I really enjoyed how this episode showed how Rudues was dealing with the traumatic memories of his past life (intense bullying from classmates), and it really emphasized his desire to change as a person with this second chance. It's clear he's already doing way better than in his past life now that he has a family who cares about him and people supporting him in his desires.
This episode really captured how the feeling that everyone hates you and is judging you, even though that's far from the truth. Seeing Rudeus cope with this and overcome it added to how likeable and realistic he is as a character, as someone with relatable struggles throughout his life.
Moreoever, I really liked seeing Rudeus' progression in magic mastery as he got a grasp on this world's magic system. It felt (although quick) very natural to see his development over a year, and I can't wait to see how Rudeus will hold up in combat. Hopefully he'll be going to that magic university in the future and will hone his skills even more.
Roxy, although her time was short in this arc, was a nice addition to the story. I liked seeing her and Rudeus become closer, and seeing how much she's settled into the family and the village in such a short time. Hopefully we'll see more of her when she further develops her skills, and hopefully we'll learn more about her demon family later on in the series.
Regarding demons, the way Roxy (and the general populace presumably) talks about the Sergs (subsect of demon race who reportedly acted beast-like during the Laplace war) feels like they have a propagandist hatred and fear towards them. I doubt there would be a race that's just holistically evil and inhumane, and hopefully as the series continues the show will expand more on how they actually live and behave.
And, as usual, the animation was so beautiful this episode, particularly during Rudues' final examination from Roxy, where the camera panned around the scenery as he was executing his spell.
Shout by PatrickBlockedParentSpoilers2022-02-27T08:02:45Z
Another solid episode of mushoku tensei, looks like rudues got another book and even a wand for his 5th b-day. Also, I enjoyed seeing Rudues tackle his emotional trauma from back in his past, when he was publicly humiliated to an almost comiclly evil level by his highschool peers, to the point where all he could now assoicate with the outside and human interaction were those traumatic memories. Luvkiliy, although accidentally, Roxy was able to show Rudues how there's nothing to fear from the outside, he'll be fine with her, essentially he has a new life and doesnt need to be clinging onto past trauma. Also looks liek Roxy is leaving now after 2 yrs of training Rudy, and Rudy's now a sacred water sage. I hope Rudy eventually goes to this magiic academy where he can properly hone his talents.