「ロアの休日」 (Roa no Kyuujitsu)
“A Day Off in Roa”

Let’s Get This Out of the Way First

Rudeus, really? I remember he had his weird moments with Eris. Mainly around the time of the birthday celebration. But I actually completely forgot about this incident where he groped Eris while she was sleeping in the stables. It does put an unfortunate damper on his character development. At least Eris puts an affirmative stop to his actions by punching him in the guts. Maybe that incident will teach him a lesson or two.

The Boreas Greyrat Familia

So it seems the Greyrat family have proclivities for certain fetishes. Namely Beast Women, Big Breasts, etc. Which is why most of the servants in the Mansion are Beast Women. And probably why Ghislaine was hired too, now that I think about it. Upon closer inspection, you can see where Eris gets her attitude from. I don’t remember her mother coming across as such an scornful or intense women. Maybe because we didn’t get an illustration back with the web novels.

However, I would never forget Sauros. That man is the definition of intense and from how he would punch his son across the room but makes an exception by specifically pampering his granddaughter, it’s not difficult to see why this heated personality skipped a generation. And well, it helps explain why Philip is such a clever and crafty man. If you’re never going to beat your father in a fist fight, the only way to avoid getting beaten up would be to use smarts to maneuver around tricky situations. Rudeus takes the cue too, realising he needs to be diplomatic in the course of his dealings with Sauros by rephrasing requests – such as praising Eris and explaining how certain actions would be beneficial for her personal development.

Educating a Little Tyrant

Anyhow, we receive some insights on how Rudeus is faring with regards to tutoring Eris. She’s definitely not an easy student. But I think it’s not necessarily her fault. You can say she doesn’t apply herself. However, if her talents seem to be elsewhere – namely sword fighting – it seems counter productive to focus on stuff she’s less good at. Though I suppose a basic education never harmed anyone. Everyone has a learning style – and Rudeus figures out that you have to motivate Eris through telling her how a basic education can help her adventure in the future. Or make her feel like she can’t be outdone by a servant like Ghislaine – who’s learning with her side by side. Also, giving her lots of breaks.

Concluding Thoughts

Incidentally, during their visit to Roa, I really loved the world building. Where we’re told about Perugius and his flying fortress – keying us into this notion that the world of Mushoku Tensei is so much huger than we’ve actually seen so far. And even as someone familiar with these concepts, my blood still boiled with excitement. Too bad this epic scale and awe got interrupted by the silly aphrodisiac skit. But I hope this still gives new viewers insights as to what they can expect from Mushoku Tensei. And I can tell you something else. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. It’s going to be so much more than this.

Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading this post and see you all next week!

33 Comments

  1. I’ll say this: Mushoku Tensei has very good animation. I don’t however like the contrived writing in it in that all of Rudeus’s love interests have been conveniently placed in compromised positions for him to see them in such a state, first with Roxy pleasuring herself in the hallway when she could have done that in her room given how the walls of houses back then were very thin, and then with him stripping Sylphiette because he somehow couldn’t tell she was a girl even though literally everyone else could tell she was a girl with one look at her, and now with Eris being asleep on a bunch of hay for him to sexually assault. And yes, Rudeus did intend to sexually assault her. He did say, “Wake up, or I’ll attack you”, for a reason. It was such a scumbag move. No matter how bad Eris is being as a student, nothing justifies sexually assaulting her just because she’s asleep and defenseless. Someone being asleep does not justify you violating her. Looks like Rudeus didn’t take his father’s advice to heart in Episode 3 when Paul was talking about how important consent is. I know Paul raped Lillia in the past, but at least he knows how important consent is in the present day. Rudeus either not paying attention to what his father said of not caring enough to remember what he said shows that Paul’s words fell on deaf ears.

    Vance
        1. Honestly, they could’ve had him as a normal kid instead of an isekai’d 30 year old man and simply had him acquire his behavior and tastes from his father. Would be more understandable and a lot less awkward. Secondly it would also serve to simultaneously characterize and develop Paul as a new father; trying to let go of old habits so he can be a model father.

