Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu

Despite being bullied, scorned, and oppressed all of his life, a 34-year-old shut-in still found the resolve to attempt something heroic—only for it to end in a tragic accident. But in a twist of fate, he awakens in another world as Rudeus Greyrat, starting life again as a baby born to two loving parents.

Preserving his memories and knowledge from his previous life, Rudeus quickly adapts to his new environment. With the mind of a grown adult, he starts to display magical talent that exceeds all expectations, honing his skill with the help of a mage named Roxy Migurdia. Rudeus learns swordplay from his father, Paul, and meets Sylphiette, a girl his age who quickly becomes his closest friend.

As Rudeus' second chance at life begins, he tries to make the most of his new opportunity while conquering his traumatic past. And perhaps, one day, he may find the one thing he could not find in his old world—love.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Greyrat, Rudeus Main

Uchiyama, Yumi Japanese

Migurdia, Roxy Main

Kohara, Konomi Japanese

Greyrat, Eris Boreas Main

Kakuma, Ai Japanese

Sylphiette Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Orsted Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Superdia, Ruijerd Supporting

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Dedoldia, Ghislaine Supporting

Toyoguchi, Megumi Japanese

Greyrat, Paul Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Greyrat, Zenith Supporting

Kanemoto, Hisako Japanese

Greyrat, Aisha Supporting

Takada, Yuuki Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Oowada, Tomoyuki Producer

Yamanaka, Takahiro Producer

Ootomo, Toshiya Producer

Reviews

Mar 21, 2021

Trump

Recommended

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

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 21, 2021

Inferno792

Mixed Feelings

Mushoku Tensei might well be the most controversial anime I’ve come across in a long time. Interspecies Reviewers generated a lot of discussion recently, but that was mostly due to a moronic Youtuber flexing his popularity and trying to mess with MAL.

Mushoku Tensei, on the other hand, divides opinion by simply existing, caused by the character traits and story it follows. Some people, a lot of these LN fans, believe that whatever Mushoku Tensei has done in the anime is just a realistic portrayal of medieval times. Some think that pedophilia and libido for every character is not a good representation. While I knew what ... I was getting into when I first started Mushoku Tensei, my problems begin when the characters get away with rape, pedophilia and sexual harassment and instead, the show plays all of these very sensitive topics in a comedic sense, almost as if they were no big deal. Rape is played off as a joke, pedophilia as a character quirk that has nothing wrong with it, and sexual harassment like flirting.

I don’t argue against the fact that these things can be represented well in anime, but I am not supportive of how easily it’s played off as a humorous copout. I’ve never read the novels, so I speak of what I watched in the first 11 episodes of Mushoku Tensei. LN fans insist these issues will dwindle and Rudues will change for the better as the story progresses, which is fine.

Hell, it’s not Rudeus or the characters I have a problem with. There were, and are scumbags in the world and there always will be, and I don’t mind their portrayal in anime. In fact, I think some anime have too many characters without flaws. My problem is with the presentation. If you’re going to touch on such delicate matters, there’s a fine line that needs to be tread. They can’t be played off as a joke by the show itself and, sometimes, I certainly felt Mushoku Tensei explicitly did that with its portrayal of those scenes. Also, almost everyone in the show thought with their dicks and tits 24/7, and no, that’s not a realistic representation of the world. If you think it is, you need to get out of your bubble and know more people.

The story starts off like any other isekai. A useless otaku meets an accident, dies and is transported to a new world. In MT, the MC gets a completely new start as he’s born into the alternate world instead of having his old body transported. And the first thing that the reincarnated protagonist, newly named Rudeus or Rudy for short, does is ogle at his mother’s breasts and tries to fondle them. Even after realizing that she’s his new mother, he still says “Sucking on a hottie’s tits for free rules”. Already, this left an appalling first impression. It was just awkward? I’ve seen my fair share of ecchi anime with perverted characters, but this was already having me have second thoughts about continuing a few minutes into episode 1. The first episode pulls no punches in showing how much of a trash Rudeus is, as he scrounges for panties of women in his house even before he turns one.

What follows are several time skips within a few episodes until Rudeus turns seven. The start is pretty generic, but I’ll be honest, it’s kinda interesting. If you get rid of the problems many people, including me, have with the portrayal of some issues, then the first season of Mushoku Tensei becomes a polished version of what a lot of other isekai try and fail over and over again. Some do it with some success, but those are few amongst the can of worms that the isekai genre is. So Mushoku Tensei undeniably falls on the better side of the isekai scale, lopsided as that scale may be.

Mushoku Tensei fans like to call it the “Grandfather/Mother of isekai”, but I doubt the validity of these claims because several other popular isekai novels had already come out before it, and SAO (talking about the anime here) might not be an isekai, depending on what your definition of isekai is, but that’s the one that started off the boom of what has basically become a genre now.

Talking about fans, some fans even claim that the people who have issues with pedophilia, rape, etc and how the anime portrays these in good light, are soft snowflakes. According to them, anyone who thinks these things are actually a problem shouldn’t use their own morals on a show.

