It's Okay To Like Unlikeable Characters - Mushoku Tensei
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Mushoku Tensei has been the source of much controversy and negative discourse due to its main character Rudeus Greyrat. Is it justified? And if so, is it wrong to like him anyways?
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People be asking for flawed characters that'll be developed by the story, but then the same people get mad when the story has flawed characters that'll be developed by the story. Like, is this not what you people wanted?
it's different people, obviously. enjoying complex nuanced characters clearly requires a different level of intellect. and there are simple isekais for the simpletons too - they just also have a bit of an authoritarian streak in them and want to cancel a show that doesn't fit their mold. like, MT fans might enjoy shitting on SAO, but absolutely none of them would want SAO cancelled, no matter how cancerous it is to anime standards.
@@alveolate No. Some people don't equate pedophilia with 'nuance.' Trying to make a highbrow argument to rationalize/justify pedophilia only makes it look like you're advocating an agenda - the spread/acceptance of pedophilia.
If you can't accept that people see Rudeus as a pedophile and only want to dismiss their perspective - that's a flaw on your part.
Even if they don't accept the 'but he was reincarnated' excuse as valid you shouldn't 'dismiss' them with ad hominem attacks. Just accept that they see you as a defender of pedophilia and move on.
You're not going to change their mind and they aren't going to change yours.
Using a pedophile for a 'redemption' story is insane! Out of all the 'flawed' personality types to pick - a pedophile!? Again, it just makes it look like there's a secret agenda by pedophiles to make people think 'we're OK, we're not so bad!'
We can agree to disagree, I just wanted to share with you that every time I see an argument 'defending' Rudeus it just sounds like part of a conspiracy to make pedophilia more acceptable. In my opinion, it would be better to just not say anything instead of trying to defend it.
Well when it is not someone who is a total creepazoid in said show. But he does get better little by little as the series progresses.
@@sonpacho Redeeming Rudeus as a character has nothing to do with normalizing pedophilia, any well adapted adult can see that. The things he does are gross and unforgivable, and he has consequences for them. His development is about throwing away that part of him and restructuring himself to be a better person. This of course takes time, a shitty person reborn to a world containing questionable morals isn’t gonna change overnight.
I also disagree that you can simply wave away nuance just because of the degree of things that a person has done. Rudeus has trauma that mentally stunted him from a young age. This doesn’t justify his actions but it gives us insight into why he might be the way he is. Rudeus is a complex character, he constantly exhibits another side with more virtuous and likable qualities like when he saves the kids before he died, or when he indulges his curiosity by exploring many creative outlets. It’s wrong to suggest that being a pedo is his only attribute. Does this mean you have to like him? Of course not, thats your personal choice. But it’s not strange for people to want to see him overcome his flaws and come around as a better person later on.
@@obito_0525 for me personally, His action is wrong, very wrong. But for me, the watcher and reader it self, i want to see rudeus change. That the point of Mushoku Tensei, rudeus is bad person in the beggining but he can change right?. Its a bad character who want to be a good person in the future. Some people says that the fan of this series is normalized rudeus action, ofc im not normalized rudeus action, but for me, i just a watcher. I watch him grow, be a good person, try to protect that impportant to his life. I think that's the point of MT, it's okay to unlike rudeus, it's okay to hate him. But, as a watcher i want to see him change.
Every isekai who has a NEET Hikikomori teleported to another world ends up becoming a perfect and ideal hero an epitome and forgets everything he was before, why not explore these defects that made him a neet hikikomori.
Exactly. Rudy is a great character because his reincarnation doesn’t change him. His experiences over time change him. This is the way things actually work. People often say, “if I won the lottery, I’d be a better person,” but then we see so many winners go bankrupt. Second chances aren’t magic. You still have to do the work to get better results the second time around.
My head trembles....
I mean, Konosuba exists...
On a more serious note, there's also Re:Zero and Bookworm.
This. This is what makes isekai like Mushoku Tensei, Re:Zero, and Konosuba great.
NOT every Isekai. Another great example of an Isekai that doesn't follow that trope is "So I'm A Spider, So What?" I mean, none of the characters instantly change from who they are. And most see dramatic character development over the course of their storylines. Shun is probably the only character who doesn't really grow as a character and feels generic. I'm currently reading volume 6, and Sophia and Kumoko are prime examples of characters who dragged their anti-social and awkward personalities into their new world. And they struggle to adapt to their new world and learn to connect with people for the first time.
I don’t get the notion that he is “unlikeable”.
He is very likable. He is creative, curious, goal oriented and ambitious.
Just like with any other person you know and are friends with, you should just remember that he is horribly flawed.
This show is all about giving people another chance, if they seriously try. It’s a core theme and moral of the story.
Yeah, he's definitely likeable. You just might feel guilty for doing so.
Yes, Paul was given a second chance by his wife because of rudy
The maid was given a second chance to live with the family
Eris was given a second chance of becoming a better person due to rudeus becoming her teacher
Ruijerid was given a second chance to regain the lost honor in his clan.
And rudy is given a second chance to become a better person than he was in his last life.
One of this shows core themes is about giving someone a second chance because we as humans make mistakes all the time but that doesn't mean we can't grow from them and become a better person. So I completely agree with you
@COPE d'etat neither of them ever even showed a desire to improve and are therefore not even worth being looked at.
The series makes that distinction.
There are multiple characters who don’t even try to get their life together and they are all portrayed as villains.
@dying of covid to own the libs a point the novel also makes and ilustrates, is that it gives a second chance, but you gotta have the desire to make the most out of it, there is a character on one arc made to be similar to rudy in a sense, the one other kid that roxy teaches, and it shows how the mentality of wanting to improve to the one that doesnt have it changes things up, there are several characters similarly treated like that and is consistent on its themes
Because he's a pedophile.
People often admit they watched and liked Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, or Dexter and no one calls them out as decadent perverts. Why should Mushoku Tensei be different. I don't condone Rudy's behavior, but I appreciate his story.
I think too many people confuse the phrase "I like this character" with "i agree with what this character has done". You can enjoy the growth and development of a character without agreeing with their actions. In fact, some of the best characters you may outright disagree with entirely but that doesn't make them bad characters.
@@alexschneller3268 Thank you for that insight. That makes a lot of sense
@@alexschneller3268 well said
Because those shows don't portray the crimes being committed as harmless fun, which MT absolutely does with Rudy's child molesting antics.
@@alexschneller3268 But even on top of that. Which I agree with both Vladimir and Alex. However I will go a step forward and say that ultimately Rudy is a good person. At least by the end of the season. If I were someone else in the story. Would I be conferrable to rock with Rudy? Be his comrade, friend, or just a neighbour. The answer would be yes and that would go for both the lore within universe only. And also knowing what I know as a Anime/LN viewer. So flawed yes but overall a good person. Now if I was scum, like a bandit or some sort of corrupt political figure. Then Rudy would be a fear to me. However Rudy seems to not go out of his way to right wrongs in most cases. Which is fine. So I would probably still try to get on his good side even if I were not a great person.
The whole point of the show isn't just that Rudy has a second chance, it's to convince US the audience to give him that second chance
I prefer when characters have depth and grow into better/new people. Rather than cardboard cutout characters that might develop but not necessarily in fundamendtal ways. Rudy's trip is a long one and a realistic one. This is the most realistic take on the 'standard' fantasy/isekai setting.
I prefer when the writer don't create a world around his fetishes and makes instead a good story.
@ggadams639 Well, he did make a great story, so there's that, at least. As for making a world around his fetishes, they would be pretty tame? Idk. Everything early Rudy does is meant to be scrutinized. Then again, people like you don't want to hear that and have probably only listened to Twitter takes and out of context clips with a refusal to talk in good faith.
@@ForgedHorizons It's tame to fuck children and have a harem? Do you think like it's a good story to be told? I've read the whole thing, I know what he did and what happens after his death. The whole point of the world he created was to justify his actions, not the opposite. Wake up
@@ggadams639
Have you studied history? The naughty things happening in the story look like innocent pranks compared to actual medieval times without magic and stuff!
I totally get it when you say that author put his fetishes inside the story (every author does that) but I don’t see any story revolving around those fetishes. The mana disaster, the conflict with Laplace, Hitogumie’s schemes - those all lack any fetishes whatsoever. Sure the fetishes could be encountered in the details like Rudy constantly praying to Roxie’s panties but that’s not the main plot point and it is never ever used to move the story forward thus it negates your point.
@@ggadams639this is usually the take of tourists and people from Twitter
My Problem is how people react to sex compared to violence
Literally no one cares about themes like murder and killing but get triggered about every Single sexual thing.
Rujierd, Literally a mass murderer before and after the curse is a Favorit character.
I said it before if rudi would have the background of an assassin before reincarnation people wouldnt care and would think his characters is badass. But he is a mirror and negative self insert for a certain group of people that exist and that triggers them
People just keep forgeting how otaku culture can negativly affetct lonely and weak people and their thought process
Yep. The sex versus violence thing is a huge difference in western versus eastern values for media. Objectively, a murderer is worse than a guy watching extreme porn, but for some reason, most people instinctively consider it the other way around.
As someone who read the LN a few years back I was really anxious if people would drop MT during that scene in ep11 where Rudy's cockyness got someone killed because I was that close to dropping the series because of it. To my surprise, ep6-8 are the ones that got people really triggered but most of them were lukewarm to ep11.
@@48cxy2 I think it continues the theme that Rudy has a lot of trouble understanding people. He thinks of life more as a series of actions. For example, in the bath stripping scene, Rudy is only thinking: Cold wet cloths -> Get sick -> must strip friend to prevent sickness. He doesn’t at all consider the feelings of other people. The fake kidnapping plan is the same idea: girl appears prideful -> need girl to respect me -> create a vulnerable situation -> save the day -> girl respects me now. Not once does he stop to consider how unethical his actions are. The bird boy death is critical to Rudy’s character development. It is the first time his mechanical thought process resulted in truly negative consequences that he can never fix.
Meanwhile ppl praise shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones who haves tons of sexual and fucked up stuff.
@@LeMrAlpaca yea i love bringing up GoT. remember when people routinely get beheaded and de-limbed in the show but nobody gave a hoot until sansa got raped? yep, outrage culture and canceltards are just the worst. i for one, would've like GoT cancelled for that ed sheeran cameo, but D&D overshadowed him in the end.
btw, i think it's completely fine to point out rudy's appalling behaviour; but there is a HUGE line between criticising a character in-universe vs crossing over to criticise the author for writing the character this way. since when did we censor art because it was offensive? did the catholic church get back in charge or something? are we regressing back to the victorian era? wtf?
hate on rudy all you like, but hands off my anime.
“It’s okay to like Rudeus”
Me a Rudeus fanboy: can I finally come out of hiding?
lmao same
If everyone that liked Rudy wasn't afraid to admit it, then he would be a better loved character. People only hate him because it's the popular thing to do. Most people's rule of ethics changes with the wind.
@@ants-in-my-eyesjohnson1271 people hate him because sane people don’t like pedophiles
@@ants-in-my-eyesjohnson1271 No it doesn't change what the creator motives were with the character. This is not a good story to tell and nobody will remember it outside of the anime community.
@@ggadams639I mean it’s not like it’s really meant for people outside of the anime community so that point isn’t relevant and also you don’t get decide what stories get told and what stories do not if you don’t like it then keep your silly comments to yourself
I think that the line for likeable bastardry vs. genuine discomfort and disgust also depends a lot on people's lived experience. Put bluntly, if you've never been leered at, groped, or had your vulnerability taken advantage of, it's a lot harder to relate to and thus easier to see it as an issue entirely separate from yourself. If you have, though, it becomes a lot harder to treat it as simple fiction the closer it resembles situations where you've been on the other end.
Yes you are entirely correct. If its hard to get over rudys actions because it reminds you of past trauma, then u are in the right to despise him. Thats what gives the show some of its realistic vibe. The scene of rudues reacting to the dead body brought back some horrible memories from the past(That i won't get into because i really don't want to) but instead of despising rudeus I could relate and kind of connected with him a bit more. That realistic aspect that engages and draws actual emotion from its viewers is what I like about the show. Not only one emotion but a range of them.
On the other hand people who have been bullied who have been shut ins can forgive a lot more, people who have stunted emotional growth and problem solving skills seeing Rudy fix them over time makes you like him more and want to learn from his mistakes. His sister fears him for punching his dad and as a result later in the series becomes a shut in as well. When he finds out everything rushes through his head of "how it happened why it happened was she bullied? I'll kill them!" And the like. When he finds out it's because she was struggling to keep up and was being told "why aren't you like your older brother" the brother she fears the brother she hates the brother who she finds detestable. It's all such fucking good writing! The growth he gets is so great in the novel and since the studio literally only makes this show I have no doubt the rest of the show will be too
I was never molested as a kid, but I can still understand that molesting kids is disgusting. The show is simple fiction, but it's fiction that glorifies and makes a hero out of a child molesting piece of shit. Why should I put that aside?
A) I have been leered at, groped, & had been taken advantage of. So don't pls dismiss my rebuttal.
B) Mushoku Tensei does not utilize sexualization in its characters and story because the author thinks "hey, it's fiction so who cares". But instead, the narrative tackles societal issues like sex, harassment, assault, abuse of power, kidnapping, & e.t.c. because those issues (much like today) are abundant in the medieval setting of the show. In fact, the show makes an important effort to depict such subject matters in a manner that doesn't subtract from the trauma and the realism.
Additionally, in his old life, Rudeus became a scummy bum who spent much of his first life in a state of arrested development due to being a victim of sexual abuse and bullying during high school. So who better to tell this mature story than the victimized Rudy who wasn't able to mature in his old life, but, now in his new life, where he CAN still get better, he sees firsthand the consequences of his and society's actions and how it affects the victims. Throughout his years in this new life, Rudy can be clearly seen becoming older, wiser, & more mindful as both his character & the story progress.
