Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

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WARNING: This novel contains mature content and many plot twists!

"This time I'll really live my life to the fullest with no regrets!" -Rudeus Greyrat

Normally, a review that is written before the manga/novel is finished should be considered incomplete. Having a review written when it lack of information lacks credibility and is unable to judge the worth of the entire story. I wrote this review because the current reviews do not give the novel justice as they're all reviews with a similar point of view. Noticing the lack of variety I decided to post my own review which will side with the other half of the ... readers (and hopefully future readers). I also would like to note that Mushoku Tensei isn't one that needs to be complete to be able to understand how amazing the novel is.

Story: 10
Upon the first volume you will immediately realize this novel is a 10. Mushoku tensei is a very entertaining and extremely detailed novel. I felt as if I was immersed in to the world that Rudeus was experiencing, whether it be the hardships he may be facing or his interaction with the other characters. Often times Rudeus is forced to make difficult decisions, which always leaves you wondering what happens next? After reading the first novel you can tell immediately the amount of effort the writer used to allow the readers to understand visually how amazing and captivating this world truly is. There are also many plot twist which are extremely surprising (BEWARE MANY ATTEMPT TO SPOIL THIS STORY FOR OTHERS!), without a doubt the story is extremely detailed and has many different stand points from multiple events which allows you to understand how each character feels during the events because the author takes the time to write in different perspectives.

Art: 8
The novel didn't come with many images (I believe there is none after volume 6) this is quite disappointing but it's not a big deal (you can check the manga for reference images). The art I've seen so far seems to really suit the novel and it really brings the environment and the characters to life. The one thing that I really loved about this novel is how the author provided a map. Yes a map of the entire world which is extremely helpful and interesting to look at especially for reference during Rudeus' adventure.

Characters: 9
The author allows you to see how the main characters grow and change. Although the protagonist Rudeus has lived about 30 years in his previous life there are MANY times he is still learning and changing, this allows for interesting plot points where his knowledge in his past is both useful and at the same time useless. The characters you meet in the novel seem really static, but without realizing I noticed the characters really changed. The changes are really subtle that they feel as if they happen immediately, but you have to think back to the previous chapters to notice the gradual change. There are minor and or major events that occur, where each event that happens reveals a little more about a certain character. NOTE: This is because the author writes the story from 1-3 peoples perspective, which allows us to be able to understand the characters thought process through each event. Keep in mind although he writes it in a different perspective it isn't as if it's a complete repeat of what happened, he usually gives a 1-3 summary, then quick thoughts about what happened and then moves on with the story, sometimes continuing from the prospective or changing to another.

Enjoyment: 10
Without a doubt this has to be a 10. I love this novel. A good phrase for this would be "never a dull moment" because that’s how i felt when I was reading this. This novel is really entertaining and I highly recommend it to those who have the spare time whether it is before sleeping or while taking public transportation.

Overall: 10
Here is the part where I persuade you in to reading the novel. I found the novel an easy read something that anyone can pick up. The content is mature and isn't intended for younger readers. There are many points that happen to leave the reader thinking WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THIS OR THAT, but it all happens for a reason. Thanks to the great details provided by the author, I was never left in a situation where I had to wonder why a situation occurred. Everything that was shown was thoroughly explained which I loved since often times in many novels I'm left with why, what or how...? I rarely read novels because I normally prefer manga's but if you're like me and you want something that is amazingly detailed with how the characters are and how their thought process is this novel is meant for you. The novel sells through its characters, meaning that if you don't like the characters then you're likely to dislike the novel.

Final thoughts:
Although it would be extreme to say this manga is the best, but it isn't one that you will regret reading. I'm often in a situation where I have to choose between finding out the rest of the novel or just do some plain ol' studying (easy choice novel of course). I highly recommend this novel to everyone to at least give it a chance, there are MANY volumes out already so there is more then enough plot to go around.

Disclaimer: Before I start with the review, I would like to assure the readers that I am not another reviewer who would judge a story’s worth based on how comfortable I am with its content or voice out hate if such content does not align with my views. Reviews for this story tend to be dichotomous: it either goes along the lines of “MUSHOKU TENSEI IS DISGUSTING AND ANYONE WHO ENJOYS IT IS WORSE THAN SCUM,” or the contrary that goes along the lines of “MUSHOKU TENSEI IS A DEEP AND MEANINGFUL NARRATIVE AND ALL OF YOU HATE IT BECAUSE YA’LL ARE SENSITIVE SNOWFLAKES.” I’d ... like to deviate from that pattern. I have two goals for this review: One, objective analysis and criticism; and two, to address the controversy behind this infamous title. I’d like to be of help to readers and those eyeing to give Mushoku Tensei a try, so please bear with me and read what I have to say.

Mushoku Tensei is derivative. It exhibits themes, formulas, and patterns seen in other successful series. The use of such suggests that the series aims to attract an audience rather than to create a story of good quality–however, Rufujin na Magonote, the author, created a main character with a believable background that aligns with his goals and personality. He creates this world, though derivative and generic, with history and diverse cultures, religions, and politics. The world and characters have a strong foundation, and how they are written allows the story for different possibilities. Mushoku Tensei is arguably the best Isekai to be written. However, looking at the quality of stories of the same genre, being the best isn’t really much of an accomplishment, is it?

Isekai as a genre has established a reputation in the anime and light novel community for being trite and formulaic in nature. The premise was limited to ideas such as the main character being transported or reincarnated in another world to fulfill a particular purpose: slaying the demon lord, trying to go back to their original world, or simply fuck around with the story having no conceivable plot. Mushoku Tensei could have easily fit into these descriptions, but it did something different. It used the idea of reincarnation to create something meaningful: redemption. However, it ultimately fails to do so through reckless writing decisions.

Mushoku Tensei is, first and foremost, a redemption story. It doesn’t try to hide that–It even markets itself as such. The story depicts our main character as this unforgivable bastard in his previous life and shows his regret in life living as a neet. He decided to do one last act of good before Truck-kun claimed his newest victim, and lo and behold, he reincarnated in a new world where he could start anew. Some may argue that it's a fantasy, romance, or comedy-based narrative, and while the descriptions fit, it doesn't outweigh the prominence of the redemption premise Mushoku Tensei portrays–or tries to. This leads us to the controversy this story holds.


Rudeus as a Character: Addressing the Controversy

As mentioned, Mushoku Tensei is a controversial title. First, I would like to discuss the controversy before dealing with the story itself. If you’d like to skip this part, do go ahead to the next section of the review. I believe that the reason behind the title’s backlash is due to two things: the main character being portrayed as a pedophile and the author’s objectifying portrayal of women–more so for children. For avid consumers of Japanese media, these aspects may not mean much, considering how prevalent this trend is in the industry. However, Mushoku Tensei is prominently about redemption, and these writing decisions make the audience question the point of the story.

Pedophilia is evil. I think everyone can agree on that. I won't be deconstructing pedophilia as something to be taken personally nor provide thought-provoking commentaries about its evil. It is a sensitive subject, and whether or not it deserves credence in Mushoku Tensei's narrative is still debated. Yes, discomforting scenes are common in the light novel, but that doesn't decide its overall worth. If uncomfortableness equals a poorly-written story, then literary pieces such as Nabokov's Lolita wouldn't get the praise they deserve. It all depends on how an author handles the characterization and the intent behind that. I will only criticize pedophilia as a plot device and its relevance to the narrative. In Lolita, for example, the author uses pedophilia as a genuine depiction of a pedophile's rotten heart through a satirical narrative. The Monogatari Series mocks common tropes in modern anime through exaggerated depictions. Both of these tales handle pedophilia with satire as it coincides with a deeper topic. In Mushoku Tensei, Rudeus’ damning flaws were intended to be a character foundation to create a redemption story. However, the intent behind that characterization was never addressed. It does not do anything special with its portrayal of pedophilia or general indecency that would justify its use - it merely provides fan service.

Rudeus’ character has a solid foundation. While he excels at magic competency, it isn’t his entire identity. He is still a very much flawed and vulnerable character. He still has room for growth which is integral for redemption. Rudeus' introduction in his previous life heavily emphasized his flaws as a person, socially and especially morally. He's a shut-in, a free-loader, a drop-out - he even refused to attend his parent's funeral so he could beat his meat to child porn. However, the story failed at creating a redemption story the moment he exhibited no guilt and regrets in his previous life after being reincarnated. Many of the mentioned flaws were resolved, but others were prolonged for later use, and another was never addressed at all. Among all his flaws, pedophilia stands out the most, depicted through numerous scenes and monologues. Normally, emphasizing the character's flaw that much means only one thing, right? That it would be the story's primary conflict in which the character would enter a stage of development that would allow him to change, allowing those flaws to stay relevant to the narrative. Wrong. Chekhov's gun remained unused. Rudeus is still the same person who entertains himself with the fantasies of fucking children. It rendered the pedophilic aspect of his character useless. It is nothing more than a portrayal of lechery, ultimately having no relevance to the story. Its redemption story was the primary conflict but already failed to create a deeper narrative the moment he objectified every woman before seeing his new life as a second chance (Feminist literary criticism is real criticism, btw). Like literally every woman is sexualized, not by Rudeus but by the author–except the grannies for some reason, although I'm sure it has nothing to do with the author's preferences for women.

Pedophilia is akin to mental illness, where treatment isn't guaranteed, even with the technology and techniques gained through medical and technological innovation. And even with technology, medication, or psychiatric treatment, it would undermine the concept of redemption if it were to be used in the story since it wouldn't even be an authentic change. That's why I didn't understand the decision to make Rudeus a pedophile in the first place. The story didn’t need that–rather–the story would have thrived in its absence. His terrible qualities as a family member in his previous life would have been the perfect conflict he needed to resolve, but it was overshadowed by the emphasis the author placed on Rudeus’ interest in children. It's a thoughtless decision made by an amateur author who didn't understand the intricacies of what he was writing nor realize how hard it would be to create a string of developments that would allow Rudeus to deviate from the aforementioned problem. Either that or he made that decision to gratify those desperate for fanservice - you choose.

There are many arguments that defend the author’s writing and characterization though, and go as far as to defend Rudeus himself. I’d like to refute some of these common arguments so I could cohesively state my perceptions pertaining to the controversy later on. The first argument states: While Rudeus has immoral preferences for women, the whole point of the light novel is that he would redeem himself in his new life, and that won’t happen overnight. Having read all the volumes and even the redundancy chapters of Mushoku Tensei, not once does he even tries to change or feel regret towards that part of him. While he redeemed other parts of his character, the single most condemning flaw of the character remained unresolved. Second argument: Mushoku Tensei is a piece of fiction, furthermore, it is set in a medieval European setting where the standards of morality are much lower compared to modern society Rudeus previously lived in. My refutation is that the new rules instilled in this new world do not absolve Rudeus of any ethical concerns because he still upholds the knowledge of moral notions in his previous life, therefore, said notions should be the base of his redemption. If the protagonist was originally from this fantasy world, then that would be excusable due to the ethnocentric notions he will pick up growing up in the said world (Although that’s a whole new topic). The final argument states: Rudeus is reborn into a new body, therefore having an underdeveloped brain. This underdeveloped brain is at fault for his interest in children. That would be a good argument if his backstory didn’t mention him beating his meat to fucking child porn (Let’s call it Loli porn to sound tame – the author, probably). In spite of that, the argument that his physiologically underdeveloped brain is at fault for his interest in children is inherently dumb. If his brain really was underdeveloped, then that would negate any sexual desire – why is he horny 24/7 after being birthed? Like damn, after reincarnating, this bitch retained his memories AAANNDD his testosterone level?

