Let me get this straight, have some people even read this novel or have they been reading too much pedophile news lately? Are your minds okay or maybe now you're seeing pedophiles everywhere?

I'm seriously worried.

First of all, in no part of this novel is there any underage sex. There are many moments where you're teased with lolis, but the MC never sleeps with children, only adults. Anyone who says otherwise simply hasn't read the light novel or is probably just jumping at the first hint of a kid because their minds can't take it anymore.

Also, to certain individuals, I think there is a serious need to separate fantasy from reality, you're starting to confuse the two. Someday you're going to start attacking people because you think they're reincarnated pedophiles from a manga. I certainly don't need people like that near me.

Obviously, once you have such a bias, you can't appreciate the storytelling. It goes in the face of all the normal shounen cliches while keeping things interesting. Wait, is narration in books relevant on a forum for manga & light novel mediums? Seriously.

@bnad
Cool, I see you're acting like a real person on the internet, you're definitely not an anon.

Your intent is righteous, but if you read your own review, you'll find the logic is downright ridiculous. A fictional character is going to return to "our" world? And this is not even counting the fact that he has no loli harem (wtf are people reading? and your line "I'm a grown up with a responsibility to protect my family." is especially ironic if you ever read the light novel...)

At no point have I condoned this so-called "loli harem" or pedophilia, this novel simply doesn't have it. When you go as far as to say authors can't even tease readers with loli, I understand what you mean by the danger. But this also is ridiculous, because authors everywhere tease readers with dangerous ideas. Next you might as well start a campaign against books like Lolita by Nabokov. In all your righteousness, have you even considered some of the violence and other "alarming" messages in these mediums?

Are you going to start a war against all these works because of what they tease? It's called fiction for a reason, and you'll probably understand that one day when you get older. Otherwise it is just sad.

Humbert is entirely relevant because, despite his grotesque end, he thoroughly indulged in his sick pleasure. If you are so scared of the pedophilia epidemic, no need to look further, Nabokov was the one who brought it into the public. Certainly people like you thought so when the book came out.

FYI: If you are going to apply "our ethic and our moral standard" to decidedly fantasy literature, then no one can help you with your strange situation. You haven't heeded my warning to stop confusing fantasy with reality, so I suggest you stop reading most of the material on this site (especially the wish fulfillment genre) if your tendencies are so prudish. Stick with nonfiction, it's usually safe for genteel minds.

By the way, please go protest against those countries with 15 as a marriageable age. They need to be thoroughly indoctrinated by your Puritanical ideals of justice and political correctness.

1. Don't bother, stubborness makes correcting mistakes a pain.
2. This is really awkward, but I'll just quote you: "I don't want him near my house. I don't want him near my daughter's school. I don't even want him on facebook or twitter." /facepalm
3. Good luck changing the historical standards of centuries. If your argument is 15=child, I pray you don't go around the Middle East calling people pedophiles for marrying young women. As I imply before, that idea is perfectly normal but the line of reasoning that got you there is just zealotism, thinking your ideals and ethics are universal, when it's not. Case and point, world history 101.

Again, don't misunderstand. I've got no problem with culling the world of malicious adults who sexually abuse and exploit children. Just don't overextend, and start calling everything pedophilia because it doesn't meet your personal standards.

... Last updated on November 6th, 2014, 5:12pm

It’s funny how this series has got very positive ratings, yet almost half of the written reviews are very negative. This post is partly answer to these reviews.

First of all, MC starts of as a failure of human being. He’s pervert, coward, and pedo. Yet when story goes on, he slowly grows up. It takes a lot of effort and a very long time, but he finally becomes a decent human being. There is no any magical transformation; it’s very slow progress, so it seems some have missed it. He learns to truly care about other people, and their feelings. He never becomes a noble hero, nor does he want to save the world. He becomes a man who loves and cherishes his family.

As for otaku self-insert/Gary Stu, well, what kind of self-insert suffers from ED? That’s just bit too uncomfortable. He thinks his previous self as a human trash, and his being shut-in as sickness. There is no glorification of the otaku culture; instead he deeply regrets his previous lifestyle, and considers it as wasting his life. It takes very long time for him to get over his past. As for Gary Stu, do you even know what it means? MC is very far from perfect, and never becomes cool, noble hero. He’s aware of his shortcomings, and that makes him very likeable.

What I like about this story is the lack of shounen tropes. There is no sudden powerups, and nobody tells their life stories or reveals the secret of their moves in the midst of battle. Everyone has to do years of hard practice to gain any skills, and new skills are built on previous ones. MC starts practicing magic when he is 2-3 years old, and trains it every day. He has an advance of having the mind of adult while being in a child’s body, because small children can learn new skills much faster than adults. That’s why he becomes so good at it so quickly. It still takes years of effort, compared to likes of Bleach with 3-days training sessions.

