Here's Why Mushoku Tensei Feels Uncomfortably Real

It never felt even close to real for me, the show was awful throughout, especially the writing.

You can't frame a show as a redemption story and then never actually get to the redemption part.

Silphy really should have split from the protagonist for the sake of making for a more interesting story. Fictional stories should strive to create conflict, novelty, and surprises.

Paul Greyrat implied that the two kids needed time apart from one another. Putting them together after that claim just makes you wonder why he even made that remark in the first place.

Having Silphy become an antagonist or apathetic rival would have been a much more fun development. But instead she's nothing more than a one dimensional love interest. Her 2 wingmen are pretty dull as well (do we NEED those 2 characters? They waste screentime, does anyone here remember their names?).

Characters shouldn't have met up so soon after the global mass teleportation disaster, it makes the "disastrous" event feel far less significant, threatening, or cool.

I don't understand why the blue haired teacher had to turn into a love interest. Can't they just leave it at the protagonist worshipping her while still letting the teacher remain a normal character? Why would she want to marry a character that she thinks is younger than her?

The red haired one just disappeared on the protagonist, which is honestly the most interesting development so far. Leaves us asking questions, which is good. Conflict > Comfort

Thanks to the characters ("our hero", his parents, Silphy) meeting up again so soon after being separated, the writer felt the need to kill one off and make another a vegetable for the sale of re-establishing the drama that was defused the moment everyone meets each other again. I really don't care about the parents getting ragdolled, they don't feel like significant characters. The dad got last minute character development, which felt artificial (gotta develop him last minute to get some emotional value when I kill him off). The mother didn't even get fleshed out in the first place, her characterization is basically "she's the protagonist's mom".

Season 2 revealed a lack of depth in the writing, but I still look forward to watching season 3. Who knows. The writer might accidentally come up with a compelling sidequest.

Be more interesting, Mushoku Tensei.

Man he is a creep but that's what the story is about him changing to a decent person in his Isekai
The real reason is many of the audience is young and not into this medieval stuff or the way people lived at that era . Like how the show was criticised for slaves or Rudy having a second wife , it's because people aren't into the old themes , it's one reason ,people can't handle that kind of stuff like many people ,so no big deal . Many of them are sensitive to it .
And about the story let it finish you can't criticize half art let it be made fully ,season 3 will love up to the expectation .

Man no long paragraphs in the reply please , just a short comment will do please

Rudy is a victim of bullying in his first life and never got the support he needed to get over it. That doesn't excuse him from being a total creep and gross. He's so very flawed but it's a story about second chances and redemption so if there was nothing to fix it would defeat the purpose. He's not irredeemable at least, his last act in his first life was sacrificing himself to try to save a stranger from getting hit by a truck. The big through line of the thing is watching him take small steps in being a better person, but I really do get why someone would be put off based solely on the MC.




As for the rest of the show I think the writer does a great job writing interesting and layered characters. They all have their own goals, vices and internal struggles they are working through and I really appreciate the lengths the writer went through in giving us a very well developed support cast. The world building is also great, everything feels so fleshed out and lived in. I love that whole "Visuals that tell a story." vibe some of the locations give off (the desert city contained in that massive beast's rib cage and the magic school city come to mind first).




Ah also the anime production team did such a great job. The animation pretty great and sometimes reaches high budget cinema production levels, the landscapes are gorgeous and the music/score/sound design are so close to perfection. It's a stellar adaption of a well told story of a very flawed character, pacing is also a matter of taste and I liked how the story flowed but I wouldn't fault anyone who doesn't like the series for its main character or pace.

Note: This video is a thematic analysis and is spoiler-free for those who haven't finished the series. It discusses character growth and worldbuilding without revealing specific plot points.

However, some of the comments in this Reddit post have some spoilers.

I haven't watched the video but I have a couple points of my own.