Although many of the changes were actually just him acting his physical age, Rudeus did undergo development. He overcame his social trauma the moment he first set foot outside, he found profound purpose in life through his competency in magic and the company of family and friends, and he acknowledged his unacceptable behavior as a family member in his previous life after an important event in the story. However, he never underwent any significant development when it came to his sexual desires. While Rudeus exhibits proper manners, kindness, and sympathy, people need to understand; propriety does not equal a moral person.

You might ask why one single aspect of one character's personality is so important for the story. It's only one thing, so it shouldn't be that important, correct? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Rudeus being a pedophile and making no effort to change defeats the whole purpose of redemption, regardless of his development in other aspects.


Other Characters: Dependency as a Flaw

However, Rudeus isn't the only literarily flawed character in the story. The three heroines are an integral part of the stor - excuse me - of Rudeus' harem. Sylphiette, Roxy, and Eris are the three main candidates to be Rudeus' love interests. However, unlike any other light novel, they're not just there to fit into the "dere" types, and while they can be categorized as such, each of them exhibits depth that gives their character individuality and receives development - at first.

Motive tells a lot about a character in more ways than one, and it's integral in creating a compelling character. It's a step to let a character be their own without being relevant due to codependency. However, the flaw with two-thirds of the mentioned girls is that they exhibited no conceivable motive, and later on, the best conclusion the author could formulate is that these two, Sylphy and Roxy, are motivated by the notion of being by Rudeus' side. Eris, on the other hand, exhibits her own goals. While Rudeus was still in mind when Eris made her decision on whom she wanted to be, it's not solely for Rudeus, but the predominant nature of that decision is that it's her genuine goal. Her resolve was influenced by the people around her and her experiences before the decision. Contrary to the other two heroines who wanted to live for Rudeus, Eris wanted to stand by Rudeus, not as a love interest, but as an equal. However, by the end of the light novel, Sylphy, and Roxy are reduced to damsels in distress in need of protection. Eris proved to be useful on many occasions, but no scene portrayed the development she went through, mentally and as a swordswoman, that would show the fruits of her efforts. Any depth and the potential they exhibited were ultimately ruined, again by reckless writing decisions.

In the later volumes, especially the final battle, these girls along with the other side characters are placed into battle suggesting that they are indeed useful. However, these were after several volumes where said characters were essentially forgotten. How convenient how these characters, after having no appearances for many volumes, suddenly appeared for the climax. The writing felt rushed and forced. The author bit off more than he can chew by having too many characters intended to hold relevance when he can't even create a coherent plot direction.


Worldbuilding: A Strong Foundation

As previously mentioned, Mushoku Tensei follows a formulaic plot and generic structure to create its world. Don't confuse the light novel with the anime in how the world was handled. Studio Bind's prudent planning and research allowed Mushoku Tensei's world to gain more depth with their attention to detail, even creating languages with their own writing. On the other hand, the light novel doesn't show any effort with these aspects of the world, with the exemption of its magic system.

Mushoku Tensei: A Fulfilling Journey about a Broken Person’s Second Chance at Living.

Seeing that the light novels are officially done in Japan, I wanted to ramble a bit here and give my thoughts on a series that was initially one I dropped, to end up being one of the best series I have read of all time and one that played a big part in impacting my life forever.

STORY

This series is not a straight-up ‘redemption’ journey, it is about Rudeus living a life with no regrets and trying to live in a satisfactory way by the end without wasting his chances. It is not about ... him being whitewashed to being a perfect human being with zero flaws but growing amidst them and learning from his mistakes to do better and find a real purpose in his life, and stick to it as much as possible.

Knowing that, Mushoku Tensei is an exceptional story that serves as not just a character journey for Rudeus Greyrat’s life in his second chance in this new world, but as a prequel to something even potentially greater down the line. It is a series that explores Rudeus’ character in tons of depth, and progresses well over time with him constantly aging and growing – which prevents the series from ever feeling stagnant for me, as there was always a sense of direction with what the story wanted to accomplish. But it is also a series that fleshed out its worldbuilding and lore so immensely that the world felt alive when reading through the books and I was immersed in the little details of each continent and the cultural differences between all of them, and a series that also features plot elements and twists that are phenomenally executed and written in a way that Rudeus is only a part of the world and what is happening, not being the main guy the world is revolving around.

This is a series that excels too in being many different things. It can be a great adventure story like how the Dead End crew were traveling from the Demon Continent all the way back home, or a great slice-of-life story exploring Rudeus living his daily life and getting to actually spend time with people outside and bonding with them naturally, or even his chapters as a parent. It can be a dramatic, action-heavy story, or a purely emotionally complex one like with the whole Paul-Rudeus reunion in Volume 5. The series tackles many themes, and many different tones at different times and pulls them all off really well. Nothing feels forced, there’s genuine nuance and thought-provoking elements to them that made the story feel even more hearty and polished than what I was expecting early on.

The magic techniques, the hearty character interactions and moments, the excellent fights that were well-paced too alongside the detail, the great sense of progression and development for characters and the storytelling, and great payoffs too for character and narrative arcs too throughout this series as a whole. Mushoku Tensei always offered something different with each volume and excelled for the most part in whatever it was trying to accomplish narratively and emotionally.

Rifujin na Magonote’s writing shined immensely here overall, and by the end, I was left satisfied with his work and the journey of this series completely. There are just too many elements to this story besides just Rudeus’ development that shines here, so I can only praise how good the writing and storytelling were from start to finish. Everything felt so well thought out that a part of me felt like he crafted the world and many plot points before he even began writing about the main character and his story to come. It’s not something I can compliment often for any series, let alone an isekai-based series (which I normally hate in general). Even the 26-volume length it had felt just about right, the series never felt rushed, nor did it feel stagnant, just exceptionally paced and, consistently fun and engaging throughout.

CHARACTERS

Mushoku Tensei is superbly written from the narrative elements and underlying storytelling and buildup to the future series to come, to the well-thought-out, detailed and immersive world-building that makes the series and world feel real and alive. But what shines for me more than anything are the characters in Mushoku Tensei, especially one very controversial and complex protagonist in Rudeus Greyrat.

Rudeus Greyrat in his previous life was a broken human being. An overweight, demotivated, and depressed person who was locked in his room for decades after facing intensive bullying and trauma, to the point of being a reject in society in his eyes, and relying mainly on games, eroges, and anime to help him just live through. A guy that was living but felt dead on the inside and lost his ability to communicate and bond with anyone properly, and a guy who was terrified of the outside world too. He was a person with a ton of regrets about how he wasted decades of his life from being spineless to turning to help and finding the strength to give his life a second chance right there.

It's easy to understand why a lot of people hate Rudeus, especially for his perverse tendencies (early on in particular). Since he was drowned in many eroges, hentai, and anime for decades, his social skills and treatment of women were really poor early on and he thought of his second chance as a way to do whatever he wants with no genuine consequences, like a video game.

But it is when he makes mistakes that hurt others when he experiences pain in this world and realizes and reminds himself constantly how much a second chance is meaningful to him, that kept him pushing forward and enabled him to grow and mature as a character. His development does not turn him into a saint and a guy with no flaws whatsoever, but he does develop into a pretty outstanding and morally complex character as a whole. A guy who knew he was scum in the past but is living a second life to just feel satisfied and gain closure in a way that he never got to do in the past. To stop blaming everything on others and realize how much accountability he needs to take with his own actions, to go from taking advantage of his parents and thinking of them as evil, to being a father himself and understanding what they went through and how he needs to be in the future to avoid situations like that. To use mistakes as stepping stones to becoming a better person in this world and living a life that he can feel satisfied with by the end, regardless of how flawed or bumpy it can be at times. He does not care to be the strongest person ever just for fun, he grows in a way where he wants to protect and cherish his family in this world, the people that help give him happiness, and more reasons to live. Considering how he failed to communicate at all with anyone in his past for a long time, pushed his frustrations to others, and struggled with his treatment of women early on, he really did grow leaps and bounds by the end in a believable manner without just whitewashing every single trait of his in the past.

He was definitely an unlikeable person to me early on, but even before this series, I always believed that unlikeable characters can still be phenomenal characters, and Rudeus is one I could call a phenomenal character by the end. He might not have grown in ways some people might expect with a ‘redemption’ story, but the whole point of this story is to learn from his mistakes and grow from them to live a proud, satisfying life in this new world. Even if some of the morality and relationship elements clash with our world and their standards nowadays.

Beyond him, the other characters feel incredibly fleshed out and are enjoyable to read through, especially given how many of them are as morally complex to read like Rudeus. Eris was a spoiled brat who mistreated everyone when nothing went her way and was abusive, Ruijerd was a person that went to overly extreme lengths to fulfill his promises in a stubborn, clouded fashion, without trying to understand the kids and their strengths himself. Paul was incredibly talented but was lazy to fulfill his potential in the past, and a sleazebag who still was trying to be a good dad despite not being mature enough early on to understand how to tackle that situation (especially with him having a son like Rudeus who was mentally older than he was). So many characters have complex issues or flaws, but despite them, still manage to grow, develop and live in ways that feel satisfying for me to read through. Besides Eris, Roxy and Sylphie are also fantastic heroines, and the other side characters were great too. None of the development elements felt forced too in this story, all were subtly done without having any character feel static whatsoever.

One real aspect I loved, was how fleshed out each character felt and how I can easily imagine the journeys everyone were undergoing even when the series hadn’t focused on them for a long time. The series focuses mainly on Rudeus, but the writing is so strong, that I can imagine many of these characters be protagonists of their own series in this world. There are Eris and Roxy manga spinoffs for example, but those can be applied to Paul and his past journey as an adventurer with his party, Ruijerd and his journey of redeeming the reputation of the Sperds, Norn and her journey to find her worth amidst her two more talented siblings, Orsted and his journey, etc. That is a good indication of how well these characters were written and treated, all having depth, realism, and great development elements to read through. For such a complex and dysfunctional cast on the surface, this series has one of the best groups of characters I have read in light novels for sure.

ART

Like the story and characters, one huge way that the series evolved over time was with Shirotaka's art. The illustrations and volume covers early on were solid for the most part. But the illustrations from Volume 7 I would say onwards, went from solid to amazing and complimented the growth and progress of Rudeus' journey extremely well. Seeing illustrations of Rudeus and his family in the first volume, to how much they grew alongside the quality of their art was outstanding and even made me emotional when reflecting on the illustrations after finishing the series. In general, the art is fantastic, evokes tons of emotions well and captures the storytelling well. The art really benefitted from this series having their characters grow up, that's for sure. There is even a map, which is nice to have for a series that does a great job with its world-building in general. Just comparing the earlier covers with the ones by the end can tell how well the art evolved with time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

"You only realize the real value of something you discarded when you get the chance to pick it up again." - Rudeus Greyrat

That quote summarizes my experience with Mushoku Tensei. I was one of those people that picked up the series without warnings, read the start of it, and felt grossed out to the point of dropping it early. But I gave it a second chance and moved forward through the difficult times and what I got by the end was a personal, gripping, and emotional rollercoaster of a story, filled with tons of adventure, action happiness, heartbreak, complicated moments, and more importantly, tons of heart.

