Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Jobless Reincarnation is the epitome of a show being so good, you’ll excuse the one thing that would tank any other show.
| Season Premiere | 1/10/2021 |
| Season Finale | 12/19/2021 |
| Episodes | 23 |
| Network | Hulu |
| Created By | Rifujin na Magonote |
| Genre(s) | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Young Adult, Animation, Non-English |
Summary
2 years roughly pass in this part of the season, and while Rudy fulfills his promise, as does Ruijerd, it comes at a cost. What cost? The bitter truth. But, throughout the journey, Eris and Rudy get stronger, Rudy helps Ruijerd recover the reputation of the Superd, and while things end on a somber note for all, there is hope if and when we join them on their next chapter.
Highlights
The Adventures & Continued World Building
I can’t recall any other show, live-action or animated, doing to the extent Jobless Reincarnation does regarding extensively building out the world the characters live in and somehow balances building out a world while not having its characters lost in the details. For whether it is meeting Ghislaine’s people or this season spanning at least two continents, you are constantly amazed by how big this world is and that we’re not just learning that by seeing maps, but Rudy, Eris, and Ruijerd guiding us.
The Battles
While there are fewer battles, the battles in this half of the season aren’t against monsters, but humans, or those akin to humans, and they are far more notable. Whether it is the battle with Gallus Cleaner or Orsted, alongside having memorable life or death moments, we get to see how all the training, studying, and skills and strength of Eris and Rudy have gained thus far used on a whole new level.
Eris’ Growth – Especially Emotionally
When we first met Eris, she was a complete and utter brat. From what it appeared, years of being bowed to and her emotions striking fear into whoever she interacted with, it essentially left her stunted. Yet, thanks to Rudy and Ruijerd, in a way, she grew as a person.
In this part of the season, there are two notable examples. The first deals with Eris’ friendship with Minitona, and the issues in episode 15. Within that episode, we see the formerly selective Eris bond with Minitona, and despite a language barrier, she interacts with her, teaches her swordplay, and forms the kind of bond which angers Minitona when she realizes Eris can’t and won’t stay.
The second example comes from episodes 16 and 17, which we’ll discuss more in the next topic, and how Eris consoles Rudy as Rudy deals with an altercation he had with his father. Now, yes, Ruijerd does have to coach Eris on how to handle the situation, but there is no denying that Eris being able to console Rudy, while getting the first hint that her family is gone, shows the kind of growth very few characters with a tsundere type personality get to have.
Paul and Rudy’s Reunion
Paul and Rudy have long had a complicated relationship. Rudy wasn’t the son Paul wanted and Rudy didn’t have much use for his father. Yet, they still needed each other. For both, their relationship was a means of starting over.
Lest we forget, Paul is the black sheep of his family with a sordid relationship with his brother and father, and through Rudy, he was hoping for a do-over. Then with Rudy, by the time he originally died, his relationship with his parents disintegrated, and while Rudy latched onto Zenith, when it comes to Paul, he would throw the man under the bus and didn’t really foster that relationship consistently.
Yes, when it came to asking advice on approaching Sylphie, he did help, but their good times were few, and their stand-offs were many. Heck, in this part of the season, the two fight, and unlike in part 1, Rudy wins and could have killed his father.
But, thankfully, the kind of communication both struggle with regarding accountability, empathy, and more, at least when it comes to each other, is attained.
Seeing How Far Rudy Has Come, And The Work He Still Has To Do
Nearly all anime have some type of recap episode. However, unlike its peers, in the almost two-episode recap towards the end of the season, the story also moves forward as much as we look back and see familiar faces. We get to see the lives Dead End touched, check-in on Roxy, among others, while also heading all the way back to Rudy’s past life when he was bullied.
Yet, this walk down memory lane is more so a look over the shoulder, as the show presses forward than a full stop and 180-degree turn. For as we check in on people, multiple storylines are being set up for the future. Be it finding Zenith, maybe Rudy finally encountering Sylphie, Eris’ next move, and so much more. Thus we get one of the best season finales for ANY show which went past 12 episodes in a season.
On The Fence
Reconciling How Old Rudy Is Mentally, With What He Does
For the video review, we did the math, and mentally, Rudy is damn near 50. Knowing this makes his continued pervy actions increasingly hard to let go of. Especially when it comes to Eris for him trying to pinch her nipple and then the proposal of them getting intimate? Yes, Rudy has a 13-year-old body but with the thoughts of a nearly 50-year-old man part of the situation? It remains the biggest, and perhaps sole, at this point, blemish on the show.
One that, more often than not, we try to ignore, but it becomes problematic when the show reminds us that Rudy loves collecting panties, touching people without permission, and, to some, is considered attractive enough to be intimate with.
Overall
TV – Rating: Positive (Watch This) – Recommended
Most shows overstay their welcome when they go past 12 episodes. When it comes to most shows, by the time they reach an episode count past 20, you are ready for it to end, and it takes a dramatic season finale for you to even think you may want an additional season. Jobless Reincarnation, as we’ll say over and over, is different. Its only real flaw is that its protagonist is a perverted old man who often takes an interest in someone not even 16 yet. But, if you can get beyond that, somehow, between the world-building, character development, battles, and slew of emotional moments, you’d be hard-pressed to find another show that does so much at a fairly consistent quality as Jobless Reincarnation.
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