Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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General Information
This section Includes information about the Director, Writer, and Cast.
| Release Date (Crunchyroll) | August 13, 2023 |
| Director(s) | Ayumu Uwano |
| Writer(s) | Atsushi Takayama |
| Newly Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Juliette | To Be Determined |
| Previously Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Rudy | Yumi Uchiyama |
| Sylphie | Ai Kayano |
| Zanoba | Satoshi Tsuruoka |
Plot Recap
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A Welcomed New Part To The Routine – Rudy, Sylphie, Zanoba
Rudy’s life is simple for the first time in a long time. There are no beasts, demons, fights, or conflicts to worry about. He has a routine of working out, figure-making, attending class, and hanging out with Zanoba or Sylphie. Of which, Zanoba’s main focus is getting Rudy to teach him to make figurines but, with Zanoba not knowing how to do anything delicate, neither with mana nor by hand is that easy for him.
As for Sylphie? Rudy still seems oblivious that Fitz is Sylphie, and she is fine with that. It allows them to be reacquainted, and with him still having a certain charm and ways about him, she is falling in love all over again. She even uses his research into teleportation as a means to justify spending time together, and he agrees to her help.
A Slave Market Field Trip – Rudy, Zanoba, Sylphie, Juliette
While Sylphie does her best to not let her feelings become apparent, there is enough said and done to make Rudy feel something. In fact, it pushes him to question his sexuality a bit as his heart flutters, and he increasingly feels something towards Sylphie. What doesn’t help is that she brings such a calm that, as much as she may be shy, what overt moves she makes, like giving the idea Zanoba potentially needs a slave for his figurine issue, it only gives Rudy more reason to bring her closer.
Now, this isn’t to say that Rudy has yet to make a figurine of Sylphie as Fitz or that Zanoba picks up on anything when the three of them head to a slave market. But, again, with seeing who Rudy has become, as he speaks to a then-unnamed slave who seems perfect for Zanoba, a smile comes across Sylphie’s face. Add in him knowing how to speak to the 6-year-old and how he treats her? It creates a situation where it is almost like the three of them are her parents, even if she legally belongs to Zanoba, who wanted to name her Julius, after his younger brother, but to make it more femme, Rudy advocates for the young girl to be named Juliette – which is agreed upon.
New Character Description(s)
Juliette
Juliette is the child of Bazar of the Holy Steel and Lilitella of the Beautiful Snow Ridge, who is a dwarf that is only six years of age. She is named after Zanoba’s younger sibling, Julius, that he accidentally murdered and was sold into slavery to pay her parents debts.
Collected Quote(s)
It doesn’t have to be “I want to live.” “I don’t want to die” is good enough for now.
— Rudy
Review
Highlights
Rudy Questioning His Sexuality
I highly doubt, on top of dealing with erectile dysfunction, that the show is also going to throw in Rudy questioning his sexuality. However, it could be an interesting development if they did. Especially because, beyond Rudy thinking he may like men, it is also interesting for him to acknowledge that he doesn’t always like the most feminine of women. That he doesn’t need someone to have large breasts or general characteristics of femininity to be attracted to them.
In a strange way, Rudy could become the anime poster child for pansexuality, and bi-sexuality, among others, which aren’t strictly tied to someone’s appearance.
Now, as for why Man-God wants him to learn this lesson? It remains hard to say since Man-God doesn’t explain himself. But, with Man-God knowing Rudy’s previous life, there is a good chance he just wants him to understand love beyond the superficial and whatever he may have concocted in his head and wants him to, instead, focus on the person, who they are, and learn to love that rather than their body.
Rudy’s Bond With Juliette
One thing that wasn’t on our radar and thought about, in terms of Rudy’s growth, is how he could be with someone who could be like a daughter or sibling. We’ve talked about Rudy’s issues with his parents and peers but forgot that he was someone’s brother, and part of what led to him dying was being kicked out by them. Also, while he may have healed his relationship with Paul, as for the other kids Paul fathered? They seemingly feared, hated, or didn’t really have a relationship with him.
So through Juliette, it seems he may continue to gain the kind of skills and experience that, yes, it would have been nice if he had them the first time, but better late than never.
Simple, But Entertaining
“I Don’t Want To Die” is not an episode where a huge amount of stuff goes on. Rudy’s routine is established, we see him grow close to Sylphie, and while it was a bit of an emotional moment to watch him bond with Juliette, it wasn’t a series of tear-inducing scenes. To me, that is notable that you can still be engaged without fight scenes and notable comedic moments, and that is within a show that is rooted in the fantasy genre.
To me, too often the fantasy genre, sci-fi too, has to tap into the spectacular, abnormal, and things like that to remain interesting, but for “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation,” the magic, the monsters, and everything else is just a tool. It’s not a crutch but simply something part of the show that is useful but not a must in every last episode to showcase to engage the audience.
On The Fence
The Lack Of Reaction To Going To A Slave Market
Let me recognize that Rudy is someone reborn into a fantasy world, has taken on dragons, can do magic without incantations, and all of this likely before he turned 18 or has lived for over 50 years. With that said, seeing people in chains, including children, should have been more shocking or disturbing to him.
Yeah, he has seen people die before, which is also traumatizing, but in chains, malnourished, sold like cattle? I think, even with Rudy’s level of experience, exposure, and maturity, this shouldn’t have just been another day in a fantasy world for him.
Episode Directory
| Previous Episode – Season 2/ Episode 5 “Ranoa University of Magic” | Check Out The Character Guide | Find More Episodes From The Series |
Asked and Answered
Answers to some questions you may have regarding this episode:
What Allows Rudy To Make Figurines So Well?
Magic that doesn’t require incantations and a soft touch.
When Do Dwarves Get Proper Names?
When they turn 7. Until then, they are identified by their parents’ names and origins.
TV Shows We’re Covering This Season
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