Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. Last week, we took a look at Mushoku Tensei S2. We see Rudy become impotent and strikes out with a girl he developed strong feelings for. In order to cure this, he enrolls in a mage academy where he meets Slyphie who hides her identity as she’s afraid Rudy has forgotten about her, even though he established that he was still looking for her and told her to her face. We also meet Nanhoshi who was teleported to our world and is now trying to find a way home while also searching for her friends. Slyphie finally reveals her identity to Rudy, they have sex, and his impotence has been cured. Now that that’s story is over with, what will Rudy do now? Let’s find out in Mushoku Tensei S2 part 2.
Episodes 1-4
The second half begins with Rudy beaming with confidence (he is practically glowing). Now that his ED is cured Rudy wants to marry Slyphie (damn son, slow down. We still got a kingdom to take over, and a mom to save). The first step to marriage is getting a house (Baron: Really? All you need is a house and women will marry you? When did this happen and why wasn’t I informed?). Rudy goes house shopping and finds a mansion for a pretty low price because it’s haunted. With the help of Cliff and Zanoba, Rudy investigates the mansion but finds nothing. They spend the night in the mansion where they find the ghost, a wooden doll that can move on its own (scene here: https://youtu.be/HjiabUAhnOk?si=7sxRRiUzP-6E9zyP). After the thing runs out of energy they take it back to the academy to study it with Zanoba wanting to lead the research on it. Rudy shows Slyphie the mansion and she couldn’t be happier (too big for two people but give it time).
In episode 2 Rudy finally finishes up the renovations on his house and invites everyone he knows over to formally tell them about his engagement to Slyphie. Nothing much really happens except us learning that Elinalise is Slyphie’s grandma (scene here: https://youtu.be/lG8jBatqNNU?si=ZWsm2qt-7dIPgdTu, oh God she’s a GILF. Cliff passed over the MILF and went for the GILF).
Episode 3 focuses on Shizuka. We start with Rudy receiving a letter from Paul telling him that he’s met up with Roxy and has decided to send Norn and Aisha to live with Rudy as the trip is about to get harsh and dangerous (oh good, living with sisters where one hates you and one who thinks you’re a pervert. It’s like they’re representing the fandom). After this, we focus on Shizuka who after months of research and studying is finally ready to test out her magic circle. It doesn’t work. At first, Shizuka seems fine and asks Rudy to leave but as soon as he does she has a complete mental breakdown (or for writers and artists, Tuesday afternoon). Rudy rushes back in and manages to calm her down but it’s clear that she’s out of it (scene here: https://youtu.be/1Qidj86fjPk?si=uSFKIyQoMDcHfGqz). This crash out is so understandable. She was forced into this world against her will and wants to leave. She worked so hard to achieve her goal only to have it rip right in front of her (literally). Rudy has her stay at his house to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t do anything stupid and decides to go to the others for their input on the magic circle in the hopes of getting it to work. Even though they don’t specialize in magic circles they manage to crack the code and create multiple magic circles layered on top of each other (it’s like building a PC). They present their work to Shizuka and she says it might work. They try it out and manage to summon a plastic bottle (this will revolutionize the world to some degree). While it still needs some fine-tuning, Shizuka has taken a major step forward in returning home and she has Rudy and the others to thank for that (he saved her again. Scene here: https://youtu.be/Mj0drF3bsCY?si=g3m0brYGcFEtOtY9).
In episode 4 Norn and Aisha arrive after they were escorted by Ruijerd (hey what’s up). He doesn’t stay long and leaves the next day after breakfast (one minor thing the anime skips over is him being indifferent to Sylphie. Not sure if he did this because he didn’t know her all that well or because he saw her as the rebound girl since Eris left and she took advantage of that to marry Rudy thus stealing him from Eris). We see Aisha adjusting well to the new living arrangement but Norn still keeps everyone at a distance (okay, Norn you need to understand your dad is a man-whore who has been a terrible parent to Rudy 66% of the time they’ve interacted. Your brother doesn’t fall far from the tree, but his issues are more mental). Rudy tries to send the girls to school but Aisha shows she doesn’t need it as she scored perfectly on the entrance exam and becomes a maid for Rudy and Sylphie. Norn scores below average but still gets accepted and decides to live in the dorms. A month passes where Norn hasn’t made a single friend and even skips class a few times (the girl is an introvert).
