Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation anime series cover art
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Series Overview

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu / 無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~) is the best anime from the winter 2021 season. Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen are up there too. But I think Mushoku Tensei is the best.

Also, before I get into what the series is about, there’s another season (or the second half of season one) coming this fall. So if you enjoyed Mushoku Tensei as much as I did, or you’re planning to watch it, there’s not going to be a long wait for more content.

I’ll admit that the premise of this series doesn’t sound all that good. It’s about a shut-in adult who gets reincarnated as a baby in a fantasy world and then grows up there while retaining his memories of his previous life. Yes, it’s another isekai.

But, there are some things that Mushoku Tensei does differently from other isekai that make me like it more. For example, the fact that the protagonist grows up in this fantasy world rather than being transported into it actually has an effect on his character.

By the end of this season, I believe he’s 12 years old. So even if he was like 30 in his previous world, spending 12 years growing up in this fantasy world is going to affect who he is as a person. That’s one of the aspects of this series I found most interesting.

I should also point out that while this series isn’t tagged as an adventure anime on MyAnimeList, I’d refer to it as one. The first half of this season doesn’t have adventure, but around episode 7, I think, it drastically changes and the adventure begins.

If the next season is anything like the latter half of this season, this is going to be a great fantasy adventure anime.

Main Characters

Rudeus Greyrat is the protagonist of the series. I don’t think we ever learned what his name was from his previous life, but that’s his name now. A lot of people who don’t like this series point to the fact that Rudeus is a pervert as a primary reason.

However, while that’s certainly a negative aspect of his character, I don’t think it makes the series as a whole bad. Over time, he does develop good qualities as well. And this development is tied to him experiencing the cultures of this new world.

Roxy Megurdia is my personal favorite girl of the series. I don’t remember how old she’s supposed to be, but I think she’s in her late teens. She’s a member of some kind of demon clan and is introduced into the series as Rudy’s magic instructor.

Roxy Migurdia from the anime series Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Roxy Migurdia

Eris Boreas Greyrat is the other main girl of the series and may be even more of a main character than Roxy. She’s Rudy’s cousin who’s about two years older than he is. After Rudy becomes proficient in magic, he becomes Eris’s magic teacher.

Even though I like Roxy more, I think Eris is an extremely well-written character. She’s a bratty character done right. When she acts out, and due to the way she acts afterward, you can really see that all she wants is attention.

Some less important characters (for now) are Sylphiette, Rudy’s childhood friend, Ghislaine Dedoldia, Eris’s bodyguard, and Ruijerd Supardia, an ally Rudy and Eris acquire later on in the season. I expect them (and Roxy, to be fair) to play bigger roles going forward.

But, also the fact that I’m not sure how they’re going to play bigger roles, later on, is something that’s keeping me interested in the story.

What Makes Mushoku Tensei so Good?

So, exactly what makes Mushoku Tensei so good? Well, there are actually a lot of things. This series does almost everything right as far as I’m concerned. The only real issue I have with it is that this is only the start, so not everything about the world and characters is developed yet.

Let’s start with the art and animation. I really like the art style that was chosen for this series. It looks great and I think it works with the tone of the series as well. This was also potentially the best-animated series I watched of the season.

It has great animation throughout all of the 11 episodes. But especially towards the end, it gets pretty crazy. There’s some amazing action animation that really conveys the weight of the characters and impacts. Episode 11 has some of my favorite animation of the series.

Eris Boreas Greyrat from the anime series Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Eris Boreas Greyrat

Mushoku Tensei also has good music. Both of the OPs and the ED are by Yuiko Oohara, and I think they’re all great songs. The first (main) OP song is my favorite and it gives off the same vibes I got from Spice and Wolf, which is exactly what I want from a series like this.

The OP also doesn’t have set visuals, which I like in this case. Instead, while the OP song plays, we get slice of life scenes leading into the episode. To me, this is a phenomenal way of building up the world outside of the main portion of the episodes.

And lastly, I really like the writing in this series. I think most of the characters are written well, as is the overall story so far. These are flawed characters who find themselves in less than ideal situations and act accordingly. I’d rather watch that any day over a series in which every character is an ideal version of their archetype.

Conclusion

In my mind, Mushoku Tensei is an 8/10. That may seem a bit low considering how much I liked the series, but I still don’t think this is the perfect anime by any means. I’m fully expecting the next season to be even better.

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My review of Part 2 is available now.

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