For the spring season, what seems to be in the cards for anime fans are continuing fantasy series with powerhouses such as “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3,” “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3” and “The Misfit of Demon King Academy II Part 2.” Amongst these highly anticipated series is arguably the progenitor of all fantasy anime, the second part of the second season of “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.” Written by a Japanese novelist under the pen name Rifujin na Magonote, the work first started as a self-published internet web novel and earned a press release under Media Factory as a light novel series accompanied with illustrations by Shirotaka. A manga adaptation of the light novel by comic artist Yuka Fujikawa ensued in the June 2014 issue of Monthly Comic Flapper and the anime television series adaptation was then produced by Studio Bind in January 2021. The most recent part of the series premiered on April 7, 2024, with 25 planned episodes and a special episode, it can be watched on Crunchyroll.
“Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation” is commonly referred to as the series that popularized one of anime’s most notorious subgenres of fantasy: Isekai (translated to ‘another world’ or ‘other world’ in English). These works revolve around a displaced character who is transported and forced to survive in a different world — these worlds can be fantastical or video-game-like (sometimes, a fusion of both). In “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation,” the story centers around an underachieved, bullied 34-year-old man who was evicted from his house after skipping out on the funeral service for both of his parents. Afterward, he comes to the conclusion that his life is meaningless, yet, in his last attempt to become a better person, he intercepts a truck furiously heading towards a group of teenagers, in which he is able to save one of them. In his death, he reincarnates as a baby in a world of magic and fantasy, complete with swordsmen, elves and dragons. Given the name Rudeus Greyrat (Yumi Uchiyama), he resolutes to make his new chance at life count, creating strong bonds with his family and discovering his affinity for sorcery.
The first season received critical acclaim, garnering a plethora of nominations for the fantasy category and Anime of the Year awards, to no one’s surprise. Studio Bind struck it out of the park with its fluid, enchanting and dynamic animation, breathing life into every spell Rudeus conjures, every heavy sword and spear clash and every meticulous fight movement. This aspect only served to enhance the already compelling narrative of the series as Rudeus navigates familial complications, his past traumas before his reincarnation and, most significantly, a region-wide disaster known as a “Mana calamity” that forcefully teleported citizens to random locations of the world, which lead to innumerous deaths and Rudeus to be teleported in the most dangerous region: the Demon continent.
However, where the first season of “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation” went full throttle with its action with gorgeous animation, the second season took an entire u-turn from this direction. It opts for a slower pace and takes its time dissecting Rudeus’ reliving of his past trauma through having a character that he gave his heart and soul to leave him after their first night together. This damage to him is explored thoroughly and this approach to telling his story takes precedence over what fans fell in love with in the first season — the dynamic fight scenes and fast-paced narrative.
The first half “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2,” while interesting and captivating in its own way, is too slow. Each episode feels lethargic and drawn out with payoffs that feel too small and, worse, predictable. The show becomes too linear and many side plots become almost forgettable. And while a new cast of characters would normally be welcomed as a fresh source of new dilemmas and stories to follow, the new narratives are sadly uninteresting — excluding that of Nanahoshi Shizuka (Shion Wakayama) who is revealed to also be from Japan and was one of the teenagers that tragically died from the accident that the 34-year-old Rudeus tried to intervene in. It is enthralling when Rudeus and Nanohoshi interact with one seeing their reincarnation as a blessing and a second chance at life and the other seeing it as a curse, forcing themselves to forge an inter-dimensional path back home.
Amidst that, the now latter half finally focuses on what was missing from the first half — the payoffs of established storylines. While the pacing initially resembles the familiar slowness, the story finally finds its characters developing and changing with Rudeus starting a married life, Nanohoshi bonding with Rudeus and taking steps towards her goal and a promise for more action evident from its opening sequence that shows Rudeus taking up arms to venture into a dangerous labyrinth with former allies to save his mom, a story that was put on the backburner from season one.
Verdict: The second half of season two of ‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’ promises to reconcile the mistakes of the first half with more fervor and interest in its existing narratives and a promise for more action.