**Of course, the fact that this show is dealing with such difficult and mature subject matter means that it may not be for everyone. Such as younger audiences, or people who have been victimized and are still growing through the trauma.**
@@peacemaster8117 I guess you don't see the swift physicals justice that tends to follow those scenes and how Rudy learns not to be such a perv. Also I don't want to get into the philosophical issue of him being mentally 40 during the time time and how reincarnations without a complete memory wipe makes things very... complicated.
This video is going to melt the brains of Hisoka fans that hate Rudeus
hypocrites, hypocrites everywhere
Please do bear in mind that the "lot of" people who don't like it, as you put it, really isn't that many people. Just a few with very loud voices. The showhas done extremely well and is rated very highly for a reason. The majority just don't kick up a stink over it.
This is one of the very weird shit I've found. I thought the controversy was bigger than that but no... Not even in Twitter is this controversy being discussed. It's just a very small minority and it's strange how it took a life of its own.
Well yeah, Mushoku Tensei is an EXTREMELY adult adult anime. It's not on the level of Attack on Titan, and yet its still got this intense level of popularity.
It's niche.
Not everybody is going to be able to get through the childhood arc, and you know what? That's fair. Rudeus is a piece of shit.
But he also has a decency to him that grows. His past life gives him a level of self-awareness and he isn't OP. He is just among the strongest. He is not the endgame hero, he is just the guy to produce heroes.
That’s just it dude…violence is a thing that all of us have a capacity for deep down.
We all fantasize about getting angry at the right person and then violently beating the shit out of them.
Rape and sexual assault is not something all of us have the capacity for.
I want to have sex with a lot of girls, hell if I was dating them I’d even molest them every chance I got.
But raping and sexually assaulting without consent? No sir.
Also, I don’t think you are arguing in good faith….
Do you REALLY give a shit that violence is so widespread? Or are you only bringing it up because everyone had a problem with an indefensible act of a show and character you like?
I like Mushoku Tensei. I’m far enough into the light novels to like Rudeus .
I am also mature enough to understand that some of the shit he did was just plain wrong and indefensible.
@@Darth_Bateman yea like there's unlikeable and then there's legit sexual harassment and pushing someone's boundaries when they've shown they don't like it. I feel like the anime having a high watch rate or high like rate isn't exactly always the best indicator on whether or not the main character is morally defensible. I mean how many animes have come out and later on the author's been found to be into shady stuff.
@@Darth_Bateman i agree with this 100%
Honestly, the very beginning of the light novel will probably make or break the series for you. Rudy’s former self was a garbage human being. Not only did he skip his parents funeral to look at porn. The specific type of porn is so bad I won’t even type it here. I choose to at least believe the author was only talking about the animated version. It is made abundantly clear that we are not supposed to at all like who Rudy was. Heck, not even Rudy likes himself. He knows he’s trash. Arguably, he didn’t start out being so porn addicted. It was likely a consequence of his personal isolation from society. With no real world interactions to stimulate him, he sought the temporary high of escalating porn addiction.
Here’s why I say it makes or breaks the series. If you are reading to “self-insert,” you will likely have trouble dealing with such a huge character flaw. It is better to read this as a type of character study. In Re: Zero, Rem talks about restarting “from zero.” Rudy’s situation is worse. He’s starting from worse than zero. Becoming average and well adjusted are huge challenges for him. He repeatedly wavers between being overly cautious and overconfident. He makes tons of mistakes and has to live with the consequences of bad choices.
This brings me to his continued perverse nature. The author wisely understands that people generally don’t change without good reason. So, what’s the point of him doing perverted things to the women in the story? Their reactions of course. Think about it. In the past, Rudy was experiencing his perverse nature with porn which is artificial. The story forces him to interact with real women and, in doing so, correct his character ever so slightly.
As an aside, I should also mention that not all of Rudy’s perverted moments are really about sexual desire. In the bath stripping scene, he honestly thinks she’s a boy and that she will get sick if she stays in her clothes. He was, of course, still wrong to essentially assault another person. This scene starts to reteach him the nature of respecting personal boundaries. Also, the Eris panty scene is likely more about him trying to “get back” at her for being so much trouble to teach. Once again, it is still wrong, so Eris punches him, but it does demonstrate a clear lack of understanding personal boundaries. This makes sense considering how isolated he was as a NEET.
Finally, Roxy’s panties are a ridiculous running joke, but they also carry special meaning. In the long run, I seriously doubt Rudy cares about them for sexual reasons. He legitimately looks up to Roxy. She’s the one who helped him break through his NEET nature that was keeping him stuck at home even after reincarnation. In Rudy’s eyes, Roxy is practically a patron saint of saving NEETs, if not a goddess come down from heaven.
You said evey single word that I wanted to say. Thanks brother, someone found this character likable is very reassuring, I liked him from ep 4/5 when he saves the maid and baby.. I thought I'm wierd for liking him 😅
This is honestly the best post I've seen yet about Rudy. This really sums up what Mushoku Tensei is about, and what makes him a compelling character despite being an extremely flawed degenerate.
@@RazorEdge2006 It's like every inappropriate encounter Rudy has with Eris results in one big step forward to learning how to respect her boundaries and learning how consent works. I love this show for this.
Thank you for writing this❤️
It doesn't work at all because Rudeus will bang multiple kids, not one, and married them, because yes it's a harem too. There is a loli demon and a race of young looking human... it's way too much on the nose to be taken seriously. The issue is that a lot of people in the community agree with those ideas and don't watch stories outside. It's pathetic.
Rudeus is very likeable and his flaws make him feel more real.
Exactly.
Im hoping he will redeem himself I absolutely loved this anime so much but I can’t recommend it to my friends because he’s at times a complete scum bag (like his dad lol) and some of those scenes are hard to watch and this is coming from a scumbag himself lol can’t wait for part 2 🙌🏻
Yeah being a pedo is so likable and flawed
@@Hayden_Cat I see people liking characters that torture, murder and some much horrible stuff. I don't read fiction to be lecture about morality (I'm already a boring person that always does the correcting no matter what) I read fiction to be entertained and a character that is so flawed as Rudeus is very entertaining.
@@rafresendenrafresenden.1644 I like how you can’t debunk what I said so you just use ad hominem
Edit: his original comment said I was triggered or offended or something
You really nailed the nuance of Rudeus's character. I personally love Rudy, probably because I'm also a degenerate, but also because I don't need my characters to be perfect moral upstanding citizens. In fact, I tend to hate one's that are too goody two shoes.
Personally I think he becomes alot more likeable in the second half of part 2.
"I guarantee that you, yes you, have a favorite character who has unapologetically done some messed up things."
**Looks up from reading Konosuba for the nth time**
Oi. Come at me, bro.
manny heffley moment
Well I've been told rudues will always be perverted(Like every other perverted anime mc that really like women or men) but he grows out of the behavior everyone hated so much in the first cour of the season because of the whole Eris situation he regretted. So he does get growth and is transforming as a person experiencing right and wrong outside interactions which he really lacked in his past life.
When people going STOP accept that pedophilic behaviour isn't "edgy" or "captivating". Characters can be complex and complicated without perversion or perversion being displayed in such graphic ways (most of yall accept it as fan services.) Honestly normalising "liking perverts" is questionable behaviour since this anime crossed alot of lines illegally, perverts will think you will root for them because they are think like rudy, Eg. People turning a blindeye to Pope touching little boys because he bless people. He never changed in LN, the author never directly address his behaviour as condemning or let the MC self-reflect. I hate that people in anime community critized other people for dropping because they aren't comfortable then try to gaslight you into thinkthe behaviour is okay because of the plot, however his perversion never contributed the plot significantly from my perspective. I am saying where are we drawing the line anime if y'all begging more shit like this? Where are the boundaries if people think perversion it's a edge to generic isekai? whether its fictional or not, how react to it speaks more about you. The plot is not that different from most isekai, it's very explicitly perverted. Anime community gathering celebrate this MC will produce more MC like because "it's okay".
I hate that people in anime community critized other people for dropping this because they aren't comfortable with MC then try to gaslight you into think the behaviour is okay because the plot is sooooooo awesome. No one with a platform is addressing that. Victims watch anime too and getting attacked on twitter for dropping it. It's okay to like what you like but attack people for not liking it too.
About rudeus he is a hihikomori he never was a whole man because never have to face the challeges of the life thats is why he is learning in every step of his new life.
In a lot of ways, Rudeus was still a child socially even in his old life.
@@OutruntheWind In other ways, he's a 40 year old man sexually assaulting little girls.
Gotta say I draw the line where someone gets damaged. Someone gets hurt in a deep way. And rudi did literaly nothing in that direction. He helped lilia, helped Sylphy, turned eris in a better human being. What he did in ep 11 that killed someone is more horrible than everything he did with eris. Eris just looked at his groping as a disrespectful prank
I think the controversy also has to do with western prudishness. We are perfectly fine with extreme violence in our media, but the west tends to hate extreme sexual perversion, even as a joke.
Do you mean the adventure who died? If so, rudeus didn't have anything to do with his death and that was the point. He underestimated the danger of his situation because rujierd was always with him since he landed in the demon continent. Him not being able to assess the danger and not helping out earlier doesn't mean he's responsible for the death( all 3 would've died if they hadn't gotten help) but the fact he's still feels guilt and doesn't shrug responsibility is what the scene is meant to show.
@@callahan4122 he is still at fault. Your Intention means nothing if someone dies. He did hold rujierd back thats a fact. They only followed them bc rujierd wanted to help them. If they followed rudis order from the beginning all 3 would have died
@@leopard2690 yes, all three would've died if they weren't helped. That fact is not in question but is rudeus responsible for them being in that situation?. That's where fault comes in. The adventures knew the danger, they knew the risks of their profession, they didn't expect help from anyone but still got it. You cant always expect everyone to help another person just because the situation calls for it. Human nature is flawed like that. And just because someone doesn't help or takes too long to decide to help it doesn't make them responsible. You are holding rudeus to a way too high of a standard on that front. TLDR: What he did was not noble, thinking of the rewards and reputation he might get instead rushing in but it doesn't make him responsible.
@@callahan4122 its not even rudi that helped. It was rujierd. Rudi did hold him back for his own desir. It was clearly a dangerous situation. For his own selfish plan he risked someone dying thats the whole point
Knowing what happened very later in the series, I like Rudeus the way it is.
Especially his dialogues in Jobless Oblige man. He sounded funny yet so wise.
@@miteigi8334 Who is Jobless Oblige man?
@@itsblitz4437 Mushoku Tensei's sequel which focusses on his son
unless he gets executed or something, i don’t see myself liking the show
"does this bother me?"
No
Because I'm not a moron.
Fact is Rudeus wasn't 30 years old, that's the point, he never managed to grow up properly, that was his entire problem. You're judging him for not acting like a proper adult, but that's the entire thing he has to do in the show, he has to grow up, it's a do over, he's getting the chance to become a a functioning member of society. By complaining that he doesn't start that journey as an adult is to blame him for who he was in his past life, not this one, it's saying you never deserve a fresh start.
By treating him like a 30 year old you're missing the point that he never really was.
He now has a body that matches his emotional development more than the 30 year old body ever did, something that becomes exceedingly clear with the whole "I am afraid of leaving the garden and have to cling to an adult" episode.
Rudy is not an adult, he's a child with 30 years of trauma. His body is that of a child, and his brain is that of a child, which he takes full advantage off. Sure, he's mature in some things, having a lot of experience will do that, but he's childish in others, evidenced by his reaction to seeing people die.
Expecting him to not be attracted to people who are physically his own age is unreasonable. He didn't just get thrown into this body, he's growing up with it, he's been in it FOR YEARS now, with all the adaptation and hormones that come with that.
I do agree about the random barn underwear stealing, that was also the only one I had a problem with, that scene was just weird as f.
>I do agree about the random barn underwear stealing, that was also the only one I had a problem with, that scene was just weird as f.
It sure was surprising to say the least, but it did have a narrative purpose. The lack of remorse in that situation or the happening of the situation in the first place showcased that Rudeus didn't really respect Eris as a person at that point. Given Eris' behaviour, it's really not that surprising. She actually was highly unlikeable, afterall. As Rudeus and Eris kept growing closer together though, things changed, and Rudeus became more and more caring about Eris and their relationship, which was well showcased in his change of behaviour.
Basically the "act your age" saying...
But the thing is how?
That is literally the excuse pedos use irl to justify their lust “I am X years old but feel/have the emotional age of the kids I’m attracted to”.
There really are adults who are emotionally stunted due to a trauma or a mental disorder/disability, but pedos are not.
It’s one thing for Rudeos to be attracted to children when growing up, it’s another when he constantly acts upon those desires and not only DONT face negative repercussions but is encouraged and rewarded in the society he lives in.
A real child wouldn’t
@@Tinky11221 him acting upon his attraction to children when he is a child isn't a problem though. Especially since its consensual and he isn't even pressuring them
@@swordyshield Bruh, what anime did you watch?
