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?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

Ruijerd, Protector of Children

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 16 was a good episode. “Isn’t every Mushoku Tensei episode a good episode?” To an extent, yes. But, so far, Season 2 Part 2 hasn’t been all that exciting. Episode 16, however, was a good episode.

One of the main reasons it was a good episode was because Ruijerd was in it. Though, his mere existence isn’t enough. Ruijerd made the episode good because of the information we got from him. We know who he’s seen, who he hasn’t seen, and who he’s been traveling with.

Let’s start with who Ruijerd met up with before traveling to Ranoa. Obviously, he saw Paul, who tasked him with escorting Norn and Aisha. And, this is important because it shows that Paul trusts Ruijerd with those most important to him. Ruijerd also met Roxy, and we learned that she’s still terrified of Superds.

Who didn’t Ruijerd meet? Well, he didn’t meet Eris. He hasn’t seen her since he split off from Rudeus and Eris when they arrived back in Fittoa. Unfortunately, that means he can’t tell Rudeus (and us) what Eris has been up to. But, that lack of information is information in itself.

Ruijerd had to hear about what happened between Rudeus and Eris from Rudeus. And, he rightly points out that Rudeus might not have understood what Eris was trying to say. After all, Eris has never been good with her words. When Ruijerd said that, it showed me how well he knows those two.

Finally, who has Ruijerd been traveling with? Of course, there was Norn and Aisha. But, there was also someone else: Ginger. Who? I had to look her up because I forgot — she’s apparently a former guard of Zanoba’s.

The Maid and the Student

Norn and Aisha are very different. They’re effectively twins since they were born at about the same time. But, they have different mothers. Norn is Zenith’s daughter, making her Rudeus’s full sibling. And, Aisha is Lilia’s daughter, making her Rudeus’s half-sibling.

That’s not what I mean when I say they’re very different, though. I mean that their personalities are complete opposites. Norn is shy — she likes her parents, Aisha, and now Ruijerd. Aisha is extremely outgoing and seems to be able to make friends wherever she goes.

These differences are very apparent when both girls interact with Rudeus. Norn hates Rudeus, which I’ll discuss more in the next section. On the other hand, Aisha loves Rudeus and wants to do everything she can for him. However, Rudeus doesn’t treat either of his sisters differently. Who their mothers are or how they treat him doesn’t matter.

There were a few reasons why Paul sent Norn and Aisha to Rudeus. He didn’t want to have to take them on the dangerous journey to save Zenith. He wanted them to stay with family. And, he wanted them to be able to go to school.

Norn doesn’t want to live with her family (Rudeus). And Aisha doesn’t want to go to school (the University of Magic). So, Rudeus makes deals with both of them.

He’ll allow Norn to live in the dorms as long as she does well in school and visits at least once every 10 days. And, he’ll let Aisha be his maid instead of going to school if she does well on the entrance exam.

Aisha has no problem passing the exam, thus proving that she’s smart enough already (I guess?) But, things aren’t going to be so straightforward with Norn.

Why Does Norn Hate Rudeus?

Let’s talk about why Norn hates Rudeus. In this episode, she gives two reasons. First, she says that he’s with a different woman than the last time she saw him. And second, she says that he hit their father. Both of those things are true.

But, I think there’s actually something else that’s the real reason why she doesn’t like him. Before I get to that, though, let me explain why her reasons don’t make much sense.

Okay, so, has nobody told Norn who the woman Rudeus was with the last time she saw him was? That was Eris — Rudeus’s cousin. Sure, Rudeus loves/d Eris. But, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re cousins. It’s not like they were a romantic couple like Rudeus and Sylphie are.

Norn should understand that her brother and her cousin aren’t together.

What about Rudeus hitting their father? Well, should that even matter at this point? Paul trusts Rudeus enough to send Norn and Aisha to live with him. Shouldn’t that show Norn that there are no hard feelings between them? Norn trusts Paul and Paul trusts Rudeus.

If we say that’s not enough, then what about Ruijerd? Norn trusts Ruijerd to the point that she asks if she can continue traveling with him. But, we also know that Ruijerd trusts Rudeus. Surely, Ruijerd told Aisha and Norn stories of his travels with Rudeus and Eris. I guarantee Aisha asked him about that many times.

And, if Ruijerd told those stories, I’m sure he focused on Rudeus’s good points.

There’s even more evidence working against Norn, though. What about the fact that Rudeus cares about her despite how she treats him? All of this is why I think something else is going on.

