Isekai Genre

What if Rudeus Reunited With Sylphie Sooner?

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Fanfiction , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Early Arrival-A Mushoku Tensei Fanfic

If you read this blog over the over the past two years, you’ll notice that we’re fans of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. It was one of the stories that led to the Isekai genre’s explosion in popularity. It’s about imperfect and flawed characters who are trying to better themselves. And it’s filled with plenty of rich lore and world-building. However, there are two things about the story that I take issue with. The first is with the way that Eris left the main character, Rudeus, and broke his heart in the process. Secondly, the trauma she unintentionally inflicted on him was so bad that he was left depressed and impotent for the next three years. Whatever faults Rudeus Greyrat may have (and he’s well aware of them), he didn’t deserve what he went through!

So, what if Rudeus didn’t have to spend three years in his own mental hell? What if he managed to get the help he needed earlier than in the canon? How would this affect the story’s pacing and the decisions its characters make? That is the main premise behind this interesting fanfic, Early Arrival. AKA, what happens if Rudy reunites with Sylphie sooner than planned?

Name: Early Arrival

Type of Fanfic: AU

Written By: GameGladiator46

Started: April 2024

Status: Ongoing

What if Rudeus Reunited With Sylphie Sooner?

Like many canon-divergent AUs, Early Arrival is an example of either the Butterfly or Snowball effects in action. Starting right after Rudy discovered he was impotent, the story sees him make a different decision. Instead of events leading him to burn his bridges with Sara and leave with Soldat, here he impulsively decides to leave town altogether. That puts him on the road to Sharia right as Ariel’s party is making their own way there, leading him to save them from assassins and for the Princess to ask him to join them to their mutual destination.

Because of that one decision, events that take place in Rudeus’ life begin to take place years ahead of the canon. As a result, the relationships he establishes with key people at Ranoa University have extra time to develop and mature, allowing him to become closer to many lifelong acquaintances far sooner. Take Ariel, for example. While he’s grateful for her help in reuniting him with Sylphie, they’re still not that close by the end of the anime’s second season. Here, they become close friends, especially after he gets her interested in going out drinking together. Hilariously, this does become a problem when she sometimes gets too into it.

That’s only one example, though. Those two extra years allow Rudy the chance to form stronger bonds with many of the people he comes to know at Ranoa University. He reunites with Zanoba in time to see Linia and Pursena smash his Roxy Figurine. Unfortunately, seeing it happen makes his reaction more extreme than it was in the canon story. However, it should be noted that he feels incredibly guilty about it afterward, and eventually apologizes and tells Sylphie and Ariel everything. As for a silver lining, Luke being there to help him manage his negative emotions means the two form a genuine bond as family. Luke even helps explain how sorry Rudy is to Sylphie and Ariel, preventing a potential fallout.

Say what you want about Luke Notos Greyrat, but he respects the bro code.

Rudy and Sylphie grow even closer before marrying

The main draw to Early Arrival, though, is how it allows Rudeus and Sylphiette to develop their relationship sooner than in the actual Mushoku Tensei. Like in canon, Rudeus doesn’t realize that Fitz is Sylphie when they first reunite. Unlike in canon, though, it doesn’t take Rudy a whole year to figure out who she is. Instead, it happens near the end of their trip to Sharia. However, once he knows who she is, the two quickly capitalize on their feelings and become a happy couple. It doesn’t cure Rudeus of his ED right away, but he doesn’t keep it a secret from her.

In hindsight, one drawback to Rudy and Sylphie marrying almost as soon as they become a couple is that we never get to see them date. They had already spent a year growing closer, but having to maintain her Fitz guise meant Sylphie could never go as far as she wanted. With that guise no longer a factor, though, Early Arrival has them spend that first year at Ranoa U enjoying dating each other. And because Rudy is more open about his problems, Sylphie is in a better position to help him work through them.

Perhaps most important, though, is how the story further explores the opinion Sylphie develops of Eris before ever meeting her. While it’s touched upon in the light novels, the anime doesn’t go into as much detail about her thoughts on Eris. Early Arrival, though, fully explores her complicated feelings towards Rudeus’ former traveling companion. On the one hand, she manages to help Rudy figure out why Eris left, something that he has yet to fully do in the anime. Understanding, though, isn’t the same as accepting something, and Sylphie makes it known that she resents Eris for hurting the man they loved so badly.

The bottom line is that the two will have to work out some issues should Eris return (which we know she will). Talking about it further, though, veers into spoiler territory from the light novels.

An Interesting Read for Mushoku Tensei Fans

For those expecting for Early Arrival to be as detailed a story as Mushoku Tensei itself, they might end up being disappointed. At 142,000+ words and counting, it’s a decent read for a fanfic. A dedicated reader could likely binge the entire thing in the span of a day or two. However, it’s not trying to re-tell the entire story from scratch. It’s only trying to cut out what could be considered unnecessary waste of time. Which, truthfully, isn’t the wrong way to look at the two-year gap between Rudy leaving with Soldat and then heading to Ranoa University. Those two years were likely some of the most miserable of his life, and Rudy didn’t deserve to suffer for that long for all his faults.

