There is no denying that Mushoku Tensei II lacks the sense of grandeur its predecessors proudly exude, but to accuse it of being inferior would be unfair. The slow start is the perfect continuation for the sombre wake–up call that is season one's ending, it further punches down on Rudeus when he was at his lowest, reinforcing the message that there's no such thing as a life all smooth sailing. The arc immediately following is a timely reminder that the world doesn't revolve around Rudeus: his reunion with Zanoba and Cliff shows us the adventures he had embarked on are not isolated incidents and could carry unintended after-effects; while Sylphiette and Nanahoshi are symbols of that fact that lives lived outside Rudeus' view could be equally as eventful as his own. The stark narrative shift this season from exploration to character drama is no doubt less spectacular, but it puts much needed emphasis on the mundanity and gloom of reality instead of the wonders of an isekai. The result is a grounded tone that creates a sense of authenticity for Mushoku Tensei's world that little isekais could replicate.
Needless to say, the way in which Mushoku Tensei utilises its cast of characters to construct its plot and themes are terrific. However, what really differentiates it from the others is the attention to detail that Rifujin na Magonote pays when crafting its imposing and consistent worldview. The two-cour long exploration in the previous season had left many loose ends to pick up from, and this sequel chose the best ones to follow up on. Roxy's alma mater Ranoa Magic University, teased since the start of the series, is now the stage where the story plays out on. The Eris family drama that Rudeus had deliberately avoided makes an unexpected return through Slyphiette's companions. The unsolved mysteries of Turning Point 1 and 2, overshadowed by their horror and shock value, are radically recontextualised with the reappearance of Nanahoshi. Remembering to call back to a few instances of foreshadowing is light work, I'd argue it's even essential for fantasy epics like this, but it is their interwovenness combined with the seamlessness of how they are shifted from the background into the front stage that makes it so impressive.
And yet, even though the story is so beautiful, this sequel is one of the most disappointing in recent memory. Whether the drop in quality is due to the staff member changes or time constraints is a discussion that I'm not going to delve into. For all that matters, Mushoku Tensei II's production value is far inferior to its predecessor. Characters' faces are often disfigured; the failure to do proper scene changes renders many moments difficult to follow; sakuga is few and far between. These issues are especially prominent in the first arc, and I suspect it's because of the time spent at the attempts at creating the unique-to-each-episode 90 second opening animations.
It is, therefore, such a shame that the new team didn't seem to understand what makes those sequences great in the first place. In season one, they captured the splendour of the landscapes without compromising on the runtime, or delivered on concise exposition without slowing down the pacing to a snail's pace. This often means expanding on the original source material in order to make good use of the advantages of the change in medium (visual storytelling and the concurrence of the image and audio). In contrast, the animation that accompanies the openings of the Counter Arrow arc takes little liberty in diverging from the light novels, and makes no effort in carefully selecting which segments to include. Episode one's internal monologue paired with a flashback was Mushoku Tensei II's best take on the concept, but the opening could have been moved to the start for a view of the northern lands, then pair the ending song with Rudeus' monologue. Episode two's snow clearing scene could have easily been skipped and instead feature more details of the dungeon they were exploring that episode. Episode three's date with Sara put too much focus on the inconsequential actions of the two and missed the opportunity to show more about the city. Episode four's blatant foreshadowing also suffers from the same problem, too much runtime is spent featuring upcoming characters, entirely omitting Rudeus' journey to the University. If you feel that Mushoku Tensei this season feels different and sometimes even flavourless, this is why: their poor execution created a rippling impact on the quality of the show as a whole, not just the sequences themselves.
Given that the new team at Studio Bind couldn't capture the je ne sais quoi of the openings of its predecessor, the decision to cut such sequences was a good call. The show as a whole looked a lot better from the university arc onwards. Nevertheless, it hadn't returned to the high standards that people had come to expect. Still showing up from time to time are the weird portraits and awkward framing, and some dramatic moments fall flat due to the limited amount of sakuga (e.g., the confrontation with Badi). All that is to say, don't expect too much from Mushoku Tensei II's production. Even if (somehow) one comes out of season one limiting their expectations, they won't be impressed in the slightest: judging purely based on animation, season two is only marginally better than your average seasonal anime. It's fortunate that Rudeus' story in the northern countries requires much less spectacle to be entertaining, inadvertently making quality drop-off a little more palatable.
While we are on the topic of flaws, one cannot simply ignore Mushoku Tensei's narrative and thematic troubles. Detractors of this series have long criticised the show's pervasive perversion of the female cast, this time around Rudeus' condonation of slavery, and there's simply little excuse. This is a recurring problem with Mushoku Tensei: morally devious actions/events (as conceived by the modern person) are justified by in-universe explanations and rarely criticised textually or otherwise. Rudeus' abnormal sexual drive and creepy advances are conveniently accommodated by the deeply patriarchal world, and his apathy towards those living in appalling conditions is never questioned. Many say Mushoku Tensei is ultimately a story of a broken man's coming-of-age story, and thus moments like these are required for comparison and contrast. I find that argument disingenuous at best. While later entries could make this theme apparent with time, it doesn't follow that the show must handle such sensitive subjects in a tone deaf way.
In the end, I'm left conflicted. On one hand, Mushoku Tensei II is a disappointing sequel plagued with production issues, equipped with a questionable moral compass, and mired in fans' overexpectations. On the other hand, it is a comparatively decent entry in the over-saturated isekai genre, featuring a carefully crafted world with immense potential and countless engaging mysteries. Chances are, if you are invested in Mushoku Tensei, this season is probably a fine entry that's mildly disappointing; but if you only liked it for its fantastical explorations and startling plot twists, maybe it's time to look elsewhere.
