Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu

I went in blind when I started this show. Didn't know anything about it, and was pleasant surprised by how good it is. It's charming, funny, and gives you interesting characters for sure. Defo one of the better isekai's for sure, and for good reason.

Story and characters
This is where it shines the most. Dropping us in with our MC, Rudeus, as he meets his end from the dreaded truck-kun, after trying to save some people from being hit by it. That is of course after being forced out of his home. Being a loner and basically lazy person, you assume the worst about him, but ... he's mainly just been dealt with a bad hand, from shitty events at school, which has caused him to be who he is. But doing this act, has somehow landed him reborn in a new world. To two lovely and amazing parents, both being super caring, and fun in their own way. They also don't mind showing off their excitement, which surprised me at first, but it's pretty funny seeing it for first time. As of course they don't think Rudeus knows what's going on, but he's still got his previous memories, so he knows what is going on for sure lol.

The story follows Rudeus, as he gets more used to this new world he is in, but also developing himself as well. From the forced bad person he is due to his past. To what he becomes later, along with discovering the world that is now presented to us.

Over the course of the show, we're introduced to more lovely characters. Characters that you will want to see more of. From Roxy, his magic instructor, who helped him when it came to magic, and Sylphiette, who is just really sweet, and I can't wait to see their friendship blossom even more. Along with meeting any more characters that come our way.

Art and sound
The art is on point in a lot of ways. From being bright and colourful when it need be. To when things get dark and disturbing when they're going through some real deep scenes. Along with having that perfect lighting when in certain scenes. Top notch stuff there, and there is no issues with sound as well. Everything here seems well done, on point, and can't say anything about it.

Mushoku Tensei is a hit of a season that you should be watching!

Mushoku Tensei is not original. It is the progenitor of the countless anime cliches that we now see in the isekais of anime and label as trash. That being said, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should write off Mushoku Tensei as cliche-filled garbage, because it's not. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation hits right where it should. It is an unusually immersive show with a mixed bag of hilarious and dark moments that will keep you entertained throughout the whole course of it.

Story

First off, I'd like to say that Mushoku Tensei is a long road. The show does not immediately throw our main character into ... an adventure as you would normally expect from an isekai anime. Rather, it puts a greater emphasis on world building and the cast of characters. Once truck-kun puts our main character out of his misery, we follow Rudeus along as he transforms from an infant to a child all the while introducing information about the new world alongside his growth. It does not pile us with crappy monologue to world build but instead puts actions into words through Rudeus' experience with magic. Not only does this build a deeper connection between the viewer and the characters, but also allows more time to become immersed into the show. It takes baby steps in introducing this new world instead of shoving introductions into one single episode, something that several shows unfortunately incorporate too often.

Character

It is crystal clear from the beginning that our main character is not meant to be liked. In his previous life, Rudeus was a complete failure of society. He mooched off his parents, skipped their funeral, and never accomplished a single thing in his life. However, maybe we were never meant to like him in the first place. His flaws as a human being not only makes him relatable as a character, but also leaves room for him to change. Remorse and regret haunt Rudeus, and he sees this second chance at life to correct himself, slowly but surely. The link between Rudeus' past life to his present lives up to the theme of reincarnation, something which MANY MANY isekai animes simply refuse to acknowledge. Through his willingness to learn new languages, it also goes to show that he is willing to work hard and refuses to repeat the habits of the life he had lived previously. Contrary to what many people seem to believe, Rudeus is not overpowered. It is clear that Rudeus has been shown to have countless flaws, one being in battle where he is unable to thrive in close-range combat. His skills as a magician were not passed down to him by some divine power, he had learned and trained himself how to utilize the magic in the unfamiliar world in which he was thrust upon. It is undeniable that he was born with an advantage from the rest, having attained the memories from his previous life, but he has to continuously apply himself with dedication and training to get stronger. His growth may be contradicted by the several perverted tenancies that he contentiously displays throughout the series, but rather than showing that he's incapable of change, it merely goes to show how far he has to go.

Comedy

The controversy around Mushoku Tensei makes sense, it deals with several hateable themes such as sexual assault, slavery, and pedophilia in not so appropriate ways. Surprisingly, what many consistently forget is that Mushoku Tensei is in a medieval setting. Rather than white washing the societal problems that other shows seem to do, Mushoku Tensei dives headfirst into the problems of the past. It is not afraid to sacrifice that E for everyone rating to delve into the f*cked up society and culture that was once seen as normal in the medieval times.

One thing that I'd like to say is that comedy is subjective, and what you find funny may be completely unnatural to someone else. As such, this specific side of the show is one of the main reasons why Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is getting mixed feelings. It's not a comedy like Konosuba per se, but it has its fair share of comedic moments that are undeniably qualified as inappropriate. If you're one who can't bear with a pedophile of a main character and perverted jokes, then you may not find the show as promising as the score reflects.

Animations/Sound

Mushoku Tensei's setting is animated in rich natural textures with beautifully animated effects. Studio Bind does an exceptional job in incorporating ink-like paintings into the setting all the while maintaining a consistent usage of lighting to match with the tone of every scene. All of these elements combined together not only create a show that is bearable for the eyes, but also immerses you into the unfamiliar world. The music directing in the show is unique in that it incorporates the OP song with snippets of different scenes every episode. The soundtrack is typical of a fantasy show and there is not much to be noted besides the usage of a few arrangements to the last scene of a couple episodes.

Conclusion

Mushoku Tensei is NOT FOR EVERYONE. It prioritizes comedy over dramatic moments and disregards several imaginary borders that most animes would not cross. It is not an emotional rollercoaster that will pull at your heartstrings, do not expect badass fight scenes or numerous amounts of blood and gore. It is better characterized as a comedic adventure rather than a seriously dramatic show. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly a fun watch for anyone looking for a typical isekai anime that does not fail in its execution.

Two quotes to describe this show:
-"I wish I could've atleast lost my virginity."
-"If I live and try as hard as everyone else, get back up when I fall, and keep facing forward... Maybe I can do it. Maybe even I... Maybe a jobless, reclusive bum like me can get a do-over at life, and can get serious about living."

PS: Where the hell is the comedy tag on this show?

Overall: 8
Story: 7
Art: 7
Sound: 7
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 8

"IsekaiHood, the Anime"

That is how i could define Mushoku Tensei - Jobless Reincarnation.

It is funny and ironic how just in 2021, after we met all kinds of trash Isekai series, with cheap plot, no devenlopment, and all kinds of distractions (Smartphone, Shield, Animals, Vendor Machine etc) as a excuse for the same Overpower and/or Harem narratives, we are now presented to a story where the original meaning of ISEKAI element is respected and kept into the core.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is made with the purest interest of this kind of story: the opportunity, in another world, for us to be different from what we ... were in our "real world".

And that is what this anime delivers. A story of complete character development following up the life of Rudeus Greyrat, literally from his birth, but always under the reaction/observation of the his previous self (represented by the superb voice work of Tomokazu Sugita as the previous life conscience of Rudy).

But not only Rudeus is subject of development. Along the series you will meet other characters with strong personalities, that helps and are helped by the protagonist. By the 1st episode you know Roxy Migurdia, tutor of Rudy and the 1st to aid in his upgrade in the new world.

Sure it have many cliché elements that even before 2012 was already usual in japanese works (Medieval Fantasy, horny MC, "adult" Loli, truck-kun from Yuyu Hakusho etc), used by the author Rifujin na Magonote to make that world more familiar to the audience. However, not his fault, it become too much unoriginal at 2021.

The anime was produced by a new studio formed by a collaboration of the famous studios Egg Firm(SAO, DanMachi, Gate) and White Fox (Stein's Gate, Re:Zero, Goblin Slayer), so was not a surprise that the art, animation and soundtrack is being amazingly well done.

An explanation to all this effort is that although obscure to the western anime community, Mushoku Tensei's Novels (WN and LN), the source material, are very famous in Japan, a real reference that influenced lots of other posterior works. When the 1st episode aired in Japan, the tag #Mushoku Tensei reached the 5th place in the twitter trends of Japan, and still keep taking 1st weekly place in japanese anime rankings.

So Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is a series that deserves attention, coming like a healing magic over the battered subgenre of Isekai.

[Overall Score: 7.5]

Mushoku Tensei is a long awaited adaption (And a very controversial one), and it's a fairly good adaption coming from a new studio and an excellent director who knows what he's doing. The anime was able to create a medieval setting that most other isekai failed at doing, starting from the amazing opening sequence from Yuiko Oohara to the entire production of this anime, enjoyable characters combined with great animation and direction, all ruined by Rifujin na Magonote's inability to write a consistent story.

Mushoku Tensei is a controversial adaption because of it’s over the top ecchi scenes. Now I’m not the type of ... person to get mad at fan service and ecchi, in fact, I was one of the first people to defend Mushoku Tensei when people started hating on it. The part where I was completely lost at was when Eris was sleeping, and Rudeus thought “She's sleeping but what if I grope her breasts and take off her panties” and does exactly that with a very unattractive grin on his face. At one scene, Roxy is having a conversation with her former student, it’s loving moment, all until some random fat guy jumps from behind and starts intensely groping her boobs. Humour is subjective and I only speak for myself, so personally, rather than that scene being funny, it was creepy and ruins the tonal consistency of the story. You can’t have a serious conversation and add a sex joke between that conversation and expect people to take it seriously. While it doesn’t completely ruin the anime for me, it definitely hinders my enjoyment and ruins the consistency of the story (sometimes).

This is only season one, but it has been very slow at the start, although I have to admit, the slow start didn’t feel bad, until they rapidly started changing settings and characters. The setting of the anime was changed two times within 11 episodes. At the start, it had a SoL fantasy feeling to it, which later turned into SoL adventure in the second half of the anime.
The worst part of the story and the characters are how often they keep changing the casts. After four episodes, I was getting used to Rudeus’ family, that’s when they decided that they need to add new characters. Again, just when I was getting used to the new cast, they dumped another cast change on us. I’d really prefer if Rudeus stayed with someone for a long term, rather than that character staying with Rudeus for an arc, going away for a timeskip and then reuniting with Rudeus again. This season felt more like an epilogue rather than the start of the actual story, so I’ll wait for the second cour to expand of the story part.

