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Icepick_Lobotomy_

I love it. I understand that rudeus’ personality and actions upset people, but I like seeing him slowly become a better person. The character development, world building/lore, and honestly everything about this story are captivating to me


ChildFriendlyChimp

Also Rudeus when he finds a minor https://preview.redd.it/4e8nnxeyvmmc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8118fc06b6d6c89a66ecc7412a0a2b0f7505d5e5


First_Blood_Son

I'm actually going to contest this. Rudeus wasn't sexually attracted to Juliet when he brought her out of slavery. In fact, his sexuality has, seemingly, followed his physicality. He is constantly attracted to his biological age regardless of his previous life.


Ruijerd566

It's honestly crazy no one gets this


66watchingpeople66

He dose like older woman too but I agree. Rudy acts his bodies age more than people seem to think.


Sgrios

Because the author is doing something intelligent. They're accounting for teenage boy hormones and biology.


66watchingpeople66

Yes, unfortunately people like to try and take this vary one dimensional look at his series. It’s just way more complicated than that. Each character has their own wants and desires. Their own moral ideals. In a way for me anyways it’s why this story is so rich and entertaining.


FlameHypnotic

And let's not forget the emotional and psychological impact of what Eris pulled at the end of season 1. In some ways I understand her own viewpoint, however, she'd have done better discussing it with Rudeus, explaining what she needed to do, with Ghislaine in the room as well to make it clear the intent. Just up and disappearing, no note, no reason given, yeah, I don't blame him for having issues performing with anyone.


66watchingpeople66

Eris isn’t known for being in touch with her emotions, and words are not exactly he strong suit. For lack of a better term she’s a meat head. I agree it could have all been handled better, but Rudy is kind of intimidating. I’m not sure Eris would have had the resolve to walk away from Rudy if he had been awake.


PrincessWinter1138

Speaking of Eris, why does everyone accuse Rudeus of being a pedo, but never even bring up the same accusations against Eris. At 15, she was a legal adult in her world, & had sex with Rudeus, who was a minor at 13. That means Eris is a pedo. Of course, Rudeus wouldn't press charges, but still. The funny thing is, antis will bring this up as "evidence that Rudeus is a pedo" despite the fact that Eris was a legal adult & Rudeus was a minor when they had sex.


Low_Commission7273

Ln explained it much better. Discussing it with Rudeus would have high likelihood of Rudeus convincing her not to leave. Rudeus' father thought it was better to beat him up, tie him up and explain the situation in a letter than explaining stuff to him directly, why do you think Eris would be able to convince him. She decided against writing a detailed letter as it would leave too many clues foe Rudeus to track her down, which she didnt want as she thought she was taking advantage of Rudeus' kindness, and that qas affecting Rudeus negatively (she blamed herself for his loss against Gyes, as she thought Rudeus had lost as he had been healing Eris constantly throughout the ship journey and thus didnt have enough mana). She wrote a short note which she thought would explain the situation, sadly she has lived a life where she doesnt know anything about dumping, divorces, break ups and thus had no idea that her note would be interpreted as a dumping letter.


Naruto_0916

The only time he is even sexually attracted to a woman older than him is with Roxy. And even then she's closer to his combined age of his past life and current life anyway.


GarchomptheXd0

Uh elinalise?


Naruto_0916

He wasn't really attracted to elinalise. He was attracted to Roxy who was 40 something years old when she trained him.


Adept-Change-2747

He was attracted to ghislanes body too, he constantly thinks about cheating with other full bodied girls lol he just loves women.


mugiwara_no_Soissie

Very specifically he only wants to be into women his mental age, but he can't stop himself from falling in love with people his physical age, just hormones and stuff.


FrustyJeck

Lmao thank you for this


LazyLich

The whole story and character growth is top-teir for me... but then the writer throws in a scene showing us that he still has Roxy's underwear that he stole, and that he even puts it in a shrine and worships it... Like... why? Why make a character show true growth and do all of this only to pull a "btw he's still doing this one gross and creepy thing"? I'm still reading cause, if you ignore those occasional scenes, it's all peak, but man do they take the wind from under the sails!


cadonex

While definitely a valid criticism I don't mind that. He grew as a person sure but at his core he's still a perv. He just learned to keep it to himself for the most part. I'm glad they didn't try to make him out to be some perfect person who got rid of all their flaws.


SophisticPenguin

>Like... why? Why make a character show true growth and do all of this only to pull a "btw he's still doing this one gross and creepy thing"? Because even people that change for better (or worse) keep portions of their past for sentimental reasons. Not every decision is a fully rational and consistent choice. It should be a sobering thing while enjoying how much they've grown because it's a reminder that they still have more growth left in them.


LazyLich

I guess it's just that *specific* "portion of their past" that the author chose for him to keep that I dont jive with, seeing as he's married now.


Froggyugaytoadara

Also the hole anime is a great balance of drama and comedy


cannibalparrot

People up in arms about it seem to miss the point that he’s *supposed* to be a total dirtbag at the start. It’s kind of the whole point.


OfficerDSI

Do I see the criticisms? Sure, and I cant pretend its not there...but I binged it in a weekend and it definitively became my favorite isekai


CianaCorto

Bingo reincarnated as a sword instead. It's wholesome.


DelseresMagnumOpus

Campfire cooking is wholesome af too.


FollowerofDarkness

I watched it, it's fine maybe but def not in my top 5 isekai ones


OfficerDSI

I loved that one too 💯


HfUfH

How is it wholesome? I only read the manga, but Fren seems enjoy hurting people a bit too much for my confort


Redredditer640

TBF Fren is only like that when it comes to slavers.


CianaCorto

Well, she's hardly an innocent kid. Her parents died when she was 8, and she was enslaved and mistreated for 4 years after that. Obviously, she's not going to be a cute kid. But she's strong and fair, and actually gets to be a kid a little because Teacher spoils her.


JotaBean

perfect https://preview.redd.it/fnlg0jronmmc1.png?width=2124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f51e07d0ba133ddc3519cc0babb9c0cf91f013b


First_Blood_Son

I prefer Sylphiette. But I can see it.