Also I think its hard to See someone like him as an "adult". Humans grow through experience. He literaly entered isolation in his Teens and his only experience are erobern, dating sim, mmo and anime. He mentaly degenerated even more. You can actualy feel hil growing mentaly in the series
Yep. It would be one thing if we were talking about some well established 30 year old using his advanced knowledge to manipulate girls. Instead, we are talking about a social dimwit recluse. Also, we have a way to test how mature he really is. Roxy is essentially the same mental age as Rudy, but she is clearly more mature and has way more knowledge about the current world. Rudy’s mental age is meaningless without context. He is still starting from scratch when it comes to understanding the current world. Also, his body limits him from fully utilizing his prior memories. As an analogy, consider a computer. Rudy is a computer with a hard drive loaded with data, but the processor and RAM are limited to a child’s body.
i think pedophilia is bad because adults develop the capacity to "consent" without needing to interact with others due to some neuron science stuff. also, power imbalance stuff based on age which i can't find consistent evidence on
here's a vague pedo rule though: look out for the pedo's that talk about "corrupting" little kids (aka). i derived this rule from an actual person on discord that baited REAL LIFE PEDOPHILES over a chat app to get them arrested; apparently their experiences were that pedos on those places were rarely actually attracted to kids and just wanted to "corrupt" them by having sex with them
the depiction of rudy's old life is kinda useless as a criminal threat and danger to kids, his niece was a family member (easy access to so-called "fap material" since they're probably visiting a ton) and i bet he probably wouldn't have started hunting down random kids over the internet
It's VERY EASY as he thinks as an adult, have the memories of an adult. BECAUSE that's the whole point of why the creator created this story. He wanted to fuck children and be praised as a hero. And that fucking worked when you see all the lunatics that agree with the values, but trust me nobody cares outside the anime community because it's dumb as hell.
@@obits3 so adults dating kids is ok as long as they are mentally stupid.
Very much agree with your personal line and i share the same, i had not understood why that particular episode 6 scene was so uncomfortable for me compared to the other before this video.
Yet as a writing event it still has a meaning, Eris was still the 100% stubborn annoying tsundere when that happened, and is understandable why Rudeus wouldn't care about her yet. Its consistent with how he treats other people, he started caring about Eris after that when she showed some sings of caring for him, like when she tries to buy him a book or when arranges him a surprise party, he didn't cared about what he did to her until he cared about her as a person...
Come now! Moralizing about an anime comedy? Rudeus in his previous life, died trying to save some teenagers. He steps in to save a little girl elf from being brutalized by three bullies. In fact his decisions and actions are consistently aware of others, their needs and how he might help them. So what if he has some fetishes? He is not mean, he is not cruel, and he cares about others. We need more real people like Rudeus, but then, we might run out of lingerie!
Right? So many people ignore all of his good qualities and just latch on to his *one* major flaw(not including the psychological trauma) and decide to hate him for that one reason alone. Yet, if you replace ‘pervert’ with ‘mass murderer with good intentions’(like MCU Thanos and his whole ‘balance’ thing, or Light Yagami) then people would love him. People just lose their minds when a character is perverted(and yet, they won’t shut up about who western characters prefer to sleep with)
completely agree, like how the @PhenomSage mentioned too that Rudeus has that conscience that makes the audience an "unlikeable" character. I don't care what people who hate about Rudeus about what he has done was bad because in a moral perspective not everyone is perfect as well. Throughout the Anime, you also get to see other CHARACTERS such as Paul show immoral dishavement and it just comes to show again that nobody is off being the nice person because impossible.
(that word "characters" is important in my opinion)
Even if he is good overall he is still heavily flawed. I like rudeus he grew on me, but that still doesn't make his actions acceptable but they are understandable to a degree.
@@chosen3713 No on is saying his perverse actions are acceptable. We’re just saying you shouldn’t hate the guy for that one reason alone. Like I said, if you replaced ‘pervert’ with ‘mass murderer with good intentions’, no one would bat an eye at such actions(murder), but perversity, for some reason, is unforgivable.
@@Hawkcam1996 Bro that's not true because barely anyone is saying eren is good. Alot of people are comparing him to Hitler. The more realistic an anime feels the more the negative the emotions and disgust you feel when they do bad actions. Erens is genocide and Rudys is sexual assault. I'm not saying I hate any of these characters because they are just characters and their actions are understandable but they both did something bad. I would never just drop the show though. It's just Rudy's lack of knowledge in social norms because he was a shut in showing but still bad though.
For me the line is Remorse If the character Regrets their actions I will forgive them I forgave Paul especially when I got latter into the Series (He ended up becoming one of my favorite characters) for me non of the character are flawless that what makes likable to me
Human, Remorse I Feel is more of them being Human, but Forgiveness is earned.
Like paul Having to earn his Families respect back after Cheating on his Wife with their Maid.
or when He Refused to see His son's side of the Story, he learned from his Mistake, thats Why I like Paul, he learns from Mistakes He decides to make.
I will compare Rudeus to Arthur (from the Beginning after the End), because Arthur is the closest thing to Rudi but at the opposite side of the spectrum.
Arthur is an extremely likeable character very hard to dislike. He is cool, smart and with noble personality. But if i will pick someone, I will pick Rudi always anytime of the day... And that is because character growth, they are far beyond each other regarding this. It is far easier to feel connected with Rudi.
I agree with you about where to draw the line, in part two when for the first time Eris travells by boat the gets sick and while she's laying her head on Rudeus lap he just touches her without any consecuence, I would say thats my second time the line is crossed.
My problem is that it's being portrayed as a joke.
I agree with this so much 😊
his behavior is very uncomfortable to me too. I wonder if the reactions would have been different had he been a woman instead ?🤔
Just gotta say, I do like the world and lore of the anime. but there's a difference between being 'unlikable', like pinapple on pizza, and literal sexual harassment, violating boundaries of characters that have shown him they dislike it or in the case of women he's not friends with, simply not giving a crap like with the eris groping scene and all the others where he leers at women. Like it's one thing to grope your girlfriend who's ok it but its an entire other thing to be someone women fear in real life. I guess its like someone said about serial killer characters and annoying ones, 'the war crimes are fictional, but my annoyance is very real' Equating violence, which there's a number of characters that have a kill count in the series, with Rudeus' sex offender rap sheet isn't exactly the same. Though not really sure if equating Hisoka someone the fandom sometimes views as a pedophile is a good thing, or viewing Mineta, the most hated character in BNHA as simply a horny character is exactly right either. I like that Rudeus had traits of a neet and that he grows but those traits never leave enough for people to not feel violated nor do they feel validated when very relatable red flag signs are dismissed as 'character traits'
I love mushoku tensei because rudeus is realistic af... Also I hear that land of the lustrous music in the background hehe
Amazing anime
It's not. Watch better shows then because it's stupid.
I’m so glad you posted this just as I’ve been thinking about it all week. I really loved the show despite conflicted feelings, but I can understand how it brings up extremely traumatic things for many people. In my experience, people like to complain about unearned or rushed redemption arcs (usually for shows that don’t have loads of air time to work with), but they also have very little patience for watching a flawed protagonist for long unless the whole point is that they are an antihero (I don’t watch hunter x hunter but I’m sure people would not be as on board for that character if he was the MC). For me, other than the one you mentioned, there’s a couple of major instances that cross the line that I think you missed. Primarily, when he talks about grooming Sylphie to be his ideal partner. The moment he learns she’s a girl, she becomes objectified by him and their friendship takes on ulterior motivations. This happens immediately after his scene of remorse, and undercuts that character development. I know the show deliberately does this a lot to let us know he’s still very much scum and it’s a long road to redemption. I don’t mind that he’s an imperfect character, I think the writing makes its point well by making us massively uncomfortable with him and his actions. But with some exceptions the moments where he’s a creep for comedic purposes do not actually come across as lighthearted or ‘harmless’ at all and your choice of the word bothers me. From the woman’s perspective, it is not harmless to be creeped on in vulnerable moments, it is not harmless to have your underwear stolen and masturbated to (it’s fucking horrifying), it is not harmless to be reduced to our bodies especially as children. You said that the women’s reactions are necessary to teach him the real effects his actions have on women, and I would argue that at some of those times the show is highlighting that those ‘harmless’ moments are actually not okay. We see this in Lillia’s discomfort from the get go, because she knows what it’s like to be leered at and raped by Paul. Roxy seems initially like she’s just fine with it, but we see through scenes where she’s dealing with her next disciple that this is something she just has to put up with as a woman in this society. In fact it seems like all of the women in this world are forced to comply with men’s will over their sexualities and relationships, as Rudeus was very sharp to point out about the power dynamic between Paul and Lillia early on. We see womens’ looks of forlorn complacency as men trample over their personhood again and again.
I am going to keep up with the series with the trust that the entire point is that he gets better, and that truly improving yourself is not something that happens without great effort, time, and making mistakes. I do think we start to see those changes in him towards the end of the season, but some things I know about the light novel tell me he never fully truly gets it when it comes to respecting women despite marked progress, and that feels...like a very human and very real kind of character growth.
I think you are misinterpreting some things, 1. Rudius is not objectifying Sylphie, he just doesn't know how to treat her like like before when he thought she was a boy, since behaviour is different depending if you are with a male or a female friend, and Sylphie disliked being treated as a girl. 2. it is different grooming someone and want them to be a perfect partner. Simply put , Grooming = sex slave. Given how Rudius is, most people think "that" is his "ideal partner", but is not, so he teaches her magic so she can defend herself, and then tutors her teaching her how to write, read, etc... How do you think Paul thought about getting Rudius a job as a tutor for Eris?? It is clear in the LN, but in the anime it is briefly shown in Ep. 4 when they look like that they are doing homework... but remember that they don't go to school. 3. It is nobility not men, so far we have only seen male ones (Paul, the prince), but there are females too that haven't appear yet.
@@althalus2368 It’s still objectification, think about what he initially thinks is the appropriate way to treat a female friend and what a stark contrast that is from before. That’s not okay. Immediately he just starts rambling about her appearance and makes her extremely uncomfortable, that’s what she’s reduced to as soon as she’s a girl to him. His motivations in their relationship flipped the moment he found out, and were then centered around optimizing her and his position with her so that she will fuck him or date him in the future. He says as much by saying he wants to preserve their relationship ‘because he’s a man’. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the position of a girl who has a male friend that sticks around and says he’s her friend because he has other intentions and is waiting to change her mind. It is a fucking nightmare and it’s not sincere friendship, it’s ultimately conditional. It’s extremely painful to learn your male friend just has ulterior motives with you and is waiting for his kindnesses to be rewarded with romance or sex in the long run. Furthermore, he doesn’t just want her raise her to be his ideal partner, and that’s still messed up anyway. I don’t think you fully understand what grooming is if you think it only has to do with sex slavery, predators can and do absolutely groom minors to be in a relationship with them and even marry them. I’ve seen it happen. Grooming is the act of manipulating a child and slowly shifting their boundaries / comfort level by building trust and an emotional connection with them in order to exploit them in the future. It’s a complex topic that can consist of a variety of behaviors and end goals including conditioning the person to better suit those goals. It’s literally what he plans to do, and he is completely aware of what it means.
Admittedly I haven’t read the source material so I don’t know if you’re right about it only being nobility in particular that have that power over women, but I’ll take your word for it until I do. One of the things that I’m aware of from the LN that concern me is doesn’t he marry his second wife without the approval of the first? Not that there is a thing wrong with polyamory/polygamy, but that he just collects brides without communicating or his other wives being mutually okay with it raises massive red flags for me about A. Where he ends up regarding his respect for the women in his life and B. If this is a nobility thing and not exclusively about the position of women in this society, he sure is taking advantage of that shitty social structure without real regard for their feelings. I know I’m missing all of the context though and that everyone is eventually cool with it.
It’s a good show, I like it, I even like Rudeus. But it doesn’t serve the messaging of the story and his future character development to deny, undercut, or dismiss just how gross he is at times.
(Edited for grammar and to correct some things I misremembered but went back to look for).
@@lovelyrat8687 Treating someone different because of their sex or your relation with them it is not objectification, if Rudeus knew Sylphie was a girl he wouldn't tried to undress her or bathe together... I am sure don't treat the same male or female friends, teacher, boss, etc. if that is objectification everyone does that and the word loses its meaning. Yes, this days suggesting a change of appearance is considered objectification, I miss the times when you could make that kind of suggestion and nobody took it like something else. I said I simplified grooming as sex, and by definition is preparing children for sex/drugs activities, and even this I find it simplified... I guess your experience makes you more sensitive to his intentions to make her his "ideal partner", if he tried to get physical with her I would agree, but instead he gives her education and ways to defend herself, which makes her able to be independent from him in the future, and one thing that grooming creates is dependence, which is what makes people easy to control. He does the opposite to that, and when they get separated, he quickly think that it is the best for her... so I can't consider it grooming at all. About Paul, he might no be the best person, but he takes responsibility seriously. The first time he sleep with Zenith she got pregnant, and instead of leave her and continue with his life, he married her. Yes, he cheated on her with Lilia, but she admitted seducing him. On that family meeting he admits the blame quickly and shows that Zenith is in charge. In the WN is treated quickly, but even if Zenith doesn't like it because her religion (which is a monogamous one ), she admitted that it was the right thing to do, implying that they discussed it. I would suggest to read up to vol. 3 of the Web Novel, as it gives you a lot of background story, and different points of view. Just don't read the extra chapter in vol. 3 as it hasn't happened yet in the anime, but they might show it later...
@@althalus2368
I believe you are misunderstanding what exactly about the interaction I am saying is objectification. Simply treating her differently is not the objectification, we all do that to some extent, but the WAY in which he does it and HOW dramatic the difference is objectifying, and the show makes a point of showing us her uncomfortable reactions as it’s happening. Like I said, he doesn’t just treat her differently he A. Switches to rambling about her appearance and making invasive suggestions about it like changing her hair to better suit his preferences. If you ‘miss’ the days you can make unsolicited demands on people’s appearances in the way he does here, you’re missing the aspects of that kind of interaction that are being objected to. Because it’s not about making soft suggestions in an appropriate context with a person who you know is open to your feedback, total strangers have no problem commenting on and criticizing a woman’s appearance because in our society women are implicitly taught that our value lies in our appearance and being attractive to men, and men are taught that we owe that to them along with sex. Women know how violent the consequences can be if they don’t appease a man with these expectations. And B. He Instantly flips to centering their relationship on some day dating and having sex with her, and priming her for that idea. Optimizing who she is as a little girl to suit his desires is grooming by definition, whether on the face of it some of those things are ‘good for her’ or not. Predators take their time with this shit, he does not have to assault her (yet) for it to still be grooming. It’s also not in any way shape or form his role to decide for her what the best path for her in life is, he doesn’t even ask what she wants he just charts out what HE wants for her. You have a point that grooming is about control and a lot of the things that happen serve to foster her independence, but that largely goes down because of Paul and being separated. We simply do not know how else she might have been subtly manipulated and sexually exploited over the years the way he does the other women around him. He was happy to stay put and keep grooming her, he doesn’t leave by choice. Though he does admit it’s better for her in the long run, is that even partially because he KNOWS he’s a creep? Being separated from him is the only thing that allows her to go and become her own person outside of his constant influence. My objection is not in how that situation shakes out, but the thought he had of grooming her in the first place. That’s not there for us to be okay with, the show is reminding us that he is still 40 year old pervert creeping on children and that he still needs to change how he thinks about the women around him. The fact that he makes progress going forward does not erase his intentions in that moment.
