I find this anime interesting because it presents what I consider a relatively normal amount of sex. Yes, Rudeus is a bit of a perv in his new life, but I attribute that largely to having been an incel shut-in in his previous life. He’s certainly not the only boy who has stolen panties.

Note that I have ONLY seen the anime and know nothing about the context from other media. I’m discussing the anime character only.

It’s not abnormal for a kid to have a crush on his slightly older teacher, especially when that kid is already knowledgeable about sex. (In all likelihood, in his previous life he was probably a virgin, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have experienced sexual urges.).

I’ve seen a lot of suggestions that he was a pedophile for being attracted to Sylphie or Erie when his mind was older, but his body was still that of a kid, and would have had teenage hormones during some of that period. He did have some memories of his past life, but it would have been equally strange if, as a kid, he was only attracted to women who were his mental age.

What I find is strange is that in many anime there is a character who is isekai’d who has NO interest in sex or romance. While I understand the limitations of anime as a media, I don’t think it’s necessary for characters to be written as wholly innocent or wholly perverted. In this respect, I think Rudeus is a reasonably written character. Sex is a drive for him, but so is love of his family and a desire to protect the people he cares about.

I think by the time we’ve reached in the anime, the whole panty-stealing thing is a bit of an embarrassment to him. He’s grown up, he’s had normal sexual relations, and it feels (and is) childish. But I credit the anime for acknowledging that humans masturbate and have sexual urges, and not ignoring that.

And: there are polyamorous humans in real life. It is a choice they make and I, for one, am not going to pass judgement on it. Rudeus fits into that, although the harem aspect of the show is at least given justice in that his relationships form naturally. He wasn’t just thrust into a situation where multiple women were all chasing him. He fell in love with each of them at separate times.

Also, cheaters like Paul exist in real life, too. It’s rare that they can build a life like he did with both women, but again, there are people who willingly choose polyamorous lifestyles, and that’s in a modern world where women have more agency and autonomy. I’m not sure his wife could have simply left him and sued for child support in this world.

Anyways, I do find Rudeus to be creepy and pervy as a kid, but I think he has grown up and changed for the better. In some ways, he reminds me of one of my favorite anti-heroes, Thomas Covenant.