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EP. REVIEW: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II

spoiler[I hate Paul and will not miss him now that he's gone but I can't deny the strength of the writing that even with my disdain for him I still felt a pit in my stomach at how bitter the victory ended up being. This was an insanely strong episode, it reminded me why I had ever given this show a chance ]

spoiler[This is pretty much how I felt about it, too. I don't really care much for how Paul is written in isolation and am at best highly ambivalent about how Rudy's been written, but their relationship has been pretty well developed, and the reveal that Paul had sacrificed himself to save Rudy from the hydra was legitimately moving. I also thought Paul's rage at Rudy for being so calm given Zenith's plight was really effective, and a rare example of a time I think they've used the isekai component of the show well besides.]

spoiler[OTOH I was a little surprised by the partially CG hydra, given MT's otherwise seemingly endless animation budget, but artwork's generally a secondary concern of mine anyway. Mm, and I'm not sure how I felt about the reveal that Zenith seems to have become an infantile blank slate while trapped in the crystal. It twisted the knife a bit, but I find the 'And now this character behaves like a baby for X episodes' trope exhausting. I'm not looking forward to how that alters cast dynamics and conversations between party members for the foreseeable future.]

NeverConvex wrote:

spoiler[This is pretty much how I felt about it, too. I don't really care much for how Paul is written in isolation and am at best highly ambivalent about how Rudy's been written, but their relationship has been pretty well developed, and the reveal that Paul had sacrificed himself to save Rudy from the hydra was legitimately moving. I also thought Paul's rage at Rudy for being so calm given Zenith's plight was really effective, and a rare example of a time I think they've used the isekai component of the show well besides.] spoiler[OTOH I was a little surprised by the partially CG hydra, given MT's otherwise seemingly endless animation budget, but artwork's generally a secondary concern of mine anyway. Mm, and I'm not sure how I felt about the reveal that Zenith seems to have become an infantile blank slate while trapped in the crystal. It twisted the knife a bit, but I find the 'And now this character behaves like a baby for X episodes' trope exhausting. I'm not looking forward to how that alters cast dynamics and conversations between party members for the foreseeable future.]

How Rudy and Paul acted on different extremes regarding Zenith worked really well. Knee jerk reaction is that Rudeus is acting a bit *too* cool about it even if keeping a level head helps with strategic planning. As you said, the isekai aspect is certainly a factor given he refers to his parents as Paul and Zenith still, but he does have something of a point where he's 17 years old and for the last 10 of those years, he's been parent-less. Those are key formative years where he's adapted without his mom or dad, so while it may be harsh to say Zenith was just a woman he lived with, it's not entirely without merit. Remember, he was originally going to stay with Sylphy and his sisters, but it was Norn who ultimately got him to go save their mother. It was as much -- if not more so -- for Norn and Paul than it was for him.

The partially CG Hydra still looked badass though. MT, when they need to use CGI, can use it very well and it blended in nicely. I'm not so worried about the "blank slate" angle here if it's done well and isn't used for cheap jokes or needless melodrama. MT has been pretty good about delivering meaningful stakes and character emotions through its writing so I have full confidence in them to handle this properly.

Luckily, he has family and friends around him—people who will not abandon him

Will Rudy now blame himself for Paul's death, and wondering if the future might've turned out differently if he hadn't gone? Or would the result have still been the same, except Rudy's carelessness would not have been responsible for Paul's death?

The question is how clearly Rudy can think things through, especially since I fully expect Norn to add to the guilt he's feeling. The fact is, Rudy most likely saved everyone there (except for Elinalise, who was only there because Rudy went). And, OK, Roxy would have already been dead by that point had Rudy not joined them.

In any case, Paul clearly would have attacked the Hydra the moment he saw Zenith (as in fact he did), and undoubtedly the rest of the team would have thus been forced to follow his lead. That means, with Roxy already dead and lacking Elinalise as a tank, that Paul, Geese and Talhand would have been quickly taken out. They also all would have died in vain as Zenith would not have been freed.

Rudy, for his part, was the one who knew how to kill the Hydra, and the only one powerful enough to see it done. Roxy provided extremely valuable backup fireballs. However, as she also has to say incantations before using her magic, and with a far smaller and less powerful mana pool, there's no way she could of accounted for all the heads. Also, again, sans Rudy Roxy wouldn't even have been there. And Rudy's stone spell was also clutch at the end. I also would not describe his actions in any way as careless. Given the circumstances it's a miracle he made it as far as he did without nearly getting killed.

I'd also like to point out, for all the people still solely thinking of Rudy as a selfish scumbag, that his first reaction upon losing his arm (and not yet knowing Paul was dead), was, "A small price to pay."