As a protagonist, Rudues is agonizing to watch. This holds especially true for the first half of the season, as he seemed to not even care about how creepy some of his actions were. He’s a degenerate in the truest sense of the word, with very little to redeem his character. I understand he has trauma because of the bullying he was victim to in his first life, but that doesn’t justify his actions. Of the few flashbacks we got of his previous life, he was shown to have been fapping to child porn at the time of his parents’ funeral. Then, in his new life, he still retains the mind of a middle-aged, useless pedophile, who, even in his new chance at life hasn’t changed after spending five years as he’s fantasizing about turning a five-year-old girl he saved from bullying into his ideal woman. Oh, there’s a change this time though, he’s gifted with abilities far surpassing almost anyone in the world. One of the things that I always find funny about isekai is how the protagonist who is usually pretty useless in real life becomes a genius; not just physically gifted but mentally having over 9000 IQ.

Having said all of this about Rudues, he becomes better in the latter part of the season, although still having bouts of his lecherous habits. My biggest gripe with Rudeus as a character is that his filthy actions are not driven by physical attraction; if they were, he wouldn’t be stealing panties or trying to grope women before he turned one. It’s his mind that’s corrupt.

Eris, the main heroine for season 1, is a typical tsundere who starts off as a hotheaded, spoiled brat before the MC wins her over. I wouldn’t say she’s that interesting so far, but I kinda like her.

Roxie is another character who got some attention through the run of the season. She’s a Migurd woman and actually is 30+ but the show never tries to make this known until much later. Looking like a 13-year-old instead, we see a young Rudues, maybe 5 or something, trying to sneak peeks when she’s bathing, changing or even masturbating. And of course, stealing her panties is a given, right?

Paul(o), Rudeus’ new papa, is a bastard. He cheats on his wife, assaults girls and rapes them, gets away with it, apologizes to his wife for cheating, then writes a letter to his seven-year-old son saying how he’s gonna cheat on his wife again while bragging about it. Again, my key concern is the show playing these things off as a joke. Considering there are people who've experienced these traumatic events, the author and studio had no empathy from conception to creation. A few of these things might have been fine if the show was a comedy, but it’s not. It can’t claim to be a serious redemption story and still play most of this shit off for shits and giggles.

Other characters don’t really have much to talk about; not yet anyway.

The visuals in Mushoku Tensei are fantastic; the attention to detail evinces the care and work that Studio Bind put in while crafting the world. It’s got some stunning backgrounds, gorgeous colors and ambience to paint the world and characters. The art is the strongest aspect of the show. My only real critique is the grainy art style which I’m not too fond of, but that’s just one minor complaint I have about the visuals. The animation is pretty fluent most of the time, and more importantly, the animators knew which moments to highlight and which they could put less work toward.

The OP playing while showing the ambience is one of the biggest props for Mushoku Tensei. It sets up the episode by giving us a feel of the area that most of the episode is going to be in.

Speaking of the OP, it’s pleasant to hear in itself. I know plenty of people skip anime OPs, but Mushoku Tensei gives you a reason not to because it’s part of the episode. Apart from the OP though, the OST is bland and lacking. Nothing else made me pause and repeat a scene so that I could hear the sound again, and I didn’t even notice too much of it. That’s not that big of a deal as this is the case with most anime anyway.

Overall, the production values were top notch and you can see that Studio Bind views this a long-term project, considering the studio was created especially for Mushoku Tensei.

Although I’m interested to find out where the story goes after this, I’m not totally sold on Mushoku Tensei yet. Most of it is due to the aforementioned problems in its portrayal of serious issues as jokes. The latter part of the season wasn’t as riddled with those concerns though, so it’s getting better, at least.

According to novel readers, it only gets better and better from here, so we’ll see where it goes, but that’s pretty much all source readers, right? The second cour is scheduled to be back after a season break, and I’m interested to see how it turns out.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 21, 2021

skysurf

Not Recommended

A child molestation fantasy story decorated with some generic isekai elements.

The story begins portraying a horrible middle-aged pedophile with the main flaws being a recluse (hikikomori) + leech living off his parents (neet) + literal pedophile. After reincarnating in a fantasy world and getting a second chance at life the MC says he will take life seriously now (it's literally the title of the show), so there was a reasonable expectation from the audience that it would be an interesting redemption story, only to utterly fail at that: the first 2 issues are quickly and magically fixed in the first few episodes while his lust ... for children never gets fixed and instead is written off as cheap comedy gags throughout the show.

The MC received for free all kind of benefits just by reincarnating: good looks (from the character's point of view), family with good social status, big magical power, secretly having an adult mind to take advantage of others, etc. He got for free things that a stereotypical loser character think they need for being a "better person", hence, it comes across as a shallow wish fulfillment story where the MC's creep behavior is rewarded with typical things that a lolicon otaku would want (loli harem, little sisters, etc).

The convenient plot writing is all over the place making sure the MC is involved in all kinds of ecchi situations because "he can't help it" (e.g. convenient misunderstandings, "it's legal/not big deal in this world" stuff, most males portrayed as worst than him so he "is not that bad" compared to them, etc), and the inner monologues reveal that this is how the MC fulfills the disgusting dreams he couldn't realize in the past life.

Besides that, the story is the typical generic isekai having the MC going on quests as an adventurer with the purpose of making him seem like a cool hero.

In terms of production value, the animation is good and the art style is attractive, although the quality went downhill in some episodes towards the end.

Male characters are unlikeable as most of them are portrayed as perverts or cheaters, which I guess is convenient for the underlying ecchi theme going on. Female characters seem to mostly exist for fanservice and to fall for the MC.

Overall, this looks like an ecchi anime that pretended to be a redemption story but ultimately failed at that.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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