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Jobless Reincarnation Episode 22 Review – Quick Summary
In Jobless Reincarnation Episode 22, “Dreams and Reality,” Rudy knew what he saw was a dream, but it nonetheless terrified him. He stood in his old room on Earth, surrounded by his dark, untidy room. Throwing open his window, he looked out into the world with Eris, Ruijerd, and even his parents Paul and Zenith. A world that faded before his eyes. What did the dream mean? Was it a premonition? Is Rudy’s life about to take a bad turn?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Jobless Reincarnation Episode 22
Eris took some comfort in knowing that Rudy was preparing to stand between her and an angry god. At the same time, she knew that a time of parting approached. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Did you hear the OP this week? I swear it sounded like they had shifted it to a minor key, and it was a lot slower. It set the tone perfectly for this episode. If I had to pick a theme for this episode, it would be maturity. Each of the characters has grown profoundly since we met them.
Yet, they’ve remained themselves. Which is just how it happens in real life. Mostly.
Ruijerd, Eris, and Rudy were riding to where Rudy’s home had been. I won’t start talking about that, because I won’t be able to stop. Damn, it was affecting. But as they rode, Rudy intently fashioned a fireball between his hands. Eris rode behind him, and she asked him what he was doing.
The old Rudy, seeing Eris’ face so close to his, might have made some smart ass lewd comment. But this isn’t the old Rudy. Plus, the two of them have been through far too much together. So, not breaking his concentration, Rudy said (04:20), “If we run into Orsted again, I’d like to at least be able to escape him.”
Rudy just said that if they run into an angry god again, he wants to have developed the skills and power to push back. And he’s utterly, utterly serious about it.
Just who is Rudy going to grow up to be?
Best in Show Moment for Jobless Reincarnation Episode 22
Rudy did not have the mental framework to understand what Eris said to him. That’s absolutely heart-breaking. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Setup: Eris Has Grown
I just witnessed a tragedy. An honest to goodness, middle-finger to Shakespeare tragedy. Othello? Ha. Macbeth? More like McLame by comparison. All kidding aside, King Lear and Shakespeare’s other tragedies were great works of literature. But I am being utterly serious when I say none of them affected me as strongly as did my favorite moment in this episode.
I mean, look at the setup. Rudy had finally matured to the point that when Eris threw herself at him, instead of ripping off his clothes, her perceived that she might be in despair. And he did not want to take advantage of her. Talk about character growth!
Now look at the other side of the equation. For a while now, Eris had considered what might be awaiting her. She’s from a prominent political family. She was educated. She knew how things might play out, and she thought she was ready for it.
Then we came to the scene with Alphonse and Ghislaine. The scene where Alphonse argued from the perspective of political reality and Ghislaine argued for a romantic hope. Did you see what happened? Did you see what Eris, the 15 year old young woman did?
Eris knew what she had to do. But when it came to it, it was just hard. Capture from the Funimation stream.
She silenced them with a word. She knew. After everything Eris has been through, she knew. She told them to leave her alone so she could consider her next move.
I have rarely seen a scene that packed with emotion. We’ve seen these young people grow up. We’ve seen them go through a lot together. Eris had to endure Ruijerd leaving on his own quest. Now, we see her wrestling with a reality she foresaw. But when the moment came, it was hard. She wasn’t scared. It was just damned hard.
I’m about to invoke Tolkien, so you know how much this affected me. Eris was just like Frodo who knew he had to take the ring to Mordor. Except in this story, there is no Sam. There is no one to explain what happened to Rudy. No one to interpret what Eris did so Rudy could understand it.
And that’s so tragic I almost can’t stand it.
Delivery: The Gift of Eris
Here’s the thing. I don’t know what Eris decided she needed to do. I don’t know why she thought she needed to take Ghislaine with her. But whatever it was, it scared her to her core. I don’t know if she is confident she can get through it. In that moment, she made a decision that I would not have understood 30 years ago. It’s something that I would not have been equipped to understand at that time. But now, I get it.
I just hope to God I can articulate it.
Facing utter darkness, knowing the stakes, Eris wanted something she could take with her. She wanted a memory, a feeling, something that would help her face what was to come. She loves Rudy. Neither she nor Rudy even know that means at their age, but it’s real, it’s potent, and it’s powerful. She wanted to share her first time with Rudy.
Eris offered Rudy a priceless gift, a gift she intended to sustain her, too. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Rudy was not equipped to understand this. His past blinds him. His expectations betray him. He could only see that in the morning, Eris had gone. He could not see that of all the people in that world, she chose him to be her first. She chose him. That’s a priceless gift. That memory should have been Rudy’s Phial of Galadriel, a beautiful light that would hold back all darkness. But Rudy could only see her leaving.
