Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu Part 2

Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu came out in the early part of 2021 and was among one of the most popular anime of the year. Shocker, right? Now imagine the show getting a part 2 and achieve a similar amount of success, at least popularity wise. Popularity doesn't equate to quality and this anime isn't without controversy. In fact, this anime is notriously known for having one of the biggest perverts in recent isekai memory. Forget guys like Issei from High School DxD or Mineta from My Hero Academia. Rudeus Greyrat is the type of pervert who puts on a poker-like gentleman face with no bounds. Behind that little smirk is a guy with the mentality of a 30+ year old. Ever since he's reincarnated in this new world, Rudeus has been living his life as an adventurer. Discarding his previous life, let's just say that Rudeus isn't exactly a great role model unless you're on his good side. Of course, part 2 of Mushoku Tensei assumes you are familiar with the story already. And although it has one more episode than part 1, the anime tried to exmplify its isekai elements at every chance it gets. The structure of part 2 features an adventure following the journey of both Rudeus' party and Roxy as she looks for him. Their adventures takes them to places such as Doldia Village, Millis, among others. If you're familiar with the main cast already, be aware that overall, the characters don't change much in terms of development. Only perhaps Eris gets the most noticable change in terms of attitude. She transforms from a bratty girl to a more daring adventurer who geninuely falls for Rudeus. And yes, before you ask, there's a particular episode that takes their relationship to the next level. I'll just let you imagine that in your head. I'll be honest. Mushoku Tensei Part 2 is hard to enjoy when you have a protagonist like Rudeus running the show. He represents a character with personality flaws. It appears the anime tries to make us understand his character better through his actions. Remember, no one is really perfect especially in this show but Rudeus pretty much represents a guy who tries desperately to change from his former ways. Deep down from his gentleman-like persona, Rudeus is a relentless pervert who is afraid of himself. In this anime, he is also afraid of hurting people he loves. In part 2, he isn't with his family anymore and goes on an adventure of exploration. With the people he encounters, Rudeus learns the cruelty of his world, perhaps no different from the one he was in before. Now, I'm not sure what kind of lesson this anime wanted to teach to us. Is it to show how someone like Rudeus can make a difference to their world or for himself? The message isn't clear, at least for Part 2. Because from his adventue, Rudeus is still a character with flaws. Those flaws take a toll on his personality and honestly, he's a very unlikable character. In contrast, there's Roxy, a mage who trained Rudeus in the past and has a much more mature personality. There's one particular episode that shows how much she cares about her family and even in part 2, she still seems like down to earth about who she is. Somewhere down the middle is Eris, the short tempered girl who literally beat up Rudeus during their first encounter. She has obviously personality flaws with her aggressiveness and child-like behavior. However, a big change occurs in this season when she seems to have developed feelings of love towards Rudeus. Can it be called a charming romance? No. Let's just say that the aftermath of their fling wasn't exactly pleasant. Nonetheless, I do find Eris only slightly more bearable than Rudeus when comparing the two. If you can stand a tsundere who can never seem to stand still, then you'll be fine. Unfortuantely, the anime doesn't take its character roster far with the remaining cast. Guys like Paul only get sproadic appearances while others introduced such as Pax will absolutely rub viewers in the wrong way. Silphy, one of the main characters from Part 1, hardly even makes an appearance. Despite these drawbacks, I do give some praise to the anime making Ruijerd relevant and likable. He is loyal with a kind heart yet also displays great deals with courage. Unlike Eris or Rudeus, he displays great self control. Why can't more characters be like him? Oh right, I almost forgot. This anime is more about a guy with the mentality of a 30+ year old. There's not many reasons to watch this season unless you want to get invested into this franchise. From Part 2, we got a glorified adventure following parties, most prominently Rudeus. It felt like playing an RPG game at times but with a detestable protagonist. The novels follows a much deeper story as the anime only scratches the surface. But for now, just know that Mushoku Tensei and controversy always belong in the same sentence.

Isekai. You’re probably familiar with this term. The sheer number of shows that come out each year from this genre has gotten to the point that many are just sick of it and would rather skip than watch the same formulaic anime. However, not every Isekai is created equally. There is one which has gathered somewhat of a cult around it - one that is seen as the grandfather of modern isekai, using pre-existing tropes but executing them properly. One that truly has the right to call itself an isekai. Welcome to Mushoku Tensei. This is the tale of a man known as Rudeus Greyrat and how he is forced to live in a new environment with completely unfamiliar customs, traditions and a never before seen power - magic. Contrary to most Isekai stories fans are familiar with, Rudeus’ flaws and regrets from his previous life carry over to his new body - flaws and regrets he often needs to reflect on. Throughout the series, the audience can see how he grows physically and also mentally. However, that does require patience. Changing is not a process that can happen right off the bat, instead requiring years of time and effort to accomplish. It’s an aspect of the show which is constantly being driven home. The world around you and the people you meet will change as you grow. Nothing is static and will always move, forcing you to mature along with the world around you. It may be a painful experience. It might be sufferable. But truly living life to your fullest, not having any regrets and doing all you can so you can die without any is a task hard to accomplish. The characters in this show have some of the most realistic depictions of human beings that I have ever seen. In a typical Isekai series, the MC and their party are often tropey characters, ones whose personalities can be described in a few adjectives, very one dimensional and uninteresting entities. But when it comes to writing compelling characters that resemble us humans, it is important to factor in the fact that mankind does make mistakes and that nobody is perfect. We are all flawed individuals that often make mistakes, act irrationally and hurt others. Most of us have plenty of good sides but also bad ones that we try to mitigate or get rid of. We have complex personalities, and these aspects are what defines us as human beings. In Mushoku Tensei, the way in which audience is introduced to the characters is by showing them in the worst light possible, with their flaws on full display, to later make their growth visible as they change. Throughout the duration of the journey these characters have to face their vices and develop as people, slowly mitigating aspects of theirs that hurts those around them. The series teaches us that sometimes first impressions could even prevent us from seeing someone for who they really are - confusing it with who they appear to be. Willing to see past the flaws of someone and giving them a second chance is something that people should strive to achieve. Often times changing yourself requires a lot of effort and many just give up without ever trying to get back up. Looking at yourself in the mirror and acknowledging your mistakes is an important part in life. To see the flaws within ourselves and understanding what parts of us hurts those around us is the first step in becoming a better person. However, simply having the conviction to change is not enough and it may often require help of other people that will extend a hand and direct you on a different path. The animation and art is extremely well done, by some very talented animators that bring the series to life. It’s fluid, it’s natural and it heavily immerses you to the world, captivating you almost instantly. There is a lot of depth put into it, showcased by various elements such as the grip on a sword, balance on the sand, fire changing color depending on the heat, the list goes on. These are aspects highlight just how detailed this show is and is part of what makes it so compelling and grounded. To add to the immersion, Mushoku Tensei has many openings, changing depending on the region the characters are current in. Each of these songs perfectly sets the mood. Overall, Mushoku Tensei is a story unlike any I’ve seen before despite, at its core, not doing anything groundbreaking. It has managed to execute the tropes flawlessly and has such wonderful character development and high production value that it stands out amongst many others from the same genre. I’m sure it’s one that’ll be remembered for years to come. This is only the beginning of the long tale of Rudeus Greyrat and I'm convinced that many wish to see more of it. If there was a person next to you who struggles to change, who is suffering a lot, who is unable to read the room and may often hurt those around them - would you be willing to give them a second chance and help them on their journey? Or would you abandon them on the spot, turning a blind eye and ignoring them? That’s an answer that only you can find and I hope this show will open your eyes to it.