Did you miss the part where Paul literally raped Lillia while she was sleeping in school? She may have seduced him later, but she has always been subject to his will. That’s why Zenith is only convinced to accept her when Rudeus points out the imbalance in their power dynamic. When he points out that in that situation Lillia would not have had the agency to say no, whether that’s because Paul’s a noble or a man or her employer, Zenith instantly understands because she lives as a woman in this society too and has been dependent on him from the moment she got pregnant. I don’t think a shotgun wedding automatically makes Paul noble, they’re a common consequence of the values misogynistic cultures after all. How much agency do women in that situation really have in cases when there are the pressures of religion and family behind that choice? Does Zenith even really have a choice about leaving with her baby when he cheats in this culture? Or is the only power she has in this situation to be upset with him and come to accept the other woman living there, it’s an impossibly hard position for her to be put in. It is fortunate that he actually gives somewhat of a shit about her feelings, he might not even have to here socially speaking, but it doesn’t keep him from believing it would be fine to continue the exact behavior with Lillia and he needs a literal child to point out how fucked that is.
I’m definitely going to be looking into the source material in the future, because I know I’m missing a lot of context here and I appreciate you filling in some of the gaps. I also appreciate the civility of this conversation despite the intensity and controversiality of the topic. I hope you understand that I’m trying to provide my perspective as a woman who has experienced this kind of objectification and clarify about important and complex subjects like grooming, rather than be combative.
@@lovelyrat8687 the situation with him marrying his second wife was unavoidable due to the circumstances and what he thought at the time. " but that he just collects brides without communicating or his other wives being mutually okay with it raises massive red flags for me about A" could not be anything further from the truth. He loves his family more than anyone else and makes sure that they feel loved.
Great video, man! Something I’d like to mention about the scene that crossed your line, I think the intended humour of that scene was the “perv gets hurt” kinda thing. The Johnny Bravo gag if you will. I didn’t personally find it all that funny but a lot of people liked seeing Rudy getting socked by Eris for a good reason.
Awesome analysis. I was one of the stark defenders of Rudeus despite his messed up antics, but usually once people have there mind set on something its hard to change it. I just appreciated how flawed he is despite being an isekai protagonist because often they are losers in the real world (but mainly look average) and are shut in neets because....reasons and then when they are reincarnated they all of a sudden are genius casanovas that can show the smallest act of kindness to any woman resulting in waterfalls. Rudeus just feels like a regular guy and despite being somewhat of a magic prodigy (the result of diligence and hard work) he still doesn't feel OP as hell. Hell even him becoming a NEET was explained due to the straight up messed up environment he had growing up. In short, I love how he still carries his past life with him and actively works to become a better person (and we all know old habits are hard to break. He is working with a literal lifetime of shitty habits so he isn't going to change at the drop of a hat.)
Btw, whats your opinion on Jenny from Forrest Gump as a character ? She is also a flawed female character that get hated a lot for the way she treated Forrest, but Idc what anybody says, Jenny is my favorite character because i can empathize with her due to her upbringing, there is more to her than meets the eye, same goes for character like her, Bojack Horseman, you can find their actions intolerable and still empathize with them, abusive upbringing can damage a person's mind drastically.
@@HienPham-ow5ky I couldn't bring myself to like Jenny, but I did recognize that she was a VERY well written character. I think most people were harder on her because of Forrest though. Bojack on the other hand I absolutely ADORED even though he too is a messed up individual who tries and immediately tends to fail bettering himself....and just when we think things are gonna get better, his past actions finally catch up to him which is upsetting, but long overdue.
@@Garyof11 Some people look down on Jenny for the way she treated Forrest, probably because they've had difficult relationships themselves. But when you look at what happens with an objective mind you can see she goes out of her way to not harm him. She stays as far away from him as possible whilst she suffers the effects of having been raped as a child. Indeed the worst thing she does is leave him without saying goodbye and deprive him of fatherthood for some time in a later scene. It is quite commendable to limit your pain to yourself rather than becoming corrupted by it to the point of harming your loved ones. It is also quite commendable that Forrest looks past the destructive behaviour she has limited to herself and still sees only the good in her. Whatever limited pain he does experience as an unintentional consequence of her actions he depletes within himself in a productive way through the force of his spirituality ruclips.net/video/tWzbCk18wTw/видео.html. This is what Eternal Dharma/Soulmateship is all about, indeed this is what Love is all about. Doing the utmost to not harm the harmless, and depleting the pain you do receive within yourself. But all of that requires great spiritual fortitude that has built up over countless lifetimes. Those who are not so spiritually developed risk intentionally hurting others. For them all you can do is set a good example by living according to Principle, and making yourself available to give therm guidance. But you need to be very careful when you do encounter corrupted persons. On the one extreme you should not judge and condemn them as being worthless. On the other extreme you should not destroy yourself to try and save them, which is a risk that exists if you're spiritually driven because you will find something good in them. Instead you should approach everything in life in an intelligent, balanced way. That means just teach thern Principle if they are interested. Without making the mistake of "falling in love" that is actually lust. Such corrupted persons often suffer from being unloved by those they have loved from a young age, such as their parents. So they have a twisted idea of what love actually is and that can lead to bad outcomes when combined with the greed, hatred, ignorance that arises from their pain. If their love remains unrequited they will destroy themselves trying to replace it with sensual pleasures. Their only hope is to find spirituality and serve the Principle of Love itself rather seeking love from others. And your duty is limited to showing them the way if you have the Wisdom to do so. All of this means you should never help anyone in a way that indulges their greed, hatred, ignorance, out of your misguided love for them, because that will actually harm them tbh with you.
@@Garyof11 and hot take: i like Jenny more than Bojack. People hate Jenny beacuse of Forrest but i bet if Forrest was just as messed up of an individual as Bojack, people wouldnt hate her that much.
@@HienPham-ow5ky Honestly if he had a different home upbringing he very well could of ended up very different considering how literal he took things. His mom did a good job.
Negative traits are not all viewed in the same way and in many cases, the offense about them has tied to the realities of one's own experiences. Like regarding Hisoka despite everyone's knows and accepts that pedophiles and murderers are evil actions there existence themselves is so removed from the average person's life that if the character plays up that distance to absurd lengths the audience won't be lost.
Whereas with negative morality that is a lot more common people tend to have more visceral negative regard for, in the case of Mushoku Tensei (and I'm surprised you never mentioned him) there's Paul. A lech whose infidelity seriously hurts people throughout and who he himself pays no real mind to these traits as flaws, recognizing it as just how he is and never making amends to the harm he's done. From what he does and how he reacts to these actions the mass majority of people, me included, absolutely despise him. For this, I believe the reason everyone hates him so much is that his actions and reactions are just too real in regard to peoples experiences.
I think the line of acceptability works in a kind of horseshoe model. Where the farthest to one side is a character whose actions are completely removed from people's reality, these are the larger-than-life magnificent bastards who do terrible things outside of people's experience and do them in a way outside of conceivable reality. On the opposite side, there's the character that does more feasible terrible things but because the audience knows them down to the core and can understand, relate to, or would do the same things were they in the same circumstance. However, in that line of pure unlikability, there are the characters that don't do either, the actions they do are too real to be removed from reality and how they react to them come from worldviews deemed uncomfortably real where people don't even want to identify with them.
Tbh Paul was only made out to be bad in the anime, everything was consensual in the source material and he was just a player. Rudy was worse than him.
Also this line I feel is also affected by how realistic a show is. The more realistic a show feels the more negative the emotions and disgust we would feel towards the characters that do these wrong things.
@@chosen3713 Nope, it wasn't. Official english translation of the novel was heavily edited, significantly altering Rudy and Paul's characters. Once it became known because of the anime, publisher reverted those changes. If you own a ebook, you might want to update it and reread at least chapters 9 and 10 of vol.1.
No Rudeus pirates all of his anime
As he should
Incorrect. His room was full of light novels, meaning he supported the official release.
@@getawayfromme44 That doesn't make it incorrect though. Pirate the anime then buy the LN.
@@getawayfromme44 Wonder if he has or ork erotica
BEEN WAITING FOR AN ANALYSIS LIKE THIS
Your osts are always on point too, love to recognize some cultured choices!
“He would be a subscriber to today’s sponsor” - you had me in the first half ngl
People bash on the series because they want character development like a consistently rising graph. When actually, it is fluctuating up and down while steadily rising very slowly. It will span throughout his life after all. He regresses time to time but he can pick himself up when he thinks it's something wrong.
The core problem with this series is that serious actions have no consequences. The best example is when Eris and Rudy are kidnapped. The former is beaten to a pulp and humiliated, yet suffers no psychological trauma. The latter sees a corpse for the first time in his life and appears stunned, but then he’s back to his old self by the next episode.
Another example is when Paul screws the maid. It makes sense to me that Zenith‘s love for her family would convince her to forgive an affair- even one committed by a woman she knew and trusted. I can accept that. But Rudy tells her that Paul threatened the maid with violence. No sane person would keep a rapist and his victim together in the same household. Worse, Zenith then goes on to act all jubilant in the following scenes after recovering from her breakdown.
I understand your point about character development being a slow, shaky process. I get that. However, character development is supposed to have cause and effect. The kidnapping scene has no effect. The affair has no effect. The only major scene that’s had an effect of any kind is the ballroom dance scene.
Also, the fact that so many internal problems in this story are things we never get to see untold for ourselves (like traumatic events from Rudy’s previous life) hurts the story. The first episode should have fleshed out Rudy’s social problems before ending with the car accident. The decision to dive into the fantasy world ASAP makes the subsequent flashbacks feel hollow.
@@nicolasleroux5302 good point. I think that's one of the anime's poor disadvantages. It has a tunnel vision in which we only ever focus in Rudy's POV. That's why we see no definite consequences in the anime. In the LN, the side chapters are from the POV of the other characters where they feel the consequences of the other characters actions. For example, there's a side chapter where we see Zenith's side of the story during the cheating scene where she was really hurt by it and contemplated all sorts of things like leaving the family, hating the illegitimate child etc. Another side chapter is Eris' POV where she was hurt by Rudy snobbing her feelings and feels that Rudy's doesn't care about her and only sees her as a f*p material.
For source readers, there are consequences but I really think they should be included into the anime. If they include it in future episodes I'd be happy.
@@nicolasleroux5302 it had consequences, it just doesn't show it in the show.
Remember that despite Rudeus being an Isekai protagonist, the world doesn't revolve around him.
The world is moving on its own even without him. The story is portrayed in Rudeus's perspective so it doesn't really show much of the consequences.
It was much more acceptable reading it in the Light Novel. It's just that adapting it in anime format had its flaws like not showing the consequences.
@@rudeusgreyrat7536 That’s not a valid excuse imo. After Rudy strips his friend (the elf girl, I forget her name), he has a nice little moment with his father where he reflects upon his rashness and strives to be better. Mushoku Tensei has demonstrated that it’s capable of exploring consequences. Unfortunately, the writers simply choose not to explore the consequences of most major events because they’re eager to get to the next location.
Great video even after 2 years. On point analysis and wording of your explanations. Everyone should watch it to grasp a little bit of understanding of Rudeus and overall MT.
You've put it really well, but to add to it: even if a scene is creepy/uncomfortable it doesn't make the show any worse, at least to me. Getting these feelings in the "safe environment" that is fiction is oddly pleasing and kind of makes me feel alive, but it's just not the kind of flavor that everyone is looking for, just like the horror genre in any media.
Perfect. I felt the exact same way. That was the scene that made me feel like it was too much.
The reason I like this show and Rudeus is because he is constantly growing and evolving. The man is learning from his mistakes and all his successes thus far is earned. He is also the perfect vessel for us to experience this world and his character services the story perfectly well.
Just watched the show for the first time from start to current episode. Really like your videos on it.
The ad tie-in during the first two minutes cracked me up!
It’s good to see that you understand the character of rudeus. His actions sometimes is indeed questionable but I count the fact he was a worthless to begin with. You can’t change your antics and flaws that easily and that’s why I actually like him. I even can relate to him at some point. I really like how somehow he managed to gain respect from people who interact with him ( specially eris ) step by step. I can’t wait to see the 2nd cour of the first season to see how far he can be better through more hardships.
Cant wait for rudeus character developement in anime.
I love your explanation, because it systematically explains why I like this show and Rudeus. I do have a question though, after finishing the series do you think he crosses your line again or no?
First of all, glad you made this video. This was something I wanted to talk about when I finish my video retrospective on the Manga’s first arc. Sure, I can agree that there can exist characters that I like that have done horrible things. Guts from Berserk is a prime example, Black Swordsman especially. He gets a whole town full of innocent people killed just to kill a single Apostle. He knowingly gets a father and daughter killed because evil spirits will follow him. He uses a child as a human shield, makes said child watch as he tortures her demonic father, then later tries to get her to kill herself. Most of these acts are unforgivable but that does not make him irredeemable as a character. The biggest boost for his character is context. The Golden Age Arc is a big proponent in this being the case. Even then he does some unarguably evil stuff there, too. Something important Black swordsman establishes by its end, is his general motivation but also cements how pointless his quest for vengeance against Griffith is. But enough about Berserk.
