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Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 11 Review – Quick Summary
In Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 11, “Children and Warriors,” Rudeus, Eris, and Ruijerd Superdia took the job of investigating a dangerous beast in the petrified forest. Rudy still felt confident in his plan to earn money and rehabilitate the reputation of the Superd. In the forest, they learned two other teams had accepted the same job. One of those teams was the three youngsters who Eris had beat up.
Rudy wanted to ignore them, but Ruijerd insisted that since they were children, he wanted to shadow and protect them. Rudy agreed, seeing an opportunity: If that team got into trouble and Dead End rescued them, it could advanced Rudy’s plan. Sure enough, the team ran into some monsters, and Rudy saw his plan coming together. Until things went horribly, horribly wrong. Will Rudy’s fledgling confidence survive what happened next? And that’s not even considering what’s awaiting him back in town…
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 11
I’m really curious now what kind of monster would make Ruijerd nervous!
Do you remember seeing the first episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion? Remember how all hell broke loose when we saw an Angel for the first time? Everything, from how the city tried to protect itself to the character’s voices, told us very, very clearly: These monsters were bad news.
We had a similar situation in this episode of Jobless Reincarnation — in reverse. Rudy, Eris, and Ruijerd heard the sounds of a tremendous battle. When they arrived, they saw one of the most effective scenes of carnage I’ve seen in years. Of the experienced adventurers who had gone into the forest, only one remained alive. Unfortunately for that survivor, only his head and torso stuck out of the monster’s mouth. That monster, dozens of meters high, swung madly around the clearing.
I expected even our stout-hearted Ruijerd to be cowed. I was silly.
He might as well have been discussing an unexpected shrubbery when he said (10:27), “A redhood cobra. I never expected to find one in this forest.”
Given his tone and the context, that was a statement of supreme, almost unconscious badassery.
Best in Show Moment for Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 11
I wonder if Eris realized what Rudy was about to do — all to protect her? Capture from the Funimation stream.
Setup: Rudy’s World Came Crashing Down
I’ll tell you what. The right scene where Rudy, Ruijerd, and Eris took out the redhood cobra? That’s my new high mark in anime battles. Yes, Kirito’s battle against Subtilizer was spectacular; I’m not taking anything away from it. However, their attacks were full of pyrotechnics. When I said spectacular, I meant that literally — the battle was a spectacle. In this episode, our heroes used much less spectacular moves, but that means those moves were more accessible. I could understand what I was seeing. And was I was seeing blew me away. Ruijerd stopping the redhood cobra in its tracks with one hand; Eris’ incredible speed when she cut the thing in half; Rudy’s magical strike that blew a hole through its hood. Their accessibility made me appreciate them even more.
Good thing I can enjoy both kinds of fights! Otherwise, I’d feel conflicted right now.
I think we may now use the word “magnificent” and “Eris” in the same sentence. Capture from the Funimation stream.
This first season’s job was to first setup Rudy’s flawed, broken character. Then, its job was to show him begin to claw his way back to self-respectability and even peer/family respectability. Finally, in this episode, its job was to shoot him in the heart and see how he’d react. Like Billy Wilder said, you put the character in a tree, you set the tree on fire, and you get the character down from the tree.
Rudy’s recent experiences teaching Eris and Ghislaine built his confidence. Even the previous episode’s experience with Ruijerd had Rudy believing he had a handle on things. Unfortunately, just like in real life, the instant you think you’re in control, the universe takes rare notice and says, “Yeah, not so much.”
Delivery: And He Was Ready to Come Out Swinging
Too Much at Once
Against Ruijerd and Eris’ urging, Rudy held them back from helping the rookie team. Rudy’s goal was to put them in more danger so the rescue would generate more press. He even told himself he could heal anyone who got injured. Before he’d even finished the thought, the monster brutally killed one of the adventurers. The adventurer’s impact against the tree left a scatter pattern of blood.
That world’s “real life” wasn’t done with Rudy. After they took out the redhood cobra with great skill and teamwork, they made their way back to down. The horse-headed adventurer Nokopara (I laugh when I see some bloggers refer to him in a joking way as Bojack) had caught Vizquel and Jalil swapping their higher level quest with Rudy and friends. Nokopara said he’d be willing to overlook this and not report them to the Guild — if Rudy gave him 50% of all of their earnings from that point forward.
Rudy was in the burning tree. How would he choose to get down? Capture from the Funimation stream.
From Rudy’s perspective, that was the last straw. Remember: Three quarters of his life had been on Earth where he had been brutalized so badly he couldn’t leave the house or even open the windows. He’d learned that hiding was his only option, and his self esteem had to have been so close to zero as to be negligible. For the last 10 years, he’d had a much different experience that enabled him to almost reach the point where he felt enough confidence to look out for others. Now, the way it looked to him, all his plans lay in ruin.
Resolve from Despair
Rudy snapped. Before, he’d let bullies drive him from his home, ultimately to his death. Now, he fell back on a much different position. There was one thing he would not retreat from, one person he would not abandon. One, and only one. And that one wasn’t Rudy.
Eris saw his despair and called out to him. Smiling, he took her hand and told her not to worry. In his mind, though, he drew the line: “I have to bring this girl — Eris — back to her home,” he thought (14:28). “To make that happen, I’d wipe this whole city off the map. Even if it would mean betraying Ruijerd!”