Mushoku Tensei is one of the most divisive anime I’ve seen on MAL. Certain online communities have fallen apart and friendships between anime viewers have also ended because of this show. I’m not even joking. Take a look at the MAL forum posts for MT. It’s almost impossible to have a cordial discussion between a fan and a critic because of all the back-and-forth and toxicity. It’s also why almost any criticism or praise has been met with immediate backlash. That’s why I will admit that this review will not be completely impartial. However, I still want to try and capture both sides of the debate, because reviews are opinions meant to help potential viewers. So this review will not be just one, but TWO reviews. One shall only criticize MT as a wholly bad show and explain what people don’t like about it and the other review shall only praise MT as a flawless masterpiece and explain what fans like about it. I have put full effort into both. Here is what I have to say. Why MT is one of the worst anime in modern media: Mushoku Tensei is conceptually appalling. It is one of the worst incel redemption stories ever created and has spawned so many more. It combines all of the worst parts of anime and media in general into an ‘enjoyable’ experience for a specific group of viewers. It uses male dominance and toxicly masculine beliefs to justify its system as ‘real’. No one would be complaining if that was not present in the show. MT is a male power fantasy about a 34 year old man who got hit by a truck and reincarnated in another world with all memory intact, a cliche premise at best. Rudeus is also an unlikeable MC, but not for a well-written reason. His primary flaw, making him the most dislikeable amongst most if not all critics is that he is proudly pedophilic, even in his second life, and has extreme issues with self-control; if he was a person in real life, he would be in jail because of all the sexual harassment he’s committed. A good way to redeem Rudeus would be both acknowledgement of his horrid actions, never repeating them again, and actively making up for what he’s done, but as of now, it only gets worse and worse. One of the contributing factors to Rudeus’s failure to change is the comedy, the subjectively worst part of MT. Let me just say my bar for comedy is fairly low. My favorite genre is comedy. If something is funny, I cannot hide a smile from my face. However, if Rudeus was a comedian, he’d be compared to Bill Cosby and Louis C.K.. Yes, that’s the type of person he is, unapologetically so. Pedophilia and rape jokes were never funny and still are not. Comedians who think otherwise are delusional, attempting to normalize such sensitive issues as ‘comedic’. When a character-driven story is focused upon an incel and there is comedy, degenerate comedy is always sure to follow. Some of these stories are successful like Onanie Master Kurosawa, arguably Re:Zero, and even Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun. But why do these media succeed while Mushoku Tensei doesn’t? It’s because the incel comedy either evolves or outright disappears along with the incel characters they relate to. Mushoku Tensei’s comedy has and always has remained the same in both cours. Whether it be peeping on young girls naked or treasuring their underwear, Rudeus keeps repeating his actions. It is evident that Rudeus’s fundamental flaws are not actually acknowledged, staying true to MT’s dark incel comedy rather than criticizing him for what he is. For instance, take the infamous figurine scene, a whole minute exhibit of a Roxy statue Rudeus had crafted. One of the characters narrates every last detail about the figurine from Roxy’s clothes coming off to the little features of her nude body, practically breaking the fourth wall. Rudeus feels no shame nor regret towards his nasty creation and actually provides even more information about it. This scene is considered a funny marketing gag to fans, but at the end of the day, fans are still going to buy it. The audience is never shown why this statue is morally bankrupt nor offensive. If there were any actual self-criticism of MT’s ‘waifu marketing’, rather than just self-awareness, all efforts have fallen flat. Mushoku Tensei is unabashed in its comedy, but it never actually reflects upon itself and shows the audience why it’s wrong. Instead, it capitalizes on ‘waifu marketing’ and perpetuates it even further. Even if Rudeus stays a pervert, he can still grow in other ways right? If Rudeus actually demonstrated character development, it would be obvious. The evidence for character development is clear from a comparison of Rudeus at present and the past. What are his flaws at the beginning of the show? He is a NEET lolicon who has made many poor life decisions. Rudeus never addresses his mistakes with a direct apology nor actually tries to make up for his bad habits from the past, only occasionally ‘reflects’. Has he changed from any of these obvious flaws? Not really. Even though he stopped being a NEET, he is still a pervert with the same bad habits. He also doesn’t actually apologize for his bad behavior towards friends and family. Instead, he selflessly saves a bunch of helpless people from whenever he hops towns and becomes a hero on multiple occasions, but he never addresses his fundamental problems as a human being. That’s why Rudeus is a failure of a redemption story. He uses his heroic acts of kindness saving generic villages as a bad excuse for actual character development. It would be nice if the writer actually acknowledged this. In fact, Rudeus is one of the most idealized heroes since Shield Hero. He’s a Gary Stu that’s never considered flawed by other characters except his adversaries. Even when he gets placed in prison, he will still help his captors when they are in trouble. He is a hero who doesn’t bear grudges. Anything questionable or nonconsensual he does, whether it be peeping, or touching someone uncomfortably, is immediately forgiven by his harem and everyone else since they love him or will eventually bow down to him. No one in real life would be able to do this because the stuff Rudeus does can be scarring and even traumatizing. But since Rudeus is a Gary Stu, he will always be unconditionally forgiven. Rudeus is unconditionally loved and Rudeus unconditionally loves the young girls in his harem but in an extremely uncomfortable and morally disgusting way. In fact, he’s usually rewarded for his bad behavior that’s portrayed as good or funny even. In the world of MT, Rudeus is normal. If he makes a ‘mistake’, he takes responsibility and is forgiven for that. And then he does the same thing again, and again, and again…it’s a cycle. He is inherently a hero in the frame of the story. When people look at Rudeus in fear or look down on him, the audience is always supposed to empathize with him. He’s not actually flawed enough to not be considered perfect because of the way Eris, Ruijerd, or any ally will always love and support in all he does even if he’s in the wrong. It’s not normal. Just because he doesn’t see himself as a hero doesn’t mean the audience is being told not to. It’s all about the framing of the narrative. Even ignoring everything said before, Rudeus is handed all his power-ups whether it be reading a foreign language or incantation-less spellcasting while still in a diaper, a tremendous advantage along with his mind as a 34-year old, meaning he is overpowered. From a writing perspective, he is unrealistic even in the confines of his own fictional world, making him objectively flawless. He still gets handed super-powers in the second cour like his future sight eye, giving him an obvious advantage over everyone. This is not only boring to watch but it also means Rudeus will always end up on top, just like any other male power fantasy. Even when he loses a battle, there are never any substantial consequences. And we have the other problematic characters...Eris is a tsundere and also Rudeus’s cousin. …

