This review mostly consists of comprehending and arguing about some aspects that get unappreciated or that people complain about, rather than an actual analysis and recommendation to watch the show. Still, I hope it can help to understand at least my viewpoint and explain several themes and character behaviors.
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Change of pace, "new" setting and focal point
The most common complaint about the second season of Mushoku Tensei is obviously the pacing. It gets dragged out, as some people say. To categorize, it would be something like this:
- No actual story progress, instead, we get a slice of life in a magical academy that rarely addresses actual plot points and leaves them hanging (such as a mystery of Man-God, Orsted, Calamity, finding a mother, etc.).
- No exploring the massive world, as opposed to the first season, most of the time is spent in one location, which leaves no room for enjoying this. While the size of the world is still apparent, it hardly helps. Basically, the only thing that even haters of the first season agree on is an interesting world- building that is ruined in the second season.
- No driving force and no journey. While the main character has motivation, it is "irrelevant" and "stupid".
For sure, I can't argue that the second season might not be the sort of thing you expect after finishing the first. But, hey, isn't it great, actually? I mean, who in the hell would like the story to progress in the same way as he predicts it? Wouldn't it be boring that way? I honestly believe that if there is only one thing that has to be praised in MT II, It is that unless you spoil yourself, you will never in your life guess that a story's going to progress the way it did. And the way, how logical and deep it is, is also on another level, though I'll tackle that a bit later.
This season (or part of season) is slow compared to the first season (Though I'd argue it still does things a lot faster and more enjoyable than most anime, whether it's an action or a slice of life. But that might be just bias, as I'm a fan.). But it's only natural. After the final episodes of that season it needed to slow down, show new and almost new characters (the ones that got introduced in the first season but didn't really get time to showcase them), devote some time to them so that you can enjoy them in the future. And the story arc of the second season isn't even close to the final. When the story is this big and grandiose, you can't really always increase the pacing. Especially Mushoku Tensel, which at no point in the story is about action. Family, relationships, struggles in life, changing as a person-that's what I personally find interesting in the first season, and it continues at the same level of quality in the second, too. What more could I ask for?
Though I'm too kind of missing adventure time with Eris and Ruijerd from the first season.
Production issues
The production of the first season was special. The animation had been gorgeous, even in the little and insignificant moments. I was watching season 2 weekly and started from episode 0. After not using a CGI dragon (how often does it happen nowadays?) to see so much static animation, even a CGI crowd was baffling. And this episode didn't even need some cool animation like some in the first season. It came as a complete shock to me.
Yes, the production has suffered a lot. Yes, the animation is inconsistent throughout. But is it really ruined?
Of course, no. The scenery is still extremely beautiful. Animation, while not consistent, sometimes delivers very fluent movement. In this department, I'd say episodes 7 and 12 are especially good. They're on par with the best animated episodes of season 1. The music is as great as it was in season 1, if not better. While I prefer how the first season handles openings, the actual opening of this season is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The ending theme is perfect, too.
And, by the way, people saying that it is a shame Studio Bind spent their time on ONIMAI instead of extending production of MT 2 are completely unbased.
***
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Rudeus Greyrat and his struggles
So here comes the most controversial part of not only season 2 but Mushoku Tensei in general.
I feel that this season is the one where you truly start understanding and adoring the character of Rudeus, enjoying him not as a person but as a deep and grounded character. The author clearly sees how the story should progress. He gives moments to his characters that are completely out of the ordinary, uncomfortable, and questionable, all to see his progression as a person even through the hardest times. Rudeus is at his lowest this season. Of course, not as a human being; he had his previous life when he had been a complete scumbag, and he wasn't especially different at the beginning of season 1. But he is at his lowest, as he doesn't believe in himself at all. He is alone. Although he has a goal, he still doesn't see purpose in his life. All his confidence in himself disappeared. But he can only rely on himself. That's why he starts new relationships: fellowships, friends, lovers. Sometimes abruptly failing, sometimes unexpectedly succeeding. This is presented very well this season, and that's why I believe this is the true beginning of his "new life", not season 1.
Because this is hard to explain without spoilers, but nonetheless, I believe one of the most important points of this review, I'll put the remaining, most important part under the spoiler category. If you are reading this and haven't finished watching at least episode 3 of the season, I highly recommend not reading it to not ruin your own enjoyment and experience.
