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.
【Opening Theme】 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
— Baleygr (CEO of 86 EIGHTY-SIX) (@Baleygr086) August 13, 2023
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.
【Ending Theme】 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S2 Ep 4 Review
It’s been two years since Rudeus returned to his former home, only to set out to find his Mom. More importantly, it’s been two years since Eris slept with him and left without properly explaining things. Now, he’s trying to move on with his life regardless, but…being unable to form romantic relationships due to trauma is hard. Then, a path forward opens as if by date or divine intervention. One that could end up fixing the damage Eris’ foolishness wrought.
Also, Rudeus is swole as heck.
Rudeus isn’t a Cute Boy Anymore. He’s a Man!
The first thing the episode makes apparent is what this time skip has done for Rudeus: he’s gotten stronger. Thanks to his magic, he can now take on a red dragon and kill it on his own. That’s a feat that would require several parties to pull off. In other words, he’s gotten stronger than he was as a kid.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Episode 4 opened with a pretty cool battle seen of Rudy helping Stepped Leader hunt a red dragon. #MushokuTensei
— DoubleSama | Anime Reviews (@DoubleSama) July 30, 2023
Secondly, at this point, Rudeus is now fifteen. In his new world, fifteen is the legal age of adulthood, and it shows. He’s gotten taller, his constant exercising has given him a body most guys would kill for, and his cute boyish looks are now handsome. To top it off, he’s becoming renowned throughout the land as Quagmire Rudeus. Life’s going well for him.
— SmediumL | Max Core Up Privaty Main 🔎 (@SmediumL_) July 30, 2023
Except…deep down, he’s still miserable. As I said last week, what Rudeus has is ED; impotence brought on the trauma he went through. Which stinks! He can’t get close to anyone in the romantic sense, so he’s essentially given up finding love. He’s channeled all that extra energy into bettering himself, but you can tell he’s not happy. He wants to regain what Eris took from him!
These goofy expressions made me laugh too much, apart from the context in which they occur😅
— Gadyuka_86 {CEO Of Sirin} (@Gadyuka86F) July 30, 2023
And that’s when two important things happen.
A Fateful Friend and a Fateful Letter
After returning from destroying the red dragon, who strolls into the bar Rudeus is at, but Elinalise Dragonroad. If you’ve read my recap on what Roxy was up to, then you’ll know three things about her:
She needs to have sex regularly because of her curse, but she also likes it, so she’s not too concerned.
Also, even if Rudeus could do it, Elinalise wouldn’t. She can’t stand the idea of being Paul’s daughter-in-law because something between them made her hate his guts. However, that doesn’t stop her from going after everyone in Soldat’s party.
The other, more important thing is that Rudeus gets a letter from the Vice Principal of the Ranoa Academy of Magic. AKA the school that Roxy went to, AKA the school that Rudy wanted to attend with Sylphie. The whole reason he went to tutor Eris was so they go together, so everything’s coming back full circle. Word of Rudeus’ skills has reached even their ears, and they want him to enroll as a special student. That means he doesn’t have to pay for tuition or attend any classes he doesn’t want to. In other words, he just got a full scholarship to the best magic school in the world.
While that offer’s enticing, Rudeus wants to join his father and Roxy and find his Mom first. That’s when the Man-God appears to him for the first time in years and gives some advice. If he wants to cure his impotency, he’ll find it at Ranoa University. He doesn’t say how, but he says that it will happen.
So, bet. Rudeus is going to school.
It’s Time for School!
Again, Mushoku Tensei is one of those series that is a slow burn, but when it gets going with the action or drama, it does a great job at showing it. And unlike many isekai that focus on the action side of things, Mushoku Tensei treats the slower moments with the same respect and gravitas that they’re entitled to. And that includes the Ranoa University arc.
Some people might see what’s about to happen as a boring slice of life and just want the action, but Mushoku Tensei isn’t a pure action isekai. At its core, it’s about a guy trying to live his second chance at life to the fullest, which includes the slower moments. In addition, to hammer home the importance of what’s to come, the final minutes of the episode depicts numerous people at Ranoa University that will come to play a role in Rudeus’ life. He might not have met all of them yet, but he’s connected to them in some form.
So, yeah. I’m looking forward to the next few episodes and seeing how they adapt what’s to come. This was a good start to this new arc.
