I'm not against the marriage to Roxy or against polygamy. Actually, while not necessarily being clear that it would involve marriage or spelling out exactly what type of relationship they would have down the line, it was apparent from the first few episodes of the series that in addition to being partially an ecchi, this was a harem series of some sort and was going to go the harem route, if not right away then eventually. It was pretty blatant and straightforward in how one main girl was introduced after another within the first five episodes. First Roxy, then Sylphie, then Eris. Roxy was the first, the one I always found most attractive both in looks and personality (and voice!), and the one I would have wanted him to "get with" in some form were this not a harem series and he actually forced to choose only one. I felt that since the first episode of the series when she was initially introduced, that I thought the series would be enhanced and made more interesting if there were some form of romance involving them.
However, I have to say this: Not that a sex scene or implied sex offscreen, like what just happened, is necessarily "ecchi" in the way that term is understood in anime, but there were plenty of ecchi-related scenes and moments in the series up to now, and I get that it is in part played for comedy and in part meant for fanservice and gratification as a self-insert wish fulfillment on the part of some of the audience. I never had a problem with any of that. Whether Rudy draping a lady's underwear mask and licking it, masturbating to Eris on the ship voyage offscreen, all the groping and voyeurism, etc. Either it was mildly humorous, sexy, or if nothing else, at least provided further insight into the nature of his character.
But what I do find disturbing, not bad from the writing/creator's perspective if he is intentionally written this way, but bad about the character as a person, is that he seems to only ever to be able to solve everything important through sex. It's how he processes everything, gets over trauma, and seems like he's perpetually on the verge of always dying from a broken heart and despair, or actually driven to attempted suicide, if he doesn't get that validation through something sexual. It's like his only measure of approval and value, he feels worthless without it, and again just comes off like a desperate drug-addicted addict in relation to it. It's honestly just sad to see. Again, not criticizing the writing assuming he is meant to be that way which I assume and have no reason to believe is not the case. But he's no less a psychological basket case in this sense even at 50 years-old mentally (I believe that's accurate as he formerly died at 34 years-old and is supposed to be 16 years-old now in his new life and body) than he was in his previous life at 34 or as a high school teen.
Nothing wrong with sex and having it or being attracted to beautiful girls, but when it's his only measure of worth and he shuts down as a wreck without it because that affection is the only thing he sees worth in, it's just so unfortunate and upsetting for his sake. Why can't he see worth in himself as a person and an individual apart from all that? Why couldn't he ever, before he died? I wonder if the series will ever answer questions like that, or if asking them will just be chalked up to overthinking an ecchi harem power fantasy. But it's not like it's just a mindless gag comedy. When you incorporate this sort of heavy drama, you kind of invite such queries.
Unrelated to all that on a more minor note, it sucks for him and other characters that the healing magic in this world doesn't seem quite as advanced or versatile as it is in Dungeon Meshi, to be able to achieve lost limb and manus recovery. |