Our look at the light novel version of Jobless Reincarnation continues! When we last left off, Rudeus had met and then made up with his father who had gone out to find the missing people from the teleportation incident. Now fresh with resolve, but determined to return Eris home, we follow Rudeus as he finishes the final stretches of his great adventure. Yet will it be able to stick the landing? After the cut let’s take a dive into the sixth volume and find out!
With this volume, we have now reached the final piece of the series that has been (as of now) adapted by the anime. So far the anime has proven to be a rather stellar adaptation and mostly expanding on certain scenes that the light novel may have skimmed over. It’s all been for the good and with this sixth installment we once again find a source material that both takes away and adds to what has been done before.
The first thing that surprised me for this light novel was just how much it covered. Being that last part of the story arc, volume 6 covers everything from the Shirone Kingdom, the second turning point with the Orstead and the aftermath of Eris and Rudeus’ arrival back home. Part of me was worried that something might get lost with trying to do ‘too much’ and I was surprised that, for the most part, the light novel balances everything quite nicely. With the exception of one scene, nothing feels rushed or shoved in and Jobless’ prose continues being a masterpiece of light novel writing, moving you along with a brisk pace with just enough breathing room and worldbuilding to keep you aware of the bigger world.
The great benefit of the prose once again comes from the extra monologues, more specifically with Eris. While the anime touched on this briefly, the light novel goes deep into Eris’ reasons for leaving Rudeus and why she feels like she does. While she loves him, cherishes him, she realizes that she can’t depend on him solely and that she wants to stand next to him. While her bullheaded nature makes her departure a lasting scar for Rudy, it was good to see that Eris was herself to the very end. And readers will be happy to know that this plotline will be paid off in a big and happy way in the future.
On the other hand, I was disappointed to see that upon Eris’ departure, the light novel doesn’t give the time for Rudy’s depression as the anime does. Instead of the anime’s sombre self-reflection, allowing the lesson Rudy has learned to come to a head, we just see Rudy mope around for a little bit, and then decide to go out and find his mother. While the same conclusion is reached in both pieces of media, I enjoyed far more the anime’s version where Rudy, tempted to retreat into his former NEET shell, decides to break free and not be defined by his would-be failure. It brings his character full circle and shows the growth and change that he has gone through in the last several years. It was a shame that it was only touched upon in the light novel because it really does bring everything to a nice endpoint for this part of the series.
As for the rest, everything is presented as seen in the anime and done well. While the fight with Orsted does have the anime ‘pizzah’ due to being, well, written. You can feel the tension in the scene and how devastating his abilities were. The relationship between Rudy and Lilia is cute and fleshed out, showing more of his development and the dialogue with Zanoba over the figurine is as funny as it was in the anime. Ruijerd’s farewell to Eris and Rudy is also heart-warming and it will be a shame this is going to be the last we see of him for a long while.
Jobless Reincarnations’ sixth volume is an excellent capstone to what has ended up being a wonderful journey into the source material. TIme and again I was shocked at how much the anime kept and how little it went off script. It shows how dedicated the studio was and how much they care about everything. While there are a few scruples here and there, it is quite small when you compare how much it does right and does well. I’ve already started reading the seventh volume and I now join the ranks of those who will be watching the second season through the lens of the light novel. I have no doubt it will be good, and I can’t wait to get to material I have yet to experience yet. I hope you’ll give it a look when that time comes, because this is a story that is just getting started.
Shallow Dives in Anime 