Note: *No plot or specific character specific spoilers, but there will be spoilers for the structure of the story. Basically where the plot goes in general without giving away any story specific details.
In the beginning, Mushoku Tensei was predicated on this premise that the characters are awash in the story. Certain plot events just sorta happen without any build up. In the story, these are called “turning points,” and usually don’t have any pretense. They reflect the uncertainty of life and give the author the flexibility to move plot how he sees fit. However, in this sense, the broader narrative is just sorta arbitrary. There really can’t be any grand moralistic message or philosophical logic in a story that is defined by random events, other than the aforementioned uncertainty of life. And as a result, the through line for the story is just the relationship between the characters and what they perceive as the best course of action at any given moment. Therefore, the meaning of Mushoku Tensei, its value, its structure, and its narrative exists within the characters, their relationships, and the little adventures they have in this wider fantasy world. And that is given flexibility by the turning points. To further this point, one should acknowledge all of the low-stake arcs that are strewn across the series. For example, the first volume takes place entirely within the confines of the main character's house. Alternatively, the main character’s goal for a long time is just to get a little girl home on the other side of the world, which is relatively humble in comparison to other Isekais. This commitment to characters is a great fit for a story about a man’s life in a fantasy world. Forget “killing the demon king” and “saving the world” or some big pretentious monologue that sets the characters straight. I just want to see her get back home. And that makes sense because most people aren’t going to have to kill the “demon king,” thereby making Rifujin’s writing more relatable. With this foundation, everything from loneliness, insecurity, societal worth, family obligations, disabilities, and more are covered. Ultimately, Mushoku Tensei is a humanistic story that enjoys a magical fantasy world.
The short and sweet stories are on the way out past volume 15. Indeed, the story takes a more dramatic “end of the world” approach. There is a big bad guy that needs to be defeated. While the main character's story is still more humble than “kill the demon king,” it still distracts from what this story did well. And so, these bigger stakes dilute the story. In other words, this very unique and humanistic plot is exchanged for a generic one about saving the world. What really synthesizes this argument is the fact that a lot of characters are written out of the story if they do not fit into this narrative, which is such a disappointment. Perhaps the main character got too powerful or too many things went well for him, and, as a result, the stakes needed to get bigger. Or maybe it can be assumed that the author wanted to finish the story with a bang. Regardless, this change feels unnecessary. Why couldn’t the story be scaled back to a certain extent? Imagine Joel, from the Last of Us, drops his quest to get Ellie across the country and instead dedicates himself to “killing all the zombies.” While extreme, that is how this shift feels. In a sentence, this humble story becomes a bigger one and loses most of its value for me in the process. And put another way, the story cannibalizes itself, in my experience. If Mushoku Tensei was defined by short stories and people in the first half of the series, then Mushoku Tensei is defined by grand stakes and villains in the second half. There are some good volumes past volume 15, but that doesn’t mean one has to agree with this change in approach. The story does not need to be a slice of life (the Ronoa arc was pretty bland), but when the story can balance these things is when it is also at its very best, which means volumes 1 through 7 and 12 through 15. The finale to the story is at least decent, and some people really like the change in pace, but I can’t help but disagree with this change, even if the story remains a decent power fantasy and adventure show.
It would not be a Mushoku Tensei review without acknowledging some of the themes of sex in this franchise. There is no shortage of opinion’s regarding the issue, and so the encouragement is just for the reader to think about it for themselves and try not to get caught up into the hype and anger on either side. My personal take is that while the sexual themes are ultimately inconsequential to the real world, I don’t believe it is handled well. It is understandable that a story like this should have some sexual themes. After all, it is a fantasy epic that spans a man’s life. Further, I think the main character being immature so he can grow makes sense. However, Rifujin’s sexual content is at least handled poorly. In all sincerity, how can one preach that this story is maturely handling themes of sex, while the main character kidnaps some people, sexually assaults them, and then gets away with it without any consequences. At the same time, some sexual issues are handled well. For example, the whole situation with Paul was really interesting, and the main character does grow throughout the series. Make no mistake however, both examples just make this all the more controversial and confusing. It’s like the author understood what was right and wrong, and more specifically what the consequences of a sexually immoral person looked like, but didn’t always approach these mature issues with seriousness and or didn’t follow through, which is really the wrong way to go about these sorts of themes. Consequently, many will be left with a taste of bitterness in their mouths. There is so clearly an attempt at having a discussion regarding sex in the franchise, but it is handled poorly enough that people notice and get upset, and I can’t say I blame them. This show tries and often fails at having a real conversation in regards to sex. With that said, it is time to move onto the conclusion.
For these reasons it is so difficult to recommend. Even though I personally liked it to the extent that I would give it an 8, and the series contains 9 out of 10 arcs (in my opinion), there are just some asterisks I have to attach to that 8 out of 10 score that make it difficult to sell to people in general. The sexual themes are bad enough that they will reasonably be a deal breaker for some people. All said, I can easily conceive why this series would be so polarizing for people.
