Our look at the light novels of Jobless Reincarnation continue! Last time we left off, Rudy had set off on a quest to find his mother but was sidetracked by a long stay in a winter town. There he met the bullish Sara and her friends, but a relationship vanished when things didn’t…rise to the occasion. Now Rudy has to plan his next adventure, but what will that be? Well after the cut let’s take a dive into the eighth volume and find out!
Finally seizing on a long gestating plot point, this next installment finally sees Rudy heading to the Ranoa Academy of Magic. With the sultry Elinalise in toe, Rudy enrolls in the illustrious school and soon finds himself making friends, deepening his magic and coming across Princess Ariel and her mysterious companion Fitz, who has a special connection to Rudy. Along the way, they deal with two mischievous delinquents and bring peace to the school, at least for now.
It’s a good story, and is helped immensely by the fact that there have been seven volumes of some of the best Isekai fantasy around. While some might raise an eyebrow at the sudden shift to a school setting, it feels well earned and a good change of pace from the usual affairs. Jobless has never been a story to maintain a status quo and having Rudy finally be at the magical academy shows that previous plot beats aren’t being ignored. It puts him in a new situation, allows other characters a chance to shine and, most importantly, allows the meta-narrative of Rudy’s journey to take center stage.
Upon reading this volume and being aware of upcoming events, the seventh, eighth and ninth volumes in, in the abstract, about Rudeus dealing with grief. The vanishing of his mother and the abandonment by Eris has rendered him hollow and broken. And while the last volume dealt with him working through that grief, being alone, rejecting any attempts at friendship. This volume begins the road of healing, as Rudy starts to move past being in a constant state of despair and seeking comfort in friends and his work.
Now I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, having been through a break-up or two, I can attest going through this stage. After the initial pain begins to subside you want to busy yourself, be among friends and focus on what makes you happy. Friends can help immensely and I found that being among pals and buddies you can just hang with does wonders for that sort of pain. For Rudy, we see this by the crew of friends and allies he begins to amass. Zanoba from the Shirone arc returns and together they come across Juliette, a young dwarf they ‘save’ from slavery. By the end of the story he also brings Pursena and Linia, the older siblings of Eris’ friends from Doldia village into his circle. Though the story of that happening is a classic case of the bullies getting their just desserts. It’s wonderful stuff and like with any good story, I can see that these relationships are going to be critical in helping Rudy spread his wings and get back on his horse.
Of course Fitz, actually his childhood friend Sylphy, will be the key figure in this, but for now she is playing it safe, keeping her distance as she works out her own feelings and fears. It is great to see Sylphy back in the story and see that time and distance has not changed her desire to be with Rudy. While I won’t spoil upcoming events, I can assure you things will be paid off well. For now, ‘Fitz’ is an enjoyable character, allowing us insight into Princess Ariel and her casual banter with Rudy shows that the pair’s relationship goes beyond her clear attraction to him. For now though, we must remain patient.
Jobless Reincarnations’ eighth volume is a story of healing. Of man slowly coming to terms with the world around him and, with the help of good friends and a fresh start, beginning to flourish in ways he might not have thought possible. Rudy’s character arc continues to be rock-solid and having a larger cast to bounce off is doing wonders. I do not know if this vibe will continue as the Academy arc moves forward, but now it’s a welcome change of pace after the ‘bridge’ feeling of the last volume. Once again I can’t recommend this series enough and encourage anyone to give a look. No doubt we’ll be seeing this play out in the anime later this year, and I can only hope it is as good there as it is in the written word.
Shallow Dives in Anime 