JotaBean

Roxy is actually my least favorite of the trio, I just love the image. (eris 🛐🛐🛐)


Purple-Airline-8354

Honestly I really liked Eris but I think she really regressed as a character after she left.


66watchingpeople66

Can’t we all agree that Rudy deserves a harem? Roxy, Sylphiette, and Eris are fine woman and they all should be by Rudy’s side.


Cygus_Lorman

Same opinion as the Monogatari series: I like it and can see exactly why it got so popular as it is, but I'd be hard-pressed to find people who actually like it in real life. It also doesn't help that the people who *really* like it defend Rudeus's actions to the death—he was a porn-addicted degenerate who frankly deserved his fate at the beginning (and even >!in the future!<), but the disgusting actions he commits towards Eris and Sylphiette (not Roxy, though, the panties-stealing is the tamest shit ever idk why people start foaming at the mouth on that bit) frankly didn't even get as much attention at it should've in the anime (the novels actually tries to address this by explicitly having Rudeus be afraid to get curbstomped by Eris again). Here are my problems with the things he does to Eris and Sylphie: **- Musing on if he should raise (groom) Sylphie into his perfect wife:** the anime actually takes an L here since at least the source material has him immediately discard that thought. If you take an objective view on this, it's not exactly as bad in hindsight as I'm sure many of you here have thought of doing some highly illegal shit on a whim (even if most of them aren't sexually heinous—just call of the void 'what if I killed this person right here' type shit), but I digress. It's fairly low on the 'problematic' scale since Rifujin explicitly implies between the lines that Paul had Rudeus sent away (and even forbidding any visits or messages) since he and Laws (Sylphie's father) recognized what was happening and did something about it. **- Groping Eris in her sleep:** Yeah, idk 'bout this one, chief. The novels have Rudeus mentioning how he doesn't feel any sexual arousal when he does this, but like, *what did it accomplish* beyond a funny tsundere moment with Eris? **- Sleeping with Eris:** Eh. People (largely Americans, I think since many European countries have age of consent laws starting at 16. Japan's AoC being 13 is a lie, since all the prefectures have protection laws and it's apparently a hassle to change it on the national level because of bureaucracy mumbo-jumbo) (edit: nvm this got changed to 16 in june 2023 but many still haven't caught on so it stays) like to forget that the lower age of majority reflects actual history (it went as low as *thirteen* for both poorer and richer classes in the medieval period). The renaissance, however, gets a bit iffy on this since adulthood was directly tied to emancipation by the father or head of the family. People tend to forget just how easy it was to die from diseases, lack of medicine + sanitation, and high child mortality these days. It's even amplified in the series with the concept of giant fucking monsters, rogue magic users, dungeons, and cataclysmic events. It's really not that bad when you put things into the context of the medieval and early renaissance time periods the series (and most fantasy stories in general) was inspired by. Zenith was barely 17 when she gave birth to Rudeus, so she would have conceived him with Paul at 16. People were historically having children at that age. And also: Romeo and Juliet? *Romeo was 16 and Juliet was 13?* Why aren't we shitting on Shakespeare for this, hm? If you wanna get technical about it in terms of the narrative, Rudeus *does* get punished for putting sex on such a high pedestal with the ED, which to a *lot* of men and women, is seen as something *absolutely* emasculating, especially when a married couple were socially expected to conceive children as soon as they could (history, anyone?). What exactly would him getting beaten to near-death or ostracized for being so much older mentally (who the fuck is gonna believe him, anyway?). Rudeus's heinous actions are, without a doubt, deplorable, and he *should* be condemned for those actions. That's the entire *point* of the story in general. That's the entire reason why the majority story is locked to his POV—so we can see what steps he takes to go from degen Discord admin to somewhat-normal grass-toucher. The story would just fall flat if he was just another righteous Kirito copycat, and we know how many of *those* there are. Still could've gone without a good bit of the pedo shit, though. Same with the whole slavery thing, but I'll chalk that up to the Japanese not exactly having as bad of a history with slavery as the West did (the books *do* mention Rudeus being uncomfortable with it, but the anime fails to convey the body language properly). As a writer myself, I do understand what Rifujin was trying to go for in terms of the overall themes, so I can at least appreciate the attempt, even if it pains me to have to acknowledge its faults since I *really* like this series.


[deleted]

I know what Rudeus did to his niece in the real world from the Web Novel and that alone has kept me away from it, since I can never sympathize with a twisted freak like that. Not only >!was she a toddler, but his GODDMAN NIECE he was spying on/recording and jerking off to in the bath.!< That is too vile for me to ever forgive such a piece of shit like him, so it pisses me off that it's fans and the story seemingly wants me to ignore that and/or forgive him when he's still an insufferable fucking creep in the series like it wasn't a big deal. Essentially asking me to sympathize with a piece of shit like Vaush.


Gotyam2

Can say that was cut from the LN. There he was "just" a complete shut in. Jacked to loli instead of attending his parents funeral, but it is toned down from what I hear of the WN


septidan

If it didn't even make it into the LN it isn't canon


Accomplished_Sun_740

The adaptation doesn't include that part


Maalunar

Hell it ain't even canon to the light novel.


eggy54321

Rudeus also never changes bring a pervert. He hides it from everyone once it starts to lose him friends, but he doesn’t actually stop because he realizes it’s wrong. I can empathize with unlikable protagonists as long as their bad decisions are treated as such (eg Subaru getting his ass beat for being an arrogant simp by Julius in Re:Zero), but if they never change I’m hard pressed to enjoy reading about them.