          Goodwill
          1. his reincarnation is relevant to the plot and so if we were to remove that, some plot changes will have to be made. maybe possible but not off the top of my head how (it’s a major element).

            as mentioned in past ep reviews, this story has a focus on redeeming Rudeus’s past life. we already had a bit of that with Rudeus finally being able to leave (him not being reincarnated would change the tone of that a lot)

            will the anime cover it? unsubstantiated rumor/hearsay, Mushoku Tensei is going to be covered in the long run, somewhat like SAO is. it’s a long journey though because it’s not just a singular event or scene

            GoXDS
    1. I agree. Unfortunately, this trait is shared by many wish-fulfillment isekai because these writers are incapable of writing a protagonist capable and charming enough to win a damsel’s heart who isn’t in distress.

      Correction, Rudeus DID sexually assault her when he groped her. The show clearly doesn’t find this behavior problematic or treat it as some flaw to fix so don’t expect this to be addressed at all in the future.

      bakato
      1. How did you come to the conclusion that I wasn’t accusing Rudeus of sexual assault? I pretty much said that he sexually assaulted her in my post.

        Yeah, I’m of the opinion that this flaw of Rudeus’s is unlikely to be addressed in the future given what happened here. There were no music cues that drove in how much of a sexual predator Rudeus was being in that moment, and the scene just happened with no follow-up like having Eris tell Ghislaine or her grandfather for example.

        Vance
    2. I’m going to say it here, but does Rudeus being a reincarnation of a 30 year old man contribute anything to the story? I haven’t read the source material so I don’t know if they play on this more or the importance of it, but I feel you could’ve just had Rudeus being a normal kid who happens to be a bit of a prodigy.

      If they did that, I could somewhat accept him going through the phase of discovering his sexuality as that what kids do. Later on in life (teens), that’s when kids start associating their sexual stimulation with an object of affection.

      But right now, what we have is literally a 30 year old man taking advantage of situations and as far as I can tell, it doesn’t add anything to the story and it just serves to make it harder for viewers to get into if they can’t get past that part. Which is a shame because besides that, Mushoku Tensei is near perfect as a fantasy story if you happen to remove that. It’s like the story was written first and the isekai was added in the editing phase.

      Now, someone can correct me that Rudeus being a reincarnation indeed plays an important role later down the line. Overall, I really like this series but I still cannot see why it was made an isekai outside of the self-insert author or audience.

      Goodwill
      1. It matters very very much. Hyper spoilers would ensue if anything more was said. It isn’t really possible to remove the isekai without breaking the story especially later on. And arguably it would make a bunch of events in the current episodes make no sense especially around his magic skills.

        a0000000000
    3. Looks like Rudeus didn’t take his father’s advice to heart in Episode 3 when Paul was talking about how important consent is.

      This is probably my main gripe with the scene (beyond, you know, the obvious).

      Had it happened BEFORE Paul’s talk to his son, I would have handwaved as an example of old vices that the character will (hopefully) overcome with more time and maturity. Had Rudeus stopped himself because of said talk, I would have probably hailed it as character development.

      As an anime-only viewer, I don’t know how the novel tried to explain or justify it (perhaps revenge for all the beatings he suffered?), but in the anime, as it is, feels like a regression of the character. Or most likely, that the author forgot hiw own moral.

      Heck, even if the writer REALLY wanted to showcase the tried and tested “ha, ha, he’s a pervert that wants panties and gets beaten by an angry tsundere, isn’t it hilarious?” routine, he could have played with it. Make Rudeus go through the same actions, but make him stop because of “the talk” right before Eris wakes up. He gets beaten either way, but at least in the latter case the viewer knows that Rudy learned his lesson.

      Mistic
  2. A lot of “saintly person” are watching this anime and expecting Rudy to be just like all those other isekai MC. Be a Good boy with OP skills.

    When a near 30++ yrs old real life loser died and reincarnated. They dun simply turn around into a saint overnight.

