Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II

Episode 5

There's a lot to like in this episode. Rudeus finally moves on with his life—starting a school life that is quite different from his first one. After all, this time around, he starts with a few solid friends. First, there's Elinalise who, after spending months as his traveling companion, decides to hang around a bit longer. Then there's Zanoba—the super strong prince—who has become even more of a figure maniac in Rudeus' absence. And finally, there's Fitz.

Fitz quickly becomes Rudeus' ideal of what an upperclassman should be. Rudeus humiliates him in a mock battle, yet he doesn't hold a grudge. He also helps Rudeus in his research by recommending a good book. But the most important thing Fitz does is stand up for Rudeus when he encounters a situation that triggers trauma from his past life—namely a large group of people hurling insults at him for something that isn't his fault. It makes sense why Rudeus would look up to Fitz and want to befriend him—he is exactly the kind of friend Rudeus needed in his first life and never had. But while the scenes with Fitz are the strongest parts of this episode, they are also the weakest. This is because we have been robbed of the mystery surrounding Fitz.

This entire episode is written as if we—like Rudeus—don't already know that Fitz is Sylphy. There are no scenes where she reveals her true identity—where we witness her conversations with the princess or Luke as Sylphy or get to hear her thoughts when she's around Rudeus. Sure, there are hints of her true identity, but the way she speaks, moves, and behaves is all vastly different from the shy child we got to know early in season one. Moreover, with different hair colors, hidden eyes, and being referred to as male by everyone at the school, “Fitz” could potentially be a completely new character based on what we see in this episode alone.

And even if you figure out that Fitz is Sylphy right away, there are still a ton of mysteries to solve. Why is her hair a different color? Why is she a bodyguard for the princess? Why is she pretending to be a man? The problem is—we already know the answers to all these questions.

Episode 0 of this season was just a pile of spoilers that undercut everything this episode is trying to do. There's no fun in piecing the puzzle together—someone already solved it for us. Instead of figuring things out alongside Rudeus, we're left waiting for him to catch up, which he's nowhere close to doing. It turns what should be a fun experience into a boring one—with us rolling our eyes at how slow Rudeus is rather than empathizing with his inability to even consider that Fitz and Sylphy are the same people.

I'm left disappointed with this episode and what it should be. Without having seen Episode 0, I'd give it an easy four stars—maybe higher. But with Episode 0, a 3.5 is the best I am willing to give. I wish Episode 0 would have aired after this one.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• If you're confused as to how Cliff knows Eris, check out the 2022 Mushoku Tensei OVA, “Eris the Goblin Slayer.”

• Is Elinalise's “curse” an actual magical curse? Or is she just making an excuse? Rudeus seems to have doubts and I don't know why he doesn't trust her word on this.

• Anyone else straining to see through Sylphy's glasses to see the true emotion her eyes are showing?

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.