Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 17) – Reunion

Geese finds Paul drinking and tells him to visit the Guild tomorrow for a surprise. However, Paul’s face tells him that he already knows what awaits him. Looks like Geese is going to need to have a drink and a talk with Paul!
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 17) – Reunion
What happened?
So, Geese manages to get Paul to tell him all about his chance meeting with Rudeus and how that went. Paul is still angry about it, but Geese asks him if he’s being too hard on the kid. He is only eleven after all. Paul refuses to back down, restating that Rudeus is a genius and he should be expected to do more. That’s when Geese asks Paul if he’s ever been to the Demon Continent, which he hasn’t Geese is from the Demon Continent and paints a pretty vivid picture of what it’s like, and it’s no vacation.
After a troubling vision, no doubt fueled by alcohol and what Geese said to him. Paul tries to sober up and find Rudeus once more. When he enters the bar they’re eating at, Eris loses it and looks to start a fight with Paul. Ruijerd picks her up and takes her outside, offering a piece of advice to Paul as one father to another.
The conversation is awkward as Paul tries to say sorry and Rudeus tries to accept the blame anyway. It isn’t until the barkeep steps in and asks Rudeus to at least look his father in the face. That’s when Rudeus sees it. A memory from his previous life surfaces where a friend was trying to cheer him up, but all he could understand was his self-pity and loathing. He lashed out and never saw that friend again.
Rudeus realises that he has to change now or lose his father for good. He proposes to forget that yesterday ever happened. Paul is a little confused, but Rudeus makes him kneel down and spread his arms so that he can jump into them. Once Rudeus hugs his father, Paul breaks down revealing that he thought he would never see Rudeus again.

What did you think?
So, this episode took place almost entirely in two taverns, with three people doing almost all of the talking. How could this possibly work? I’ll look at that in a moment, but let me assure you that it does work. It was a fantastic episode. The last one left me with a lot of conflicting feelings. On one hand, I could understand that Paul was going through hell and lashed out at his son who was appearing to be living the good life. But, I also felt he was being too harsh with Rudeus. Sadly, Rudeus also struggled with this idea.
As overpowered as Rudeus is, it’s actually his experiences that saved him this time. He’s not necessarily the cleverest guy in the room, but he’s holding onto almost forty years of memories and experiences that he can pull from. It looks like he’s learning all the time too. I loved that he was able to see the way this was going based on his past life. The best part of that was that he knew how to react, how to fix it. I’m glad he did. I feel like it’s given Paul the drive to start again.

What have you learnt?
I feel like this might be the true turning point for Rudeus. We’ve seen him struggle to overcome things from his past life, however, this is the first time, he remembered what happened and made a conscious decision to change the outcome. It’s a small thing, but the impacts are enormous. He’s regained his drive and found a new purpose. It’s also reinvigorated Paul, making him look at himself and change his ways too. Will they both be successful? It’s way too early to tell, but I’m glad that things are looking up.
The other big change is that Dead End has a new mission. No longer are they focused on getting Eris and Rudeus back home, especially as that home no longer exists and their family are not there. Surprisingly, Eris had already made that assumption and was prepared. I think it’s at the point for Eris where she just wants to stay with Rudeus and Ruijerd. The chance to look for their families, Ghislaine included is their top priority. I can’t wait to see where this series takes us now. It is absolutely fantastic!

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
- Part 1
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