There is also refreshing lack of the harem tropes, as relationship with all girls develops separately, and they all have their reasons to fall for him. They also have their own lives and motives. Every woman in the story will not mysteriously fall to him ; instead they have their own love interests. MC is not afraid of women, he actually wants and gets some, becomes married, have children, and still story goes on.

I recommend this series to anyone who wants to read mature, epic fantasy story with interesting plot twists.

Mushoku Tensei literally redefines how good a light novel can be. Seriously, a lot of novels feel like they're written by teenagers. The author (Rifujin na Magonote, watch for his works in the future) shows he's capable of communicating complex emotions without resorting to really shitty or overtly facepalm dialogue.

First the "hero". Totally not what you expect in a shounen-ish type setting. He's a complete wimp at the start, with all the residual NEET issues after his reincarnation. But you follow him through his relationship with his parents, and all the other events that make his reincarnation truly "starting all over again." I like how the author made his goal a more fulfilling life, rather than more meaningless ambitions.

So then the plot. Simply put: it's @#$@# amazing. Not going to spoil it, but the plot is masterfully weaved with some very unique and memorable characters. There are some parts that had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. Then there were some moments that really grip your heart and make you feel the sadness or joy or #justeverydaythings.

Read it, you'll have a ton of fun.

... Last updated on November 13th, 2014, 6:45pm

Well after reading through the whole series so far, I came back to find that there were a few people that had really disliked the series, and like the fanboy I am I decided to silence and harshly rebuke those few people who dared not to like what I like.

Well jokes aside I do wish to give my own take on the series and address some of the criticisms directed at this series, which while by no means is perfect, seems to get some people that really hate it for very small things. Anyways before I start I have to offer a few caveats, firstly I haven't read many light novels, so I can't exactly judge it according to it's peers, instead I will just give my own impression of it. Secondly I both have a soft spot for fantasy, and I am the exact type of person this series would aim for in terms of wish fulfillment (wasted parts of my life, deeply regret it, love the idea of a second chance in a world based on swords and magic, etc) so I will probably be biased to some degree, though I will attempt to be fair. Anyways I'll just get started.

Firstly I will look at the basis of the entire thing, the writing, or rather because I can't read the original language it was published in, the translation.The translation of this is relatively smooth (well I assume at least), though in parts it gets very rough around the edges, and there were chapters that were annoying difficult to comprehend, though that is rare. The writing style of the series is a very conversational chunks of thought format, mostly from the point of view of the main character, though interspersed throughout are more details from a sort of third person perspective. This style doesn't really lend itself to any flowery writing, or much else really. Though it's very good for quickly giving the reader an understanding of the situation and character who's view point we are looking through. It is a very quick to read style of writing, and suits the "light novel" status of the series. I can't really complain about it as it works well for what it is.

Secondly let's take a vague spoiler free look at the characters. While I wouldn't say that most of the characters are amazingly unique and lovingly crafted, or even not archetypal or stereotypical to some degree, the author till manages to make things interesting. The characters in the series are rarely static, most of the time they do experience some growth. The characters interactions too are interesting enough to keep reading, because they do change, so too do the interactions which I believe is a major draw for the series. The author also has a really great way of illustrating some of the characters by switching to another POV, and allowing us to see inner thoughts of characters that we have only seen the actions of. Personally these parts were one of my favorites, unfortunately the author doesn't actually switch POVs that often. The main character while annoying in some ways due to his character flaws (the main one of these is that he's a pervert) is fairly consistent, and not totally unlikable so long as you can get past the perversion more than occasionally spoiling the mood.

Next I suppose would be the world building, it's so so. It's there, and there's a map and a geography for the world, even a history (though we only know a bit mostly through one or two stories the MC heard as a kid, or through some brief glints of insight through characters that have lived for a long time). I get the feeling the author is going to delve deeper into this stuff at a later date, but for now it is workable.

Finally (assuming I haven't forgotten anything important to add into this review at a later date) would be the plot. The plot for most part is divided into arcs, each one having a general logical progression. Though in a few cases something unexpected does happen to move the plot along swiftly. One of the complaints I heard in one of the reviews, was that the author didn't seem to know what they were doing and were just throwing things out there, but I really don't think this is the case. I have always had the impression that throughout the series the author has had some sort of overarching idea in mind. There are cases of clear foreshadowing of major points, and of lesser points and characters there are clearly threads left for the author to pull on at a later date. Perhaps it isn't fully fleshed out exactly what he is going to do for the minor details of the story, I still wouldn't say that the author doesn't have any idea what to do next.