Final Thoughts

My prediction is that Norn “hates” Rudeus because he wasn’t there for her when she was growing up. Now, that’s not Rudeus’s fault — he got teleported to the Demon Continent. But, I can see how Norn would grow up thinking that Rudeus “abandoned” her or that he wasn’t there because he “didn’t care.”

What do you think? After watching Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Episode 16, do you think there’s a different reason for why Norn acts the way she does? Do you think she secretly wants to live with Rudeus instead of in the dorms? And, do you think she knows that how she perceives Rudeus is based on false assumptions?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 17 is available now.

Nanahoshi Will Never Return Home

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 15 was one of those episodes that goes by too fast. I thought the episode was only halfway over when the end credits began rolling. Though, the credits were a bit earlier than normal in this episode.

So, why did this episode feel so short? I’m not entirely sure. A lot of the time, when episodes feel short, it’s because there’s a lot of action. That wasn’t the case here. Most of the episode was about Nanahoshi’s magic circle experiments.

Instead, my guess is that it felt short because I kept anticipating that something would happen. That something never did end up happening. But, I think the anticipation made me not realize how far into the episode I was. And, by something happening, I mean something bad — like Nanahoshi taking her own life.

Why would Nanahoshi take her own life, though? Well, as we saw, after this latest failure, Nanahoshi felt like she’d never succeed. She felt like she’d never be able to go back home. And because of that, she seemed to have been contemplating ending it all.

Unlike Rudeus, Nanahoshi never really assimilated into life within this world. But, that’s not exactly her fault. We need to remember that their situations are very different. Rudeus was reborn into this world and grew up here for about 18 years. Nanahoshi was transported to this world and has only been here for about five years.

From the very start, Nanahoshi has been trying to find a way back home. Rudeus hasn’t. He has family and friends here — things he doesn’t have back in his old world. Nanahoshi could make friends. But, she doesn’t have a family to support her. In her mind, she’s all alone.

Layering Summoning Circles

It now looks like Nanahoshi isn’t going to end her own life, thanks to the work of Rudeus and his friends. He had Zanoba, Elinalise, and Cliff take a look at her magic circle. And, together, they came up with a way to fix it.

Their solution was a pretty simple one, though it required thinking “outside the box.” Why use a single, very complex magic circle when you could use multiple, simple magic circles? By layering magic circles on top of each other, you can have them work as if they were one circle.

When testing this new method, Nanahoshi (with Rudeus’s mana) managed to summon a plastic bottle. A plastic bottle is a simple object. But, it’s a simple object that doesn’t exist in this world. So, it’s proof that they were able to summon something from their old world — the first step in Nanahoshi’s plan.

After this success, Nanahoshi says she’ll be able to summon whatever she wants into this world. However, that’s not what her end goal is. Her end goal is to reverse summon herself back into her old world. Do you think she’s going to succeed?

The way I see it, there are four possibilities. The first is that Nanahoshi can’t reverse summon herself and learns to live in this world. She’ll become friends with Rudeus’s friends and can summon items from her old world as she pleases. That’s the least interesting option.

The second is that she succeeds and eventually returns to her old world. The third is that she returns to her old world, and Rudeus gets caught up in the summoning. And, the fourth is that she dies in a horrific summoning accident. I’m hoping for that one. Things have been going too well for too long.

Ruijerd and the Little Sisters

I mentioned that the end credits started a bit earlier than usual in this episode. That was to make room for a post-credits scene, which I hope you didn’t skip. At the very end of the episode, Norn and Aisha show up at Rudeus’s doorstep.

Norn is easy to remember. But, I always forget that Aisha is the child and not the maid whom Paul knocked up. That’s Lilia. I don’t know why I always think Aisha is the mother and not the daughter, but I do. Anyway, Norn and Aisha are the two who are here.

Of course, we already knew that these two were going to show up at some point this season. The cover art for this half of the season features them both in Rudeus and Sylphie’s house. And, we also see this in the OP.

The big surprise is the person who brought Norn and Aisha to Rudeus’s home — Ruijerd. When Paul mentioned that a man Rudeus knew was escorting them, I had no idea who it could be. I actually forgot about Ruijerd in that moment, despite it being so obvious in hindsight.

Like, what other male character could it be? It could have been the Dedoldian leader, I guess. But, I don’t think Paul knows him. There are very few male characters whom both Paul and Rudeus know. And, the majority of them are members of Paul’s party. So, it wouldn’t have been surprising for Paul to run into them.

Ruijerd, though, now that is a surprise. I wonder if he’s going to have any information for Rudeus about what Eris is up to. I know he separated from Rudeus and Eris before they split up. But, he may have come across her training.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 Episode 15? Were you expecting Nanahoshi to take her own life in this episode? Do you think she’ll ever successfully make it back home? And, did you realize that Ruijerd was the one escorting Norn and Aisha before the end of the episode?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 16 is available now.

