Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18212 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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So now that the whole first half (and story arc) has aired, I'm interested in final opinions on where episode 0 should go in the progression.
Frankly, I still think it fits best where it was: at the beginning of the season. Yes, that does potentially kill some of the mystery aspect, but that would have been much harder to disguise in anime (where we actually see and hear Fitz) as opposed to book form (where we only see what "he" is saying), and that last scene in episode 23 of the first season more or less gave away Fitz's identity anyway. Also, by putting it at the beginning, the second branch of a season-long convergence track gets established up front, and I do think that allows the anticipation of the reunion to build better. |
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AQuin1904
Posts: 266 |
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I think I agree that up front was ultimately the best place for it, but I wish there had been more Sylphie flashbacks throughout the season. I know they would have been hard to fit in, but seeing at least some flashes of their journey to and arrival at the university would have helped to establish just how much she's been through with Ariel and Luke and that Ariel hasn't lost her ambition from episode 0. It would mean messing with the structure of the LNs more than the anime has done this season, but it could have given us a more focused story if done well.
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2-2Distracted
Posts: 148 |
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I guess I consider it a goldmine in the same way Lord Of The Rings, Avatar and Star Wars are goldmines in the sense that they naturally get the viewer's heads racing about ideas of things related to their worlds. Mushoku Tensei earned a false & flawed label of being the grandfather and pioneer of most Isekai, sure, but as you go through it you start to see why it got those labels. I mean just look at how rich everything else is that's not related to the Main Character... Hell, even when you add in the main character, there's still something rich there to take home, hence why most Isekai tend to just go full-on wish-fulfilment, or have main characters that are in many ways bland as pizza dough, or have a few that are flawed and want to do something about their flaws. This is a story with so much to offer that it's no surprise that, even if it's author fails to accomplish what he set out to do, he still created something where others can not only learn to succeed where he failed, but to learn about what made his successes work so well in the way that they did. And to be clear to anyone else reading this - Yes, he does fail as a storyteller - having a main character who's goal is to become a better person, but will still be rewarded with the things that make him a horrible person (and character), is still a failure in storytelling because of not only how he got those rewards but also because he never should've been rewarded with those things in the first place. |
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jr240483
 Posts: 4380 Location: New York City,New York,USA |
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and i have a sneaky feeling that her attitude towards men will bite her in the ass one day. sara is lucky that guy was with rudy when she more or less nearly drove rudy into suicide! i mean sylphie went mental against nanaoshi for the whole mana displacement thing so yea. if sara wants to live, she needs to stop saying stuff like that and mentally driving guys she dates into suicide for one day, she might emotionally hurt a big shot and gets excuted ala like those female MCs from those villainess anime series. |
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NeverConvex
 Subscriber Posts: 2317 |
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Why are you quoting a post from like 20 pages ago?
 As an aside, that person was wrong, as was addressed at the time.
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Snowcat
Posts: 190 |
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I think, it was a good place because the "secret" wouldn't have worked again on viewers. There is only few silent spellcaster or even elf we know and the gender confusion already happened when they were children: trying to reiterate it couldn't function. Putting that aspect out of the way at the beginning allowed to include more scene with Sylphie and Ariel. The problem was that it spoiled the choice made at episode 4: it became a bit obvious Rudeus would go to Ronoa and would reunite with Sylphie there. The intervention of Hitogami concerning that choice spoiled also the future events. If he would cure is ED at Ronoa and should investigate the teleport incident: the first investigation step leading him to be alone in the library with Sylphie, was already hinting to the conclusion of this season. Or the investigation part was to encounter Nanahoshi, later... Maybe, putting episode 0 between 4 and 6 would have been better to try to be more surprising during this season. I'm still confused why Hitogami is helping Rudeus. I hope there will be more clues next season. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5840 Location: Virginia, United States |
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Light Novel, Manga, and now two seasons of an anime. The author is certainly doing something right.