Alright, I wanna get right into it. Mushoku Tensei is a series known for being the grandfather of the insanely popular Isekai genre of shows, and it has a lot to its name, but these 23 episodes that they open with are not good. Straight up. I want to give credit where it is due, though, so let me talk about the technical aspects. This show is done by Studio Bind, and it’s actually their first time ever doing an anime series. Let me tell you this—be excited for what else this studio has to bring to you, because from what Mushoku Tensei shows you, it will at the very least be visually stunning. Each scene in this show is so beautifully done, and each visual quirk added to each design or moment is so important to what makes it so amazing to watch. The magic in this show comes not only from the spells cast, but from each water droplet, each window of crown glass, each fight scene, each facial expression, and everything about the world it brings to life. The sound in this show is front-to-back bliss as well. The voices cast for each character are perfect, with each talent being able to show off a wide range of emotions, while still keeping in character. The songs in the show manage to team with the visuals greatly as well. This show has no real OP, but instead, an opening sequence of events. Each episode starts off with scenes that showcase the vibrant, and lively world that our characters live in, and their adventures—all backed by these grand, and breathtaking folk ballads to accompany the equally grand and breathtaking scenes of animation. Once you set aside the plot, this show is nothing but a technical marvel. Now, let’s get into the plot. Oh geez. This show follows Rudeus Greyrat, and his story from death, rebirth, and the life that comes after. Before Rudeus dies, he’s an absolute no-life and a shut-in; he even misses his own parents’ funeral to jack off in his room. However, he still dies protecting someone from their own death, and for some reason, he opens his eyes to a brand new world. In this life, Rudeus learns how to interact with others once again, fight with magic, and much more. Above all, though, he’s still a degenerate. He is a pervert and a lecher through and through. Though there are a lot of very slice of life moments in this show, it’s not one that lasts forever. There is a lot of tension and action laced between each episode. While there are a lot of episodes that just felt weird to me or were just there to set things up in the future—the one with Pax stands out to me the most—it’s not all bad, at least. There are a few moments in the show that actually get me invested. Above all, the moments where Paul and Rudeus interact in the second cour are the most important to me. It shows actual moments of growth and reflection for two flawed characters, and that’s something I desperately want from this show. It gets you to understand Rudeus and Paul from both sides, and in the end, it makes their reconciliation all the more impactful. One of Rudeus’ strong points to me, though, was his show of trauma. It was so interesting to see how his PTSD still carried on into the new world. He is an emotionally and mentally stunted person who never got the chance to live a good life because of that trauma. It’s a point where I can actually slightly understand Rudeus. Though, still, the show itself puts a lot of this baggage aside for “children sexy owo.” I would like it more if in an entire season of the show, you would put more moments of reflection for the person we are basically always following. That would be cool. I'll try to keep an open mind to the rest of the story as it plays out, but my biggest problem is that while I get that it's trying to set up character growth in the future, a lot of Rudeus' perversion is played off pretty light-heartedly or it just comes out as a joke. I also get that Mushoku Tensei as a story is supposed to be a biography of Rudeus Greyrat and his growth, but a lot of the time they really want you to side with Rudeus. If we think about it from a storyteller's perspective, Rudeus is set up to do a lot of good things. He is a very selfless and heroic person a lot of the time, but his degeneracy brings him down a lot from me seeing it like that. I understand that his actions aren't unrealistic if we consider the fact that if a guy like him were to be sent to a fantasy world like Mushoku Tensei's, it wouldn't be too far off. What I don't like is really just how everyone else seems to react to it, especially how a lot of the female cast is treated. Rudeus gets off scot-free a lot of the times, with his sexual harrassment leading to nothing but a slap on the wrist, and—in my opinion, the strangest part—no lasting effects on really any of the relationships he makes. I find it weird how people like Eris feel a bit weird right now. I think Eris is a bit too lenient with Rudeus, especially that scene where Rudeus said that he might touch her next time she's asleep or something. I get that their relationship is deep and close, but that feels like a bit too much to let slide. This applies to a lot of the other female characters as well. If they don't want you to necessarily side with Rudeus, I think they still want you to be able to understand him. Fiction is no stranger to morally grey or generally-non-heroic characters, but again, my biggest point is that the show just fails to show the actual severity of Rudeus' nature. If their point is to show off Rudeus' degeneracy as a bad thing for character development, I think more of it should be more serious and less fanservice jokes. Sure it’s shown heavily, but is it shown properly? It may be heavily shown, but the tone isn't there for me, man. What drives me so crazy about this show is how it never seems to learn its lesson. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Cour 2, Episode 11. Jesus, what a disappointment. This episode is emblematic of what a lot of this show feels like to me—tons of good moments, but it’s able to make it all fall down just that quick. Let me give you a run-down of what happens in this episode: This episode starts off amazingly, with actual moments that go on to affect what will happen in the future. Party member and mentor figure, Ruijerd acknowledges the trials and tribulations that Rudeus and Eris have gone through, and the ones that they will have to go through in the future, before saying goodbye to them. This is so emotionally engaging, and I actually believed that I cared about Mushoku Tensei. Afterwards, Eris is put into a tough place emotionally because she's just passed in the eyes of someone she admires, but has to part ways with them; and then she reunites with people she cares about, but immediately has to make a decision with stakes this high. I get really invested now. Later that night, she's so emotionally desperate, and goes over to Rudeus because that's the only place where she thinks she can solve all her problems. She asks him to sleep with her, but Rudeus for the first time has the thought that he should control himself because he would be taking advantage of someone he cares about if he doesn't. Oh my God, an actual moment of reflection and growth for this guy. I am absolutely blown away by how much growth Rudeus has gone through by the fact that he stops himself from taking advantage of an emotionally distraught girl, even if to him, he sees her as attractive. But then, Eris says something about kittens, and then there's this really long scene of flashbacks interlaced with shots of Eris and Rudeus that heavily imply something sexual—all with elegant violin music playing over it. And then Eris leaves him in the morning. And then I stop caring once again. How does one ruin a good and emotionally engaging experience with important chances for character growth like this. Let me calm down again before we close off this review. I mean, yeah this show is a slow burn and there will be tons and tons more to come in the future,…

tl;dr I cared way too much when writing this review, and it’s really fucking long. However, you probably won’t find a more comprehensive and personalized breakdown of Mushoku Tensei anywhere on this website. The whole time I was working on it, I kept screaming to myself, “This is fucking stupid! No one’s ever gonna read this!” So hopefully you prove me wrong, and I didn’t do this all for nothing. I finally figured out why I was wrong about this show, why it’s actually good, and why my prior complaints were foolish. My reviews where I come across like a snobbish attention whore are where I most often find success, but whenever I actually care and put genuine attentiveness into my reviews, no one reads them, so since I’m too jaded to think this time will be any different, I’m not going to feel bad about going into meticulous subjective detail and writing something WAY overly verbose. I was actually going to write a review for part one back in March, but by the time I got to episode eight, I had no idea how I felt about the series, and I actually ended up dropping it. Saying, “I got to episode eight,” though, is kind of a stretch, since I had spent the last three of those episodes falling asleep, getting drunk, or fucking around on my phone or something because I was so bored, but if for no other reason than the appreciation I had for its astounding production quality, I decided to give it another shot. Instead of picking back up where I left off, I figured I had zoned out way too much when I originally tried to watch it, and should therefore restart from episode one and actually pay attention. I can usually tell just by looking at the studio, source material, and staff list whether or not an anime I’m about to watch is worth my respect, which for me means no alcohol and no speed-watching, but this show was the first time my intuition ever missed the mark. The only person or entity involved with this project I had ever heard of was the composer, Yoshiaki Fujisawa, and while his music is incredible, that wasn’t enough reason for me to take seriously something which looked like bland copy/pasted isekai trash…which I guess is my excuse for judging this book by its cover, but when I gave it a second chance, there were many moments which stuck out to me which didn’t before. To explain why, let me first explain what I originally liked and originally disliked about the series. I absolutely loved the first four episodes of Mushoku Tensei, because they had gorgeous animation, gorgeous colors, gorgeous backgrounds, and gorgeous character designs, but because most of all, they were uncharacteristically well-written not only for an isekai, but for a light novel adaption in general. Good writing is hard to complement not only because 30% of the community understands what “good writing” even is, but because 99.9% of the remaining 70% don’t care to learn—let alone admit they need to. I could gush endlessly about the genius and hilarity of episode four, and don’t be sure I won’t somewhere in this review, but for now I think the perfect example to make my point is this scene in episode eight where Eris plants herself on Rudeus’ bed like a landmine. She’s sat there in a night gown just stroking her hair awkwardly, and in his head all these red flags are going off. “What the fuck?! Why is she here? Is this a trap? Should I fuck her? What the fuck is going on?!” But when I first watched the scene, I don’t think I was really taking all of this in. I’m fluent in Japanese, so I can watch anime like a radio drama if I want to. So I was looking at my phone, and when I glanced up to look at the screen, I saw that first-person perspective shot of Rudeus breathing heavily, slowly looking down over Eris’ half-naked, hyper-sexualized, carefully shaded loli body and thought to myself, “Okay. It’s a fanservice scene. I know what’s going on.” And then went back to my phone. But on the rewatch, it quickly became one of my favorite scenes in the entire show, because the way it actually plays out is brilliant. When he comes in and tries to playfully shoo her away, teasing her with his perversion, she essentially says, “I’m here, so…you know. Do what you want with me.” And this fucking guy goes full Tomihiko Morimi. Do you remember that running gag from The Tatami Galaxy where the main character’s libido is represented by a literal voice in his head, a cowboy named Johnny—“Johnny” being a euphemism for penis—riding a bucking bronco? This scene honestly felt like that, because Rudeus, being a clumsy, horny, eager idiot with no sexual experience, fails to loosen her up or make her feel comfortable, so she kicks him off of her, goes “alright, you made it weird,” and just leaves unceremoniously. That scene is definitely loli fanservice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also a better and more honest piece of characterization than most anime even have the writing prowess to include. That scene demonstrates that despite being a cynical, forty year old NEET failure at life who always acts like he’s too jaded to take his surroundings seriously, Rudeus can actually become a boyish, innocent virgin who’s completely at a loss when it comes to sexual tension, and it also shows us that despite always acting like a stuck-up, oujo-sama bitch who’s better and tougher than everyone around her, Eris can actually become demure, vulnerable, and emotionally honest when she’s around the guy she likes. That scene was so brilliant in how it used a situation everyone in the audience can understand—that of clumsy, first-time sex—to instantly tear down all the characters’ false pretenses and expose them as the lovable, dorky, clueless virgins that they are and humble them to themselves, each other, and the viewer. It was immeasurably endearing, and this impeccable characterization which gives the cast so much more depth than the archetypes which I first thought they would forever embody is the number one reason why this show is so well-written. This extends far beyond just the characters, but Mushoku Tensei almost feels like it was made for the sole purpose of including tropes, only to turn around and flesh them out so comprehensively, the viewer is forced to invest despite any initial judgements of its decision to include said tropes. When Eris first showed up in episode five, I physically rolled my eyes, sighed, and completely checked out. “Oh, great. Here we go again. Another tsundere loli brat. How fucking unique is that?” But when rewatching the show and witnessing her subtle changes and growth over time, I had to take a step back and realize I was watching something which was fully prepared and able to subvert whatever expectations I may’ve had about how shallow its presentation suggested it would actually be. After all, my initial judgements regarding its generic presentation were the original source of my indifference. I hope I’m not alone on this, but I absolutely hate isekai. I hate just about every overused anime trope you can name with a fiery passion, and the second I think a show is dipping its toes into such territory, it immediately loses my respect, and if I don’t drop it, I just stop paying attention. Mushoku Tensei is an isekai, a really, really, REALLY generic isekai, and don’t try to tell me it’s not fair to call it generic because it’s the progenitor of modern isekai—as if I give a shit about the history of such a trashy genre—because while I can acknowledge the fact Mushoku Tensei is a trendsetter, and I can respect it for being a trendsetter, that doesn’t make it any less trendy, and I am so fucking bored of all these trends. This is why I originally stopped caring after episode four. The presentation was always generic, but its characterization was also always stellar, and I know I just talked at great length about how I only managed to appreciate the well-written characters on my second viewing, but that’s kind of missing the point of what I was trying to say. You very much feel this sh…