As a guy who was a shut-in for a couple of years and felt like there was no hope for me to recover the rest of my life and even had no willpower to brush my embarrassment aside and communicate with my loved ones about the depression and anxiety-riddled years I went through, this series opened my eyes and gave me that strength I needed to let go of my pride and open up to everyone. And to find the motivation to not give up while I still have the chance to live and push forward. To wake up and take a step. Even if the road down the line continues to be extremely bumpy and motivations might lose a bit of strength from time to time because of that, it is still important to never give up and still find a way to enjoy life. Don't aim for a perfect life with no mistakes, but a life where I can feel satisfied by the very end. Because of this series, I finally gained the confidence to abandon being a perfectionist, speak to my family after ignoring them for years, and not wallow in my self-pity anymore and grow up.

To that, I'm grateful that I got to read this series and glad to have experienced the complex, bizarre yet touching, endearing, empowering, and genuinely life-changing journey that is Mushoku Tensei. It makes me happy that I gave it a second chance, to see what value this series offered underneath all the layers of controversial elements that people criticize deeply on the surface (sometimes even superficially or untruthfully, without adequately exploring what the series was trying to portray and using stuff out of context to make the series’ image look even worse in the process). It’s definitely not for everyone, and I would not recommend it casually for anyone to read, but it is still one I would proudly call my favorite series.

A massive thanks to Rifujin na Magonote-sensei and Shirotaka-sensei for their wonderful series here, can’t wait to see the Redundancy portion be adapted and see where the franchise as a whole goes from here.

Edit (11/18/2016): This review has been edited to reflect on the series as a whole after the latest arcs that have not been included in this review during the time it was written (the arcs being Overthrow the King Dragon King, Jobless Oblige, The Ancient Dragon's Old Tale and a bunch of Redundancy Chapters.)

If you have stumbled upon this review, you are probably having trouble deciding whether or not to read this novel. This is where I come in and let you know why I believe this novel is one of the best Web Novel/Light Novel the medium has to offer.

-THE FOLLOWING IS A ... SPOILER-FREE REVIEW-

Mushoku Tensei is a 24 volume completed Web Novel that is currently being published into a Light Novel series. The author is currently writing Redundancy Chapters on the internet and is planning on writing a sequel to the series that will serve as the main plot to the story meaning that Mushoku Tensei was intended to be a prequel all along.

Do not let this fool you though, it is by far the best fantasy Web Novel/Light Novel in the market right now.

It is the highest rated Web Novel on syosetu.com and is ranked higher than series such as Overlord, Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari, RE:Monster and etc...

Now with the introductions out of the way, let us get on with the review:

Story: 9

Mushoku Tensei is a story about Rudeus Greyrat, a NEET who was reborn into a realm of fantasy and given a second chance at his life. This book is the journey of Rudeus from his baby years all the way into his adult years. As you go through this journey with Rudeus as a reader, you will see how he gradually improves and redeems himself for his past life. There are also quite a few plot twists and developments along the way to make sure the ride never gets too stale.

However, one of the cons to the story is that it does feel quite a bit cliche at times and the overarching plot isn't as mind boggling or grand as other works. There also may be a story arc or two that you may find boring because of the lack of action that goes on.

The world building on the other hand, is incredible. Each area that the novel introduces has its own culture, history and religion that they follow which are important as it impacts how some characters react to certain situations. The author did a fine job of making each city/country feel unique enough without making the world too bland/repetitive. Each country also has their own unique history which is told not through bland dialogue of explanations, but actually through arcs Rifujin wrote such as The Ancient Dragon's Old Tale and such. It really is a show and not tell kind of worldbuilding that Rifujin excels at and really makes the reader feel engaged to the MT-verse.


Art: 9

With the series being originally a Web Novel, it did not have any art at all. However, after being published into a Light Novel series, readers were finally able to get a visual image of the characters. Needless to say, the art in my opinion is really well done and Sirotaka Sensei has done great work for the series.


Character: 10

This is the department that Mushoku Tensei really shines like no other. The cast of this series is diverse and full of unique personalities, motives and quirks. Each character develops in one way or another, certain events changing their view on life and motives.

In Mushoku Tensei, almost no character is left behind to serve as fodder material for Rudeus. Even the main female cast serve as strong entities that can fight side by side or even overpower the Main Character. Not all characters may have a strong fighting ability, but these characters are definitely not useless and play a key part in the overall story. Each character has their own unique perspective on a given situation, and the author does a splendid job of detailing each thought out. It is hard not to get attached to the cast as the story moves along, as certain events pertaining to certain members of the cast will make you feel devastated and joyful at times.

Rudeus is a fascinating Main Character. However, if you are looking for a Gary Stu protagonist, you will not find it here. He is both intelligent but at the same time realistic and relatable. He cowers when he knows a certain situation is hopeless and panics sometimes as well. Some people may say this is what makes Rudeus a frustrating main character. However, it is exactly because of these traits that Rudeus comes off as a much more realistic character than other fantasy Web Novel/Light Novel MCs. Also, he is most of the time quite intelligent and uses his experiences from his previous life as well as strategies to deal with hardships that overpower him.

Not only this, but Rudeus' character development is amazing. To go from a NEET to a respectable man in the future is quite a feat, but what really matters is the process. The author does an amazing job of showing the reader the process of how Rudeus' overcomes his past, fears and insecurities to quite literally grow as a new man.

After catching up to the latest arcs, most of the cons regarding the lack of
well written motivations regarding certain antagonists as well as some unexplained plot points have been fixed by Rifujin. Literally every character we've seen has an arc (in the Redundancy Chapters or other arcs such as Jobless Oblige) written about them regarding their history and the reason why they do the things they do throughout the series.

The story may be a focus on Rudeus' journey to becoming a changed man, but every side character and antagonist is fleshed out to the tiniest detail and this alone really differentiates the series from any other fantasy or Isekai WN/LN in the industry.


Enjoyment: 10

I absolutely loved this series. From an enjoyment standpoint, there is almost none if at all any anime/manga/Light Novel/Visual Novel I have watched and read that gives me the joy that this series does. With a cast of characters that I love/care for, the jaw dropping plot twists and the incredible world with infinite possibilities to be expanded on in the sequel and Redundancy chapters, Mushoku Tensei is everything I could have asked for and more in the anime/manga/Light Novel/Visual Novel medium.

Overall: 10

Despite some of it's flaws, Mushoku Tensei is still a masterpiece of a Light Novel. Sure there are some cliche tropes played here and there with some inconsistent plot points, but that does not deter the series from it's incredible cast of characters, story and world.

Overall, it is a series I would recommend to anyone that is a reader or simply a fan of fantasy. Mushoku Tensei is a top quality fantasy novel that other Web Novel/Light Novel can only hope to be. If you are looking for a series to read that will stay with you for quite a long time, this is the series you should be investing into.

However, I would not recommend this series to anyone that does not like sexually explicit material or mature themes such as gore/violence. This is a novel targeted at young adults rather than young teenagers.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions or responses you want to make about this review. If you want to debate about the series with me but haven't even finished the series, I will not bother.

This one is a "Must Read book".
Is well written with a lot of details to help you get immerse in the story and the world of Rudeus.
realistic character development not just the MC but also the other characters, it is a slow change resulting of the different realizations that each character reach as they grow up and not just a twist of personality caused by a major event. Great twists in the story. Well is not finish that's is the only bad point and that the MC is a pervert. I pretty much read every chapter publish so a can assure you the quality ... doesn't drop.

That's all; i just gonna let that the work speak for itself you just read the first volume my friend and you'll see

Moderator Edit: This review may contain spoilers.

Hi there, you want to know if this novel is worth it? Then let me tell you the reasons why this novel is overrated and why the MC is one of the worst that exist.

First of all, i read many volumes, at least 200+ chapters. I thought that i should give it a chance, maybe the story and the MC will improve. But that was unfortunately not the case.

The MC: Rudeus Greyart - A NEET, who masturbates on the funeral of his parents. Ok. This is how the novel starts. I think, wait what??!?! Why?! Did his parents do ... something? Maybe he isn't a bad person, just a wrong education, bad influence etc. But this was not the case.
He spent his life lying, leeching, doing nothing. Just watching loli-porn all day and masturbating.
His siblings see him and throw him out of the flat, which he really deserved.

After he gets a new life granted, he decides to do everything better. To become a better person. To respect his family, which he did not in his previous life. I believed in him, i thought he seriously tried to change and become a better person.

So i continued to read, until chapter 200. And NOPE, he is still the same person he was before. Still a coward, still having malicious thoughts, why did the author invent such a bad person?

One example, his parents get abducted. What does he do? He does nothing, he totally forgets the people that gave him as much love as possible. The people that tried to raise him to a good, honorable man. The people that would die for him. He travels for some years, makes some wives, goes to school, enjoys his daily life not thinking one moment if his parents are fine. Not a single second he thinks of his parents, just leaving them. He KNEW that his mother was kidnapped, that she might be a slave by now. But he does not care a single bit.

After his father asks him why he did not search for his mother he gets angry and beats him up. Ok?! Not even feeling shame for what he did, he gets aggressive. He beats him up in front of his 4 year old sister that gets traumalized after that. Good job mate

Another example, he sees slaves, naked, in a prison cell. They were previously raped and tortured. What does Rudues Greyart, the MC, think? Of course how nice it would be to have one of them in his bed. SERIOUSLY?! They were fucking raped and he thinks with his ****.

A third reason: He is a pedophile. Thats not my conclusion, he himself says and knows it. He, a 50 year old guy lusts after 7 year old girls. So lets sum it up.

A MC, that does not give a single shit about his family. Someone who constantly thinks bad about people, having one of the worst personalities ever. Lusting after little girls. Has 3 wives but earns 0 money, still leeching off other people.

Fucking Japan, producing this shit and still getting good sales.

Before I start, I want to emphasize that this is not just my top 1# of all time, but it stands unrivaled by any other piece of work. It is a true masterpiece without contenders, and I must admit that my opinion may be slightly biased. However, let me attempt to articulate the indescribable qualities that make Mushoku Tensei so special.

First and foremost, this series is heavily character-driven, and the entire journey is an emotionally rewarding experience unlike anything I've encountered in fictional media. We witness a person who has hit rock bottom, regarded as the scum of society, being granted a second chance at ... life. Through this second chance, he gradually grows beyond his fears and breaks down the barriers that once held him back. Along the way, he interacts with a diverse array of people and forms both short-term and long-term relationships. It is a transformative journey, taking him from a life of self-deprecation and escapism, confined to the solitude of a room, to an adventure that spans the fantastical wonders of a vividly imagined world.

What sets Mushoku Tensei apart is that it is not merely a token second chance at life; it delves deep into the protagonist's experiences, inner struggles, and personal growth. His life becomes the narrative itself, and it is executed in a way that is unparalleled in any other work. The story takes a slice-of-life approach for extended periods, allowing the pace to become extremely slow. This deliberate pacing enables readers to delve profoundly into the protagonist's core essence, understanding who he truly is, and witnessing the gradual, nuanced changes that shape his character. As a result, he evolves into one of the most inspiring fictional characters I have ever encountered.

