Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II

Episodes 13-15

These first three episodes of the cour feel like an extended epilogue of sorts. The entire first half of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II was centered around Rudeus' erectile dysfunction. Okay, that's a bit too reductive. It was actually about the trauma he suffered due to being abandoned by the woman he'd come to love—the first person he'd fully opened up to in this life. Her leaving him in the middle of the night after their first time together threw him straight back into the pain of his first life where he was shunned by everyone—including his family. Thus, in his subconscious mind, there was a direct connection between sex and emotional pain. Is it any wonder he couldn't get it up? His mind was just protecting itself from further harm.

But now that Rudeus has managed to work through his hangups by realizing that Sylphy would never do this to him, he has a chance to build a solid, healthy relationship. So it's worrying that the two go straight into marriage—I mean, they've barely even entered the honeymoon phase of their relationship at this point.

Right away, Rudeus makes a mistake. Instead of discussing major life decisions with his partner—i.e., buying a house—he instead decides to keep her in the dark. Luckily for him, it does work out and she loves the house. Of course, Sylphy is so unbelievably smitten with Rudeus that it'd be hard to imagine her not rolling over for him at the slightest nudge—convincing herself that anything he gives her is what she wanted in the first place.

That said, it is clear that Rudeus is trying to be a supportive partner. Outside of the housing issue, we see him going out of his way to ask her about what she wants to do and then supporting her in any way he can. Have they jumped into marriage a little fast? Sure but they are doing their best to be as communicative as possible.

If there is a running theme for these three episodes, it's the fact that Rudeus is no longer alone. Despite how his first life weighs on him even now, he has support when he needs it—be that driving out a ghost or coming together to celebrate his marriage. Better still, Rudeus wants to be a good friend to others. So when Nanahoshi has a complete mental breakdown and falls into despair, he immediately does everything he can to be there for her—even bringing her into his home to stay with him and Sylphy.

Rudeus knows the pain of being alone and without hope—but also knows that part of being socially isolated is a choice. If you don't keep putting yourself out there, things will never change for the better. In her case, Nanahoshi has done nothing to build any friendships. She wants nothing to do with this world other than to leave it. The only reasons she even associates with Rudeus are because A) he's from Earth and B) he is useful (because he can use magic).

What Rudeus does for her is use his friend group for her sake—becoming a bridge that makes her their friend by proxy. With them by her side, they can do in a few days what she hasn't in nearly the entire time we've known her—summon something from Earth. In this way, Rudeus has managed to share with Nanahoshi the most important thing he has learned in his second life: it's always better to be together with others than isolated and alone—be that for practical purposes or mental health reasons. But more importantly, he was able to do for her what no one could do for him in his first life—extend a helping hand and show that the world can be different from how it seems at your lowest points in life.

Episode 13 Rating:

Episode 14 Rating:

Episode 15 Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Elinalise is a surprisingly tragic character. Her positive, carefree personality is, at least in part, a coping mechanism to deal with her internalized self-loathing at not being able to live up to elvish societal standards.

• Is Rudeus so good with a sword that he can beat a knight trained from a young age to be a bodyguard for royalty? Or did he cheat a bit using his future sight? It wasn't totally clear.

• How hard is Badigadi hitting Zanoba to make him flinch?

• I'm not sure how I feel about the new coat. I like the style and cut but feel that a white coat suits him better.

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

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