Episodes 5-8
At the start of episode 5 Rudy hears about Norn locking herself in her room and takes action. At first, he thinks people are bullying her and confronts the students but it turns out that wasn’t the case (next time do some research before flying off the handle boyo). The source of all of Norn’s troubles is Rudy and Aisha. Throughout her life, she’s been compared to them. She’s not as smart as Aisha nor is she as talented as Rudy (she’s the normal one of the family and is falling behind the one man she hates the most). Rudy knows he can’t help her but knows that she’ll be filled with regret if she stays cooped up in her room (spoken like a man from experience). So he sneaks into the girl’s dorm and enters her room to talk to her (was that really necessary? I mean you’re her brother. I’m sure they would have let you in if you explained the situation). As Rudy sits there wondering what to do we see Norn’s perspective on everything that’s happened between her and Rudy. When she first met him she was afraid of him. That fear turned into hate. When she met him again last episode she was confused at how happy he is while their mom was still missing (enjoy the little victories in life kid). Her view of Rudy became more confusing once she started living with him. He wasn’t angry when she asked to live in the dorms and everyone at the school loves him. She can’t get a beat on him. Who exactly is Rudy and what is his true personality (dad beater or student prodigy that everyone loves). She manages to work through her emotions and when Rudy apologizes to her (for what, I have no idea) she’s finally able to see him for who he truly is, her big brother who wants to help her (scene here: https://youtu.be/MM__eRWjbg0?si=8rmvUsy4Dw9vAwHH). Things start to get better for Norn as she starts to make friends and even starts calling Rudy, big brother.
In the first half of episode 6 we see life is going well for Rudy and the others. They’re all working on their research, progressing little by little, and Sylphie is pregnant (scene here: https://youtu.be/dY05orgKJts?si=vNfmVWoTkA8WtVU3, oh my God, this guy is going to be a dad. Kid hasn’t been born and already I want to apologize to him). In the second half, Rudy receives a letter from Geese saying the Zenith rescue is a lot more difficult than they expected and they need help. Rudy speaks with the Man-God about this and he speaks around in circles saying that if Rudy goes to aid his family he’ll regret it but if he doesn’t go he’ll regret it as well (no matter what choice he makes he’s going to have regrets. The question is which decision is filled with the most regrets?). The Man-God tells him that when the next mating season comes, he needs to sleep with either Linia or Pursena to achieve greater happiness (well yeah, I’m sure any man would achieve happiness with those two). As the days go by Rudy can’t stop thinking about his folks and wonders what he should do. It’ll take him a year to reach them which means he’ll miss the birth of his child. Since Rudy is torn on what to do, Norn decides to head out to rescue her folks. She doesn’t get far (not even past the front steps. She truly is the black sleep of the family), but her resolve to rescue them finally gives Rudy the answer he needs and he decides to go.
In episode 7 Rudy tells his friends and loved ones that he’s going to rescue his parents with Elinalise joining him (I’m sure her seduction techniques will come in handy). They set out where thanks to Shizuka, they find a teleportation stone that’ll take them to Begaritt (what would normally be an eight-month journey just became a month journey). Using the portal, they wind up in Begaritt’s desert where they come across all sorts of dangerous creatures such as griffons (scene here: https://youtu.be/Ay9mVjewQDQ?si=saj7AIW7GtYpMTvp), scorpions, and even a succubus (nothing like the hentais. Scene here: https://youtu.be/WHt-mo43NLo?si=AKsa9F-BUkZrV8u1). After a few days of traveling, they finally reach Begaritt to end the episode.
Episode 8 starts with Rudy and Elinalise meeting up with Geese who takes them to Paul who finally admits that he’s a hopeless father (thank you! Rudy isn’t even a father yet and he’s already better than you). He tells them that Zenith is trapped deep within a labyrinth known as the Teleporter Labyrinth, one of the most dangerous dungeons in the world and is filled with teleportation traps that could send you anywhere within the dungeon. Roxy fell into a trap about a month ago and has been missing since (better pray to God she’s not dead) and the party has only made it halfway through the dungeon. With the help of Shizuka’s book, they’re able to navigate the dungeon fairly down into the third stratum and even manage to find and save Roxy (scene here: https://youtu.be/5z1HOt_il6s?si=CKvlxo6DAr3nlsq2, all sorts of reunions this episode).
Episodes 9-12
Nothing much happens in episode 9. After rescuing Roxy, they return from the labyrinth and rest for a few days. We get some interaction between Roxy and Rudy (scene here: https://youtu.be/ZZkgfmkmefQ?si=lOBqKyYBT9wiUjzT, a relationship between a teacher and student. A taboo for some). They then return to the labyrinth grinding through the floors and reaching the guardian floor.
It’s going down in episode 10. The group enters the guardian floor where they find Zenith and a 9-headed hydra standing between them. Paul rushes the thing showing just how strong and brave he is (as well as reckless) but the group does a temporary retreat once they see that magic doesn’t work on it and its heads grow back faster than a normal hydra. After coming up with a game plan and calming down Paul (it’s astounding how much he has in common with Rudy), they take on the hydra again (giving us the best action sequence in the show so far). Paul chops the heads out and Rudy burns the neck so the heads can’t regenerate (just like in the Hercules mythos) while Roxy heals, Elinalise and the others play defense. One by one they behead the beast and finally defeat it but not without Rudy losing his left hand (sure hope you’re a righty) and Paul losing half of his body after being crushed to death (oh God and on Father’s Day too. No joke, this episode was released in Father’s Day in 2024. What the hell Japan!? Not gonna lie, this felt planned). They return to the city and give the upper half of Paul a Jedi funeral (he wasn’t father of the year and made a lot of mistakes, but he did love and care for his family). Four days pass and Zenith finally wakes up where they discover she has amnesia and doesn’t remember any of them (scene here: https://youtu.be/oeATHtBrl70?si=4uw9MDGVJDr-ma9I).