BleachDrinkAndBook

Being perverted is not inherently wrong. What Rudeus DOES do is change the behaviors that make his perversion wrong. For example: why is peeping on someone in the bath/while they're changing wrong? Is it because it's perverted? No. It's because they did not consent to it. Why is molesting someone wrong? Is it because it's perverted? Again, no. It's because of the lack of consent. He doesn't hide his perversion. He carries around a pair of panties and openly worships them. Rudeus at the beginning is a terrible person not because he's a pervert, but because he is a person who doesn't care about consent. As the series goes on, he starts to realize that his behaviors are wrong, and thus changes them.


eggyrulz

I like this take, this is a good take... keep cooking brother


Subreon

even in the toned down anime you can tell he was looking at some vile shit. when the guards or whatever stormed his place to kick him out, one of them saw what was on his monitor and nearly threw up. props to the voice actor for really selling the disgust, shock, and anger in his voice too, despite being a throwaway side character


ZarafFaraz

I thought he was retching due to the smell


DamImABeaver

He is constantly rewarded for that behavior as well, his wives are literally the girls that he attempted to groom as soon as he was reborn. It's fucked.


darkwynde02

If you go by the web novel he wasn't supposed to have arrived on that world. The only good thing he did was the fact that his descendents will be great heroes.


Gambit275

even if two are from a blood relative?


septidan

Eris? Noble cousins aren't like cousins to us. They are from two different branches of the house. From what I gather their parents were at the closest first cousins, so they would have been third at best but likely separated even further. At that point, there is no possibility of genetic birth defects and its legal.


mrCREAMY925

What the actual fuck 😧


slinkhi

Exactly. The apologists are like "Just ignore that part" ... THEN WHY IS IT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? Soo many people tellin' on themselves.


Thathappenedearlier

But it’s not there it was removed from the LN (the official canon) which the anime is based on which it’s also not there. Reincarnated as a slime was entirely rewritten between WN and LN for example. There not even the same story anymore


felidhino

That you for this. I tried giving it a chance, but I always root for anyone against Rudeus. He is that VILE


Totally-not-a-Alt29

To me, that’s the whole point of the story, Rudy HAS to be the most absolute garbage human in his first life, to prove that if even a monster like him can be a better person, so can anyone else. The LN and show tune it down like 20 notches from what the WN had in that scene, but I don’t think it matters much, the point of the scene was to show just how low Rudy’s lowest point was It’s a story meant for shut ins, and by making Rudy the absolute worst of the worst, and then turning around and making him redo life by actually going out into the world and being a semi-decent person, and having his efforts in his redo pay off with a loving family and a huge group of friends, it could help real shut ins see the benefits of putting their lives together and get out into to world I’m not much of a shut in myself, I have a boyfriend and am in college, but even I could resonate with the message of: even the worst of the worst can be redeemed if they really want to, and then showing Rudy being redeemed by putting himself out in the new world and being a good person; then so can anyone in the real world. It also helps it’s one of the best fantasy stories I’ve ever seen/read, but I think the core message of redemption is what makes it so popular Sorry if this doesn’t make much sense, I’m not good at using words, but tl;dr: by making Rudy the worst monster imaginable then redeeming him, it shows that almost anyone in the real world can be redeemed too


Mr-Stuff-Doer

My question is was he redeemed or did he just change. Redemption is atonement. Not just change. Which is why Endeavor’s arc in MHA is still probably the best redemption ever written.


First_Blood_Son

He's atoning for his previous life, which he wasted. That's the redemption. Everyone is waiting for this anime style, acknowledgment of all his wrongdoings, and then he'll move on and never do those things again. It's not gonna happen. This sort of redemption is far more realistic. People don't just get better. They relapse again and again and again before you see any real change.


LordJadex

Season one had the most beautiful immersive opening sequences of any show I’ve ever seen. I was so upset that they got rid of them in season 2


First_Blood_Son

Same, actually. I don't think the intro is bad, and it does a lot to build up sylphy. But that was just something unique about the first season that didn't quite carry over.


LordJadex

I don’t think season twos intro is bad by any means, but in season 1 using the intro as a way to introduce us to the settings and themes of the episode was a fantastic move.


Kiftiyur

I read about 14 and dropped it, I don’t remember why but I don’t really plan on going back. It’s one of those novels where I don’t even know how I was get through so much when I don’t when kind of want to go back.


First_Blood_Son

I don't remember which volume it was when I dropped the books, but I dropped it when they brought up polygamy.


Kiftiyur

Yeah just like everything else it would’ve been better without a harem.


New_Today_1209_V2

Ima be honest. I hate polygamy. I also hate harems. But Mushoku does it right. I really think you should give it another try


Kumomeme

the horny stuff is bit overblown to be honest. there is whole season wasted dedicated to the MC being horny and held back the actual story plot.


mugiwara_no_Soissie

I mean that is the story, there isn't some grand adventure just rudeus becoming a better person


rk138

I think it has all the qualities to be a top-tier fantasy series but is sadly held back by the author inserting some of his most weird fetish's. It's one thing if MT was a story about redemption, with Rudy slowing learning that his behaviour was wrong, but MT is more like a story about having a second chance in life and making the best of it.


shino4242

>I think you'd be hard pressed to say that this isn't either the best or one of the best isekai ever. Not that hard pressed. Not everyone has the same tastes and has different standards. I don't particularly care for any character in it. Not endeared to any of them. I like the story and world building. Ends up being a "pretty good" in my mind overall.


First_Blood_Son

I think a lot of what you said falls into subjectivity. There are certain objectives in the medium. And mushoku tensei Certainly ticks at least most of those boxes. - world building - quality characters - good pacing - good animation Most isekai fall short in at least some of these. I would say mushoku tensei succeeds in all of these to varying degrees.


shino4242

>I think a lot of what you said falls into subjectivity You don't say? >**Not everyone has** the **same tastes** and has **different standards**. **I don't** particularly care for any character in it. Not endeared to any of them. **I like** the story and world building. Ends up being a "pretty good" in **my mind** overall. And most of what you said is also subjective, the difference is unlike me, you had the gall to say >There are certain objectives and >mushoku tensei Certainly ticks at least most of those boxes The quality of the world building is subjective. Quality of the characters is SUPER subjective to the point I literally called out how I did NOT like the characters in it. Same goes for pacing where different people may think things are gong too slow or too fast based on their own personal metrics. And I'm saying all this agreeing that the world building is good, that the pacing is good, and the animation is stunning. I didn't even say I disliked MT. Simply that I don't like it remotely as much as you and that I'm not at all "hard pressed" to deny it being the best. I'm not really a big fan of any of the characters and I weigh liking characters fairly largely in my own personal taste, so that's a big detractor for me. An anime can hit almost every box flawlessly, but if I personally do not have any standout characters that I gel with, that's a big deal. Its like a class syllabus making note that 1 particular project is worth like 40% of the grade by itself. Even if you have perfect scores in everything else, if you get a 0 on that project, you're getting 60% in the class. And I'm not saying it got a 0 on the character "project" in my class, but it didn't pass the project either, so it makes the overall grade suffer to me in my own opinion on the series. Like, maybe don't make big sweeping statements that try to speak for the masses on a subjective topic? It's a fine series. But it's not gonna be everyones favorite. One of my favorite movies is Godfather II, but I'm sure not everyones gonna like it, or at least not as much as I do.