The characters are good, except Rudy. I wouldn’t say that he is a bad character, but he is inconsistent. At one scene, he’s protecting an elf girl who’s getting bullied, because it reminded him of the time other people used to bully him on his previous life, it’s a good scene. And in the next scene, he’s thinking about how he’s gonna make a fine woman out of her in the future. All the other characters, while great, are still underdeveloped (I don’t mean that in a physical way lol). I did mention the problem of how the writer introduces a character, that character stays with Rudy for a while, and then that character goes away and returns after one time skip. The cast changes get annoying after a while.

Now, for the aspect which truly carries this season, the animation. Boy oh boy, the production is just on another level, especially for a new studio. When you pay attention to the small details the studio put out, it puts a really big smile on your face. I encourage everyone to search for these small details as they are quite intriguing. And that’s not all, even the small fight scenes are so well animated. When’s the last time a light novel got this special treatment? I don’t remember. Studio Bind deserves tons of appreciation for this adaption. The anime truly is amazing when you pay attention to the small details, you’ll understand how high the production value was for this anime.

The sound has been the bread and butter of the anime. The voice actors take this anime to the next level, the dialogue delivery feel genuine compared to the average copy paste isekai, thus making the voice acting one of the best aspect of this anime. Not only this, but as I already mentioned, the opening sequence song and the ending sequence song are amazing, it feels like it was made for the anime rather than the radio. Especially the opening, gotta give credit where it's due. The opening gives such a pleasant medieval vibe, with the flute and all, it's perfectly fits the setting of the anime and also doubles as an enjoyable song.

Now it brings us to the main question, should you watch this anime? If you haven’t watched it already, then my review should give you a good answer for whether you want to watch it or not. Personally, I really encourage everyone to look beyond those ecchi scenes and get into this series, while I agree that some scenes were a bit uncomfortable, but then again, everything else about this anime is too good to miss. In fact, I kind of feel bad that some people might miss out on a great series because the author feels the need to add these inconsistent over the top ecchi scenes. As for me, whilst I was disappointed at certain parts, I thoroughly enjoyed mosts aspect of the anime. Since my rating for this dwells between a seven and an eight, I chose to give this anime a seven and a half, clearly because it's an above average isekai and it's an irrefutable fact (Comparing it with Wise Man's Granchild, Death March and Isekai Cheat Magician, the big 3 of copy paste generic isekai). I'll be looking forward to see how the studio handles it's second cour.

There are more number of isekai anime now a days. I heard many saying this is just another isekai. Guys now here this out "THIS IS NOT ANOTHER ISEKAI ANIME" , This is the best ever isekai (a.k.a GOD FATHER of isekai). I just read the manga which was ongoing at chapter 68, the story was so exciting so actually moved to read the light novel also finished it.... believe it or not, This anime has best story(saying form novel reader).

Story: 10/10 This anime has more than isekai...call it a fantasy treat folks....there is a lot of action battle sequence, world powers, magic, swords, kingdoms, ... demons, gods, politics, army, Great plot twists and little erotic love scenes. There is no single plot like all other isekai, this anime comes with many plot twists. It is a perfect anime to watch.

Character: 9/10 The character growth of NEET in another world is like what you guess, but here there is more than that. The hero starts from a new birth and has shown courage unlike any other has greatly suited this anime its this anime's own uniqueness. All the characters depicted in this show will be amazing especially the world powers attracts highly. The female characters all have their own special eroticness.

Art : 9/10 The anime studio has greatly put a lot of effort its clearly shown on every episodes hope the second sequel will be also great. Studio Bind which is a new one has created this anime also has shown great graphic content here in this show, a great start for them.

This is isekai. Not the plethora of cheaply produced and poorly written knockoffs that we seem to get every single season that feature a protagonist getting transported to another world but do literally nothing in terms of plot progression, character development, and more. Mushoku Tensei steps up to the plate to demonstrate how to effectively utilize this overused genre, and it's about damn time!

Which is why it's a shame that it's getting so much negative attention simply because of the perverted nature of the protagonist Rudeus. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me, but I'll get into my thoughts on that a little later. Get excited ... to read my potentially controversial opinion! Yay~

Edit: Oh no, I broke one of the sacred rules of reviewing! NEVER write big boring walls of text. Whoops. Uh, please don't be intimidated by my giant paragraphs! I was just so impressed by this anime that I couldn't stop writing about it, that's all!

World building, setup, and setting. These three features are essential in establishing an effective fantasy series. That's one of the many reasons why great anime like No Game No Life and Re:Zero (hey, I gotta give my isekai favs a shoutout!) work, because they do an excellent job at setting up their worlds to be fun and unique places while simultaneously explaining countless diverse and fascinating factors about how everything works as the protagonists progress. Yet I find myself constantly watching anime of this genre that seem to completely neglect these important narrative tools. Viewers are usually presented with the bare minimum like "Hey look! Here's a medieval style town for the protagonist to live in and we won't explore anything else outside of it!" Or "Wow! Some of these girls have animal ears! What an excellent way to showcase a variety of diverse species!!!" And that's it. We're supposed to be following a hero through an epic journey in a fictional world with monsters and magic and so forth, yet so many fantasy anime do absolutely nothing remotely interesting with their concept. And as a result, such shows end up being excruciatingly dull and mind-numbingly forgettable. I don't mean to be rude, but it's like the writers of these stories lack creativity and inventiveness in everything except coming up with bafflingly long titles. Seriously though, what's up with that? Anyway, this wouldn't be nearly as important in a different genre with say a school life setting for example, because shows like that have other merits and qualities to focus on. However, with isekai and fantasy as a whole, I believe it's absolutely vital to have a well developed setting in order to be memorable and good overall. Thankfully, Mushoku Tensei does this incredibly well.

Ok yeah, I kinda went on a tangent about this. But hold up! There's an important reason behind this. It's because not only does Mushoku Tensei have excellent world building, but the entire purpose of this first season is to explore this concept. That's right, we get a whole season focusing on revealing and describing the expansive setting, demonstrating proper world building by explaining the rules, cultures, history, abilities and beliefs of this land, and providing thoughtful setup for character motivations, conflict, and development. While it might be a stretch to call it "brilliant", the writing nonetheless has been carefully crafted and detailed to showcase a fantasy world that's actually interesting, memorable, and makes you want to learn more about it. And hey, for me this works really well, so I'm grateful to author Rifujin na Magonote for not following the cheap and easy path of writing a story that goes along the lines of "Even plainer than Kirito himself Kirito knockoff dies and reincarnates in an underdeveloped fantasy world where cardboard cutout chicks love him because reasons and he kills bland bad guys for like 12 episodes lol", and instead actually crafting a well thought out plot. Because nothing is more ingenious than writing some quality loli heroines, amirite!? Ok, I'm still gushing about the world building, but I'm looking forward to talking about the girls, especially the firey redhead tsundere Eris. Man, it's been awhile since I've seen a quality violent anime girl who'll go all deredere when she warms up to you. I mean, she has both a sweet AND a spicy side, I just love it. I seriously miss her character trope so much...totally underused in modern anime...

*Ahem* A-Anyway! Due to the heavy focus on build up, I've noticed that some people are apparently underwhelmed by the Mushoku Tensei season 1 experience as a whole. And that's because it's taking its time instead of just prematurely rushing into things. To paraphrase a friend, he informed me that Mushoku Tensei doesn't have any EPIC or INSANE moments in comparison to the season of Re:Zero that it's airing alongside. Yes, its peaks aren't admittedly that high as of now, but I've been impressed by the quality and detail put behind the setup of this anime, and I'm excited to see where it goes in the future. Now this would be the perfect time to throw out the obligatory "I read the light novel" shtick to provide some hints about what the future of the show holds cuz I normally can never do it due to my lack of reading and I wanna sound cool and cultured (spoilers: this doesn't actually make me sound cool and cultured), but I read Mushoku Tensei so long ago that there was only one English translated novel that I could find at the time, and I didn't keep up with it after reading the first one, so...Yeah, I'm frickin ancient! I mean, uh, I'm just as in the dark as the anime only squad (wow, I really dislike using that term) on what will come in upcoming installments. But if the greatness of this first season is anything to go off of, I have the utmost confidence that Mushoku Tensei's sequels will be well worth the watch. And who knows? They might even contain some of those AMAZING and SUPER SPECIAL SPECTACULAR scenes that everyone seems to want.

But you know what? Even without content like that, I was still thoroughly engaged by what this anime has to offer. I loved the simple moments like the dialouge between Rudeus and his father Paul. Parents are rarely given any focus in anime, especially in this type, so I was pleased to see them giving some depth to Rudeus' family. It was great to see the dynamic between a young father and his picture perfect son who's actually older than him mentally. The way that their arguments as well as advice to each other played out was just so satisfying to watch, and ended up being a highlight of the show for me. And speaking of that, did you notice that the writing actually draws attention to Rudeus being, you know, from another world? Especially being an adult reincarnated as a newborn. He's clearly different, and it shows with how people interact with him. His parents have no trouble raising him, and are actually a little weirded out by just how perfect of a child he is. And I absolutely love how he reacts to the cruelty of a fantasy world. Many take death for granted and don't bat an eye at killing others, yet Rudeus, having been brought up on a different set of morals, is absolutely mortified at the thought of death and killing. Even of "bad" people, who his eventual companion Ruijerd argues are ok to eliminate as long as the victims are evil. I really enjoy this characterization and believe it should be utilized a lot more often in such a setting.

Besides his parents, you know who else Rudeus has great chemistry with? Not the trio of main girls! I mean Roxy brushed off his declaration of love and treats him as a student child, Sylphy friend zoned him instantly, and Eris beats the crap out of him on a daily basis. Oof, poor guy actually has to take the time and effort to form proper relationships with females. Who would've thought? And see? To everyone saying that this show was conceived simply to showcase a loli harem, the girls don't even acknowled him romantically yet! The dude (Or should I say kid...? Idk what he is lol) has to actually work for his ideal harem ending while developing alongside his companions...and survive while doing so. Wow, it's a surprisingly harsh and cruel life over in anime land...