My introduction to Jobless was coming across random clips from the anime. The ones where he meets Ghislaine for the first time, gets kicked out of the house and saves Eris from those kidnappers. Out of context, I was very intrigued by the circumstances of these moments. I thought “Rudy and the beast woman are going to go on these adventures as mercenaries where he would see the darker side of this world”. This, unfortunately, wasn’t the case. I watched the first episode, thought it was alright. Then I read the manga, I liked it. Mostly because it toned down on the sexual aspects of the anime and was a bit more comedic. Then I caught up to the latest chapters and now I’ve been reading the Web Novels. I’m on Volume 19 as of writing this comment. Spoilers btw.
Now on to Rudeus. Yes. I don’t like him. I believe for the same reasons I don’t like Lilia as a character. I actually really hate her. Yes she went though bad stuff because of Paul assaulting her when she was younger. I cannot begin to imagine how that has affected her psyche. I’m not a doctor, so I won’t make any assumption. That doesn’t excuse what she did to Zenith or her degenerate reasons for doing so. Especially when the narrative gave us a far better motivation for her to seduce Paul and, in this hypothetical, get pregnant with his child. She was terrified of Rudy and needed a good enough reason to get kicked out of the house. She could quit or try to leave, yes, but the two Greyrat parents would like to know a reason for this. Or just simply her pride as a maid keeps her for doing so. On top of that she brainwashes her child into becoming a maid just to server Rudy. On top of that, she hasn’t, up until this point, been honest with any members of the family about her motivations.Obviously shameful, but seems to me as irresponsible and pushing the burden onto someone else. Sorry for that tangent but I’ll get back to that later.
Honestly, I think it would be better if he had lost his memories but kept his self awareness. Gradually over time the trauma of his past life comes back as his mind develops. Reflection ensues. The biggest bombshell being when he meets Hitogami for the first time and is disgusted with what his “former” appearance actually is. This could have so much potential for the narrative had it been done this way.
My biggest problem with Rudeus, like I mentioned with Lilia, is that he withholds information from those who are closest to him. Especially Roxy, Eris and Sylphy. A few profound moments come to my mind. Such as when Rudy and Eris sit down with Orsted about the Metastasis Event. Rudy is bothered by this because he believes he holds some level of responsibility. Eris tries to comforts him by placing her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head to reassure him it wasn’t his fault. His response. He groped her ass, in front of Orsted. Granted, they’re both adults and married at this point. The story sacrifices seriousness and intimacy between these two characters for sexual comedy. What’s worse is SHE WAS THERE WHEN THIS MOMENT HAPPENS. After they’re done talking with Orsted, it seems that Eris somewhat understands what Rudeus is, a reincarnation. Rudy internally laments, at the expense of her age, that she stayed “an idiot”. Then instructs Eris that she doesn’t tell Roxy or Slyphy about this conversation. There are other instances I could bring up. Trying to convince Nanahoshi to use her as a hostage to kill Orsted. Cheating on his wife(s). Guilt-trips his mom into keeping Lilia in the house. Psychologically manipulating Eris by getting the two of them kidnapped. Not to mention the messed up stuff he does in an alternate timeline.
*Heavy Spoilers Ahead*
Ultimately, I think Rudeus is a flat-arc character that doesn’t change all that significantly. There are definitely moments that shape him to be the person that he is. Roxy helping him overcome his fears of the outside is a big part of this. Him seeing those two kidnappers get killed by Ghislaine definitely had some impact. His adverseness to killing is probably a big reaction to this. Hell, Eris and Slyphy have killed more people than him. Not 100% sure about Roxy. He took his first life at the age of 18 and that was an assist. Ghislaine ultimately finished the job. This is why he tries more diplomatic approaches and often traded barbs with Rujerd early on. When Eris leaves him, he becomes depressed and even impotent. But, Sylphy helps him out of this rut.
Honestly, Rudy isn’t all that of a compelling character to me. Is there some relatability? Sure, on some surface-level. I’m sure he’s more so to the targeted audience. Characters like Sylphy, Roxy, Eris and even Paul have more profound arcs and stories but they’re not the main focus. When I was reading in the Manga the absolute roller coaster of experiences and emotions Eris was feeling towards herself and Rudy, it kinda hit me. It was ruined by the fact that she openly admits her feeling for Rudy to herself she seems to be so… unable to say “I love you” or “I still love you” in her letter to Rudy. Simply because there needs to be a classic misunderstanding to ultimately not be resolved in a meaningful way. A misunderstanding that goes on for 10 volumes and 5 whole years. I honestly believed on some level that Eris was Rudy’s rival in an untraditional sense. Never once was she torn about her motivations to get revenge against Orsted or the people that killed her grandfather in contrast with her feelings for Rudy. It just works itself out on both fronts, anticlimactically. It was just about getting stronger to protect Rudy. Sylphy spent a good portion of her younger and adult life helping the princess of Asura ascend to the throne as her bodyguard and advisor. When given the opportunity by the princess to seek out Rudy, she declines, seeing as this situation was far more important than rekindling an old flame. When the two do reunite, Sylphy is conflicted but ultimately wants to be with Rudy, however her loyalties to the princess still remain. When the two of them haphazardly get engaged, Rudy asks who she would choose if Sylphy had to give up her duties to the princess. Without hesitation she chose Ariel. When Rudy gets involved with helping Ariel become Queen, he informs Sylphy that one of her friends close to the princess could be an agent seeking to end the Princess’s life, she immediately becomes disagreeable and even intimidating to Rudy about this possibility. Ultimately, she reassures him that if this person, her friend, does intend to cause harm to the princess, they will die on the spot like the rest. Absolute badass. In the end, Sylphy does admit openly that she would choose to believe in Rudeus even at the cost of the princess’s life. Touching moment.
Sorry for the tangents. Yes, Rudy has depth, he has flaws and makes mistakes. His journey is basically I need to keep my family and my life whole. Dealing with one pitfall after another. I just don’t find him as compelling of a character. He’s a NEET encyclopedia that changes the people around him. That’s my thoughts so far. Who knows? I might change my mind. Thanks for your time. Hope I can discuss this more.
I agree with this so much 👍
@@HienPham-ow5ky My thoughts are a bit more chaotic looking back now. Sorry.
"Trying to convince Nanahoshi to use her as a hostage to kill Orsted. " isn't actually a bad thing at all though. Since she is not actually in danger and he is just trying his best to SAVE and protect his family. "Cheating on his wife(s)" when does he do this? if your counting the first time when he has sex with roxy then you are ignoring all the factors that lead up to it while also missing the whole point of the story(second chances) he made a mistake and immediately does his absolute best to remedy the situation. "Guilt-trips his mom into keeping Lilia in the house." isn't a bad thing when you realize the alternative is her being forced out of the house and dying. Also the reason why eris just didn't simply say "I love you" is very clear if you just look at it from her perspective its not just because "we need a misunderstanding"
@@swordyshield I definitely would agree that Rudy was put in a very serious situation. He also wasn’t aware of what Hitogami was actually capable of at the time. Which, in the grand scheme, was a bit underwhelming. Much like when he had to choose between staying with Sylphy or going to help Paul save Zenith, it was a very tenuous situation, considering what he would miss out back home if the latter turned out to be a bust. It was a point where I was getting more invested in Rudy at that point and more tolerant of him. Especially considering that he was now an adult and was married. This was also right after he made his reconciliations with Norn. Which was kinda touching. Too bad that narrative was somewhat soured by the introduction of continental teleportation, but I let it slide because of how exclusive it was. Anyways, I have to ask how Rudy using her as live bait to kill Orsted doesn’t put her in danger? That’s on top of the fact that Rudy admitted to himself that Nanahoshi doesn’t really matter to him all that much in the grand scheme of things. Yes, he was trying to save his family, but much like how I used Guts and the horrible things he did during Black Swordsman as well as Lost Children, it was out of necessity for his own survival and to kill his enemies. That still doesn’t make it ok. I understand why Rudy was doing what he did. Still isn’t ok. Is that bad thing for his character writing-wise? That’s not the question I was answering. He wasn’t considering alternatives in that scenario, but not really putting much merit into it. Something Nanahoshi gave plenty of. One of which, I’ll cite, was talking to the guy. Only after his plan went to hell and was left at the brink of death, did he actually try to talk him out of his revenge. Orsted wasn’t under any obligation to consider Rudy’s situation and only look at the benefits to himself, by taking Lucy, because he tried to MURDER him. If Orsted wasn’t being objective in that situation by the time Eris, Sylphy, Roxy and Ghislaine arrive, they’d all be dead. This also lumps in Aisha, Lilia, potentially Zenith and Norn as well, if he went through on his threat to kidnap Lucy. Orsted’s cooperation with Nanahoshi has opened so many doors for Rudy that the narrative does not shy away from. Magic scrolls, teleportation runes and Perigus especially, to name a few examples. Yet he somehow doesn’t properly take this into consideration. He spared Rudy’s life at Nanahoshi’s request. I’m pretty sure there would have been a healthy dialogue between the two if she was there to intercede in his behalf. That’s also not mentioning the fact he keeps these facts FROM HIS WIVES, in some ridiculous attempt to not make them worry. That’s also proven to be moot when Eris arrives at his home and Sylphy has a literal breakdown in front of her because of how much she’s worried for him and that he’s keeping things from her and Roxy.
Oh no, I remember what happened. His father died horribly to save his life and his mom turned out to be “an invalid”. This also made him self reflect about his parents in his original life. Which made him very depressed. If there’s one thing I can appreciate about Jobless’ narrative, is that Rudy’s desire to live a happy normal life, to be whole, it is taken or contested constantly. Or rather, it doesn’t last that long. Whether it’s the Greyrats, the Boreas or Eris to name a few examples. Paul’s death and Zenith’s condition is another beautiful bleak repetition of this theme. I understand why he feels upset. But, much like how he felt after Eris left him, it was the knowledge that Zenith was in danger and needed his help is what gave him the strength to move forward. He didn’t need the comfort of another woman to do that. You claim I don’t remember, but I KNOW that you remember what’s waiting for him back home. He has a wife who loves him with a CHILD on the way. Two sisters, that love him, who both miss their moms. Both of which are a year’s distance from each other. He has Cliff, Zenobia, Julie, Rinia and Presunea all waiting for him to come back. Cliff’s soon to be engaged wife, and Rudy’s grandmother-in-law, Elanalise is with him as well. He hold so many lives in his hands for the journey back home. Yet, he doesn’t take any of these factors into consideration to push forward. He seemingly gives up. It comes across as if every relationship he made in the last year and a half didn’t matter.
There is no characterization for Zenith suggests that she would do something as terrible as leaving a pregnant woman out in a blizzard. That is ridiculous. She may be a heavy believer in the Milles religion, but if it’s anything like Christianity, then she would not do something as sinful as condemning a helpless women to death. At best, she would wait until after the birth or at worst, after the weather calms down. It would be stupid to assume she’s incapable to have Paul or herself make some kind of arrangements that Lilia would make it home to her family safely. Lilia and Paul stabbed her in the back, yes, she has every right to be livid with both of them, but it seems more than probable that she can be the bigger person in this relationship. Zenith is also a former adventurer, if I were in her position, I would have just taken Rudy and left at the first opportunity.
Yes, I understand that Eris is autistic. She has difficulties with certain social situations, cues and isn’t the best at explaining herself. I absolutely was invested during the manga while I was reading her reasonings for leaving. Ghislaine and the butler being distant with her, not so much, given the circumstances, I can’t really blame them for acting that way. Also there’s the fact that she could do nothing to protect Rudy against Rudy. Mostly because that was a very *specific* situation and circumstance. It’s not an unreasonable bar for her to try and overcome, but at the same time I can understand why she would feel that way. Massive insecurities. Her being able to internalize her feelings was understandable in the manga context. Still frustrating because she could put it to words herself but not on paper. The anime was more frustrating because she was capable of vocalizing this. I know that the story characterizes Eris as a bit of a brute. The partial reason why I appreciate Rudy and Eris’ dynamic by the time they reunite, is because of how different they approach things. Rudy reasons, Eris scares. Simple.
@@H8FULT8 i agree with you 💯👍
some people really seem to think that liking a character equals condoning that character's actions. i just can't wrap my head around that. my favorite character in bnha is toga, and she's, you know, toga. i don't condone what she does, i just think she's a great character especially after her development in the manga (i won't spoil, but it just makes a lot of sense now why she's a villain). hell, you can even empathize without condoning. i empathize with a lot of villain characters, in fact i think that a good villain should always be at least a bit empathetic. i don't know where this idea came from that, if you like a character, you support them 100% in everything that they do. makes no sense.
man If that we're true I'd probably be in jail for having Bojack as one of my top 3 favorite characters. He does everything Rudeus did and for way worse.
I think the issue for a few people is that unlike Toga and Hisoka, these are not the protagonist who we follow all the way in the story and are meant to support. The villians though empathetic are not viewed in world as heroes.
Also its the empathising question and understanding the moral issues, especially with the hero at heart being kinda a pedo and grooming. There are a few anime tropes that can be problematic - eg: the whole marrying and sexual relationship between Dad and daughter in light novels (Usagi drop, Sheild hero, If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord) where its justified by the author as the dad not being their biological dad which is still iffy - as the person did raise them as a daughter for multiple years.
