Anyway, apart from its titillating comedy and the occasional decent action scene, Mushoku is quite mediocre. There isn’t much to say; it executes the isekai genre completely straight and does all the trite tropes to an acceptable level of quality. It’s fine. But there is a but.
My problem is that Mushoku is too honest, even for me. And I’m not talking about lusting after lolis, or – for those of finer taste – all the gropey, rapey stuff. When I say honesty, I think of Mushoku’s appeal as akin to a VN/eroge: You know very well that you’re going to die alone, so you boot up that 2000’s bishōjo game for the 10th time and replay your beloved waifu’s route to pacify yourself – it’s this level of honesty is what I’m talking about. It’s precisely what Mushoku is but for isekai.
The entire show is a revenge power fantasy that’s been turned up to 11. It's genuinely sad to watch. With no tongue in cheek, it's unironically going "if only I was born in a different world... then everything would've gone my way!" Full blast on its cope. The main character gets fellated by everything and everyone all the time. It never stops.
The author expects me to believe that suddenly this 30 year old hikikomori can now navigate the world and is superior to all the other characters, all because he was born with better circumstances. It has this nasty undercurrent of spiteful arrogance for the world. There was a scene where Rudeus condescendingly lectured his new father on being better. It was here where I initially dropped it. The author seems oblivious to the fact that the protagonist is supposed to be a complete failure at life, and not suddenly a person who’s in a position above others. There’s no room for actual character development in a way that’s believable. It’s screaming “If I was born better… If my circumstances were better! It’s all the world's fault… I’m going to have it my way…” It’s taking this sad, juvenile, and resentful view of the world and affirming it. It’s disconcerting to say the least.
Compare this to Konosuba: NEET hikikomori gets isekai’d, but he’s still a complete shitter in the next world. It’s hilarious and it does isekai correctly – if there was a way to do it correctly. There’s a distinct difference in attitude between the two: Konosuba has a lack of hatred for life. It doesn’t cry about unfair circumstances or blames the world; one never gets the sense that it's shaking its fist at God for all its problems.
But Mushoku? Rudeus quite literally sneers at God and holds him in disdain for the problems in his previous life. (Note: I’m not talking about God in a religious sense; I do not care for that. I’m talking about a life-affirming/denying – hatred for existence sort of sense.) This would be fine IF it was just Rudeus’ specific character flaws, and many will proclaim that it is; however, I argue that Mushoku does a piss-poor attempt at exploring that, and really is just the author’s whiney diatribe about existence. I can’t help but feel that I’m watching a toddler throw a temper tantrum because reality slighted his fragile ego. The author ended up writing the most self-gratifying and self-aggrandizing fanfiction to date.
Weirdly enough, I don’t recommend against Mushoku. The ecchi-comedy is fun, to those with taste, of course, and it has some good action too. It’s just the cope though; it needs to lighten up. Take notes from Konosuba or that slime isekai.
Bye bye!
