Welcome to the official Excellence at Emery Landing Page. This website is dedicated to truly exceptional work submitted by students at Emery Adult Learning Centre. Submissions are catalogued by teacher selection based on performance, individual improvement, and for thought provoking nature. Work included here is not just chosen because of high marks, but also for signs of personal achievement, or for outstanding work beyond the boundaries which can be captured by grades.
If you would like to submit a revised version of a submission found here, you can email Mr. Rush at Chris.rush@tdsb.on.ca
You can find submissions organized by year and subject at the top right of this page. Below is our "Submission of the year," the strongest work from the previous year, as selected by a panel of teacher judges. This year's selection is Mushoku Tensei: A Perfectly Flawed Masterpiece, submitted by Harry Chiu for ENG 4U1. This heroic undertaking is a 33 page essay about one of Harry's favourite shows. it blends a complex understanding of intertextuality with philosophy from Mencius to Nietzsche and a masterfully casual, humorous tone that elevates the text beyond its already effective analysis. If that doesn't persuade you, let me offer one of my favourite quotes from the essay: "Much like with life, the ugliness should not stop one from turning its pages. Much like with people, there is nothing wrong with liking the series despite its flaws, because both it and humans alike are far more than just their flaws. To be human is to be flawed, incomplete and imperfect. That is the unavoidable reality and the irrevocable truth. Yet by embracing that reality, one can pursue completion and perfection through great effort in hopes of attaining something ideal and genuine. "
Read it below.
Mushoku Tensei: A Perfectly Flawed Masterpiece
“What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?”
— Mario, Super Mario 64 X
— Paarthurnax, Skyrim ✓
On a silver platter lies a beautiful vase created by a renowned craftsman. Beside it, an exquisite, yet ultimately fake counterfeit. Given the real thing and an identical fake, which is worth more? The original? The copy? Or perhaps they are of equal value? Consider the theory of fundamental good, a concept developed by Chinese Confucian philosopher Mencius. He posits that all humans are born fundamentally good. If the theory of fundamental good is an ideal, then on the other hand lies the plain realism of the theory of fundamental evil proposed by Xunzi. Humans are born evil, are driven by desire which lies at the core of human nature, and are ruled by desire. If a person does good, that good does not represent their true self, for it is a lie. Their goodness would be nothing but a fake and a sham brought about by self-interest. A phony. And yet, by definition, deliberate. Thus, one must make a deliberate attempt to be good because all good is hypocrisy. With that in mind, wouldn’t one say that a strong case can be made for the imitation being of far greater value than the original? In its pure, desperate and deliberate pursuit of the genuine, it can become more “real” than the real thing.
Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu (English: Jobless Reincarnation: Doing His Utmost After Being Transported to a Parallel World), a series of novels written by Rifujin na Magonote, is one of my absolute favorite pieces of media. That’s saying a lot, not due to any reading background or lack thereof, but rather because the act of declaring something to be one that is above all else is quite a difficult task when there are so many options to choose from. Or perhaps the inability to feel strong emotions towards anything betrays a past filled with trauma that involved a great loss which sundered from me not just a loved one, but also the capacity for attachment? That’s another way of looking at it if one is aiming to become a psychologist. Different perspectives are always welcome, to a degree. But I digress, the point is that Mushoku Tensei is an exceptional story filled with phenomenal characters. I personally believe that it stands above the vast collection of other works consumed throughout my life. It was worth arriving home from school every day to keep up with the shoddy machine translations of the original web novels as they were being written during the 2010s. They were translations awful enough to make any English teacher or avid reader cringe. The manga adaptation may have been disappointing, but one can imagine just how excited I was upon receiving news telling me that the purported “pioneer of modern isekai” would finally be receiving an anime adaptation in 2021. However, when given the presence of some rather unsavory elements within the story, its inevitable popularity and the changing times, it was to be expected that there would be many new viewers who would be deeply unhappy with the series. Thank you, Monkey’s Paw! Their discontent is unsurprising, but nothing they say and none of the controversies that they generate will make Mushoku Tensei any less of a masterpiece. It is a long and fulfilling journey with a respectable message that balances a bit of everything: action, adventure, comedy, drama, tragedy, romance, slice-of-life, and a focus on valuing family hefty enough to make the Fast & Furious memers eat their hearts out. Warning, spoilers ahead.
Mushoku Tensei begins with a traumatized 34-year-old shut-in who, after finding the resolve to attempt something heroic, is run over by a truck. He is then reincarnated as a newborn baby, Rudeus Greyrat, in another world with all of his past life’s memories intact. This type of story falls within the isekai (English: "different world" or "otherworld") genre, one that is currently exceedingly popular in Japanese media. Due to the ridiculous oversaturation of isekai works there are now stories of being transported to another world not just as a JRPG hero, but also as Phil Connors, a slime, a sword, a sex worker and even… a vending machine. Meanwhile, the West has kept it nice and simple with classics like The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Neverending Story 2. However, isekai isn’t limited to being literally transported to another world nor does said world need to have magic. With that in consideration, even Harry Potter, The Matrix, Jumanji, and Rick and Morty can belong to the isekai genre. Whether or not turning into a pickle is more ridiculous than transforming into a vending machine is up to the beholder. For consumers of Japanese media, the genre is prevalent enough to the point where elitists and casual viewers alike are dismissing any and all seasonal isekai anime as wish fulfillment garbage, though not without good reason. Down the spectrum there are also the jokesters who ironically categorize normal fantasy stories as “native isekai.” At this point one might be wondering how Mushoku Tensei stands apart from the rest despite being set in a Lord of the Rings-esque world that isn’t unique by any means, and how such a story could incite such unrelenting vitriol on sites like Reddit, MyAnimeList, Twitter, et cetera. The answers to both questions can be found by beginning with its protagonist, Rudeus, also commonly referred to as Rudy.