This review contains mild spoilers for Part 1 Worldbuilding has become such an overblown thing in anime. It doesn’t matter how many maps you can draw of the world, how many different species of dragon there are, or how many generic medieval town look-a-likes there are, a bad anime will still be a bad anime. Mushoku Tensei markets and presents itself as an isekai with a large focus on worldbuilding and adventure, and this is truer than ever in the second installment of the series. I love a good adventure as much as the next fantasy fan, but in Mushoku Tensei good character writing, a believable power system, and a structured narrative all get left behind as Rudeus travels around the map partaking in as many pointless complications as possible. While the first season mostly involved Rudeus growing as a character from one location, Part 2 is almost the complete opposite. It feels as though a new species, biome, or village is introduced every second episode. There’s nothing that connects each location to the overall plot, they simply exist for the sake of it. It’s understandable that this is done for the sake of making sure Rudeus’ journey is a genuine adventure, but nothing ever feels like it serves a purpose. A cool tree village of beast people is introduced? Too bad it’s gone the very next episode with nothing being gained. If you’re wondering what role the beast people serve in relation to the rest of the world, how surprised would you be if I told you they were often subjected to slavery in other countries. Maybe this would be an interesting concept… if it didn’t already exist in every other isekai to ever exist. I must admit though, it was great seeing the heroic Rudeus take an official “slavery bad” stance, which even he himself wasn’t too keen on at first. The worst part of such an adventure focused cour is that the cast is constantly being shuffled. There are numerous opponents and obstacles, but never a central antagonist that is the focus of one arc. An interesting character might show up for one episode then not appear for the rest of the entire series. Remember when all those unknown characters were hinted at in Part 1? Turns out it was just a massive bait, and they’ll be on screen for at most one episode each. There’s one rule a lot of fantasy writers tend to follow that I find interesting, and it’s to only introduce world elements as they become relevant to the plot. There are obviously successful exceptions to this, but Mushoku Tensei seems to deliberately go out of its way to introduce as many irrelevant things as possible. There’s one character that is supposed to be important to the story, but will show up out of nowhere, give the protagonist a convenient power-up, and disappear. They add nothing to the current storyline, but sure do add to the needlessly large cast of characters. It’s not just some characters that this applies to either. Every single character besides the main trio will never be important for more than three episodes at a time. It’s disappointing how little purpose the side characters serve, as the three who actually do stick around aren’t all that special. Rudeus’ hyped up character growth continues as he figures out how to be less of a pervert. He isn’t quite there yet on the maturity scale, but good on him from going to constantly sniffing panties as a baby to only occasionally spying on naked children. He becomes even more overpowered of course, how else would viewers be able to relate to him if he didn’t have numerous random power-ups. Ruijerd begins to hold beliefs other than “only save children,” something that still holds up as the most nonsensical moral I’ve ever seen a character have. Eris exists. Roxy? Sylphiette? Who are they? But on a more serious note, Rudeus is still too much of a ridiculous character to take any of his growth seriously. A lot of his laid-back attitude was supposed to be resolved after the guild quest in Part 1, yet he still treats every serious event as a casual occurrence. His perverted actions are obviously supposed to be something bad, but there are a serious lack of consequences to actually show that his actions are wrong. If anything, there are too many characters that actively promote Rudeus’ behaviour, with they themselves having unnecessarily perverted characteristics. Ruijerd is still too one-dimensional with his only trait being that he saves children, something that only impacts his decisions very occasionally in the first place. Eris suddenly becomes a skilled swordsperson off-screen, but her growth is hardly ever shown outside of training. Her biggest role at the moment is to be a love interest for Rudeus, after all what’s an adventure without a cocky princess for a heroine travelling along with them. As much as I’ve complained about the worldbuilding, the art and sound are fantastic and do a brilliant job at maximizing the potential behind the world. Character designs make each character truly feel like they’re part of an immersive fantasy world, even with them being as generic as they are. The openings are interesting, and I like the idea of introducing the different settings through unique openings for each episode. I have zero complaints about audiovisuals, and I hope that Mushoku Tensei sets a good standard for future fantasy adaptations to come. Part 2 of Mushoku Tensei was one big buildup with no payout. It would’ve been great to see more done, but the story currently feels like its expanding on the world for the mere sake of it. A good adventure series will do more than just attempt to fit as many locations as it can into the shortest amount of time. There was no reason for Mushoku Tensei to be as expansive as it tried to be. It appears that this is only one part of what will be a series that explores Rudeus’ entire life, but man I hope he’s finally completed his super revolutionary omega fantastic character growth by the time he’s a grandad.

