Sometimes it’s hard to be an anime fan. The medium offers some of the best stories around, from action heavy fantasy shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, to more contemplative, Emmy-worthy dramas, like Takopi’s Original Sin and Vinland Saga. But the medium also has a habit of stirring up controversy, and it’s usually justified. Even the best anime contain the dreaded fan-service (unnecessary sexualization of, usually female, characters) or some morally questionable moments that we as the audience are meant to be fine with. But one of Crunchyroll’s biggest anime, which just dropped its new season, is notorious for being one of the most controversial mainstream anime. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the show being a major success.
After two insanely popular seasons, it was inevitable that Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation would return for a third. Based on Rifujin na Magonote and Shirotaka’s best-selling light novel series, Mushoku Tensei is, on the surface, another fantasy iskeai anime. The story follows an overweight, jobless shut-in, who is reincarnated as Rudeus Greyrat, an infant in a high fantasy world. Retaining his memories from his old life, Rudeus vows to make the most of his new life. Unfortunately, his antics in the new world aren’t exactly morally upstanding.
Season 3 of Mushoku Tensei debuted on Jul 4, with the first two episodes of the new season landing on Crunchyroll. New episodes will be released weekly on Sundays. After just two episodes available, Mushoku Tensei‘s die-hard fan base has swarmed to Crunchyroll to check out the new season. Mushoku Tensei is currently the fourth most popular anime on Crunchyroll, beating Jujutsu Kaisen in fifth, Solo Leveling in seventh, and Witch Hat Atelier in ninth. The newly released BLACK TORCH anime adaptation currently holds the number one spot.
Why Is ‘Mushoku Tensei’ Controversial?
It doesn’t take long for Mushoku Tensei‘s content to become questionable, and in only a few episodes, it moves from a morally grey series to downright aprehensible. Before being reincarnated, Rudeus was a lowlife who spent all day eating junk food and watching adult videos. When he was re-born, those desires remained. In the body of an infant, he has sexual interest in his new mother. When he grows into a child, that interest moves towards girls his own age (or, at least, his body’s age).
The idea of a grown man trapped in a child’s body pursuing over young girls is bad enough. But, the series doesn’t do anything to criticize this behavior. Some people argue that it is part of Rudeus’ redemption arc, as he learns to move past sexual addiction. But, that’s negated by the way in which the show presents these underage characters for the audience. No matter how hard some people may try, ther are things about this series which are indefensible.
‘Mushoku Tensei’ Could Have Been a Fantastic Fantasy Anime
What makes Mushoku Tensei‘s reprehensible content even more aggravating is that, without those elements, it would be a fantastic series. Studio Bind’s animation is fantastic, and the non-controversial plotlines are fantastically written. Many have tuned into Mushoku Tensei, hoping for the next big thing in fantasy anime, and being left with a bad taste in their mouths.
- Release Date
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January 11, 2021
- Network
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Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, BS11
- Directors
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Sayaka Tsuji, Yoshitsugu Kimura, Ayumu Uwano, Yui Kanbe, Takahiro Tamano, Chihiro Kumano, Ouri Yasukawa, Mihiro Yamaguchi, Michiru Itabisashi, Kento Shintani, Nao Miyoshi, Shingo Fujii, Asahi Oka, Fumiaki Kataoka
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Yumi Uchiyama
Rudeus Greyrat’s Former Self(voice)
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Tomokazu Sugita
Pilemon Notos Greyrat (voice)
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Amber Lee Connors
Therese Latreia (voice)
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Ai Kakuma
Rudeus Greyrat(voice)