To put things incredibly lightly, Rudy is no paragon of virtue. He’s trash. Prior to his reincarnation, on the night of his parents’ funeral, he opted to instead stay home and masturbate to hentai. This was the last straw for his siblings who promptly kicked out this overweight, shut-in NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) of 20 years upon their return home. Not long after, he encounters a trio of students who were in danger of being run over by everyone’s favorite “Truck-kun” and gets himself killed in an attempt to save them. However, reincarnating did not erase his perverted and degenerate nature, because some of his first thoughts as a newborn baby were of how attractive his mother, Zenith Greyrat, was. Though he notes that he couldn’t feel any sexual excitement towards her. As a toddler he would make gross faces and ogle at the fine bosom of their maid Lilia while wearing panties on his head like an idiot. Never before has the phrase “pants on head retarded” been more fitting. When his seemingly young magic tutor Roxy Migurdia arrived after he was expecting an old Gandalf-looking mage with a bushy beard, he notes in his mind about how she looks like she lacks a bush “down there” and jokes about how he would like to marry her. He spied on Roxy when she bathed and caught a glimpse of her masturbating to Paul and Zenith having sex that could be easily heard from anywhere in the house. After a touching and emotional farewell between Rudy and Roxy, he admits that he stole Roxy’s panties at some point. He also prays to said panties like they’re a “holy relic” with hands clapped together while worshiping her as his goddess. He has thoughts about how he’ll raise his childhood friend Sylphiette to be his ideal woman while fondling his pillow just before his father Paul walks in with an “are ya winning, son?” When he was seven years old, he molested his nine-year-old second cousin, Eris Boreas Greyrat. On his tenth birthday, he and Eris nearly had sex. In short, Rudeus is known to be a horny, perverted and degenerate pedophile. By episode 8, plenty of viewers felt uncomfortable enough to stop watching the show. This is perfectly understandable, since Rudeus bears an entire laundry list of failings. To the many of the series’ detractors, a disgusting pedophile is all Rudeus will ever be and the series is meant for people who are just as pathetic as him. Dropping a series and never turning back because its unethical content was intolerable is one thing, but defaming and denigrating the creators and the consumers without hesitation or without looking at any sort of bigger picture is another. It’s unfortunate how someone who might be looking to get into the series may instantly blacklist it upon reading everything that has just been recounted here or by listening to the words of the detractors who only judge it by its disagreeable aspects and wiki summaries.
During a livestream taking place on February 1, 2021, Chinese influencer LexBurner disparaged the series and its fans on bilibili, a Chinese streaming platform. He allegedly called the fans of the show the “bottom-feeders in the social hierarchy.” Together with LexBurner, a group of female users accused the platform of “tolerating misogynistic and sexually suggestive content” and marketing it towards mainstream viewers (Morrissy). It should be noted that these responses were thanks not just to the protagonist Rudeus, but also his father Paul, for being a womanizer who cheated on his wife. Regardless, LexBurner was suspended and bilibili removed the series out of respect for its users while stating that the company would henceforth remove “problematic” content. Unfortunately, it appears that those worthy of respect are dictated by and limited to a select few. The following statements are Rifujin na Magonote’s responses to the LexBurner controversy:
"His words are only his personal opinion, and he is free to hold whatever views he likes. Although I am displeased at how he has insulted other viewers, anime is not just made for successful people, so I hope that those who can enjoy it will enjoy it." (Magonote)
"If that is the kind of online presence he is, that's just the way it is sometimes. Even in Japan, there are plenty of people like him, although they might not have his influence. As far as I am concerned, instead of engaging with him, I think it is more important to ignore him and grow your own communities. Thank you!" (Magonote)
Perhaps the world would be more peaceful if more people could be like the author and approach life in a laissez faire manner in which they can simply avoid those who vex them. Unfortunately, many users on social media platforms in the West share LexBurner’s sentiments. In fact, Mushoku Tensei is far from the only series to receive such criticism. Berserk, a celebrated Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, has also recently come under much fire. In short, there have even been users on Twitter who have posted about how Miura deserved to die for the cases of dark content found within his manga. Honestly, I would rather be friends with Griffith even if it meant he’d sacrifice me, because one has to take a step back and wonder how such individuals do not see the irony in their words and actions. At the end of the day, they are presenting themselves to others as self-righteous virtue signalers who have no issue with dancing on the grave of a beloved man and his legacy simply because he hurt their feelings with paper and ink. The pen is mightier than the sword, I suppose. Well joke’s on them, because Miura can play iDOLM@STER all he wants now in the afterlife. Rest in peace, Miura. Not only has Berserk gone down in history as one of the greatest manga ever created, regardless of its incompletion, it also inspired Hidetaka Miyazaki to create the “Soulsborne” series; a series of video games famed for its excellent level design, difficulty, atmosphere, art direction, sound design, combat, and rich lore (who doesn’t love reading item descriptions). Incidentally, the Soulsborne series just so happens to be another one of my few favorites like Mushoku Tensei. Now how is it that something as allegedly “bad” as Berserk could influence and inspire so many that came after it? Because it is art, the free and unrestricted expression of one’s boundless imagination. Its purpose is not solely to please, as it can be just as ugly as it is beautiful. Both the beauty and ugliness alike remind us to keep living and of how to live. Should history stop being taught because of horrible and offensive events that happened in the past? Of course not. By confining art, potential is snuffed out. Without Berserk, the Souls games would not exist. Without Guts, Artorias would not exist. Without H. P. Lovecraft, Bloodborne would not have left the womb, let alone been conceived, though the contributions of his cat are up in the air. The gun kata that Christian Bale showed off in Equilibrium was cool and all, but I’d rather not have our world go down that route.
If the popular release of Elden Ring is what led the keyboard crusaders to discover and be offended by Berserk, then it can be hypothesized that Genshin Impact’s release during the COVID-19 lockdowns are what similarly led many like-minded individuals to anime, and in turn, Mushoku Tensei. History can’t help but repeat itself. But before any further elaboration in regards to the series itself and Rudeus, several things must be taken into account. One must first take Rudeus’s past into consideration before judging his present self in his second life. People are largely products of their circumstances and sympathy should be shown for the pitiful life that resulted from vicious bullying and trauma. Pasts should also be examined not only for the sake of sympathy, but also for the sake of creating better futures. Next, one must contemplate statistics and the legal grounds of the series’ and Japan’s critics. Many who regularly accuse Japan of promoting crime, degeneracy and deviance through its media originate from countries outside of Japan such as Australia, Canada, China, the USA and the UK, all of which possess notably higher crime rates than Japan (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime). The existence of unreported or underreported crimes cannot be used as a defense because all countries share those issues and the current gap between crime rates would also make such a defense ineffective. Lastly, one must question the logic and ethics of some of the people who are morally criticizing the series. There are those who speak of goodness while seeking schadenfreude from those that do not see eye-to-eye with them. Some who speak of equality and freedom while supporting cancel culture and censorship. Others who render judgment while lacking information and evidence. A few who prioritize the sins of the imaginary over the sins of reality. A good few who speak of sexualization and objectification when referring to scenes which they themselves personally misinterpret and label as sleazy “fanservice.” Just let people read a book or watch a show in peace for goodness’ sake. The moral high ground upon which they can look down on others and the words or pictures that offend them simply does not exist in the first place. However, one can stray from the fallacious and pretend for a moment that they have even a fraction of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s power.