But seriously, I like the female leads. While this show is predominantly a character study of Rudeus as well as a narration of his odyssey, the girls provide some fun dynamics and interactions, despite getting split screen time between them. Roxy was a great way to introduce us to the functionality of magic in this world as well as to showcase different races. She was also a great way to show us that girls in fantasy worlds masterbate just like the ones in our world. Yup, pretty significant stuff. The mage girl trope is pretty popular, and it was nice to see Roxy get a lot of attention despite her limited time in the spotlight thus far. She is a cool girl after all. It was also amusing to see a village full of cute Roxys...and blue haired demon dudes too, but does anyone really care about them? They also live in giant turtle shells in the desert or something. Yeah. Hope they invent air-conditioning soon. Moving to girl two, Sylphy gets the least amount of attention this season, but she potentially has the greatest impact on Rudeus. While Roxy got him to get over his fear of the outdoors, Sylphy helped him learn how to talk to others his age and make friends, something we all probably take for granted. I liked their dynamic as well as the comical way that Rudeus found of that Sylphy wasn't in fact a he, but a she. Sylphy is the shy, soft spoken type, but she seems to come out of her shell around Rudeus, and I can't wait to see what she'll be like after reuniting with him...as soon as he finishes up his quest of walking across an entire demon continent and getting back home. Wow, this might take awhile.

Finally, we have Eris, the girl with the greatest screen time AND temper. I'm gonna say it. For me, Eris = best girl. One of the reasons is because she actually has on screen development. She starts out by punching Rudeus, who's hired as her tutor, and then utterly beating the crap out of him when he hits back. All shall fear the wrath of pampered, aristocratic girls! Her violent tendencies might seem a LITTLE much, but Rudeus, being a man of culture, understands the power of the dere side of the tsun. This is especially noted when he shouts out "Money can't buy dere!", a courageous and highly intellectual quote, when he's being coerced by thugs to give up on Eris and join them in selling her. He's rewarded of course as the anime progresses as Eris mellows out to him and she eventually grows to respect and cherish him above all else...how adorable. I also like how she still maintains her hostile nature too since it's a part of her character. When some animal person messed with the outfit that Rudeus bought for her, she beats the crap out of them. I was shocked at first but then realized that she's really only mellowed out to Rudeus so far. The pair also have my favorite interactions in the show bolstered by some nice wholesome dialouge. And that bed scene during Rudeus' birthday though...wow, that was something. There was definitely something rising in Rudeus that day, and it wasn't the shield hero. She's a great character, and I'm excited to witness her development. And speaking of that particular bed scene, I guess this is a good transition to my next topic.

Warning: this section details my thoughts on...drumroll...CONTROVERSIAL MATERIAL. Though I personally don't think it's that bad or worth making a fuss over, I respect those who are turned off and in some cases disgused by the admittedly excessive perverted content and just wanted to go over my own thoughts on the matter. I marked the start and end of this segment if you just want to skip it since wow, I'm already writing so damn much about this show!

- Start of iffy subject matter

Lol just kidding. There's really no point in making a big deal out of it. Some people may not mind Rudy's perverted nature and will argue that he's a child now anyway so there's nothing immoral about him lusting after girls his age, whereas others simply can't get behind that argument and are against it. And you know what? That's ok. Everyone has their own ideals and opinions, and I'm not gonna delude myself into thinking that I can change them. Just don't condemn people like myself who enjoy this show for what it is. After all, it's just fiction at the end of the day.

- End of iffy subject matter

I mentioned earlier how I have confidence in the future quality of this series. Well, that's partially because of the admirable care that this adaptation is being given. I can't verify the authenticity of this, but I heard that Studio Bind, the ones handling this show, were created particularly for making an adaptation of Mushoku Tensei. And boy, does it show. While there are some other well animated series from this season, I say Mushoku Tensei takes the gold for their presentation and production values. The art is vibrant, giving viewers a great taste of the scenery as well as the wonder of magic. The scene where Rudeus uses Roxy's training to cast sacred level water magic was especially breathtaking. Also, fun hair colors baby! Just look at the beautiful rainbow of hair colors featured in the show. We got blue, green, red, yellow, and more! Good stuff. The animation itself is generally pretty fantastic, with the exception of characters going up and down stairs, hills, and the like. I dunno, I've seen several scenes of this nature, and the movement just looks off. But aside from that, I love the fluidity of the show. Movement is generally great, and I especially appreciate the way that Eris is animated when wielding her blade.

Stylistically speaking, the soundtrack is a great fit. The instrumentation of the opening theme song in particular really fits with my mental image of how fantasy music should sound. I'm also a fan of the chanting at the beginning as well as the soothing nature of the vocalist and the piece as a whole. The ending theme is equally good. It has a simple structure, but I really like how it sounds, especially the guitar parts...hey, I like strumming sounds, ok? The lyrics were also well thought out as they can be interpreted to represent Eris' feelings towards Rudeus. Ya love to see it. The anime also took the route of hiring two voice actors for Rudeus, one to represent his child speaking voice and the other to portray his inner adult thoughts. This isn't the first time this has been done, but I do respect the choice. And the girls sound cute...what, you want me to say more? That's all that really needs to be said. They sound like anime girls so therefore their voices are a success in my book.

It seems like the majority, myself included, have gotten tired of the whole isekai boom and are anticipating its eventual decline and the rise of something new. Yet if all isekai were anywhere close to the quality of Mushoku Tensei, I would most definitely be singing a different tune in support of the genre. The detail and care in this anime is apparent, and the show is just a joy to watch. I found myself consistently entertained and invested in the story and characters. The solid presentation helped to bolster my enjoyment of the show as well. Even if it doesn't have any "big" moments yet that would elevate it to the next level, I'm pleased with what we were given, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

I'm gonna say something incredibly rare: I highly recommend watching this isekai anime!

The "Grandfather of Isekai". You may have heard on the grapevine about which was the FIRST series to start the whole Isekai fantasy lore, and truth be told, there have been many series that try to push forward the genre of "fan-fiction" and growing its culture, at a time when there was no concrete "grouping" that allowed authors to run freely of ideas unimaginable. And I'm here to say that even if Mushoku Tensei regards itself as the "pioneer of Narou-kei LNs" (or Syosetu as its more well-known), it's definitely the "first" to bring the wave of what has now become the oversaturated Isekai genre ... with its many genre-defining tactics...not in the easiest ways possible, but through luck and persistence via Syosetu. Heck, even the novelist himself Rifujin no Maganote said so that Mushoku Tensei just borrows similar prospects of web novels that were popular at the time, and mashes it all in one package. But let's not take the high road too quick, and slow down the paces as this road gets interesting down the line.

In order to understand how highly regarded Mushoku Tensei has been sought with its massive popularity, a brief introduction into the world of Syosetu (translated et al. Let's Become a Novelist!): A popular online general literature depository for free Japanese web novels, but mostly a place where amateur authors can publish their works without being tied up to the corporate plan with publishers and editors. In fact, most authors tend to post the works for hobby or fun, and would develop the stories as they go, ranging from a few pages to long, epic novels.. They have a simple but effective system of rating works and providing comments and reviews, and you can view recent rankings of the top works across genres and also over longer spans of time. Because anyone can submit a story, amateur readers can expect a wide range of stories with varying qualities, from struggling amateurs to semi-pro and beyond, and there is even a section on the site about authors who have gotten their works published, and links to buy them. But generally speaking, if you stick with stories high the rankings you’re likely to get some well-written material. In a nutshell, Shōsetsuka ni Narōu-kei (or Syosetu) is very much the Japanese equivalent of Wattpad, Tumblr, fan-fiction, but operating more towards the veins of YouTube in regards to the tools they give their writers and the whole potential for monetization.

With that set in mind, I'd like to bring the attention of the year when Isekai started to rise up from the ashes of the Syosetu community (and then the anime scene in general): 2012, the year when the now-infamous "Black Sheep" progenitor hit the small screen...a masive show now known as Sword Art Online (or SAO) written by Reki Kawahara. Bear in mind that at the time before SAO hit the scene, there were the earliest fantasy stories like Mahouka (a.k.a Irregular in Magic High School) and Log Horizon that have long existed in Syosetu ever since 2008 and 2010 respectively, but we'll come back to them shortly. Series like The Familiar of Zero was groundbreaking for its "Isekai summoning" traits (though it mostly stuck to being fan-fiction), but that's about the extent of fan-fiction popularity in the anime scene in the late 2000s. For the simple-minded reader/viewer that just thinks that Isekai as a genre now is a shitstorm, I'd like you to understand the term what was brought in the beginning of this review: Narou-kei, essentially a term derived from Syosetu to define a certain set of "power fantasy" story structures: (Usually) Male protagonists, Overpowered with cheat abilities, JRPG/game mechanics, inhabitation of the world's logic, harems, a lack of difficulty in life or the opposite that is Hikikomori (or severe social withdrawal, essentially a NEET). Turning the clock back to SAO, the one defining moment when it did when it came out in 2012, was to show that not only the turn of growing adaptations have provided a way to make these series more sought into the mainstream, the anime scene itself also contributed to the massive wave of Isekai LNs that we see today with varying opinions. In an instant, authors hitting big allowed for more amateur authors to copy similar aspects that defined the genres with the earliest of counterparts, and along with it, the growing popularity of anime adaptations (of which Mahouka, Log Horizon, Re:Zero, KonoSuba and many others) that are constantly popping up more as the years pass by.

