Historically speaking, yes, a shortage of eligible/wealthy/living males does tend towards that particular solution. Historically speaking, it also causes way more drama than a monogamous marriage. It's a fun fantasy, but a terrible reality in most cases.
@@r3dp9 You speak as if anime with harem aspects doesn't lead to a crazy amount of drama already. Not to mention the ratio of drama in fantasy monogamy versus how much drama it has in real life.
Futurama is an Isekai. I don't care fry ended up in earth, for all it's worth it's a completely different world. he doesn't even lives on New York anymore, but in new New York
You might be right, if Fry were objectively the primary character and the story was his story. I agree that the future is essentially a different world that a character has been transported to, however the show isn't "Fry in another world, doing Sit-Com and Rom-Com things" it's "A Sit-Com in another world where one of the characters is from our world". Fry's plight of reconciling his lost present isn't shown as more or less central than any other character's individual 'gimmick', such as Leela being the last of her kind or Bender being a robot, which I think is a strength of the show. He's our introduction to the show and he gets his own episodes, but so does everyone else. In summary, Fry is a character who got Isekai'd, but saying Futurama 'is an Isekai' is like saying The Jetsons 'is an isekai'. The adventures and hijinks of the crew are the primary focus, most of which could still happen if Fry were a similar person from their own time.
Isekai Harems are so sickening at this point, especially if the Protagonist, after transfering from Earth to Another World, only takes 5 Seconds or less to fully and wholeheartedly accept Slavery as a Common Thing. ...He just... buys girls to add to his Harem...
...what would you have the protagonist do? Toss aside the plot of the series and immediately bend their fate-warping powers towards social reform via conquest of the slave cartels and all associate government agents?
@@slevinchannel7589 I mean even if you want to could you do something. Especially if slavery is rooted into the politics and culture. Plus which shows are you talking about since most of the harem isekai I seen try to combat that. Such as death march into a parallel world. That a harem isekai where the MC does attempt at stopping slavery and discrimination.
@@mastermenthe Yes, because any series in which the protagonist is so under-written that they can go from being a normal member of a society that deeply holds one set of values to being a member of a society that deeply holds a diametrically opposed set of values with no culture shock is not gonna have a plot worth following. Or if not reform things, at least not _lean into_ the slavery and such. I mean, there are fucked up rules in any modern society too, and you don't need to be a billionaire tycoon with a thousand politicians in your pocket or some kind of warlord to make an effort to avoid actively exacerbating these problems.
If I recall correctly, the Isekai in which the protagonist participates in slavery does so not to support slavery, but because he got so fucked over by the rule makers of society that buying friends is the only way he's gonna be able to build a party. There also is one, if memory serves, in which the protagonist bought a slave to free her from an abusive fate, choosing to buy rather than slaughter the slaver and his hundreds of guards because it is still early in his journey and he knows the limits to his combat abilities...and doesn't want to go to prison for the rest of his existence for killing a politically powerful merchant. The only isekai in which the protagonist might buy a slave for the purpose of growing his harem are of the "rape fantasy hentai" variant. Even in ecchi harem comedies, the protagonist doesn't do that.
I think you could have talked about the difference between male and female lead isekai. It's not universal but usually when an isekai has a female lead (book worm, so i'm a spider, Tanya the evil) they usually have much more character driven narratives and usually "subverts" or twists the story (even the one all about a reverse harem game ends up with her cast as the villain) that forces them to start pretty lowly or fight worse starting odds to climb up to reach their goal and have pretty little romance typically. Female isekai almost always start off as the commoner or major underdog who actually have to work hard and detail how hard they work and rarely have a self-insert or power fantasy style character. I think it stands out in a genre that's otherwise full of superman characters and uncomfortable amounts of fanservice. They usually also tend to be the quirkier concepts and seem to have a much higher base line quality. I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if it's just such a schlocky genre these days with so many related tropes which include a male self insert that there's an inordinate chance anyone who decides a female protag which is still a bit of a sellable gimmick in its own right in the modern version fo the genre (a lot of pre-isekai were female led fantasy) probably gave a bit more thought into it on average.
"I'm A Spider, So What" Is one of those anime's where I thought it was gonna be a weird rip-off of another anime (like Slime reincarnation) but turned out to be super awesome
It gets completely carried by the voice actress of Kumoko/White/Shiraori. The always awesome Aoi Yuki, she MAKES the series work. In result the human arc is completely bland and boring, it's all about the spider. Especially spider's trouble with "mother" and "grandma"
@@PerfectAlibi1 the human side works for both world building and the author poking fun of generic isekai cliches, tho it's not supposed to be that much generic, the anime cuts some povs and backstories from the human side making the characters more flat.
@@shirochan8419 I would LOVE to see a spin off just about Kumoko. Maybe with her not being as OP and Arachne form being as "human" she ever becomes, none of this full human form crap.