The original premise of Mushoku Tensei that captivated an audience was the idea that a person can live a life that is fulfilling. A life where they can reflect on their past and change for the better. In a way, I wanted to witness that aspect of it. But for a person to change and grow, there’s a need for the right environment to stimulate that personal growth. Henceforth, I praised the slice-of-life aspect of Mushoku Tensei Part 1–a part where there were people such as Rudeus’ parents despite being flawed themselves. However, I feel like that original concept was completely disregarded towards the conclusion of part 1. By the end of part 1, the narrative had shifted in the direction of fantasy adventure, which is fine. But by neglecting the original core premise that made up this show is where the structure fell apart for me. Additionally, Rudeus’ pedophilia nature was not changed in part 1 and nor was it challenged and changed in part 2. The series just let him do whatever he wants regarding his uncontrollable sexual temptations. This aspect of the anime is not only reflective of Rudeus, but also the series as a whole. Men in the world of Mushoku Tensei are all degraded to one aspect: fulfilling their sexual desires/fantasies. The series even went out of its way to write about scumbags like a prince of sovereignty who openly touts his fantasies of kidnapping Roxy and turning her into his personal sex slave. But fans of this series argue that it’s a trope. An aspect that’s used to further the development and contrast for Rudeus. Except it isn’t a contrast because Rudeus is a man who couldn’t resist his desires either. Sure, he might not have gone to the extreme level where he openly admits his fantasies to others. But Rudeus definitely thought about these temptations, committed the act of preserving Roxy’s underwear, and even groped Eris. The fans of Mushoku Tensei argue that it takes time for Rudeus to make that change. If this aspect is rushed, it only makes the transition feel unnatural. Except that defense is completely illogical because he had years between the point he was reincarnated and the point he’s at now. The worst part is that none of these actions are held accountable, belittled, or battered on. It’s all viewed as a normal part of their society. Men are shown as the dominant force, while women, on the other hand, are used to fulfilling men’s wishes, and I realized that’s the point of this anime. Speaking of wish-fulfillment, the entire secondary female cast is part of Rudeus' love interests. Let’s be honest here, the female characters in Mushoku Tensei, like Eris, are the typical embodiment of overly done anime tropes. But it wouldn’t have been so bad if Eris as a character could stand on her own. Because other than developing her physical strength in the art of swords, she doesn’t have any other drive. She has no other struggles, which is disappointing because I was expecting some sort of conflict to be inflicted inside of her after being taken into the unknown. And no, I don’t consider her being more open and kinder to Rudeus is significant because, in my eyes, that falls back into the trope that she embodies. Finally, by the end of part 2, she leaves Rudeus after she had sex with him. This single moment solidifies it even further in the wish-fulfillment fantasy, as Rudeus brags about it afterward. And I don’t care if Rudues’ reincarnated body is the body of a teenager. The fact that remains is that he’s still the same 36-year-old pedophile. The series is only disguising it with a younger body. Now, what about Roxy? The only interesting exploration that we got about Roxy was that she couldn’t communicate telepathically with her people since birth. And the series emphasized that was the sole reason which led to Roxy’s alienation among her people and her eventual break away from her family. The forced break away from her family was supposed to have a very traumatic impact on Roxy as a person because of all the emotional conflicts that were accumulating inside of her. Except the series was very surface level about it. Instead of fully exploring her state of mind at the time, the series brushed it off with a surface-level presentation in one episode and shifted the focus back to Rudeus because Roxy’s sole purpose is to serve him. In regarding its magic system and world-building, I would say it’s still a major strength that the series has a grasp on. Never once were the rules that were set in place being abused or broken. Characters in the fantasy setting of Mushoku are still limited by the boundaries set in place. Because of this, the series demonstrates that intelligence and cooperation with a bit of luck is the only way to get through the difficulties that are set in place. And each of the regions in its world has its own distinctive social structure, though it’s somewhat ambiguous. Regardless, this tiny positive is insignificant overall when compared to the overall faults I formed while watching through part 2. The main reason I wrote this review in the first place is to discredit the praises I gave for Part 1. I was ignorant to think that Mushoku Tensei was anything but a wish-fulfillment fantasy. I was fooled into thinking that Mushoku Tensei was a series that would take its initial powerful concept of redemption, self-growth and execute these themes without ever losing its focus. Mushoku Tensei’s continued usage of superficial elements in resolving personal conflicts and drama between Rudeus and characters like Paul only further devalues the series for me. The series has long lost its original concept and has shifted into a more male power fantasy, but I do understand that some might not feel this way. That’s fine. After all, this is my perception of how the anime has progressed and it isn’t indicative of one’s own. Score: 3/10

The first cour of Mushoku Tensei was heavily focused on the coming of age aspect. There weren’t any big bads to fight or need for magical aids to stop them. It was enough to make most overlook the pervy side of the protagonist and to consider it the best isekai of all times. The second cour, however, no longer has that element and comes off more like an adventure, so the need for conveniences and magic nonsense increased tenfold for the sake of the main characters not dying every ten steps they make. The plot keeps favoring the protagonist for no other reason than him being the protagonist. Major examples include: Mangod constantly telling Rudy what to do instead of letting him choose himself or work things through on his own. Rudy comes off as not having free will because of it. Besides that, demon lolis give him cheap magical power ups without having to train. Bad guys set fire in a forest exactly when Rudy is about to set it on fire, so he won’t actually have to do an evil act. Aristocrats are conveniently revealed to be otakus who help Rudy out without him having to first earn their trust. People appear in front of Rudy exactly when he was talking about them, just so the plot can continue immediately after an infodump. Gods return Rudy to life after they kill him without him doing something for earning his resurrection. It all feels cheap, lazy, and contrived. You never feel there is tension because of the convenient way everything plays out. Not even when the protagonist’s party gets defeated and he is seemingly killed. Why would you think he will stay dead when he had just infodumped a lot of stuff that haven’t happened yet? Along with all that, the pervy antiques of the protagonist did not go away and in many ways became far worse. He clearly does not want to stop being a pedo and there is no redemption story in sight. There won’t be one either, as confirmed by the author himself. Heck, his own family tells him he hasn’t changed one bit at one point. He is never punished for his behavior and is given no reason to change. And no, light scolding and comical slaps don’t count as punishment. Neither does his imprisonment at the beastmen village, since he was wrongfully accused. The isekai world he ended up in is sexually objectifying and taking advantage of women at every chance it gets without repercussions for the men. I mean, how can I overlook the fact that a maid got raped by a cheating husband and the outcome had the husband scoring a second wife? Or omitted details, such as the nymphomaniac she-elf who was cursed by men to be like that? Or that the almost naked chick that follows the pedo protagonist’s father is slutting herself so men will continue to treat her like a slut after she got raped by them? And before some smartass points out how it is exactly what was going on in the dark ages, I will remind him that this show is full of powerful female adventurers therefore it gives them privileges whenever it suits its videogame aesthetics. The show even has the nerve to treat such touchy subjects like a joke and thus ruins its theme exploration. For an anime that many like for its world building or attention to detail when it comes to slice of life, it breaks immersion whenever it reminds you it’s a silly anime that expects you to treat sexual exploitation as comedy. Also, let’s not pretend that the camera does not zoom on the crotch of underage girls or doesn’t use hentai camera shots for the sake of pleasing the degenerates. Mushoku also fails to have compelling villains, since they are all sadistic pedo rapists. In practice they are even sleazier versions of the protagonist, and made to come off as one-dimensionally evil so Rudy will seem better by comparison. They have no redeeming qualities and you just expect him to kick their asses so he will come off as a hero. Without any grey zone, the cast becomes flat and artificial. I kept the worst for last (and it also happens at the very end). The last episode is the worst in the whole series thus far, by using really dumb excuses for why the UNDERAGE redhead girl wanted to have sex with her 12 YEAR OLD COUSIN. And of course the pedo protagonist did not show his maturity by refusing her moves either. There was absolutely no need for that sex scene to happen other than pleasing the sickos watching this crap. And then, as if throwing insult to injury, the redhead abandons him for the sole purpose of Rudy not having a steady relationship for the rest of the story and thus leaving him free to sleep around with more children. Completely deplorable. So yeah, whatever good impressions the first cour had left me with (not many) were completely trashed here. I know most in the community love this horrible show, because they see it as escapism fantasy. Who wouldn’t want to molest children without getting punished and getting convenient power ups and magical resurrections with zero repercussions? I don’t watch anime for that, therefore Mushoku Tensei is officially another cancer of modern anime.

