When it came to Mushoku Tensei fans were excitedly anticipating this episode since it was going to be the culmination of Rudeus’s struggles, but not in the way they expected. Despite the fact that Sauros’s death a few episodes earlier should have served as a warning sign that not all was right at home, the bad news arrives in the form of Rudeus’s deadbeat father. The idea of a family reunion in an adventure novel makes sense, but not so early in the storey, and certainly not in such a terrible way.
What makes this episode so compelling is a confrontation between two deeply damaged individuals who are both trying to figure out how they should behave with the other. Because they haven’t spoken in years, Paul and Rudeus are completely different people. Although only about 18 months have gone since Paul’s last appearance immediately before the relocation, he appears to have aged by about 15 years.
Rudeus, on the other hand, is a young prodigy with the advantage of reincarnation, so while he may appear to be flourishing on the surface, he is actually hampered by decades of bad habits. The situation is too unusual for the two to have a typical father-son connection, but that only makes dealing with the consequences that much more difficult.
The inclusion of Rudeus’s younger sister, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a newborn infant, only serves to heighten the situation’s horrible irony.
What’s the point of spending time with relatives if you’re going to treat them like strangers? Strangely, although having lived long enough to be considered adults, neither the father nor the son in this circumstance know how to be grownups. There seems to be an expectation that youngsters grow up quickly in Mushoku Tensei, but it doesn’t mean that growing up is an easy thing to achieve.
Even with all the extra years he had in his former planet, none of Rudeus’s experiences had prepared him for a circumstance like this one, where no one is entirely right or wrong. Though Paul’s berating and punching of his adolescent son was wrong, the nugget of truth in Paul’s rage is all the more believable because of Paul’s human and untidy expression: Rudeus did not take into account the destinies of anyone outside his immediate view.
The drama’s effectiveness may be enhanced by the episode’s disarming setup. The episode begins with a montage of beautiful scenery pictures of the exotic new location, similar to the premiere episode of this season. A kidnapping appears to be in progress, and Rudeus resolves to pose as an ally of justice to help stop it. Because of the plotline with the kidnapped beast children, the underlying assumption was that everything would be alright in the end.
Even Rudeus is distracted by (quite well-animated) boob jiggles during the wacky interlude where Rudeus dons pantyhose. At first, Mushoku Tensei appeared to be conducting business as normal.