Mushoku Tensei is not a story about redemption, it is simply a story about a second chance. The series leans towards the protagonist’s biased perspective, thereby eliminating the advantage of the moral high ground while granting the story an intimate, more personal and genuine point of view. Even if the viewer does not trust the anime, the show trusts in the judgment of the viewer. Rather than saying that it glorifies pedophilia because it didn’t punish the protagonist enough, the show instead says to the viewer “you know the setting and you know the different cultural norms of this medieval world. I do not need to tell you that something is bad. Do not be morally insecure and think for yourself.” Pedophilia is obviously wrong and nobody should need to be told that. Though there are cases where the show makes it explicitly clear to the viewer when something is wrong. Take some scenes between Rudeus and Eris, for example. When Rudeus sexually harasses Eris and “circus music” is playing, it is instantly assumed by some that they are watching degenerate fanservice. When the story takes place from Rudeus’s point of view, the reason why such music plays is because of Rudeus’s attitude. However, during the scene in episode 8 in which Rudeus and Eris get dangerously close to having sex, one might notice that the “funny” music suddenly stops once the situation becomes too uncomfortable and Eris beats up Rudeus. It appears that any and all sexual content is treated as fanservice even with it necessarily isn’t. Even if one cannot accept different cultural norms that cannot be intrinsically linked to a story’s quality, the story does not try to justify or support Rudeus’s inappropriate actions, nor does it advertise them as good. This is simply how this character is. On the contrary, the narrative itself separated Rudy from his childhood friend Sylphy as early as episode 4. Paul feared that the two were becoming too dependent on each other and this resulted in him killing two birds with one stone when Rudeus asked for help in finding a job. A job that happens to be his first job ever across both lives, as well as a big step in Rudeus’s journey of self-improvement.
Paul is another character that has caused much consternation, although not as much as Rudeus. In Paul’s case it was the betrayal that hurt more. In the first three episodes he was portrayed as nothing but a loving husband, a doting father, a strong swordsman and a man who could take responsibility while learning from his mistakes. Come episode 4 and suddenly it’s revealed that Paul cheated on Zenith with their maid Lilia and impregnated her while Zenith herself was pregnant. After much drama the situation was resolved and everyone moved on. When people get together, things just happen. Spontaneously. The same applies to characters in a story. It simply cannot be helped. What’s important is how to process the events that happen and from there, decide on how to move forward. Mushoku Tensei isn’t solely about Rudeus and his quest for a life that he can be proud of, because all the other characters around him also try their absolute best to live and become better. Roxy lost confidence in herself after teaching Rudy magic, so she set off on another adventure to hone her magical ability all over again. Paul gave everything he had to be the best dad there ever was despite all his faults. Ghislaine is a Sword King, yet she still went out of her way to be taught arithmetic and magic. At first Eris was as uncontrollably violent as a “protagonist of a delinquent manga,” but just like such a delinquent she learned patience and discipline. Ruijerd aims to dispel the 500-year-old evil reputation of his race, the Superds. Even the horse demon Nokopara, who most thought of as an insignificant one-off character that tried to blackmail our heroes, was later revealed to be one of Roxy’s past party members and recontextualized as a loving father who would do anything or be anything for his children. People cannot be defined or judged solely by their flaws and most people have the potential to reform themselves. Some of the greatest stimuli for such change include conflict and hardship. The story does not coddle Rudeus because not only does it not attempt to justify him, it also constantly challenges him and kicks him down. Sometimes tragically and other times, very ironically. Who could’ve guessed that someone as perverted as Rudeus would have to deal with erectile dysfunction that lasted through several volumes and years of his life? Erectile dysfunction that stemmed not from physical lust, but from emotional heartbreak. The tragicomedy here is that throughout a good portion of those limp years, Rudeus was in an adventuring party with Elinalise, a beautiful elf woman who literally needed to constantly engage in sexual intercourse so that she wouldn’t die from a curse.
Humanities aside, there are also failings in some of the arguments and accusations of the series' detractors from a more scientific and logical perspective. It would be simple to refer to the cultural norms of the middle ages or the other world when defending Rudeus. But before all else, the series is ultimately the brainchild of one who lives in the modern world. Therefore, it does not matter to some if Rudeus and Eris’s relationship is acceptable within the other world of the story. One should think back to Rudeus’s birth and how he noticed that he could not feel any sexual attraction towards his mother. Then take note of how his young brain absorbs information like a sponge, made evident by his study and mastery of other languages. These facts are proof that Rudeus is Rudeus, and not just who he was in his past life despite his current inner voice and the mental image of himself during meetings with Hitogami. In fact, the eye color of Rudeus’s soul, or mental image, was subtly changed to match his new eyes during episode 21. A human is more than just a soul. Rather, the existence of the soul is what is up for debate rather than the physical body and mind. Neuroscience would say that our soul is composed of nothing more than the electrical activity and chemical reactions within the brain. The first half of Mushoku Tensei can be considered a coming-of-age story and Rudeus is literally a child, therefore all accusations of pedophilia lose all meaning. There are no instances of him being one when he becomes an adult. Would it be preferable for him to have been in relationships with adult women when he was a child? Not to mention that from a psychological perspective, the pre-reincarnation Rudeus of Earth was in no way a mature adult by any stretch of the imagination. After suffering from trauma at a young age he became a recluse, thereby stunting his mental growth. His inner monologues and perverted actions born from two decades of hiding from the world are examples of immaturity, if anything. What’s really surprising is how someone from modern society can denounce all the unhidden thoughts of this perverted character who the viewer shares a perspective with, when porn addiction and masturbation in reality are so commonplace that an entire month on the calendar has been dedicated to not masturbating. “No Nut November” isn’t an obscure secret either, it’s literally a meme that’s joked about very often and casually. Seriously, it's like Reddit's answer to Ramadan. If it’s the incest that is concerning, one must remember that Rudeus and Eris are second cousins from different branch families. Some Americans should acknowledge that even marriage between first cousins is legal throughout most of our world, in part due to how low the risks of birth defects that may arise from such relationships are (Bittles). As for the supposed grooming, the reality is that Rudeus never groomed any of his romantic partners. Not just because he himself was a child but also because in Sylphy’s case, the two were separated for around a decade. Sylphy, who in much later volumes stated that she might not have married Rudy despite all her feelings for him if she had to abandon Princess Ariel to do so. As for Roxy, she was literally an adult when first introduced.