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to another season of Ugly Bastard's Bizarre Adventures! Where a NEET and perverted main character is in a body of a 12-year-old boy. Mushoku Tensei is probably one of the anticipated anime from the fans who watched the first season and the fans who read the novel, written by some helmet guy who has fetishes in his story. Tbh the first season was like an ecchi adventure that somewhat has a fine story (even it was sometimes boring though), but this one? This season I consider being one of the lowest isekai. I never usually write reviews for the show I really like but this one's bugging me why this show a highly rated. Is this show is for cultured people? Story: The story was after the mana calamity, Rudy, Eris, and the bald guy created a party in which they tried to go back home from the demon continent. Well, as for the other viewers who said that the world-building is a masterpiece, for me it's still not. It's just like a medieval Europe in a fantasy world so nothing new here. We saw new characters that are just forgettable. Beast men here, fox ladies there and it was quite generic like in other fantasy animes. I noticed some ass-pulls from the show like Rudy was given a magical eye from a stripper who flashed her panties in front of Rudy, just because he gave her food (Rudy is still a perverted af). Food for a magic eye. Sound dumb, right? As for one of the ass-pulls, the god who reincarnated and guide him through his journey, that an one big deus ex machina. If Rudy is in grave danger, the tables will suddenly just turn. Rudy became an overpowered MC because not only he has a god on his side, he had a strong lady and a powerful bald guy. One of them encountered was a prince that has fetishes on Roxy. I mean, what? The prince kidnapped the maid and Rudy just because of his fetishes? And the part when many audiences were overreacting over one guy that might be one of the antagonists in the story. They just introduced that guy and the whole audience clamored that this show is a masterpiece. Nah... It looked like just Demon Slayer ep 19 where nothing to be hyped about. And btw, this show has an incest moment. Rudy is the cousin of Eris but they engaged in sexual intercourse. Grown-up Rudy didn't want to take advantage of her, but in the end, he did. Character: We all know that Rudy is a grown man that was reincarnated in another world inside a child's body. The first season's events were kinda childish but after the mana calamity, his character development was somewhat moved forward. But, heck... in every event in the second part, his character development took backward like wtf. He saved helpless people in many towns and somewhat became a hero, but his problems as a human being were never addressed. It seems that his act of kindness and heroic deeds are just a bad excuse for his character development. He's still a pervert af. I mean he is a grown man but in a child's body so he should have mature thinking. I don't know what his actual resolve is because he constantly repeating his mistakes and he didn't learn from them. Again, he is a 34-year-old grown-up man. The difference between his past life and the current one is Rudy wasn't a NEET anymore but with bad habits. As for the other characters, Eris became a waifu bait, Roxy is a lolicon, Ruijerd was like a walking statue, and Paul was a jack-ass character and he sucked. Art/Sound: The art isn't like the others said. The art is blurry, not eye-catching, and somewhat generic. It seemed that it is fine art for the story but 'amazing' like what they said. If the angle is far from the characters, they looked like ass. The production and the budget seemed low for this anime. The music is annoying. The OP and ED feel off and don't have a heart. It sounded like humming all over again and the background music is generic like you can hear in some other fantasy animes. Boring, no emotions, and no identity at all. Overall: This anime might be watchable for fans who love isekai. You can love it for the subjective elements, or hate it because of the incestuous element of the show, and the sexual assaults of the pathetic main character. This show can be beautiful if the author removes all of those flaws but instead, he wrote it as fanservice that the story can be inappropriate. If you remove all the objective flaws in the story, you may think this is a perfect isekai anime. It's your choice to decide whether you will watch it or not. But overall, this show is utterly overwhelming.

Mushoku Tensei is the promise of isekai fulfilled. The idea of getting a second chance at life in a different world has been often explored, but rarely executed well. Usually isekai devolves into wish-fulfilment power fantasies with harem scenarios and fan-service. It’s not often that we get a genuinely fantastical tale of magic and wonder, so when Mushoku came along and delivered those it was an instant hit, and for good reason. Part 1 of Mushoku Tensei gave us a small glimpse into an extremely rich and diverse world full of lore and unique characters. The animation, art and direction were among the best in years. You’ll be elated to learn that things have only got better in the second part of the anime. The advantage of having a studio founded purely to make one anime is that every episode will feel cinematic and have feature length film quality. From episodes 1-12, you would have no problem losing yourself in this rich world, the story flows together in such a way that it keeps you coming back. The stakes and drama were increased from part 1, adding a lot of emotional moments and satisfying pay offs in this second cour. By the end of the season, it feels like we’re still only scratching the surface of Rudeus’ story, because we are. There’s so much more to come from this franchise and I could not be happier that a studio of such talented people is working on it. Some people will have complaints of certain aspects of Mushoku’s story, particularly the sexual scenes. I think those people are being wilfully obtuse. Sex is a natural part of life, and artists incorporating it into their stories does not make them sickos or “weird” Yes, Rudeus was originally a 30 year old male, but he has been reincarnated as a child and is now going through physical puberty in this world. Him developing an intimate relationship with another person of his age group is anything but pedophilia. As a Light Novel reader, I believe the studio did an awesome job with pacing and were very faithful to the LNs in the second cour. In fact, Mushoku is one of the rare cases where the studio actually elevates the source material. A testament to the care and love that went into making this anime. Mushoku Tensei’s second cour shows exactly what isekai can be when all the nonsense is cut out. I don’t say that to bash isekai or isekai authors. I love isekai, it’s my favourite genre in fact. However, I would be lying if I said that many aspects of the genre weren’t overdone to death. MT is a breath of fresh air and encapsulates to the sheer wonder of a fantasy world. From the OST to the rich LOTR-esque lore, this is a magical experience that I am glad I get to be apart of. Mushoku Tensei second season gets 10 Roxy statues out of 10.

Creating a redemption story about a pedophile of all things is some of the worst writing I have ever seen. No matter where you go, everyone, including the big Anime YouTubers, refuse to address the elephant in the room when it comes to this series: pedophilia. In fact, many viewers embrace it. I do respect the passion that went into the production quality, but this sickly degenerate and disgusting series has too many flaws and not much going for it if you can see past the fan service and animation. Not only that, the fan service brings out the worst in the viewers as the discussions I try to have become too disgusting to take seriously. Often, people say this has great world building. How? Texhnolyze is an example of amazing world building. The viewers know what to expect, what kind of people they'd meet, and how to survive in the worlds of that series. They become knowledgeable of the inner workings and politics. If the viewer was there, they'd know what to do, what not to do, and where to go, where not to go. The amazing and memorable art gives the viewers a sort of mental map of the city. I can give endless examples of world building in Texhnolyze. What about Mushoku Tensei? Besides the constant boring and aimless walking through pretty backgrounds, maybe I can run into a demon girl who will rip my eye out and give me a demon one. Or, I might walk into a monster orgy. There was so much potential in world building here, but hardly any at all is explored. Likewise, the magic system is barely touched upon. The writing of this series is blinded by how perverted it is. This all ties into one of it's major flaws: It focuses too much on the fan service and abandons more important parts of the series that should have been developed instead. Some say Rudeus is one of the best protagonists in all of anime. How? He hasn't grown at all and there isn't much to him besides being a former useless and deplorable neet. He is a strong mage because he just is? Just when you think he is turning over a new leaf it turns out to no one's surprise he is still the same. He is still sexually assaulting little girls, and the staff disgustingly felt the need to add in even more anime only content to show more of his degeneracy. In part 1, Rudeus was seen to be yet another cowardly written protagonist that doesn't know how to get his hands dirty when needed, and he is so naïve about fighting back it gets characters killed. Ruijerd was right about taking out the animal abusers. There's no place for pacifism when it comes to reality. A sadistic villain with no conscious, whether it's a person or a government, wouldn't even know what it is, anyways. In season 2 he hasn't grown much at all from this. It doesn't help that his father is a worthless alcoholic and womanizer. To partly salvage this series, the production value is incredible. The opening songs change and pour out more scenes rather than having a constant opening. The animation can be beautiful and the music decent. You can see the passion the staff put into that, but animation doesn't write a good story. This is something that seems very difficult to understand. Mushoku Tensei goes down the similar path of Vivy Flourite Eye's song: A series that had everything it needed to be a classic but failed in the writing department. This happens all too much. Character wise, Eris became that obnoxious obligatory tsundere that decreased season 1's quality until they finally fixed her character and made her much more likeable. In season 2, she essentially becomes Rudeus' personal guard dog that constantly barks for him. Sylphiette had potential to be an amazing character but got the Milize from 86 treatment and got shafted into the void 99% of the time. Most of the characters didn't have much going for them, were there only to be useless and hollow pieces of fan service, and overall not that memorable. Roxy is one of the few characters I've enjoyed since her story is among the better ones, but she rarely appears. The only character that I grew to love and appreciate is Ruijerd. He is the voice of reason among the foolishness of Rudeus and the others. He is the strong protector and wise teacher of his comrades. He is highly respectable and a great man. Sadly, the source material readers felt many of the time that too much of him was cut out for the adaptation. I get not everything can be adapted, but at least he still came off as a great character with what the series showed. The CGI God is always amusing with his odd personality, but there really isn't much to say about him besides that he is Rudeus' plot cheat machine. Then there's the constant 10/10 best Isekai ever talk; an assumption that is an insult to anime. Saying this is the best isekai ever is nonsensical because the ones saying that have not watched every isekai, let alone any anime before the year 2000, and considering it's a genre littered with terrible media, it's honestly not saying much anyways. Sadly, part 2 is awful for all the same reasons part 1 is. Nothing changed or got better besides prettier animation to gloss over this corpse of a series.

