Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 3) – Abrupt Approach
Rudeus has been working with Counter Arrow a lot and Sara is starting to warm to him. So much so that she asks him to go shopping with her. Their date continues into the night at a tavern where Sara makes it clear what she wants!
Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 3) – Abrupt Approach
What did you watch?
I’m not going to lie. Watching this show weekly is really hard. It doesn’t have the absurd number of cliffhangers that shows like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba have but it pulls you in. I feel like I will have to binge-watch it once it’s finished just to get the full sense of things. It really is that good of a show that watching it twice is the very least you should be doing. Saying that, this episode was so involved that when the end credits appeared, I was certain that it had only been five minutes since it started. You lose track of time because it sucks you in. Anyhow, let’s talk specifics.
What happened?
Sara and Rudeus went shopping for a new dagger for Sara. Her old one was chipped and worn and if they were going to keep being a successful party, she needed some better equipment. In the end, Rudeus ended up treating Sara to a new blade and then they got some food and drinks. After a couple of drinks, Sara leaned into Rudeus, resting her head on his shoulder. It was a clear sign and Rudeus wasn’t about to miss out by being coy. He asked her if she would like him to walk her home. She said she didn’t want to go home yet. Maybe they should go to his place!
Once there, Sara told Rudeus to sit beside her on the bed. From them, things moved a little quicker. They quickly undressed, but then something happened. Or rather something didn’t happen. Rudeus was horrified to discover that he couldn’t get aroused. Sara took it personally and left, cursing herself or Rudeus depending on your point of view as she walked out the door. Rudeus was devastated and quickly found his way to a tavern. There he got seriously drunk. Then, Soldat walked in and began to tease Rudeus. Rudeus turned on him, knocking him to the ground and then laying into him.
The entire tavern watched in silence as Rudeus hit Soldat, crying and cursing his life. One of Soldat’s party members stepped in and asked Soldat to go easy on him. Soldat agreed and took Rudeus aside. He listened to Rudeus’ problems and took him to see a specialist. Elise agreed to help Rudeus in any way she could but after a while, they were forced to give up. She told Soldat that Rudeus had some baggage that he needed to deal with. Maybe things went too fast for him and he got scared that he would be rejected soon after.
Soldat walked Rudeus home and talked about his options. He told him to take it easy and that he was sure Sara would be fine once she’d had time to think. She was probably embarrassed and trying to save face too. However, Rudeus was very drunk and started to yell about Sara and how she wasn’t a real woman like Elise. Soldat tried to stop him, but Sara heard it all. She hit him and stormed off, leaving the blade he bought her behind. Rudeus couldn’t believe what had happened and picked up the blade. He pointed it at his throat. Soldat stepped in, knocking the blade away and offering Rudeus a chance to join his party so that he could give Sara some space.
What did you think?
I had hoped that the last episode would be the turning point for Rudeus to develop a little more confidence in himself and push forward, but that was not to be. He’s clearly still struggling with the way that Eris abandoned him. He still doesn’t understand why she did that and it’s eating him up from the inside. It’s no wonder, he couldn’t perform for anyone, especially Sara. He’s already noted that she reminded him of Eris. What would have happened had they had sex and then she disappeared too? She probably wouldn’t have, but that’s what he’s thinking. He doesn’t want to be abandoned. That’s why he’s been so perfect and well-mannered. He thinks everyone will hate him so he pretends to be someone else. This was a sucker punch of an episode. No one won. I’m gutted for both Rudeus and Sara.
What was your favourite moment?
It might not seem like much, but the fight between Rudeus and Soldat was actually a fascinating moment. Soldat had begun with his usual teasing of Rudeus because of the way he hides his true self away. Of course, Rudeus being drunk turned and laid into him. Even when Soldat was on the floor, Rudeus climbed on top of him and kept hitting him. Now, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for Soldat to react. However, he lay there and took the hits, listening to Rudeus cry and talk. Then, his party member knelt down beside him and asked him to let the kid off. I’m sure everyone in the tavern was thinking that and thankfully, so was Soldat. We’ve seen what a hot-head Soldat can be, but even he could tell this situation was different. Yet another example of not always trusting your first instincts about someone. That’s been a pretty consistent message in this series.
