I'd like to begin by saying this is only my second ever review & my thoughts are quite jumbled at the moment. I'm going to try my hardest to keep this review focused, engaging, & otherwise just a decent & fully comprehendible read. First & foremost I'd like to say Mushoku entered 2021 swinging heavy with buzz from it being hailed as the long awaited adaption for the grandfather of isekai to us hearing the studio was singlehandedly formed to give this series its most polished & passionate adaption. None of this proved to be an overstatement to myself as by the time the first cour was over I envisioned Mushoku as being a surefire top 5 isekai sooner or later. The only thing I needed to see to put it there was at least 12 more eps & for the quality of the series to remain at the upwards trajectory I so thought it headed. Well, it managed to accomplish one of those things by finishing it's second cour with 12 eps.. as for the quality of the series being where I had hoped for at this point... an unfortunate no. I was very patient with the first cour of the series because I mean hey its literally the beginning. Things have to be established & you obviously should expect a slower pace. By the end of the first cour the whole heavy sol elements & comedy jazz seemed ready to take a backseat as more crucial plot unfolds & more key characters are hinted towards. I was wrong. While s1 p2 did have really good moments between characters & good individual moments for characters it felt like it all occurred amongst the backdrop of a bunch of NOTHING. I'm not a fan of "characters get displaced/we have to spend arc searching for them" types of plotlines but with a skilled author it can still be done in a way that's engaging. I personally didn't find this engaging at all. It uses that tropey "oh! the character I was looking for is actually close to me but we just happen to brush pass each other without noticing one another" nonsense & then I find some of the situations the lost characters have found themselves in to be so trivial it could double as a filler arc. Like Lilia being captured by the prince then eventually Rudeus too & he's able to get out the situation because the prince's older brother wants to be Rudeus's.. wax figure apprentice? I mean don't get me wrong I still laughed my ass off that episode but when this cour is the TWENTY FIFTH highest rated piece of anime all time on anilist & possibly even higher on mal... when thats the case I just have to be fully critical. This is one of those rare instances where a series is clearly being judged on what it will become and not what it just adapted because you can't tell me in good faith this cour deserves the acclaim it's gotten. Furthermore its like two whole eps where more than half the episode is focused on Roxy. I love Roxy but did I expect or want nearly 24mins of sol-ish semi-important roxy content?? No. Maybe if it was cour 1, maybe if it was in OVAs, but in this context? No. Another disappointment is the fact I could've sworn Orsted was teased at the end of cour 1 as if he'd appear in MORE THAN ONE SECOND COUR SCENE & for that scene to last more than 5 minutes. Like are we being serious here. I love Mushoku but what an overrated season. I was hoping they'd finish this hide & seek jazz within this second cour but they didn't so here's to hoping the location & situation Zenith is found in is a lot more intricate one than Lilia/Aishia were. Another reason I was hoping this portion would be finished here is because I looked forward to the characters aging more. I mean I'm pretty used to anime shenanigans by now but seeing as how so many of those shenanigans exist within mushoku it becomes an increasingly difficult series to stomach. Rudueus is still his perverted self which wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't a reincarnated spirit with full recollection of his previous life basically meaning he is far from a child & should be judged for actions accordingly. It's a shame that what most would call the highlight of the series is mauled down by the fact Rudueus a grown man in a childs body. Yes i'm talking about that scene. The sex scene between him & Eris. It was actually a splendid scene with how they directed it & showcased the two's relationship over the years as the deed was done. However at the end of the day how beautiful can the scene be when in the back of your mind you know full well this reincarnated person is not a child but is just in a child's body. I mean it was about far more than sex & it was a crucial moment for Eris character. I mean its like finding sugar amongst shit but at least it wasn't a "happened to satisfy Rudy/initiated by him" type situation. I would just love for these characters to finally be of age so we could be rid of all this discourse altogether. It might sound like I hated this season but trust me I was jumping up & down with joy every episode. However I wasn't jumping while uttering the words "aoty/aots" which is whats being thrown around with the conclusion of s1 p2. I personally just can't see s1 p2 nor s1 p1 being either of those things. Next season I hope I'm able to give a rating higher than 8/10 because though an excellent rating I was convinced I'd be giving s1 p2 at least an 8.5 more so 9