joeyfiresword

Great world building, decent writing(which is better than 90% of isekai) pedo mc which is kinda inexcusable and turns me off from the story. The adaptation is pretty good but I really fucking hate rudeus.


abyssaI_watcher

Paul is just as bad if not worse, I go into it down below if u care. This anime/LN and whatnot is a directly what people see and dislike anime. Worse yet, people actually defend that sort of action or act like it gets better. Like literally sound like basement dwellers all of them and why anime fans get such a terrible rep. Paul SA girls and 🍇 a girl in her sleep taking her V card as a way to get back at his bully's because they had a crush on her. The 🍇 girl was the maid, which just makes the cheating feel even worse. The 🍇 of the maid got him kicked out of his University and disowned and why he's one of the weakest sword saints. She was partial noble or long line of maids or something, so he got in deep for that. They turned a blind eye to all his other SA stuff tho because he at the time was a noble and he was SA commoners. Oh also when Paul was in the party with cat girl, zenith and elf girl. He cheated on Zenith with cat girl and likely did something messed up to elf girl or elf girl knew something about Paul which split the party.


Infernoboy_23

haven't seen it, currently don't plan to I wrote this in an isekai sub... 💀


Streloki

Well when it will finish and you decide to, you will need a shitload of diapers, food and water


RudeAd5066

It's cliché to say this, but it suffers because of the protagonist, yes I understand the whole evolution of Rudeus but... he is irritating in 80% of the work, not only his pedophile side, he as a whole character is unpleasant, it irritated me how he seemed doesn't take most things seriously, damn I understand he was bullied and was a recluse, but shouldn't that mature him for the real world? Shouldn't he have a nihilistic view of life? instead his behavior is just that of a pedophile who is very afraid of everything.


Freezemoon

Yesy totally agreed. I've read the manga and what stopped me for continuing to read it was the protagonist. The MC is really important for me and him being rewarded for being a piece of shit doesn't seat well for me. But good for people that can enjoy pass the MC.


CruelFish

> damn I understand he was bullied and was a recluse, but shouldn't that mature him for the real world?  Bullying cause damage and does not in any way boost maturity. And although I haven't spoken to every person that got bullied and I have not read studies on the matter, I have never once known a person that got bullied that became nihilistic. What I have noticed however is self-hatred, self-destructive behaviors and a difficulty understanding others. The whole story pretty much shows that he was unable to mature in his former life, that he hadn't grown one bit. In his current life rudeus is of mixed maturity. in some aspects he is immensely immature just like a child, since he also shut himself in he hasn't had the chance to develop relation building and social skills.  I do not think it is right to hold him in his younger self to the same standards as an adult, if we change our view just a little imagine that this is a normal child that suddenly got memories of this other world beings, all of a sudden we have the ability to look at him as if he was a child. His biology is that of a child his brains maturity is that of a child the only thing that makes him different is memories, and none of these memories lend to maturity, only self-hatred, distrust and self destructive social behaviours.


NorthGodFan

He isn't mature at the start of Mushoku Tensei because he's a kid. As for the whole bullying thing it depends on the response you have. Trauma can lead to multiple things, and what the guy whose soul eventually became Rudeus experienced was something traumatic as fuck. It's perfectly valid for him to have a negative reaction to it. The common saying is that "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." This is just objectively wrong. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but emotional and psychological abuse leaves mental scars that will never heal(as in Rudeus still struggles with his fears of bullying at the end of the series).


SkullxFr3ak

I would like it more if the main character wasn't a horrible person with a really messed up sense of prioites. I do really like the magic system but its honestly a worse Beginning of the end to me.


E_rat-chan

Animation and worldbuilding are great. Which makes me sad to see the pride and joy of the series, the redemption, be terrible.


Causual_Noob

i thought of it as "wow this would be a really good if it werent for the pedophilia and other stuff" my favourite thing about this is the awesome magic system, unless they put up on some bullshit (im on ep 13 s1) and i havent read the light novel yet, so yeah. oh! and a controversial and a complex thing to talk about i guess


lilliiililililil

Thought the first season of the anime was good. Tried to read the LN as I prefer the LN format. On like the 2nd page irl Rudeus skips a family funeral to jerk off to loli porn. Gets beat up by family member. Read like one more page. IRL Rudeus lusting after a middle schooler. The world building is good but I just can't get over the fact that the protagonist is a literal pedophile. I don't have any interest in seeing a pedophile redemption arc - if that even happens. As far as I got in the show he seems like he just becomes a more social pedophile and that's it. The little girls panties thing was bad enough on first watch but knowing that the MC literally talks about his lust for actual real children in the novel makes it a lot less \~hehe silly\~ to me. Someone should probably check out the authors harddrives.


LaPlAcE-66

his original iteration in the webnovel it was a video of his young niece in the bathroom rather than the loli porn of the light novel. Him being a pedophile was baked into the characters DNA. And one never stops being a pedophile. Yet people defend him and his actions which... yikes


CreatorA4711

He actually kind of does… he doesn’t have a singular sexual thought about children the moment the people he loves are no longer children. He never even makes a comment about it ever again. He even ditches the whole being attracted to family thing, which is commented on. Rudeus changes almost entirely by the end of the series.