Now back to Mushoku Tensei, considered as the Ultimate Syosetu fan-fiction novel as per ANN's Kim Morrissy (that got popular overtime, while still desperately missing the anime adaptation for almost a decade, that is until now): All the traits of the usual Isekai tropes are pronounced here, just that rather than going through "The Usual Suspects" cases of copying the bog-standard, Rifujin no Maganote opted to piece this story in the most traditional way of an ACTUAL Isekai. Think about it: an unemployed 34-year-old adult lazes at home watching sleazy content amidst a backdrop of despised fear shall he even step a foot outside of his house, only to get thrown out and as the Bible proclaims in Acts: "consider his life worth nothing to him" (the NEET/Hikikomori structure, got it?). The fate-twist of self-sacrifice (via Truck-kun, the best well-known trope) lays all hands bare to the once despised human that no one cares about, and in an instant, he is reincarnated into a fantasy world as an infant that has just been newly born from his parents Paul Notos Greyrat and Zenith Greyrat (the Reincarnation structure, got it?). A second chance at life, with a new name of Rudeus Greyrat, living in a mundane fantasy world and learning as he ages: a coming-of-age story at that (which in my book, is one of, if not, the most brillant well-structured story structure to ever grace source materials).

If I have to take a gander of what Mushoku Tensei represents for the entire Isekai genre now, is that it does not need to be the first to replicate the entire Isekai genre through its past and present contemporaries. Rather, it was the first to make headwaves through its own community situated in Syosetu, as depicted by the boy who still retains his trauma from his previous life, now faced with the prospect that the knowledge for magic skills in the fantasy world is learnt at a brisk pace (that Rudeus has to earn these powers by himself, the overpowered AF structure, got it?). Enter Roxy Migurdia of the Migurd race, despite being a 44-year-old in a young child-like teenage body. Being requested to help the Greyrat family in tutoring Rudeus to progress his magic powers, it all seemed like the usual "parental" tutoring, until the moment where Rudeus has to confront and overcome his past trauma, that Roxy encouraged him to press on, on a trip as simple as outside the Greyrat House. Being the pedophilia that Rudeus was from birth (and we have Paul to blame for the "Acts of Deed" with Zenith when in a world such as this, there are NO rules to depict what is right and what is wrong), it's not by choice that Rudeus is compounded to be the pervert that we've all been watching his growth from the very beginning (heck, even with the Greyrat household maid Lilia, Rudeus exhibits the same egregious behaviour). That all changed within this one defining moment that sealed the popularity of Mushoku Tensei to reach the No. 1 rating of Syosetu for years, even beating out similar contemporaries like Re:Zero and Overlord (though that result has long been overthrown).

If you still don't understand what I'm trying to say here, is that despite the ONE persistent objection of a negative satire that is Rudeus's pedophilia behaviour (that could continue to reek within the confines of this series and trigger LOTS of people), Mushoku Tensei is definitely to me: the "Isekai of Isekais", the one that did everything "correctly". The world-building itself is quite the fascination with its hugely vast universe, not to mention from the magic skills, the various sword terminology styles, languages and even to the locales themselves, it truly is a rich world to behold of its magnificence and wonder that is Rifujin na Magonote taking into account readers' feedback for much-needed refinement of the story development in the stems of anticipation, surprises and building interests that would set it apart from many a similar stories out there, even if it has to incoporate the large portion of the tropes and cliches we now have seen with distaste from magic academys to adventurer guilds. One interesting tidbit is that according to producer Nobuhiro Osawa, Mushoku Tensei's anime was first greenlit in 2016, and that year was stacked from the likes of Re:Zero and KonoSuba, of which evidently proved that if SAO can win anime fans on the Isekai VRMMO space, then both comtemporaries would do likewise based on the Narou-kei front, a worthy investment indeed that brought in some of the most reputable people, along with the creation of a specialized studio. Read on to find out what it is.

Let's step back again and appreciate the vast character cast there is to face in Mushoku Tensei, because every one of them is memorable in their own ways:
- The Greyrat household that bears Paul, Zenith, Lilia and Rudeus under one roof. Paul himself is a master swordsman, someone who is able to master all the sword techniques and is once a ferocious warrior, part of a party of adventurers. It's there that he encountered Zenith, who gave birth to Rudeus, and conspicously, a ladies' man that got into all sorts of trouble, and lustful ones at that, similar to how Rudeus's old life was similarly correlative of. As mentioned earlier in the review, there are no rules speculating what is right or wrong, but damn did Paul commit some of the grave mistakes that almost caused the family to break apart, whether laid bare or hidden against the kind-hearted Zenith. Talk about an insult to injury, and the "family values" that reek all the lustful pervertic instances.
- The three girls who would soon be important figures in Rudeus's life: the "Goddess of Wisdom" Roxy Migurdia, part-human, elf, best girl Sylphiette and distant noble relative Eris Boreas Greyrat. Roxy is such a nice and kind-hearted character, though she'll often try not to put herself down by being the stub that she is, always trying to be patient with her teachings and not get ahead of herself. Even kindly as to help Rudeus overcome his trauma, she's one keeper of a girl. Sylphiette on the other hand, was found right where Rudeus's trauma was situated at in the fantasy world, and due to her soft-spoken childlike-ness, she becomes a darling in the Greyrat household. Unlike Rudeus, Sylphiette pretty much has little experience in the fantasy world, and constantly needs guidance from the caretaking of Zenith to Rudeus's magic powers with the facial expression of a child wanting to pair up with his/her siblings. Eris though, she will come off as a potential tsundere due to how messy her relative family is in handling her humanly morales and values, and is one obnoxious 'mad dog" loud-speaker of a spoiled brat. Despite the Boreas Greyrat's non-persistence to train her to be like the nobles that the Greyrats are to be expected to uphold, getting Rudeus to discipline her takes a real deal of effort, and it isn't easy for a growing 10-year-old to withstand a high libido of someone who's always a stuck-up person, yet cowers in fear at the most extreme of cases.
- The relative of the Greyrat family, the Boreas Greyrat mansion-hold. Despite living such the high life of nobles, bear in mind that the city of Roa that they live in also permits the same "nothing is right nor wrong" juxtaposition. Master Sauros and husband-and-wife Philip and Hilda sure are as scummy as family fascists, always trying to askew every opportunity to their advantage, even sometimes coming down from up high to Rudeus's standpoint. You can understand why even though Paul came from the same family name, it was an entirely different bloodline that definitely shed some light on the internal conflict, as such with labelling Paul as their cousin. Even down to Ghislaine of the Dedoldia tribe, a rock-solid swordswoman dubbed the "Sword King" and simultaneously Eris's bodyguard, she's such a dutiful beastkin with a rock-solid butt.
- The other characters (of what we know so far) that will play a huge part for the 2nd Cour: Human-God, Ruijerd Superdia and many others. Often disguising as the "voice of dreams" for the past Rudeus to inquisite in the fantasy world, its words are vague, yet very descriptive and easily discernable. Who knows what this Human-God has under its belt. Ruijerd, a demon from the Supard race that was once allied with but betrayed by the Demon God Laplace, attempting to fix his reputation in a world where the Supard are regarded as fearsome, murderous beings. Hopefully with the 2nd Cour we'll be able to see more of the liberation with Rudeus at the charge,

The one sole thing that stuck out to me, is the seriously intense levels of visuals and animation, not to mention the very subtle details referencing to real life, and all of this done by a new studio no less. But if you think that this studio are like the recent new ones that just suddenly sprouted out to help tackle the anime industry's problems, you're dead wrong. Studio Bind, a collaboration joint-venture from management planning company Egg Firm and White Fox, first started helping out in Karakuri Circus, before jumping ship into Mushoku Tensei, in what has been announced to be a continuous, long-term production in a systematic manner. And just by hearing the studio White Fox alone, you know that you're watching and experiencing something special akin to the likes of Re:Zero. Directed by Gamers! director Manabu Okamoto, even if his past directorial works aren't great, the making-up with Mushoku Tensei definitely gave a boost to his career, and it's great for the most part trying to direct this show and keeping the realism of the series alive to fruition.

The music, I'm definitely speechless about this one, because of all the shows that are stacked in the "Best of the Best and Worst" Winter 2021 season, Mushoku Tensei knows how to differentiate itself from the pack, and with a very good reason: a star-studded cast of Seiyuus, most in particular the comedy god himself Tomozaku Sugita for voicing Rudeus's inner voice, with their performances pushing right out of the gate to perfection. That is something worth noting for the 2nd Cour coming upward. With such sound and music designs by veterans Jin Aketagawa and Yoshiaki Fujisawa, these legends have once again carved their name onto a masterpiece in the making. Even better, is Yuiko Oohara's songs, because like Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, she has once again proved her worth to have a song repertoire of the soothing kind, only that this OST is similarly paved in the ways of Spice and Wolf that's just as good as her previous offerings. The small tidbit is that her songs here DO actually have a significance to the show's counterparts: from songs of Tabibito (Traveler) to Mezame (Awakening) for the OP and "Only" which signifies a love song from Rudeus to the three central girls. WOW what symbolism.

All in all, what a great show despite the controversy for SJWs to lay the elitist treatment, I have simply no words for the brillance to wait upon the Isekai that started it all, and the long wait it is to finally see Mushoku Tensei get adapted sooner than later, even if later than most Isekai to test the waters of the anime spectrum.

All ready for the 2nd Cour!

Do you know how good a LN has to be to literally get an entire studio made just to adapt it? Only the “Godfather of isekai” could pull that off. Indeed Studio Bind was created purely to adapt Mushoku Tensei and it’s evident in the art, character designs, animation, movie quality directing and choreography, that every ounce of this studio’s creative talent and energy has gone into the show.

The moniker “godfather of isekai” comes from the fact that Mushoke pioneered the now tired and overdone motif of an MC being hit by a truck and transported to another world. What separates Mushoku from the hundreds ... of other isekai to follow it, is its execution and world-building. Mushoku features one of the richest and most diverse fantasy worlds of all time. What I love most is that Mushoku actually feels like a fantasy world. Other than Rudy’s monologues about his previous life, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that this is an isekai. It feels like a Lord of the Ring, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest style fantasy world with fully fleshed out species, cultures, politics, etc.

The first cour of the anime is only an appetiser for what’s to come later on in the story, but does an amazing job of laying the foundation for future development for the characters and world as a whole. As a LN supremacist, my only complaint is that the final 2 episodes condensed large portions of volume 3 into a few minutes of screen time. These were pretty important scenes that added context to character motivations. Other than that, Studio Bind absolutely knocked the ball out of the park on this.

