Typically, it’s common to see writers (usually anime or manga writers) adapting their style to suit the tastes of their audience. As an author, one can find it quite disheartening, that fan feedback can significantly influence a series’ direction like that.
From plot twists to character designs, creators often make changes here and there to keep viewers engaged and that’s how the typical character tropes or sub-genres appear in anime.
However, the author of the Mushoku Tensei light novel series, takes a refreshingly bold stance, one that might even sound a bit harsh. He recently claimed that he is not afraid to challenge such conventional industry behavior, even if it means going against the expectations of his readers.
Mushoku Tensei‘s author always puts himself on the first priority
In a recent X post, Rifujin na Magonote (means Unreasonable Backscratcher, which is actually the pen name of Mushoku Tensei‘s author), made it absolutely clear that he’s never going to let outside opinions dictate his creative approach! Whether it’s love, hate, or something in between, he would stick to his guns, and honestly, it’s somewhat refreshing to see someone so committed to their artistic vision.
誰にも見られないなら、わざわざ公開する必要もないと思うから、より多くの人に見てもらえるように工夫するけど、それはあくまで「好きなものを好きに書いた」上での話だからね、そこをはき違えちゃいけないよ。好きが先、人が後。君らはいつだって後回しだよ。ごめんね。
— 理不尽な孫の手 (@Magote_rihujin) February 28, 2025
Even though he admitted that he feels stuff when people praise his work, he still believes that passion for storytelling should always come first.
He does get happy when they love it, sad when they criticize it, and hurt when they get nasty, but at the end of the day, he’s gonna write what he wants.
But no matter what people say, I’ll still write what I want to write, so nothing changes.
While this may sound like a bold statement, as if he doesn’t care about how his viewers feel at all; from an author’s perspective though, it’s not a bad thing to write for yourself. What he’s saying here is that he has a clear vision and no amount of criticism, whether it be positive or negative, can make him change his planned path, and this should be respected.
Passion comes first, people come second!
In the same post, Rifujin na Magonote further made it clear that he does acknowledge that readers are essential in sharing his work with the world, but he’s not willing to compromise his passion solely for the sake of popularity. For him, the creative process starts with what he loves, and that’s non-negotiable.
But that’s only after I’ve written what I love, the way I want to. You mustn’t get that mixed up. Passion comes first, people come second. You all are always an afterthought. Sorry about that.
He emphasized on saying that his passion would always come first, and his audience second. The fact that he’s not apologizing for putting his heart and soul into what he loves is something to admire. It can even be a reminder for other creators, that it’s not like we should always compromise our vision to please others.
And the best part for the author here is that it’s clearly working so far. With the anime still going strong, Rifujin na Magonote managed to strike a balance between staying true to himself and also being relatable to the viewers. Even if he doesn’t like to admit it, he’s found a way to make it work, and that’s something to celebrate.
Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation is available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
