Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - Eris the Goblin Slayer

Mushoku Tensei's special episode, "Eris the Goblin Slayer" continues the series' strong trend in delivery with its content from the writing to the animation as usual. There's more focus on Eris and what she's up to in Millishion during the events of Episode 16 in her own adventure, and the show does a good job in showing how much she has grown in her journey with Rudeus and Ruijerd from not only a combat standpoint but a maturity standpoint too. Sure she has her bursts that make her feel like the old Eris but she also gives a lot of thought into whatever decision she hasto make, and tries to do good deeds on her own too to continue with helping out the Superds in the process while just enjoying her own adventure in the process. She's attached to Rudeus but she also wants time to herself to see how far she has progressed and this OVA showed that off well. Even had a great character introduction in Cliff, and the episode sets up well for future seasons to deliver upon whether it is with Cliff as a character or the politics teased in the episode with what's happening underneath the heavenly looking country. Action was stellar as usual, the staff just knows how to make action feel quick yet impactful and brutal without wasting any time on meandering dialogue. Again, shows how much Eris has grown as a fighter too given her amount of training with strong people like Ghislaine and Ruijerd over many years. This was a super fun episode that actually has some plot relevance for a special episode and not just being a fanservice, waste of time kind of episode. Delivers a lot for Eris' character, and some really good build for future seasons to come, especially with Cliff's character. I loved the opening montage that visualized his life in the past with unique direction choices too for this series rather than having a massive exposition dump of Cliff's life beforehand. Lots to love here, the staff and director definitely put a lot of effort into bringing the most out of this one chapter from both an animation and storytelling perspective. This kind of episode fits being separated from the main anime due to feeling too different from what Rudeus was doing at the time which the anime was focusing on, but was still great on its own. For some people like me, even refreshing given how the series can explore its quality side characters even more in a free way with this kind of episode. I'm just excited for season 2 to come now, this series really does showcase tons of potential to being an all-time classic and this episode is just a part of that journey while still more than delivering enough to be a damn great episode.

Mushoku Tensei was and still holds a special place in my heart because of its importance which shows me what a brilliant fantasy is. While I have found that some can argue that its lore is somewhat simple and dull when you’ve watched it, what certainly had me kept going where the characters and having my favourite female character returning to the big picture excites me. Therefore, let’s get right into the review. Story: 7/10 The episode here doesn’t quite entail the story from its original path, but it was able to introduce a few pivotal pieces into the main story. A few characters have joined thepicture, our girl goes goblin slaying and does it with style. Of course, after watching it, I can see why this episode would hurt the tone where the family conflict was happening, which I find odd, but alas I did not mind. Art: 10/10 Again, they have done it. I love that the studio still manages to deliver it with passion. As I was sitting close to the screen, I was enthralled by the beauty of their choreography, the setting of the main action, the goblins all look so hostile that I find it to be quite entertaining. Characters: 8/10 To be frank, having a few characters introduced into the main spectacle was a bit unwanted for me and to top it off, one of them was a bit insufferable. But looking on the bright side, it does hint where they may return once again, supporting our main cast of characters. Eris throughout the whole episode was quite amazing and enticing to watch. Though, our main man was barely seen, only by the end. Still, I love it with all my heart. Enjoyment: 10/10 I love Mushoku Tensei dearly. If someone asked me what my favourite anime is, it would be this show. Everything in this special was more than enough to reignite my spirit to live after it ended. The ending song was something I mostly did not expect, I thought they would go a bit further into their special but nonetheless was perfect. Albeit the episode does seem a bit unnecessary for the watchers and perceived as an optional watch for the bored, it has been quite nice to have this show return after they have openly announced a new season. With that all said, I will be looking forward to the future and getting more of Mushoku Tensei, hopefully, it comes sooner, though I would suggest the staff would take their time to adapt it with care.

Mushoku Tensei for the most part stands on well paced storytelling matched by great animation and characters to boot. This special is simply a side story giving context to the actions of Eris in the background of an episode, primarily to introduce a few characters. On its own it is a pretty solid idea and shortly places said characters in the anime’s universe prior to their relevancy. The only problem with this is that it seems that these characters basically do nothing other than being named and the only one with ample screen time comes off as irritating. The special, although not horrible or unenjoyable isnoticeably lesser in quality in comparison to the main anime. Usually characters aren’t so abruptly shown or forced on screen but it feels that way in this. The plots is a background to events from another perspective so it’s pretty bland and the addition of characters to the universe doesn’t feel natural. In addition, the animation is also a significant downgrade as it contains far more stills and generally looks quite choppy in contrast to the usual beautiful animation. For Mushoku Tensei the special is sub-par but overall it’s alright and mildly entertaining so if you enjoy the show give it a watch but don’t expect it to be nearly the same level of quality one would expect.