True personal transformation does not happen overnight; it occurs through incremental shifts and realizations over an extended period of time. While the majority of the story unfolds in this unhurried, slice-of-life manner, there are pivotal "turning points" scattered throughout the narrative that significantly alter its trajectory. Each of these turning points is exceptional, but the fourth one reaches unimaginable heights, possibly standing as the greatest plot twist in fiction.

The cast of characters in Mushoku Tensei is nothing short of fantastic, encompassing a range of likeable personalities and deeply flawed individuals. The world in which the story unfolds is richly developed and beautifully explored, cementing its place as one of the finest fantasy realms I have ever encountered. The Diary and final arc of the series represent the apex of storytelling, captivating readers with their narrative prowess. However, it is the ending that defies description. It is my favorite ending and character conclusion of all time, leaving me in tears for a solid hour. I cannot even fathom how I became so emotionally attached to this fictional character.

In summary, Mushoku Tensei is an extraordinary work that surpasses any measure of excellence. It has not only captivated my imagination but has also left an indelible impact on my life. On a scale of 1 to 10, this series goes beyond any rating, scoring a resounding 100. It has truly changed my life in ways I never thought possible.

Mushoku Tensei - Jobless Reincarnation, a series that had everything I wanted from a fantasy LN series and left me feeling empty for weeks after finishing it for good.

It is a series with a main character that while problematic, actually is more compelling to read through than many other main characters I read about in the last few years as he actually has tons of issues that were built up through decades of his life, and had to spend a long time in his journey trying to just live in a way that he can feel proud of by the end. It may not be ... perfect, he is actually open to making mistakes and letting his inner weaknesses succumb him at times, but he still wants to do all that he can to not have regrets with his second life. Man was tough to read at first but the more the series went on, the more I grew attached to his journey and desire to change, and to protect the things he cared about that he discarded in his past. The series is a make or break for many purely because of his controversial traits that I see many call him out for, but I still found his character to be captivating despite his flaws. In fact, I kind of felt like a parent just reading through this series as I observe this kid try to figure out how to navigate through life. Felt proud when he accomplished progress that he never could achieve in the past, angry at his mistakes but wanted to see him overcome that and do enough to make himself feel content. I just admire stories that spend time with growing on characters, from their age to their personality and goals. Helps that his journey had an excellent ending too.

Besides just Rudeus, the other characters from Roxy/Eris/Sylphiette, to even his friends/enemies and just random characters that show up once every 5-6 volumes, all had enough depth and thought put into them to not make them just forgettable NPCs. Everyone had traits that stood out, or some background details that made them memorable. Most of these characters, having flaws in their own rights that they try to overcome or live in spite of them, which makes them even more interesting to read through for me. Whenever I got to read first-person perspectives of what side characters went through, I was always blown away with how well-thought out the author was with fleshing out each character possible, and make them feel like they are actively doing something even when the series hadn't focused on them for a long time.

On top of great character writing, the series got quick, quality action scenes to read through with high stakes, brilliantly executed plot twists in the middle and end of the series, a great sense of adventure when relevant, quality slice-of-life with Rudeus bonding with characters, which were greatly needed for him to heal and gain more and more belonging with the world, superb family drama in various volumes like 5 and 11 to name a couple, and much more. On top of that, there was the top-tier world building that felt immersive to read through, intricate work put into the magic system and lore of the Six-Faced World for the time being, etc.

Finally, as a person who gets easily bored with lengthy light novel series because they tend to drag out too much, or lose its hook with time, this series is one of the few that actually maintained its strong, engaging quality from the start all the way to the very end. You could tell that the author knew clearly how to approach the series by not having the series stagnate at any real point, instead feeling fresh consistently in different ways. Helps that the author can execute many themes well at different times. Rudeus and company growing up does help the series' progression too in that aspect.

Overall, this series is special to me and is one of the best light novels I have read. A top-tier, well thought out fantasy series where the isekai elements actually make sense for Rudeus' character without just the MC being super generic, virtue signalling and OP. Characters have depth, moments and plotlines have depth and the world has depth too. Carefully crafted and masterfully executed. Glad that the first season got a top-tier adaptation too, to go alongside these fantastic books.

Should you read this? That's sorta the big question here and for those of you who only want to know that it should be covered in the first part very rapidly. If you want more in depth this will be getting rather long as I explain each point a little more. For a story such as this I don’t think a number scale really shows a good representation of whether or not to read the series, this story is incredibly long and a wish fulfillment to the extreme, as such I would say it is more important to be the target audience than an objective ... critic. So, here we go.

Should I read this? This is a list of the most important to least important aspects to who you are as a reader.
Most Important – Least Important
1. Are you between the ages of 12-17?
2. Can you stop reading stories halfway through?
3. Do you read very little or have little familiarity with Japanese story tropes?

At this point if you have answered “yes” to 2/3 of these first questions I would highly suggest you go read this, don’t even bother reading the more in depth reasoning’s given later until you’ve finished the first few volumes of the story.

4. I love the “trapped in a video game” genre. (Or I have no idea what this point means)
5. Do you enjoy turning your brain off to read?
6. I rarely analyse stories.
7. I don’t mind characters acting strange for the sake of the plot.

I could go on with this list but you get the point, I will speak about each of these points more in depth below but if you haven’t started reading yet then I would suggest starting right after this paragraph and ignoring everything else I say. The only point that needs some light explanation before you go is number 2. I read up to volume 13 and I can say that the story goes from amazing to steadily worse, so don’t hold on if you feel yourself getting bored, at that point come back here to complain / praise the story and see if it matches up with the rest of this review.

1. Are you between the ages of 12-17?
Now there are a few generic reasons I think this is important, first off you are closer to the protagonist for the parts of the story that are the most entertaining. Being closer to the main characters age is always nice in a wish fulfillment since you relate so much better to them, also, as far as I can tell that age is the target demographic as the Main Character (I’ll be calling him Rudi) seems to have the disposition of a teenage boy the entire story. Another rather generic one is that you have less life experience to compare to an actual story, for instance the younger you are the more you’ll enjoy your first stories, and the older you get it seems you become more critical comparing the story to other stories as well as your own life. Since this story relies quite a bit on suspension of disbelief (more so than a normal wish fulfillment) the less you think the better it seems to be. Now generic stuff out of the way the story just seems less weird if you’re younger. When I was reading I was generally able to look over lots of the perverted stuff, since I’m more or less used to the fan servicy stuff (nudity) and a rather quick reader I just skimmed over it. However the sheer amount of incredibly detailed perversion in this story is rather absurd, so much so I would say it’s impossible to avoid. A lot of it is generic panties, boobs, and buts sort of stuff and some of it is done in an ok manner, so while not being a strong point of the story it doesn’t really drag it down. The problem comes up when you get back to the perspective of the story. Two characters banging for no real reason without any romantic buildup? Well I guess that’s ok. Oh it happens fairly often you say? Well still ok. Oh, they’re younger than 14? Well sorta weird but not a deal breaker. And one of those “kids” is actually a 40 year old in a kid’s body? Well, fuck, that’s really messed up then isn’t it? So you sorta see what I’m getting at, it’s weird, and more than that it’s unavoidably in your face about it as well, it’s not something that is addressed as being weird either, it’s more just “perverted people gonna do perverted things” and everyone’s sorta ok with it. But back to how this relates to being a teenager who’s reading this. If you’re 14 say, you get to avoid all the weird stuff about the random sex scenes being between kids, cuz hey, that’s your age! Lucky you! All you have to get over is the fact that one of them is actually 40 but hey, that’s way less of a barrier than someone over 18 will have. In all seriousness this is a large factor in me dropping the books, the ridiculous perversion is just too over the top, I don’t know if it’s a culture thing with the younger characters banging or what but it got to a point that I became aware of it too much, and then it bothered me forever.

2. Can you stop reading stories halfway through? (Or, where’d all that cool shit I was promised go!)
This story dives harder than a base jumper. If I were to have stopped reading after volume 2 I’d give the series an 8/10. Actually up till volume 4 it would be an arguable 8/10 still, but it can’t keep it up. This story abandons its good points, and it doesn't really explain why. The 2 big ones are the change in themes / tones, and ideas never really being expanded on despite being really interesting. The main theme in this story is rebirth and new chances, and that’s an awesome theme to have with this type of story. However Rudi doesn’t keep changing, he sorta just ends up as complicated as he’s gonna get around volume 4 and then almost loses development slipping backwards to who he was in his previous life. It’s almost as if Rudi just becomes the same as his past self except with determination, like that’s really it. When I stopped reading Rudi’s past self was basically a generic NEET, and by basically I mean exactly. The problem here is that NEET’s are pretty much people without determination, so just add determination and you’ll get a relatively standard human being. Rudi’s first life had the traits of, shut in, pervert, and selfish. Seeing Rudi overcome his shut in self was great, and to a degree the selfishness is gone as well, but the perversion is almost grandiose, it goes against the message of the story. Rudi is essentially the same person as his past life just with more confidence and power. But this isn’t a bad thing. If you wanted to delve into this it would be amazing to see the contrast of how people treat you based off appearance and success despite still being a normal bordering on lousy human being. This doesn’t happen. Rather everyone just sorta treats Rudi like a god, and well, he pretty much is in terms of power, but he’s not a good guy. He still struggles with his relationships with people as he did in his past life and still has his perversion to a hyperbolic degree, but you’re supposed to believe he’s truly changed. The disconnect between the Rudi the reader sees and how other characters treat Rudi is absurd, and that’s an issue. There’s really no conflict surrounding Rudi’s personality, he’s never forced to change so he never does, and that’s fine, but it’s not fine in a story where the main theme is changing oneself with new opportunities. Another thing that gets thrown away is the whole melding of worlds which would allow Rudi to use magic and science combined to beat up everyone. Sounds awesome. Is awesome. But no, scrap that idea, we need more school life and panty stealing. The ideas just sorta pitter out and it’s rather annoying. Since the story is so long I gave it a ton of leeway in its buildup, I kept reading thinking things would improve, things were looking good as well, and characters were seeing development and it was more a slice of life genre getting to know more about the world. A tad boring but it seemed like a great set up, but no. The shift in tones is almost unavoidable in a series of this length, and since I’d thoroughly enjoyed the start so much I kept on reading. Personally what ended up driving me away was this really weird love / harem / relationship? Stuff that was going on. I really don’t mind the harem genre, it’s sort of always just below average quality but usually entertaining, however this story seemed to do things differently. We had important family values presented early on, we also had a whole subplot about what it means to be faithful. Alright, this is good. I expected standard harem from the cover but this is nice, and for a long time it is. Then we get a random sex scene, well ok, little weird but sure makes enough sense I guess. Wait now we have a misunderstanding between the 2? Well ok, little generic but ok. Now we don’t see that other character at all? WTF, (Like legit when I stopped this character was still off on their own doing random adventure things.) But still it’s largely ok. Wait another random sex scene? Well I guess not that random... But far from logical. And that’s the problem, the relationships surrounding Rudi are pretty good, even the female characters are pretty good on their own, but at some point Rudi just bangs em then they become super generic and boring. It makes no sense. For instance Rudi gets married, really weird tonal shift I thought, we’ve got this pervert getting married? Why? Seems like a bad mix for someone who wants to bang everyone. But it sorta worked, like in a creepy “my wife is a sex doll” sorta way, but it worked, 6/10. Rudi seems hella serious about it and is seeming to be a good guy about the whole thing. O no! A succubus! But wait, that wasn’t the reason for Rudi to break his marriage vows, really impressive honestly that it was written that way, points for not taking the easy way out Mr. Writer. But later Rudi breaks his vows anyways, in a super illogical dumb way, so I had to stop reading because it was getting too dumb and all the female characters I liked became sex objects. The drop in character quality is annoying, the lack of continuation of ideas is annoying, the pacing is annoying, the tonal shifts are annoying, all of these combined resulted in my dropping the series. If you are someone who has to finish a series once started be wary of this one.

