Isekai anime have taken the internet by storm and Mushoku Tensei is one such case, as the manga is one of the most popular and celebrated series in the genre. Written by Rifujin na Magonote, it has been well-received by both readers and viewers. Despite its growing acclaim, there might be some downsides as well.
This particularly has to do with Magonote sensei’s approach to the storytelling and writing. His offbeat process and vision regarding his series might be a hit or miss with his series. It further points to Hajime Isayama’s opus Attack on Titan that experienced a constant seesaw of expectations.
For Mushoku Tensei author, fans are an afterthought
When we think adventure, fantasy, and isekai, Mushoku Tensei is the first thing to pop up within the genre. The last decade has had a rise in Isekai anime ranging from reincarnation to teleportation. This series, however, adds another layer to its storyline with its rich worldbuilding.
Magnote’s manga has all the components of an Isekai. A NEET protagonist who lives an unfulfilling life meets with an accident and is transported to another world. He starts life from scratch with his new identity of Rudeus Greyrat where he rediscovers family, friendship and self-growth.
Occasionally, there’s fanservice and perversion that annoys fans. Barring that, however, Rudeus is a flawed character in terms of his cautious nature. The moments of him shaking during fights make him more relatable. Although fans are bothered by certain elements, the mangaka has a different stance.
On his X account, Rifujin na Magonote spoke up regarding fans’ demands and why he thinks they are an afterthought. He said:
If no one can see it, I don’t think there’s any need to make it public, so I’ll try to make it more accessible to more people, but that’s only if I write what I like, how I like it, so don’t get that wrong. Love comes first, people second. You guys are always last. Sorry.
Indeed, the series has some problematic themes that tie in well with readers’ anger and disappointment. Fetishism as well as perversion is one such case, but the mangaka isn’t a pushover by any means. Him prioritizing creative liberty is something that Hajime Isayama got criticized for relentlessly.
Attack on Titan and the seesaw of expectations
Attack on Titan will always be cherished by anime fans despite its ending. We all know by now that the ending was something that didn’t sit well with most readers and viewers. It got to a point where Isayama received death threats from crazy fans which only highlighted the constant seesaw of expectations.
Following your heart often entails criticism. But the amount of hate and disdain the mangaka got was truly unfair. This has become somewhat of a norm that needs to change. Fandoms often forget that a story and its trajectory isn’t supposed to be linear or predictable in most cases, but that is not all.
Isayama’s creative genius was thwarted by the fans. Their disbelief and rejection proved Isayama right in the end. That some readers will value your approach while others won’t. But at the end it was relieving to see the artist follow his intuition regarding his story, which made one thing certain.
A detour was necessary to render the series into a true masterpiece, which Isayama pretty much did. His willingness to break free from normalcy is what makes the series a remarkable shonen manga.
Mushoku Tensei is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix. Attack on Titan is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