    For me this is as realistic as it gets for a anime, light novel and manga to depict the nature of a man with mental and behavioral flaws. Now He is given a 2nd chance to have a new life.

    noname
    1. Quite the opposite really. For a “30 year old loser” he’s surprisingly saintly. Despite his sexual tendencies he hasn’t exactly hurt anyone yet. Although if the characters he has, “assaulted” knew he was a 30 year old man I think they may find their interactions a lot more disturbing.

      My issue is not whether behavior is negative or positive but its the consistency with the story and does it enhance or drag down a story. I just feel that at this point, Rudeus could’ve been a normal boy with the exact same behavior and problems and the story would barely change. This is coming from an anime viewer so I don’t know how his isekai circumstance may affect the story later.

      For someone (the MC) who spent most of his time indulging in Japanese fiction, it’s surprising he didn’t stop to think that Sylphy was female. I’m gonna take a wild guess, but I think most viewers, would’ve probably thought Sylphy was female and if put in a similar situation, may have enquired about it first.

      Am I thinking too deep into this anime? Absolutely. I will admit most other animes I wouldn’t even question the inconsistencies because I take them for what they are. I’m only picking on Mushoku Tensei because I feel it could’ve been one of the best fantasy animes of at least the past decade if they just made it a straight fantasy. I personally do not feel at this point in the anime that the isekai trope is doing it any favors. But maybe the story might throw a curveball later where I can get behind it being an isekai.

      Overall, I’m still enjoying the show and simply wishing that something happens later that allows me to get behind the MC as a 30 year old man instead of just trying to disconnect that whole part of the character.

      Goodwill
      1. I’m also an anime only viewer of the show. too But I did watch a few video on YT that highlight some details that is left out from the novel. As expected there is some tweak here and there to make the story fit into the few episode we have now.

        It is definitely not perfect, some area of the story telling can be done better. But I just find it kinda laughable when a lot of negative view on the show is due to Rudy’s behaviors, Paul’s cheating and all those sex related scene. Did the show over sell these scene? Maybe yes. But I do not mind at all, these are just going to be plot devices for the development of the character and story in the future.

        Rudy being a 7 yrs old kid with a 30++ yrs old soul and mind, for him to display all of his flaws is quite normal due to the fact that his previous life is still the dominants part of him now. With him getting to learn more abt the current world, creating new memories and relationship. I expect him to continue his growth and change towards a better person in the future of the story.

        When a show is getting so much discussion and thought from those who watch it, I think it is already a big win for the author and creator. 100% Better than being just another mediocre story where everyone will forget after watching. cheers

        noname
        1. I don’t mind Paul’s flaws. Nor do I mind Rudeus’ behavior if he was a kid. I do think it adds character and room for development. I feel that an issue I have is that the 30 year old man feels more like a narrator rather than someone experiencing these events in real time. He feels so disconnected from Rudeus that I can’t tell how much of him is actually there.

          Honestly, I think I’m just not quite getting it yet. So I am keenly following the series to see if something changes my mind and makes me see things the way other people are seeing.

          Yeah, discussion is good. But I guess we’ll wait and see how well this anime goes and if it leaves a lasting impression.

          Goodwill
          1. Well, maybe it’s because the anime removed parts where he actually uses his past knowledge to solve his problems (other than the awkward eroge lines). For example, his struggle to cast Cumulonimbus. The anime didn’t show that at all making him looks like an OP character who effortlessly surpassed his teacher in his first try. In both of LN and manga, he was unable to keep the clouds he gathered in place and almost failed his exam. Then, he racked his past memory to remember as much as possible from a documentary about rain that he once watched. And, when even that wasn’t enough to solve the problem because he still hadn’t got a clear picture, he supplemented it with the pattern of wind flow he saw in weather forecast programme. Thus, he managed to create a raincloud capable of sustaining itself for at least half an hour. And yes, the reason his Cumulonimbus is better is the self-sustaining property which allows the caster to preserve mana. Roxy’s version was actually bigger in scale with intense thunderstorms (which led to the horse accident). But, it’s not self-sustainable and she needs to keep channeling her mana to control the clouds, keeping them in place till she decides to stop the spell.