3. Do you read very little or have little familiarity with Japanese story tropes?
This story has been done before, and it’s generic to boot. The main appeals that stood out to me was some solid characters and humour. If you’ve never been exposed to these types of characters before you’ll immensely enjoy the story. If you’ve read a lot of these types of stories and enjoyed them then still give it a go, but if you’ve seen it all before maybe let this one slide.

4. I love the “trapped in a video game” genre. (Or I have no idea what this point means)
Like I said earlier, if this is your niche type of story you’ll find everything you’re looking for here.


5. Do you enjoy turning your brain off to read?
This is not an in depth deep thought “I am so edgy kind of story”, it’s largely an upbeat adventure where you go around beating the crap out of everything. It has some good mental parts but if you think about the story too much it becomes worse, this is a pure good time kill the baddies bang the ladies video game type plot.

6. I rarely analyse stories.
So I do this very little, and I try to do it even less, but even I got caught up in the flaws that come up throughout the story. Basically the plot is really bad as the story goes on. If you want to test this ask yourself “Why are the characters acting the way they do,” now that’s the next part of the review, but it also applies here. Rudi is pretty powerful, but he’s no god. Well fuck. Now how will he know everything and anything and decide what to do to save the day? “Why don’t we just have a vague character who calls himself god tell him exactly what to do?” Brilliant! This is a weak point in the plot, it’s the equivalent of “go here” “Do this,” well a little better. At the start it was interesting to know if the advice was malicious or not, and I see this being a major plot point in the story past where I stopped reading, but it’s so slow and not explained. So the result is just super strong Rudi being told to do things by an even stronger character who is apparently on his side for some reason. A second issue is the pure randomness that happens and lack of knowledge the reader gets. Like are we being real when the strongest fighter in the ENTIRE world just sort of shows up, beats the shit out of everyone, and then goes and fucks off having almost no impact on the story? Like that was crazy? Why did that happen? We’ve got OP Rudi being guided by even more OP random character and the hardest fight they have is just randomly wrong place wrong time? Like c’mon. And there’s no answers! It makes no sense, why are we having this random panty bullshit when I still don’t know what’s happening? Like we get Rudi’s perspective, but we also get that Rudi’s a small part in a big world, but we know shit about shit about this world’s politics. Strong enemies show up all but unexplained and Rudi just sort of beats them..? What? Rudi is strong, we get it, but how he gets stronger is really random, like having a power level for the opponents could help a lot. Like Oh, this guy is 5000, Rudi is 5250, that was a close fight. Like I had no idea who was strong or not when I finished, it just seems that Rudi beats everyone except like 4 people, only one of which he’s ever actually fought. Rudi just sorta gets stronger, and it's ok I guess but really poorly represented. Also what the fuck happened to caring about the giant explosion teleportation thing? We just accept it as a natural disaster and that’s it? It was one of the most random plot points I’ve ever seen and it still didn’t make any sense as to who made it happen. This book focuses on the wrong things, ideas that should be flushed out aren’t, why Rudi only uses a rock bullet every fucking fight but still wins is also a mystery, too many inconsistencies and point A to point B plot lines. Its fine for a journey but having what basically amounts to a narrator telling Rudi what to do all the time is ridiculous without any context. Also some of these may seem bordering on spoilers, but fear not, you get about a paragraph of buildup or knowledge that these events could happen, yeah, it’s that sudden.

7. I don’t mind characters acting strange for the sake of the plot.
These characters do the dumbest things for the sake of entertainment. Overall it’s pretty straightforward characters act how they are represented throughout the story, but you need a little better than “most of the time act reasonably” to convince me these are real people. While a lot of this can be attributed to forcing the plot along and characters we don’t know just sorta doing their own things that we may or may not find out about later on, some of the things just get ridiculous. There’s 2 main parts to this that I really noticed, first off is that everyone’s relationships are bullshit. Like bring sex into the equation and it’s used almost as a magical tool to fix things. Characters never build into liking each other, well maybe they sorta do if you wanna argue it, but relationships go from friends to sex in a paragraph. And some of the characters make a lot of sense when this happens, it suits them to go have random sex and fall in love, but that’s not how relationships work as a rule, that’s more the exception. For instance characters it makes no sense for them to seek out sex, like it’s been built up that they’re innocent and the like, then they just go for it no holds barred style. And the issue with this is Rudi. Female characters act so dumb around him it’s unbelievable at times. But that’s spoiler talk so let’s stop that. An easy spoiler free example is Rudi’s reaction, have sex = marriage. What? Well I guess a plot twist on his personality..? Have sex = ignore the person and leave them alone. But last time you didn’t do that… Have sex = yeah that was great, (O that’s normal, you can fit that in anywhere), but my wife is gonna be pissed. GOD DAMMIT. The inconsistency is so bad it hurts. Another part of Rudi is that he’s portrayed as super rational and not emotional, then like 10 pages later he’s all depressed. Well ok I guess that makes sense, big events, character development, a weird tonal shift but we’ll bounce back. O, what? We’re not bouncing back? Well shit, this is not really in line with the rest of your character, let’s see this new and developed Rudi. O you had sex and now you feel better and are back to the exact way you were before? O right, this is the second time this has happened now that I think about it. You have to suspend a lot of belief to grow attached to some of these characters, almost all of the complicated characters seem to fall apart somewhere in the story whether it be for the sake of the plot or the sake of sexy times.
My Enjoyment
Story: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyment: 5
Overall 4
I had so much fun with this at the start, but the drag on and on just killed it for me. I would highly recommend the first 2 volumes and say if you liked them continue reading until your interest fades out. I’m not sure why this work is as popular as it is but to hazard a guess since the intro was so good people stayed with it as it came out and kept it in high regard, overall a slightly below average story for me. But it is rather niche so even as I say it’s a 4/10 it can easily be your 9/10.
Random Thoughts
Why is any of this happening? Why are characters acting this way? Why is rock bullet the most overpowered spell in the universe? Is this the plot of an MMO? How is “pervert” a character trait?

This is both my review and the answer to some other reviews, so here it goes;

1. The world in these novels shares a lot of common things with other fantasy stories, yet has enough unique features to make it interesting to read. It’s very fun to learn and experience it together with the main character.

2. This story is certainly wish fulfillment; just like almost every fantasy story. Most blatant ones being something like Harry Potter. And that’s perfectly fine, because we read these stories to experience wish fulfillment. MC in this story is not Gary Stu; just having powerful magic power does to make you one. He ... has few advantages; he uses them fully, and works very hard for his power. MC makes mistakes, and does not succeed in everything. He is not a noble hero, and never becomes one. And most importantly, he understands that just having a great power does not solve all of your problems, or makes you invulnerable.

3. MC actually uses his brain, thinks ahead, and avoids any unnecessary danger. He does not seek conflict or attempt to solve everything with force, and this is why he mostly fights with opponents he can handle. It’s really refreshing compared to usual shounen protagonist not caring their lives; and that’s one the reasons this is seinen.

4. There is a lack of usual shounen clichés. There is no sudden powerups, and fights are fast and deadly. Nobody reveals the secret of their techniques in the midst of fighting. Everyone has to train years to gain any skills; there are no shortcuts for heroes or villains. While this is technically harem, there is no usual harem clichés either.

5. Characters grow emotionally, especially MC. There is no magical transformation, it takes a long time and feels natural. MC grows from a human trash into a decent human being who cherishes his family. Side characters like Chris, Luke and Zanoba can start with very bad first impressions, yet they can show unexpected depth, and slowly and subtly grow up.

6. The story takes totally unexpected shifts and yet it makes sense when you think about it. The plot does not always progress the way you expect, which keeps you interested. This is mature story; it takes risks and deals with some things other LNs usually avoid. Like MC actually getting some, getting married, and even having a child. Yet the story keeps going.

7. MC is certainly a pervert, but that’s problem only if you are a prude. The world in this series has some different moral values, yet not everyone accepts everything. MC is actually quite morally upright compared to values of others around him, and for what he could do. He does not abuse his powers, and does his best to remain faithful.

I recommend this story to anyone who wants to read mature fantasy story with interesting adventure and unexpected plot twists.

Spoiler-free review.

First I'll do my review without spoilers, and below I'll put one with spoilers. At first, this light novel/manga was all right, but the more you read the worse it gets. A lot of people really like this story and praise it as "the only isekai with actual character development" and things like that, and while that's true for the first few volumes, but after volume 7 or so, the author throws out any more character development in favor of other things. The story is mediocre, and the characters, which were good at first, turn really flat and 1 dimensional later. I was incredibly ... disappointed and dropped it after forcing myself to read up until Volume 17.

It's also very uncomfortable sexual at times, and the MC is very perverted. Rather than getting less perverted as time goes on (character development), his perversion only increases.

MEGA SPOILERS AHEAD

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
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I WARNED YOU
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The thing that pisses me off the most about this novel wasn't the fact that the author stopped developing the characters. It's what he did with the characters after he stopped developing them. It would have been fine if he stopped with the character development so that the story could progress more quickly, but instead he just gives Rudeus a harem.

When he rescued Roxy, there could have been a great moment where Rudeus is tempted by her and then rejects her, remaining faithful to Sylphy, and letting Roxy struggle with her feelings before moving on.

Eris could have had a great arc later, where she realizes that her poor communication skills lead her to lose Rudeus, and she could have either turned into a villain, or reflected on her actions, improved herself, and found another man, but instead, there are no consequences. She still gets to become his wife, and she never learns her lesson about communication.

Rudeus could have gotten in trouble for some of his perverted actions, but instead, everyone else is fine with it, and many of them actually encourage it, so he only gets worse. Rudeus literally worships Roxy's panties, and somehow everyone thinks that's ok.

The women in these novels are all weak-willed, and for some reason Eris, who is supposed to be super stubborn and strong-willed, is okay with being Rudeus' third wife.

This story was pretty good at first, but by the time I dropped it, it made me angrier more than anything else.

|| Novel Recommendation And Review ||

Novel - Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu
Authors - Rifujin na Magonote (Story), Sirotaka (Art)
Genres - Action, Adventure, Fantasy, War, Tragedy etc.

