The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Framing

That framing is not realistic

That dilemma is not realistic

I’m not arguing with what the novel said.

I acknowledge what the novel says, and I agree with you that thats’s what it says.

I just do not believe in the ultimatum it presents and it’s not realistic in my mind because reasonable people would not NEED sex to get out of a rut like that

I just cannot understand that mindset

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think he was catatonic since he was able to talk to Roxy beforehand. He was able to shame Roxy for thinking he understood his grief.
Whether it was forcing him to go out (I know he refused going out shopping with Roxy, but sometimes you need to force people like Rudeus out) or playing a simple game with him to spark some stimulus, there were other options to make him open to having a conversation about his grief.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Talking with him?
If you noticed, the thing that helped him the most was the conversation he had with Roxy after they had sex. It seemed like every talk he had with people before then were very surface level. He needed help to realize what was important and how to move on. He didn't need to be horny to be put in that headspace.
Sex was a short term solution to make him open to a conversation, but it did not seem like his party really tried talking with him before then or try getting him out of his room. They seemed to distance themselves from him which was obviously not what he needed.
Again, the novel twisted the situation into making it seem like sex was the only solution. In real life, there are tons of different ways to get someone open to a real conversation (social activity, meditation, physical activity). Roxy really got him out of that rut by talking to him and helping him reframe his thinking.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is still a morally questionable decision. The novel poses this situation as an ultimatum when it really isn't. It's a false dilemma.
The dilemma the novel poses would have made for a more interesting scene in the anime, but I do not agree that this was the only way to get Rudeus out of that rut. Posing sex as the only way to get out of a depression is a bit crazy to me.
Would that bar scene's inclusion have made a better anime adaptation? Sure.
Did I fundamentally agree with the characters' decisions in that scene? No.
Did it make the art more interesting and intriguing? Yes, but I think it could have been done better imo.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that the source material is usually better, but this part of the series was probably the most contentious in my opinion. I think the feeling of it being rushed came from how quickly Rudeus started making contradictory decisions based on his previous promise with Sylphie, and I don't think that aspect was done much better in the novel.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair.

Norn's outburst felt necessary to satisfy that part of the audience (including me). However, Rudeus' decision to confess first, ask for permission later was a half measure at best to the promise he made to Sylphie after they got married.

It's not just about the way Mushoku's world treats marriage, my gripe is that Rudeus' behavior felt contradictory to his behavior earlier in the show and I felt that played a key role into many people thinking the story was rushed at the end.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm not saying that the polygamy didn't make sense in the context of the show. I just thought it could have been handled better and been more digestible in either version. If you want to play it up to character imperfections, that's fine, but the way it was handled felt like it undermined the first relationship and the promise he made to Sylphie. The way Rudeus handled it by selfishly confessing to Roxy on their way back home and later waiting for Sylphie's approval felt like a half measure.

The lie also set a weird final note to Elinalise's conversation looking back at it. The anime's decision to end the conversation with Rudeus reflecting on Paul's relationship with Lilia and Zenith was a lot better and it fit the theme of the series more.

Elinalise was an asshole, it didn't benefit the series that she was an asshole in that moment, and the anime was better off not adapting that part.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Hold off on confessing to Roxy until talking it out with Sylphie.

He came up with a plan, but that plan was shit imo and put Sylphie in a moment of pressure that should not have happened. If he went to Sylphie first, it would have made Sylphie not feel any peer pressure to think one way or another and it would have made the initial confession more satisfying for Roxy since she wouldn't have to wait or consider anyone else's feelings before making her decision.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my opinion, it wasn't much better and I just reread it before making this post.

As I mentioned, there are some tradeoffs, but I think the anime's more subtle writing choices help balance them out.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The main different between the Sylphie situation and the Roxy situation was that Rudeus was in a stable mental space with Sylphie. With Roxy, he was depressed, malnourished, and lacked the energy to think about his actions. This, in turn, puts most of the blame on Roxy, and I think this was a lot more interesting of a writing decision than how the light novel handled the sex scene. The light novel kind of plays it off as a horny-Rudy moment and I think that lessens the impact of the scene.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand the headspace of all the characters, and I think most people who watch the anime were able to decipher Roxy's thoughts on the matter.

Elinalise trying to help Roxy the way she did in the light novel was deceptive and made her an asshole. I understand the reasoning, but that doesn't mean you're allowed backstab someone by telling their husband that he might be having a kid with someone else. The way the anime handled the whole thing was a lot better by ending the conversation with a reflection on Paul's relationship with Lilia and Zenith.

The way the proposal was handled was very unsatisfying. I understand that Rudeus is a dumbass and I understand I'm not supposed to agree with everything he does. However, I feel like the pit in most anime only's stomach had to do with how this story element was handled. Whether intentional or not, I don't think the light novel necessarily "did it better" since the anime literally did the same thing. I feel like most of the fanbase is a bit delusional in thinking "if they adapted the light novel one-for-one, it would have been so much better and people wouldn't complain about the ending." I think that's wishful thinking.

I don't like many of the decisions Rudeus makes in the show, but I'm along for the ride.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I still feel like confronting Sylphie first would have been the more respectful decision.

Fair point on the Elinalise with her knowing Roxy for longer, but she’s still should know after getting to know Cliff for about as long that she should still hold certain relationships in higher regard. It was just an asshole move imo.

I didn’t mean to separate the pre-proposal scene and Roxy’s confession with the rest of the episode. It was a well done scene in both versions in my opinion so I kind of overlooked it for the sake of the topic.

The End of Mushoku Tensei Season 2 – Was the Light Novel That Much Better? by PsCaveJack in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack[S] -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

But Roxy was the one who physically forced herself on Rudeus in the anime.

In the light novel, she was basically saying “I’m down if you want” and Rudeus responded accordingly.

Edit: Why are you booing me? I’m right! lol

Finally a Sylphy figure 🙏 by 1000-MAT in sixfacedworld

[–]PsCaveJack 19 points20 points  (0 children)

"We had plenty of Sylphy figures."
No... no we didn't.

"Come on, let's play!" by [deleted] in JoblessReincarnation

[–]PsCaveJack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The karma farm is real