@@michaelstone9065 i understand, although for me personally i prefer a protagonist who has flaws, even serious flaws that might make it hard to root for them. it makes them feel more human - there's no such thing as an unproblematic person. but of course i understand how some people can be turned off from this show in particular due to rudeus, as it's a sensitive topic that i wouldnt expect anyone to just be magically okay with. what i don't get is the idea that simply liking rudeus as a character - not as a person, but as a character - is a bad thing.
@@dia8183 Also the type of flaws and scale of things we can sympathise with, eg: there is a scale that people can tolerate flaws and character quirks with, however stuff like pedo level pervison is something we associate with villians and bad for a reason (eg: the video using Hisoka - as a poor arguement, who is still clearly a villian who wants Gon to grow stronger so he can fight and kill him later when he is at his peak).
For me the answer is simple of where the line is: How proportional are the narrative consequences/prerequisites to the situation? What are they doing to atone for themselves and do they even have to? Are the characters trying to rise above their unlikeability?
*-* Kazuma in Konosuba is a rude, selfish asshole, but everyone around him is too so it kinda balances out. It's also played for laughs how much of an asshole everyone is, like an anime version of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
*-* Goblin Slayer gets a pass for being a violent angry goblin murderer because we see in the very first (controversial) episode what a problem the goblins are, and there is no sugarcoating how bad they are in how it's depicted, yet goblins are still treated as unimportant threats by adventurers guilds, so a fucked up enemy needs an equally fucked up protagonist to eliminate them.
*-* Light gets exactly what he deserves at the end of Death Note. The judgment he passed onto others, finally passed onto him. He can't proportionally face the amount he's done, it's simply not possible, but it's the exact "justice" he espoused throughout the series gets finally passed onto him in a form that is what one would describe as poetic.
Rudy sees a new life for himself and, instead of going "awesome, another life I can leech off my parents in", he realizes the mistakes he's made and sees it as an opportunity to be better and to make other people like Eris better. However, he's had 30-40 years beforehand of passing the time with degenerate pornography and being a lazy slob and you don't just change that overnight, but you see him study hard, you see him struggle, and you see him slowly develop empathy through a series of mistakes. Note how he's usually punished for acting like a pervert, either by his own conscience or by other characters.
On the flipside, you have stuff like Redo of a Healer where I don't like the main character yet because his answer to being abused is to abuse back, it doesn't feel like character growth based on what I've seen, it feels like the same psychotic selfish indulgence people used to justify abusing him with, just redirected. That's how to *not* do an unlikeable character in my opinion.
"Note how he's usually punished for acting like a pervert, either by his own conscience or by other characters"
Not really, in the anime he sexually assaults Eris three times and she's STILL dedicated to him. If anything the story is rewarding him for being a pedophile. I understand that the childhood friend he groomed also falls in love with him later. The show never acts like you're meant to dislike him for these things, since his sexual assaults are played for laughs and treated as light-hearted fun.
Yooooooo, a main channel vid!
People can like “unlikeable” characters precisely because they are characters, they are not real, thus as long as the character is interesting and fun to watch, people will like them. But if these characters are in real life, most people would not like them anymore.
Just gotta say, I do like the world and lore of the anime. but there's a difference between being 'unlikable', like pinapple on pizza, and literal sexual harassment, violating boundaries of characters that have shown him they dislike it or in the case of women he's not friends with, simply not giving a crap like with the eris groping scene and all the others where he leers at women. Like it's one thing to grope your girlfriend who's ok it but its an entire other thing to be someone women fear in real life. I guess its like someone said about serial killer characters and annoying ones, 'the war crimes are fictional, but my annoyance is very real' Equating violence, which there's a number of characters that have a kill count in the series, with Rudeus' sex offender rap sheet isn't exactly the same. Though not really sure if equating Hisoka someone the fandom sometimes views as a pedophile is a good thing, or viewing Mineta, the most hated character in BNHA as simply a horny character is exactly right either. I like that Rudeus had traits of a neet and that he grows but those traits never leave enough for people to not feel violated nor do they feel validated when very relatable red flag signs are dismissed as 'character traits'
You explained it perfectly tbh i agree💯
Rudeus hasn’t gone through much development only having a fear of the outside until his loli teacher showed up. He seems that he has a profanity for magic which we can’t consider apart of his development as a character as it’s more of a skill. The honest truth is Rudeus’s behavior from his previous life didn’t completely follow over into his new one only the pervy ones. He starts the show off a prodigy in magic he gets hired as a teacher to a young heiress and when conflict does take place in the form of everyone getting teleported to a new continent he galavants around having fun with the redhead and combustion man. If you get rid of the pervy parts Rudeus is straight up just a bland character from start to finish.
Btw, whats your opinion on Jenny from Forrest Gump as a character ? She is also a flawed female character that get hated a lot for the way she treated Forrest, but Idc what anybody says, Jenny is my favorite character because i can empathize with her due to her upbringing, there is more to her than meets the eye, same goes for character like her, Bojack Horseman, you can find their actions intolerable and still empathize with them, abusive upbringing can damage a person's mind drastically.
Evil is only the parts of the world you personally cannot tolerate. The character of Rudius is very well written to be the type of character you want to see grow so much that it might upset you to see him never learn basic self control
I just don't care about a writer making a story to fuck children and having a harem, and also be a hero lol
There is an absolute NEED for flawed characters in media. If we condemn characters for being flawed until there aren't any flawed characters (something I think is actually happening in media to some extent and for certain character traits), what are we to learn from? If we can't see characters who struggle with certain flaws, and why they struggle with them, and the consequences those flaws bring, and how these flaws can be overcome, how are we to ever learn anything at all? When a character is flawed, it creates a space to explore all of the things I mentioned above, and it can be a very thought-provoking and enlightening experience. If you aren't allowed to learn what darkness looks like and how to navigate it, how are you supposed to deal with your own darkness? Mushoku Tensei is one of the most beautiful, warm, and uplifting stories I have ever read precisely because it provides real practical insight through emotional experiences of overcoming flaws and learning to live with them, and how by overcoming your flaws and living for others, anyone is capable of living a happy life. I don't think I can think of any character I've ever seen who dies a happier man than Rudeus, but this is only possible because of the things he learns and lives by as he overcomes his flaws. It's an insanely hopeful story. As someone who's currently a pseudo shut-in struggling with a lot of mental illness, trauma, and isolation, it's a story that gives me a lot of hope and gives me some good ideas on getting out of the pit I'm in.
I mean, there's plenty of people who condemned flawed character like Jenny from Forrest Gump ( if you even watch that show in this day and ages) for taking advantage of Forrest , not understanding how she became the way she is , calling her a wh*re ,gold digger, etc. People gonna judge, it is what it is. I'm not surprised if you're one of those people who hate her tbh ( if you watch that show of course). However, i agree with you that flawed characters are more interesting than morally right character, and certainly Jenny is my favorite character of all times contrary to the majority of the hatred towards her
i didnt know rudeus was considered as unlikeable character 🥲, hes my favourite character in the series, idk when it happened but i strongly like his character, mushoku tensei is also my favourite anime of all time, its characters , the world building, attention to details, all these things amaze me
I love Rudeus. None of what he does bothers me for the sake of the good comedy. He truly is his faulted otaku character to heart which makes his faults more realistic. After watching dozens of cookie-cutter same-y Mcs, I like the variety that he brings to the table.
PS: I like Keyaru too but for different reasons
Btw, whats your opinion on Jenny from Forrest Gump as a character ? She is also a flawed female character that get hated a lot for the way she treated Forrest, but Idc what anybody says, Jenny is my favorite character because i can empathize with her due to her upbringing, there is more to her than meets the eye, same goes for character like her, Bojack Horseman, you can find their actions intolerable and still empathize with them, abusive upbringing can damage a person's mind drastically.
you are sick man
I mean I like the joker but I don't pretend he's someone to look up to, sympathize with or say oh no he's the victim. For me it has to mean something, like anything in a story.
Yeah most characters who act like Rudy are viewed as antagonists, not the protagonist with a bad taste.
Honestly I'm so thankful for the anime recommendations in the sponsorship at the begining. Idk how I've never heard of these.
I think one big issue thats not discussed is the almost trivialisation of issues in respeonse to people being upset about anime controversy.
- eg: with goblin slayer and shield hero first then recently redo healer and this anime.
I can understand some of the arguements for the original 2, especially the portayal of the goblin gangrape scene (could be done without sexualising/covering more of the body by the goblins). to the shield hero false rape accusation.
However it seems that in response to overexxagerated critiques like these, and that anime is viewed as acceptable degeneracy - eg: from loli (500+ year old so legal), daughter dad romantic relationship, shota and under age stuff.
it seems to be just getting excused, eg: rudy old self is a extreme sterotype of Otakus as a counter to the bland sterotype isekai hero.
- even kazuma as a pervert doesn't go as far and is less darker in context as he is still a teenager mentally with people who are older.
I agree with you but no one else is going to agree with you here, because the comment section is full of those same people who try to justify sexualization of minors in Anime so they can feel morally justified and not guilty.
I have no lines per see, I recognize that it's a fictional story. I recognize that not every story is there to teach me any morals and I since long realized that the problem people generally have with stories like this isn't that an immoral act was committed by the main character that can't be justified. We have stories with MC that commits unspeakable acts without remorse, but the difference is partly cultural which is the western view on sexuality. I'm generalizing of course, but just looking at Overlord and all that happens as a result of actions and orders from Ains, and not just to evil people but innocent ones too. But violence is a lot easier for people to swallow, to accept as a part of a story. Sexual acts of any kind are not, simply because that is how a lot of us have grown up in societies that vews sexuality with much harsher scrutiny than violence.
It's of course valid for anyone to feel the way they do, feelings can't always be controlled so I'm fine with that. So my only problem is those few folks that want to act like a story or character is bad solely because of those things, rather than recognize it's their own feelings and inability to overcome their emotional barrier. That's how I see it at least. If you don't like it, fine. But if you want to act as a moral puritan and lecture me of what I can or cannot enjoy? Nah, I'm gonna chew you out for that shit.
He's a damaged person in the beginning. And as someone who has read the manga, without spoilers, he comes to slowly learn to make the most of this cosmic do-over he has been given, and become less of a degenerate perv. So, yes. Rudeus is a very likeable character, in spite of his flaws. And the story's unflinching portrayal of those flaws makes him a fuller, more likeable character.
It's way too horny to be taken seriously and what he did just show that the true motives of the creator wasn't to make a good story first. I read everything.
@@ggadams639did you read the manga or LN, because those two are VERY different
Rudeus seems A LOT worse in the manga then in the LN, which is the OG source material (well technically it's the Web novel or WN but the LN is basically a remaster of the WN)
What is the music used at the closing of the video?
Sage, I think you break down the likability of characters in general very well. Generally the writing elements and style will present the intent of the author. Regrettably I find some of the criticism of MT just don't line up with the overall intent of the show.
Ofc, whether one likes a character or not is really up to his/her taste. I think the line you draw is very logical, and it clearly articulates that why it can make sense for ppl to like scummy characters under the given tone and context of the story being presented.
Hope you get more popularity. Imo your analytical videos focusing on the writing aspects of anime really deserve a larger audience.
The intent of the show is to make Rudeus grow up through years of experience plus knowing that his scummy actions can damage his relationship in his new life. It's a slow burn and Rudeus regresses from time to time but ultimately he becomes an admirable person at the end of the story
The intent of the show is to provide fan service for pedophiles.
As long as its an interesting story, its a good story.
Yes. A morally dubious character is not the same as a dubiously written character. His antics aren't a reflection of the story or show but a reflection of his character.
Eyyyyyy, HE FINALLY UPLOADDD!!!
he has a second channel where he uploads episode reviews too
@@jayfugazi9751 yeah ik. That was actually where i got introduced to him caused i liked MT. But when I discovered he covers deep topics as an original content, I actually was happy that he does this
I appreciate you making a video on this. I can understand and respect a person's decision to not watch this show because of how repulsive the main character may be, but I certainly cannot take them at face value to mark this series a low rating on that reasoning alone. That would be unfair to people who actually enjoy strong character growth and progression as well as the overwhelming amount of time, care, and effort to produce Mushoku Tensei which has been long overdue.
Btw, whats your opinion on Jenny from Forrest Gump as a character ? She is also a flawed female character that get hated a lot for the way she treated Forrest, but Idc what anybody says, Jenny is my favorite character because i can empathize with her due to her upbringing, there is more to her than meets the eye, same goes for character like her, Bojack Horseman, you can find their actions intolerable and still empathize with them, abusive upbringing can damage a person's mind drastically.
Whats the song at 4:15
After WN 24 i really like Rudeus. He deserves more love.
People have double standard when it comes to hating on Mushoku tensei for mature and sexual content yet they are fine with it on other shows like Game of thrones.
Um not really, also they didn't do it with underage children (That is the point that the characters in the tv series are aged up and even in books like IT - with the group sex scene, no one ever adapts that and is viewed as a wtf moment for book readers). No i find that people who support the protagonist on Mushoku tensei kinda try justifying it with character progression and using villian comparisons (Hisoka - is not a good guy/and is never treated as such, just as a ally you wouldn't trust - the whole greed island Story arc).
People don't like pedos, even if they change or the idea of grooming, even if the character is young, when they have the mentality of a adult, eg: no one agrees with a sexualised Kanna from dragon maid - and even the lesbian subtext with her best friend is viewed more as a crush then when actually acting on it or taking trophies.
I think Rudy is more the opposite extreme end of Isekai heroes and Otakus, eg: the worst sterotype to match the bland ones, even sheild hero though also messy in some regards does a better job at this.
There are a few anime with these messed up concepts - where the child will either fall in love with their father and have a relationship with them, but seek to justify it. From Usagi Drop - Manga to If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord in the manga. Where they try to justify it by saying - "it doesn't count as he isn't the biological father".
There are some villainous (some are MC) characters i like are morally ambiguous like Tsukasa from Dr. Stone, Altair from Re:Creators, Suitengu from Speed Grapher, and even Alucard from Hellsing.