Spoiler, click to view
This season is basically an ED arc. And I honestly believe it's awesome since it doesn't feel out of place. The idea to give the horniest character (actually not, but that's not important) an ED so he couldn't fuck anybody is ridiculous, yeah, but it really hits. It hits seeing as the author doesn't make a joke out of it. Contrary to that, he really showcases how poor this condition is. It even subtlely captures it in his dialogue manner. I believe that if the last episodes of the first season didn't make you sympathize with its main character, then this season is going to do it. You really feel bad for him because you see how he tries to improve but still fails in the end, and that he isn't the only one to blame. In short, it feels realistic.
I don't understand people who cringe at this. "Is he really going to have all season ED?" and questions of that sort. No offense, but honestly, even if you've never been or seen anyone in this state, I believe anime tells you pretty straightforwardly that it isn't something to downplay and make jokes about. As a consequence of Rudeus's condition, not only he but Sara suffered too. And you can clearly understand why if you're at least a bit sympathetic person.
Another reason why I love such a progression of the story is thanks to how it handles aspects of "love". Most pieces, not only in anime but in general, handle "love" as either a "pleasure" or a "sacred thing". MT shows how it can be both at the same time. And it shows how the main character also comes to this realization. Instead of fapping to anime girls in his previous life, in this season he really relives his life and understands what it is to love somebody. It's extremely heartwarming. The way the show doesn't shy away from showing uncomfortable topics in a serious manner and using them not as a shock factor but as an actual plot point isn't "stupid" in the slightest. As pretentious as it sounds, this is what shows the complexity of a piece of art.
***
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Handling POV of different characters
Ok, that was some serious talk. Explaining a character isn't easy if this character is done solidly. That's why my opinion might come across as pretentious. But the author can showcase the thought process not only of one character but of some others as well. In particular, this season we got a lot of Sylphy's POV. Some people consider it insignificant and irrelevant. As if it would be better without it. Obviously, I don't share this opinion. This season has completely cut Sara's POV, and that's part of the reason why her character got so many undeserved accusations. In the first season there was almost no Eris' POV, too. Honestly, such things are the reasons I recommend reading novels. These moments make you empathize a lot with characters, understand them better, and see an entirely different picture of events.
But Sylphy's POV is actually some stupid stuff, adding a little to the story (not counting episode 0). But even being stupid as it is, it is still cute, foreshadows some events, and elucidates her actions as silly as they are. I don't reckon it really adds much to the story, yes, but by letting the romance progress slowly, it gives enough time to fall in love with Sylphy's character and find her uncertainty cute, not annoying and illogical. And it still progresses far more quickly than in usual rom-coms, doesn't it?
***
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Sara (and Eris): tsundere troupe at its finest
Though this subheading is called "Sara and Eris", it will be mostly about Sara as we don't see Eris this season. Sara isn't as difficult character as Rudeus to feel a need to justify her actions or even feel compassion for her in the end. Or is she?
Her personality can be summed up in one word: "tsundere". But it wouldn't be Mushoku Tensei if the first season hadn't already shown how to write such a character. And the anime does everything it can, from visual interpretation to Rudeus himself pointing it out, to make you feel that she's a copy of Eris. A cheap copy, you might even say. But is everything this simple? To explain this, I need to delve again into spoilers.
Spoiler, click to view
Sara and Eris similarities are made on purpose, of course. Rudeus broke up with Eris. However, he still loves her; that's why it's hard to forget her for him and he gets his trauma after all. So then he finds a girl who acts pretty similarly and thinks he can replace Eris with her. It might sound selfish to think you can replace one person with another, because it is. Rudeus is a teenager mentally this season, after all.
It's important to mention that all Eris and Sara similarities are made by Rudeus, as the story is told from his point of view. Actually, Sara doesn't have the same personality as Eris. To put it simply, Eris just likes to beat up people and is aggressive. She is poorly communicative, so she can't express her emotions very well. It all leads to the grand misunderstanding at the end of season 1, when Eris badly hurt Rudeus, even though she didn't want it and didn't even think about it.
Sara is an actual tsundere who doesn't want to admit her feelings out of embarrassment in the beginning. That's why it leads to confession and sexual proposal with the phrase "Because you saved me", not "Because I love you". I guess I don't need to explain this. We've all seen such characters in the anime. But Mushoku Tensei wouldn't be itself if it didn't surprise you while sticking to these kinds of tropes. She actually uses the most common tsundere phrase "I don't like you or anything", but in the worst possible way. You know, when I was watching anime, I always thought that while tsundere personality isn't something fully unrealistic, it is usually presented as such. Because people who act like tsunderes would be completely insufferable in real life. Or at some point, at least. I don't actually know, but I would guess. So, I'm talking about it since usually tsundere personalities are either used to serve comedic relief or to make characters cute in anime. At least I haven't seen any anime like Mushoku Tensei that handles it in a way that disgusts you.
