Mushoku Tensei Episode 17: A Perfect Episode

Hello and welcome to my first blog! Let’s not waste any time and talk about one of my favorite episodes of anime and the one that spurred me to start this: Mushoku Tensei season 2 episode 17.

Mushoku Tensei is well known for its great storytelling, worldbuilding, and character development. From watching a hopeless neet tossed into a new life and doing what he can to improve himself and his life, traveling the colorful world after the mass teleportation event, and now, exploring relationships.

Season 2 focuses on Rudeus’s personal development as he adapts to life in school and focuses on finding a cure for his impotence. With help from Sylphy, who is an absolute sweetheart, Rudeus finds his cure and we continue forward with Rudeus adapting to the newlywed life and helping friends along the way.

This buildup to episode 17 begins at the end of Episode 15 with the reintroduction of Rudeus’s little sisters Aisha and Norn, and the goat himself, Ruijerd. Heading into episode 16, the focus is on the relationship between Redeus and his little sisters and how they will continue forward.

Immediately, we are reminded of Norn’s feelings for Rudeus, which are understandable. Her first interaction with Rudeus was him beating her father whom she is very close to and protected her after they were put through the mass teleportation. Her fear and hatred are justified and even though Ruijerd and Paul have vouched for Rudeus, she cannot bring herself to trust him.

Episode 17. After Rudeus allows Norn to live on campus at her request, news that she has been locking herself away in her room reaches him.

The correlation between Rudeus’s former self and Norn is immediately drawn. Rudeus understands what can lead one to locking themselves away, and the negative effects on their life overall.

Of course, his own trauma leads him to believe the worst as he accuses Norn’s classmates of bullying and her teacher of stripping her naked.

Rudeus, as someone who failed to help himself in his former life, allows his own trauma to steer his decision making and believes violent retaliation against what has caused Norn to lock herself away is the only answer.

As such, realizing that he is the reason for Norn locking herself away stumps him. The stifling pressure of being compared to her older brother who is considered a genius in school, the traumatic events Norn has had to endure, and being away from one of the few people she can trust all culminate and overwhelm Norn who locks herself away as a result.

The second half of Episode 17 is a writing masterclass. Rudeus learns that he is the reason behind Norn locking herself away in her room, and we are tossed into a juxtaposition of current Norn, and Rudeus’s former life.

Now that Rudeus understands what has caused Norn to lock herself away, he is unsure of how to help her. In his past life, he remained stuck as a neet afraid to leave his room after all that he faced. He fears this for Norn but has no answers for it.

Even so, Rudeus wants to help, just as his older brother did in the past. He remembers his brother’s honest effort to help, one that he learns to appreciate but that he didn’t have the strength to accept in his past life.

Despite having no clue what to do, Rudeus makes his way to Norn’s room. Here, we are greeted with one of the two best scenes of the episode.

As he reaches for Norn’s bedroom, he hears his old voice, angry and rejecting help. Here, Rudeus could have accepted that he had no solution, that attempting to help as his brother once did would only fail, but Rudeus opens the door. Inside, we see his old self for a moment, the last hurdle that Rudeus must move past, the uncertainty he must overcome, and he does.

Rudeus understands how important this visit is as he remembers his brother eventually stopped trying, leaving Rudues to fall deeper into his own pit and never recover. Should he fail during this visit, the same will happen to Norn.

Transition over to Norn’s point of view as Rudeus kneels by her bed. Her reasons for hating Rudeus, though misunderstandings, are fair.

Her resentment for him overwhelmed any attempt by others to convince her to think of him differently. He beat Paul, and Norn finds Rudeus too carefree as Paul searches frantically for Zenith. She cannot trust him, she cannot accept him as family, and now, she fears him.

As those feelings culminate, she is tossed into school and immediately compared to her genius brother. The pressure of being compared to her older brother constantly, alongside seeing how he is admired and respected, only builds an unsustainable weight that starts to have a physical effect on her.

Norn must deal with this after being forced away from her father. Combined with having to adjust to her new life as she is unsure of how to feel for her older brother who everyone praises or vouches for, the pressure and confusion lead to her locking herself away.  

Norn begins to question her own emotions for Rudeus. She questions if her own emotions are justified or correct. She wonders what Rudeus wants from her. How did Rudeus and Paul make up? However many questions riddle her mind, she has no answers for any of them, and believes she has no one to turn to for help in her new home.

Both siblings have no clue about what to do. Even if Norn is encouraged to make up with Rudeus, a combination of her youth, confusion, and the pressure of all she must face make it difficult to do so. Rudeus, despite understanding the dangers of what Norn is facing, is lost as he didn’t have the strength to accept help or find it himself in his former life.

There is no correct answer. But Rudeus makes the best choice, one that will allow Norn to trust him.

Even if he is the cause of the problem, even if he has no solution for her, he wants to be there. Showing that he cares, showing that he is not perfect, and showing vulnerability, allows Norn to look at Rudeus.

And because Rudeus allows himself to be vulnerable and weak in front of her little sister, she can see someone she cares about. She sees in him a vulnerable Paul. The man she cares for the most and loves without limit is also one who has shown her his own weakness and care. And Rudeus, though unknowingly, does just the same.

Seeing Paul in Rudeus, Norn can accept his help. Even if all he can offer is someone she can rely on, that is enough for her to trust him.

Norn, as young as she is, as much as she has gone through, finds the strength to accept his help. They share a moment in which Norn allows herself to cry and use Rudeus as someone she can cry to, but that is all Rudeus needs to do. To be there for her and be someone she can also rely on when she needs it.

Absolutely wonderful. No words are exchanged, both accept each other as vulnerable they may be.

From here, Norn leaves her room and returns to class. She has a strength Rudeus never had in his past life, and he is happy for her.

Rudeus accepts and appreciates his older brother’s efforts, hoping to one day relay his appreciation.

Seeing Rudeus and Sylphy share a moment near the end is wonderful and Norn smiling alongside some friends is a great conclusion to what I believe is one of the best episodes of Mushoku Tensei and a masterclass of writing.

If we’re to get more of this, then I’m more than happy for the ride and look forward to the next episode.

Oh. Oh no.