Fair warning though, this anime does not fuck around with its themes of child soldier and child rape. But it is also probably the only one addressing those themes so definitely an interesting watch albeit mature one.
@@suphorg8597 Historically speaking, the vast majority of a harem were wives or blood relatives. And it should go without saying that sexual relations between blood relatives has always been frowned upon in every society in history, other than in the southern USA of modern times. One of those things is a joke, the rest is a history lesson.
Note* This is only the anime he lists VERBALLY as in SPOKEN words, and NOT what is on the SCREEN. 3:08 Digimon 3:11 Gate 4:13 Digimon World 3 4:14 .hack 4:17 Monster Rancher 4:22 Sword Art Online ("that one with the swords") 4:58 Inuyasha 5:21 Re:Zero 5:22 Digimon 5:23 Gate 6:03 .hack 6:04 Ixion Saga DT 6:06 Monster Rancher (1999) 6:09 Captain N 6:10 Sword Art Online 7:11 Monster Rancher 7:12 Inuyasha 7:13 Sword Art Online 7:14 Rising of the Shield Hero 7:52 (not anime) Dragon Quest 8:02 Tales series (Tales of Vesperia on screen) 8:03 Trails series 8:13 Konosuba 8:14 Princess Connect! Re: Dive 8:58 Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! 9:08 Konosuba 9:09 Bofuri 9:42 By the Grace of the Gods 9:44 I've been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level 10:08 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 10:17 The Slime Diaries 10:31 (not anime) Fire Emblem 10:32 (not anime) Valkyria Chronicles 10:47 Overlord 10:48 Log Horizon 10:49 Gate 12:05 High School Prodigies have it easy even in another world 12:08 The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar 12:16 Conception 12:31 How Not to Summon a Demon Lord 12:34 The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent 12:38 My Next Life as a Villainess 13:01 The Familiar of Zero 13:35 Digimon 13:36 Drifters 13:37 Dog Days 13:52 No Game No Life 14:18 High Rise Invasion 14:51 Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 15:14 So I'm a Spider, So What? 15:23 I'm Standing on a Million Lives 16:29 Sword Art Online 16:40 Ascendence of a Bookworm 16:42 Now and Then, Here and There (apparently this anime is worse than Boku No Pico?) 16:46 Spider (So I'm a Spider, So What?) 17:23 Log Horizon 17:34 Re:Zero (you already mentioned it in the video at 5:21. Don't worry, I'm just being an asshole for the lols) 18:16 Mushoku Tensei 18:18 The Saga of Tanya the Evil 18:38 Vision of Escaflowne 18:40 Brave Story 18:41 .hack//sign 18:53 Now and Then, Here and There (It might just be worse? I have no clue) 19:05 Re: Zero 19:50 Konosuba 19:52 (not anime) Dragon Quest 19:53 Combatants Will be Dispatched 19:56 (not anime) Phantasy Star (don't forget to check out Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis!) 19:58 (not anime) Star Ocean 19:59 Ixion Saga DT 20:15 Overly Cautious Hero 20:16 Full Dive 20:21 (not anime) That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha 20:34 Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi 20:43 Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 20:54 (not anime) Kingdom Hearts 20:56 (not anime) Kingdom Hearts 21:22 Re:CREATORS 20:23 Sonic X 21:35 The Devil is a Part Timer 22:21 To Your Eternity 22:28 Mushoku Tensei Please don't kill me plox, I just made this so my brain could store the information somewhere other than my internal hentai folder. Edit* This list was easy, if you want a true challenge (at least from my eyes), someone could list all of the anime shown on screen. I would do it, but it's beyond my ability.
Respect dude, huge respect. There are 7 billion people in this world and you are one of those cares about other people andvalue them. May you get all the happiness of this world.
Not gonna lie, Tensura feels like a tycoon simulator with rpg elements as rimuru is literally building an empire and having to manage every aspect of it
Especially by the end of the second season, where rimiru is playing on a whole other level compared to most other anime protagonists. (And, from what I've heard of the LNs, Tempest ends up growing to a scale that'd best be represented by a round of Civilization.)
That’s probably why I love it so much. It’s not your typical Human gets reborn and is the hero that kills the demon king no it’s the opposite. Human is reborn and that’s it there is no goal he has to achieve. He is free to do anything and what does he choose to do? Unite all monsters into a nation of Monsters while slowly but surely becoming a god like being. And still remaining relatively humane in his actions. I didn’t red the light novel or manga I don’t know wich one it is but from the anime alone it is just a dude building an empire only because he chose to do so.
You never mentioned Iruma-kun! I LOVE Iruma-kun! It definitely qualifies as a comedy isekai. It plays with the idea of a survival isekai (since he might be literally eaten if anyone finds out he's human), but ultimately makes almost any mention of it into a joke. It also messes around with the overpowered mc trope and also with the "cheat mode." Ahhhh it's so much fun :)
I like how Iruma's quirks are treated like immutable rules of the show, it gives it a fun saturday morning cartoon vibe where it's simultaneously predictable but you have fun seeing how it plays out.
