Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III

Episode 10

I have to admit, this episode left me a bit non-plussed. The last two episodes really set up a major quest. Our heroes were on a race against time—hunting through the demon territory for Kishirika Kishirisu in the possibly vain hope that she might know a way to cure Nanahoshi of her mana buildup disease. Last episode ended on a great joke anticlimax as they just happened to run across the diminutive Demon Emperor and feed her like Rudeus had done upon their first meeting back in season one. After all, just finding her was only the first step of the quest. There's no way it could all be so easy, right?

...right?

But no, 22-minutes later and Nanahoshi seems all but cured. Not only does Kishirika Kishirisu know how to cure the girl from Earth, she knows where to find said cure: right in the city they are already in. And once Rudeus turns Kishirika Kishirisu over to the guards for the crime of literally drinking all the good booze in the castle, the cure (and the way of producing it ad infinitum) is given over with no fuss.

Now, of course, because it seems that all demons are self-centered and immeasurably strong, the originally peaceful resolution turns into a running fight to make it back to the teleporter, but in the end, Deus Ex Perugius shows up to one-shot Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak and get everyone home safe. So, I guess the adventure is over…

...what a let down.

Now, while this episode is painfully unsatisfying on a narrative level, that doesn't mean it fails on other levels. There is some important character work done with Rudeus in the fight with Atoferatofe Rybak. Previous conflicts have always been related to his own self-interest—be that to make money, protect his loved ones, or simply his own survival. However, this fight is for Nanahoshi—a friend, sure, but not anyone he'd consider family. He is able to realize that everyone here is in the same boat—that if they don't fight for Nanahoshi, no one will.

So while Rudeus personally wants to do nothing more than return home to his wives and child, he can see that, tactically, the best choice is to hold off Atoferatofe Rybak and her guards while Cliff (the person who both has the cure and knows how to produce more) escapes back to the flying city. And since it's clear that Atoferatofe Rybak wants them alive, death in battle isn't really a concern. Rudeus is at least confident that some sort of rescue attempt will be made if they lose the fight and are captured.

This act of self-sacrifice, even if the only thing potentially lost will be time with his loved ones, is the most heroic we've ever seen Rudeus be. He gains nothing from this—nothing except the respect of friends who will now no doubt stand up for him just as they're doing with Nanahoshi now.

Or to put it another way, Rudeus has slowly been opening himself up to others over the course of the series in a way he was unable to do in his first life. First, he accepted his family, then close friends, and finally romantic partners. Now, he's learning about being part of a greater community of acquaintances—people who will float in and out of your life but can still be counted on in an emergency.

Lastly, this episode does a bit more to show off Perugius' personality. Perugius was unwilling to directly intervene in getting the cure for Nanahoshi because doing so could leave him at less than peak condition for when Laplace inevitably returns. However, the moment he has an excuse to intervene—i.e., when Atoferatofe Rybak's guards accidentally invade his city—he immediately acts. Of course, this is not only out of concern for Nanahoshi but also because it allows him to smack down Atoferatofe Rybak (who I assume would be one of the demons to ally with Laplace). For him, it's the perfect situation—and you can really see how happy he is about it.

Next week, I assume we'll get some good emotional stuff with Nanahoshi to close out this short arc, but I can't help but wonder where things go from here. Hopefully, there is either a new call to adventure on the horizon—or perhaps there will be some unintended consequences from Rudeus' past actions that will propel him forward. We'll just have to see next week.

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Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.