It should also be noted that it’s only now that the story is beginning to re-align with several of the events of the canon, meaning it’s technically only halfway through the series second season. There’s still plenty of time for it to develop more ideas. And it is making the most out of its premise, which is always appealing. So, if you didn’t want Rudy to suffer as long as he did, then you should find this fanfic pretty cathartic to read.

Click Here to Read it on AO3

‘My Instant Death Ability’ or How I’m Worse than a Death Note on Steroids

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

My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered that no One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! Initial Series Review By RJ Writing Ink

A few years back, around the start of the Halloween season, I started really getting into the SCP Foundation. If you don’t know what that is, this collaborative writing project tells stories about the same name group. This secret organization studies and captures anomalies that could help or harm humanity. Over the years, we’ve got stories that have them deal with everything from a living blob of goo whose touch makes people happy to a lizard monster that will not die to even beings that could only be described as gods, including God! The bottom line is that the SCP Foundation deals with things not meant for the faint of heart.

Then, a few weeks ago, I came across this anime online called My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! At first glance, it looked like another trash isekai…until I read the TV Tropes page and listened to the summaries on YouTube. And that made me realize something: it was still a trashy isekai. But the twist is that the main character is, for all intents and purposes, someone who would make the SCP Foundation wet themselves. And that’s where things get interesting.

How an Overpowered Guy Got Isekai’d Against His Will

Meet Yogiri Takatou, a seemingly average high-schooler who likes napping and playing video games. Then, one day, while on a field trip with his class, they find themselves getting the isekai treatment and end up in a world that’s a sink for all isekai’s. This girl comes onto the bus and gives the standard introduction speech: they’ve been summoned to gain insane powers and get the chance to become great heroes in their world. Unfortunately, the world’s definition of “hero” is more like the (primarily) fake heroes from The Boys: most people who get powers get drunk on them. And while Yogiri’s sleeping, his classmates decide to leave him and the few who didn’t get a gift to death by dragon.

Little did anyone know, but Yogiri didn’t need a gift because he’s already got one of the most broken powers in all fiction. Yogiri can make anyone or anything he wants drop dead on the ground by thinking about them or sensing hostility towards him. First, he saves Tomochika, the only other classmate alive on the bus (that they know of) by killing the dragon. Then, when three scumbag classmates try to kill him and take Tomochika as their love slave, he kills two of them. And they were already isekai veterans, too! They were basically running on new game+ and kept all their loot and skills!

At any rate, Yogiri and Tomochika aren’t happy about being kidnapped to another world and then abandoned and left to die. So, Yogiri decides to look for a way to get home, and Tomochika tags along since he decided to protect her. Mainly because when that dragon attacked, she glomped onto him in a panic and she felt really soft and lovely.

No, I am not making this up.

The Anime is Isekai Trash, but Takatou Isn’t

Like I said before, My Instant Death Ability is Isekai trash, and it makes no effort to hide this. It’s filled with a ton of cliches and tropes found in most Isekai, most of the antagonists are one-note with zero depth, and the pacing in the anime is, quite frankly, wrong. The first season of Arifureta is bad. However, there’s one thing that keeps it from falling into the category of full-on Isekai trash, and that’s Takatou.

Returning to what I said earlier about the SCP Foundation and what I read on TVTropes.org? I wasn’t joking. As the anime progresses, it’s gradually revealed that Takatou’s ability is more than just the mental version of a Death Note. While he mainly uses it to kill people, it’s not limited to that. He can kill anything. Getting attacked by some random thug? He can kill their eyes or half their body so they can never use them again. Facing down an immortal, omnipotent god? Takatou will pull an “Uno reverse” card and reduce them to goo. He can even “kill” concepts like the strength of an attack or the laws of physics. And he can do this because his power isn’t instant death. It’s much, much more terrifying. So terrifying, in fact, that if he were an SCP, the foundation would be better off not making an enemy out of him lest he end their existence.

It is too bad for Takatou; most people in that otherworld are too arrogant or stupid to understand, leading to much of the series’ humor. Seeing the most outlandishly powerful beings, from other summoned people to immortal monsters to actual gods, pick a fight with him, only to drop dead for their efforts? That’s some good use of black comedy!

An Interesting Take on the OP Isekai Protagonist

So, yeah, My Instant Death Ability is a bit of isekai trash, but at the same time, it’s also making fun of the genre in the same way One Punch Man makes fun of the Shonen genre. Seeing all these mighty beings hyping themselves up, only to become part of the body count of such an ordinary-looking guy? It’s funny because of how absurd it is! It’s terrible, but it knows it is and uses that to milk the genre for all its worth. The one downside is that if you want to watch it, you’re going to have to get a subscription to HiDive, as it’s not on Crunchyroll. That, or find a third-party site to use. If seeing something deconstructing the isekai genre sounds interesting and you have time to kill, this might be a show for you. Otherwise, feel free to look up something else.

My Verdict: Worth a Binge Session if you got HiDive