Rudeus’s Secret Life

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 14 was another alright episode. The previous episode was fine, and this episode was fine too. It wasn’t anything special. It felt like so little happened that I was originally going to dedicate this first section of the review to the new OP.

Maybe in a later review, I’ll discuss the OP. But, for this review, I thought of something else. During the wedding ceremony, Sylphiette asked Nanahoshi what she meant when she said that she and Rudeus were from the same place.

Obviously, Nanahoshi saying that wasn’t going to make sense to Sylphiette. Sylphiette knew Rudeus as a child. She knows Rudeus’s parents, Paul and Zenith Greyrat. And, she knows that Rudeus was born to them in Fittoa. So, what could Nanahoshi have meant?

Well, Nanahoshi deflects Sylphiette’s question. She says that she thought Rudeus was from the same place as her because he speaks her language. With that, she’s trying to imply to Sylphiette that she was wrong about Rudeus. That he’s not actually from where she’s from. And, that could be believable considering Rudeus knows multiple languages.

However, it made me think more about this secret Rudeus is hiding from everyone. As far as I can remember, Nanahoshi is the only one who knows Rudeus comes from another world. He didn’t tell Sylphiette, Eris, Roxy, or even Ruijerd.

Some people, like Orsted, know there’s something different about Rudeus. When Rudeus brought up the name of the Man-God, Orsted asked what Rudeus knew about him. But, that’s as close as anyone’s come to learning Rudeus’s secret.

So, do you think he’ll ever tell Sylphiette? It doesn’t matter. He’s not planning on returning to his old world. But, shouldn’t she know?

Grandma Elinalise

The reveal that Elinalise is Sylphiette’s grandmother wasn’t a surprise, for me. I had that little piece of information spoiled for me a while back. I don’t remember how. But, I’ve known that was the case at least since the first half of this season.

Let’s talk about it, though. Why does it matter if Elinalise is Sylphiette’s grandmother? Well, the simple answer is that it doesn’t matter. Elinalise’s condition is a curse. It’s not something that’s passed down her bloodline. So, no, Sylphiette doesn’t require constant sex to survive.

However, if she did, I’m not so sure that would be a dealbreaker for Rudeus. He’d just want to be the person she has sex with every day. As long as that was the case, he’d probably have no issue with his wife having a curse like that.

The one way in which this fact could matter is if other elves find out. Did you ever wonder why Sylphiette and her parents moved to the town in Fittoa where Rudeus lived? I didn’t. But, we now know why. They were chased out of the Great Forest because of their connection to Elinalise.

Sylphiette even mentions that her father had trouble marrying because he was Elinalise’s son. So, from all this, we can assume that the other elves don’t look fondly upon Elinalise. If they found out Sylphiette was Elinalise’s granddaughter, they’d most likely shun her, as well. That’s the only real way in which this could matter.

Will Rudeus and Sylphiette ever go to the Great Forest? I don’t know. Will they ever run into other elves Sylphiette isn’t related to? I don’t know that, either. But, at least this hints at how the other elves may react if those things ever do happen.

Greyrat Family Duel

Toward the end of Episode 2, Princess Ariel insists that Rudeus have a duel against Luke. The purpose of this duel seems to be for them to ensure that Rudeus is strong enough to protect Sylphiette. Though, neither Luke nor Ariel states this.

I like the action scenes in Mushoku Tensei. The animators always do a great job. But, I wish this duel lasted a bit longer. Yes, it was pretty satisfying to see Rudeus dispatch Luke so quickly. However, I’d have liked it if he spent more time showing off his skills.

The fact that Rudeus could beat Luke is impressive, though. Remember, Rudeus is a mage. Mages don’t typically fight with swords — they fight with magic. Luke isn’t a mage — he’s a knight. So, Rudeus defeated Luke in his own domain. And, that’s after Rudeus previously showed everyone at the university his magic skill.

Rudeus is a powerful enough mage that he was able to “harm” the Demon King Badigadi. Any mage of this caliber wouldn’t be expected to also be skilled at sword fighting. But, as we know, Rudeus isn’t a normal person.

Something to keep in mind, though, is that his skill with a sword is mostly authentic. He has his demon eye, which allows him to see a little into the future. That’s going to make a difference — if he uses it, which we have no proof that he did here. But, other than that, he trained to get this good with a sword.

His skills are the result of training with Eris and Ruijerd while traversing across the demon continent. He’s one of the few people at the University who we know has adventurer experience. Considering all that, it’s no wonder he’s the “Boss.”