Straying from the topic of sex that some hysterical puritans cannot seem to stop discussing when it comes to harmless cartoons and video games, there are also misgivings about Rudeus from a trope culture perspective. An overpowered Mary Sue or Gary Stu, a perfect chosen one, often results in a story lacking in excitement or stakes. Many viewers fear that Rudeus is such a protagonist. If one actually pays attention then they will quickly realize that that is not the case, even without information from the novels. While Rudeus is exceptional thanks to the advantage provided by his past life’s memories, he is also one of the most down-to-earth and well-balanced protagonists when it comes to media involving combat and the supernatural. Both in and out of combat, Rudeus is someone who loses and most of his major victories were achieved through diligent preparation or working with others. His chantless casting, which he had hoped would be a unique skill, is quickly learned by Sylphy. Because the study of magic is actually quite unrefined in the other world, very few are aware of the fact that engaging in magic from a young age can provide immense benefits. In addition, Sylphy masters something that Rudy cannot: chantless healing magic. Due to how Rudeus lacked a proper education in his previous life, he could not imagine the process of cells healing well enough to be able to cast healing spells without incantations. Despite possessing a supply of mana that rivals the Demon God of old thanks to his Laplace Factor, and despite acquiring an “eye of foresight,” Rudeus is held back by how he’s merely human and that his body is incapable of utilizing “Touki.” Touki is an aura that all living beings in the other world can harness to amplify their physical prowess. To put things into perspective, Rudeus has a normal human body while Sword God practitioners of Saint rank or above can execute a technique that approaches the speed of light. And in volume 17, it took two Sword Kings together with Rudeus to just barely defeat Auber Corvette, a North Emperor who had to babysit a client in the middle of the battle with unfavorable conditions. The unique subversion here is that unlike most fantasy settings where magic reigns supreme and warriors are little more than rank-and-file soldiers, swordsmen are quite a threat in the world of Mushoku Tensei. It was about time they stopped getting shafted! Speaking of “shafted,” it's a shame that spears, the apex of melee weapons, go unused by humans due to their demonic reputation in the history of the Six-Sided World. Meanwhile for the mages, cast times can be lengthy and while magic technically has the potential to be omnipotent, no one currently alive could harness such power. Most viewers expected that Rudeus would be a master of both sword and sorcery, but he will never surpass the level of intermediate swordsmanship. This expectation was partly due to how many other isekai protagonists often possess unrivaled powers that make it easy to label their stories as power fantasies. Meanwhile in episode 5, Rudeus was nearly killed by run-of-the-mill kidnappers in spite of all his talent and had to be saved by Ghislaine.
While on the topic of violence, video games and fiction in general should not be assigned the blame for violent behaviors or deviance, and especially not by parents looking for a scapegoat to excuse poor parenting. Many studies, including one done by Andrew K. Przybylski and Netta Weinstein in 2019, share the same sentiments. It thoroughly explains how “Violent video game engagement is not associated with adolescents' aggressive behaviour” (Przybylski and Weinstein). Although, it is apparently evident that media has certainly helped desensitize people to violence. There are reasons why a character like Rudeus seems to be more offensive than actual murderers. Rudeus, a character who could not bring himself to take a life throughout most of the series despite subconsciously treating the world like a game until the end of the first cour. Yet he is offensive enough for “two nukes weren’t enough” memes. Ironic, in more ways than one. Regardless, getting a 25 kill streak in MW2 in front of a TV while chugging down Cheetos and Mountain Dew does not make one a murderer, nor an advocate of nuclear destruction. Nor does correlation equal causation. If one must absolutely link video games to violence, then at least bring up DOOM and postulate how we’ll be able to rip and tear apart aliens if they ever decide to invade Earth. Like with video games, reading or writing the likes of Berserk, Lolita or Mushoku Tensei does not make one a supporter of degeneracy. One may assume that books and the like can incite evil just as much as they can inspire good, but such an assumption would be based upon false equivalence. An upstanding person will not become anti-Semitic by reading Mein Kampf, but both good and flawed people alike can be inspired to improve themselves after reading a story such as Mushoku Tensei. People should stop spending precious energy complaining about 2D characters or turning fiction into the Angra Mainyu of the 21st century, and instead devote time to real issues. Issues like climate change, homelessness and real crimes happening in the world beyond fiction, just to list a few. One must know how to distinguish between reality and fantasy, fact from fiction. Surely, Australian senators must have better things to do than ban anime while forest fires are happening? If certain individuals could take a page out of the very book that they’re condemning and work hard to improve themselves like Rudeus did throughout the entirety of his second life, our world might just be a more genuine place.