He could only see the part that said (22:00) “You are I are not well-matched.” He was blind to the “right now.”
And that damned near broke my heart.
Sorry, Shakespeare. I shed not a single tear over Hamlet’s fate. I can’t say the same for the Tragedy of Eris and Rudeus.
What did you think of Rudy’s walk through his shattered home? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
Jobless Reincarnation Episode 22: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: [Discussion] Mushoku Tensei Episode 22
- 100 Word Anime: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Part 2 Episode 22 – I Want To Have Your Kittens, Meow.
- RABUJOI: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation – 22 – Home Alone
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 12: The Woman with Demon Eyes
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 13: Missed Connections
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 14: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 15: Slow Life in Doldia Village
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 16: Family Squabble
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 17: Reunion
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 18: Separate Journeys
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 19: Route Selection
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 20: The Birth of My Little Sister, The Maid
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 21: Turning Point 2
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 22: Dreams and Reality
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 23: Wake Up and Take a Step
- Jobless Reincarnation Episode 24: Eris the Goblin Slayer
tears again just now when rewatching the parting with ruijerd
That was such a powerful scene. Heck, the whole episode was powerful!
He’d been with them since they woke up after the Mana Disaster. Seeing Ruijerd walk away hurt!
“there’s so much i want to say. feelings of not wanting to say goodybe to a friend” :'(
I didn’t really see this episode primarily in terms of romance. That’s a pretty important aspect in the equation, but it’s not the equation. On a narrative level, it’s simple: they come home, the adventure is over, and regular life resumes. Except regular life has been thrown into chaos.
This harkens back all the way to her to society debute and the dance. Remember what it meant it to Rudy, and how he didn’t get what he did socially? To draw the eye of the nobility? Well, here we are again now, with most of the family gone, the family name’s actually a lot more in Eris’ hands than it used to be. She learned her family was dead (something we know she’s been preparing herself for). And she wanted to cry alone; not with anyone around. Not Ghislaine, and not Rudy. See? The situation is wider than romance.
The show’s world building is great. Things they set up in season one but didn’t drive home sledge-hammer style are coming to head now. I think, though I’m not sure, that Eris is taking something like a Sabbatical. A mourning period? Travels to find herself. Something both socially acceptable and stalling. Had Rudy been a “good fit” that might have been a different story. You know, had he been prepared for “marriage” (also in the political sense), they could have held her ground. But Rudy wasn’t prepared, and Eris certainly wasn’t prepared to explain.
Remember the good-bye scene with Ruijerd? I think Eris caught on just a smidgen bit before Rudy did. It was obvious she was holding back, while Rudy was still figuring stuff out. Eris has been thinking about the future a lot more than Rudy has, because she’s been raised as nobility rather than as the kid of adventurers, I’d say. Personality-wise she’s straight as an arrow. So of course she has to go. Talking to Rudy about what’s going on takes too much strength; she’s not a guide or a manipulator; she needs someone to bounce off of, and Rudy’s just not that in this situation, and he’s going to make things harder for her if he’s around. At the same time, she’s not just going to be a meek wife with a high price tag attached to her name. A journey just… fits? I don’t think she has a plan, and that’s the point. Having Rudy around makes things more complicated for everyone.
As for Rudy, he hasn’t ever really grown into this world. For him, Eris is just Eris. On the one hand that’s great for Eris; someone to take her as she is. But also someone who doesn’t get that her name means something, and that the death of all her relatives isn’t only an emotional catastrophe. It has implications that Rudy (grown up in a democracy middle class setting) can’t understand. (the last holdover in Japan might have been Zaibatsus? Not sure, not an expert.)
For Rudy, it’s also more than just romance. Was he ready for responsibility? Seemed to me he was riding a post-coital high rather than anything else. And him bursting out crying is… him being left all alone, with no-one to “protect”, with nothing to do, and with no plan. Seeing what’s lost for the first time. Seeing what broke Paul. Yeah, he’ll have to look for others, but now that he’s separated from everyone… how? Nothing to distract him. It’s a sort of fatigue, too. An uncertain future, an uncertain present. He’s got connections, he’s got a family name – what he doesn’t have is… a home? A next step? Someone to tell him what to do? I think the guy who’s crying now is still (at least in part) the hikkikomori faced with a huge scary world – but now there’s no inside to hide in. And, now – likely – he’s not going to be useless once he stops crying.