The way Mushoku Tensei uses its tropes is impressive; it uses cliche moe personalities and still feels realistic and unique. That's why I believe Sara had one of the best moments of character study in MT so far.
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Side characters and why ALL of them are important
This season serves mostly as an expositionary arc. It (re)introduces many crucial side characters to the entire Rudeus's life. Though this season isn't their time to shine, it starts their now-seeming minor but eventually pivotal plotlines, although it might not seem so. They're all very heartwarming, and all the generated "controversy" is a total fabrication. People who make it up either haven't watched the show, lack a sense of humor, or can only nitpick issues in the show, totally ignoring the most important parts. I'm going to tell a little about each one of them.
Julie & Zanoba:
Spoiler, click to view
Julie is the cutest thing ever in Mushoku Tensei, firstly.
Secondly, Zanoba is a freak as much as he was in the first season, but now he actually develops a friendship and master-student relationship with Rudeus.
Thirdly, the scene of saving Julie from slavery is magnificent and, personally, one of my favorites this season. Handling slavery not as the most evil thing in the world that needs to be destroyed (I'm not denying it, btw) but as a deep-rooted system that can't be changed easily is honestly refreshing nowadays. Such moments help develop a realistic depiction of the fantasy world.
It is kind of an aside, but I wanted to mention it. Some people say that Rudeus actions towards slavery (or the absence of them) would be despised by Ruijerd, with whom Rudeus spent 3 years. I can't comprehend how these people watched the first season. It literally made the point that Ruijerd isn't a morally good character; he kills people out of his own personal judgment. Rudeus was actually freaked out when he realized that. And he never shared that worldview. That's like the point at the end of the first part of the first season where Ruijerd acknowledges Rudeus as a warrior and an equal, even though he knows Rudeus isn't like him at all. Rudeus knows that if he tries to steal one of the slaves, he will get into trouble, which will make it hard to get out without consequences (and by consequences, I mean deaths, no matter which side).
But that's not the most important part. What I really love about it all is the moment when Rudeus saves Julie. Instead of a typical naive "I totally can save her, give her a new home, etc., and she's going to be happy after that", Rudeus acknowledges how it might be impossible in Julie's state. That's why he offers her death. You might not agree that it's the right thing to do and that death could be called salvation. You don't need to. However, that's what I love about Mushoku. It doesn't try to tell what's right or wrong in the most straightforward way, and the protagonist (or anybody in the story) doesn't have perfect morals. Instead, it shows. The moment Julie said she didn't want to die is so reassuring and so beautiful that I can't get how in such an episode people could wholly miss it and focus instead on slavery part.
Spoiler, click to view
Beast girls are fun, and that's the point. I really enjoy how Pursena and Rinia interact with each other. They're friends for life, but they always troll each other and try to get someone to take all the blame. I really appreciate how MT handles friendship. I mean, true friendship isn't only about standing up for another person but also about the inseparability of true friends. They're really dumb, too. Seeing Rudeus be crazy about Roxy is another level of absurdity. The funniest part of this season, imo.Spoiler, click to view
The relationship between Ariel and Sylphy is a good example of how MT can treat its characters individually. The growth of Sylphy happens independently of Rudeus, and it's great storywriting as it shows not everything occurs around Rudeus. Characters go their own way and grow. The friendship between Ariel and Sylphy is deep, and meeting Ariel is one of the most important events in Sylphy's life. The same is true for Ariel, a person who never actually shows her true face; she really holds dear Sylphy and tries to help her in any way.Spoiler, click to view
That's cute. Not only does Cliff move on from his first love, Eris, but Elinalise also opens up as a sympathetic and loving character, contrary to her slut nature. People who consider MT morally an awful piece of work often miss this relationship, but bright moments such as this completely invalidate this consideration, at least for me. Their relationship starts fast, but its development is going to be sweet.Spoiler, click to view
Soldat is best boy. Literally, every moment with him is a highlight of the season. Introducing him as a tough and hot-headed person, then for him to point out Rudeus's half-assed nature so to become the biggest bro when Rudeus removes the facade. And this happens in the span of two episodes. Why is this season considered slow again?
Badigadi is truly Kishirika's husband, with the same absurd nature. His carefree attitude makes you smile every time he's on screen.