At the end of the day, everything is a matter of perspective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps the fact that Mushoku Tensei’s repulsiveness is all that can be seen in the eyes of some is the result of the darkness within their own hearts? Through that darkness, all that can be seen is a wish fulfillment story when arguably most fiction, by definition, can be considered wish fulfillment on some level. But that is not inherently a bad thing. To wish is to desire, and desire is the impetus for change. One must simply consume fiction without being consumed by it. As with wish fulfillment, to many it is nothing but a power fantasy like many other isekai despite all the genuine hardships that take place within the story. Ironic, considering how many series that followed it failed to grasp what made it special. To others, it is just another shallow harem series despite how well-written the love interests are, how natural and developed the relationships are, and how not everything simply revolves around the “waifus,” seeing as the male cast is just as prominent and memorable. Being averse to polygamy is both normal and respectable, but one cannot deny the true love and strong bonds that exist between Rudy, Sylphy, Roxy and Eris. To some, the “sexualization” is misogynistic when really, the viewer isn’t looking at fanservice—they’re just looking at a female character. This isn’t even taking into account the fact that almost the entirety of the story is shot from Rudeus’s perspective. Beyond the surface-level idea of immorality that is forced upon Rudeus and Eris’s relationship by critics, lies a genuine and deep bond of mutual love in which the both of them mature and become stronger for each other. In spite of all the show’s pervertedness, the sex scene at the end of episode 22 was one of the most mature and tastefully executed sex scenes in fiction. The buildup, music and presentation all made it clear that it was the culmination of their pure emotional bond and that any eroticism intrinsic to sexual content came last. All of it made the events and miscommunication of the morning after all the more devastating. To misconstrue their connection as “pedophilia” or the result of “grooming” betrays a lack of understanding. If one is truly concerned about sexual conduct involving immature individuals, perhaps time would be more wisely spent focusing attention on problems in the real world such as child abuse and teen pregnancies instead of screaming into the void about fictional characters. Reality should take precedence over fiction and vilifying fiction distracts from reality. However, what is undebatable is that the characters and the text do not care about whatever misgivings that someone beyond the pages or screen may have.
The beauty here is that even if one were to ignore or discard every single defense of Rudeus, the series would not suffer for it despite the fact that he is its main protagonist. Art can be both beautiful or disgusting whether one likes it or not and art does not force people to accept it. You do not have to identify with the protagonist for a story to be good, especially when one of its major criticisms include how Rudeus is supposedly nothing more than a “self-insert.” Mushoku Tensei’s popularity and high ratings on sites like MyAnimeList, IMDb, and Niconico in spite of its disgusting parts and the review bombing are undeniable, statistical testaments to the quality of the series. How many writers out there can throw so many problematic elements into a pot and end up with gold? Fool’s gold that is worth its weight in real gold. A flawed masterpiece filled with flawed characters. And because they are not perfect, they can pursue perfection. That’s why it’s okay to like them.
Consumers aren’t the only ones who love the series. The anime is very clearly a passion project assembled by the assembly of the Avengers of anime. Studio Bind is a new animation studio that was initially created for the sole purpose of adapting Mushoku Tensei. Manabu Okamoto, the director of the series said “It had a lot of vulgar and uncomfortable parts, but ultimately I thought it was a first-rate story” (Okamoto). Anime isn’t exactly easy or cheap to make, yet even so a group of talented and like-minded individuals got together and created, from even just a purely technical standpoint, an artistic masterpiece of an adaptation for a lengthy series of novels that they all believed was worth showing to the world.
On March 27, 2021, the ex-president of Gainax (famous for the productions of works such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gunbuster, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), Toshio Okada, posted an hour-long video seminar in which he praises and thoroughly discusses the anime. The contents of the video can be summarized as follows:
Okada talks about the anime and thinks it’s the best possible adaptation of the novel. He addresses its vulgarity and understands why some people dropped it but stresses that the anime is locked in the protagonist’s point of view. He bares his own mindset and perspective of some key scenes while adding that the anime has no objective point of view. He then dissects and explains some incredibly detailed frames, and says that there are loads of references hidden in the first episode that will appear in the following episodes and cours. The production committee themselves urged that Rudeus be given two separate voice actors to fully realize his “wearing a mask to interact with other people'' trait. Okada states that the most difficult part of the adaptation is the pacing, as the story can be rather slow paced. While talking about the Truck-kun reincarnation incident, he jokes about how the pacing is so slow that any details pertaining to it would only be revealed in future seasons at around the 40th episode. He then adds that the animators and writers are very meticulous when it comes to each and every detail. For example, they spent a lot of effort on episode one’s dinner feast scene with Roxy where they were very scrupulous with the lighting. In conclusion, Okada stresses that while Mushoku Tensei has an incredibly simple premise, the story is so good that he even thought it could be a potential masterpiece. He even bought volumes one through five and read them in one day, though he skipped some of Rudy’s horny monologues, haha (Okada).
While the words of this renowned professional within the Japanese anime industry can take much precedence over the words of social media users who are lacking in credentials, they still do not do the series enough justice. Unfortunately, much like his short seminar, this meager text will most likely fail to fully capture the greatness of Mushoku Tensei.
Yuiko Ohara, the incredibly talented composer, singer, and lyricist of all of the series’ openings and endings, is a minstrel of the modern age. What Okada neglected to thoroughly discuss during his seminar was the anime’s music. Most TV anime series nowadays come with 90-second opening and ending sequences that are changed every cour or season. It’s basically a rule. However, Studio Bind took the untrodden path and decided to forgo having an opening animation sequence to pair with the music that would be repeated every episode. They instead use that precious runtime to move the plot along, build upon the world and show off their art with the music as an accompaniment. The Aria series and the first episode of SukaSuka are some of the few other anime to do this effectively. This decision resulted in many positives, with the greatest ones being an extra reason for viewers to listen to the music and the improved pacing of the story. What’s more is that when the plot leads Rudeus to different locations throughout the world, the opening music changes accordingly. The Asura Kingdom, Demon Continent, Great Forest, Holy Millis Kingdom and Shirone Kingdom are all paired with their own unique insert songs that perfectly captured and enhanced the atmospheres of each location. When Rudeus and Eris finally returned home to Fittoa after a two-year long journey following the mass teleportation incident, the region was in desolate shambles. To further reflect the mood, Ohara and the production team inserted a melancholic variation of the very first opening theme, “Tabibito no Uta.” It must be stressed that these songs aren’t just standalone gems that have nothing to do with the story, because each song is intertwined with the narrative, characters and themes of the story. The first opening “Tabibito no Uta” is the best modern bardsong in ages and an excellent introduction to the world of Mushoku Tensei. Within the first ending “Only” lies a love letter overflowing with passion, whose sender and recipient remain a mystery during the early parts of the story and are up to personal interpretation. My personal favorite and second ending theme “Kaze to iku michi” is not just pleasing to the ears. It is also a narrative piece that eloquently captures the story through Rudeus’s eyes without being too obvious about it. What’s worth mentioning here is that while most opening and ending songs tend to stray from the original narratives and themes of their respective anime once they pass the 90-second mark, Yuiko Ohara’s songs stay true to Mushoku Tensei in their entirety.