The art, animation, OST, etc are all of movie quality. The series features a very unique cinematic style with film grain applied. Studio Bird did a great job separating Mushoku from every other isekai both narratively and artistically and I loved that.

Even if you are not a fan of isekai or you’re tired of the generic tropes in anime as of late, many of which were started by the series, Mushoku Tensei is worth a watch. It handles these tropes in such a refreshing and unique way and has easily been the anime of the season for Winter 2021. You won’t regret it. Mushoku Tensei part 1 gets 9 Roxy wax statues out of 10.

(TLDR Review at the bottom, as always, thanks for reading in advance)

I feel quite bad for Jobless Reincarnation, there is no hiding that the anime has quite a bit of moral issues. It is a shame when people come together to slander something by superimposing their beliefs onto something else, better to just talk it out instead. I just took this for what it is and wish to give an opinion without merging my political, moral, ethical nonsense no one came for or cared about in the first place. I believe that is what most people do in cases like these, so I will proceed ... as the general audience does. In saying that though, Jobless Reincarnation is apparently "the grandfather of isekai", in which I say "lmao lol". I won't go and generalize isekai, but I still have to point out that people just forget that this is that hotspot theme in which vapid and arbitrary callouts are the most prominent. You won't not hear words like "generic" yeeted around within this theme. That title did not age well. Not that it meant much to begin with. Just saying.

If you didn't get it already, I am in the middle grounds with this anime. No hate stemming off from morality, but no love due to commended origins. Jobless Reincarnation is just another one of those decent isekai anime we get every other season or so in my eyes.


Narrative:
Jobless Reincarnation's story is quite a simple one. Surprisingly simple. It is a goalless isekai, which automatically makes it better than the "defeat the demon lord" Super Mario consistency plot we keep getting nowadays.

The main theme of the story is basically changing, changing for the better. Imagine this, you live on this somewhat decent Earth and you just happen to be living as one of the "worse", or struggling if you wish, members of society. Why not try again with life and see if you can find yourself in a better place? I haven't watched a ton of isekai anime but this kind of narrative of redoing life for the better is surprisingly not as large as you think it is, at least for me and my collection (and what I searched for), first two similar stories, when it comes to retrying, that come to mind are ReLIFE and Spirited Away. But the theme is not one that seems to be greatly touched on. So Jobless Reincarnation has a lot of opportunities to make this category shine with this, and does it? It does for sure. With this 1st season in particular though, the change doesn't happen instantly, the story takes its time to set everything into place focusing on worldbuilding elements, characters and everything else relevant to start this supposed journey for the better. It is a slow story, but slow stories tend to be very good at blooming into levels of masterpiece or 10/10s if you so wish to call them. It is also slow stories that tend to play with the patience of the audience. Not everything is thrown at face value, so if the execution of the start doesn't do well, it is very easy to get very bored or have low hopes for the anime. I will admittedly tell you now that the start isn't all that great, but it should be noted that it feels very promising. As of what you will watch for this season of the anime is literally exposition, well down the line and you get some more interesting information as if it were some kind of Re:Zero set up. I say Re:Zero because Jobless Reincarnation ties well into worldbuilding, it is not something that is left out for the sake of the shitty RPG setting we always get, it truly feels like there is more to this world than meets the eye. Something I really look forward to seeing how well it expands.

Characters. Now there is no way I can not talk about Rudeus in this review. I think Rudeus is quite a slow-developing character, pretty much everything is, but that's the great thing, with the whole change for the better overarching this entire story, it would make sense that he is a slow-developing character, change does not simply happen instantly. However, it should be noted that long yearly periods of time do take place, it is up for debate how fast one can change with time, but I will give Rudeus the benefit of the doubt as he has had a rough past for 20 damn years. There is a whole Vsauce video ("Illusions of Time") that backs my point when I say, 20 years is no joke. Later on in the story, he does begin to develop for the better too. So there is something to look forward to instead of worrying about a static character. He helps out characters who later appear and teach them some basic life values as one should not kill. With that staff of his, I wouldn't be surprised if he whipped out the Ten Commandments too lol. Now I have said all of these positive notes about Rudeus, but I will address that his character does feel a little off at times. I have talked to members of the community asking for an explanation and it basically links back to his old life saying he has a few tricks up his sleeves that he can use to his will, it's just that those tricks don't always seem fitting for someone who was a shut-in, for 20 years at that. Basically, he still has qualities of an average "weasel your way around" of a human whilst concurrently suffering from issues shut-ins and NEETs face. I gave the benefit of the doubt because if he had those qualities for the prior 14 years before his neet phase then it doesn't feel too wrong that it is still a light that burns a little somewhere in him, but I would imagine no one knows truly how the process of change in one works to its full extent. To be fair it adds to his character too making him slightly more original and interesting.

Other characters I really cannot talk too much about. They are stepping stones for Rudeus, I cannot wholeheartedly say they have any self-importance other than some significant relationship to Rudeus, Roxy is the tutor, Sylphy is the friend, Eris is the bitch ass motherfucker no one likes. You can see that there isn't anything else to these characters other than being there for just Rudeus for his own development, it is a waste of characters really but I wouldn't worry too much because they may be bettered in the future, as of current time, they serve not a lot of major relevance and become very uninteresting quite quickly.


Audiovisuals:
The visuals are great, fluid animation pretty much around every corner. The newly found Studio Bind has already made a great image for themselves, though I suppose White Fox drew people in with just their name anyways though. Nevertheless, I will be quite happy to watch any other works they will get to animating. The character design is spot on too, very polished and refined. It is slightly better than what we get nowadays.

With audio, I came out of the anime not remembering a single OST, it implies that it is mostly made up of "in the moment" soundtracks you will most likely never remember. OP is very good though, that alone holds quite a bit of the audio element, I even find myself playing that over in my head because it fits so well with the theme and it is just a nice vibe truly. ED is alright I think. Was there even an ED? On a serious note, the ED was pretty good, it didn't seem too fitting but it was really nice to listen to nonetheless, that guitar slaps for real. Seiyuu did a good job at playing the characters, but there was no moment that shined well in my eyes. I have to give big ups to Sugita Tomokazu with voicing previous life Rudy though, he nailed it and conveyed that life of Rudy very well. Nothing else to comment on here.


Enjoyment:
I quite liked Jobless Reincarnation. It is a little over baseline but it was quite a good watch for the most part. Universal enjoyment wise, you could probably find a good few points to seek pleasure from, but it is no different from those anime that are in the same genre, MAL has this listed as Drama but it is more Comedy really. If you really want you could find enjoyment out of some of the ridiculous scenarios which I can't go too much into because of spoilers. All you need to know is that very horny people are very horny.


Overall - 7.2 (7)
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TLDR Review:
Story - 7: Slow start, but can stand well on its own, it is just a matter of putting everything into place.
Visuals - 8: Studio Bind did a good job handling this. Fluid animation and polished characters.
Audio - 7: Good OP and ED. Sugita Tomokazu is a win. Everything else was the very baseline.
Characters - 7: Rudeus is a good character. Cannot be said for everyone else as they exist just for Rudeus.
Enjoyment - 7: Pretty baseline enjoyment factor, something you may have seen in other anime too. There is nothing of unique quality here.
Overall - 7.2 (7)
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I have to say that Jobless Reincarnation feels a little overrated, at this point in time. That doesn't mean it is bad, more so that is just a solitary opinion some odd few people might share.

I, who tends to stay away from Isekai anime, know that the Isekai genre has been plagued with absolute garbage shows. Even the ones that people claim to be exceptional and outstanding such as Re: Zero and Log Horizon didn’t manage to draw me in. The usage of tropes and concepts was unoriginal and uninspiring.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation still does use those tropes. However, it captivated me with the sheer amount of entertainment and a simple, slice of life story. And I believe that the show’s slice of life aspect is what made it stand out, and ultimately, made it propel itself to the ... top of my Isekai list.

For people that watch Isekai casually--people that aren’t adept in the field of Isekai--I believe this, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is one the best Isekai out there.

Unlike other popular isekai shows such as Sword Art Online or Re: Zero, the main protagonist isn’t destined for greatness. He isn’t given overpowered abilities that helped him to propel to the top with ease. He isn’t the stereotypical Isekai protagonist with no other personality besides being a walking, talking, omnipotent being that nobody can touch on a physical and emotional level. He isn’t this pure good person who desires to help others no matter their circumstances. He, Rudeus, the protagonist of this show, is a 34-year-old loser and a pedophile who was emotionally distraught from his previous life, got reincarnated into the body of a child, and was given a second chance.

Yes, the pedophile side of his character is disgusting, and I would be lying if this side of his character didn’t initially turn me off. Given the context of the sins he committed in his previous life, it just added more fuel to the fire. Thus, I understand some people’s discontent towards his character.

But, Rudeus’s desire to change and the changes that he made are what made him likable. Throughout the show, we see him grow out of his emotional pain in his previous life. Through this, he became more open to others, which came to the likable side of him. He started to give life advice to people around him. One of them being Eris, who’s a child with anger issues. She’s violent, impatient, and emotional. More often than not, she’s physically abusive towards Rudeus. But, Rudeus, who has already experienced this treatment in his previous life, treats her back with patience and care. He slowly wears down her usual tendencies before starting to change her. He supported her during tough and emotionally high times.

That’s what made him likable. That’s what made him stand out among other Isekai shows. It’s by far the most refreshing take on an Isekai protagonist. Rudeus’s pedophile instinct shouldn’t be dismissed. It needs to be addressed. But that shouldn’t dismiss the characterization he got, either.

Mushoku Tensei doesn’t follow the conventional Isekai plot elements and outline. Instead, it’s a well-paced, methodically put-together, and brilliantly executed slice of life. The show takes its time to build its world and its rules. Once it’s established, it sticks to it and never abuses it. The show takes its time to develop characters’ relationships, which are beneficial in the long run once it shifts its main focus to more of a conflict-heavy route. And as I mentioned, Mushoku Tensei does a great job balancing the slice of life elements with its pacing. Never once in an episode has it lost my attention or interest; that’s because it presented its information in a consumable way. Thus, it never felt too overwhelming or too fast-paced. It does enough to leave viewers wanting more.