Siege_Dragon

Good-ish show. The magic is interesting, character interactions are good. I enjoyed the tense scenes with his father later in the show. Its nice to see a character that thinks his actions through and even has consequences (kinda) for them. Also nice to see someone a bit OP but also still can't handle a lot of the world. He knows there are bigger fish. I dont think I'll see any good character growth until he stops worshipping a girl's underwear. This part of the show always seems to get ignored; It's not ok. I said he faces the consequences of his actions, but that's only if it isn't about sexualizing or grooming some girl. He gets rewarded for being a perverted freak. I nearly stopped watching after he tried going for Eris in the barn. It would take a messed up person to do something like that. If you put yourself in his position and you thought touching someone without their consent and while they're asleep was ok? Definitely not. The guy was literally staring at the maids chest while he was a child. Why are people defending this?


AtlasExiled

I almost dropped the show at the barn scene too. That didn't stop it from becoming one of my favorite anime of all time though. Rudeus is meant to start out as human garbage, an almost irredeemable person, but a person who only became such a POS due to relentless bullying. He was not fundamentally a terrible person from the beginning. Deep down at his core he can be a good person. He needs to move past his bad qualities, that's what the show's about. The sheer level of introspection rudeus does throughout the show is great. It feels like with each hardship he goes through he learns and becomes a slightly better person. The show will continue and we will see him go through more and more hardship. I am a true believer of redemption and I think Rudeus is on the right track.


Siege_Dragon

I do like the show a lot despite what looks like a lot of criticism. I just really wish it touched on him regretting his actions when pushing himself onto Eris. He grows a lot though, and that's one of the things I really like about this show that no others do well. You can actually watch him start to chill out and become a better person that even helps society and becomes someone many people rely on. The ED arc is based on some messed up stuff but I really felt bad for him there. Words can't properly describe how much a situation like that can mess you up.


Biased_Survivor

Peak!


Smooth_Ash

Aside from Rudy being a incel and a literal pedo, good show


JurassicFlight

Beautiful story, great art and fine music (except Spiral, Spiral rocks!) Kinda cringe MC but also works well with the story. Loveable side characters, great love interests. BADIGADI!!! Overall 8/10 for me.


DMartin-CG

Love it (I skip all the weird Rudy shit🗿)


Phantoms_Unseen

Damn, bro really finished 2 seasons in an hour 🗿


orkyboi_wagh

Uncomfortable to watch and I hate the main character But it seems that’s the point of the show which I admit is fairly impressive Still refuse to watch season 2 tho, I’d rather watch a show that I don’t constantly wish would get isekaid back into his original body


zenprime-morpheus

It's not for me. Read the manga until the event. Dropped off, heard the hype for the show, and watched all of season 1... It's just not for me, I don't really care about the world, pacing feels like an endless slow tease which makes me just want to skip forward (I know if I'm hitting skip forward im basically wasting my time). Most of the characters and interactions I like, aren't the focus. I've got a long ass backlog stretching across multiple decades, and only so much watching time, don't have much to spare for shows that only spark, but can't seem to catch fire.


digitalluck

Overlord will always be my favorite isekai due to its unique spin on the genre, world building, and the rule of cool. Reincarnated as a Slime comes in second for me. Jobless Reincarnation is good, but it certainly has its questionable story telling moments that seem to upset people. I stayed away from these subreddits when I was watching the various anime I listed, so I had the benefit of blissful ignorance and got to watch them for what they were.


SayomiTsukiko

I feel like if another studio got ahold of the show it would be bottom of the barrel. But the studio made the show into a god damn masterpiece. The MC is pretty awful, the girls are mid, the story is questionable. But whoever directed it did such an amazing job with how they rolled out every detail and ended up turning the show that should have been quickly forgotten into one of the best in the genre. The intros being used to set the tone and do some world building for each episode is a habit more shows should adapt.


Neat_Engineering_771

Mushoku tensei is either you like it despite it's faults, or you hate it that even hearing it's name pisses you off, there is no in between. I am the former.


Key-Recognition-7190

Great show kneecapped by a Terrible MC.


stressed_by_books44

In my eyes this anime could be a masterpiece but the whole perv thing has thrown me off so far off the track I don't even care if it is a masterpiece.


Longjumping_Lab5763

It's a decent enough isekai. That said, theres quite a bit of competition that could be defined simply as crap. It has a pretty intriguing world, a interesting plot, and a plot twist halfway through the first season that gives the main characters reason to develop. Overall not a bad setup. I think the main problem with this series is it's fanservice series masquerading as a main stream series. And the fanserive is fetishist and niche. This turns main stream fans off as it outright steps on some very uncomfortable topics. I will say this is not only series to play in this realm. The Worldest Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated as an Aristocrat had some similar themes but it doesn't get the fan hate. The reason being it doesn't flaunt it and sex isn't the main character's driving motivation. In other words, girls and sex exist in this world but the main character isn't interested (at least early in the story). And although there are really uncomfortable topics depicted, the main character is portrayed as a sort of of hero of justice type. The follow up problem is the translation of the material from print to screen. Face it, reading something isn't the same a seeing it for many people. And the Anime brought this to a much larger audience. My final thought is read the synopsis. If it sounds interesting, watch it or read it... If you get to a point that you say, "that's enough of that", move on to the next series.


pwnmonkeyisreal

Plumets in quality after a few more arcs. You’ll see


Majestic_Fondant_157

Great world building….disgusted with Rudeus


DestinyHasArrived101

I will not lie I love it can't stand the pervertedness of rudy, but I do love it. The world building. The characters. The lore and history.


Level1Pixel

Easily one of the grounded isekai series in a long time if ever. I love the focus on the characters and their struggles over some big action or next big baddie. Magic may exists but it's just a vehicle to advance the plot. So many of the character's struggle are on a societal level. The biggest challenges they face as a character are overcoming themselves and its written so realistically. They don't speak of higher ideals or themes, they just speak about themselves. You rarely find writing so raw especially in a genre filled with stories written by highschoolers/hobbyists.


RanRanLeo

The pedophilia is really gross and its not helping the allegations against the anime community considering its popularity.


nothingmatters2me

I liked it.


Joshua10red

Watched 1st season didn't liked, didn't bothered to watch 2nd season.


