Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 17) - Reunion

Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation Title

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.

Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation Episode 17 Eris Rudeus and Ruijerd having breakfast

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.

Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation Episode 17 Paul and Rudeus make up

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!