Mushoku Tensei review: Masterclass worldbuilding or decadent reincarnation?

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (2021) may well be one of the most controversial anime series this year, but unlike its contemporary Redo of Healer (2021), the audience in general had gifted the franchise a warmer reception. Being one of the best rated series for the season, Mushoku Tensei promised a sequel in the near future. Nonetheless, why the disconnect between critical reviews and viewer perceptions? Recall how Bilibili suspended the series last February, only to face the threat of boycott itself. More so, what of the series being dubbed as the “grandfather of isekai” and “pioneer of narou-kei web novels”? This review would attempt to unravel the intricacies of this jobless reincarnation. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Foremost but not first? Mushoku Tensei’s place in the history of anime and novel

Narou-kei or narōkē was a novel genre that featured self-fulfillment and granting of wishes. Yuzurenai negai, anyone? But to be clear, narou-kei was not isekai. The name was derived from the novel hosting website Shousetsuka ni Narou, which literally meant Let’s Become a Novelist, launched in 2004. And definitely, Mushoku Tensei was not the first of this genre. If there were contemporary examples to cite which aced the series in terms of chronology of novel publication, note of the likes of No Game No Life (2014), Konosuba (2016), and Isekai Cheat Magician (2019). As this developed, it turned out not all novels hosted by the site could be classified as narou-kei, particularly if it was not a self-actualization story. The author even admitted later on how he borrowed from contemporaries such as Re:Zero — Life In A Different World From Zero (2016). So why dub Mushoku Tensei as such? Most likely, one would have to look at the wonders of popular culture. With the advent of the internet as an accessible platform, fanfiction became a thing by the 2000s. However, when such works began to encounter legal issues, there came a resurgence of the isekai genre in the 2010s which allowed authors to overcome the matter. And so, “non-fanfiction fanfiction” was born. Okay, now that sounded like non-creative fiction, but perhaps you get the idea. This was the context when Mushoku Tensei, which novel ended in 2015, arose. Even if one only followed anime history, the titles attributed to the series may be seen as anachronistic. But the point being, it appeared one did not have to become the first to be recognized as the foremost. Think of Disney when one discussed cartoons, but Disney was not the first to work on cartoons. Four decades separated the first animated films and Mickey Mouse.

Indulgences fulfilled, and then what? Genius writing or confused narrative?

The story revolved on a 34-year old NEET (not in education, employment, or training) who met his death through, how else, a speeding truck. Just when he believed his miserable life ended, he found himself reborn as Rudeus Greyrat in a world of sword and sorcery. Seeing this as an opportunity to assume his new identity, Rudeus embarked on a coming-of-age journey which proved to be more satisfying, not to mention more sensual, than what he ever experienced in his past life. He found the tropes which should have not worked in the real world operating like a charm in this other world. Along the way, he met his own romantic interests, namely his magic mentor Roxy Migurdia, his childhood friend Sylphiette, and his distant relative Eris Boreas Greyrat. As he found himself progressing in this world, a strange teleportation incident displaced a considerable number of people, his own family in that world included. The season ended with Rudeus trying to find a way home and making sense of all the ensuing chaos.

Uncertain whether or not the teleportation incident, which by the way was lingering for five years and was deliberately ignored by the populace, was a desperate attempt to create conflict in what was otherwise a peaceful moving up plot, the series struggled to sustain the logic of the world it was building. Great animation and commendable character designs could not hope to rescue a plot which seemed to have gone astray. Perhaps the only character who could restore any semblance of direction for this reincarnation story, the prodigal daughter Roxy, was mostly absent in the series after leaving Rudeus' village. It turned out her story might even be more colorful than Rudeus’s. Born in a community of telepaths, she left home 20 years earlier because she possessed none of their trademark ability despite being a talented sorcerer. While her parents seem to miss her when Rudeus visited, they did not speak for their entire community. If one could observe how Roxy helped Rudeus decipher demon text, which she did by hand, it would easily be realized how he barely needed the other women to further improve himself as a person. While he did learn other techniques from them, such as Sylphiette’s chantless or silent spell casting, only Roxy was the other character in Rudeus’s circle which could use advanced magic. Meanwhile, the teleportation also seemed like a convenient plot device to set aside the characters which the story barely used as Rudeus worked as Eris’s mentor. In relation to this, the series made use of time skips so much, it became a tired trope itself. Might as well have your 74-year old future self go back in time and discuss the rest. The season ended without really justifying why Rudeus existed in that world anyway. This was unlike how other isekai which laid down right from the start what the protagonists had to do, or not to do, sparing the audience from wondering about their purpose. Take for example earlier isekai anime such as Magic Knight Rayearth (1994) and Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play (1995), which by themselves also featured characters being in the bare just as much. At least earlier anime such as these did not have them being shown in (almost) every episode, presumably as a form of fan service. Rudeus’s understanding of societal dynamics in this other world seemed to be in a developing stage as well, despite living there for a significant amount of time while retaining all his previous life experience intact. For one, what was that about Rudeus seeing the death of a fellow adventurer as “more efficient”, or contemplating the destruction of an entire town to facilitate his escape? Nonetheless, the obscenity and moral implications aside, it could not be said that Mushoku Tensei was beyond redemption. Even if said scenes were not present, it would still have the chance to portray a better narrative, hopefully, with its prospective sequel.

Saibancho, the verdict

In its obvious attempt to relive isekai tropes which persisted throughout the years, Mushoku Tensei somehow retained its own identity as a series, albeit the execution was another matter altogether. In this regard, Rudeus’s backstory merited more attention. Some may loathe how the protagonist seem to have turned into a decadent, self-indulgent personality who had no sense of direction, but one had to observe how he struggled and suffered to live in his previous world. He was not provided a lot to work with, and not that he had an inherent capacity to be self-made it appears. Think of how some may describe the poor as being lazy, or some other derogatory adjective, when in reality they had less access to privileges and resources for their betterment. In the new world he was brought to, it was demonstrated how even a “garbage of society” such as he could hope to live the good life when given the sufficient support and platform to do so. This remarkable narrative of personal growth was most likely a major attraction of the series, not as a justification of his perverted character, but as an exposition of how his perversion became an outcome in the first place and what could have been done about it. It may well go similarly for those who you looked down and judged for whatever reasons you could come up with. For instance, had you seen how bullies of past aged either as anti-bullying advocates later on, or worsened their bullying activities in time? Or perhaps a surprising mix of both? Probably, probably not.

While one might assume the rest of the characters absent in Rudeus’s episodic journeys were living their own lives just as well, character development leaves much to be desired. The time skips did not really help, and it may lead one to speculate more than your average viewer. Imagination was one thing, as it helps sustain interest, but there may be audiences who could feel thrown off when the plot progression moved rather erratically, even if that was not the supposed intention. Incoherence might just be as enjoyable, as seen in episodic anime that had no real plot to deal with, but it still had to make sense for the audience. And as far as ratings go, it seemed that in the midst of the issues, the series was still just as appreciated as its other well-rated contemporaries. At the least, Mushoku Tensei could enjoy resting on these laurels moving forward.

(Photos from the series courtesy of Studio Bind, Funimation, Muse Communication Co., Ltd.)