Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 0) – Guardian Fitz
The event that destroyed Rudeus’ home town left Sylphiette falling through the sky in an unfamiliar land. She used all of her abilities to cushion her blow and was fortunate enough to land on a monster attacking a princess!
Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 0) – Guardian Fitz
What did you watch?
It’s back! I would have said I’ve been waiting a long time for the second season of Mushoku Tensei and that would be true, although I only recently watched the OVA so I’m already in the mood for more and have effortlessly slipped back into the world. So, yeah. I’m going to be watching and reviewing this season as it airs because I will be damned if I’m having anything spoiled for me. Not with this series. So, let’s get on with it and as I don’t like things spoiled, I’ll warn you right now that there will be spoilers beyond this point.
What happened?
Sylphiette found herself suddenly falling through the sky. Moments earlier she had been at her home, but that was nowhere to be seen. The land she was quickly falling towards was not her home. She tried to use her magic to slow her descent, eventually putting everything into a wind spell in the hopes of landing safely. Amazingly, she did land safely and killed a monster that was rampaging towards a princess in the process. She survived but fell unconscious from the strain. When she woke, she was in a bed being addressed by the princess she had accidentally saved. She warned Sylphiette that she would be charged with trespass, but she had a plan to save her.
So, Sylphiette disguised herself as a man and worked as Fitz, bodyguard to Princess Ariel Anemoi Asura. She was the second daughter of the king and fourth in line to the throne but that didn’t stop her from making preparations for every eventuality. Unfortunately, her moves were noticed by the royal advisor, Darius Silva Ganius who convinced Ariel’s brother to have her taken care of. The assassin came in the night, but luckily for Ariel, she had convinced Fitz (Sylphiette) to sleep in her bed with her that night. Fitz defeated the assassin and survived her poison attack. Ariel decided to leave the kingdom and released Fitz from her position, however, she decided to stay on as Ariel’s bodyguard of her own will.
What did you think?
One of the things that I think this show does really well is that it makes the world feel alive. The characters are all up to something. There aren’t any that are just standing around waiting to help the story move along. So, that made the now infamous scene where Darius convinced the future king, Grabell to have his sister assassinated stand out even more. It’s infamous because it was censored before being released to the Western world and it was not done in the same spirit as the rest of the episode, let alone the series. It felt stiff and awkward and even if you didn’t know about it, I’m sure you would have felt the sudden change in quality. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. It didn’t do anything special, but it set up some things that will no doubt become important.
What was your favourite moment?
Sylphiette fighting the assassin was cool, however, I think the opening as she fell through the sky was my favourite moment. I loved the chaos as the wind rushed through her hair and how it juxtaposed that against the tea party, the princess was having in the royal gardens. Then, there was the monster that attacked before being bludgeoned to death by Sylphiette’s wind magic. So much was going on and it all came together nicely. It also raised some interesting questions. I don’t think the monster was an accident. Someone tried to kill her. I also think that Ariel may have the power of foresight which I will get into in the next section.
Who was the most impactful character?
For the most part, Sylphiette was ushered through the episode by Ariel. It was only at the end that Sylphiette made the decision to help Ariel of her own free will. However, there were several moments in the episode that make me wonder if Ariel can see potential futures or even past lives. She told Sylphiette that she has nightmares about the monster killing her aid and then her. We know that the event didn’t happen in previous cycles of time from the Dragon God, Orsted in season one. So, what if Ariel’s dreams are memories from these previous cycles? I also feel like she can possibly see the future as she just happened to have Sylphiette in her bed on the night the assassin attacked. There are a lot of coincidences and I’m inclined to believe they aren’t actual coincidences.
Was there any conflict?
The obvious conflict was between Ariel and Grabell, however, Grabell is clearly under the influence of Darius. Even so, the most interesting thing I observed was that Ariel tricked Sylphiette into her service and then used her charms to win her over. This could all be explained by my previous comments about her possibly having an ability that grants her sights beyond the norm. It’s also possible that she saw what Sylphiette was capable of and decided that she would be a great asset. A mage that can cast without incantations is unheard of. Of course, at this stage, few people know of Rudeus.
What have you learnt?
So, the Goblin Slayer OVA at the end of last season felt very much like an epilogue. Even though it took place within the timeframe of the original series, it introduced a new character and set them up to become a rival for Rudeus. If that was the epilogue for season one, this was definitely a prologue for season two. When I saw that it was episode zero I instantly became worried that we would fall into some sort of recap episode that reminded us of everything that happened in season one, as if anyone would forget, but I was pleased that it wasn’t In fact, I liked that it showed us a different character and area, setting up more things for Rudeus to deal with. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was a nice way to get back into things.
Other posts in the series
- Season One
- Part 1
- Episode 1 – Jobless Reincarnation
- Episode 2 – Master
- Episode 3 – A Friend
- Episode 4 – Emergency Family Meeting
- Episode 5 – A Young Lady and Violence
- Episode 6 – A Day Off in Roa
- Episode 7 – What Lies Beyond Effort
- Episode 8 – Turning Point 1
- Episode 9 – A Chance Encounter
- Episode 10 – The Value of a Life and the First Job
- Episode 11 – Children and Warriors
- Part 2
- Episode 12 – The Woman with the Demon Eyes
- Episode 13 – Missed Connections
- Episode 14 – No Such Thing As a Free Lunch
- Episode 15 – Slow Life in the Doldia Village
- Episode 16 – Family Squabble
- Episode 17 – Reunion
- Episode 18 – Separate Journeys
- Episode 19 – Route Selection
- Episode 20 – The Birth of My Little Sister, the Maid
- Episode 21 – Turning Point 2
- Episode 22 – Dreams and Reality
- Episode 23 – Wake Up and Take a Step
- OVA
- Part 1
- Season Two
- Part 1
- Episode 0 – Guardian Fitz
- Episode 1 – The Brokenhearted Mage
- Episode 2 – The Forest in the Dead of Night
- Episode 3 – Abrupt Approach
- Episode 4 – Letter of Invitation
- Episode 5 – Ranoa University of Magic
- Episode 6 – I Don’t Want to Die
- Episode 7 – The Kidnapping and Confinement of Beast Girls
- Episode 8 – The Fiancé of Despair
- Episode 9 – The White Mask
- Episode 10 – These Feelings
- Episode 11 – To You
- Episode 12 – I Want to Tell You
- Part 2
- Part 1
Series Information
| English Title | Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation |
| Japanese Title | Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu |
| Medium | Anime |
| Released | Season 1 Part 1: Winter 2021 Part 2: Fall 2021 Season 2 Part 1: Summer 2023 Part 2: Spring 2024 |
| Episodes | Season 1 Part 1: 11 Part 2: 12 + OVA Season 2 Part 1: OVA + 12 Part 2: 12 |
| Animation Studios | Studio Bind |
| Genres | Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Isekai, Magic |
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“So, what if Ariel’s dreams are memories from these previous cycles?”
Now, that’s an interesting thought! Ariel’s already an interesting character; that would amp her up a couple notches!
It certain would be. This series really is fantastic.