(Note - this review is made till i read till volume 9)

Introduction :-
The Moment when you get the chance to relive your life, What will you do? Not only that, you are reincarnated in the world of fantasy, will you try to get back? will you become the strongest in the universe? will you enjoy life like a normal? there are countless possibilities you could choose from. But, Not for the main protagonist, his life sucked in his previous ... life so he decided to never make mistake like he did in his previous world. The story follows the adventure of the lesser noble called Rudeus Greyrat who seemed to be reincarnated from real world to the world of dungeons and dragons.

Views :-
To be honest, this is my first LN and i am really proud i choose this. i read its manga but it wasn't detailed as the novel. This novel makes you jump into that world and it feels like you are experiencing it there-in. The story was well paced and in flow. That author has written the story to the point of reality, no what i meant is that if the possibility of fantasy world, how would it feel, the emotions, the adventures etc. It shows the point of reality in that made up world, thinking yes that could happen. Story takes great leap to the Epic tales, with how he was born, he grows, takes step to the world of adventure and reaching to the point of Greatness.Everything is divided into phase of his life, certainly making you feel that we are growing with him. This is one great Novel that i would give 10/10 any day.

Synopsis
A 34-year-old NEET gets killed in a traffic accident and finds himself in a world of magic. Rather than waking up as a full-grown mage, he gets reincarnated as a newborn baby, retaining the memories of his past life. Before he can even properly move his body, he resolves to never make the same mistakes he made in his first life ever again and instead live a life with no regrets with the new one that was given to him. Because he has the knowledge of a middle-aged man, by the age of two, he has already become a magical prodigy and possesses power unthinkable for anyone his age and even older. Thus begins the chronicles of Rudeus Greyrat, son of swordsman Paul and healer Zenith, as he enters a new world to become the strongest mage known to man, with powers rivaling even the gods themselves.

Story(10/10) - Yes, the story is really beautiful, it gives us the vibe of reliving our own past like a present. Better yet, the story doesn't get sidetracked but continues like a flow in a timely manner. Being it in the fantasy world, it doesn't lack any of the action and adventure that we crave for, it takes simply perfect and meticulous time for him to venture the world. Unlike other stories which directly shows people traveling to adventure without characterization, this story starts from the beginning giving him, the main character a sort of personality and how that psychology that he developed from the start pays off in the future.

Illustrations (8/10) - I don't know how to base the artworks since i have always reviewed the manga, certainly the illustrations that are provided do give a basic idea of the world. It certainly helps you to imagine the world, the surroundings, the people, the culture etc. Though it seemed that it lacked with the illustrations since i couldn't see much or none illustrations from volume 4-5 till volume 9. Since i am newbie in Light Novels, i can't base the illustrations for it but they are indeed drawn beautifully.

Enjoyment (10/10) - I have very well enjoyed it and since the time i started it, it took me around 6 days to complete around till volume 7-8. I couldn't stop it, it was very entertaining and i was craving for more, i wasn't not able to satisfy myself with just 1 chapter per day(originally what i thought cause i never intended to read LN) but the story was so beautiful, in Rudeus language i could say i was seduced by the story and my Little boy(not that tongue emoticon just my brain. little cause i am not that smart) could not stop my craving or addiction. With this, I conclude that i Enjoyed it a lot, and i will continue to do so.

Overall (10/10) I loved this a lot and this is just my opinion though cause it may differ from person to person, but i would say it is certainly this is a gem that i would recommend all to read it.

The book in question boasts some of the finest worldbuilding in any light novel that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The world created by the author is rich and immersive, drawing the reader into its depths with ease.

From the very start, the book hooks you in with an introduction that sets the tone for the rest of the novel. It may start slow, but it's incredibly enjoyable and far from boring.

However, the pace does slow down as the story progresses, but it's not to the detriment of the book. Far from it. In fact, the story takes on a whole new life ... once the plot twists begin to pile up. The action sequences are thrilling and leave you on the edge of your seat. The author has a real talent for creating tension and suspense that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.

One of the highlights of the book is the abundance of new characters, areas, and lore that are introduced throughout the story. The author has a gift for creating well-rounded, relatable characters that add depth and complexity to the world they inhabit. The lore of the world is rich and well thought-out, adding to the overall sense of immersion.

The story itself is unique and stands out from other isekai novels. While it retains the elements that make isekai stories so beloved, it also brings something new to the table. The plot is original and engaging, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

In conclusion, this book is a must-read for fans of light novels, worldbuilding, and isekai stories. It boasts a rich world, well-rounded characters, and a unique story that sets it apart from other novels in the genre. If you're looking for an engaging and immersive read, then this book is definitely worth your time.

Just a heads up, Mushoku Tensei is extremely divisive and deals with pretty uncomfortable subjects so if you don't like that stuff you likely won't enjoy it.

Right off the bat I'll say Mushoku Tensei has an incredibly detailed world, one where I often found myself wanting characters to keep info dumping about a subject to each other and got mad when they stopped. The way Rifujin details things often gives a clear picture in your head like no one else if it's something physical, or he'll go into great enough detail, I dare say, close to Tolkein, he has clearly spent a long time to ... make the world believable.

I also enjoyed that the series wasn't afraid to take a piece of shit, make him the main character, and have him grow as person, you will either like Rudeus and be happy at his growth, or hate Rudeus and potentially come to like him. Rudeus on the outside appears to be a very straightforward and perverted character, when he has amazing depth even early on (it's just not as apparent as later)

Talking about something a little more abstract, Rifujin's writing style is, in my opinion, some of the best there is, I haven't read many novels like I've seen anime, but I found myself just wanting to read more and more, once I started I only stopped when something major happened in the story or I read so much I needed to digest the info.

This series won't be for everyone, nor should it be, I love this series to death. I'm sorry if this review isn't helpful, it's my first.

Mushoku Tensei is the kind of story you read when you want to escape from reality for a bit. It's a wish fulfillment fantasy in the ultimate sense.

Story 9/10
The story is well-written with good pacing and interesting twists and turns. Some parts of the story drag on a bit with very obvious foreshadowing with a "reveal" at the end, but these parts aren't long compared to the rest of the story.

Art 8/10
Not really relevant seeing how it's a novel, but the cover pages looked nice I suppose?

Character 8/10
The characters are an interesting bunch, at some times being well-written and well-developed, and other times being ... a bit crude. The main character in particular has some pretty nasty habits that really detracted from the story, but when he's not engaging in his "activities" he manages to stay an interesting character. There's a large cast of characters that are, for the most part, interesting and well-developed, although at times they have some weakly written aspects that are obviously written for wish-fulfillment which can get really annoying.

Enjoyment 8/10
Although the weirdness of some of the aspects of this series turned me off a bit, overall the story is a good read that kept me hooked.

Overall 8/10
Decent, solid read as long as you can get past or enjoy some of the more perverted things the main character does. Some of it drags on, but it's not really an issue.

Everyone who reads this will be like:

"I would be completely satisfied if my life's biography was like this".

____

I am a speed reader. I Read all the 261 chapters within 7 days.
Story flow is great, timeline is great; A real piece of art.

Notes:
... 1) When characters are brought in, enough history is mentioned for a smooth transaction (unlike bleach).

2) TIME DOES PASS, sections can be spans of time from hours to years. This really makes these novels stand out. Maturing and growing takes time.
(the reader is kept in the loop with things like, "It's been 3 months since ____")

3) Everyone has skills in their own fields of talent. This is not about becoming "stronger" than everyone else at fighting, but growing and progressing in what the person is good at through effort (balanced against intelligent-training and talent).

4) Definitely a recommended read. Warning: Has some mature parts during juvenile years.

For a very long time, Mushoku Tensei was one of the most exciting LN series I’ve gotten into when it came out. It has a very interesting case where it takes some very basic ideas from your typical Isekai and how it uses them in a compelling way. It creates a story that shows how you can learn from your mistakes and how your journey goes despite your mixed vision. This would make for a very good series… Or in this respect, you SHOULD have one. While I’ve been very curious every time a chapter has been released, as time goes on, this has turned ... out to be one of the most disappointing series ever. I don’t even mean that in a sense that makes it horrible but in the end, this falls under a definition of “wasted potential”. It has interesting elements, sure, but it doesn’t utilize them quite well.

Before I get into my problems, I should first explain what the plot is about. Mushoku Tensei starts with a 34-year-old fat bastard who has been kicked out of his family and wandering around the streets. Eventually, he would get killed by a truck and teleported to another world. And in that world, he is first reincarnated as a child named “Rudeus”. With this, he sets his goal on when to redeem himself after knowing what he was in the past. Now looking at this, it would make for a compelling story. A guy who got his ass kicked so many times to the point where he got reincarnated and starts everything from scratch is something I truly admire a lot. I really like how even for a power fantasy, it sets up a presentation where it shows you how you could challenge yourself. It may be hard to understand, sure, but I’d say it’s a great plot to look at.

However, that’s where my possible praise towards the series ends here. Look further at the series and you’ll notice something off. Now what Mushoku has to offer seems great. But I find that the amount of fanservice involved felt either grating or unnecessary. I must admit that Rudeus being a weirdo isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I think it’s part of his character as it adds more challenge to his progression. The problem is with how it’s handled. The series for the most part uses him as a goofy molester with little insights to place. He gets away with disgusting shit with very little consequences and that’s almost out of character. I’ll explain Rudeus later on. But I feel like Rudeus isn’t the only victim of this. Other characters that act as weirdos also tend to be gross with next to no context. Do you know the scene about the Roxy figurine? That’s my example of how the fanservice went wrong. The series tends to reallocate a lot of its story elements into what feels averagely gross.

Hell, even ignoring the juvenile fanservice entirely, the series’ very important aspects are pretty mid. It is way too plot-driven for its own good. You know how the story is about a reincarnated being setting his journey to learn from his mistakes? In this respect, that element is barely present in the series. The series doesn’t utilize much on that and instead, relies too much on drama that felt either cheap or filler. That aspect I’m talking about is admittedly present, sure, but the story tries too hard to use it by throwing in elements of surprises that aren’t even terrible but tend to keep the writing quality in check. Another problem I’d like to point out is the exposition. Mushoku takes too long to set up what contributes to the plot and even if we get there, what we want to see is rushed all thanks to the previous problems I just talked about a while ago.

Although these problems do invade the series from left to right, there is one more scene I would like to cover, and that in itself manages to save the series, even though it’s not too big or anything like that. Of course, what I’m referring to is the dance scene. It’s not your average dancing presentation where it is for style, it also adds charm to it that connects with the series’ main objective well. It truly shows the nature of Rudeus’ progression and elevates the amount of characterization he has alongside his chemistry with Eris (and too bad, the potential of both Rudy and especially Eris is thrown away later on).

The characters… Oh boy, now where do I begin with them? Let’s start with the main cast, most notably Rudeus, the key character, and the neet, Roxy, a goddess and mentor of Rudy, Eris, the goblin slayer, and Sylphiette, the childhood friend.

Starting with Rudy, he’s honestly weird. I already mentioned how he has interesting characteristics hindered by a certain gimmick. He’s supposed to be the kind of boy (or man) who sets his goals to achieve what he needs in order to refrain from what he did wrong back then with his obsession being his big obstacle and while that is interesting, in practice, him being a weirdo with little consequences for the most part gets in the way of his development. He pretty much molests girls he sees and yet, almost all of them weren’t addressed. But this doesn’t matter because, after all, it’s “part of his character” from now. Yeah, no. That’s like saying “Oh but mom, that “dildo” you call it is still a toy so it’s still kid-friendly”. It doesn’t work like that. The worst part? Rudy hasn’t changed at all. The first 10 chapters pretty much cemented his intended development. After that, he kinda remains to be the same loser he is. Not a bad character by any means, I’ll admit that he gets some development from the middle portions of the series but still, we could see better.

