It’s also about the second chances and realisations of the people around him too, making them way more than just mere characters in a generic story. It is definitely a story about Rudeus and his second chances or realisations. A quick aside, these are also the things that make Mushoku Tensei so special. Fortunately Sylphy doesn’t take things personally. So slowly but surely, he learns valuable life lessons he never had the chance to formalise during his original life in Japan. But Rudeus learns that these kind of actions can have severe repercussions, including social fallout that potentially results in the loss of friendship. To him, it was a harmless joke that he’d probably seen many times in the media or games that he consumed. But having been a hikkikomori for many decades, to say he’s poorly adjusted in social terms would be a massive understatement. We know his intentions were good in trying to pull that prank. On a different token, just like how Paul never intended to be a bad parent, Rudeus didn’t intend to wrong Sylphy like that.
In choosing to recognise his mistake, he’s managed to break free from that cycle of parenting, which might not be anything flashy like taking down a dragon but certainly constitutes an impressive achievement. That sort of characterisation is so well done, where you come to realise this is Paul ever knew and he subconsciously slipped into doing it without realising, before correcting the error of his ways. Interestingly, Paul himself seemed to be a victim to this kind of harsh parenting, talking about his father as well as seeing himself in his son.
Instead of beating his son without demanding an explanation, when Rudeus stripped Sylph bare without realising she was a girl under the assumption it was a prank between boys, Paul gently reassures his son and gives him helpful advice on how to make amends with his first real friend. Secondly, he eventually redeemed himself by applying the lesson Rudeus taught him to Sylphiette’s situation. Not that it excuses Paul’s actions, but it contextualizes his reaction. And Rudeus behaving like an adult has probably been bugged Paul throughout the years, with this incident being the straw that broke the camel’s back. That stuff really damages your pride and makes you wonder if you’re doing anything right as a parent. Let alone being completely owned in the logical sense by a 5 year old. I would feel pretty freaked out if I had a baby son who has their shit together like that. And although he deeply regretted the situation, probably resulting from his excessive pride, Paul ultimately never apologised. From our perspective and that of Rudeus, we saw that Paul didn’t give his poor boy a chance to explain himself and slapped him when he tried to do so. That his son has been using his magical abilities to pick on normal people who can’t fight back. Having only heard their side of the story, Paul comes to believe the worst about his son. Namely those kids who had been attacking Sylphy. Something I wanted to acknowledge from this episode was the way in which Paul handled allegations of Rudeus bullying other people. That said, the process wasn’t simple and easy when new and complex issues arise from the course of their social interactions. And coming from another world with different cultural sensibilities, Rudeus is unphased by the child’s green hair – allowing them to quickly become friends. Due to his own personal experiences, Rudeus decides against remaining uninvolved, rushing in to protect the child from being attacked. We’re reminded how difficult life must have been for Roxy when Sylphy is horrifically bullied and abused by the village children for having green hair. Her elven ears are so adorable and I love how Studio Bind animated the wiggling. While a Roxy shaped hole is left in our hearts, a new character quickly arrives to fill it up in the form of Sylphyiette.