Do you think he was ready for a relationship? Rudy not taking advantage of Eris is… complex. Sure, he cares about her. That’s obvious. And sure he doesn’t want to take advantage, I agree. But he’s also not stupid enough to not understand that Eris coming to him like that invites… commitment. Do you think he’s ready for this at this point? You saw Eris questioning his hesitation right? That, right therre, was a test, and Rudy failed.
I’m not sure I’m right, and I’m not even sure I properly express what I’m seeing in this episode. I just thought that was one of the best this season so far. The wind-down of an adventure in all its messy glory. (How many episodes to go? Too many and we’re in the set-up of the new arc. In fact, more than one – for closure and hinting at what’s to come might be too much. I’ll check at Livechart as soon as I’m done typing.)
There’s some pretty good character writing in this show I have to say.
It sounds like I gave the impression that I thought there was romance involved. Maybe it’s because I spoke of the concept of Eris’ first time and the role she played in deciding who to give it to. My focus was on her will and her freedom to decide. I was trying to convey the idea that the act of was one desperation or blind hope.
I think your characterization of Eris is spot on, and it’s pretty much what I was trying to convey when I talked about how Eris knew what the situation meant. All of the politics and her role within that framework. She grasped that. As you said, Rudy did not. At all. He’s only now learning that he can depend on others and that there’s a world beyond himself.
I like the point you brought up about Rudy not wanting to take advantage of Eris. The conversation was different from Eris’ perspective. I’m not sure if Rudy was well-known enough to present a suitable political marriage partner. I doubt it, but looking back in light of your comment, I have to wonder if that was part of what she was offering him. But no, Rudy not only not ready. He’s not ready at all. He can’t even understand the question, at least not yet.
I really wish I could write characters like this!
MAL says we have one more episode in this season. I haven’t heard anything about a next season. I certainly hope we get one! I’m nowhere being done with this world!
Lots of intense emotions here. Eris may have matured enough that she is willing to be a concubine if that will make her people’s existence any better. Her night with Rudy is to give her something good to remember in the not-so-good ahead. Or maybe she’s going to refuse the command which would make her an outlaw and she doesn’t want Rudy mixed up in it. (Though it seems she has no hesitation to involve Ghislaine…)
There may be another logical reason to abandon her closest friend and lover and potential father of her kitten but I don’t see it. That she cut her hair is a sign that she has cast off the past to grow into something new. And maybe a disguise?
What does Paul do? He can sit around and feel miserable or he can come up with a goal and try to achieve it on his own. He still has family and friends to find or he can pursue his lady love. I don’t see any conflict in holding both objectives at once but I’m sure some conflict will come up to force the decision.
Orsted was a wake-up call as to remind him of his mortality. He’d never been so close to death. How does he grow from that? This whole build-up seems to be a plot device to strand him on his own. Perhaps having other party members was holding him back from the next step in maturing.
I could see Eris go either direction. But I’m inclined to think Dawnstorm’s right. She’s using a delaying tactic while she sorts things out in her mind.
I think you’re right about not wanting to involve Rudy. It might have as much to do with Rudy’s suitability to political combat as it is her desire to protect him now that there’s a threat against which she’s uniquely qualified to protect him. I mean, just what would Rudy do in a political battle?
I am really curious to see what he decides to do in the next episode. He’s alone again, as you pointed out. Before, circumstance trapped him in a downward spiral. But now, he’s grown, and he has had a taste of what it means to fight and prevail. Given how quickly he buckled when he learned Eris had left, though, I’m really not sure if the transition back to action will be smooth!
Man- this show is REALLY Good! It can start such interesting conversations and make people “feel” things that they’ve never felt before(or so I keep hearing).
I don’t even know what to say about this episode that hasn’t already been said! The stuff with Eris is going to be interesting to see- if we get a “Split perspective” rather than her returning and being told through flashbacks.
I really do wonder where the series goes next. No WAY Rudy’s going to be all on his own- this whole episode made it known to us that THAT’S what he’s afraid of the most!! NO WAY IS HE GOING AFTER ORSTED. Looking for his mom and Sylphie, maybe? Nah- DEFINITELY. But who’s gonna help him?
You know; I saw a Manga adaptation of this series- this part of the story in specific. I was curious where their story would go, and I came across a video showing it off. The manga I saw was a little different- but the end results the same.
I……. This Show, Man!! It’s Unbelievable how much you can talk about it- and we only have 1 SEASON of Anime!!
I think I’d like to see the split perspective, though Rudy really is the POV. But stories can have multiple POVs!
I’m wondering where it goes, too. I think you’re right in that he’s going to look for Zenith and Sylphie. But “with whom? is an open question.
I also agree about the show’s depth and ability to generate conversation. In terms of sheer story craftsmanship and engineering, it’s a master class.