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 Episode 14? When, if ever, do you think Sylphiette will learn about Rudeus’s previous life? Are you expecting Sylphiette’s relation to Elinalise to ever come up again? And, were you satisfied with the duel between Rudeus and Luke?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 15 is available now.

Manhood Restored

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 13 is here. And, yes, I’m calling this Episode 13 because it’s the 13th episode of Season 2. This isn’t Season 2 Part 2 Episode 1. So, if you meet anyone confused about that, let them know.

Now, as far as Mushoku Tensei episodes go, this one wasn’t all that good. That’s kind of to be expected as it’s the first episode of this half of the season. It was a bit of a warm-up episode. But, there was still some good content in it.

For example, everyone in Rudy’s class notices that he has a certain glow about him now. Why? Because Sylphie restored his manhood. Rudy’s no longer suffering from ED. And, he’s so happy about this that you’d think he just lost his virginity.

This is actually sort of important context for how Rudy was looking at Linia and Pursena in this episode. Like, sure, Rudy’s always a pervert. Him looking at those two like that isn’t something special. However, the context here is that, for the first time since he’s met them, he felt something when looking at them.

I’m not going to go so far as to call that character development. But, we shouldn’t ignore the significance of this for Rudy. For the past few years, he’s felt like a broken man. Now, he’s finally back to his old self. It’s an important step for him.

Will he try anything with Linia and Pursena now that his drive is back? I doubt it. He might grope them. But, I don’t see him trying to go all the way. He seems pretty devoted to Sylphie, for now. That’ll probably change when he reunites with Eris and Roxy.

Three Dweebs Go Ghost Busting

The best content of the episode came in the middle when Rudy, Zanoba, and Cliff explored a haunted mansion. Rudy was looking to buy a house so he could marry Sylphie. And, this was the only large house within his price range.

It’s a little more than haunted, though. Sounds have been reported by previous tenants, so there’s that. But, more worryingly, some of the previous tenants were also killed by something in the house. So, there’s definitely something dangerous lurking within.

Eventually, the trio discovers that an automaton is responsible for both the sounds and the deaths. Zanoba’s able to stop it thanks to his blessing which gives him super strength. And, as a connoisseur of figures and dolls, he immediately recognizes what a big find this is. Living dolls are a game changer if he can figure out how they work.

Alright, but the living doll isn’t actually why I liked this part of the episode. I liked it because of everything else that had to do with Zanoba. This was the most entertaining I’ve ever seen him. For example, right from the start, he rips the door of the mansion off its hinges to open it.

Did you also notice his weapon? Rudy and Griff have their staves. But, what did Zanoba have? Did he have a staff, too? No. Zanoba was literally carrying a wooden club. That’s amazing. Did he do that before and I didn’t notice?

Finally, there was also the part when Zanoba grabbed Cliff by the face. This part wasn’t so much Zanoba being funny. But, he was the one instigating the comedy. I loved how after Zanoba let go of Cliff, we heard Cliff casting a healing spell on himself off-screen.

A New House and a Proposal

I was thinking that Rudy had already proposed to Sylphie back in Episode 12. But, after looking back at my review, that’s not the case. He vowed that he would marry her and Princess Ariel referred to Sylphie as Sylphiette Greyrat.

There was never a formal proposal, though.

That changed in this episode. Rudy didn’t go the traditional route and get down on one knee to present Sylphie a ring. Instead, he went a bit further by presenting her with an entire house. And, he asked her to marry him while they were sitting on their bed.

When the first half of this season ended, I was wondering how their marriage was going to work. Well, we now have the answer. They weren’t married simply because Ariel declared them to be. There’s actually going to be a wedding.

But, what does married life look like for these two? They’re still attending the Ranoa University of Magic and Sylphie is still working as Ariel’s guard. Sure, they can live together in the mansion since it’s not far from the university. What comes after they graduate, though?

I can’t be the only one who questioned the location of this house. Are Rudy and Sylphie actually going to live here long-term? At some point, Rudy’s going to have to go back out into the world in search of his family. And, after that, is he going to return here instead of to Fittoa?

To me, it would make way more sense for Rudy and Sylphie to settle down back in Fittoa. That’s where they’re from and ever since the mana calamity, they’ve been searching for survivors. Shouldn’t they want to rebuild their lives there? Or, is it just me who thinks that?

Final Thoughts

What do you think about Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 13? Was this episode a good start to the second half of the season? Did you think Rudy had already proposed to Sylphie? And, where do you think they should settle down?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 14 is available now.