The only good thing about this season from the previous one is there less pedophilia. After I hated the first season, I looked at the reviews. And nobody that liked the anime talks about the pedo stuff it is really odd, why people are ignoring all that stuff? There is still no plot. Why are we watching this? All they do is spend a few hours then time skip 1 year. Even the writer knew there is nothing to write about so he keep skipping years. The problem is caused by no plot. There is nothing to progress to, so there is no progression. We are wasting time on mini-stories that no one will remember. They tease the villain in the last episodes. He is cool and all but I don't know him. I don't know his motives, background, or favorite ice cream. From the things I watched in this series, I bet that he will disappoint. He is evil because of some god, maybe he will changes sides at the end and will die. I wish instead of wasting time on useless stuff like Roxy's parents. They spend more time on the villain. The reason I say Roxy's stuff is waste of time is: It adds nothing to the story like any other mini storyline in the series. Roxy's stuff is the only thing I remembered. In my previous review, I said that world-building is good but I changed my mind. It is only surface level so far. I thought that they will build the world but they didn't. Saying that there are different races like elves, dwarves, etc. is not world-building. You need to give them culture and depth. What I have seen so far tells me that they are incapable of building deeper lore so they fill it with a bunch of stuff that they won't expend on to fill like it is deep. I like the 10 seconds of "the fight". I remember one song was nice but I can't recall what it was. I hated Paul more. I am glad Eris stopped shouting. Why is he bald? The dog was cute, so 1 point is added. So instead of giving it a 1 (if there is 0, I would give it), the score is 2.

Mushoku Tensei has become my most favorite isekai to watch ever since Winter came along. Keep in mind, I went in blind without knowing of the PV, news, or anything that spoils details of the original light novel. Part 1 was phenomenally great, I watched back the series a couple of times without getting tired of it. And when Part 2 came, it became greater. Never has an isekai had me rooting for the cast and reeled me into the fantastic world of Mushoku Tensei. Story: 9/10 The story is told from the perspective of our main character, Rudeus. This allows us to perceive the world as if it were to be real. For anyone who loves storytelling, you will get that with its brisk pacing, more details into the lore of Mushoku Tensei, and compelling writing. Art: 10/10 It's absolutely gorgeous, the characters may look simple and cartoonish at times, but the choreography, animation, and background art are phenomenal. I could look at it for days and never grow tired of it. As the show is also known for its questionable moments, I expected them to fully animate it and yet I have found gold. They handled the mature scenes with great care and tactfully avoid scenes that would spark controversy. Character: 9/10 Rudeus is a very well-written character. He has the most fleshed-out details out of any cast in Mushoku Tensei thanks to the story being told through him. Not to say that the others don't have that, in fact, I adore them. Their adventures and chemistry were there. One thing I do notice is that there are people who don't like Rudeus because of his perverted personality during its runtime. Rudeus may be a reincarnation of a guy who was previously 34 years old, but how dirty do you have to be to imagine that to happen? Enjoyment: 10/10 The anime is simply breathtaking. Anyone who loves great characters, creative storytelling, beautiful animation, and good music should have a chance to watch this piece of art. It's not simply an isekai, it's an epic fantasy.

An adventure that does not lead anywhere. An adventure with a main character that does not evolve. Mushoku Tensei is a fantasy world that wants you to believe that there is a lot going on, but actually there is not. There is indeed a huge amount of scenarios , characters, skills and magic displayed on the screen. A whole lot of tools, for a whole lot of nothing. Imagine creating a world full of villages, deserts, forests and every other place that would fit in this kind of world, where animals, humans, beast humans, devil humans, God and a package of creatures live just to waste it with a tremendous useless main character journey? Rudeus Greyrat is probably some of the most stupid main characters in animes that i ever seen. This idiot here, is a reincarnation of another 30 YEARS OLD idiot, that used to be bullied in our world and because of that he lived the rest of his life doing nothing, just to reincarnate here as a talented young mage for no reason at all, just to be the exactly same loser that he was before. Does not matter if you have the power or not, you’ll be a loser anyways, because it is not your outside that defines you but your inside. So a plot that was supposed to be about this USELESS piece of garbage evolving as a person, becoming at least better, just gets stuck in the same repetitive loop of “im loser i can not do that”. It's a mister sad boy anthem that never stops. The only time that plot shines, is where this peverted man - i don’t even want to start how atrocious is to a 30 year man having relationship with twelve years old kids just because he has now a body of 12 years old is - is where the other characters around him FLAME THE SOUL OF HIM, when they notice how STUPID he is. But unfortunately, the plot tried to sell to you that he learned his lesson, just a few episodes later he proves that he is still a FAILURE as a human being in all aspects. DOn’t get me wrong here, i’m not saying that he is a trash character because he cries, or he got bullied, or even because he gave up at some point, i’m stating that regardless of all that, this plot was supposed to get this man a comeback, or at least make him notice how stupid he is, but that does not happenes, and we get the vibes of “how poor he is, he deserved better” going on. Also there is a lack of substantial problems in this plot, because they waste so much energy with the MC. Like there are no villains, there is no sense of problems getting solved, its a huge pile of themes that never finds the climax. The art and the sound are amazing, I love the whole world and character customization. Pretty much you could tell a way more interesting story in this world, but they decided to follow the most unnecessary character possible. What made this more tolerable to watch how the world flows around his crap trama, like his family, his father, his girlfriend, his teacher, his mom, i like most of them, i just feel very bad that they have a person like him in their life. This anime is a strong disappointment, it is like having a whole lotta of money, just to waste it buying water from some streamer that took a shower with it instead of using the money to help people, or at least do something interesting.

(Spoiler-Free) Mushoku Tensei is a modern classic. If you like stunning visuals, powerful soundtracks, fantastic character development, and unmatched worldbuilding, Mushuko Tensei is for you. Note: Mushoku Tensei has mature content and themes which some watchers may dislike, but add substantial meaning to the story in perspective of its world and character development. Mushoku Tensei is essentially "Redemption Arc: The Anime" with a lot of quality exposition and accompanying art. At first glance, you may find Mushoku Tensei's plot similar to many modern anime: where the main character is reincarnated, but don't let this stray you away. The source material Mushoku Tensei is adapted from is heralded as one of the most influential of its genre and has this status for good reason. In Mushoku Tensei, you follow the hardships and growth of an irredeemable character into a respectable and mature one. This story format lends itself to sensical worldbuilding; your understanding of the world grows as the main character, Rudeus' understanding of it does. You're left shocked, overjoyed, and heartsick at the same things Rudy is. Having Rudy restart as a child gives the character the ability to grow emotionally and build relationships much more naturally, resulting in an overall greater attachment to the characters and the beautiful world they inhabit. The soundtracks and sound effects of Mushoku Tensei are incredible. Namely voiced by the talented Yuiko Ohara, the opening and ending tracks are powerful yet supple, and the openings are seamlessly incorporated into the anime, unlike any other show, creating a meaningful relationship between the world and the opening themes. The background music brings the immersiveness of the show to the next level. The period-specific instruments make you feel like you're right there with Rudy on a fantasy adventure. Just the same, the sound effects bring life to the world of Mushoku Tensei: the carefully designed sloshing of water magic, the sparkling tones of explosions, or the whistling of a fantastical creature flying far above. Mushoku Tensei's characters are easily distinguishable and each have unique flaws and graces. Rudeus is the most flawed of the cast; to put it bluntly: you won't like Rudeus at the beginning of the story as he is initially extremely perverted. However, despite what you'd think, Rudy's flaws are one of the show's best characteristics, because, as I stated earlier, the story's main focus is on Rudy's growth. Each female main character has a unique personality and appeal but is still relevant when it comes to the plot, unlike many similar shows. The unique artistic design and well-developed personality of each character make Mushoku Tensei's cast unforgettable. The art and animation of Mushoku Tensei are, in a word, incredible. From the graceful flow of water magic and sparkle-filled explosions to the carefully choreographed character movement, whether that be in fight scenes or in impressively expressive body language, this show's utterly delectable visuals fill this world with character and marvelously convey the ambiance of each scene. My enjoyment of Mushoku Tensei comes from a combination of the attributes listed above and many more which would turn this review into an endless rant. I rarely give 10/10s, especially across the board, but Mushoku Tensei is truly outstanding in every sense of the word! I can proudly say that Mushoku Tensei is on my "favorite anime of all time" list, and if you watch, you might just find this breathtaking show on yours as well :)

People talk about the perversion of this show like it actually matters, dude its a fantasy get over it, you wanna know what I care about? The story, the character development, the pacing, the growth, which all are non existent, if the writers spent half as much time invested in actually making Rudy grow and learn as they did with world development and other characters maybe this show would actually be as good as people make it out to be, Mushoku Tensei is super overrated and it is likely because of how ecchi it is and because so many people relate to how much of a perverted pessimist Rudy is.

