Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 8) – The Fiancé of Despair
There’s something strange in the air at Ranoa University. It might even get mistaken for love. As such, Cliff has asked to be introduced to Elinalise… Also, why does everyone want to fight Rudeus all of a sudden?
Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 8) – The Fiancé of Despair
What did you watch?
This series has taken on some fairly dark and serious subjects with all the finesse of a drunken hobo trying to woo a lady by peeing on her shoes. I can’t say that I’ve enjoyed the last couple of episodes and the way they dismissed the actions of Rudeus. Unfortunately, we’re still at Ranoa so the school arc goes on. Maybe, Rudeus wouldn’t be such a problem if he was busy fighting to survive in the wilds of the Demon Continent? Sadly, that raises other questions. Well, we’re here so we might as well see what he gets up to this time. Please don’t be weird!
What happened?
Rudeus was walking around the school grounds when he found a group of students beating a single student. The sides seemed quite unfair so he stepped in. At first, they appeared ready to turn their attention on him but thought better of it when they saw who it was. Their victim climbed to his feet and was about to thank Rudeus but then he realised who he was and stopped. Cliff still doesn’t like Rudeus. However, he did eventually manage to thank him. It turned out that Cliff had fallen for Elinalise and when the others said some unsavoury things about her he tried to defend her honour. He asked Rudeus if he would introduce them…
Rudeus wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea, but after talking with Fitz about it, he realised it was Cliff’s problem. He just had to introduce them, so he did. At first, Elinalise was upset that he had brought her such a doe-eyed lover. That wouldn’t work, but she gave him a shot. Rudeus was stunned to see them sitting together the next morning like a young couple in love. Cliff was going to cure her curse and she seemed happy with him too. What superpower does Cliff possess?
Unfortunately, this was not the only thing Rudeus had to deal with. Now that he was the de facto boss of Rinia and Pursena, he was to accept all challengers who sought to marry them. He could not deny a challenger and if he lost, he would lose them. Rather unsurprisingly, there were a lot of challengers. So many in fact that they lined up around the university. However, when he finally got there to take care of things, only one was left standing. He was Badigadi, fiance of the Great Demon Emperor, Kishirika Kishirisu. She had told him that he was the most impressive human she had encountered and he wanted to see for himself by testing Rudeus in combat!
What did you think?
While this is still in a school setting, it was a far less uncomfortable affair than the last two episodes. At least in this situation, the girls had a chance to defend themselves and from what we saw, they were mostly pretty capable or were lucky enough to have Rudeus to defend them. I found the interaction between Rudeus and Badigadi to be quite refreshing. Badigadi is an imposing figure with purple skin and six arms, however, he never seems to speak down to Rudeus. He accepted when Kishirika had told him and treated Rudeus accordingly. It would have been interesting to see how things would go in an actual fight, but I also understand what Badigadi was doing when he changed the rules.
What was your favourite moment?
Rudeus unleashing that attack on Badigadi was amazing and the faces of the students watching showed just how incredible it was. It hit Badigadi full-on and appeared to blow several of his arms off which made him shrink. He even commented about how it almost killed him. He was impressed with the man who survived an encounter with Orsted and was pleased that his fiance had spoken truly of this man. He held Rudeus’ arm in the air and declared him the victor. He even told Rudeus to give a victory cry. His joy was short-lived as Badigadi then pointed out it was his turn to hit Rudeus and hit him he did.
Who was the most impactful character?
It has to be Badigadi. He is a larger-than-life character who smiles and laughs in the face of danger. He feels like a cross between a Viking and Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. I loved the way he spoke to Rudeus and how open and forthright he was with him. He seemed to like that Rudeus wasn’t panicked by the prospect of facing him in combat. That bodes well. So, when he heard that Rudeus had fought Orsted, he knew he was in for a good one. If he fought Orsted and wasn’t dead, he must be powerful. So, I’m not sure how I feel about Badigadi joining the school, but it could be hilarious or tiring. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Was there any conflict?
Rudeus now goes to Fitz with every single problem he has. It’s exactly as Paul predicted when he sent Rudeus away to teach Eris. He believed that Rudeus would become too dependent on Sylphie and that has come to pass. He may not know that Fitz is Sylphie, but she is now his go-to problem solver. I understand that it’s good to get some advice every now and then, but, dare I say it, I preferred it when Rudeus was the one making the decisions. Even with Ruijerd and Eris, they listened to him. I feel like he’s getting lazy. He needs to get back into the world.
What have you learnt?
There’s a lot of absolutely incredible world-building when it comes to this series. I dare say it’s all been thought through and honed to perfection. The characters complement this world with their imperfections and make it feel lived in and realistic. There have been times when I would have preferred the characters to react in different ways, but it’s hard to deny that they also feel real. The real question is how do you go about achieving this. If there was an easy answer then everyone would be doing it, so I’m just going to say it comes down to experience – mostly life experience. If you want something or someone to feel real, use your real-world experience to add life to it. Listen to conversations. Watch how people behave. Soak it all in and put it into your work.
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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Your observation about life experience is spot on, I think. I’ve been thinking lately about what’s different between me writing when I was in college and now. The answer is that life experience. I can see how the world as effected me; even better, I don’t need to think about it. It’s just part of how I express myself in fiction.
The characters here act as if the world shaped them. It’s fantastic. What even’t more fantastic is how subtle it is. It just flows. This writer is amazing.
Also: Badigadi is awesome.
I also liked your observation about how Rudy goes to Sylphie for everything. I hadn’t even noticed it from that context. Kinda strange to think Paul was right about something…
Thanks. I think it’s so important that authors have some experience with something. It doesn’t even need to be completely relevant to the story, but being able to apply experiences to other situations is invaluable.
The characters are completely believable in this world and that’s the world that matters.
Also, yes. Badigadi is awesome.
I was surprised when I noticed how dependent he had become upon Fitz and then I remembered how Paul saw it happening and sent him away. That guy is surprisingly shrewd for a womanizing horn dog!