But the one I like the most while I disapproved his actions was Shishio Makoto from Rurouni Kenshin. He was right in some aspects I want to help him succeed and a genuine (extreme) patriot.
When are gonna be Made in Abyss manga reviews?
Sorry for my impatience.
There are flaws which every person has and then there is a grown man making sexual advances towards children.
Had he simply kept going after grown women then that would be fine.
When that one element isn't on screen dude is hella interesting to watch. There are many other themes at play in this anime that work extremely well.
My favorites being him having to actually work for what he wants and the realization that this isn't some gaming world.
I agree with your comment. Whenever Rudeus isn't being a creepy bastard, the show becomes a lot more fun to watch.
I had to scroll way too far down to find a single sane person in this comment section. The show would be pretty good if it wasn't for the non-stop pedophilia.
@@VictorBR45 Just gotta say, I do like the world and lore of the anime. but there's a difference between being 'unlikable', like pinapple on pizza, and literal sexual harassment, violating boundaries of characters that have shown him they dislike it or in the case of women he's not friends with, simply not giving a crap like with the eris groping scene and all the others where he leers at women. Like it's one thing to grope your girlfriend who's ok it but its an entire other thing to be someone women fear in real life. I guess its like someone said about serial killer characters and annoying ones, 'the war crimes are fictional, but my annoyance is very real' Equating violence, which there's a number of characters that have a kill count in the series, with Rudeus' sex offender rap sheet isn't exactly the same. Though not really sure if equating Hisoka someone the fandom sometimes views as a pedophile is a good thing, or viewing Mineta, the most hated character in BNHA as simply a horny character is exactly right either. I like that Rudeus had traits of a neet and that he grows but those traits never leave enough for people to not feel violated nor do they feel validated when very relatable red flag signs are dismissed as 'character traits'
I'm watching this video way way later on, so forgive me for being late to this. we have had a full season and some OVA's to watch this character "grow" and I really fail to see much personal growth in rudeus. I'm okay with having flawed characters, but when you have the character make the same mistake over, and over, and over again, It's actually infuriating to watch. This show is a must watch for everything else besides the main goddamn character and I really hate that on a personal level. Imagine for a moment that your friend bought you the perfect gift of a cool awesome fantasy world you would LOVE to live in, but with the asterisk that once every few months or so, said friend will just punch you in the face for no reason. would you continue to be friends with this person? how good does the world have to be for you to continue being friends with this person. My "friend" in this case is rudeus. He's smart, he's funny, he's cool sometimes, and hell he's even awesome with magic, but hey, every couple of months he keeps making the same mistakes, he keeps consistently fucking up and not learning from it. *this leads to me asking: If he's so smart why isn't he learning from it, If he's so good why doesn't he figure out other ways to deal with the problem. If he's so funny, why doesn't he make a better joke then, haha, panties instead.* I get that it's a redemption story, but it's taking too long to get to the redemption. By repeatedly having him make mistakes, we can see very well that he is human, but it's also offputting because it feels forced or set up. the character is genuinely good in a lot of other areas. But in the one area that is an incredible turn off for a lot of people, (his personality) he's actually just the worst most of the time. And here the thing (HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE GOOD GUY.) comparing him to A likeable villain like this should illustrate the point that he is actually just straight up more of a bad person here, then a good person with shitty intentions. Nice video by the way. I do like discussion on this topic because I do love the world this person created, I just absolutely think that rudeus deserves to be re-written a touch.
I think the problem you and a lot of people are having is you see growth to mean 'He stops being perverted', and if you are going into the story looking for that point, i think you might end up being disappointed. Rudeus being a pervert is a genuine character trait consistently used for comedy up until the end of the story. Yes he grows in some ways like he stops perving non-consensually (physically at least if i remember right he might still say stuff in his head but im not sure) and isn't pervy towards younger characters anymore. Also, when you said it's taking too long? I mean, this is volume 6 of 26 we aren't even a quarter way through the story yet.
And not much personal growth? Really? I can't see how you think he hasn't personally 'grown' much at all since mid 30s shut in loser who does nothing but sits on his computer all day.
@@Lexe2507 I don't want him to completely stop being perverted (lets be honest, its fucking anime, that's impossible.) but he could at least try to be more classy about it. shows that use fanservice typically don't draw your attention to it, because it's specifically an unwritten rule that that is uncomfortable, because drawing attention to it via the main character does typically objectify women. This is essentially what rudeus is doing here, and as someone who watches for the world in which he lives in, makes me uncomfortable as a viewer. Also completely ignoring my point about him continuing to make the same types of mistakes. He's a crass, but intelligent person when he needs to be sure, but by making this character dumb at the worst moments, it just feels like the author is trying to justify him being perverted by saying he doesn't have any social skills yet. I have not read the LN's the show is based on, and I am only watching the anime because I heard that it was a good story, and the art is fucking incredible, That's why i'm so upset with his characterization in particular. You can have a good story where the character makes mistakes, but there always needs to be a good reason WHY this character makes mistakes. If the reason is always "he was a shut in neet" what age does that then change? 12? 15? 17? 21? etc. you're telling me this character that has lived for like 12+ years in this fantasy world and 33? years in the "real world" has no shred of social skills? I had more social skills then this "kid" when I was 12! sure I still make mistakes sometimes but who doesn't, we are all human. but by making them all either perverted or using them to drive the plot forward, that's all that we can focus on, the mistakes, and how to move past them, so in turn, much of the focus is moved away from the cool world around him, and more toward inward strife, which can be a good thing, if that strife actually meant anything and wasn't always solely caused by either: a perverted mistake, or a "plot happened around him" mistake. for instance, I particularly think the moment where he eventually met up with paul was a fucking masterclass in writing that sort of struggle. more mistakes like what happened with the group he made with team dead end in the battle with the snake, shit like that. So no, I don't particularly need rudeus to stop being perverted, I need a better balance of mistakes, to more resolutions of the problems with eventual cool payoff ratio.
@@Lexe2507 Regardless i'm going to re-watch the show. hoping to re-form my opinion. I don't think it'll change much but it's worth a shot.
@TheWritersMind I mean, forgive me if im forgetting, but how many mistakes does he really repeat that often? Like, am i forgetting some? The only big ones i can think of that he repeats are him undressing sylphie and then doing the same to Eris 3 episodes later. The other big mistakes so far i can remember he only really does once. He goes too far with Eris and makes her uncomfortable in episode 8 and promises not to do it again and holds himself back fairly well until she herself initiates it like 3 years later. He lets a kid die in ep 10 for no good reason cause he isn't taking stuff seriously enough and then later saves the beastkin village and attempts to save a child being kidnapped(although that one ended up being a misunderstanding in the end). I can't think of anything else, but if i am forgetting some moment, please remind me. Also, no social skills? Rudeus is always fairly polite and sociable, and he tries to avoid conflict where he can, especially when compared to Eris and Ruijerd.
Great video, I really thought what you said was interesting
my favorite types of characters are the ones most grounded as human beings, because when I watch a story, I don't want to insert myself into the characters' shoes, rather act as an observer to it and immerse myself in its beauty and direction. This causes me to love shows that are very unique and don't typically follow the normal tropes. This review just added onto that fact and affirming my love for these "unlikeable" characters, so this perspective has me loving characters like Subaru, Rudeus, Kazuya (from rent a girlfriend), and even Mami (from the same show).
OMORI MUSIC MAKES ME SO HAPPY THANK YOU SO MUCH MAN. really liked the video too very good analysis, music makes it extra pog :]
btw the song is OMORI OST - 018 Poems In The Fog
Fantastic video mate. I really like Mushoku Tensei and I do like Rudy as a character. Sure, like all of us I do not like this one trait he has but I do not think that is the legitimate reason for people to say that the show is bad. You can dislike it, you are allowed to dislike anything and everything but that does not mean that the anime is bad. Personally I find it to be underrated. It is as close to a masterpiece as anything I've ever seen. I haven't read the light novels yet but I think it is going to be a perfect redemption story (even tho it is expectable and quite realistic for Rudy to not completely change but rather improve for the better as much as possible). I do not want to comment on all the other aspects of the show, animation, sound, VAs etc. etc. as those are pretty obvious I find.
I really like the saying "The devil is in the details." This is sooo true for this anime. Every scene, every second of the show you can see the amount of work that has been put into. No shortcuts, no skipping without explaining stuff etc. You know what I mean.
The fact that Rudy has flaws is what makes him realistic and human. The fact that he works hard to improve as well. People don't like his flaw, well guess what, it is not meant to be liked.
As for your main question, I do not see the border here in terms of likable unlikability. I do not think of it that way. Does it serve a purpose, is it comedic, does it make him self reflect afterwards etc. It just is what it is. It shows the way he thinks and acts and what kind of a human being he is (momentarily). I do not need anything more specific than that. When the scene you've mentioned happened I wasn't horrified or anything. I was just like here he goes again, I hope he stops doing that soon. And that's it. The moment it finished I kind forgot about it.
Thank you for making this video and for the point you've made. I am sick of people just trolling with comments like pedo lovers or some other meaningless shit like that without actually wanting to debate or discuss. Good job sir.
It's way too dumb to be underrated. It speaks to you because you share his values, but a lot of people outside the anime community don't care about such stories and care about artistic ones.
i personally feel the same i love redueus he is maybe my favorite character in anime I have read and watched all of mushoku tensei and I find his character arc to be genuine and beautiful.
By the end of the books he becomes a pretty respectable person as he continues to grow up. He still makes mistakes but he learns from them. Change takes a while but it happens.
it would be less creepy for me if rudeus was actually affected by his body's mental age (at least a bit) and if his thoughts weren't voiced by a grown-ass man, simple things like that that would make him feel more like a child with a mind of an adult and less of an adult in a child's body.
The author has stated that his mind is affected by being reborn as a baby, and being a child. And I actually the fact that we get to hear him as a child and as the 34 year old he was
I'd argue he has the mental maturity of a teenager. He shut himself in when he was in middle school and has been stuck there physically and mentally for the remainder of his life on earth. That's how it seems to me at least.
Bro its shown in the first episode even tho he has memory of his past self he still governed by the feelings of the body hes in now. in the very first episode when hes talking about zenith he saying he cant feel turned on by her because she is his mother that clearly shows that even thos he has his memory he still feels the feelings that a 10 year old would be feeling
@@KHAZIEDITS926 This show has a lot of layers and sadly, there are people who choose to look only at the surface level.
@@48cxy2 lol true its honestly not that hard to see. Its been a couple of days now, I've been watching and seeing alot of people complaining about his age like the first episode doesn't even exist like whatt???? In my head I'm like c'mon guys this was already addressed in the first episode. Anyway I read the light novel so I guess that gives me leverage
A true hxh fan 👏 🙌 ❤. HxH fans show yourselfs! Is hxh already forgotten?
*peeks head out*
Is... is it safe to come out?
HxH? Never heard of it.
*whistles suspiciously*
We have toxic fans and then hxh fans in the shadows 🤣🤣
Hunter x Hunter ?
@@jager2754 No, Highschool HxH c:
nice ad transition phenom looool
Best sponsor segue
Guys, I can confidently say this, Mushoku Tensei is by far the best Isekai I have seen in MANY years. I don't like iseaki anime, the only one I really do like other than Tensei is The Rising of the Shield Hero. When this season ended I was so sad b/c this felt more like a fantasy anime than iseaki. The MC, yes he's messed up, but, those moments where he was scared to leave his house, where he saw blood for the first time and the sound was distorted, the pacing of this season, world building, characters, animation (Godlike), I can't wait for S2 and supposedly, this is gonna be more than 2 seasons. Best Isekai anime there is, Mushoku Tensei >>>> Re Zero. I tried watching Re Zero (S1 and first half of S2) and I don't see the appeal of it at all. I like Rem but, other than that, nothing is really grabbing me with Zero. I only liked when Subaru died because I wanted to see how he cheated his death.
Mushoku Tensei is 🐐, hyped for S2 and I hope this goes on for a long time
Only half way trough season 2 part 1??? Than you haven't seen some of the BEST moments yet wtf. You can't judge an an anime before you have seen it entirely. The reason why I love re:zero so much is mostly because of what happened in later parts of s2 part 1 and s2 part 2.
I must say that MT is a very good isekai, but it doesn't stand a chance against Re:Zero. At least for now.
Rudeus is literally a good person. Someone who's constantly evolving and improving, and you could only hate him for being a pervert (which a lot of people on this earth are, and doesn't make someone a bad person) or if you're a sociopath who can't understand that human beings aren't perfect..
His valuing of human life, his willingness to protect others and put himself in front of danger, him caring for his friends and family, his willingness to go out of his way to help others, everything makes him into a kind and good person. He has numerous character flaws as well, his inability to adapt to the ruthlessness of the new world, his perversion, his aversion to conflict (which isn't good in the new world where he's in, which kind of goes hand in hand with his inability to adapt and makes him weak when he's supposed to step up, which is a big part of the story going forward).
He was a trash of a person before he died, but he literally finished his life by saving young people, which made his previous life into a positive as well (It's hard to quantify how many people you need to save to make up for ignoring your family, being a leech, etc, but I think that saving even 1 person during the course of your life from certain death goes a long way, and I think it was multiple people he saved even).
Him being unlikable is only due to his perversions/libido, that's all (him being weak is another thing, but up until now the hate against him isn't due to the weakness point). The thing is that he is physically still underage, his mentality aside, in the long run he will not be going for characters who're way younger than him, and he's constantly aiming for women/girls who're his age. It's like you're put into a new world, you're in the body of a 10 year old, even if you died when you were 60, you'd still find younger people attractive. Now it's a problem if he was actually forcing himself on a 12 year old, but he doesn't do that. He's controlling his libido, while he comes out as a perverted boy who is close to crossing a bad line, he is still controlling himself where it counts. He isn't perfect with the control (as noted in the video), but he thinks about the other person, never taking away their agency (other than the barn, even then it's sexual harassment which is really bad, he got his just punishment afterwards, and Eris had the agency to choose how to proceed with him afterwards. She still chose to get along with Rudeus, and that was her agency), and in other scenes there is self-reflection happening constantly (especially in the novel) .
