Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III

Episode 7

When it comes down to it, this entire half-cour so far has been about one thing in a meta-sense: tying up loose ends. What ever happened to Eris? How do Roxy and Sylphie deal with being married to the same man? How does Rudeus act as a father? Will Cliff and Elinalise finally get married? What ever happened to Sara? What's going on with Ariel and her precarious political position?

In a sense, this episode is more of the same. We start with Pursena and Lina's graduation—and learn about the deal they made. With no man able to beat either of them (and thus prove themselves a worthy husband for the chief of their respective tribes), they've decided that one will become a tribe leader while the other gets the one thing neither ever expected: freedom.

While it seems like the two give their all in the brawl, it's hard not to wonder if Lina lost because of a subconscious want not to be her tribe's chief. After all, she's not really broken up about losing—and clearly has some sort of plan about what she wants to do out in the world. And it's nice to see that, once she no longer needs to be the prideful next chief of her tribe, nearly the first thing she does is apologize to Zanoba for her actions years before—even if he'd already long since forgiven her.

In another, “tying up loose ends” plot point, we touch base with Norn and see how she is continuing to grow into her own—and has done so without Rudeus even noticing. But what's most important, for both this episode and the story moving forward, is checking in with Nanahoshi.

With Nanahoshi succeeding in summoning an oddly seedless watermelon from Earth, she is one step closer to getting home. The next step is to build the targeting system—and to do that, she needs to consult an expert. Said expert happens to be Perugius Dola, a heroic figure of myth and legend—and Rudeus is invited to come along. While an invitation to meet Perugius would no doubt be appealing in general, what gets Rudeus off his butt is the same thing that sent him on his last dangerous adventure: Zenith.

This season of Mushoku Tensei has done a great job of defining Rudeus's priority in life: his family—be that his birth family or the one he's making with Roxy and Sylphie. He wants nothing more than to laze about and spend time with them. However, when it comes to keeping them happy, he wants to go the extra mile—especially with his mother, who has not only lost her husband but also her ability to interact with the world as she used to.

Even though Zenith's condition seems to be improving all on its own, she is far from the woman we got in the first season. Consulting someone not only strong in magic but also with more than 500 years of life experience would be invaluable. Even if Peruguis can't cure Zenith, he might be able to point Rudeus in the right direction. So, of course, Rudeus and his gaggle of friends and loved ones are on the move once again.

...and I am sure nothing crazy or exciting will happen along the way

Rating: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.