Not too mention all the people, (two seasons in) hate watching the show. And we the fans of the show, should thank all the dedicated hate watchers who suffered and endured watching every episode throughout the second season, knowing full well what this show is. Their support has shown that the author has done something right, when those who hate the main character and events in the show, feel compelled to watch something they hate. Don't really buy into the argument that you can hate the main character and several events in the show, but still watch it for everything else. It's like saying you hate pizza, but you eat it because you like the olives. I liked the light novels, liked the manga, and I see both seasons of anime as successful adaptations. And based on the ANN forum interest, I believe there will be a third season. The fans of the series will find more things to love, and the dedicated haters will have more things to hate. Literally, something for everyone. A successful formula. |
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Snowcat
Posts: 190 |
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I think i will start to read the LN while waiting for the second part. The haters used the usual arguments so it wasn't very convincing: - appeal to emotion (by framing events/characters) - their mind reading capabilities to do ad hominems on the author and his intents - this time, i don't think they used the appeal to consequence because it's proven that fictional works don't have any real world consequence. A new one was the made up writing rules concerning the redemption arc. I expect them to be more creative next season. |
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Hal14
 Posts: 674 Location: Heart of africa |
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Attack on titan: I never liked Eren, so his villain turn didn't bother me. Code Geass: Neither lelouch or suzaku Zeta Gundam: Absolutely hated the MC of Zeta (and most of the cast). This might be the only anime I ever hate watched. Future diary: I actually like this show but the MC is the weakest aspect of it for me Yona of the dawn: Love this manga, but it took me a long time to start liking Yona. Fate stay night: I don't hate Shirou but he's definitely not why i watched FSN. tldr; Your food analogy isn't always applicable. And even when it is... so what? I have never ordered a pizza because I wanted to eat tomato sauce and flat bread. It's always the toppings that matter and I'll never say no to bbq chicken no matter how its presented. |
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Avec ou Nous
Posts: 106 |
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I think stuff like that is more about people wanting to be included and take part in something that's popular even if it's something they don't like themselves because they would feel like they were missing out out if they weren't. . Mushoku Tensei has been huge for the past couple years so people want to be a part of it even if they detest it. No one ever does this for more niche series since there's nothing to gain from doing so. I doubt anyone is going to hyperfixate on A Girl & Her Guard Dog but say they wish it wasn't about romance and drama so much and how it would be so much better if it focused more on the yakuza crime aspects and had more awesome fight scenes and action shots. People want to be included in popular things so at best they'll find ways to try to compromise and disassociate with a series like all the Persona fans who apparently dislike the Japanese high school elements, life simulation aspect, and romance and dating aspects; or at worst they'll just be hate watchers and openly admit to not caring and just want to complain since even being a hater is still part of a fandom and gets attention. Maybe some people do want to like MT because of it's influential status on the medium and popularity, but I imagine most people in this case fall into the later category. |
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NeverConvex
Subscriber Posts: 2317 |
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Yeah Tars' position is absurd. Obviously people can like some things about a show but not others, and could choose to watch for the things they do appreciate. It is true that this season has taken me, personally, close to viewing the show negatively overall, though. Not because I dislike Rudy, but because I dislike that the show glorifies and rewards Rudy's behavior, and approaches him uncritically.
I love this show when it leans into world-building, though (e.g., exploring the demon continent or beast-people village, the introduction of demon-king guy, etc; and, especially, Rudy getting impaled by dragon guy, a brief scene that gave me mild chills with how well they pulled it off), and even rather like it, albeit in an ambivalent way, when it writes episodes demonstrating that Rudy has, at least with the narrowest group of women closest to him (though very much not outside of them), changed in important ways. I even really liked Rudy's PTSD on meeting Nanahoshi, and enjoyed Nanahoshi's characterization.
A bit off-topic, but, man, I tried to re-watch Future Diary recently. I had such fond memories of it... but I gave up like 3 episodes in, and now judge my younger self much more severely than I used to. 
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Snowcat
Posts: 190 |
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No problem with that, everyone has the right to hate a character or a story for his own reason. The critics just try a little too hard to convince others their reasons are objective flaws. To follow on the examples of Hal14: i watch SnK even if I don't like Eren but i don't hate him. On the contrary, I immediately dropped Code Geass, Death Note, Irregular because I hate the MC (the writing of smart characters is complex) and these shows would be frustrating to watch. Same for the content: if there is rape/torture/ideologies that make me uncomfortable, I will drop the show because there is a lot of other things to watch. But, even if i don't watch them, i find nice that they exist to allow creativity to go in various directions and have people that enjoy them. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18212 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Funny that you bring this up, because I just watched its first episode and can see at least one pretty major reason why some might have problems with that series. But it's not going to raise a big stink because people who don't like that aspect won't find enough in the series worth watching to put up with that. |
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TarsTarkas
Posts: 5840 Location: Virginia, United States |
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I realize that everything is on a spectrum, and there is no hard demarcated line. Perhaps I should have emphasized the more 'visceral' haters. |
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jdnation
Posts: 2007 |
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Good season, though I feel the Sylphie relationship stuff could have been done better, and as is typical, school arcs that trap the character in one place versus the more interesting aspect of travelling in a fantasy world and encountering different places and things makes for a less interesting arc. Ancient Magus Bride has the same issue. The schools themselves fail to be interesting settings, and more authors need to learn from Harry Potter's Hogwarts that you can make one location by itself interesting and fun to explore and be intriguing alongside the character relationships and development.
To reiterate, I really don't have any problems with Rudy, or the slave thing, as I'm not going to let perfection be the enemy of Rudy doing some good, and I suspect that some of the audience discomfort is largely tied to American cultural drama imposing itself on foreign media, and my main issue with the perviness stems from the fact that it is a worn out cliche anime thing that is largely intended for laughs and not to be taken so seriously. I agree this doesn't mesh as well. As for Rudy being 'punished', considering he is the strongest one there, there is little anyone else could do in terms of the ol'beat-down or punch in the air resolution. Mainly outside of the regulars, everyone else seems to avoid him, though he probably prefers that. It is what it is. I believe Rudeus's story is one long redemption arc. As with his erectile dysfunction, his punishments are largely mental and self-inflicted. Hence the importance of his monologues and decision making, which are not perfect, but human. As he grows and has a serious relationship and even eventually a family and children of his own, I'm sure he will self-reflect on what he was and understand his behaviour towards others. In a sense, he is still the fat guy trapped in his room, but he did it to himself. Can't wait to see more of the show, as the manga chapters currently aren't too far off from where this season ended and it'll be interesting to see if tbe anime adapts things far past it! |
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