Although the music deserves more praise and a much more detailed and thorough analysis, the topic of discussion is anime. Therefore, the animation and cinematography must be discussed as well. Despite airing alongside other phenomenal anime which I loved such as 86, Ranking of Kings, Odd Taxi and the second season of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, Mushoku Tensei still managed to assert itself and stand above the rest with its animation alone. While the quality of both writing and music may be at the mercy of subjectivity, even the nonspecialists who hate the series with a passion cannot deny that it looks amazing. There exists MAPPA, a studio known for producing anime of critically acclaimed series, namely Shingeki no Kyojin and Chainsaw Man, with scenes that end up looking notably worse than their pre-animated trailers. However, Studio Bind did the exact opposite with Mushoku Tensei. Even a blind man would be able to see the difference in the level of detail between the trailer and the finished product, along with Roxy’s vastly improved character design. The art, colors and designs upon which the animation rests on is refined and matches the mood of the series, and the animation itself is exceptionally fluid without ever suffering from jarring quality hiccups. While the action scenes, notably the ones involving Eris and the encounter with Orsted in particular, are extraordinary, the mundane and the ordinary are given similar care and attention to detail. After all, Mushoku Tensei is just as much of a slice-of-life series as it is an action and adventure fantasy series. There is also much to say about the animation from a more technical perspective. Director Okamoto decided on a unique aesthetic for the series that is incredibly fitting and shows his understanding of the original work. What will immediately stand out to the viewer is the film grain. One could fill a silo with all this grain! “I decided on my own discretion how to handle the overall look of the visuals. I really like the retro fashion look, so this was a great opportunity to try it out” (Okamoto). Thanks to the director’s preference for the retro vibe, many viewers and long-time anime fans like me felt like they were watching an old classic. The classical aesthetic matching the story is a nice bonus and I personally feel that it’s also a tribute to the long length of time between the inception of the novels and the eventual anime adaptation. But that’s not all, because Mushoku Tensei also emulates film weave, the phenomenon in which the screen jitters and shakes when playing back film, in order to appear like it was shot in film. There’s so much more that can be discussed about all the techniques applied and all the work that went into the series’ animation like the lighting, the intentionally blurred line art, the pacing and framing, the bread animation in episode 17 that was somehow more sexual than anything else in the show, et cetera. However, there are other matters that are no less important.
The attention to detail when it comes to the world is just as immaculate. Despite how even the most talented of Japanese voice actors end up speaking poor “Engrish” when a character has to talk in English, the team and voice actors behind Mushoku Tensei went the extra mile by creating and utilizing new languages for the anime that actually sound coherent and have decipherable texts. The other world is home to multiple languages and the Human God tongue was replaced by Japanese in the first episode. However, there still remained other languages such as the Beast God, Battle God and Demon God tongues. Considering how many stories involve magical auto-translation and how many other anime nowadays would have simply opted to use random gibberish, German or what have you as substitutes for the languages of the Six-Sided World, it’s unbelievable just how much dedication and passion went into this series. Beyond the creation of languages; the routines, tools, amenities, architecture, backgrounds and much more within the show bear remarkable historical accuracy in regards to the middle ages while also being artistically liberal as the components of a fantasy world.
Most anime adaptations of manga, light novels, visual novels and video games end up being inferior to their original sources. Mushoku Tensei’s anime, however, actually has moments where it surpasses its original, even if it did inevitably skip some important content. Its mastery of the art of “show, don’t tell” is made all the more clear by the many other anime and manga where characters feel the need to explain all their abilities in the middle of a battle. The best display of this mastery can be found in episode 21. This episode is highly regarded due to the fact that it covers a major turning point in the story and because it includes a well-animated, action-packed fight scene against Orsted. To provide some context, Orsted, one of the most powerful beings in the story, is afflicted by several curses, one of which forces all living beings from the Six-Sided World to hate or fear him. The anime was brilliantly directed in such a way that made this curse transcend the fourth wall and affect the viewers as well. This was something that the original novel couldn’t quite execute. While the novel provides a foreboding passage before the party runs into Orsted, episode 21 instead begins in medias res where the party of Rudeus, Eris and Ruijerd have already been effortlessly defeated by Orsted. This opening scene ends with Rudeus being impaled, or “donuted,” through the chest. This dramatic irony, combined with the tense soundtrack and the anime original scene where an ox hurls itself off a cliff to avoid Orsted, resulted in the viewers being affected by the curse as well. The initial conversation between Rudeus and Orsted was actually quite casual and almost friendly in tone because an otherworlder like Rudeus is unaffected by the curse. As for Orsted, he isn’t a murderhobo. This is shown by the way the anime portrayed him during his first appearance in episode 8. However, viewers who were affected by the curse could not help but wonder why Rudeus wouldn’t just shut up and walk away while ignoring his character growth from a few episodes prior. Furthermore, one of the reasons for the clash between Ruijerd and Orsted being so gorgeous was that Studio Bind rendered Orsted’s movements at ~24 frames per second, the standard for anime, while halving that of Ruijerd’s movements at ~12 frames per second. As a result, the visuals made the insurmountable gap in speed and power between Orsted and Ruijerd perfectly clear without drawing attention away from the scene as a whole. Ruijerd, the most powerful and trusted warrior that Rudeus, Eris and the viewers know, fails to put up even the slightest bit of struggle against Dragon God Orsted. And just a fun note: the background music that plays during the encounter sounds like an arrangement based on “Carol of the Bells.” This may be a fun little nod to how Orsted dresses up like Santa Claus for Rudeus’s children in a Redundancy chapter. This subtle wink to the original web novel readers is yet another example of the passion behind the anime. As one can see, the anime excels at showing instead of telling so well that many viewers forgot Rudeus was always incapable of using chantless healing magic when he used wind magic to force air into his damaged lungs.
Similar to how only a minority of the series’ criticisms are targeted towards aspects such as the narrative and character development, perhaps the stellar production of the anime and all the hard work behind it have nothing to do with the intrinsic quality of the original story? The answer is no. Like with the ratings, the fact that the story of Mushoku Tensei could move so many to create such an amazing anime is proof in and of itself that the original work can be considered a masterpiece. The excellence of the anime reflects the excellence of the novels.