For a show with a fairly large cast of characters, Mushoku Tensei does a good job keeping the characters relevant and fun to watch. Each of the secondary casts of characters has their purpose in the story--whether be a plot point or have a significant influence on Rudeus--but they never overstay their welcome. One such example being Rudeus’ parents and their influence on him. They taught him the importance of being a good, open-minded person. And I know this sounds cliche, trite, and cringe, but these moments’ execution and presentation were genuinely heartwarming. After they’ve served their purpose, the show moves on while still keeping their importance in the narrative. To me, at least, this is a very well handling of its casts because they aren’t being sidelined completely.

The production studio for Mushoku Tensei did an amazing job of bringing the world and its characters to life. For a new studio that’s join ventured from White Fox, the animation and art quality is breathtaking. In the show, the scenery and composition shots were put together in a way that flows and pleases to viewers’ eyes. The great sense of directing of its action and non-action scenes adds more enjoyment to its narrative. Mushoku Tensei’s unique and authentic character designs made each of the characters stand out--even the secondary and nonessential characters. With its medieval-fantasy setting, the world is also thoroughly explored.

Looking at Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation as a whole, the series is a very enjoyable, captivating, and beautifully crafted simple story. It has its flaws. But the great things contained within the series outweigh the bad. With its great voice acting, sound, and presentation, the series is nothing short of being amazing.

The review below contains some spoilers. Tread with caution if you don’t want to get spoiled of the interactions of the characters within the series or the basic story layout.

Mushoku Tensei. Most would say the controversial anime of the season. Whether you are a fan of the series or not, one thing is for sure when it comes to Mushoku; its world building is unique and not something you see everyday in anime. Shall we analyse part by part though why I think Mushoku Tensei is a great anime with unique storytelling?

Story

Let’s start with the story first. Mushoku Tensei revolves around a boy named ... Rudeus who reincarnated to a different world after dying in his original one from a car accident when he tried to save a random trio of high school students from being hit by a truck. Nothing peculiar to this point, a typical isekai introduction, but here is the trick; Rudeus is reincarnated as a baby in his next life, starting it from scratch. Using the knowledge from his previous life and without knowing his reasons behind that reincarnation, he tries to start his life anew in order to compensate for his problematic lifestyle in his previous one by making as much earnest effort as he can in this new world to become a better human being.

Beginning the analysis from an adaptation’s viewpoint, as a web novel reader, I can say that Mushoku Tensei’s anime has done a very good job with these first 3 volumes of the novels. Going with a 3 to 4 episodes per volume pace, it manages to show the events of the WN without rushing or delaying them. As for more specific aspects of the story now, a very innovative thing that Mushoku Tensei does and is not often seen is the fact that for the voice of the protagonist (Rudeus) there are 2 voice actors. One, the voice of a young boy fitting of its age and the other an adult like voice who explains the inner thoughts of Rudeus (coming from his previous world) thus breaking one of the most difficult barriers of a novel adaptation; the depiction of the feelings of the protagonist at each given state of time. This together with the build up of the world from scratch (since as mentioned before Rudeus is a baby) helps to captivate the watcher’s interest from the starting moments of the first episode. As a matter of fact, this helps a lot to slowly create its world, learning things from the interactions of his parents or from his domestic environment, since he can’t get away from home in such an age. By no means is this a typical story treatment and it can be seen clearly now, in the end of the first season, where we barely know anything about the world.

Characters

Moving on to the characters, we can say that the first season uses a lot of its time (most to be exact) in introducing some of the main characters of the series. Rudeu’s interactions with them vary, depending mostly under the circumstances he met them. For example, at the early points of the story he saves a girl named Sylphy who is very shy making the perfect type of character for a first friend for Rudeus, a guy who didn’t have a single friend before that in his previous life. This isn’t the case with Eris though, who is a pampered girl from a royal family and Rudeu’s pupil, learning magic from him among other stuff. In its entirety, you see Rudeus changing his way of speaking and his manners depending on who is around him. What I am trying to say is that Mushoku Tensei doesn’t have patterned conversations as well as stereotypical reactions as most anime do. Moreover, the reaction of the characters are normal and the way Rudeus is manipulating the topics being discussed at hand and his actions are realistic (he fails a lot of times) and interesting. The main selling point of the characters though, which I believe is seen from this season already, is that they have proper development. One good example of this is the relationship between Eris and Rudeus that started from a painful first impression for both sides to a very good understanding of each other as time went by and certain events occurred.

Art & Voice Acting

The anime is being made by Studio Bind. Studio Bind may seem like a novice in the industry but this is far from the reality. The studio is actually a joint venture of White Fox and Egg Firm for the specific reason of making Mushoku Tensei, hinting at a long running adaptation as it is expected (Mushoku as a whole has 25 volumes). Pacing aside which was discussed above, Studio Bind does a great job at animating the series. From its full of vividness backgrounds to its great animation sequences on fight scenes, using a colour palette very fitting to its world, it has managed to depict the atmosphere and the nature of the world in great detail One unique element I never expected to see and was actually done in the anime was the change of the standard Japanese language when our protagonists went to the Demon continent. When interacting with the inhabitants there, the protagonists use a peculiar tongue that adds a lot to the immersion as we watch it. Aside from that, the voice acting is of course great as expected from the big names that are voicing the cast like Kayano Ai, Sugita, Tsuda, Daisuke and others.

Final comments and overall conclusion

Something I want to address before closing this review, which I find important since it is the main reason why Mushoku as an anime has such polarity in opinions among watchers is the topic of paedophilia that is brought up by a lot of people. First of all, it is advisable to see a work of art through its setting and not the setting you have in mind for it (e.g. 2021). Mushoku is set in a world where royal families marry their offsprings from a young age (as it was done here not so many centuries ago in the developed countries) and it has a lot of races whose lifespan is double ours if not more, making the age morals of its world much different from ours.

Leaving that aside though, it doesn’t do what lots of people accuse it for to begin with. As of the end of the 1st season, what watchers have seen is a kiss on the cheek from the 10 year old Rudeus to the 12 year old Eris as well as pervy pranks he did to some of the girls of the series, which is part of his character from the previous lifestyle he had (him being a NEET). It would be unrealistic for him to drop it off as a characteristic, as it is part of his previous self which may or may not change as he grows up to be a man in this new world.

Overall, Mushoku Tensei is a unique story that deserves to be given a chance if you are immune to some pervy behaviour and you look at it for what it really is; an adventure story full of surprises, twists, great world building and interesting character interactions.

I hope this review was helpful and thanks for the time you spent to read it.

If something has called me to rate this anime with a perfect rating, is its flawless execution.
I do not qualify the story as such, because for that I would have to weigh the light novel, which in my opinion is an excellent story as well as many others.
What remains is to rate the animated execution, and the only thing I can say is that the gamble to create a single exclusive studio for this anime paid off. It is already known that the story has some parts that are a bit controversial, but I do not see any problem with that. When you understand that ... there is a shameless adult inside a child's body, you begin to understand the reason for Rudeus' uninhibited intention towards other characters. I have also heard some parts that do not fit with the LN, but I do not see any problem with that too, especially when the result is much better than what was written. Something that I love is the effort to draw the anime, you hardly see any CGI. For the rest, the animated performance represents very well the adventurous spirit of this story, especially with the music that is adapted according to the stages and the mood of the story.
This is one of those isekais where the characters have a humanly realistic touch. Maybe that's why this anime is a bit controversial because we are used to seeing other isekais where characters with fantastic behaviors reign more than characters with realistic behaviors. Here the characters abound in realistic behaviors and with a high degree of independence and self-will in their actions. Big plus.
I love the openings of this anime, very original and creative. If there is no other, then it is the first anime with that style of opening. They even got creative and took the effort to adapt the other languages that are represented in this anime. (That's Star Trek move here).
I hope we are watching the birth of a new masterpiece.
In short, please enjoy this.
Overall: 10/10

I don't get the hate.

It's not that I didn't try to understand it, I just don't get why people hate it so much when their is so much to love about this show.
Mushoku Tensei or I will seriously try if I go to another world is what you expect from a show that is called by some fans "The father of isekai genre".
It follows the story of a guy who died from truck accident and got reincarnated to another world. It's typical isekai. But what elevates it is the beautiful art work and animation, amazing world building and incredible details put into the world ... by a talented staff.

With all this going for it why would someone hate the show? Let me start by that first.

A flawed character. Rudeus our protagonist has had a tough life or rather a scummy life in the other world. He was a pervert, a scum and didn't care about other peoples feelings. The way the show introduces him is almost like the author wanted you to not like him. Even hate him. He got exactly what he intended. Rudeus is not supposed to a relatable main character and was not meant to be. He was a 36 year old man with nothing going on in his life who get's thrown out of his house and get's his by a truck. All what he deserved.

Then he get's born in another world to Paul and Zenith as his parents. He makes a promise that he will try this time. Try for real to become a better person than he was in his previous life. Now here is where the problem starts. As a 36 year old scum is in a newborns body, people watching the show expected him to change instantly to a better person. Not really how it works. Rudeus is flawed in many ways even after he is reincarnated and the show never stops telling you that. His past life is not thrown away like most isekai protagonist. Jobless Reincarnation is a story about redemption and Rudeus getting over the traumatic experiences of his past which led him to become the way he was. The show deals with his previous experiences like bullying, depression and the trauma you go through because of that.

Rudeus is not a hero and never will be. He has good and bad qualities like any person but the problem is people see his bad qualities more than the good ones. It's completely opposite to me. I'm talking about the time AFTER he got reincarnated because before he really was a scum. Rudeus this time really wants to try and I admire that. He wants to change and do something good with the second chance he got. He tries hard no matter what happens. He cares about others and when helps people. He tries hard to overcome his fear and when he does you can't help but cheer for him. With that I would like to end it about Rudeus and get to the actual review about the show.

