Our look at the light novel version of Jobless Reincarnation continues! And while we will just ignore the fact that I completely skipped over this entry, we are going to keep things light and speedy this time around. Because compared to the fifth and sixth instalments, this fourth is very much just a series of adventures. That said there is still stuff to talk about, so let’s get into the point form version right after below!
- Like I said above, this volume consists of the parts where Rudy and co make their way from the demon continent and the adventures they partake in. Everything we saw in the anime is present here with little to no major changes aside from some extra dialogue, most of which is not really important.
- Rudeus getting the demon eye helps lay groundwork for this power we see later and it was good to see that Kishrika was as crazy as she was in the anime.
- I do like how Rudy and Ruijerd’s relationship is growing as they are confronted with the realities of trying to travel to the other side of the world. It is forcing Rudy to grow up fast and for Ruijerd to accept that you have to do some bad things for a greater good.
- The beast-village chapters are pretty much exactly as we saw them in the anime. It always surprises me how much worldbuilding author Rifujin is able to do with the limited amount of pages in each installment. Furthermore I was glad he didn’t skimp out on showing the horrors of the children being kidnapped by the slavers.
- Eris’s fight with her beast animal friends is another good example of seeing her character mature from the hot-headed temper tantrum to a more well adjusted young lady. It was also good to see how much Rudeus is starting to respect her boundaries, which will pay off in a later volume.
- I liked that Geese stays around and gives the main cast another person to bounce off of. He’s that sly cowardly thief with a heart of gold and it works pretty damn well.
- But the biggest thing in the light novel is the addition of the Fitz chapters, which introduce a character who will have a big influence after this story arc has finished. I won’t give spoilers to who they are, but I really enjoyed the palace intrigue and relationship between Princess Ariel and Luke Greyrat. All three of them are important and I was surprised the anime didn’t add this in during the runtime, probably saving it for later in the story.
Overall, Jobless Reincarnaton’s fourth volume is a solid venture, though doesn’t really do much to move the story forward that other entries do. Still what happens in the pages is fun to read and is important when looking at the entire tapestry. Give a look if you so desire and I hope you’ll join me real soon for the sixth and final volume of the first major story arc!
Shallow Dives in Anime 