While Rudy is shown to us as a do-gooder. When he reunites with Paul for the first time - It's not a tear up but a simple "WHERE THE F#CK YOU HAVE BEEN THE ALL TIME?! Oh, by the way your Mom is nowhere to be found"

The very fact people had to worry whether they would afford going to the Uni or not, dependable of the funds

In general, this serie depicts well how thin is the border between good and evil.

Romances...Feels kind of primitive pointing that out but in majority of other isekais, husbands and MCs tends to be loyal to one, love of the heart.

And the most important - Each choice/path has consequences.

The problem is that there are no real stakes for Rudy if he fails to become a better person, that’s fine if his flaws are not all that reprehensible but there needs to be a balance.
Take Eris for example:
Rudy fails countless times in respecting Eris’ boundaries and constantly dehumanises her with sexual remarks in his mind, but that NEVER makes Eris reconsider her love or even really question it in an interesting way( if this is an anime only thing that’s fine but the point still stands), and yeah it makes sense why but that’s not the point (you can write reasons for literally everything in fiction), the point is the story never meaningfully challenges Rudy where it matters, his relationship with Eris. Most scenes where he assaults Eris have no bigger implication on them other than Eris being kinda uncomfy but still accepting of Rudy’s flaws and never stopping to think about Rudy means to her. It never wavers in a meaningful sense( which SA normally would especially from someone with experience with men taking advantage of her) so then I ask……
Why should I care that Rudy “learns to be patient and respecting of Eris” when nothing will be lost if he fails on that front.
Again this all COULD work in a story that takes all of this into account but the way the story is structured and how fans talk about it tells me that this was supposed to be a big conflict for Rudy to overcome but I just feel like not caring all that much. The scenes by themselves are good but it is very shoddy foundations for the arc and milestone the series is going for.
Let me give you an example of a story that has the mc commit terrible actions against women but still makes you sympathise with them without excusing them DONE WELL: Bojack Horseman.
Bojack does arguably worse things than Rudy (if you discount the pedo implication which the fans desperately want you to), but he works not because he is punished no no no… but his bad actions MATTER to the story and leave an impact, and most importantly THEY HAVE STAKES, now they vary of course but across almost every bad action of his has something at stake. Take him almost sleeping with Penny, penny is the 17 year daughter of Charlotte who Bojack had a crush on before she disappeared from his life under natural circumstances. Charlotte catches them right before they do it and is furious and tells Bojack to leave IMMEDIATELY( for context the whole episode was him becoming very good friends with her family). The reason why this arc is SO powerful is not that he gets “PuNiShEd” for his actions (which like… not really until the last season), but it’s because that one incident deeply affects Bojack and charlotte and penny and that one event forms a deep crater into Bojack and penny  and the show as a whole. he is very obviously traumatised by it himself. It works because it’s INTERESTING and you understand deeply how Bojack got to this situation through his trauma and fucked up view of the world. He does do bad actions that don’t get consequences like his sex addiction and alcoholism, but there the only person at stake is himself. And back to Rudy, 
1. does his action affect Eris : no she still loves him deeply. 
2. Does it inform her perspective of him in a noticable way: No we never see any dialogue or actions that indicate this(her punching him only tells is that she doesn’t like it, not that she fundamentally thinks of him differently for his actions in a way that undermines or falters her affection)
3. Does Rudy reflec-: No.
4. Is there an internal conflict between his sexualisation of Eris and his love for her that actually manifests in the real world and is interesting to watch unfo-: No…….and I know that’s subjective but like… everything in fiction is so I would like actual arguments
5. Are his actions a detriment to himself and his own morality and well-being: not really he doesn’t really regret doing all that stuff Eris , just that he took it too fast. The ED arc doesn’t work be cause it only solidifies Eris’ love for him and his perversion is not a point of contention for Eris at all. I think the ED arc IS good but what I’m criticising is the story’s inability to make Rudy’s development matter more to the story sometimes and not challenge him on his fundamental views. The ED arc is good BECAUSE it actually feels like his flaws matter and actually hurt people sometimes. Not perfect at it but still.

Show is pure shit