The story takes place in a beautiful world with it's own magic system and creatures. It's awesome and it shows that the author has put some thought into it and it's easily better than most of the isekais we see and even many fantasy anime in general. There is so much lore here with the backgrounds and histories about the different creatures that live here to the environments and the structure of society that you can't help and be amazed by it. You get introduced to all these aspects episode by episode and it never feels out of place or too forced and just fits.

Special mention to the incredible animation staff at the newly formed Studio Bind who added to the show by adding elements and detailed from out world and real life to the show so beautifully to really elevate the beauty of this world to another level.

The magic system works like any magic system. You might have been lucky and have good genetics to learn faster and much more than others in a short amount of time if you put some work into it. The show does give some benefit to the main character as he can learn quicker due to him being a grown man in a childs body but not too much because he is nowhere near the most powerful character even in his hometown. He has to train and work towards it. Something that I don't like here is that the progression of the main character happens really fast and even though it is cool to see him learn new spells we don't really feel a lot of satisfaction as it all happens too fast instead of gradual progression something the novel does better.

And another thing now is the characters which I am not a fan of. The only one I like so far is Roxy who is not even that of a great character. They all seem weak and not well written enough, especially the female characters. The male characters like Paul and Ruijerd have some personality and some backstory to them to make them more engaging. And as much as I talked about Rudeus him acting perverted does feel extremely forced at times. Even if the author intended those scenes to be seen as comical they still made me uncomfortable at times. Coming back to Paul and Zenith, I don't like the portrayal of their marriage. I get how Paul is supposed to be like this but he just feels like and asshole and the show tries too hard sometimes to make him look like the good guy.

The story is progresses a little slow until the last few episodes but it never feel like nothing is happening and there is always some action going on or the magic system, the character development and the world building takes the center stage in the story and it's always entertaining. Not many dull moments I can think about except for some unnecessary fanservice of both male and female characters and some extremely unnecessary implied sex scenes which are impossible to take seriously and are sometimes treated as a joke. There are some funny moments here and there which are a hit or miss most of the time.

When Rudeus leaves his hometown we see the actual worldbuilding and story which the show has to offer. The story progresses faster and we introduced to the structure of the world. Sometimes though there are somethings that you question like the idea of Rudeus that he wants to learn new languages without any reason than "he finds them interesting" before you-know-what hits. How convenient. He doesn't just learn these new languages, he learns them really fast which he tells how it's because of his young brain which is just a cheap attempt by the author to convince us that this is not just plot amour. The thing that I do like about different languages is that they exist and are used and yes I know that it should just be normal for another world but it's not in anime and the main character actually have to put some effort to learn it rather than him just being able to speak it by default.


Now to wrap thing up.

I would say that that Mushoku Tensei is a traditional isekai at the genres best. It is a fantasy which uses the isekai troupes at their best level and elevates them by a good story surrounding a big cast, amazing world building and good character development. You can watch it as an introduction to this genre or even if you are bored with all the same isekai with no effort put into them that we get nowadays. It's memorable and a good experience and very enjoyable as it progresses with some issues. Truly the father of isekai.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS as I try to give an idea of what a person is getting into with this show.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation finished its season today. The show was really solid and worth a watch.

Interesting characters and great world building. The world seemed really thought out from the political climate between the different races and the history of what has happened prior to the start of the show. All the characters grow and change throughout the show. The main character Rudeus starts out as a terrible person with a lot of baggage and trauma from is old life. He does some ... things that are objectively bad, but as the show continues you see him grow as a person. And Rudeus is not the only one that grows. A majority of the cast goes through interesting development which I felt was the overarching them of the entire show. Bettering yourself over the course of your life no matter how much you fail.

It does have some controversial moments so be prepared for that going in. Like a said, Rudeus does some terrible things but I felt like the things that happen in the show make since to where he is as a character and how it furthers his development as he learns from his mistakes.

Truck-Kun did a great job with this one…

How do you write a review on an anime that has so much controversy behind it? Simple. Like it harder.

If I were to explain the differences between a good isekai and a generic isekai, I would use the word controversy. The codependent relationship this anime has on that word could potentially create a mass hysteria within the anime community. Tensei built its popularity not only with the hate behind it but believe it or not because it is good.

….If I were to express the love of isekai I have had over the years, it would be positively ... mediocre. Mushoku Tensei can cross the mediocre boundary and overused formula of isekai that we have seen many times over.

The anime itself uses a generic truck-Kun hit formula to the next world. The way this anime leaps a boundary within the isekai genre is the Neet aspect. Before you tell me, this also has been used many times too, let me explain. This anime builds on this, our main character’s name about the other world, Rudueas Greyrat, can’t escape the past of his reality allowing us to perceive more of an inner conflict that is brought into the next world. His past self haunting him even in the next world drives him to better himself in this one.

Bringing back the word controversy, this anime manages to implement fan service, and still creates an atmosphere of a great anime. This new world the protagonist enters portrays women not caring much towards many sexual indulgences. While I do understand the “pedophilia” moments that have been somewhat scattered throughout the anime, we see a controlled systematic limit to these, not creating a bad atmosphere that creates the need to turn off the anime. Tensei can implement this and at times heavy fan service, without the need to cringe and can mediate this in a good manner.

Characters are a dynamic crew in this dynamic anime. While many claim this anime to uneven characters within the show, I believe it pursues this “uneven” flow, not due to lack of sense but to create an aesthetic and longing for each character. Characters such as Sylphiette, who is a stepping stone at the beginning of the anime who allows our MC to break a layer of his old self originating from bullying. The lack of development and screen time from Slyphiette administers a sense of longing that we can appreciate as the anime adheres to the undeniable next season. Another character we can see that many wanted more of was Roxy, her screen time and potential are very strong and very similar to Slyphiette’s case, but there is one factor that separated these two. Roxy’s lack of screen time is unnecessary compared to Slyphiette, and that is where Tensei hits a little off base. Backing away from the type of characters that are conversed about, let’s begin on the greatest family in an isekai.

Born in the world to two parents who love each other a little too proudly and maid we see Ruderat(Rudeus Greyrat) claim his new life as an observer and mage rebuilding his internal pieces one by one. Here lies more controversy, I am not a fan of Netorare. We could go as far as to say it is the scum of the universe and I will personally move to Japan to attain a job in the Hentai/anime industry and single-handedly cancel all NTR production for the rest of the time. His “father”, Paul, can be viewed as an absolute chad that also impregnated the maid and kept her child with his wife or as a disgusting human being, you may decide for yourself, but I on the other hand think the story which drove on this is undeniably hilarious.

The story derives from the idea of increasing Ruderat’s ability to expand his magical knowledge and travel to the capital kingdom where he connects with Paul’s family and takes a tsundere under his wing. The cretin, Eris Boreas, can turn off thousands of monitors simultaneously, but thankfully her tsundere can cool down and become funny at times paired up with Ghislaine who is literally in the anime for more fans service and teaching some swordplay, I guess. With efforts of teaching her all kinds of education of language and such, we see Eris slowly develop feelings for Ruderat. This leads to yet another controversial scene where they were close to doing the deed but Boreas chickened out, she wants them to wait until the legal age in the world they live in, problem solved, or so I hoped but the anime community finds something to nitpick and relate it the fact he is a middle-aged man in reality. I don’t care enough to worry about the fan service in the anime or the “pedo” essence that is scattered, but I do care about the substance of the anime.

I believe the reason why this anime brings so much attention and praise is the depth it reaches, not simply in terms of plot, but the human psyche of the MC. Bringing back the fact he is a Neet, let me expand, there have been attempts to use the fact of being a Neet as a reason one wants to be reincarnated. In most cases, after the MC gets hit by truck-Kun that has traversed multiple verses to kill the said MC, he will leave the fact that his past life was traumatizing and randomly build a harem. This anime can break that generic shell used many times before and give us an anime with development towards his person, his previous self. I believe he started as a child and a new person completely because it is to give him a second chance at putting himself together allowing him to redeem himself as a person he can see in the mirror, the definition of an isekai, a “second shot at life”.

Stepping away from the anime and story base of the anime, let’s talk about the production essence. Tensei is a hit and for good reasons. The production of Tensei blew my mind, it implements a sort of raw art with fluid animations that can enhance magic when used or explosive fights where swords are used. The animation is sharp and compliments these battles, they are addicting scenes where serotonin is simply gathered to your eyes, yes it is that good. The art is unique and in a good way. The art compliments the general aspects of the anime, the fighting scenes and the service moments are continuously able to enrich Tensei as a whole. The art can capture the new world and create a vast body of imagination and fluid moments throughout the show. The production of this anime solely can capture your attention and take it to a positive mindset.

The sounds placed in this anime can perfectly harmonize with each mood and settings placed. Starting with both OP and ED, the harmonization of both can complement each other as well as the anime as a whole. The soundtrack itself is a little different than usual, able to implement smooth ear-pleasing integers. If I were to sum the music as a whole, I would express it as an evolving piece that expresses itself and continuously evolves as the anime moves forward.


Coming back to the plot, towards the end or what I believe the climax to be the best arc of the anime. If I’m being honest I didn’t particularly see a drive to the story until the end where the so-called hero of the real gave an “Oh that ain’t no hero” type of feel sent a scout from his castle in the sky to observe any entities lurking a suddenly appearing mana concentration. Ruderat, Eris, and Ghislaine who happen to be there fighting with the scout are transferred to different places from the explosion. Eris and Ruderat are transported to the continent where the “bad guys” live, hint: they aren’t. Amidst this transportation, a man-god, Hitogami taps into Ruderat’s consciousness and gives him hints throughout the end of the show. Why do you ask? I don’t know, but hey, the plot needs to move. They meet Ruijerd, who is feared by all due to his race’s disrespected name and has a random crazy love for children and is willing to help them back home. Towards the end of the show, the main driving force of the show is to help Ruijerd’s tarnished tribe’s name back to a respectable one. The anime at this point has opened a new realm of possibilities to the evolution of political standards within the world and growth for Ruderat and Eris as a whole. My thoughts of the anime revolve around the plot, a broad and potential one like this is able to make me want more.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t like this anime purely from the hate it gets. I mean other than that, I mean this anime is able to cross a boundary within the anime industry and create a piece that can create bodies of enjoyment. Besides all comical takes and hate, this anime on paper is a different take on isekai implementing a major part of real human physiological problems adjusting to a different society.

