Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Review: The Beginning Before the Beginning

Man, where do I even start with this review? I guess first thing first, this review is going to cover the whole story of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, henceforth known as Mushoku Tensei. I want to be clear that this review will contain spoilers, so those who want to be free of any spoilers and to enjoy this work of art untainted by spoilers, turn away and come back once you’re done.

So, when I first got into Mushoku Tensei, I first started with the anime. At the time, it was only the first season that was animated, and the world-building absolutely blew me away. I’m talking Lord of the Rings level world-building. From the way the world kept expanding, and with the history of all the races expanded, I knew I was in for a treat.

Besides the world-building aspect, I really enjoyed the characters. Rudeus, our protagonist, reincarnates into a new world after being a social outcast and a shut-in. For lack of a better word, Rudeus is pathetic. Being a 30-ish-year-old in a baby’s body leads to some interesting introspection. In the first season of the anime, it was mostly centered around Rudeus’ development as a character.

I know many people hated his character because of the way he acted, and I do agree on some parts. He was the definition of human scum, but it made it all the more satisfying when he slowly left his old life and embraced his new life. By the end of the first season, I do have to say that I liked Rudeus.

Now, when the first part of the second season finished, I knew that I wanted more. In this season, which was focused more on Rudeus as a character, I enjoyed seeing the fallout between him and Eris. While the first season had a bit more on the adventure side, the second season had even more character development, which was great.

After watching the first half of season two, I then decided to read the manga adaptation, thinking that it was complete. I was wrong, but it still gave me that extra push to be truly immersed in this world. After that, I switched to the light novel instead of waiting for the anime to catch up. And thus began a 4-month journey.

From this point on, the review will be focused on some of my highlights of reading the novel. There were many instances that I felt deep in my soul. It was usually the sadder and heavier parts of the story, but those moments definitely hit quite hard. It was also during this time that I learned that Mushoku Tensei is actually a prologue in a way. The main events of the world of Mushoku Tensei happen through Rudeus’ descendants, which was an interesting idea. Mushoku Tensei is essentially a biography of Rudeus’ life and the events that led to the great war with Hitogami.

With that side tangent out of the way, I think the first event that touched me was the scene between Norn, Rudeus’ sister, and Rudeus himself. This was the last chapter I read in the manga version, as the manga hadn’t caught up to the novel. This moment touched me since it was a big stepping stone for both these characters. Rudeus finally did something his old self never would have done. And Norn finally forgave her brother over a fight he had with their father. It was a beautiful moment that got built up perfectly.

Now, the next big event was the labyrinth situation, which I actually got spoiled ahead of time. In this situation, to rescue his mother, Zenith, Rudeus joins his father, Paul, and his group to rescue her from a labyrinth. At the core of the labyrinth, a special kind of hydra awaits the party, and although they are able to defeat the monster, Paul dies. At this moment, I was able to feel Rudeus’ pain. With the way it was set up, you can almost feel like everything was going to be okay. The party had a plan and everything, but in one small misstep, everything changed. In a sense, this situation felt quite real. All it takes is to lower your guard for one second and everything can change.

Although Paul’s death hit me, the one part of the story that had me feeling a pit form in my stomach is when Rudeus’ future self comes back to the past with a diary of events. Up until this point, Rudeus had been following the advice of the Human God. But when his future self delivers the diary, I felt the impact of the events.

In this diary, it first starts with Roxy’s death, but then it spirals into Rudeus losing everyone important to him, one by one. It was a heart wrenching moment, and even though it hasn’t happened to the Rudeus we follow in the story, you can really feel the pain, grief, and anger his future self goes through. It was in this moment where I fell in love with this story. It was also a turning point in the story that made it all the more interesting.

There were plenty of other moments that were great to read, but these two events specifically were game-changers for me. Besides these actual events, the characters were also great. Being a whole series, everyone got enough time to shine, and they all felt great. Each character had their own personality, goals, likes, and dislikes. And when they interacted with each other, it just felt natural. Honestly, great characters overall. You have to read it to get that feeling.

The final thing I want to mention about this story is how the author treated Rudeus’ character. He was the protagonist, yet not the protagonist at the same time. Usually, when following a story of some kind, the protagonist usually has some kind of special power or OP skill that makes them the protagonist. And although Rudeus has an abundance of magical power, Rudeus isn’t some kind of overpowered being.

Instead, he seems quite normal. He uses his intellect and strategy to get out of dangerous situations. He relies on his friends and family when he needs to. In a way, this makes him relatable, which I really enjoyed. Rudeus does have his moments where he seems to have plot armour, but at the same time, there are consequences to his actions. There are also situations where Rudeus straight-up loses, which really adds another layer to this story.

Overall, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation was an amazing story and prologue to its respective world. Not only was the world itself rich with so many details and nuances, the plot and characters were solid as well. This was well worth a read, and it should be something everyone tries at least once if you enjoy the fantasy genre. Granted, there are some dark themes like slavery that get covered, so reader’s discretion is advised.