By the way, the dub for the second season has started.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S2, Ep 0 Review
After waiting for two years, fans of isekai anime can be happy because one of the best, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, has returned. Even though there are many anime in the market, Mushoku Tensei stands out because it is based on one of the light novel series that helped make isekai so popular in the last ten years. Since this blog has covered the anime’s first season extensively in recent weeks, new viewers are encouraged to read the four-part recap if they need to catch up. Unfortunately, those who expect season two to continue right where the story of Rudeus Greyrat left off might be disappointed. Additionally, the first episode of this season reveals things that are only discussed later in the light novels, spoiling what could have been a big surprise for anime-only fans. However, this episode, labelled as episode 0, focuses on Sylphie, one of the most important people in Rudeus’ life, who will have a major role in the upcoming season.
The Trials and Tribulations of Sylphie
For those who don’t remember or didn’t read the recap, Sylphiette, or ‘Sylphie’ for short, was Rudeus’ best friend/potential love interest from Buena Village. After he saved her from bullies and taught her how to use magic, the pair remained inseparable. It reached the point where Rudeus’ father, Paul, had to send him away to work as a tutor to keep them from becoming codependent. Unfortunately, like everyone else Rudeus knew, Sylphie fell victim to the teleportation incident that destroyed their home. Whereas Rudeus and friend/student/other love interest, Eris, got sent to the Demon Continent on the other side of the world, Sylphie wound in the royal capital of their homeland of Asura. After inadvertently saving the life of Princess Ariel Asura, Sylphie gets taken in to serve as her bodyguard. In exchange for protecting her under the alias of “Silent Fitz”, Ariel promised to find her lost loved ones.
On the surface, Sylphie’s circumstances seem far less dangerous than those that Rudy and Eris endured. Those familiar with medieval politics (or Game of Thrones), though, will know how cutthroat and dangerous court life can be. During the episode, Sylphie has to endure the barbs and scorn of the highborn silently without showing any weakness or fear. On top of all that, there’s the physical threat of assassins working for Ariel’s relatives, trying to end her life and eliminate a rival to the throne. To make matters worse, Sylphie has to deal with the reminder of her trauma on a physical and psychological level. Not only did the teleportation incident turn her once-green hair snow white, but it’s left her suffering from PTSD nightmares. She does everything she can, but it’s clear to Ariel and Luke, her fellow bodyguard, that this new life might be too much for her.
It would’ve been, too, if Sylphie didn’t find the best friend she could’ve ever hoped for in Ariel.
Ariel Becomes Sylphie’s New Foundation in Life
While not to the scale of what Sylphie went through, Princess Ariel also bears scars from the events that brought Sylphie to her doorstep. Right before that happened, she watched as one of her closest advisors died, powerless to do anything to help him. Despite her loss, though, Ariel has to keep a straight face at court, knowing that faltering for even a second could cost her her life. Despite everything, though, Ariel’s compassionate nature enables her to recognize the suffering Sylphie has endured. As a result, she goes out of her way to help Sylphie heal from these past scars, and it shows. By the end of the episode, their relationship’s evolved from that of royal and bodyguard into a genuine friendship.
Ultimately, though, life at the royal court proves to be too dangerous for Ariel, Sylphie, and Luke to handle on their own. Thus, the trio have no choice but to flee abroad and forge the connections they need to help Ariel become the next Queen. Despite offering to let Sylphie go, Sylphie refuses, vowing to help the woman who saved her at one of her lowest points. One can practically hear Rudeus in her voice when she affirms her resolve to protect Ariel from her tormentors.
A Great Episode, But Might Have Revealed Too Much Too Soon
One reviewer’s first impression of the season premiere for Mushoku Tensei points out how this episode 0 shows what makes this isekai stand out amongst all the others. It has heart, intrigue, and action comparable to Game of Thrones at its peak, but in anime form. While I will not dispute any of this, I had one issue with this episode: what it focused on.
While waiting for the new season to premiere, I read the light novels and the manga adaptation, and both of them revealed that ‘Silent Fitz’ was really Sylphie when ‘Fitz’ had already been around for some time. It wasn’t until the moments where the story shifted from Rudeus’ perspective to that of Sylphie’s that readers would realize the truth about who ‘Fitz’ was, making for a significant surprise. However, revealing that Fitz is Sylphie immediately removes much of the wonder that would’ve come from the revelation down the line. Now people who only watched the anime will just get frustrated at what’s to come.
Trust me; I read the light novels. You’re going to shake your head at a lot of what happens.
Issues aside, this was a solid start to Mushoku Tensei‘s second outing, and I hope that it keeps up this momentum throughout the season. After having to watch so many of its kind fail to live up to what it helped set the trend for, it’s refreshing to see one of the great isekai return. When the dub will come out, though, is another matter entirely.
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.”
Blatant Advertising
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.
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