I expected something good after seeing the first season, it's such a disappointment. Probably this season the company doesn't have a director at all. They just sorted the scenes and dialogues and that's it. Characters act stupidly, they do things without any motive and the season is too cliche in every aspect. And it has enough crap episodes according to a 12 episodes season. The first arc was boring in my opinion and in the last episodes were not intriguing because of the setup.. I even gave 9 points to the first season, the only thing I expect is a consistent, simple story but no. Art and voice acting decent.

It started off good and then fell off a cliff. Great art and animation most of the time, but the pacing of show was awful. It's clear that the plot was dragged on in order to make this season 12 episodes when it really should have been 10. The ending was quite simply, one of the worst I've seen in a long time. There was no reason to split up Rudeus's backstory into multiple episodes and then have to repeat the same information again and again. Furthermore, the last episode is only a setup for the next season, giving this season an unsatisfying ending and terrible aftertaste. Story: 7 Good story, but bad pacing Art: 9 Great most of the time but some parts were a bit iffy Sound: 8 OP and ED were meh but the sound was fine Character: 8 Enjoyment: 5 Overall: 5

Like any continuation, it builds on it’s the left behind foundation though some things will nevertheless still be required reiteration. That is to say, we start the cour of this patch of episodes as we ended the last; by having Rudeus ogle Eris like a piece of underaged meat. It's quite the message to send to your audience! Both scenes are occupied by the same jovial attitude a great many people criticized episode six of the prior season for, both are largely indifferent to the character of Rudeus having these deviant desires aside from the entertainment value his pedophilic attitude grants the scene and beyond that, it never finds itself the focus of a scene. Now, why would I focus on something that's seemingly not the point of the anime? Why can't I let this seemingly minute detail just slip past me and enjoy the remainder? As I've seen, there's some conflict as to whether one could discern this story of "Rudy" to be that of redemption, that we're not supposed to be rooting for Rudy in these weird moments of his and that he is at his lowest at this very moment, that to abandon him on this spot would be ill-considered given he has just begun the journey of improvement. To an extent, I believe that to be true! Rudy has, in some ways, changed from when he first transferred into his new body. He has largely gotten over his anxiety of going outside, courtesy of Roxy. Via help from Ruijerd in his reprimanding after his blunder against the snake, Rudy ceases to view the people around him as more than props for him to move around and more as people and by his own, he realizes in the hay alongside Eris that he truly squandered his prior life. As a character, there has been progress along the way, no matter whether I consider a single horse-ride with Roxy a cure-all for what seems to have been a decade or more worth of anxiety built up in him after his own self-isolation in his prior life. Either through circumstance or interference from an errand god, Rudy in this second cour gets a fair share of hero moments. He rescues slaves from slavers, though not before ogling these captive children. He gets to contrast himself against their leader, who find himself objectifying them except he's baaaaaaaaad while doing it. The very same having to be said about the next antagonist, who can summarily just be described as "Rape Prince". The antagonists faced are just bad enough that it makes Rudy look mild by contrast and he gets to look the hero as he coasts through the adventures, protected by Ruijerd's impressive strength and the omnipotence of a god. Only around mid-way through the cour when a previously lost character gets reintroduced is Rudy permitted to be uncool, his sharp and vindictive tongue getting the best of him. It's largely a point-well made that people, in their attempt to sheer one up, one can come across as insensitive to the plight of the ones they're trying to help. Ruijerd gets some semblance of progression as well. Him growing to understand that he can do something about his own circumstances and that it isn't all helpless, though unfortunately the same can't be said for Eris. Nothing is fundamentally different about Eris from the first episode to the last; the narrative gives her a couple of "You tried" badges by making her the mentor of a boring episode,... I mean catgirl whose personality is the equivalent of a wet noodle and she eventually gets the "You're an adult" from Ruijerd after her combat skill has grown. Alas, power levels aren't a replacement for compelling character moments though given how the narrative ends for Eris this cour, one can suspect she MAYBE has her progression backloaded outside of this portion of the story. I can luckily say that she may get some progression, that she may change for the better. The structural narrative promises this to me however low my enthusiasm is for it, I can expect such to occur in the future. Unfortunately, I must complete my circle and say the same can't be said for a specific portion of Rudy, namely that he finds himself rewarded for the worst vice he has. How do I know? The narrative goes on in the finale to say that, what it implied to be the case, wasn't and that his own narrative is a tragic misunderstanding. He finds newfound resolve in yet another damsel to rescue, and ultimately, while the event hurt him, the circumstances surrounding it weren't reflected onto this quality of his. So, why can't I let go? Because the title of the story promised me that he'd try his best, because several micro-narratives in the story emphasize the improvement of his character and yet it effortlessly circles around this one specific vice; his lust or ambivalence of wanting to have intercourse with the children he found himself surrounded by in his physical youth. It, much like the prior cour, goes unaddressed for more important narratives in need of telling. This is avoidance is only compounded by the lack of detail the narrative itself puts on the world, moving from place to place too fast for anything more than lastingly generic and barebones fantasy tropes, and thus we're only left with Rudy's thoughts once more which flip-flop between "Good-natured smart isekai protag" and "Deviant" when we're not being dragged through bog-standard DND stories. If not for its blatant disregard for this one theming error and the lavish production values Bind pumps into it, it would be a largely forgettable affair punctuated by sakuga. But hey, Roxy, despite being an almost eternal monument to his fetish, Is still cool right!? Can't wait for Rudy to reunite with her and tell her how he worships her underwear...

No spoilers ahead. What was Mushoku Tensei, season 1? An overall high budget, and GREAT adaptation of what's actually pretty mediocre base material in all regards aside maybe world building. What is this season 2 then? A slightly lower budget BAD adaptation of said story. 5.4~ or so as opposed to the previous season 7~/10. What exactly is the reasoning behind me saying all this? Rushing, cutting, replacements, all done in almost the worst ways possible. All the interesting events and world building? Almost entirely removed. Most the WN's events? Gone. The LN stuff? Either gone or rushed like crazy. Which you may say might be necessary if they're trying to focus more on the more important and interesting events to rush to the better stuff... But they're NOT! More than that, all the time they free up with speeding up the events that are less interesting and less important side events and characters, and even interesting stuff they squander on drawing up rather boring and far shorter conversations and events meaning they make everything dull without actually creating too much interest or progress in return, and it lasted for pretty much over HALF THE SEASON! And so i'll ask you, what's the charm of isekai and other fiction? Often the fiction part. What happens if you CUT most of the fiction toward relationships, important and less important events, sidetracking with side characters? You get just a normal story, set in a fiction world, but what's the point if you don't get to see and experience most of it? Admittedly the combination of key events does manage to get things more interesting later on, but when it happens like 2/3rds into the thing, can i really give it any points for that? The answer is no. Final verdict - i'd recommend you fast forward the last few episode of the last season (demon lands) and at least 7 episodes from this season if you're gonna go and watch it. Otherwise, not recommended at all unless you're a hardcore fan.