Tensei is an anime that you should give a chance to despite any negatives you hear about it. And again I would be lying if I said this anime is for everybody. This anime has a lot more potential if it sees another season, I can see it tying up loose ends in the plot and/or creating another means to how the cast grows individually and as a whole that can complement each other. This anime as a whole is a high-level production isekai with differences that make a name for itself from more than just its plot but its take on human minds. Before you say it’s not that deep, I already know but my perception of the depth they reach of not simply scratching the surface, but extending further, creates a great essence within the anime I come to like greatly.

This anime proves time and time again that it isn't a formulated isekai that we have seen times and times before but one that is a good change for the anime community.

Story: 8
Art: 8
Animation: 9
Sound: 7
Characters: 9
Enjoyment:9
Overall:8

First of all, a fair warning. This series isn't for anyone who can't differentiate fiction from reality.
With that out of the way, let's start with my review.

The story is very unique. It wasn't called as the "Godfather of Isekai" without a reason. It takes care of its story very well and never rushes any development. If a conflict starts, it wouldn't take an episode for it to be solve, because it takes itself seriously. This is one of the reason why the story is good. It doesn't care about the destination, but cares about the journey.
A slight problem though with the pacing. In the novel ... or even the manga, the pacing is one of its high points, but in the anime, while its not that apparent, it's still not comparable to its source material.

The characters. Oh boy, oh boy. The characters from this anime are all flawed characters. Nobody here is perfect right from the very start. They develop as the story goes, and that's what makes them likable and feeling "human".
At first glance, they may look like an archetype of characters, but all of them are given enough depth to avoid being one dimensional. That's just from the side characters.
For the main characters, they developed so much from the story and will continue to feel like humans.
I give it a 9 since this is just the tip of the iceberg. This isn't the peak of their development.

The animation is f*cking great. Like, so much care had been put to this anime. Every scene is moving, every backgrounds are wallpaper worthy, and every action is so fluid.
This is one of those modern anime where there's almost no CGI have been used. There's a bit in the first and second episode, but that's most likely it. Everything is full 2D which is rare today.

The music is f*cking great as well. The OST is great, it suits every scene in play, and the sound effects for magics aren't just fart noises that is always used in today's anime.
The opening is decent, it's enjoyable and relaxing. Episode 10's opening is good though. And lastly, the ending grew to me. At first, I didn't quite like it, but I like it for everytime I listened to it.

The enjoyment I have for this season is great too. This is one of the two Winter anime that I've been watching that made me go "wait what? It's already finish? I WANT MORE!!!" (The other one being Hataraku Saibou Black). The emotions though, while the comedy is top notch, the feels isn't quite here yet. It's understandable since it's still a build up season. The emotional part isn't here yet.

Overall, it's a great series that I'd recommend to everyone that isn't easily offended by... everything in the f*cking world lmao.
Also, I'd like to add that Mushoku Tensei isn't a story about goody shoes who are represented by two shades of colors. It's a story about characters that are morally grey, a darker shade of grey, but still capable of doing good things. It's a story about redemption. It's a story about a guy who tries seriously in another world.
(8.6/10)

To start this review i'm just going to be outright. I love this series. I first started reading the LN and WN around a year ago due to general boredom and i must say it was a rather good decision. The anime adaptation is everything i'd thought it would be and more.

Story: The story is great, and i don't use that as a meaningless adjective, i mean objectively its thoroughly enjoyable and well fleshed out, the Arcs are consistently enjoyable with little to no segments which make you think "I can't wait for this to be over" rather it's the opposite; i'm constantly wishing there ... was more content even if it were to be irrelevant to the plotline. I would easily give it a 10.

Art: The art is just amazing. Im all too used to isekai series having nothing but plain and uninspired art which can be copy and pasted between shows with little noticeable change but this is just not your average show. For studio Bind's first series as a studio this is an outstanding standard to set.

Sound: 9- its a 9, i'm sure there are many sound design enthusiasts out there but sadly i cant say i'm one of them, it fills everything that i would want or expect but since i don't know what constitutes the top tier i wont give it a 10 out of respect for that, lol.

Characters- I genuinely think the characters are a driving force for this show which is obviously large praise since i've already gassed the show up enough. There is plenty of character development amongst the main cast you will meet with and get to know as well as genuinely touching moments within the MCs family cast and his change as a person.

Enjoyment/Overall- I can't help but give the show a 10. I'm well aware the show doesn't introduce ground breaking concepts or thought provoking and deep scenarios but it really does provide an escape. If you are looking for a show to merely put a smile on your face and make the days where maybe you're not feeling that great better, give it a watch. Life is about happiness and this show really does make me happy.

What can I say, it checks all the boxes for a fantasy anime and an isekai.

It is very very enjoyable, it kind of follows all the typical tropes but also puts its own spin on them.

If I could sum up the anime so far, I would say "It just works!"

It really does meet up with what you want an isekai to be, and it stays special in its own way and the studio is really doing good on its debut anime (although technically not debut idk, the studio is a joint venture from white fox, who brought us Steins;Gate and Re:Zero, plus the producers ... who produced SAO Alicization and DanMachi)

It's great, I'm having fun, sad that it's only 11 eps this season, with the amount of content in the Light Novels (apparently, haven't read em) there could be enough for a bunch of seasons.

10/10 would die from Truck-kun again

Finally, good isekai

This has to be one of the best Isekai anime I have seen in my life. And I know there is of course haters but screw them right? Not only does this anime have a good ost but it also has fantastic animation and good characters who get development. That is unheard of. Imagine an Isekai protagonist being developed. Crazy in it.

Characters: Well we first start with Rudeus who is our main hero. He of course was a pathetic life from during his human life. He had no money, he was bullied and was too horny for his own good. Then after rescuing ... a girl from getting hit by a truck he got transported in to this fantasy world. He then started his character arc. He still is too horny but sure. The best thing about it is he got rid of his trauma of going outside which is nice. He also has some banger inner monologues. We have Rudeus' dad Paul. He is a knight who belonged in a hero group but after doing the thing he had to do he retired. He still is goofy but strong. Also kinda unfaithful to his wife. Then we have Zenith. He was also a part of the group where Paul was and they got married. She was the groups healer. We then have Roxy who taught Rudeus magic. She is a kind woman and quite funny at times. Eris is a little girl who has a nasty temper and a habit of kicking your ass. She doesn't want to learn basic stuff so she is kinda dumb. Sylphiette is Rudeus' girlfriend probably. Rudeus rescued her from bullies and they became friends fast. Reudeus also taught her magic. Ghislaine is a knight hired by Eris to keep her safe. She is tall, muscular and scary but honestly she is just kind.

Story: Well, Rudeus got hit by a truck and got transported to a fantasy universe. The first few episodes we followed Rudeus as a child. He was mischievious and way too horny for a child but that might be his neckbeard mindset speaking. We then saw him training to use magic and how he increased his mana by spamming spells everyday. After he had grown a bit more he went to teach Eris some magic but it was very hard at first but after few months it got easier.

OST: It is amazing. There is some nice songs here and there but also a lot of epic ones. The opening is great and so is the ending

I do infact recommend this

** CONTAIN SPOILER **

I have read the WN, so my review may not too objective. Overall, there's not too many differences between Anime and WN from those episodes I have watched.

Mushoku Tensei is an unique isekai because the MC's life starting from baby while carrying previous life memory, Trauma. MC also have to learning different culture, language and common sense.
Mushoku Tensei is all about Rudeus Greyrat's Life in this new world. So don't expect Rudeus Greyrat fighting to save the world.

Character 10/10:
Rudeus Greyrat ( Rudy ): A Perverted NEET that reincarnated and try to live seriously in this new life. However, his perverted action won't ... change through the story. So if you don't like this perverted MC, This show is not for you. I have said before, this show is about Rudeus Greyrat's life which means you can expect Character Growth steadily in all ages from Infant, Baby, Teenager, Adult.

Sylphy: A quarter elf that got bullied in episode 3. You can see the Sylphy's character growth in 1 episode. When Rudy save her from bullying, Sylphy still scare of him. but later on, she even have courage to ask Rudy to teach her chantless magic and become more cheerful. However she become very depend on Rudy, that's a problem. so there will be another development for her.

Eris: A spoiled girl from a noble family. She is very stubborn, easily get mad, always using muscle to force someone submit to her, even a few teacher can't do anything about her. She is even drop out from school due to her personality. but as story progress, she starting to show progress for better behaviour.

Roxy: Rudeus' Teacher. I think there's not too much character growth for Roxy, because she is already adult around 30s when she started to teach Rudeus. She is also someone that cure Rudy previous life trauma, that's why Rudy respect her not just because she is his teacher. Since Rudeus is her 1st student that is genius ( 5 years old learn Saint Rank Water Magic ), she tends to compare the other student to him. and later she realized it, she started to improve herself on teaching.

Art 10/10:
Gorgeous, Details. I don't think I can see the other anime have same Quality too often.

Sound 10/10:
At first, I don't really like the Opening and Ending because I rare listen to this kind of genre. However, as I keep listening to detail like what instrument they used to fill the song, chord progression, I'm starting to love it. The song feels Calming.
The BGM on each scene is excellent which is fit to the scene.
When Rudy cast intermediate magic, the water sound and breaking wood can hear clearly.

Enjoyment 10/10:
When I watched this show, I can feel it's similar to Ascendance of Bookworm. It feels light, calm for this 1st cour.

Overall 10/10:
Personally, I love this show very much.
Many people give 1 score to this show just because MC is perverted, it's too BIAS. because they only review the main character while ignore It's Art, Sound, Story, Character Growth and the other main character.