Nanahoshi & Rudeus:I guess all people who say that Mushoku Tensei is a wish-fulfillment story either don't know about Nanahoshi or forget her. Because she is precisely a character that shows that MT isn't that. As I said earlier, I like how MT handles its multiple POVs as it's interesting to see a different perspective. Nanahoshi is a character that also shows a different perspective. She is opposed to Rudeus, and I believe many would be more relatable than Rudeus. The story is filled with parallels and contradictions, situations where nobody is 100% correct. That makes the characters and story richer. Rudeus, who sees no value in his past life and tries to avoid it, deep inside is a pathetic person but tries to enjoy life anyway; and Nanahoshi, who wants to return to her previous life, misses it so much that she completely ignores her life in the new world and doesn't try to enjoy it. Both of them don't get something important. Overall, it's a great set-up for future events.
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Sylphy and the theme of love
Mushoku Tensei, as I said before, changes its focal point. The first season was mostly about returning home. After finishing the first season you usually expect that it's going to be about finding Rudeus's mother. However, the main plot progression turns out to be reliving trauma. Unfortunately, most people don't get that it's not that Rudeus wants to get laid. In the first season he did, but now he actually looks for a lovely relationship. He tries to act gently with people around him because he thinks that's how people start to like you. His actual problem is never sex as an act; it's love, which he can't perceive even in the new world.
That's why it isn't ridiculous that Rudeus is actually more worried about his "little thing" than about anything. He found his first love after almost 50 years (if we count his previous life) and was flabbergasted by how good it was to be loved by someone, so right after that, he found out he was abandoned. And, because he has no other person to blame, he starts to hate himself to the point where he can't believe someone can love him for real and not abandon him. It's not that Rudeus is a weak person, it's that he's not strong. He is human. Eris leaving was important—a dramatic change of events that must lead to its consequences. Essentially, season 2 is these consequences. The story doesn't drag, it's just that this incident can't be resolved quickly since it would contradict with the grounded nature of the work.
Now, here's Sylphy. How is she actually going to progress this story now?
I can agree that the moment of Rudeus figuring out who Fitz is as well as Fitz's confession could have been done faster. Yeah, they have their reasons. Rudeus remembers Sylphy when she was 7 years old; she had a different personality and used to have green hair. And Rudeus is extremely dumb to be able to distinguish men from women, so he can't realize. Because Rudeus is such an airhead and because she is madly in love with him, Sylphy can't pluck up courage. But it's still slow. However, there's a positive side to it.
Firstly, it helps build a new relationship for Rudeus. Sylphy always loved Rudeus, but I'd say Sylphy was more of a childhood crush and a friend to Rudeus than an actual love. So that's where the author makes an ingenious move. If Rudeus didn't know that Sylphy was Sylphy but still fell in love with her, wouldn't this be called actual love? The author even gives Sylphy a different gender to show how strong Rudeus' feelings are (and that's the funniest part).
Secondly, to introduce a lot of characters. As I discussed earlier they're all important. Moreover, Rudeus builds relationships with them which is important to his own progression. After all, the magical academy was foreshadowed from the first episodes, and Rudeus relives his life, so why not give him the chance to change his impressions of school anyway if it was the most traumatic place in his previous life? Again, it's not really something to rush through.
Finally, the longer a set-up and wait, the greater the impact of the moment is.That's what I'd like to believe was the intention. Why? Because of the final episode of this season.
Sylphy has finally confessed, feeling grateful to Rudeus that he remembers her. But what about Rudeus? He still isn't ready for the future development of their relationship. Because he still can't grasp what it means to love someone, he feels that falling in love will hurt him again, no matter how hard he tries to prevent it. That's why he needs the final push.
And that's why Sylphy is the goddess. Jokes aside, Sylphy is really an amazing character, making that push so Rudeus can finally return to normal and stop acting polite and awkward around people. I can't fathom the reason why she is hated on (aside from skimming through this part), she literally helped Rudeus work through a 3-year-long trauma, and her fear of being forgotten is easy to understand when Rudeus changed so much from when she saw him last time and acts so dumb not getting her hints. Even so, Rudeus has his reasons for acting so oblivious. He is impotent, after all. He can't fully enjoy his life for the reason that he can't really give his all to people and be an outgoing person.
In the final episode, he doesn't find a cure in viagra; he finds it in Sylphy, not abandoning him finally. It's at this moment that all his restrained emotions come forth, and he cries, not feeling afraid of approaching people anymore. Definitely the best moment out of this part of the season, as it was accurately all building up to this from the final episode of season 1.
> Thanks for reading. All I actually wanted to say was that the storywriting of Mushoku Tensei keeps being consistently marvelous and mature in the second season so Mushoku Tensei II doesn't actually drop in quality. It's just a matter of preference. Personally, it's not the best part of the story and I also enjoyed the Dead End adventures more. However, this part sets up for something bigger and really exciting.
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Sorry for all the typos, grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker and it's my first big review.