            Ryuutobi
  3. All over the place I’m seeing “it’s a great show except the characters are unlikable,” – it’s almost like people don’t know what an antihero is any more. What’s the likability of the characters got to do with anything anyway? Was Macbeth likable? Was Petruchio likable? For something more modern, was Clint Eastwood’s nameless Western character likable? FFS, in High Plains Drifter he’s barely on screen for a few minutes before he’s killed three men and raped a woman.

    As Chekhov put it, “That the world ‘swarms with male and female scum’ is per­fectly true,” so why shouldn’t the MC of a show be one of them?

    Angelus
    1. Well… as far as I can see, I wouldn’t call Rudeus an anti-hero. At the moment I don’t think you can call him a hero either, not yet anyway. He’s a protagonist and MC, but he has yet to develop into a hero.

      I like Rudeus as a little prodigy kid who is too smart for his age and a little perverted scamp. Who I don’t “like” (more accurately, yet to like) is the 30 year old man behind the boy.

      For example, Overlord I could accept that the player and Momonga were one in the same character because the fact he was human plays a lot into his reactions, decisions and attempt to futilely hold onto the remains of his humanity. Is he the perfect example? No. But at least the isekai setting played more of an important role, not to mention defining the NPCs and the systems.

      I just feel Mushoku Tensei doesn’t know whether it wants to be an isekai or a straight fantasy at times.

      Goodwill
  4. Part of the narrative reason for the isekai protagonist is that Ruby makes mistake after mistake, then does something wise, gets cocky and makes more mistakes. The many many flaws of the main character’s original self leads to many of those mistakes, including the his overly sexual misdeeds and not seeing where his stupid anime schemes like the kidnapping could go horribly wrong.

    SadOldGuy
  5. THAT scene was a too much for me and I cant imagine finding it funny or necessary to the plot (maybe if he understood that it was wrong thing to do and reflected – I could understand why they put it). I find it disturbing and portrays main character as molester and pedophile. Imagine situation where Subaru would grope Petra while she was sleeping – not funny at all isnt it? (i dont ask anyone in general, just had conversation on another forum and ended disappointed that almost no one found something wrong in this scene and they thought its meaningful to the plot – in english official translation of the novel they changed it and tbh im happy that they did. Other people were angry about it and were saying that they should leave it). I was thinking about reading a Light Novel, but changed my mind, bc I dont want to read about young girls in sexual way.
    Maybe im just reacting too subjective about this matter, but this episode made me really uncomfortable. Usually I get that fiction is not a reality, but this time i just couldnt feel any other way than triggered by it.

    Shirocat
    1. Let me say this, if you are ok with his behavior if he’s really a kid then you don’t really have a problem with him. It’s a fantasy and as the story go on, you will understand what’s really happening inside his body and realize this whole thing is stupid and you should stop self inserting

      yodad
  6. Man. that scene is so unnecessary. There are a lot better ways to show Rudy pervent side without actually do that scene. What a shame. It feels like purposefully putting a dead fly in your delicious soup. Time to drop this anime

    And pick it again next episode.

    gecd
    1. Unfortunately for you, Mushoku Tensei is a long saga where we’ll see every phase of Rudeus’ growth. There will be no massive timeskip where the characters are suddenly all grown up. So, there’s no choice but following Rudy’s and Eris’ gradual development if you opt to keep watching this series.

      Ryuutobi
  7. Jesus Christ, this site became filled with woke trash in less than a year.
    I have bad news to all of you faux puritans watching this show.
    It’s gonna hurt your delicate sensibilities even more and more as the story goes on.
    drop it before you get to the actual “unlikeable” parts.
    Have a nice day~

    Sarcastic-sama
  8. Nobody here is woke trash. You, on the other hand, are a snowflake if I ever saw one. There are plenty of people here who actually like Redo of Healer even though far worse things happen because of the premise of the story being revengeporn and how evil everybody who has wronged Keyaru is. On the other hand, Mushoku Tensei having Rudeus casually sexually assaulting an innocent girl is far worse than what comparably happens in Redo of Healer.

    Vance

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