Anyways all in all, I would say that the series is admittedly leaning on the side of almost generic, however the character interactions are entertaining enough in my view to make it worth it.

Anyways with the basics out of the way I will address one of the few complaints that seems to have caused the most hatred in these reviews, that the MC is somehow a pedo. Firstly I would like to say, that I don't actually think it matters if he was or not, because all that matters is how something like that is used to tell a story. This is fiction after all. Anyways though I said it wouldn't matter if he was one, I have to say it's hardly written like that at all. Yes there are sorts of jokes here and there about breasts and sex appeal and stuff like that, but it's never written in a way that's realistic or seeming like it's meant to be in any way close to the real world, or even fantasies of that sort of thing. I honestly don't see what the problem is when the entire thing really has almost no effect on the story or actions of the guy in any way, I think you could even adjust the ages of everyone to be ten years older and the basis of the interactions would be the same, it's really not written in any appreciable way to actually effect stuff. I know moral outrage isn't something that you can control, but it is really irksome to see ratings of 1 on a decent series with very little justification besides a perceived character tendency.

Anyways moving on from that pointless rant that has been said before, I will address some of my own concerns with the series.

Firstly the harem, I can't say I'm a fan of harems to begin with, maybe I'm just a sucker for Victorian ideals, but I always prefer more dedicated relationships, or at least complex ones. The problem with this work ending up as a full harem work is more than my own feelings however. The problem is that by marrying the main character, the three wives become essentially tied down. For various reasons (mostly pregnancy and children) those other characters that had interesting development until that point suddenly become fixed, they are no longer actors moving about of their own accord but either always accompanying the main character. Before they ended up like that, they did admittedly revolve around the main character, but they also had some sense of agency, one of them traveled the world, one of them trained and met interesting characters, one of them formed deep relationships with some of the important players in the world. But now they are tied down to the house. I can understand why that would be, but it feels annoying. It feels like the entire scope of what we can see, and who will interact with the world has narrowed considerably. While before it wasn't exactly common to see the outside world with their eyes in a POV switch, it did happen and was enjoyable. This I personally find to be one of the most annoying developments in the series. I really hope that the author will break them out and at least let them make some moves in the future.

Another complaint I had, that tallrice right under me reminded me of, was the way that the series sort of took a mishmash of ideas from other places and tried to make them it's own. Sometimes though it failed to be a good thing however. For instance, as tall rice said the video game references. Now personally I never really was a JRPG man myself, and I do understand that it is deeply embedded in the culture of a certain age group in japan, but I really felt that some of the borrowed ideas cheapened the experience. For instance the ranking in the adventurer guild, it really felt far too generic, and like the author put it in without even attempting to make it his own thing. Though in other cases I do think the author at least attempted to make them his own, and that's why something that feels ripped directly from a game feels so jarring.


Well anyways I think that's it. Though I know the series isn't for everyone, and does have many flaws, I really hope people won't get turned away by superficial complaints, I hope others will at least try it out and see for themselves.

I personally liked this story in contrast to to the negative reviews. An advice before reading this novel is, do not read the manga first, because I find the manga has a bigger emphasis on the ecchi content rather than the story itself. As well I find that if you read the manga first, you'll have a bigger negative opinion before you can even see the intriguing details within the story. If I had read the manga first I don't think I'll able to have treated the perverted moments as simple jokes, but annoying moments.

As the story goes on you see the character mature and become a loveable family guy (despite his perverted attitude). The annoying pervert jokes also calms down as the big story and picture takes place. One of the biggest factors I love about this story is the real life aspect story. The development from an infant to a young man is the key to why I find this story so intriguing. The friends, adventures and interactions we see the protagonist makes throughout the novel always makes me wonder what new exciting plot the author will do next. Therefore I recommend this story to people who like to see a dynamic protagonist and is able to pass by the perverted contents as simple jokes.

... Last updated on October 30th, 2014, 11:41pm

For me this is the crown jewel of the "transported to another world" genre and is just...difficult to describe. It's really really good and you should read it right now, realize its greatness, then come back here and give it a 10. Make an account if you have to. This is a masterpiece, certainly not flawless, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

An amazing flow to the story, endearing characters, a really well execution of harem/romance elements that actually afects the story, characters that actually grow and develop over time (most of the novels cover around 8-12 months and there are 22 volumes).

