Have you ever wondered what a cosine wave really looks like? Seriously, think about it for a second. Think about its shape. Open Desmos if you have to. Alright, ready? Good, now let's see, if we put Mushoku Tensei right next to... oh my god. I'm literally shivering right now. Can you see it? But of course you can: it's exactly the same. The same shape, the same curves. Science believed it was impossible; yet here it is, despite all odds. What can possibly explain the existence of such a peculiar specimen?
There's one thing I can say for certain: there hasn't been a single anime in my experience as a viewer, that has made me develop a love-hate relationship with it to the level that Mushoku Tensei has. It is truly fascinating how this anime can go from mature, well-paced, deliberate, calculated, and even profound, to outright degenerate garbage. It is one of the very few times where the sheer quality difference in itself is actually exciting, a sensation similar to that of riding a roller coaster. In watching the "good" parts of this anime, I often found myself in suspense, in fear of the scene making a head-first dive into utter depravity: "No, no way you're gonna ruin this. Please don't. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!", and then, in subsequent relief of things going as they should... or even better than they should! And that might give you an idea for how I felt. All of which begs the great question: is the show doing this intentionally? I honestly don't know to what extend it does or not. I don't know if it's part of a sophisticated conditioning effort, or simply deranged thoughts oozing through the cracks. Though, instead of me talking in abstract terms, allow me to get a little more specific in regards to the "good" and the "bad".
Much like its sister cosine function, Mushoku Tensei starts its trajectory from high up. Despite being an Isekai, the premise actually managed to hook me in. I had been recommended this anime for being the "progenitor of Isekais" or an "Isekai doing Isekai right". And seeing that the original LN is more than a decade old, I was quite convinced. And I got even more convinced when I found myself straight up enjoying the first episodes. Yes, we get the typical truck treatment, but hold on a sec... when the protagonist teleports to this new world, he actually uses rational thought in an attempt to understand where he is, who he is, and what are the variables of the world? Imagine my shock! It's like what every Isekai show wanting to be taken seriously SHOULD BE FUCKING DOINGGGG!!!!!!
Alas, since NOT being sensible is the norm, Mushoku Tensei was immediately elevated in my eyes. Following the thoughts of our MC as he slowly explored his surroundings was an interesting pilot-copilot experience. Methodically unraveling a medieval world filled with magic, filtered however, by the standards of a modern Japanese citizen. Someone actually exploiting the freedom which naturally comes with modern knowledge and retrograde intuition (acquired through modern fantasy stories set in olden times), yet never compromising to assumptions; the world is still largely unknown, so one ought to always confirm one or another theory, and be mindful of potential cultural taboos: "should I say this, do that, or will I get in trouble?", et cetera. Moreover taking advantage of the mask that is his new body and reversed age, to further accomplish his goals, whether that is getting stronger, or... I don't know, big boobs I guess. Nevertheless, I can't stress it enough how great it felt watching an Isekai story finally MAKE SENSE. A good Isekai, I thought? Impossible...
Writing is just great, all around. His family really feels like a family, and Redeus is treated similarly. The scene where he receives his birthday presents is so simple yet so wonderful. The magic system and the rest of the world is unfolded step by step through books and pure logic. A medium-strength water spell looks fucking awesome given the right context and a touch of extra animation. This is what so many fantasy stories miss: context. A sun-sized ball of flames or similar god-tier spells tell you nothing. It is only a spectacle for the eyes. Given just a bit of writing and patience, anything can appear awesome, and this is just one of the many things this anime does. Uh, we also have the horny. I'm like, okay, lots of horny I see. Surely it's okay haha... wait, Rudeus. Rudeus, that's a child. What are you doing. Rudeus, for WHAT THE F
Haha, so weird. Surely this will never happen again. Anyway, the main setting eventually changes after a few episodes, and at the center of it all, Rudeus remains. Initially, I did not know what this meant for the story. But now I know: a world-spanning adventure with only one protagonist, and that is Rudeus. Mushoku Tensei is an anime of arcs and rotations. It wants you to experience as many characters and places as possible, with Rudeus being the pilot of this journey, no matter what. And this is where the writing of Mushoku Tensei really shines.
Is it cities? Rich design and distinct architecture, no matter the place. Even those that act as simple checkpoints for our characters to stay at, look different from one another. Different materials, different shapes, different sizes, all depending on the region. It feels effortless, really, since its only a visual detail, and is never outright mentioned. Then, is it culture? Every race or tribe you encounter has their own legends, their own traits. Hair color is for once used to distinguish people not because of their character (ok, maybe Eris is an exception), but because of race. I'm not kidding, this is actually true. And yes, this is an Isekai. If you are not amazed yet, wait until you see the fictional languages. I truly admire the use of fictional languages in stories, and Mushoku Tensei does it perhaps the best I've ever seen. It is never afraid to use them. They always remain relevant, our characters' knowledge of them remains relevant, and they're used when they should be used. Plus, they sound great! I absolutely love them.
And characters? I can't say character writing is stellar, yet most of them are still very likeable, so this anime wins me here as well. They remain consistent, they make sense, and act like proper human beings most of the times, which is a substantial achievement given Isekai standards. Rudeus is of course the most rich in writing, and... you can feel many things with him. That's all I'm going to say. Side characters are also pretty good, in that they have proper reasons for existing - more than that, you can feel that they exist. Plus, unlike in most shows, they're not utter caricatures. Even the most clownish and comedic of them all which I'm not going to name, feels refreshing to have on the cast.