Episode 11 starts with Rudy feeling down and guilty about Paul’s death, but thankfully Roxy is there for him. She sleeps with him and that cheers him up (it damn well better. Scene here: https://youtu.be/-9iuOEktkr4?si=uKUyc2jMU2bKm9PK). He then goes to see his mom where Lilia encourages him to live his own life while she takes care of Zenith. As they return home, Roxy confessions her feelings to Rudy and this puts him in a tough spot. He loves Roxy too but can’t bring himself to cheat on Sylphie (didn’t seem to matter the other day). Elinalise tells Rudy to go for it as polygamy is allowed in this world but can’t bring himself to be a scumbag like Paul (oh please, at least you’re being honest about it. Just you being honest alone makes you a better man than him). Taking Elinalise’s advice, Rudy confesses his feelings to Roxy and she’s willing to accept them as long as he gets Sylphie’s permission to love her.
In the final episode Rudy and the others finally return home (man Sylphie is glowing). He tells his family what happened to Paul and take it pretty well (I’m surprised. I was expecting Norn to go all ballistic on us. Especially seeing how much of a daddy’s girl she is. Scene here: https://youtu.be/RGcMNdfnst8?si=-Kv5VC07uy7Zr2-5). After that, it’s time for Rudy to tell Sylphie about his little romp with Roxy and how he wants to marry her. Norn is the first to speak up and is upset by this (there’s the ballistic anger I was expecting to see) but Sylphie speaks up saying that she’ll accept Roxy as the second wife. She expected this to happen (she met his father. She knows how this family works) and is glad he picked someone who is just like her. Sometime goes by and Sylphie gives birth to a healthy baby girl (man, Rudy is just surrounded by girls) and name her Lucie (scene here: https://youtu.be/BhGYJNfJ-Ik?si=rpjDY50RkdMscub6, I would have gone with Paulina). Rudy visits Paul’s grave to tell him the news and the season wraps up.
Final Thoughts
And that was the second season of Mushoku Tensei. This season really took us on a rollercoaster of emotions from where we started to where we ended. Rudy goes through quite the development this season from a guy having a hard time accepting his mistakes to a man becoming a father and getting married to two women he truly loves. Is Rudy the perfect protagonist? No, and the series clarifies that you don’t have to like him or agree with his actions or decisions. All they ask you to do is understand him. He makes mistakes and he’s going to keep making mistakes just like you and me. What’s important, however, is how he responds to them, what he learns from them, and the changes he’ll make going forward so that he doesn’t repeat those mistakes. Besides Rudy, the one character who goes through major development is Norn. We see the confusion she goes through and how Rudy can’t help but see his former self in her. Luckily, she was able to work through the issues he was too late to work through himself and came out the other end better.
I was happy to see Rudy reunite and team up with Paul in the last episodes. Their relationship has always been a rocky one but I’m glad to see that in the end Rudy did come to see Paul as his dad and Paul came to see Rudy as the son he could depend on and knows that no matter where he goes or what he faces he’ll be fine. Roxy’s reunion with Rudy was also good. One could argue that the love story between them may have been rushed but I think it’s been lingering for quite some time. Rudy admits that he’s been in love with her since the first season. She helped him conquer his fears and taught him magic. Roxy only saw him as a student back then but once she reunites with him she sees him as a man and falls in love with him. While Sylphie will always be number one in his heart, Roxy will hold a special as his savior and the one person he respects the most in this world.
Much like the first season, this season focuses on the day to day life of Rudy and it works out. We get a chance to get to know and develop Rudy as well as the other characters around him. When we do get to the action and adventure it’s worth the wait and gives us important moments that will impact the story and characters in different ways. Once again the animation and music are spectacular. I did enjoy the academy and the changing of the seasons. The anime does a good job bringing you into this world and making you feel like you’re there with the characters. The music does a good telling you what emotions you should be feeling at this moment and setting the scene. The action is also good. I like how the characters incorporate strategy to their battles. Even though Rudy is a powerful sorcerer he can’t just go in there and one-shot every enemy. He’s vulnerable and one good shot is all it takes to bring him down so he has to think things through carefully and have reliable party members at his side to help him survive.
Final Score
The final score for Mushoku Tensei S2 is an 8/10. It may have started off shaky at the start but I couldn’t be happier with how it ended and how much the characters have grown. A third season will be coming out soon so I’m looking forward to seeing what the next chapter in Rudy’s life will be. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