The word masterpiece is a strong word that may make the series come off as pretentious. That is not the case, however, because it never takes itself too seriously in spite of everything. If a baby wearing panties on his head during the first few chapters of the first volume did not make that clear, then I don’t know what will. Now while this example may be a rather juvenile expression of comedy, the rest of the humor found throughout every volume is far more than just that. Not only is the series’ humor clever and well-written, it is also never random. The jokes are almost always related to the characters or subtext in some way, shape or form. For example, consider the scene involving Rudeus and Ghislaine in volume 2 of the novels and episode 8 of the anime. While Ghislaine tries to distract Rudeus from the surprise tenth birthday party being prepared for him (which he is already aware of) Rudeus takes the opportunity to talk Ghislaine into showing him her tail, with the sculpture that he is currently crafting in her image using earth magic as an excuse. Obviously, he just wants to see her ass. Ghislaine being the way she is, immediately responds with an “oh, that’s all?” and pulls down her pants. Upon laying eyes on her rock-solid, rectangular and muscular glutes, Rudeus forgets everything and immediately changes from being the horny person we know him to be. He is instead in awe as he produces a pleasant sound upon knocking on her steel anterior like a door, while thinking about how he always wanted to be built like her. The scene then ends with a maid walking in on Ghislaine showing off her ass. What I like about the scene beyond its humor is how it juxtaposes Rudeus’s horniness. The joke takes perversion and turns it into something else that is more. One could even call it a metaphorical microcosm of the series as a whole and it is one of many reasons why Mushoku Tensei can be considered a masterpiece, as even a silly gag is resonant with the series’ themes. Despite being a mage and being physically crippled in that he cannot use Touki, Rudeus is shown diligently training himself to maintain a body that he can be proud of. To compensate for his lack of Touki, he later develops magic armor with the help of his friends Cliff and Zanoba. No Sylphy, Rudy isn’t thinking about other women, he’s thinking about how to improve his Gundam. And while it might be difficult to hold back laughter when Rudy celebrates the usage of all the cheesy lines he learned from eroge in his past life, there are also many other examples of great comedy which are far from vulgar. Despite being of the fantasy genre, the series adeptly takes advantage of its isekai premise and is filled with jokes and monologues that can only exist because Rudeus originates from Earth. Notable examples include his pop culture references, his entire relationship with Prince Zanoba, the way he makes the most out of imprisonment by likening it to free housing on two separate occasions and how he later treats himself like a salaryman with Orsted as his company president. Speaking of Orsted, the tense and serious scene in which he enters Rudeus’s ambush during volume 15 is actually quite unintentionally funny if you enter or revisit the scene with extra context, namely Orsted’s situation and backstory.
Mushoku Tensei’s comedy is just one of many, many aspects of the writing that make this series one of the best. Its story thrives in spite of the genericness of the D&D-esque world, the isekai premise that’s been done to death, and the absence of a strong plot hook to attract readers like Re:Zero’s “Return by Death.” Not only does it lack a plot hook, the story starts off with nothing besides the development of the world and its characters. The first “Turning Point'' is an event that only happens at the end of the second volume. Yet it is thanks to that very approach that something as simple as Rudeus learning magic for the first time felt so nice, it made me feel like a child again just like him. Reading about places like the Red Wyrm mountain range, Ranoa Magic Academy and Perugius’s floating castle for the first time filled me with a sense of adventure that made me wonder if and when I’d get to see them up close. And the reader does eventually see them, because the plot did not let its world go to waste. Unlike Todd Howard, Rifujin let his readers climb the mountains. Mushoku Tensei doesn’t abide by any formula or rely on tropes. Instead, it constantly challenges and subverts what readers think of the story and its characters in a natural way while staying true to its themes. Rather than relying on tropes, the tropes and clichés that appear within the story are far more than surface-level writing prompts. They are core elements of the story that build upon the plot and the world. Beyond that, what Rifujin especially excelled at was the usage of Chekhov’s gun. Mushoku Tensei doesn’t just place a pistol on the wall and fire it later. It spends a lot of time placing an entire arsenal of a variety of guns, followed by polishing them and then admiring them. And when they are finally fired, they shoot out superlasers. Nothing is wasted and everything important that is brought up returns later in the story. This is especially impressive when one considers that the story spans an entire 26 volumes, plus the extra Redundancy, Jobless Oblige and Old Dragon’s Tale stories. This mastery of Chekhov’s gun that helped tie everything else together is what made reading the series a joy. The mirroring and juxtaposition of Rudy and Roxy in many instances is a particularly notable example of Chekhov’s gun which foreshadows their fates. Yet amidst this fantasy world filled with sword and sorcery, dragons and adventure, what I found myself enjoying the most was the slice-of-life. The main reason being that the story is character-driven rather than plot-driven. This is made evident by how Rudeus is not a chosen one. He is not the hero of the world despite how the misdirection in volume 4 implied him to be. He is special, but he is also simply some guy who just happened to be dragged into the real and legendary conflict between Orsted and Hitogami. From a JRPG perspective, Rudeus would be the sage from the past who is always brought up in the lore and flavor text. The ancient sage who has long passed after greatly influencing the world, and it is up to the heroes to beat the “big bad” with the help of everything he left behind. Do the readers get to see what happens 200 years later between his descendants, Orsted and Hitogami by the end of all its volumes? No, because at the end of the day Mushoku Tensei is simply the biography of Rudeus Greyrat. A unique story not seen very often that covers his entire life from beginning to end. A melancholy, yet satisfying end. An ending that many mangaka and light novel authors could learn from, if their editors and publishers would only let them. But why was the slice-of-life so enjoyable? Why did Rudeus join Orsted in his fight against Hitogami? The answer to both of these questions is “family.”
