Apr 7, 2023
Mushoku Tensei has garnered a reputation as one of the most controversial shows in recent times—splitting the community in its neglectful depiction of paedophilia, rape, voyeurism and so on. Whilst personally distasteful, Tensei's greatest fault may not necessarily be the inclusion of such acts, but its failure to explore the themes driving them.
Rudy’s unrepentant attempts at perversion, the lack of reprimand and its inconsequential framing don’t exactly paint him as remorseful—all the more disgusting as we are constantly reminded of his mental age. Despite this, coming of age is intended to be a significant part of the series. But it's laughable to ever take this
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seriously, as the flaws shelved for reform fuel bland sexual humour at the cost of thematic integrity. It's like admitting your child to rehab only to laugh at them for attending whilst they relapse on a jug of Everclear (INSERT LAUGH TRACK HERE). These jokes don't work in this context and seriously conflict with how Tensei depict Rudeus' actions. Redemption doesn’t happen overnight, it must be forged progressively through conviction-driven trial and tribulation. The show fails to address proper moral ramifications and disregards social constructs, yet expects us to believe it is a slow-burn, methodical story of redemption. That is bullshit. Rudy is devoid of a conscience and refuses to 2nd guess himself in his deluded power trip. The pace at which he grows isn’t the root issue, it's Tensei's failure to delve into his thought process beyond justifying it via his depraved incel background. An imperfect resolve and a total absence of it indicate two starkly different mindsets; with Rudy being the latter. You can't have two sides of the same coin, and unfortunately, Rudeus' eternal struggle with impotence will be forever undermined by an author's tone-deaf writing and muddied vision.
Besides this, Tensei seems to be more focused on its lore and world-building rather than character work or a strong narrative—which appropriately, is better than your average seasonal. This point completely drives its status as ‘the godfather’ of isekai. However, excluding that and an above-average production, there isn’t much to be excited about. Ultimately, it’s just your generic adventure fantasy that doesn’t define itself past the surface level. With the praise it has amassed among fans of the genre, it's disappointing.
This was a tough watch. As a guy who despises ecchi and doesn’t particularly see the appeal of cheap isekai gimmicks (at least in anime/TV), I doubt I would've enjoyed it even if it was comparatively 'good' to other entries within the genre. But so far... it isn’t. And for the sake of my sanity, I can't give it more chances than I already have.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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