The female leads, however, are pretty much the worst offenders of the series. But first, let me make an exception. I like Roxy and she’s a decent character overall. Her role as a mentor is solid and her dynamics with Rudy are passable. Not the greatest but they definitely hold value. The other girls… not so much… Eris is stupid for the wrong reasons. In fact, she’s the worst character in the whole story. Her dynamics with Rudy are cliched and make no sense. On one hand, her rudeness is off the charts, and just pushes him. On the other hand, her confessions seem rather silly and rushed. And that’s ignoring how she’s been cockblocking Rudy for half of the series, Hell, Rudy would be a lot better venturing around without her. Sylphy, while not as bad as Eris, is just really boring. Yeah, she’s a big friend (or love interest, if any) of Rudeus but that’s about it. Half of the time, she’s merely a plot device to push Rudy’s character further with no unique substance within herself.

Side characters are ones I either don’t care or get annoyed at. Half of the side cast is just there to keep the story’s pacing in check. They aren’t too bad like heck, I prefer most of them over the main cast, but you know, they’re just walking mannequins with brains and feelings. The other half is what also pisses me off. Remember when I said that Rudy is a weirdo for giggles? Most, if not all of that logic applies to those bastards. Again, they are creeps with nothing else and they become big pushovers at this point. Now, of course, there’s another exception I have in mind and that would be Ruijerd. Ruijerd is interesting because of how he guides half of the main cast and how his development is connected to his backstory. Not much to say here honestly, he’s also a decent character.

I genuinely have very mixed feelings about the series but there’s one last aspect I would like to talk about and that is the batch of volume cover illustrations the light novel contains. While yes, they’re superficial and are not counted, they are the best parts of the series. The art style is very pleasing to look at. The details are excellent and the coloring is both balanced and adequate. The character designs, even for non-isekai standards, have a lot of heart to them and fit well with each character, regardless of simplicity and complexity.

And those are my opinions on Mushoku Tensei’s light novel. The real question is: is it good or bad? To me, that’s a difficult question. On one hand, it has among the most enticing build-ups a series could ever hope for all because of how it creates its intended story. But on the other hand, it’s filled with a handful of decisions and exposition that tend to limit its writing. To me, Mushoku Tensei is alright. It offers what tends to be pleasing and it actually tries. It’s just that how it tackles its plot point as well as the character writing tends to be on the mixed side. Apart from 1 and 2 characters, the cast could have been a lot more logical with their statistics and objectives. While the art covers are amazing and something I can’t forget, overall, this series… exists, and that’s how it is ‘ahem’ at least to me.

It is every fantasy reader’s dream to be able to go to another world. However, in this Japanese light novel series, readers can actually learn what it could be like to be born in one. Mushoku Tensei—Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu, or just Mushoku Tensei, is written by Rifujin na Magonote. I loosely translate the full title to mean Jobless Reincarnation—Living Seriously If Going to Another World. This tale of swords and magic features a man from the modern world that is reincarnated into a baby of the Asura Kingdom, a nation within a fantasy world. The good points of this ... story is not only the fact that Magonote does a splendid job on world-building, but also that he depicts a man from our modern world into a world with knights and adventurers. But he is not just any guy. He is not a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist or even a normal college student stressing about getting a job. The protagonist of Mushoku Tensei is a NEET.
Magonote wrote his fantasy story in the point of view of a 34-year-old NEET, a person who is "Not in Education, Employment, or Training," who was kicked out of his home in modern-day Japan for not attending his parents’ funeral. This NEET ends up being reincarnated into another world after dying in regret of his meaningless life. Being reborn as the son of former adventurers, Rudeus Greyrat starts to realize that he has a second chance and he declares, “This time, I'll really live my life to the fullest with no regret!” Although Rudeus was once a good-for-nothing in Japan, it is moving to see how he makes the most of his new life in Buina Village. Learning from his failures and shortcomings as a NEET, Rudeus applies those lessons into socializing with his new family and friends and setting the goal to actually accomplish something in his new environment. He was not ambitious enough to want to become the hero that would defeat the demon lord, but he still wanted to give his new life meaning by making at least one “small” achievement. Readers are sure to be inspired by a man that once wasted life try his best to become someone to be proud of. I am sure it would make them try their best too.
Mushoku Tensei chronicles basically every important aspect of Rudeus’s new life as he grows up from an infant into a man. It is entertaining to read about how a person from our world reacts to the fantasy world, especially a former NEET that once did nothing but play games and surf the net all day. Rudeus sometimes regrets that there are some things from our world that do not exist in the other world (like soy sauce), but he always marvels at the new things like magic. As Rudeus makes great progress in his magic training due to his natural talent and basic science knowledge, readers can gain insight into the inner workings of this fantasy world that depends on magic. The systems of magic that Magonote creates is very comprehensive and easy to understand, which makes for a very intricate world with powerful nations that have individuals that could act as one-man armies. Rudeus encounters a wide variety of unique cultures and races on his future travels which makes for fascinating interactions and great adventures. But only Rudeus could boast a demon race magic teacher and a half-elf-part-animal-race childhood friend.
The level of enjoyment that an individual can get from reading this series is on par with the fun people get from reading J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series or Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle. The Japanese light novel series, Mushoku Tensei, is a story that features a character that everyone can sympathize with in a situation that everyone would envy. Magonote has done a great job to depict the actions and thoughts of a NEET being reincarnated into a fantasy world. He also does well in describing this new fantasy world with all of its nations, cultures, politics, continents, geography, and magic. It is almost unbelievable that the story first started out as a web novel that eventually got its own publication. Although the printed version of Volume 1 will not be released in the United States until November this year, Baka-Tsuki.org has been a wonderful source of the translated version of this unusual tale. I hope you can also enjoy reading Mushoku Tensei. Speaking from experience, please be wary of sleepless nights.

This review is intended for those who have finished the Anime adaptation and are looking to read the Light Novel

tl;dr This series is fucking trash, the fact that 'Rudy gets a boner' is a fucking spoiler says it all. Also, don’t believe that this series is disgusting? See for yourself: https://imgur.com/a/PG6pOaT. The worst part is that the series could have been good if it was written by a normal human being.

If you watch Mushoku Tensei 1 of 2 things will happen. You will either be so disgusted by Rudy that you deem the show problematic, or you will recognize Rudy has flaws and tries to ... grow to become a better person. If you do not find yourself in either of these camps, please stop reading and I wish you the best of luck in life.

Personally, I was in the 1st camp but nevertheless, I watched the 2nd part of Mushoku Tensei and I ended up giving it an 8/10. Despite having some serious issues with the show, Mushoku Tensei does something incredibly unique. Almost like watching a child grow-up, you become invested in Rudy’s life and want to follow his journey through life. On top of that, Mushoku has incredible world building and set-up. For this reason, I decided to read the Light Novels after watching the series starting with LN 7 up to the latest officially released novel. (At this time LN 15)

I cannot understate it enough just how much LN 7 baited me into sunk-costing this god awful series.

Before I continue, I will rate each volume. It’s impossible to rank the series as a whole because of its high-highs and low-lows. Also this will give you a good idea of the suffering I went through while reading this.

(Out of 10)
LN 7 - 8
LN 8 - 2
LN 9 - 3.5
LN 10 - 2
LN 11 - 4
LN 12 - 8.5
LN 13 - 1
LN 14 - 5
LN 15 - 7
AVG - 4.5

The biggest problem is that Rudy DOESN'T CHANGE. He’s still the same gropey, perverted, sexual deviant from the beginning. Don’t believe me? Take a look yourself: https://imgur.com/a/PG6pOaT (A personal favorite of mine https://i.imgur.com/e5ym4uP.png)

Maybe it’s a problem that will be fixed from the anime adaption, but in the LN you hear EVERY. SINGLE. FUCKING. THOUGHT in Rudy’s mind, which 90% of the time is him being a fucking pervert. Not only that, but the primary drive for 2 full novels is Rudy trying to get his dick wet. It’s actually fucking insane. I wish I was making this shit up.

At a certain point, I realized that every single female character in this series is sexualized. A lot of people argue that Rudy isn’t meant to be a self-insert, but he is. Instead of growing past his disgusting behavior, he just ends up with a harem that he can perform all his perverted fantasies on.

If there is a redeeming point, it’s that the plot and worldbuilding of Mushoku is what kept me trudging through this god awful series. I honestly wish I could tune out the hypersexualization like some people can, because then this would actually be great. The pay off for some of the set-up is amazing, especially LN 15. It really is the only thing that kept me going through this god awful series.

What is really sad is that Mushoku is capable of doing deep dives into Rudy’s character and his growth. That’s what made LN 7 and 12 so good, and why I got roped into reading the series in the first place. It actually makes so so so so so SO FUCKING SAD. I cried like a baby from how deep and touching LN 12 was. LN 7 felt so unique because it felt like it utilized the whole ‘following Rudy’s life’ to the fullest extent in terms of making and losing friends/lovers.

If the series was written in 3rd person, it would be an 8/10. If the series actually followed through with exploring Rudy’s character and his growth it would be a 10/10.

Hopefully, the anime adaptation will be in 3rd person, but the series has already been ruined for me because I read the LNs.

Tl;dr: Mushoku Tensei, behind the apparent otaku-pandering, is a satisfyingly concluded magical fantasy coming of age story full of action, laughs, and thought-provoking feels.
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WARNING: INCOMING WALL OF TEXT, AND SOME SPOILERS. This review may be bit hefty, but I feel compelled to explain why this series deserves to be read.
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At first glance, Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu looks like another one of those "modern person gets a 2nd chance at life in a magical fantasy setting" stories that has seen countless incarnations in past years. Having read the web novels to the main story's conclusion as of 2016, I can say that it is ... one of the most refreshing and satisfying representations of this genre and a definite must read.

Story: 8/10

One of the story's biggest draws is that it unfolds over the course of the main character’s lifetime. You don't see that very often in anime and manga, or most of the modern stories for that matter. Nowadays, an entire series can end just following the story of a character or a party for a few months, with maybe a year-long time skip or two. Meanwhile, Mushoku has multiple time-skips spanning decades. With this scope, you get to see the world and characters change and grow as they are affected by the various consequences from actions built up over the years.

This span of time also allows for a variety of stories to be told. Each of the arcs can be different genre series by themselves. There’s a travel and adventure segment, a school comedy, a family/home-based slice of life, and even a mystery/suspense /political manoeuvring arc. Now this may make it seem like the author just was randomly jumping through genres and stories, trying to appeal to a broader audience. Reading through them one by one, some parts seem more inconsequential or mundane. But it’s all put together in a satisfying way at the end, and certain turns and twists reveal that each point of the character’s life was needed to show the big picture.

