Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 17 Review

Character Development in MY Isekai?

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 17 didn’t have great action. It didn’t even have cool lore to dump on us. But, what it did have was character development. And if you ask me, that was pretty neat.

Specifically, there were two characters who got development: Rudeus and Norn. So, let’s talk about Norn’s development first because it influences Rudeus’s development.

Norn is becoming a shut-in. She stopped going to class and doesn’t seem to have any friends. Instead, she spends all her time wallowing in her sorrow, alone in her dorm room. And, this is something we should be familiar with.

Rudeus was the same way before he was reincarnated into this world. He was bullied at school, became a shut-in, lost his friends, and even pushed his family away. It’s the exact stuff Norn is doing now.

The major difference between Norn and Rudeus in his past life is their reasons for becoming shut-ins. As I said, Rudeus was bullied. Norn, however, isn’t being bullied. She’s tired of everyone comparing her to her genius older brother, whom she hates. Everyone wants and expects her to be like him.

Now, what about Rudeus? His development is the really good stuff. For the first time, he’s on the other side of a very familiar situation. Instead of being the shut-in getting consoled by his older brother, Rudeus is the older brother consoling the shut-in.

What I liked most about this, though, is that it doesn’t come naturally to Rudeus. He doesn’t think, “I’ve been in Norn’s position so I know what to say to her.” The opposite is true. He’s now realizing how difficult it must have been for his own brother.

Norn Is Afraid of Rudeus

At the end of my Episode 16 review, I made a prediction about Norn. That prediction turned out to be incorrect. So, let’s go over what it was and why it was wrong.

The prediction was that Norn doesn’t actually hate Rudeus. Instead, she feels abandoned by him because he wasn’t there for her, Aisha, and the rest of the family after the teleportation incident. Of course, that wasn’t Rudeus’s fault, and I assumed Norn would come to terms with that.

As I mentioned, that’s not correct. That’s not why Norn hates Rudeus. She hates him because she’s afraid of him.

Norn comes up with excuses for why she doesn’t like Rudeus, such as how he’s with a different woman every time she sees him. But, the one reason she gave that wasn’t an excuse was that Rudeus hit Paul. Norn saw this happen when she was young, and it scared her.

She’s actually afraid that Rudeus could hurt her. Well, she knows he won’t. But, there’s always that thought in the back of her mind. And, even if he doesn’t hurt her, he might throw her out, which she also doesn’t want.

Why does she still think that, though? Rudeus hit Paul a long time ago at this point. And since then, Norn’s heard from everyone, including Paul, how great Rudeus is. Well, that might actually be part of the problem. Not only did Norn see a violent side of Rudeus, but since then, she’s been told how strong and influential he is.

If someone has strong and influential as Rudeus decides he doesn’t like her, what’s protecting Norn? She can’t fight back against him and most others around can’t, either. And if he decides she’s “bad,” everyone’s going to listen to him, not her.

Was Anything Solved in the End?

At the end of the episode, it looks like Norn is no longer afraid of Rudeus. She understands that he wants what’s best for her. But, she never tells Rudeus any of this. Instead, she just starts going back to school, makes friends, and treats Rudeus like family.

So, everything’s solved, right? I don’t know about that. On the surface, yes. Everything should be good between Norn and Rudeus now. However, to me, it looks like these two still have a long way to go.

As Rudeus said, Norn seems to have figured everything out for herself. He didn’t do or say anything. And, that kind of leaves his development unfinished. Yes, he now understands how his own older brother felt. But, he still doesn’t have the answer. What should his brother have said to him at the time? And what should he have said to Norn?

For Norn, there’s still the question of what she wants from her relationship with Rudy. They’re on fine terms now. But, I still wouldn’t say they’re close. Is that how Norn wants things to stay? The cover art and OP for this season imply otherwise.

I don’t know if she’ll decide she wants to emulate Rudeus or be her own person. Probably the latter since it might already be too late for her to become a genius like him. But, what’s that going to look like? Is she going to ask him to teach her?

In a way, that would make sense. However, I’m hoping that’s not what happens. Instead, I’d like to see her ask someone else to be her teacher. That person could be Sylphie. Or, it could be someone more interesting, like Princess Ariel. Norn doesn’t have to become a mage at all.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Episode 17? Did you like the parallels between what Rudeus went through and what Norn is going through? Was Norn right to be afraid of Rudeus? And, in what direction do you think Norn and Rudeus’s relationship is going to go in?

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My review of Episode 18 is available now.