And last but not least, CHEKHOV'S GUN. Mushoku Tensei never forgets. It will utilize the potential of even the tiniest of details. Was it some episodes ago? Was it a season ago? Was it solely a visual detail? It doesn't matter. I was pleasantly surprised many many times, and I assure you that you'll be too. And that really does not apply to small details only. The volume of connections, of threads leading from one episode to another, of things you thought you'd forget suddenly being relevant again; well, that has a name, and it's called great writing.
But wait, didn't I say that this anime is a cosine wave? Yep, it is, and it acts like one. These graces of writing do not always apply at full strength. The magic system especially remains stagnant for a big portion of the anime... it is not expanded, all you see is basic stuff thrown here and there, but nothing else really. Without spoiling anything, the second arc of S1 feels lackluster. You don't get the same depth in writing, and this continues on to S1 part 2. Then, the middle of part 2 comes, and the show peaks again. The end of S1P2 is pure greatness and grips you by the balls. Then S2 begins, and it feels bizarre and off-putting, like something has changed but you just can't get your finger on it... and then the second arc of S2 comes, and everything feels great again! This is just my experience with this anime. A roller coaster of quality and... huh. Looks like... the horny did not stop after all... haha, no... IT GOT WORSE. If you cannot handle sensitive topics, skip to the last paragraph.
I couldn't care less about the writing. The worst thing about it is that some scenes can get boring. Yet, they will still remain useful as a source of pure information: characters, places, and most events can be used later as reference to great effect. It is experience. However, if there is one thing I wholeheartedly fucking hate this anime for, it's this: the sexual degeneracy. It is so, SO vile at times. This show walks the rope between both rape and pedophilia, and it is absolutely sickening. Like, I get some of the less harmful horny scenes, and I don't care about them. But some of them are simply NOT EXCUSABLE. And they never end, unfortunately. Certainly, they reduce in frequency as the story progresses. Sure, some of them kind of make sense considering who Rudeus really is, and add some dark layers on his character. However, for anyone using this excuse, it is not only Rudeus... this show could be the same and better with less of this shit. We can understand how perverted Rudeus is without the degeneracy having to unfold in front of our eyes. Some of these scenes made me literally want to pluck my eyes out. Naturally, I won't get into specifics...
And the weirdest thing of all? The contrast. The sheer, earth-shattering contrast. This is an anime where you'll find, at the same time, great depth in emotion. It can actually be... mature? Damn, it can be more mature than you'd ever expect. I'd go as far as to say that it is elegant sometimes. This contrast... I just can't wrap my head around it. You can find delicate, sweet, and emotionally clever scenes in Mushoku Tensei, yet at the same time, you'll find black, repugnant smudges splattered all over it, stains that mark it, scenes that, if shown to me out of context, I'd surely believe they belonged to some garbage tier harem anime that should never exist.
A cosine wave and a paradox. Great writing, tainted by darkness. If I could label one anime as "forbidden", this would be it. I love this anime. It has solid writing, it is rich in detail, it can be deeply resonant. I've grown to really like its story, I've grown to like Rudeus, and my curiosity is wild. I'm eager to see where this anime is headed, exactly because I have faith in its writing. Yet, can I comfortably say that I "like" this anime, or "support" it? No, not when it has literal CRIMINAL shit in it. I've clearly stated it in other reviews: opening the gates to atrocities like pedophilia and suicide is not a fucking game. The scale needs tons of weight to remain balanced, be that philosophical coating, retribution, and most importantly, PRESENTATION. You can't just throw it in there and pretend it doesn't exist... because that's exactly what this anime does! There is one character with a particularly striking attitude: "Everything as usual in my daily routine: studying, getting out on the balcony for some air... oh, and I just have to deal with this silly nuisance here and there (BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED)".
So where does that leave me? In a bind. I'm being asked to pretend that this shit simply does not exist in this anime, and turn a blind eye to it. Honestly, more than where the story is headed, I'm interested in the person behind this work. What are they really thinking writing all this? What is the purpose? Do they honestly think it's funny or enjoyable? Is it to attract the twelve year-olds and the ravenous degenerates that need constant sniffs of hedonism to watch a show? Or is it a question? A challenge to accept this, move beyond it, and enjoy the anime for what it is? Or am I simply overthinking it...? Since the frequency of this kind of depravity lowers as the anime progresses, I've leaned towards a more lenient mindset. However, under no circumstances whatsoever am I forgiving it. Just like this anime does not forget details, I'm not forgetting the sewage it has thrown to me as even slightly passable fanservice. And that's why I'll have to give it mixed feelings despite my 8/10. I have the capacity to ignore these instances. To pretend that, amidst the strokes of great writing, someone else stole the pen and infected the script with this vicious plague, for reasons unknown. I just can't believe this is the same person writing all this... though, I can understand that for some people, this is not possible. And I completely and utterly respect that. This is my one and only literal guilty pleasure.
Do I want to keep watching Mushoku Tensei? Certainly. Am I interested in the story? For sure. Is it better than other Isekais? Without second thought; this is the best Isekai I've ever seen. It has everything I've written so far and then give it some. But for the love of god... for the love of all that is fair in this world, I want someone to flood the mailbox of whoever wrote Mushoku Tensei with women's underwear, to the point where it has overflown into their house and on to the street. I want whoever wrote this to, with much love, gently and painlessly drown within their own vices.
In conclusion: I'M GOIN' TO JAIL
