Episode 1 – ‘Jobless Reincarnation’

Jobless Reincarnation: I Will Seriously Try If I Go to Another World or Mushoku Tensei, is a Japanese anime series based on the light novel by Rifujin na Magonote. He originally published on the novel on the website Shōsetsuka ni Narō (Let’s Become a Novelist), a Japanese website where user upload their novels for free. They then released the series as a print and then adapted into a manga. Mushoku Tensei is an isekai series. The isekai genre revolves around an ordinary person who is transported, displaced, or reborn in another world.

These worlds might be a parallel universe, a fantasy world, or a virtual one. The main protagonists usually hate the world they live in, either being bored with their life or they have a terrible one. Tensei begins with the death of an unnamed NEET, a shut-in, he dies trying to save the life of a group of teens from an incoming truck. He awakens as a baby named Rudeus Greyrat, in a fantasy world and keeps his memories from his past life. He grows up in a house with his parents, Paul, Zenith, and their maid Lilia. Blessed with the intelligence of an adult, Rudeus can use magic as a child.

Magical prodigy

The ability to use magic is limited at birth. A magic user can activate spells with a “magic circle” or by “chanting.” Rudeus uses the chanting method and conjures a ball of water. After his second attempt, he learns that he can use magic without chanting. Through training he develops a magic that requires certain steps: Creation, Setting of Size, Setting of firing speed, then activation. Feeling confident, Rudeus tries a more complicated water spell. It blows a hole in the attic wall, then shoots through the sky. His parents rush in and his mother is ecstatic that her son can use magic.

His parents call for a magic tutor, Roxy Migurdia. She assumes that Rudeus is too young to “understand the concept of magic.” Regardless, she takes Rudeus to train. Roxy explains that magic is divided into three general categories, “Attack Magic, Healing Magic, and Summoning Magic.” From there, a magic user can learn magic in ranks: Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, God. The magic system in Jobless Reincarnation: I Will Seriously Try If I Go to Another World requires “mana.” Roxy shows how water magic works on a tree, breaking the trunk. When she asks what Rudeus thought, he tells her that his mother loved that tree and might be angry. Roxy rushes to fix the tree. She uses healing magic to reconnect the tree trunk and causes flowers to grow.

A chance at a better life

Rudeus tries it. However, he’s concerned that using magic without chanting is taboo. He chants but becomes distracted when getting a glimpse of Roxy’s underwear. He accidentally shortens the chant, revealing that he can use magic without chanting. Roxy’s repair of the tree wasn’t good enough. It breaks again. Afraid she might get fired, Rudeus struggles to comfort her. In his past life, he hadn’t communicated directly to a person in decades.

However, he has knowledge of what a “eroge protagonists,” would do. Eroge is Japanese genre of erotic video games. Mushoku Tensei takes liberties with it, perverted adult male trapped in a boy’s body. I’m sure someone can find the humor in it, but I can’t. I did like that he could use his past life to comfort her despite not having much personal experience. At dinner, Rudeus decides to make the most of his new life. He wants to “work hard” unlike his past life. There’s something sad about how he felt about his previous life. It ended because he rescued someone. I wasn’t all bad. I’m glad that he will get another chance to live a full life.