Mind you, the setting and world building in MT is no Lord of the Rings or GoT with their thousands of described locales, languages, systems, artefacts and characters. Still, MT manages to portray a believable magical-fantasy world that feels alive and is full of as many complexities as our own. It starts off with the perspectives of only a couple of characters, and scenes from everyday life, but over time, it’s able to touch on broader issues like politics, religion, war--- even race-relations and gender roles and how they play out in a world where magic is a fact of life.

One of the things keeping this from getting a higher mark is the uneven pacing and parts of the narration by the main character. Later on however, this remedied by the occasional change in narrators, showing main plot points from other characters’ POV.

Still, some of the readers encountering may find their immersion in the world broken by the MC Rudeus’s… quirky actions and extensive remarks, often pertaining to his love of females. Don’t get me wrong--- at times this provides a welcome break for some heavy moments and is part of the unique charm of the character. But it can get grating and repetitive at times, especially during his hormonal teenage years. Go figure that one out. (MC is a big perv, and dare I say it, but sometimes you want more plot rather than an half an entire chapter of him just raving about his waifu)

Tl;dr: MT is able to present a complex-enough magical world, explore some deeper moral and philosophical themes, and plays out a satisfying coming of age story. Still, if I were to compare it to some of the most popular highly rated anime and manga on this site, it may feel a little boxed in by the narrator.

Art: 8/10

*Since a light novel has few pictures, I’m basing most of this rating on how the text helps the reader visualize the story in a creative and appealing way.
The writing is fairly adequate, with some moments of brilliance. Although it sometimes feels like things are lost in the english web-translation. Still, the author gives you a general idea of what characters what characters and location look like, and how action scenes play out. There is enough creative use of language like allusions or word play and some are surprisingly clever. One thing that might be limiting, and affect your appreciation is the author’s use of pop-culture (often otaku) references. Some descriptions seem to be simplified by saying a character looks like or acted like [insert anime character here]. While these may appeal to the series’ main demographic, (I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times) it can be a bit confusing to viewers unfamiliar with the culture or genre, without additional commentary.

Characters: 9/10

While I say the story seems boxed in by the MC’s narration, Mushoku Tensei wouldn’t be what it is without him as a character. In summary, Rudeus Greyrat is a former man-child reborn as a child who grows up into the best man he can be. With just this simple idea, MT makes one of the most compelling character developments I’ve seen in an anime, manga or any piece of literature.

At first glance, the character of Rudeus seems like your typical pandering power fantasy. It would seem like Rudeus is hand-fed every opportunity to become a big hero in this new world. He is reborn with ridiculously strong magic potential, along with decades of past-life modern world intel, and has early lucky encounters with the right teachers and brilliant peers which eventually makes him one of the most formidable beings (OP!) in the world. It’s pretty entertaining to see him train his skills as a simple magic-using country boy to become one of the major world powers, crushing most everyone along the way is entertaining enough, and it makes for some pretty badass fight scenes.

But the longer you stick with, watching Rudeus’s growth into becoming a better, more rounded person actually becomes the most memorable part of this series. This becomes clearer when Rudeus encounters situations where all his powers and skills prove futile (yes this happens more than a few times), and he is left with nothing but his wits and character. For the first, Rudeus has just the right balance of calculating smarts and common sense reasoning, without coming across as an arrogant cliché genius character. He acts like a sensible real-life person would, able to get a read of his situation, plan well enough, and prepare for a few unexpected things. He is pretty genre-savvy since he has read and watched a lot of stories about magical fantasy worlds, and actually uses this knowledge to prepare for what this new world throws at him. Now, having strength and smarts like this would be cool enough, but what makes Rudeus stand out is his personality and character. And the more you read MT, the more you realize that the bulk of Rudeus’s growth comes from a foundation of self-reflection and a can-do attitude born from his resolve to redeem himself from his past life’s failure.

Mushoku Tensei makes no effort to hide how pitiable and miserable the main character was in his past life. It’s so blatant that that some parts of Rudeus’s inner-dialogue (especially in the earlier chapters) can get pretty disgusting or appalling for some readers. Early on you may also find it unsettling how detached he is, as if his new life is some kind of entertaining game (he is actually a bit of a creep at the beginning). At first you have doubts whether he is really sincere, like if he’s just someone who’s keeps making promises to change, but never follows through.

Being able to read his thoughts, we see him come up with simple flowchart mindset to self-improvement: “Don’t make excuses, keep productive habits, and treat people with respect”. It sounds as simple as just doing the opposite of what he did in his past life. But every year that passes by in this new life, he encounters more and more situations that test how far he is willing to change. Many times, he has to muster the courage to make the hard, but morally right decisions. This actually becomes one of the major themes of the series. ***SPOILER [In an alternate timeline, we see how badly he could have ended if he lost his resolve to be a better person. He abuses his powers to fulfill his selfish desires, but despite all his capabilities, dies as miserable and unfulfilled as his past life.]

In the end, what starts out as a simple rule to do the reverse of what he did as a failure, becomes the tested principles of a decent human being, and later on, an admirable hero. What’s striking is that he genuinely matures and begins to care about other people in this new world, whether they be friend or foe. In part, it’s helped by his past experience as a deplorable person himself. He is able to empathize with most people, and understand them past their flaws. And this leads me to another theme of the series, which is how characters grow from interacting with each other, and with Rudeus’s unique personality.

Like Rudeus, MT ‘s portrayal of characters is pretty balanced. It might be a bit on the optimistic side of viewing human nature, but the series really tries to have nuanced characters that seem believable in real life. There are no absolutely detestable villains in the series, which some may find disappointing. All chars have their own backgrounds and motivations which influence how they act. Some characters start out seemingly following a few tropes, like a “tsundere” or an idiotic comic relief character. But they eventually start evolving based on a real world understanding of human nature.

Rudeus himself, when he sees a character that seems to fit an anime stereotype from his past life, tries his best not to end up treating them as “anime character”, but an actual person he has to respect and influence in a positive way. Rudeus himself knows that people acting like anime stereotypes don’t function well in a real world, no matter how entertaining their quirks may be. He patiently takes it upon himself to become a good influence on these bunch of people who seem like anime stereotypes, and through the course of his life, they actually end up being well-rounded individuals, and his closest friends. That’s just one example, but I really enjoyed how this series found a new way to use a protagonist’s genre-saviness and modern day insights to be a source of wisdom in this somewhat medieval and barbaric world. It was really interesting seeing him consider modern day ideas like management skills, marketing strategies, psychology and respect for human rights to improve lives--- rather than simply being a min-maxing combat god.

You can’t discuss characters without talking about MT’s apparent treatment of its female characters. Some people may see MT, read a few summaries, or see some of the art, and think it is just like all these other harem male-pandering fantasy series. “Heck, the male lead even gets himself 3 wives! Talk about blatant wish-fulfillment fantasy and unrealistic portrayal of women!”.

But the main character having actual multiple wives is one other thing that distinguishes MT from most other harem series. Just like some of the cultures in our world, this world tolerates polygamy, and this is one of the few series that actually explores the implications. MT answers every harem MC’s question “What if you couldn’t just pick one” pretty reasonably. And surprisingly, it does not devolve into harem group sexy time… at least most of the time. Each wife actually has a unique and meaningful relationship with him, with their own pros and cons in how they support each other, which is actually important to the plot. To prevent typical harem misunderstandings and conflicts, Rudeus regularly holds family meetings, and makes sure each family member is able voice their concerns, and cooperate towards their family’s goals. It’s actually surprisingy mundane at times, but it adds a level of realism that is strangely satisfying.

And yes, a lot of series design female characters to meet particular fetish or appeal. And MT is no exception. There is no denying that a lot of Mushoku Tensei’s female character designs seem to fit the mold of a lot of the common modern attractions (tsundere redheads, lolis, onee-chans, nekos, etc.). But consistent with the character development in this series, they are fleshed out and feel like believable people. In this world, it is actually pointed out by Rudeus that women are just as powerful as men, through the mechanics of magic and swordsmanship. Women are not exactly damsels in distress in this world, and there are many that play vital roles in the battles that take place. One of the enjoyable things about this series even if it’s a harem is that you actually see the female leads grow from mere children into really likeable and appealing women. And we’re not just talking about measurements here. Each of the female leads actually becomes a strong, respectable woman each with her own unique traits and strengths. (To sum it up, it’s not every series that shows your “waifus” actually being wives who have to balance the responsibility of being heads of the household, good mothers, and mages/swordswomen warriors in a fight to save the world.)

Tl;dr: MT has great characters and develops them interestingly. Point in case: Former hikkikomori recluse becomes a respectable leader of a quirky band of heroes, and becomes responsible for a family of his own, while making time to save the world.

Enjoyment 10/10
Mushoku Tensei works because it does a little bit of everything and puts it all together. While it holds special enjoyment for fans of modern pop-culture, anime, movies and games, it certainly has a broad appeal simply for the roller coaster ride of emotions it can induce, and how it can make an impact on you in a variety of ways.

MT will make you laugh. From harem hi-jinks, to absurd plot twists, to funny references and clever wordplay. MT will make you cry. It has moments when simply reading how much some chars grow and develop new realizations after all this time can bring on the feels. Be prepared though, while overall a pretty happy series, MT will sometimes sucker punch you in the gut with more than a few tragic twists. Also, it can’t be taken for granted that MT brings a special satisfaction in how plots are resolved through characters acting like real world people, with believable reactions and more than one way of thinking. (My face and palms actually remained underused for this series. It actually does not have a lot of plot holes or frustrating moments caused by people acting out of character. People actually acted like thinking and planning human beings!)

Overall : 10/10

Yeah I know the math doesn’t add up. But I think for this series, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. It may be a bit uneven. The world and some characters could have been explored a bit more, and the pacing could definitely have been improved. It also has some limitations being a light novel, like appealing through visuals, sound ambience or music. But IMO, being a novel in text was probably the best way to introduce this series, since it adds that unique depth through the characters’ thoughts. I’m looking forward to adaptations as a manga or anime, and really hope they do it justice by keeping the core of what makes this a great series. Great characters, themes and emotional impact. If they actually manage to do so and give this series more exposure and accessibility, this may well be one of the great mainstream masterpieces of our time.

To end this lengthy review, I dare say Mushoku Tensei is one of those must-read stories that will make you a better person if you stick around to finish it. It’s not just satisfying in its cool fights and harems and feel-good moments. And I’m not even preaching or analyzing any of its deeper moral themes or implications here.

At its simplest, it’s a story about realistic change, growth and hope. After all, the title is literally translated as " Jobless Reincarnation: I Will Seriously Try If I Go To Another World" and it shows you exactly how one can "seriously try" at life. But it really makes a point about how even small steps and good habits matter and how they can add up to make you a better person. Things like being self-aware, not making too many excuses or assumptions, treating people like people, doing your research and being patient and not expecting instant results. These lessons aren’t exactly anything new, but the series does a good job of showing how they can make a difference over time. It makes you really believe that even if you’re not a super powerful magic fantasy protagonist, having these habits start a chain reaction of changes in the course of your life.

Phew, that got a little preachy. Anyway, if still for some reason you’re not yet ready to try those out in your real life, at least start making an improvement in your life by reading through this awesome series. Have Fun!

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Now what are you waiting for? If you’ve to read through this long, rambling, sappy review, you’re more than ready to read Mushoku Tensei!