Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is an anime series in the isekai genre that will meet with the audience in January 2021. This anime, which managed to stand out among hundreds of works in the ‘isekai‘ genre, was adapted from a light novel series written by Rifujin na Magonote. The anime adaptation of the light novel, which has been running since 2014, was announced in March 2019 and was originally released on January 11, 2021. Licensed by Funimation, it was broadcast on many local networks such as Tokyo MX, KBS, BS11, and SUN. At the head of the anime is Studio Bind, a fairly new studio. The anime is also broadcast globally on Hulu TV and gets the opportunity to reach many viewers worldwide. Mushoku Tensei is the first and so far the only anime of Studio Bind, a joint project of Egg Firm and White Fox, which we know from many successful animes such as Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. It looks like we will see good animes from the studio in the future as well. But for now, fans only have one question, will there be a second season of the anime?
What is the plotline of Mushoku Tensei?
An otaku who was bullied and humiliated by people in his past life and locked himself in the house one day dies after his heroic attempt. But he opens his eyes as a baby in a different world as Rudeus Greyrat. The first child of a very charming family, Redeus’ mind is still 30 years old and has not broken away from his past. He will discover the magic with the help of a sorcerer named Roxy.
After a long time, life gave him a chance and put a smile on his face. And now it’s time to let go of past life regrets and embark on an adventure to become a better person.
What makes it different from the other isekai animes?
A lazy, nerdy, useless, and self-destructive person who led a miserable early life after a heroic attempt to save a life one day wakes up in another realm and finally defeats the Demon King. Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard this kind of story a thousand times before, but what makes it different and makes it popular worldwide?
Although the story is common, the way it is told is very different. In general, the main character’s life is described in a few sentences or a few scenes in classic isekai animations and disappears completely after the first episode. But things don’t work that way this time. Although our character has come to a different world, his traumas and habits don’t let him go. And these traumas actually become an obstacle to the character at each developmental stage and reflect this emotion to the audience.
He tries new ways not to experience the regrets of his old life again and starts with the first spellbook he finds at home. Rudeus, who achieved great success on his first attempt, devotes himself to magic.
Actually, there is not a big battle part in the anime; instead, there are war scenes interspersed little by little, but it suits the series better in this way. In the drawings, Studio Bind did a very successful job, although it is a new studio. The viewers have already noticed the small details that the studio has placed uniquely.
Will there be a second season of Mushoku Tensei?
Mushoku Tensei anime’s first season, which was broadcast in 2 parts, ended on December 20, 2021. Some series share a renewal and hints about the new season in the final episodes, but there was no such announcement for Mushoku Tensei.
Episode 16 of the series aired on October 31, showing the reunion of Rudeus and his father, Paul. However, it also didn’t show what Eris and Ruijerd were up to. The special episode mentioned in the announcement was distributed on March 16, 2022, showing what happened that day. The episode was not a sequel but a side story.
However, another important aspect of the episode was that it included green-lit for the second season! With this episode, the Mushoku Tensei anime team renewed the anime for a second season and proved our previous predictions correct. In our previous review, we were sure that the anime would get a new season approval. The status of the light novel, popularity and other factors signaled a new season. The only thing missing was an official renewal.
Light Novel
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the original of the series is a light novel series written by Rifujin na Magonote and illustrated by Shirotaka. The series, published by Media Factory since January 23, 2014, has reached 25 volumes. The last volume of the light novel was published on September 25, 2021, and is still ongoing. Besides, it is possible to follow Mushoku Tensei’s light novel officially in English thanks to the publishing of Seven Seas Entertainment. As of March 2022, the light novel has more than 10 million copies in circulation.
However, there are only a few volumes left for the light novel to catch up with the web novel, as it is adapted from the previously published web novel. However, Rifujin, the author, mentions that he plans for a sequel in the future. The author states that he must finish the Orc Eroica web novel series first and adds that he has health problems and needs to heal before a new job.
The continuation of the Light Novel series is a factor that increases the possibilities of the new season since a new anime season will increase light novel sales. But more importantly, is the original contain enough source material to create a new season currently or in the future. In the first season first part of the anime, the first three volumes of the light novel were adapted. The events up to the 6th volume were also adapted into the first season’s second part. As can easily be seen from here, enough source material is already available for more seasons after the second season, which is already renewed.
Disc sales, popularity, studio
On April 21, 2021, the first-volume discs of the anime went on sale. The anime, which sold 4,219 units in the first part and 4,972 units in the second part of the first season, seems to have reached its targets. Disc sales have been declining in recent years, but this sales figure is still very good. The anime, which also has a good Google search popularity, is followed by about 175k people on Twitter. It’s one of the best debuting anime of the winter of 2021. The anime’s first part will be re-aired in Tokyo MX and BS11 as of July 11, 2021, and it means it gets more popularity in Japan. It seems that all the main conditions for the anime to have more seasons are now met. We hope to see the same success in the second season.
Distributing by major distributors other than Funimation and Crunchyroll is another detail that improves the financial status of the anime. Luckily, Mushoku Tensei is distributed exclusively by a major distributor like Hulu TV other than Funimation. As this means an additional income, it will help the producers meet the more seasons’ financial requirements. It’s not clear yet that Hulu will list the Mushoku Tensei with its second season.
A popular anime page with the username SugoiLITE had stated that a Mushoku Tensei second and even third season is already in production. This leak was before the official confirmation of the second season. Official channels have not yet confirmed the third season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it turns out to be true as our expectations are already that the anime will have more seasons.
When is the second season of Mushoku Tensei?
It is announced in the special episode of Mushoku Tensei that the anime has been renewed for a second season. As of June 16, 2022, at the time of writing, the anime’s renewal announcement in March is the only and latest news. The anime team prefers to remain silent about the second season for now. The first announcement announced that details such as the new season date would be shared later. It was released more than a year after the anime’s initial announcement for the first season. Generally, we see one year between the announcement and broadcasting in the anime industry. According to our estimates, the anime could be started to air in the spring of 2023. We will update official information becomes available about the release date. Till then, we recommend you to watch, if you haven’t, My Next Life as a Villainess or That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime which are beloved animes in the same genre.