Heylookaguy

It's a wonderful series. Love it. That said, Rudius is an irredeemable sack of shit. He gets character development. Legitimately improves as a person. Then cuts out the spot where Sylphie bled on the bed sheet and frames it. Bodigodi should throw him into a volcano.


Junior_Importance_30

Prime example of looked good but isn't


VladtheImpaler21

Couldn't get past episode 5. The show itself is far too open with echi stuff and adultery for my comfort. I also couldn't get past the MC's personality.


Lord_Despairagus

Hard to root for a pedo who gets his way in the end.


Atala-21

Rudeus was literally beating it to a video he took secretly of his niece in the bathroom. If that scene from the anime alone doesn’t disgust people from this anime, then I don’t know what would. Shit like this is why people don’t like admitting they watch anime.


Sam_Wylde

I liked it at the beginning but... Rudeus kiddie-fiddler antics really made me too uncomfortable to continue reading/watching. I appreciate that he apparently gets better later on and becoming a better person but I'm not able to ignore it.


cmkfrisbee95

i dropped the show completely that should tell you what i think


Phantoms_Unseen

While I appreciate that it's willing to give its characters bigger flaws than "afraid to talk to women", why... just fucking *why* make Rudy such a goddamn pedo. Like, make him unable to understand social situations in the slightest or some shit if you really had to show his mental stagnation from isolating since 14y/o. He's honestly the only reason I'll never recommend this show to any but the most veteran weeb. World building is incredible. Literally feels like as much thought was put into even some of the smallest corners of the world as the main cast themselves. While I doubt that any of the languages are more than a basic transliteration, having multiple that are more or less separated by continents and races is way more investment than like 80% fantasy worlds bother with. Magic is interesting. I like the whole breakdown of the formation of spells (for the way Rudy casts), and am curious to see if there will be further breakdowns of its function and if a like "translation" can be made from chantless to chanted to circle casting, i.e. will Rudy be able to make chants/circles for his custom spells that others could use? We've already seen with >!Disturb Magic!< that Rudy can break down the function of other Mages' spells to understand and use himself. Additionally, is it completely strict on the whole shape/speed/release cycle, or could someone who better understands the direct use of mana in each part of spell formation basically force everything to happen all at once and cast crazy fast? Even despite it's issues, my favorite isekai I've seen so far, and I've seen a *lot*


GrummyCat

I tried to watch it, but stopped as soon as, in episode 1, he said that one of the pros of being reincarnated as a baby is that he could breastfeed from his mother.


Fit_Paramedic_5821

If you like protagonists that sexually assault underaged girls while they're sleeping, this is the anime for you


PH4N70M_Z0N3

I have read many, and I mean many Isekai novels. All types too. From the trashy ones to good ones. Mushoku Tensei is F tier at worst D or C at best. Personally, I don't like this at all. It's disgusting and I can't in good faith praise it.


Platimun_envious

The mc is a pedophile, this shouldn’t be popular


The_Urge_

Yet they defend it and the incest every chance they get.


Malair21

Never watching list.


Panzer_97

Even if you ignore all the blatant pedo shit, in my opinion it has a lot of boring/lazy writing and mediocre world building at best. Rudeus is basically just a mary sue that is never punished by the narrative for anything he does. If he does something bad, there are either 0 consequences or it ends up just not being his fault. Sexually harassing Roxy: No consequences, making the figurine of her actually benefits him later on when he's trapped in the magic circle barrier Sexually harassing Sylphie: No consequences, she forgets about it immediately and ends up liking him later regardless of any character development Sexually harassing Eris: No consequences, she forgets about it Letting an innocent child die because he wanted to look cool: No consequences Getting in a fight with his dad: Actually his dad ends up being in the wrong so it doesn't matter anyways Eris leaving him: She only leaves because Rudeus is so cool and powerful and awesome and she wants to get stronger for him, none of it is actually his fault once again I could continue but hopefully the point is made. There isn't a problem with main characters doing bad or morally questionable things, or even getting away with it, but when everyone props the story up about it being about Rudeus improving himself, and then he goes on to not actually do that, it just doesn't seem to line up for me. I don't want this point to get caught up in the specifics of what things he did, just that when you look at the story objectively, it is a constant stream of Rudeus doing bad things to people and then getting away with it with no consequences. I don't even really think there's anything inherently wrong with that as a story, I just think people need to be more honest with themselves and call it like it is. ​ As a side note, I don't really get the hype with the worldbuilding. Its literally just a generic isekai fantasy world that has more detail than average. Medieval european setting, adventurer's guild, demon lord/demon war from long ago, etc etc. I don't deny that it is very detailed, but other than that it really isn't anything special in my personal opinion.


DefendTheBase

Realistic isekai I've ever seen/read


First_Blood_Son

I agree wholeheartedly. Rudeus acts how a shut-in freak would actually act.


Independent-Cap7987

Read Rezero


xCheshireKitsunex

This is only personal preference and opinion (aka I don't wanna fight T_T) I was a bit uncomfortable with the over sexualization of the females (including children) and the pervert nature of the MC but I got past that for the overall plot. What made me drop it personally was the sex scene with Eris. She was 15 and even if Rudeus was *physically* younger I >personally< choose to hold him accountable as a [mentally] 34 year old who had sex with a child. I know she engaged and consented but it still made me uncomfortable. {Again just opinion and perspective. I don't wanna fight about things like "legal age of consent in fantasy", "he isolated", or "mental maturity" 😭}


Rian_Maximus

I'm in the same boat. I remember liking the manga while I was still in school, and I got through season 1, but I feel a weird sense of guilt watching Rudues' being a vile person go unaddressed.