As he thought, the jewel in his staff began to shine through the material he’d wrapped around it. High above, the eye of a cyclone began to form, and my mind flashed back to episode 2. Rudy wasn’t only willing to destroy the city. He had already demonstrated the ability to destroy the city in a way that left Roxy breathless. For an instant, I wondered if the show would actually do it. Would Rudy actually destroy the city to protect Eris?
Would he burn down the forest to get out of the burning tree? Put another way: Would the circumstances of his life push Rudy to become a mass murderer?
Look at Rudy’s expression. I think he was ready to pull the trigger. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Ruijerd perceived Rudy’s intent and, just as importantly, his resolve. He removed the need for Rudy to choose by washing the blue powder out of his hair. That was interesting; so was what came next. To me, though, the utter possibility expressed in that moment of Rudy’s decision is the kind of moment I watch anime to find. Rudy’s come a long way from who he was in episode 1. His character has developed in a way that I found fantastically realistic. The old Rudy is still there. He is still who he was, just grown. And he’s very, very dangerous now.
Now I’m more excited than ever to see where this story takes him!
What did you think of Ruijerd’s apology to Alex? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 11: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu – Episode 11 discussion
- RABUJOI: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation – 11 – Sharing the Load
- PinoyChan: YOU MESSED UP!! | Mushoku Tensei Episode 11 Reaction
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 1: Jobless Reincarnation
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 2: Master
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 3: A Friend
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 4: Emergency Family Meeting
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 5: A Young Lady and Violence
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 6: A Day Off in Roa
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 7: What Lies Beyond Effort
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 8: Turning Point 1
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 9: A Chance Encounter
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 10: The Value of a Life and the First Job
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Episode 11: Children and Warriors
i haven’t watched this show but it sounds dark and that is the type of show i like, thanks for introducing it to me!
I hope you enjoy it!
When Ruijerd washed the color out of his hair, revealed himself terrified everyone, effectively cowed the horse guy… and the two kids he’d just saved were scared of him. That moment where Eris looked at them and you could tell in a completely silent exchange that the boy’s hopes with Eris were completely nuked. And she’s not being hypocritical about this at all. Yes, when she woke up and first met Ruijerd, she panicked in fear, but that was a reflexive thing she’d been taught. She knew nothing about Ruijerd, didn’t even realize he’d helped her and Rudy already. When she calmed down and realized, she dealt with her fear, even if she was still trembling a bit at first. But those boys? They’d met him, talked with him, had their lives saved by him, and still they feared him the instant he washed his hair? As if he weren’t someone they already knew? Yeah, that totally earned Eris’ disdain, and it was a crushing blow to the boy.
I also liked how they showed that this was not some isolated magical crisis that only happened to them. Ghislaine went somewhere, and apparently so did a number of others, including Rudy’s new mother, the maid, and one of his sisters. And it’s interesting to see how, in a fantasy setting, they’d try to scour the world and find everyone again as quickly as possible, and try to keep in touch through mutual contacts. I rather like Paul’s humility when it comes to helping his family. He doesn’t pretend he can offer big rewards, he just swallows his pride and begs anyone he can reach out to.
That’s a great point about Eris. I was so geeking about that Rudy almost destroyed a city I missed that little detail.
Those opening scenes, when Paul basically begged for help, hit me right in the Dad Feels. I could see myself making those same pleas if I was in his position. And you’re right — he just swallowed his pride.
This episode gave me a lot of hope for the next season. No release date yet, as fas as I know.
Oh, and in the ending scenes, when Ruijerd pulls Rudy away from watching Eris bathe, I was like, “FINALLY! An adult that *isn’t* somehow perfectly ok with a child acting like that and will rein him in!”
That was a great little moment. I loved the “Dang it, Rudy!” expression on Ruijerd’s face!
The universe wants Rudy to become a better person but it just does not want Rudy to get cocky.
In my experience, those two things go hand in hand! But wow was the lesson expensive!
I sort of hope we see that little oni adventurer again; he’s got potential to be a great character. I’ll watch next season if there is one.
I’d like to see more of Alex, too. It was telling how he broke down after he realized what he’d done. Great little character moment!
I’ve complained a lot about how convenient the writing is in Mushoku Tensei, so I’m glad that Rudeus’s plans went horribly wrong, and he got dealt a huge blow to his ego when reality set in with his plan causing somebody to die and leading to Nokopara blackmailing Dead End for illegally trading jobs. This episode was definitely refreshing considering how often the circumstances Rudeus finds himself in are so very convenient for him. This kind of material is more like what I want to see, and it was a nice way to end this first cour with this episode.
“This kind of material is more like what I want to see, and it was a nice way to end this first cour with this episode.”
The series really felt like it’s starting to hit stride with episodes like this. The action sequences felt and looked great.
Ruijerd impressed me by thinking to shave his hair!
I have high hopes for the next season.
I can’t wait for season to some time this summer. This season was really good- and I like how it started to tone down on the “echi” stuff.
Rudy’s character development from his old life to now- they might as well be entirely different people! Although his old self slipped in that one time.
I wonder what will become of Ruijerd in the future?
Watching Rudy shed the effects of the damage he endured felt great. You’re right — he’s so different now!
“I wonder what will become of Ruijerd in the future?”
That’s a good question. Remember how Alex reacted when he learned that Ruijerd was a Superd? Even though Ruijerd had just saved his life, Alex felt terrified.
Though he did repent of it later…
They really have an uphill battle to help Ruijerd!