Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation: Season 2 Episode 14 – Review/ Recap

Plot Recap

Planning And Greetings – Rudy, Sylphie

With Rudy unfamiliar with wedding customs beyond assumptions, he focuses on who to invite, getting a new cloak, and trying to create a nice party. Of course, Sylphie is there next to him, ready to cook and even put up some of the money for all of this since it has been a while since Rudy worked and earned additional money. This, as you can imagine, only reaffirms Rudy’s belief that Sylphie is perfect, and with a kiss in the tub, he again consummates their marriage bed, even though the ceremony hasn’t happened yet.

Under No Obligation – Luke, Rudy, Sylphie, Princess Ariel

Nearly everyone Rudy and Sylphie know are invited and show up to their wedding reception. However, Paul and Rudy’s siblings are too far away to justify an invite for something on such short notice, even if there is enough room for them to at least see the house and Paul to get reacquainted with Sylphie. Others decline, like Sadut, for reasons not delved into. But, for those who do show up, it is a lovely time with Sylphie making a pig roast, which leaves everyone satisfied.

However, while Princess Ariel originally gave Rudy her blessing, she tests Rudy through Luke. She asks of him a duel, and while Rudy is hesitant, he participates and easily defeats his cousin. Thankfully, no harm is done to their relationship’s slow and steady repair, even if Luke’s ego gets bruised.

However, with seeing how formidable Rudy is and how happy Sylphie is, so comes a sense of worry for Princess Ariel about her return to Asura and retaking the throne. Will Sylphie give up this home, this man, and potential children for a place she isn’t from and a person bound to cause blood to spill in her pursuit of the throne?

Rudy seems confused by Princess Ariel’s beliefs that Sylphie would abandon her, especially considering, in episode 12, when he and Sylphie revealed how things went between them, it sounded like Rudy was bound to help her take back the throne. Yet, it seems Princess Ariel is allowing both Sylphie and Rudy to back out of any promises they made and live their life outside of the cutthroat, in a literal sense, politics of the Kingdom of Asura.

An Invaluable Gift – Elinalise, Cliff, Rudy, Sylphie

During the planning for the wedding reception, Sylphie made a note to have Elinalise come, which was strange. One of our ideas was that maybe she wanted sex tips, considering Elinalise’s reputation, but that ended up not being what she desired. In fact, it seems Elinalise, upon seeing Sylphie standing by Rudy’s side, realized the same thing Sylphie did, and with Sylphie at this high point, decided to confirm Sylphie’s suspicions.

So, what were Sylphie and Elinalise questioning? How are they related? As of this episode, it isn’t clear where the Great Forest is, where elves like Elinalise and Sylphie’s are from, and whether most elves can consider themselves related. However, Elinalise confirms she is Sylphie’s paternal grandmother, which leads to a rush of emotions for Elinalise.

Why? While it isn’t clear how many children Elinalise may have had in her lifetime, Sylphie’s father, Laws, was one of them. But, with her personality and sexuality, it seems with any kids she had, once they were old enough to take care of themselves, she abandoned them, and for those like Laws, it made life in the Great Forest hard, hence him immigrating to Buena Village.

But meeting their granddaughter and confirming their relationship allows Sylphie to know she has someone out there who is family alive and allows Elinalise to heal. Which, with Cliff seeing the reunion, it strengthens his resolve to cure Elinalise of her curse, and now he asks Rudy to help him.

Other Noteworthy Information

1. To avoid suspicion, Nanahoshi says that she only assumed Rudy and her were from the same place because he knew her language, which was to said to Sylphie to calm her worries.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Did Rudy use his foresight to defeat Luke?
2. How many kids does Elinalise have?
3. Where is the Great Forest and may we ever see it?
4. With the next episode entitled “Afar,” does that mean we may check up on Paul?
5. Why didn’t Badigadi bring Kishirika to Rudy’s wedding reception, considering they, too, are engaged?

Cast Guide

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name (Links are to character description)
Rudy	Yumi Uchiyama
Sylphie	Ai Kayano
Luke	Okitsu Kazuyuki
Princess Ariel	Ueda Reina
Elinalise	Tanaka Rie
Cliff	Oosaka Ryouta
Badigadi	Kusunoki Taiten

Review

Notable Performances or Moments

Sylphie Learning She Has Family Out There & Elinalise’s Backstory

While Sylphie now has Rudy for a husband, this doesn’t discount how long she spent thinking she lost everything and everyone due to the mass transportation event. Yes, Princess Ariel took her in, but you can never discount she did so with Sylphie as a subordinate of some kind. Mind you, never treated as a servant or less than, but still an employee nonetheless.

So, to now have Rudy and now some connection to her family? That feels major. After all, the show has put a pin in the storylines involved with finding Rudy’s people, and Sylphie likely never had the chance to look for her own. When you think about it, this almost makes this a gift from Rudy, maybe Paul and Roxy, since Elinalise found him and followed him to Ranoa University due to those two, and they bonded since Rudy had accepted her in ways most may not have.

But let’s not discount what this means for Elinalise either. While her curse easily can be downplayed because of the ecchi it has caused, it also meant her not getting to forge connections. Lest we forget, she’d even pay men to not get jealous, possessive, or bring trouble to her life. So just as it is major for Sylphie to learn she has family, the same could be said for Elinalise, who probably has some form of guilt over the children, grandchildren, and other family who never got to know her because she didn’t want her curse to make their lives harder than it hard to be.

With that in mind, it does make you wonder what is next for their relationship, considering the years it has been for both since they have gotten to interact with someone who was their blood family, not just their chosen family.

Highlights

The Family and Community Rudy Built

I will forever compare Rudy’s life before and now because of how drastic of a change he made. He went from having no friends and being isolated from blood relatives to having a working relationship with his father and other paternal figures in his life, and now having multiple friends who would be insulted if not invited, and borderline demanded to be part of a notable moment in his life.

Take Cliff, for example. At one time, because of Rudy being praised by Eris, that created a rivalry. But now Cliff is one of the most amazed by Rudy and treats him like he is a proud little brother. Also, while Badigadi is certainly an odd being, you cannot discount him stepping in when Rudy was struggling with his speech and being there for him, even if in that small way.

Little things like that feel so major and make it so, even with this being a fantasy genre show, you can appreciate it having minimal action.

Rudy and Sylphie’s Relationship

Whether live-action or animated, I think Sylphie and Rudy’s relationship might be one of the best. There is a partnership there that doesn’t feel pushed to be cute but functional, loving, and like they are looking out for one another. Monetarily, Rudy realizes his spending may mean adventuring, but Sylphie is quick to note she can chip in; it isn’t all on him. Also, she recognizes Rudy got the house, so her handling the stuff for the party, like cooking, isn’t an issue.

Even when it comes to the Princess Ariel thing, Rudy knows Sylphie loves and is loyal to Ariel, so it wasn’t even a question of him joining Ariel’s quest to reclaim the throne since it is important to his wife. That, to me, is what makes this relationship so adorable since, even if this is a fantasy world, it is rooted in what you’d expect is necessary for a relationship to work in this world, considering who the characters are and their journeys up until now.

Background Information

Episode Title	Wedding Reception
Release Date	April 14, 2024
Network	Crunchyroll
Director(s)	To Be Determined
Writer(s)	To Be Determined
Previous Episode	Season 2/ Episode 13
Series Page	Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Character Guide	Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Cast and Character Guide

How To Watch

Watch Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation: Season 2 Episode 14 via its official site or on Prime Video.