Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 3 – Quick Summary
In Jobless Reincarnation II episode 3, “Abrupt Approach,” Rudy seemed to be getting along well with Counter Arrow. Very, very well, in fact, with Sara. She had reacted warmly to Rudy rescuing her. She even asked him out on a date! It took him a moment to realize, but he tried to psych himself for the experience. Is he ready to move on from Eris? Is it even possible? And if he does, then what?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 3
Sara had no idea what she was getting into. I felt bad for both of them! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Oh, man. Where to start? There were so many great quotes in this episode!
Rudy is going to start equating physical intimacy with emotional agony, isn’t he? Beginning with the end of the previous episode, Sara saw him in a completely different light. I suspect it was more than just gratitude, too. At the beginning of this episode, she seemed to enjoy talking to him, even if he seemed distant at times. Though I doubt she liked him bringing up Roxy.
Seriously, Rudy, what were you thinking?
Rudy has matured considerably since he first tried to jump into bed with Eris. Here, he waited to make sure that he really understood what Sara was after before he tried anything. He was a bit slow on the uptake, but I enjoyed how she kept dropping hints. Like when she said she wanted to buy a new breastplate. Rudy asked why.
“Well,” she said (03:45), “I bought it a while back, so it’s gotten a little tight lately.”
Hearing her so innocently letting him know what she wanted, and in retrospect knowing what was to happen, I feel sad for her. But it was a great character quote.
Favorite Moment from Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 3
Soldat was practically a father figure to Rudy in this episode. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Sara and Rudy’s Collision
This is not the first time this series made me take a mental step back, remind myself that no, I’m not reliving past trauma, and that yes, it’s safe to enjoy as a work of fiction. I’m talking about Rudy running his mouth so long in an attempt to shake off his hurt that Sara heard him. That look of shocked pain on her face will be burned into his mind for all of eternity.
Mine, too.
Do you know the part that really sucks? They’re both complicit. At the same time, their contributions are innocent and based on human reactions to misperceptions and emotional pain. I tell you what, Rifujin na Magonote has taken real life and has woven it into the fabric of this show. I’m loving every minute of it.
A lot of moments competed this week for my favorite. For example: Soldat calmly explaining Sara’s real motivation in saying she only offered to sleep with him out of a sense of obligation. Just as with Eris, Rudy lacked the emotional framework to know that Sara reacted from a feeling of shame because she felt like she didn’t excite Rudy. Given that she’s a tsundere, of course that’s what she would say!
I get why Rudy reacted the way he did, after Sara threw down her knife. Rudy knew his words caused the pain behind this expression. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
But I’m choosing another moment. This one made me sit up in shock, because I did not expect it. Looking at the clues, maybe I should have. But the possibility hid in plain sight, which made it all the more enjoyable to experience.
Sara had just walked out on Rudy. Her parting words stung badly. To recover, he went to a tavern and started drinking. The kid doesn’t have much body weight. I doubt it would take much to get him drunk. When Soldat came in, Rudy was already more than a little inebriated.
Delivery: Who Knew Soldat Was Such a Bro?
Soldat saw him and could not resist messing with him. He said Rudy must have had a crappy day and now wanted someone to comfort him. I did not expect Rudy to up and punch him. No preamble; no warning words. Rudy delivered a left cross to Soldat’s jaw.
Soldat didn’t expect that, either. But that wasn’t my favorite moment. Rudy kept punching on the guy as he vented. He complained that Soldat tried to provoke him at every turn. He said he didn’t want to go around bragging like Soldat did. By the time he was done, Rudy was in tears.
“I don’t want people to hate me! I keep smiling so they won’t! What about that pisses you off?!” he said at one point (09:44).
Rudy was drunk and Soldat provided a convenient target. A pretty durable target, too. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I was amazed that Soldat didn’t fight back. I figured the guy was looking for an excuse to beat up Rudy. But I was wrong – his animosity towards Rudy was exactly what he had explained to Timothy: he thought Rudy acted condescending.
Now, though, he not only took Rudy’s punches. He listened to Rudy’s rant. When Rudy collapsed against him, one of Soldat’s men came up and said (10:35), “Hey, Sol. Cut the kid some slack.”
And – shock of shocks! – Soldat replied (10:39), “S-Sure. Sorry, my bad. I’m sorry, okay?”