Let's also remember that in his previous life, sure he was a leech and didn't attend his parents' funeral, but they're also more than a little bit responsible for that themselves. His siblings shunned him, his dad did nothing about his bullying situation at all, just a "chin up, son", and his mum actively encouraged his hikikomori habits and enabled him to become a shut-in. Nobody actually helped him in any meaningful way and he regressed.
Frankly, it's a good lens into the Japanese issues of distant parenting and not directly addressing problems when they arise. Was Rudy a waste of space? Yes. Was it his fault? Only partially. Another kid in need of counselling, ignored and left to rot like counless others in society because dealing with it is uncomfortable. People are very quick to just call Rudy a piece of shit and completely ignore everything that made him the way he is.
@@DarthDionius That's a good point indeed! While he was still an adult, and he should've been able to gather himself together, there are times when outside help is needed and his family did not provide it. I think it is fair to say that from a society point of view, he was trash, and I think it was partly his own fault. But there were big reasons to it, and as a human being he wasn't irredeemable or a nasty person, he was deplorable because of how far his character had fallen (not going to his parent's funeral, which is a big thing for most of us). His kindness did shine through in the last moments when he saved the students.
His current life as Rudeus has been filled with him being kind, helpful, dependable, and an overall great person. His perversion is the only issue (thus far in the anime) that makes him not a PERFECT person (If you took the perversion and certain weaknesses out, he would be pretty much a perfect human being, which would completely change the sort of story this is supposed to be).
Edit: I just checked the novel and what happened was:
1. He was a neet due to the reasons already clarified in the story
2. His parents died without him noticing, and due to his fear of the outside he didn't go to attend the funeral.
3. Suddenly his siblings storm into his room, destroy his computer.
4. MC lunged out of outrage due to how much he treasured his PC.
5. His older brother was an extremely experienced Karate-ka and literally crushed several of his ribs and threw him outside with no change of clothes, no money, no nothing, while everyone was hurling insults at him.
6. MC with no way to actually get anywhere from his position due to no money, no clothes, no address, no nothing, he wouldn't be able to find a job even if he wanted to. He was already sure that he'll die in a ditch somewhere even if he didn't save those kids.
So yes, his family was fucked up. He wasn't even given the opportunity to express himself. He was assaulted out of nowhere, given no opportunity to understand the situation, and thrown out with no way to make a living, likely just sent out to die. The MC out of self-loathing and desperation, just did 1 good thing before his life ended. I mean re-reading the beginning really shot home how fucked his family was. His brothers and sisters didn't even see him as a human being and likely got rid of him just for the sake of removing him from the inheritance.
Oh he isn't gonna like what happens in season 2 episode 11
there is no moral line for characters for me it is all about the way it is writhen or presented
I agrer
I've really grown tired of how some people not liking the show and tuning out because they don't like Rudeus for his flaws. That's the whole part of the Development of his Character, so that he improves on those flaws and become a much better person. As for as main character he's actually pretty likable once you look past them.
you talk about the themes of "reformation and redemption" in regards to rudeus' character, yet there isnt any meaningful scene where he was pensive over having groomed sylphie/eris or molested/sleeping with the latter. there was a scene you included where he was on his knees, begging for forgiveness after having forcibly stripped sylphie, but that was quickly forgotten as he continued to molest and groom the children. you point out how the growth never was intended to be immediate, but so far we have had 24 episodes of child grooming and molestation without a speck of actual remorse. it is unacceptable for an author to creates a medium like this, which is consumed by children, teens and adults alike, where inexcusable behavior is portrayed in a lighthearted manner. its okay to like unlikeable characters; its not okay to condone an author who inappropriately portrays intimacy with children as if its funny. please stop pretending that its not as bad as the criticism makes it out to be because we MIGHT get an episode where he reflects upon his actions a few years down the line. even if it happens, he was still mature and knowledgable enough to know what consent was as he molested and groomed them. we know this because he repeatedly held is own, covered for or educated his parents and maid in everything ranging from debates, parenting and infidelity. your stance is dismissive of the actual show and his actions; pay attention, please.
i was suggested to watch this video by an illiterate teen who condoned the character with poor reasoning, and i really have to say that im not surprised by the audience this video resonates with as i read the comments
Just gotta say, I do like the world and lore of the anime. but there's a difference between being 'unlikable', like pinapple on pizza, and literal sexual harassment, violating boundaries of characters that have shown him they dislike it or in the case of women he's not friends with, simply not giving a crap like with the eris groping scene and all the others where he leers at women. Like it's one thing to grope your girlfriend who's ok it but its an entire other thing to be someone women fear in real life. I guess its like someone said about serial killer characters and annoying ones, 'the war crimes are fictional, but my annoyance is very real' Equating violence, which there's a number of characters that have a kill count in the series, with Rudeus' sex offender rap sheet isn't exactly the same. Though not really sure if equating Hisoka someone the fandom sometimes views as a pedophile is a good thing, or viewing Mineta, the most hated character in BNHA as simply a horny character is exactly right either. I like that Rudeus had traits of a neet and that he grows but those traits never leave enough for people to not feel violated nor do they feel validated when very relatable red flag signs are dismissed as 'character traits'
@@baonguyenxuanthai711 a sensible mushoku fan. im honestly shocked.
its terrifying that the author of this video and the other clowns who dont see the issue with rudeus dont understand that you can appreciate the world and lore of mushoku tensei without defending the authors degeneracy with children. these people start making excuses like "he was in a childs body" to condone someone with a middle aged mans brain molesting children in their sleep AFTER being reincarnated, and AFTER being scolded for stripping a child. id like to know what ***** growth PhenomClown is trying to emphasize and how that is pertinent to irredeemable nature of rudeus who despite understanding his actions in their full capacity, continues to act despicably.
@@varesso7568 Done watching
The guy's got a good speaking voice and generally, his points about how Rudeus' character develops could have been well-reasoned had this been any character but Rudeus
However, it once again sidesteps the major league issue that many people have with the series, which I felt the video downplayed. Rudeus is still an adult in a child's body who is actively being creepy towards people very much not his age. The video doesn't really tackle the aspects of pedophilia rampant in the early parts of the story and plays it off as "fanservice that every anime does"
Which would be understandable, but then they follow it with "this fanservice has a point", and unfortunately, the emotional weight of all these sex scenes is tainted by the knowledge that Rudeus is a pedophile and based on this video, never really confronts that part of himself. It just lends an air of grossness to the whole thing when Rudeus sexually and romantically pursues a much younger girl starting at their childhood.
Like yes, Rudeus is well-written, but only insofar that you're willing to accept that he nor the story attempts to have him answer for the very yikes actions of being a pedophile, especially up to that point. It's a perfectly valid and sane dealbreaker for people to consider it immature of a pedophile to give in to his actions, and also highly immoral.
The video's a bit disingenuous about the source of the controversy by not really talking about that point at all. It's Mushoku Tensei's biggest problem that despite all of its great animation and solid character dynamics, it is all done in service of a genuinely morally reprehensible character, which the story more often than not rewards.
Which frankly makes Rudeus' character morally bankrupt, and I'd have found that interesting if the story wasn't so intent on framing him as a "well-meaning guy". Not even a good guy, just well meaning , and that is just gross when talking about a groomer.
@@baonguyenxuanthai711 while i do agree that the video creator doesnt regard the full scope of rudeus horrible character to better narrative his unreasonable and biased viewpoint, he does include scenes from the anime where rudeus is at his worst. its problematic because not only does it trivialize rudeus actions, but the video creator proceeds to take a stance that disregards the actions of a middle aged man in a childs body because the theme of the anime is "growth", and implies that this all will be remedied. but as i said in my first post and as you, i believe, agree with in yours, "but so far we have had 24 episodes of child grooming and molestation without a speck of actual remorse."
all his creepiness with eris aside, i remember watching rudeus being depressed about sylphie whom he planned to groom into a future bride and its just... whats wrong with the author and people for not understanding how jarring his perceived bond with sylphie is? shes a clueless child. the people who dont understand the problematic nature of the author of mushoku and rudeus literally NEED to be educated for the good of the world. but instead they go around spreading this degeneracy as if its unproblematic, and the uneducated portion of the audience gobbles it up as an acceptable reality in regards to how you can treat people, even those not of age. this is because rudeus isnt scorned for what he does.
anyway, i want to know if the people who hinge on the "growth and redemption" argument are saying that there will be a scene in the future where rudeus comes to realize what a freak he was for grooming, molesting and sleeping with eris/sylphie as they were literal kids, because if not, then why the f are they talking about his growth as if him managing his social phobia or whatever has anything to do with whats being said? and how much do we need to endure before this scene arrives, which i genuinely dont believe we are going to see? surely, at some point in time, someone who is relatively mentally sound and mature enough has molested, groomed, and slept with enough children, while being fully aware of his actions, is past the point of redemption?
youre right though; he does have a good talking voice. the charisma serves to lull people dumb enough not to scrutinize his foolishness.
@@varesso7568 i heard from Mushoku t
Tensei fans that he would be developed in later seasons as his characters developments happened in later volumes(in the light novel), so it would be interesting to see where his characters will go
I never muched like rudeus for most of the show but thinking back to my childhood i had to learn many of the same lessons growing closely with other kids when I was little.
The appropriateness of physicality, the role of modesty and physicality. Maybe he never quite learned those things in his old life or never had it manifest properly in his teens/adult years like many of us now.
Probably we owe a lot of our modern perversions not just to the prevalence of sex in media but also to its taboo. The characters in Moushoku seem to handle it with an amount of tact that I sorta wish I had. I hear people talk about sex like an especially good resteraunt experience and it baffles me every time because i was raised with it being alienated so thoroughly that I feel terribly exposed just mentioning it. Worse, that same sense of taboo means i feel terribly judged or limited or impassionate when doing it myself. Because not doing it is as much a taboo as not doing it so i had to do it and i had to talk about it but I didn't want to do it and I don't want to talk about it.
Even though it's supposed to be this thing I should like and participate in and express.
I like that it's not a major focus but prevalent enough to feel like a regular part of Mushoku tensei's world. It's something people do as adults but are aware of since they're small because it's an extremely large part of life.
It's not some big secret. It's not this disgusting, scandalous thing or sacred and untouchable. It's people being close to people and a general presumption of life.
It's still wrong for someone older to be with someone younger but like you said the other option would be if rudeus simply never develops any kind of connection because his innate experience would make every interaction with someone his age seem that way.
I can't help but to think it's all just as neccessary for his growth for him to learn this stuff though. From scratch. In a culture that won't destroy him for doing as kids should do and learn about each other so that adulthood isn't this infuriating mess of insecurities.
y'know this is one fo the MCs I like..he seems morally neutral and I appreciate it cuz he feels lika apersona dn genuine..Like Kazuma from konosuba or SHiled hero stc..
Btw, whats your opinion on Jenny from Forrest Gump as a character ? She is also a flawed female character that get hated a lot for the way she treated Forrest, but Idc what anybody says, Jenny is my favorite character because i can empathize with her due to her upbringing, there is more to her than meets the eye, same goes for character like her, Bojack Horseman, you can find their actions intolerable and still empathize with them, abusive upbringing can damage a person's mind drastically.
you think the child predator is morally neutral?
"Everyone has that one fictional character who they like, who has committed unapologetically messed up shit"
....
*The Rumble of Scientific Triumph INTENSIFIES*
I genuinely like Rudeus BECAUSE he is flawed AND he is TRYING to become a BETTER PERSON.
He feels human and it's so satisfying when he slowly overcomes his trauma and his perverted habits.
I like Rudeus, a lot. Yes, he may be disgusting some times and all you want, but I know what it feels not to want to wake up anymore, the feeling of not being able to do anything at all, and that's why I care about him and his development so much. I was seeing myself in him, pushing his actions, trying to become better and doing as much as possible not to be in that dark cage anymore. And even though he was almost there, he just stood up and walked again.
I think the biggest problem people have is the age of Eris in the 2 sexual scenes, it could've been more socially acceptable if they were older for those scenes, and it's hard to argue otherwise
The thing is that this story is very well made toward the lowest of the low. The story serves as a way to make you empathy toward a pig. And it's very good at it. Buf if you take a small step back, well you would realised that he's still a pig. I fucking hate him because people believe his a good guy. Not in the real wolrd.
The problem isn't that Rudeus is a flawed character. The problem is that MT is a flawed show that depicts an adult character courting children.
I love MT for other reasons, but the discourse surrounding the fact above makes everything even creepier.
As a girl i hate this anime, this is not a redemtion more like a excuse to paint this as normal. if this is in real life he will be in jail or therapy. There is no excuse for the main character action. He keeps reapting mistakes, and he knows it is wrong, but he have no regrets about it. The anime makes it like that the girls are okey about it and act like it is normal, but if it was in real life they would get trauma. the author should be in jail to draw this. manga is much worse then the anime. people who like the main character, i hope you dont think this is normal to treat girls like this.
I agree with you 💯👍
I agree with this so much 💯👍
I agree with this 💯👍
But considering the time period when the treatment of women was not so....kind, i'm not surprised lol🤣
I dont think its normal either tbh
I agree with your statement. I like the character Rudy, I just don’t like some of the perverted things that he does. And even when he cross the line, it’s okay because he gets punished for his perverted behavior by getting beat up by said girl.
As he reflects from his actions and tempts to redeem himself. It’s a very complicated subject.
That ad read was smooth af lmao