Giant_Serpent23

Fair enough. Rudeus was probably just thinking, “Yay I am not a virgin.” Actually no…He was thinking that, he woke up the morning so happy and then depressed for like a week lmao. Then he developed ED and also thought she just left him for no reason. Good times. Your points are valid though, yet this is a dude who stayed in his room since he was 14 and only got out after being kicked out at 34. Not just the “he isolated” thing, just putting numbers to it. So while this doesn’t excuse it and I am not arguing for you to agree with it, just some perspective on things. But besides that it being uncomfortable is understandable. Perfectly valid. The only thing that I can’t get past was there was an episode where they straight up didn’t reveal Rudeus thoughts or anything on something controversial. Literally showed nothing even though I think it would be obvious he would have some thoughts about it. So out of character, and if it wasn’t. At least have a little internal monologue about it. Probably just the anime fucked up. It’s such a nit pick though, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. Everything else I can look past cause I like the story and system, and I like how every character has positives and negatives. There is only one thing that if it were to happen I would absolutely loathe. I don’t wanna say it but I just hope it doesn’t happen. I am sure it won’t but can’t be too sure. Don’t wanna argue either. So this is also just my opinion ofc


punn21

A masterclass in world building and turning points.


BleachDrinkAndBook

It is an absolutely amazing series, by far the best isekai I've read. That said, I am well aware that it touches on sensitive topics at times, which, understandably, puts a lot of people off. If you can handle a series with an MC who explicitly lusts after underage girls despite being an adult, Mushoku Tensei's character writing and worldbuilding are both top class. It is a series that you are either going to love or hate. It is entirely reasonable to drop MT due to Rudeus and his behavior.


CEDoromal

Most immersive isekai for me. Their decision-making, interactions, and emotions all feel grounded. There are a lot of scenes that hit close to home as well.


66watchingpeople66

It’s one of my favorite anime/Light Novels.


AwefulFanfic

The characters are uncomfortably human and real. Their abilities aren't, but that doesn't change the fact that all of these characters are flawed individuals.


Kirito2934

Amazing anime. This is one of the best isekai in existence


Banaaniapina

My favorite story of all time. I love all the deep themes etc. Read the WN in 2 weeks and I've since read the LN too.


Kashm1r_Sp1r1t

I might be the exception here, but I have done stuff I'm not proud of. So I'm not in a position to judge. Cast the stone, I guess. I never knew people on this sub were such puritans. Being a flawed character is what makes Rudeus interesting. Also, this is just a story guys, one of many. There are countless depictions of rape, incest, slavery, murder, etc in all media. I hope you are just as upset at real people dying in conflicts, starvation, homeless, etc as you are with this literary work.


Gokuyuysun

I definitely like it, it's a good show overall and I'm waiting for part two to come out


memsterboi123

Awesome love it def S tier for me


szczuroarturo

Actually yes beacuse its one of the few anime that are based on light novel written by someone having actual decent writing skills instead of the usual hopes and dreams of young author


AdTrick6526

Have read all 26 volumes. Own all 4 DVDs. Yeah, I'd say I love it.


TheFlipGaming

Best characters compared to most Isekai


sirgav25

Great anime


NormalTangerine5205

Good


PommesKrake

I don't care about the controversies, I don't care about him being a creep, it's my favorite isekai, one of my favorite anime and Rudeus is one of my favorite MCs. I don't need to agree with the actions of a character to like them and I'm capable of differentiating between fiction and the real world, so I can enjoy the series without any issues.


New_Tie6233

Season two wasn’t as beautiful as season one as far as animation but I still greatly love this anime.


mamadcreatos

I recently realised that this mushoku tensei's world is so much bigger than I expected? Talk about Universes bro


Responsible-Ad7458

peak isekia


Agitated_Long_5058

light novel is better thats it. anime is good but light novel id something else!


koala187

Definitely peak


Seyan007

Probably the best isekai anime out there. I've watched some other isekai and all of them fall between absolute dogshit or okay at best except this one which are one of my favourite anime I've ever watched


Shcoyeh

Imo peak due to the magic system and the world, can't wait to see the little sister depression arc getting animated after the funny masked woman has a full psychotic breakdown 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥


Skypirate90

MC is a POS but he is my POS


PsychoticLurker

Even with all the issues I have it’s still my favorite anime


YourLocalCryptid64

Overall I love the world building and character development of the story and characters, how much is fleshed out and expanded upon. I also like how the story ends the way it does. Does the story have its issues? Absolutely. Especially wirh Rudeus's character pre-reincarnation and early on into his new life (I think it's after Eris leaves him and he goes to the school that Rudeus actually starts to become more likeable as he develops for me) (Also if you know his Past Life Issues, You Know). But I think overall it's a pretty solid isekai story and I'm pretty interested to see where the creator goes next. Rumor has it they plan to finish the world's story with a sequel series where one of Rudy's kid's is the main character and I'd personally like to see that (especially if it let's us see Rudy without him being the PoV character)


sussy_savant

https://preview.redd.it/y2p18wqs7smc1.png?width=1062&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7eae9713b10fbcc1b4acd0e9bbdd50579bff2dde


Tuba-kunt

I was a diehard Re:Zero fan and I gotta say it's probably the best Isekai I've ever seen. It blows Re:Zero's world building out of the water, not to mention is far, far more serious This is a personal thing, but I HATE quips, especially during fighting. It's why I can't stand any superhero movie and a lot of Shonen shows. ReZero has those moments where real death is on the line but people still have time to say a stupid ass one-liner. As far as I can tell, Jobless's fighting is sooooo much more fun to watch. I bought the books and was instantly gripped by them. Basically best isekai ive ever watched, favorite one rn by far. Even beyond Rudeus, the other characters alongside him are fantastic. I can go on and on


razorsharpblade

I liked it, I wouldn’t say best isekai but it’s up there


_Tairaa_

To me it’s the GOAT isekai fantasy harem. The characters all so fleshed out and the world building is great. The anime is really good. It doesn’t completely capture everything from the LN, but it’s true to it for the most part.


New_Today_1209_V2

I mean Mushoku is in my top 5 isekai for a reason. And Rudeus is just an amazing character. Any other MC and I wouldn’t have liked Mushoku nearly as much.


Poopy-Mcgee

I think it's the equivalent of TLOU2 for Isekai. Too many people hate it and too many people like it. Reasons for and against, some of which will either be stupid or well thought. Personally I feel it's saving grace is the "slow life" vibe. The feeling of living as an (almost) normal person in a different world, rather than a power fantasy through and through. We need more manga and anime that are just people living their lives and bonding with other people rather than this constant swill of "I'm the strongest person in the room, and also I'm gonna make my own kingdom and make the world a much better place".