In retrospect, all of the foreshadowing was there. Soldat’s character traits were in plain sight. Yet, the moment still shocked me in a very positive way. Not only was this not a cheap surprise; it was a well-crafted, well-executed character moment. This show continues to delivery, and I could not be happier.
What did you think of Elise’s words of wisdom? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to share in the comments!
Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 3: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu Season 2 • Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 – Episode 3 discussion
- DOUBLESAMA: MUSHOKU TENSEI: JOBLESS REINCARNATION SEASON 2 EPISODE 3 REVIEW
- The Otaku Author: Mushoku Tensei II: Jobless Reincarnation (Episode 3) – Abrupt Approach
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 0: Guardian Fitz
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 1: Brokenhearted Mage
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 2: The Forest in the Dead of Night
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 3: Abrupt Approach
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 4: Letter of Invitation
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 5: Ranoa University of Magic
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 6: I Don’t Want to Die
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 7: The Kidnapping and Confinement of Beast Girls
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 8: The Fiancé of Despair
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 9: The White Mask
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 10: These Feelings
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 11: To You
- Jobless Reincarnation II Episode 12: I Want to Tell You
Even though it was technically just an opening montage, Rudy’s date with Sara was so sweet and enjoyable, right up there with first dates from some rom-coms I’ve watched (Tomo-chan’s a Girl, Don’t Toy with Me Nagatoro, and Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie).
But MAN did that crash and burn. And not in a comic or overly melodramatic way, either. As the OP said, this just felt so natural for these two young people, inexperienced in love, ended up hurting one another so easily and so thoroughly.
And while I understand this was just a side arc and Soldat makes for a great big bro figure for Rudy (drinking and prostitution aside, lol), I’m still wistful about what could have been, had Rudy had not been so thoroughly messed up by Eris leaving; had he been content to stay in this town and with Counter Arrow; had Sara and Rudy not moved so fast so soon; had Sara not said those things to Rudy; and had he not said those things about her. I hate how they left things, but c’est la vie, I guess.
I like that insight. Some of the shows or other works of fiction that stay with me the longest got me so invested in the characters that I wondered what might-have-been — in the same way I would with real people.
That’s some great immersion!
Well this was all horrible.
I suppose a certain humor can be found in how Rudy can alter weather and slay monsters like nothing, but he’s as helpless as any man in the face of womankind.
I feel sad for both Rudy and Sara, but I don’t really feel sorry for them. You reap what you sow, and sometimes that is very painful.
What Sara got at the end of the episode was pretty much exactly what she had just done to Rudy. She was the one to make the move on Rudy (like Eris did) and when she was disappointed and frustrated and feeling all sorts of things, she said things she didn’t mean, diminished the importance of it to her, and said something hurtful on her way out. What did Rudy do at the end of the episode, when he was in a similar state? He said things he didn’t mean, diminished the importance of it to him, and said hurtful things. It wasn’t so nice to be on the receiving end.
As for Rudy, he tried to deal with things by turning to alcohol, fighting, a prostitute, and drunkenly saying mean, hurtful things. He cared for Sara enough to fight blizzards and monsters for her, and now he’s hurt her. He reaped what he sowed so quickly that he nearly ended his own life, if Soldat hadn’t been there. (of course, Soldat also enabled him a bit in the drunken carousing which put Rudy in that state to begin with)
I find that I have a sliding scale in my level of sympathy for reapers and sowers. For a CEO who knows exactly what he’s doing to die alone of cancer? Yeah, no sympathy from me. For two kids experiencing sex for the first (or second) time?
Nothing but sympathy.
That situation is dreadful enough with what these poor kids had to go through. Sure, a lot of what happened traces back to their own words. But they both lack the experience to understand that and place it in context.
Though, after this episode, I’m pretty sure both have a bit more awareness on the topic!
I think Rudy’s attempt to impale himself shows that he’s beginning to understand. He knows he hurt Sara; he cares for Sara; and he couldn’t, in that moment, forgive himself. In that case, whatever alcohol remained in his system merely lowered his inhibitions.
Soldat did more than save his life in that instant. He also gave Rudy the chance to rebuild himself within Soldat’s party. Judging by the mention of a small 20 person party killing a dragon, I think he’s back on the track to healing.
