Criticism rains down on Mushoku Tensei for ‘glorifying’ slavery

Rifujin and Magonotethe famous author of Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnation without a Jobhe finds himself at the center of controversy after sharing his views on slavery in relation to the series’ main character, Rudeus. In a series of tweets, Magonote expressed his personal position and how it is reflected in his work.

The author began by saying:I wish to explain my position, since I personally do not approve of slavery. It is true, however, that I have presented Rudeus in my writings as not actively opposed to slavery.». This apparent contradiction between the author’s faith and the characterization of his character created a heated debate online.

Magonote further explained his narrative approach to it: “The original story is set in a context where it is assumed that slavery is common in this world. It is an undeniable reality». He argued that this arrangement conditions the actions and opinions of the characters in their fictional world. «Thereforehe followed,”I see no point in justifying my actions [como escritor]».

This controversy was intensified by a recent event in the anime. In the sixth episode of the second season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, the main character Rudeus buys a child slave named Julie to perform certain tasks. This plot twist started a discussion about the narrative approach of the series, especially after it The previous season was also controversial because of how it handled sensitive topics when Rudeus (a reincarnated adult) had sex with a girl his “new” age..

In response to this incident, the author wrote on Twitter last weekend: “About Rudeus: He feels no hatred towards slavery. He believes that all slaves in general are no more unhappy as slaves than they were before. So while kidnapping is wrong, you certainly can’t say slavery is wrong, and you don’t want to impose your own sense of justice on a culture you’re unfamiliar with.».

The reaction online was swift and polarizing. Social networks were filled with comments that oscillated between fierce criticism and passionate defense. Some followers flatly rejected the author’s justification, assuming that this view trivializes a subject as sensitive as slavery. Others, for their part, have argued that the author’s decisions are consistent with the world he created and should not be judged from a contemporary perspective.

This controversy surrounding the author’s views and their influence on the series highlights the complexity of creating narratives in fictional settings where values ​​can differ significantly from real life values. Let’s review some of the comments from the West:

• «Rudeus is from our world, so he knows that slavery is wrong. Gross».
• «I have no idea what this series is about but the muscular catwoman looks hot».
• «It’s okay to go out and say “Hey, you know, slavery is bad enough.” Easily one of the worst aspects of many modern isekai».
• «But what the hell Of course the authors don’t necessarily have the same views as their characters, but that’s a very strange position.».
• «I’m not sure if I got it twice because I thought since I was born into the modern world, I would assume that it was easy to at least think of “slavery as bad”. Or simply because of the idea that the author just said “yes, my main character doesn’t care about slavery”».
• «I don’t agree. Rudeus was sent to another world and slavery is normal in that world. He may have looked immoral at first, but now he’s grown up enough (by our standards) to live in that world and experience how life works there. He is normal in that world, and is shown to sympathize with the slaves, but he cannot change the inner workings of the world. Magonote had a rather bold stance on the issue, and it shows. Rudeus obviously disagrees, but he is the lesser evil in the world who does not forgive even the slightest doubt.».
• «Considering that the series uses the body of a slave for sale on the market as a convenient excuse to make fun of the size of the hare and the pen, I’m not exactly surprised to hear that this is the inexplicable way in which the author. that Rudy sees slavery. Man, there’s a lot to take from this show – it’s been one of the best shows of the last ten years for the ten episodes where it moved away from sex and slavery and focused on world building and horror and mystery his world. I hate that he stoops so low at his lowest moments».
• «I understand that this is the result of a country that does not have the same history of slavery as North America. I also understand that part of the appeal of anime is that American standards and practices don’t exist in Japan and therefore we get stories and characters that we would never see otherwise here, which is why Mushoku Tensei is such a hit. But everyone has their limits. Slavery is underrepresented to me, and it is too prevalent in the fantasy genre. I can’t force writers to conform to my personal taste, but I can express my disapproval. I can also say that my fantasies do not include fetishes and even if they were, I am sure as hell that they would not be fetishized.».
• «I am very grateful to the author for these publications. Now the sensitive pruds will stop watching this series and we will finally stop reading stupid reviews after each new episode airs.».
• «I think this is a storytelling excuse. I don’t see it, but since Rudy is an isekai protagonist I think he is strong enough to try to change the world, this would take a long time and the author wouldn’t be able to do what he wants to write. So you MUST say you are apathetic about it, or else you would have to send Rudy on a long journey to try and make or break the effort. Of course, the REAL answer is not to add slavery to your outfit, that way you wouldn’t have to make this excuse.».
• «People need to grow up and accept that bad things happen in a fictional story. It’s not true, it can’t hurt you».
• «It’s always stupid when authors try to defend slavery in their works with a half-hearted “oh, it’s normal in that world” or “their life is totally better”. I would appreciate more without irony an author who directly says “this shit is my fetish”».
• «The obvious problem here is, first of all, that the writer claims that he cannot “impose his own ideals” on the fantasy world he has created. My brother in Christ, you wrote the world in the first place. I get to see how much the isekai have allowed slavery for fun and profit in recent years.».
• «As if he needed another reason to hate isekai. This is the kind of gross shit you get when your “genre” is almost entirely the wish fulfillment of a pathetic otaku.».
• «I understand that a writer can write about whatever he wants and it doesn’t have to be a permanent supporter or insulting author for anything, but this guy started saying “I think I didn’t show my ass enough” and he decided to tweet».
• «As a general matter, does anyone else think that an author would sometimes make a statement like this to stir up controversy? Similarly, do they sometimes depict problematic material to attract attention and provoke negative reactions, even though the writer does not necessarily agree with the problematic material itself? I don’t follow Mushoku Tensei so I can’t apply these points to this author».
• «What are you talking about? It’s not something cultural, it’s something from real life. No one would take from something that does not belong to them. That will only complicate your life when you are already dealing with your own problems.».
• «I wish I could sit Mushoku Tensei fans down and force them to watch Bojack Horseman so they could understand what a series that allows its characters to go through great moral pitches and make deeply misguided decisions is all about. None of this crap in the series they cost so much».
• «It’s fantasy, it’s a work of fiction. I’m not going to get mad because a fictional character agrees with slavery. Don’t let it ruin your day. If you don’t like the story look elsewhere. I’m not going to defend it either, it’s definitely not a series I’d recommend to everyone. It bothers me more that one of the main plot points is erectile dysfunction. I think the series could have been written a lot better, but at the end of the day it’s Isekai, which is like fast food and junk anime. I try not to set my expectations too high.».
• «Even if you ignore the moral implications, saying that the main character of your story, which belongs to a modern first world society, has no idea whether it is okay for one person to possess another person, which is by the vast majority of the World. known for years at least, it’s a good way to make your hero look like a useless jerk. “Maybe some people are happier as slaves, so who’s to say if it’s bad” it’s not thought that anyone who isn’t a weakling or some sort of high-pitched hypocrite has ever been. The fact that the author thinks this is an acceptable character trait for the main character also reflects badly on his ability to think critically, let alone write a story.».
• «Rudy is terrible, that’s the point. He doesn’t understand the world around him and he doesn’t understand how to relate to people. The goal of the story is for Rudy to gradually learn these things. He is a very flawed character. If you’re expecting him to suddenly become a paragon of virtue, you haven’t been paying attention.».

Fountain: Official Twitter account