Who was the most impactful character?
Soldat continues to make the biggest impression in the series as he appears to be the unlikely savour of Rudeus. We saw him literally save his life when a grief-stricken Rudeus was seconds from ending his own life. We saw him listen to Rudeus’ problems and take him to see if they could help him at a professional establishment (it’s a brothel). We saw Soldat sit in the bar and wait to see how Rudeus got on. Then, he listened to Elise as she explained Rudeus’ issues. Soldat is the ultimate wingman/big bro! So, it came as no surprise that after things really hit the fan, he offered Rudeus a chance to leave town for some time. It gave Rudeus something else to focus on and would put some space between him and Sara.
Was there any conflict?
Well, this episode was all about conflict and it came from every angle. It first came at Rudeus from his own body. He just wasn’t ready to move on from Eris or even put himself in a position where he could be hurt again so his body didn’t let him. That, unfortunately, impacted Sara too. She was clearly into Rudeus and was hurt by the rejection. That, no doubt, prompted her to say what she did in an attempt to save face. I doubt there was any sense of obligation in her acts. She wanted to. I think she felt hurt and embarrassed by the situation too. As I said earlier, no one won. This was a failure across the board and it comes down to being unable to communicate. Unfortunately, Rudeus made the entire situation worse with his drunken outburst, which was also him trying to save face. Embarrassing stuff happens. People need to get better at talking about it rather than getting defensive.
What have you learnt?
I liked Sara, but I never saw her as a long-term thing for Rudeus and I feel like after the way things went down here, it could be the end of that path for good. They’re both young and headstrong so I can’t see an easy reconciliation, even though both will probably admit that they were at fault if they knew the other’s situation. I keep saying it, but no one won. All they can hope from this situation is to learn from it and grow. And frankly, isn’t that the point of stories? They hold a mirror up so we can see the society we live in and the problems that we face. Being able to connect with the audience is the most amazing thing a story can do and this series does it over and over again because it’s real. There might be demons and dragons, but the suffering and the joy are things we can all relate to.
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 |
You might also like…
Once again — seems like we watched the same episode! 🙂
Man, what an emotional ride. To put it flippantly.
It’s almost like we’re sitting in a room together watching it and discussing it as it happens.
It’s surprisingly reassuring that we’re noticing the same things and highlighting them. Some thing about great minds and all that…
And yeah, it was a great episode but I wouldn’t say it was much fun.
I feel sad for both Rudy and Sara, but I don’t really feel sorry for them. You reap what you sow, and sometimes that is very painful.
What Sara got at the end of the episode was pretty much exactly what she had just done to Rudy. She was the one to make the move on Rudy (like Eris did) and when she was disappointed and frustrated and feeling all sorts of things, she said things she didn’t mean, diminished the importance of it to her, and said something hurtful on her way out. What did Rudy do at the end of the episode, when he was in a similar state? He said things he didn’t mean, diminished the importance of it to him, and said hurtful things. It wasn’t so nice to be on the receiving end.
As for Rudy, he tried to deal with things by turning to alcohol, fighting, a prostitute, and drunkenly saying mean, hurtful things. He cared for Sara enough to fight blizzards and monsters for her, and now he’s hurt her. He reaped what he sowed so quickly that he nearly ended his own life, if Soldat hadn’t been there. (of course, Soldat also enabled him a bit in the drunken carousing which put Rudy in that state to begin with)
I do like the parallels you’ve pointed out about how they both effectively did the same thing. That said, I do still feel sorry for them. Both could have handled the situation differently, and it could have been better had they talked and not freaked out. At the end of the day, I think it comes down to emotional maturity and despite his past life, Rudeus is probably no older emotionally than Sara. It was just a horrible situation that got worse and worse. I don’t think either of them was being malicious. It was just a situation they weren’t prepared for.
Rudeus has had some painful character development.
Yeah, it’s not something I’d wish on anyone.