This show is so great at capturing the raw, messy shrapnel that results from how we treat each other. Even though I now know what this show is capable of giving us, I’m still amazed at its ability to deliver such powerful, emotional drama within a fantasy setting. Like I said to Oliveunicorn, I’m busily taking notes. This is powerful stuff!
I was so excited for this series to return ; also love the kind of slow awkward build up for this season . This show has always been good with tackling emotional beats
It’s so effective at building up to those emotional beats that I’m busily taking notes! I’d love for my writing to be half as powerful. No — I’d settle for a third!
I’ve been enjoying this far more than I expected. I’m a few episodes behind as the dub for S2 has only just started airing, but so far, it is proving fun!
I was afraid the show’s writing or voice acting might slide — but so far, so good.
This gives me hope for the isekai genre. This and re:ZERO, anyway.
Aye. I’ve been delving unto a few more isekai series recently. After dropping In Another World With My Smartphone after 3 episodes, I was a little deflated. This and So I’m A Spider, So What? restored my faith.
I expected this to end in disaster: there was no way Rudy was in a state for a relationship, and that was what Sara was obviously feeling out towards. And there was no way Rudy would turn her down if he got the hints. I just didn’t know what to expect exactly, and this definitely wasn’t it. But it made so much sense.
The problem with the sex scene is this: Rudy’s reaction to not getting it on left no place for Sara. He wasn’t even seeing her; he was all “Huh? Why doesn’t this work?” And that’s, I think, Rudy’s biggest problem: when faced with problems of his own he has no awareness of others. Or, not quite. Rather he has no space to consider their perspective.
I mean he died jumping in front of a car in an attempt to save others; it’s not that he doesn’t care. It’s just… how shall I put this: it doesn’t take much to realise that a car collision is bad. No “emotional intelligence” for example. It’s an event rather than a feeling you have to parse. Rudy’s absolutely terrible at paying attention to others and seeing things from their perspective – and this makes sense for a Hikkikomori: it’s sort of a chicken-egg situation: you stay at home and don’t learn to deal with others, and dealing with others is unpleasant because you don’t know how.
Rudy compared Sara to Eris, but Eris would have just confronted him in one way or another. What struck me was a comment over on animesuki – something I never noticed myself: The comment said that Sara reminded the commenter a lot of Zenith, not of Eris. And… thinking this through it’s totally true, isn’t it? I mean, imagine Sara growing up and stabilising a bit… This comment blew my mind.
Yeah, this show still knows what it’s doing (though the art and animation have been downgraded, I’d say).
I think your description of the attempted sex scene was spot on. They were both true to their characters; they were doomed from the start.
You’re right about empathy — Rudy hasn’t developed it. Did you notice, though, when Elise tried to help him out and couldn’t, he told her it wasn’t his fault? Some part of his brain had processed his role in Sara walking out so abruptly. That hinted to me that he might be developing some of that “emotional intelligence” you mentioned.
Yeah, Eris would have left no room for ambiguity. That’s one of the things I loved about Eris. There was no passive in her aggression!
And now you’ve passed the blown mind along — Sara as a younger Zenith adds a depth of complexity that I hadn’t seen — but really like that that I consider it.
The art has stumbled a little. For me, at least, the story and characters continues to make up for it. By a long shot!
It was a great episode but also one of the hardest to watch since Rudy and Paul got into their fight.
I loved that Soldat stepped up and while he probably was itching to put Rudy in his place, even he doesn’t strike me as someone that would hit someone that much smaller than he is.
Also, Elise was remarkably astute with her assessment of the situation. This episode was like a sucker punch after things were turning around at the end of the last episode.
You know, you’re right — in terms of uncomfortable authenticity, this episode was right up there with Paul’s fight.
Soldat impressed the hell out of me. All the hints were there, but I expected him to punch Rudy at any time. But nope — he was man enough to step up.
I hope we see more of Elise. Sure, she presented as the “prostitute with the heart of gold” trope, but I had hopes she could be more.
But yeah, you’re absolutely right about it being a gut punch.
This show got real adult real fast. I have never seen anime tackle the issue of impotence. I’d expected them to have sex but for it to go wrong because Rudy’s perv side came out in the wrong way at the wrong time. His character has really developed a LOT.
Peter Grill season two tackled impotence. Not nearly as well, but it wasn’t bad. Rudeus is going through the wringer right now.
That character development is one of the things I love about this show.
And approaching ED with maturity and balance? Man, that’s just cool.