friend, and helps to bring her out of her lonely shell.
And for a long time, he’s convinced that Nishimura’s an actual Grim Reaper! He’s so clueless that any attempts to make him understand this go through one ear and out the other.
Taiyo Takada, the CHAD Chuunibyo
To understand the thought process of someone like Taiyo Takada, one must understand what a ‘Chuunibyo’ is. A Chuunibyo, or ‘chuuni’, is a kid who usually acts all high-and-mighty, makes dramatic speeches about stuff, and may or may not believe they have special powers. Now, Taiyo himself would be a loose example of this. While he’s prone to being melodramatic and wears his emotions on his sleeve, he doesn’t think he has special powers. However, after hearing everyone call Akane a Grim Reaper, he’s convinced she does. And where other kids find that scary, he thinks that’s the coolest thing in the world.
It gets even crazier from there. No matter how many times people try to bully him for hanging out with Akane, he doesn’t let it get to him. He’s so pure-hearted that he fails to grasp the idea that someone’s insulting him or Akane. As a result, he takes every bad thing someone says as a compliment, throwing said bullies so far off their game they just leave.
In other words, Taiyo’s a clueless idiot. But he’s also the best friend anyone could ever ask to have, especially Akane. He doesn’t even realize it, but it’s clear early on that he’s gotten Akane to fall for him. I love this kid! It helps that his dub VA is Madeline Morris, who also does Rudeus for Mushoku Tensei.
Akane Nishimura, the Cutest Introvert You’ll Ever Meet
On the other end of the duo, we have Akane Nishimura, the girl everyone calls the Grim Reaper. Because of the way her eyes look, her classmates cruelly taunt her and give her that nickname, not wanting anything to do with her. As a result, she’s never had any friends, to the point where she lies to her Dad about her school life so he won’t worry. She even tries to tell Taiyo not to hang out with her since she knows everyone else will bully him for it.
So when all the hints fly over Taiyo’s friend, and he keeps taking that “Grim Reaper” stuff as compliments, she’s thrown for a loop. And the more and more he turns those insults into compliments, the more amazed she gets. It’s pretty clear early on that she’s fallen for him because she won’t stop blushing whenever he says something nice about her. Takada takes the cruel nickname she has and turns it into a term of endearment. This is good because it’s eventually revealed that Nishimura thinks her nickname’s appropriate for sadder reasons.
*Minor Spoiler Warning to Follow*
It’s revealed a few episodes into the show that Nishimura’s Mom died when she was young. To be more precise, she died shortly after giving birth to Akane. While none of her family blames her for it and showers her with love because they know that’s what her mom would want, Akane can’t help but blame herself. She thinks she’s taken her Mom’s place, and it’s why she never liked the Grim Reaper nickname. And poor Taiyo! When he finds that out, he thinks he’s been a horrible person calling her the Grim Reaper.
Clueless First Friend is Such a Sweet and Heartwarming Anime
This is another spoiler, but Akane eventually tells Taiyo that she doesn’t mind him calling her the Grim Reaper. Through his sheer levels of kindness, he turned the nickname she hated into one of endearment. It’s one of the sweetest things I’ve seen in anime in some time, and it’s why I love My Clueless First Friend.
The world we live in can be harsh, cruel, and unforgiving at times. That’s why it’s important that we remember to treat each other with kindness. With that in mind, I think what Akane and Taiyo have is the kind of friendship everyone should have at least once in their lives. If we had someone like Taiyo Takada in all our lives, the world would be all the better for it. My Clueless First Friend is on my watchlist for the Spring/Summer Anime season of 2023!
Ash and Pikachu End Their Run as the Heroes of Pokรฉmon
Twenty six years, 1,200 episodes, three generations worth of fans, and the start of dozens of films. That’s how long the world has known Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. They have been the face of Pokรฉmon since almost the very beginning. Ask anyone about Pokรฉmon, and their faces are likely the first things that come to mind. However, now the franchise is entering into a new era, and Ash and Pikachu won’t be part of it as the main characters. This past Friday, the final episode of Ash and Pikachu’s journey premiered, giving millions of fans the chance to say one final goodbye to the boy and mouse that inspired so many of them.
Truthfully, though, this farewell, for now, was in the works for months. Last year, fans of Pokรฉmon got to see Ash do the impossible: he became the Pokรฉmon World Champion! For the boy who seemed to lose in almost every League he fought in, this was a moment many feared would never come to pass. Nintendo wouldn’t let it so they could keep sending him on adventures to promote the franchise. Yet he did it, and the world cheered.
Ash Starts His Next Journey Without Us
The only question left is, what now? Do Ash and Pikachu continue their journey, or will they rest on their laurels? The answer turns out to be a bit of both. Beginning in January, the series aired what amounted to an epilogue series. Ash and Pikachu continued their journey, Team Rocket continued their antics (though they briefly split up), and Ash reunited with his OG companions, Brock and Misty. It was the perfect way to bookend our time with Ash by reuniting the original trio for one last journey. Still, the question remains: what will Ash do now?
When you’ve devoted so much of your life to a goal and finally see it through, a scary thing is trying to figure out where to go after you succeed. Ash has served as someone capable of teaching people the significance of never giving up on a goal despite hardship. That’s an important lesson not even some adults understand, and eventually, despite fans thinking he’d never do it, he finally does. Therefore, it’s only fitting his final episode as the MC has Ash teach us what to do after we fulfill our dreams: set ourselves a new goal in life and work at it. In his case, Ash wants to go out and befriend every Pokรฉmonin the world.
I wasn’t overly interested in this epilogue series, but I still consider it a fitting send-off for Ash and Pikachu for the time being. The one gripe I have is at the end of the finale where Ash sees a rainbow. In the first episode, Ash earnestly began his Pokรฉmon journey after seeing a rainbow and the Legendary Pokรฉmon, Ho-Oh. I think it was a missed opportunity not to have our time with him bookended by Ho-Oh returning. Regardless, it’s still a nice callback as we say goodbye to Ash for now.
And I do mean for now.
I Think We’ll See Ash and Pikachu Again Someday
Even though our travels with Ash are over, I doubt that we’ve seen the last of him. Ash and Pikachu have been the face of the Pokรฉmon for decades, and there’s no way The PokรฉmonCompany, Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures will let that fall by the wayside now. They’ll likely continue to call upon Ash and his Pikachu to appear in future projects for recognition purposes. In addition, they might decide to come back to the OG duo at some point.
There’s a precedent for this in pop culture. Everyone thought the Dragon Ball franchise had retired by the mid-2000s, only for the franchise to enter a renaissance with the release of Battle of Gods. The Animaniacs came back twenty years after it ended. The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder brought the Disney show to a new generation. If there’s still a big enough audience and potential stories to tell, then a brand or franchise will only stay there for a while. It’s a blessing and curse, but it might be a blessing in this case.
Until the day we see him again, though, thank you, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. You made the childhoods of millions of people worthwhile, and we will never forget you. Sayonara, Satoshi!
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