Alongside the ever-present, noble themes of living seriously and working hard to improve oneself, lies the element of valuing one’s family. A theme that is seamlessly intertwined with the rest of the stories and its other themes. Mushoku Tensei really, really cares about the concept of family. Something that can be noticed at the very beginning of the series is that Rudy has… parents. This is incredibly normal. However, a good portion of Japanese media, isekai in particular, is guilty of neglecting family. The cases in which parents are important characters are few and far between and many characters who haven’t even graduated from middle school or high school are often somehow perfectly independent. Most isekai protagonists don’t even have parents, they simply appear and the story begins. Barely a single thought is spared for the loved ones they had in their previous lives, if they had any. Their past lives mattered very little for their stories, unlike Rudeus’s. At the start of Mushoku Tensei, the first things that Rudy sees when he is reborn are the faces of Paul and Zenith, his parents. Parents who are in no way insignificant to the story or irrelevant to Rudy. They feel extremely human and aren’t throwaway characters who are killed off just so that the protagonist can swear revenge against someone. The majority of the plot and Rudeus’s choices exist not just because of, but also for his family. Following the mana disaster, he devotes himself to bringing Eris home. Upon reuniting with Paul in volume 5, his family moves to the forefront of his mind and he begins to search for Aisha, Lilia and Zenith. After being separated from Ruijerd and Eris and nearly sinking back into the depressive state of his previous life, he remembers Zenith and gets back up to move forward once again. He becomes a good role model and guardian for his sisters and prevents Norn from becoming a shut-in like he was in his past life. And finally, he becomes a loving husband and father who fights tooth and nail for his family. While his fundamental nature as a pervert never really changes and he never got to spend as much time with his children as he would’ve liked, Mushoku Tensei was never a story about becoming a perfect superhero or almighty wizard king.
One of the events within this fantasy series that cemented it as something special, something worth calling a masterpiece, was not one of its plot twists or epic battles. It was the down-to-earth quarrel followed by the heartwarming reunion between Rudy and Paul that took place in volume 5, and episodes 16 and 17 of the anime. Paul spent two depression-filled years ceaselessly worrying and desperately searching for the rest of his family after the mana disaster while protecting one of his daughters, Norn, the entire time. He is then reunited with his prodigal son, who gleefully tells him of the jolly adventures that he had on the way back home from the Demon Continent with his girlfriend Eris and his invincible bodyguard Ruijerd. Rudy seemed to have had the best years of his life, despite the fact that his entire family went missing. You can imagine just how enraged Paul became. However, the reader knows Rudy’s circumstances and views as well. Despite all his talent, Rudy was just an inexperienced child. The reader knows that he did not have it easy and that he was unaware of his family’s situation, along with the full scope of the mana disaster. He simply told his story the way he did because he didn’t want Paul to worry. He wanted him to be proud. Yet Rudy was greeted by an alcoholic deadbeat of a dad who wasted no time in letting his fists fly. Neither side was right nor wrong and the situation just felt so incredibly real. Between them was a simple, genuine misunderstanding that led to a genuine argument which many could sympathize with and relate to. Seeing the two of them reflect, apologize and make up was truly touching. This event was one of the most impactful moments in Rudy’s second life, for it was the first time he ever cried and the first time he truly acknowledged Paul as his father within his mind. At first, Rudy was only working hard for himself and he only ever saw Paul as a friend who he could fool around with. It was thanks to the time spent with Eris, Ruijerd and Paul that he changed into someone who could live for others as well. The anime also followed Rudy and Paul’s reunion with a reunion between Roxy and her own parents, who she distanced herself from for a long time. Roxy, a Migurd outcast incapable of telepathy, reconciling with her parents was just as moving and resonant with the series’ themes as Rudy and Paul’s reunion. Upon witnessing her realize just how much her parents loved her the entire time, I couldn’t help but think about how there are people out there who may never be able to do the same until it’s too late. At the same time, I felt for those who lacked parental support and unconditional love. Perhaps such people deserve all the more love from the world around them to make up for that void.
Unfortunately, life is both unfair and unreasonable. It wrongs the virtuous while breeding scum. Humans are not equal. Some are born less perfect than others, some are born more flawed than others. People do not choose to be born, nor how, nor why, nor where, nor when and nor what they’re born with. And of course, they cannot choose who they’re born to. Perhaps one’s entire life had already been decided by fate? What if nothing, from the trivial to the transcendent, stemmed from choice, because everything had already been decided upon? What if free will was nothing but an illusion? The kings shall know their rule. The peasants shall know their place. The villains shall be evil, the heroes good. The beautiful, the unsightly, the rich, the poor, the bright, the dull, the strong, the weak, the swift, the slow, the blessed, the cursed… and naturally, the winners and the losers. Is living in such a world acceptable? A world where things are merely given, not earned? A reality where neither praise nor punishment are deserved? Can it be allowed to exist? Absolutely not. One must either rebel through death, or rebel to their last breath through desire and great effort. Even if the effort itself is preordained. Even if it is all fruitless.
Before denouncing that which exists without, one must first reflect upon that which exists within. Instead of reducing the outside universe, expand the inside universe. Forgo the act of dragging down the heavens, in favor of reaching for the stars. Rather than being carried by the currents, harness the ebb and flow. To avoid being crushed by the outer world, strengthen the inner world. Do not be weakened by despair, be empowered by hope. If one wishes to conquer the world, they must first have the power and the means to do so. But it is okay to surrender sometimes, so long as one can still move forward. Yet do not be afraid of looking back, lest one forgets the distance traveled. That is how one may achieve Musō, a state of peerless mastery.
What is a masterpiece? An outstanding work of art. How can a masterpiece be created? Through great effort. What can a masterpiece do? Influence, inspire and change people for the better. Therefore, Mushoku Tensei is a masterpiece. One that I cannot wait for to be adapted in its full glory. Of course, there are some things it could have done better or without. Nonetheless, the series was executed exceptionally well relative to its genre and the positives far outweigh the negatives. It is a fun and epic story filled with characters that grow. It has plenty of ups and downs, just like life. Much like with life, the ugliness should not stop one from turning its pages. Much like with people, there is nothing wrong with liking the series despite its flaws, because both it and humans alike are far more than just their flaws. To be human is to be flawed, incomplete and imperfect. That is the unavoidable reality and the irrevocable truth. Yet by embracing that reality, one can pursue completion and perfection through great effort in hopes of attaining something ideal and genuine. Look at Rudeus, a perverted failure of a human being who ignored his parents’ funeral because he couldn’t bring himself to leave his room. If even someone who was as deplorable as him could find love and pass on peacefully after dedicating every last drop of his blood, sweat and tears to support and protect his family, then someone who is greater than he was should certainly be able to put on an even better show. Did Rudeus only manage to pull it off because he was magically reborn in another world with good looks and talent? Perhaps. However, that is nothing but a hypocritical and defeatist excuse. Because we will not get any second chances at life, that is all the more reason to try even harder. “My real life hasn’t begun yet. My life is garbage because the real me is still asleep.” As people age, some may keep telling themselves things like that. But eventually, they will reach their deathbeds and finally realize that the life they lived was the real thing.
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