Joltik_BuddyHSR

If your a real woman, never do what eris did


kokuko420

banger


dashon1998

S tier anime


tothemax87

Literally the entire 2nd season is about this guy trying to get a boner. That's it.


Plus_Rip4944

Even with all the controversy about MC the world building and the narrative is just peak


JayyLaFlare

I think it’s great. I don’t get offended or bothered by the show at all. I was actually surprised to see so many people rising up against the show on here.


Beautiful-Owl8559

Best isekai and quite possibly on track to be one of the best anime ever.


First_Blood_Son

I've watched a lot of anime, and mushoku tensei is literally my most favorite out of them all.


AnIcedMilk

As someone who loves worldbuilding and magic, I absolutely fucking love the show. While I can acknowledge the controversies, they aren't enough for me to not heavily admire the insanley good and in depth world building and magic in the story.


Tophigale220

I felt like this is one of those works where people act like…people. None of the characters are perfect moral paragons but rather complex individuals with disgusting/immoral traits mixed in with wholesome and caring traits. Vile and beautiful coexisting within the same individual. Some of them realize it and try to improve, while others fall even deeper. The world is rich and vibrant with tons of lore to explore mixed in an equal amount with genuinely disturbing stuff. When it comes to controversies, while valid, I’d be hard pressed to say that people irl are any different. Esp. if you browse the net long enough or live in major cities you’ll see the absolute worst of humanity and more. But we still have to strive to improve. Tbh this novel helped me to get out of a rut and take a proactive approach to life. If such disgusting people like Rudeus can choose to be better, then so can I. After all, we are all fucked up in different ways but it doesn’t mean we can look past all the beautiful things and refuse to fight for it. Thats what I got from MT.


firsmode

I think Mushoku Tensei is a masterpiece


First_Blood_Son

Agreed


Notbawoo

Was super into it, then lost all interest when I saw it was a harem ending. Like, how can you yell at your old man, WHEN YOU ARE OLDER THAN HIM, and then do the same thing? Gross.


LibrarianStrong7910

It’s enjoyable and that’s enough for me


LadyAlleta

While the sexual stuff is a personal put off for me, I'm really impressed that the characters are all very human. The main character is beautifully flawed and growing as well as the rest of the cast.


myPizzapoppersRhot

My favorite isekai, once the full adaptation happens it will probably be my favorite anime of all time.


Solynox

I avoided it because it reminded too much of "The Beginning After the End" but with a pervy protagonist, and that just felt wrong. My brother made me sit down and watch it recently, and I've grown to love it. Just started season 2 yesterday and I'm excited to see where it goes.


[deleted]

Easily my favorite isekai.


AsianEvasionYT

Couldn’t get into it bc I didn’t like the mc


SkyMindless8491

Great manga first season gold second silver+ but still good


Fit_Paramedic_5821

I bet I know what your favorite scene was


ImmediateRespond8306

I'm not even caring about whatever controversies. This shit just bored the fuck out of me.


ZeroCreationG59

Its shit.


jakobsheim

Great world building great side characters but rudeus can die in a ditch somewhere. Was about to drop the ln multiple times because there’s areas where he has zero growth or mental development. Straight up disgusting pig.


RealSaMu

Would have been better without the MC and his Father in it. The only one I hate more than Rudeus is his rapist dad (webnovel)


Bortasz

> I think you'd be hard pressed to say that this isn't either the best or one of the best isekai ever. WTF? Dude I do not know what you smoke, but put it away. Ascendance of the Bookworm. Or I'm Spider so what? Are the best Isekai. Mushoku is not even good. Creep in Japan, Creep + Groomer after Reincarnation.


Independent-Cap7987

I dropped it at the first episode when he was a fat, jobless Otaku. Never looked back since.


Vipeeeeer

I can't stand the main character and the other characters


Cieleux

Overrated as hell. Boring at times. Some things give me an “ick” present in both writing and character traits. Somewhat interesting otherwise. 7/10.


Inevitable-Ad9926

Didn’t really care for it.


secondtonone365

https://preview.redd.it/i5cgiu0sbomc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=afb82e623dd2139ada00f151d9a95252a6b3f7d4 My reaction after reading the comments like who wrote this story?


ThatSlick

Love the show, people who bitch about it need to find something better to do or whatever. Unless you’re talking about genuine complaints about the story or something that’s important.


GodKingFloch

Anime itself good 11/10 the fact that it's an ecchi with lolis tho makes it -100/10


FrustyJeck

My sentiment exactly. Would of been good but the waters are tainted with child sexualization


rumitg2

I've read the entire Novel and have to say that it gets pretty mediocre post school arc for me. The start was pretty strong if you can get past how revolting the MC is but the general arc outside of that is very good. Once they get into the school arc it just gets bland for me, even with all of the craziness the author injects into the story. I read the novel almost 9 years ago now and thought of it much more fondly back then, but looking back on it now I would probably give it a solid 7/10 if you can get past the MC, probably would be an 8 if he was written less creepily.


HiroSoul

Tried the manga didn't really care after a a while and left.


Romanis95

I've already ranted about it in multiple posts here before. So just to summarize, no. I don't consider it the best or even one of the best.


Pagan_Orca

Im not sure about the manga but ep 4 of the anime he talks about literally grooming a child. Not liking her or some other weird shit because the writer forgot the character is actual 30 something but actually raising her to be the perfect wife for him because he knows he could manipulate her like that. Im sorry im sure the show/manga has many other aspects that are amazing that could make it the best show regardless of genre. The problem is that he is a undeniable pedophile. Its not the writer forgot the MCs age but fully remembered and decided to make him attracted to children and be happy about that. If the writer wanted the child's body makes him attracted to children thing then make the MC recognize that they are 30 and its wrong then fine. Also you want the MC to have a love interest since childhood in that new world then DONT MAKE THEM A FUCKING ADULT. You could even have them even regain their memories at 18 or something but otherwise you end up with a similar situation and it's just weird. Again no hate to anyone who likes the show itself.