English Dub Review: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation: “Family Squabble”

Overview: Rudeus (Madeleine Morris, Ben Phillips) reunites with his father, Paul (Jared Smith), after being separated for quite some time. 

Our Take: Dead End arrives in the city of Millicion and with that shows off another visually stunning city but this time in a human city. With water being prominent in various capacities throughout with waterways, fountains and water wheels and different shades of blue on houses accenting it as a visual motif, Millicion is a distinctly tranquil and yet another unique new vista for the world. While Ruijerd and Eris take a day off, Rudeus hunts down a kidnapper which is used as a means to fast track to an emotional character reunion with his father, Paul, that acts as the meat of this episode. 

Learning of all that has transpired in Buena village and the huge scale of it all while he was gone, Rudy’s father is shown to be a grief stricken pale resemblance of who he once was. This helps lead to some intense character drama that is both poignant and weighty when Paul confronts what he believes to be Rudeus lackadaisical complacency in regards to his mother and siblings’ disappearance. While in truth Rudeus was ignorant of these events and also preoccupied helping Eris and Ruijerd, it nonetheless acts as a harrowing internal moment for him. With the looks from his father and others of the rescue squad, it dredges up similar memories of post traumatic stress in Rudeus’ past life and how he handled his past deaths of relatives. The effects are truly set into Rudeus’ mind when his sister has not only forgotten him but is heartbroken and disgusted by the beating he gives Paul, setting up Rudy at one of his lowest points, even with everything that’s happened to him. With a little guidance from Ruijerd, Eris’ thoughtful moment with a heartbroken and guilty Rudeus, acts as a sweet bookend for the group, in how her raw anger towards Paul transitions to shy, intimate comfort for Rudy in his time of need.