Most importantly for me above all, a consistent internal logic, one thing that really bothers me of the genre is that characters eventually can roflstomp whole armies by themselves, and at this point to me a series stops making sense, I mean why have armies or countries or kings or money or whathever if some random dude can arrive and just kill everyone and can only be stopped by an OP MC. Now this series does have monsters, it does have an OP Main, there are people capable of roflstomping small armies, but they are not invincile, even amongst the "gods" of the story a suficiently capable person is capable of besting them, and the world in which they appear makes sense and sticks to an internal logic thats constant throughout.

And then theres the romance/harem element, OH MY GOD, this is how each and every harem work should be made EVER, I dont think Ive seen a series in which the harem is this interesting, now it is a little bit misoginistic, but not offensibly so, nor outside the conventions of the genre, I mean this IS a harem work, it kind of comes with the territory, so if it REALLY REALLY bothers you to see girls falling all over for the MC (they are 3 I mean come on its not that exagerated), then...well Im sorry maybe the harem genre isnt for you?

Overall as of now this is THE BEST LN I ever read in my opinion a good harem, cool battles a consistent world and an interesting story combine in a work I honestly didnt expect I would see in my life.

... Last updated on February 27th, 2015, 11:32am

As a light novel, Mushoku Tensei engages the imagination in ways a good manga can (even better than most shounen manga out there).

In an easygoing and often humorous way, the author is able to really bring life into the story line and the characters without relying on overly generic kind of developments or conversations. Instead of the way many fantasies over-emphasize the magical elements, the author's narration is much more realistic, even in totally bizarre situations. You can spot so many little things that are so down to earth.

If you're new to light novels, Mushoku Tensei is a fantastic place to start your addiction!

... Last updated on August 26th, 2014, 8:28am

Someone said some bull about him screwing a 12 year old and it being loli; so I thought I'd give a review and defend it.
First of all, he was 13 and she was 15. Second, that sort of thing isn't the main driver of the plot which is really good. Third, so what if there is a race that has a slow aging period. Lots of series have fanservice I don't see this as being any different.

that said.
The story is very well done (especially after he grows up a bit).
There is a large cast of main characters that have varying motives and goals. You see a lot of character development with the Rudei and the girls.
The girls are not ridiculously attached to him for no apparent reason. They often go off to do things themselves and are strong in their own right.
This passes the Bechdel Test.

Read this if you Like:
Character's Growing by Levels/Fantasy Adventure (e.i. the Gamer/Re:Monster)
Second Chance Stories.

Beware if you Dislike:
Harem (though the number of girls plateaus)
The occasional lewd references

... Last updated on July 19th, 2014, 3:21pm

First off, before reading this you need to know that what you're reading is basically an escapist fantasy of how a complete loser is given a second chance in life and becomes a much better person.
Now if you know what it is and you're ok with it, then go ahead. It's a one hell of a ride.

You might think that you'll see a shallow story which what I expected at first, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that it was so much more, and how it was unraveled. Volume 2's progression is very generic but at the end of the volume, you'll see that it's just to set the stage.
It also has a pretty impressive world building. For one, it has detailed map of the continents, the history and progression how the major powers in the world played out is very well thought out.

I saw many people complains about how he already surpassed his teacher by the age of 5 aka how OP he's gonna be and drop it. Well for starters, he only surpasses her in one aspect and their magic ranks are actually equal. And even this isn't enough, to those complaining of how OP they think he's gonna be, then try to actually continue to read it first. Because he's far from those standing at the top of this world's power tier, not to mention many of them have lived for hundred-thousands of years so they have more battle experience.
There are many people stronger than him, but he finds the way to overcome them be it with strategy or his comrades.
For normal people he might be too strong, but what he's facing isn't normal people. They are monsters among monsters who some of them hold the title of "God".

One other thing that impressed me is the content. You need to know that the translations are not the translations of the Light Novel but the Web Novel. Which is the raw, unpolished version of the series before it's officially published and overhauled/edited to make it better. As such Web Novels are usually sparse like a draft containing of mostly only the major points of the series. Yet, Mushoku Tensei is pretty detailed and immense. Most of the volumes have more than 10 chapters, hell, the recent volume 23 has over 20 chapters and counting.

Anyway, this is probably the best and the most enjoyable escapist fantasy novel I've read. Definitely worth every seconds of time which I read it.


@Rielco: About brutal end, well the author has already posted the final chapter and some epilogues. Yea, Mushoku Tensei ended, and let's just say you shouldn't have anything to fear, It's a pretty complex feeling reading the ending, but it was satisfying. And it's not completely ended because it's just "Mushoku Tensei" aka Rudeus' arc which ended. His next series is about to unfold.

@mercio: gr8 b8 m8 i r8 8/8