English Dub Review: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation: “Separate Journeys”

Overview: Roxy (Michelle Rojas) visits her old friend, Nokoparu (Justin Cook) who helps convince her to see her parents after many years of being apart. 

Our Take: Coming off of Rudeus’ touching reunion with his father, he and the rest of Dead End begin to make their way across the Central Continent. While they are not the focus of this episode, the brief moments they have together show how Rudeus has mended his relationship with father with his morale being on the up and up and how Ruijerd is beginning to slowly but surely make a better reputation for himself with Rudy’s help of course, but, most importantly, by how honorable of a person he is. 

The majority of this episode is a Roxy-focused affair with her catching up with an old party member in Rikarisu in that of Nokoparu, the horseman who tried to con Rudeus and the gang when they were originally in the desert city. You could argue in a huge world such as that, it is a little too convenient that they happened to know each other, let alone are old teammates. However, Roxy’s bond as old friends with Nokoparu serves multiple purposes that push the narrative forward. One purpose being Roxy growing closer to figuring out the truth behind Dead End not to mention highlighting an unbeknownst missed connection before and their friendship that shows how each of them has changed. For Nokaparu, it’s reflected in him being a more loving family man and his comments about Roxy’s development showing the stark contrast from her more childish state. Their conversation even manages to do one better by topping it off with how she has come to loathe the respect and fame she has gained in the present, illustrating she too shares her own fair share of baggage. Nokaparu acts as a great catalyst for more of that said baggage when she returns to her village after being away for so many years.

The Migurd tribe shares a unique ability to communicate telepathically between members of the bloodline. However, this episode shines a light on just how important that mental interaction with one another is in their culture with their  alienation of Roxy. Her dredged up past experiences that she relives, as she traverses the village, shows the isolation she felt from other children her age and even adults, painting an understandably heart-wrenching picture of why her presence in the village is a constant struggle for her, one that she wishes to be free from in desperately wanting to leave. 

Roxy’s reunion with her parents is one with deeply uncomfortable energy, with her at her breaking point and wanting to distance herself by just seeing them for a few moments in her feeling that she is not wanted there by anyone including her parents. What acts as the emotionally touching climax is a stuffed animal from her childhood, symbolizing the heartfelt times they shared, making her realize the opposite of what she had always been led to believe and there being more to their familial connection than just how they communicate. There is also some beautiful facial animation work at play with the unraveling of Roxy’s heart as she gradually breaks down in tears that is cherry on top that makes her reunion absolute perfection. 

Finally realizing Rudeus’ connection to Dead End through details from her parents and being hilariously caught off guard by him befriending a Superd, Roxy, Elinalise and Talhand set off on their own path differing from that of the young mage and his crew. However, it is one that has both of them looking for Alisha, Lilia, Aisha that will possibly set them on a collision course back to one another as they continue upon their engaging separate journeys.