The reason that we have so many isekai is that a world class calamity happened when we were asleep, and The God Of Isekai isekaied the whole world into one that makes isekai for him to watch. No incell shall get a visit from Truck-kun because it already happened.
Maple's balanced pretty well with her friends, though. She's just completely unbalanced in every other respect. (And I love the wrinkle that the admins are kinda stuck, because she's become so popular that she's become a huge draw to the game and its de-facto mascot. Nerfing her would be suicidal for their business.) (I also love that she knows absolutely none of this, and thinks she's just having low-stakes fun instead of carrying an entire corporation's fortunes on her back.)
My theory is that it’s another flaw with how the game system works. Something like you need to be able to inflict a certain amount of damage with your bite to properly eat food items, or if players can cook and eat monster parts they have to function as food items.
i gotta love how ascendance of a bookworm played the joke of "wait, this is a FANTASY isekai?" when she learned about magic contracts after hard grinding the new world simply relying on her wits to barely get by in this new world
The viewers got plenty of hints based on all the magical plants, but Main was usually too sick to get out of the house and actually see those plants LOL.
That's one of the odd parts of this video: bookworm is very much NOT a "no-power" scenario. If anything it's the opposite, where the power is very much there and very very much a problem. Kinda wonder if Geoff finished it.
@@CrispBaker in the words of Order of the Stick's general Tarquin: Power I can't access is no power at all. Myne might theoretically be an incredibly powerful mage, but as of the end of season two (I haven't read the light novels myself) she still isn't capable of wielding said power with any real agency, and it puts her in trouble constantly, both via her illness and because of the way it's existence threatens the class system. And that latter point is where the real 'no power' comes in. As a low-class child, she can't actually do much. Thanks to her book-smarts she manages to impress the people around her enough that she can convince them to help her, and over the course of the series she leverages that help into further advantages, but it's still an incredibly precarious position where pissing off the wrong person ones makes it all crash down. I would argue that it's more of a grind anime with a glacial level progression then a strict 'no-power', mostly because precarious as her situation is, it is improving, and she might wield magic properly later, but it's far closer to no-power than it is to god or cheat modes.
@@youdont12know in this pov we can say then that Mine's real power comes at part 3. Actually, one early arch in this part she ABUSES of power (not magical, social power) and lear fast to never to it again ever.
The funny thing is that Bookworm is essentially a survival type, just in different maps every time (lower city first, then temple, then others), or rather an ever expanding map, since she still has access to the early maps.
Then there's the _"suffering"_ isekai genre, with Shield Hero (C tier), Re:Zero (A tier) and "Now and Then, Here and There" (S tier) in ascending levels of despair. I highly recommend watching the latter, one of the classic gems of the early 2000s - if dystopian and desolation are part of your viewer's vocabulary then this would be right up your alley.
@@fitmotheyap the S tier one (Here and Then, Now and There) is basically if you are a middle schooler get stranded on a post apocalyptic world with no power, knowledge, whatsoever filled with giant monsters tryana eat you and army constantly on ur tail to hunt you down.
MB : There are four levels of difficulty. Me : Where is the Dumbass mode ? Where they have powers but they don't use them at all or use them very inefficiently.
would dumbass mode count the "get sidetracked by the side quest" ? as in "instead of defeating the demon lord, they spent years trying to win at the mini game involving playing the flute, to the point even the demon lord is waiting for the protagonist toget it together and continue the story?"
@@sirog7116 no the light novel series to be a power in the shadow Its a series where mc is pretty much the strongest but he has a dream of becoming the weekest side character But ended up making a full blown cult organization that is working to save the world while he thinks all his actions is self preservation Its a hilarious series itll have an anime adaptation soon if i remember correctly
It really is. Definitely the anti-isekai in that it manages to thread the needle of being profoundly anti-wish-fulfillment while still not veering into pointless edginess. Just bleak and sad in a measured way, with some beautiful images of a dying world. I guess it also helps that its more of a post-apocalyptic anime that just happens to feature the isekai framing device.
Code lyoko is less isekai and more simulation similar to the matrix or Danny phantom where the story exist on two layers. Though to aileta specifically it can be considered survival isekai since she spends i forget how long in the simulation until the protagonists return her back to earth.
@@Sir-Pleiades Ah yes, my favorite Isekai is Alice and Wonderland Followed by Angel Beats (Maybe? I've been arguing about this one in my head for over a year now)
Also beautifully subversive. What you think is about to happen leads to a fake out, then a double fakeout when you realize those red herrings were also true. Even the TITLE of the show is subversive! It's just... amazing.
I like stories where the non heroes are actually saving the world while the actual heroes are incompetent. If you have read the novels you get what I mean. Can't wait for volume 12 to come out. I need more kumoko in my life
The “traditional family unit known as a harem” got me thinking. Has there ever been a “family isekai” that exists like, the Parents and their kids are transported or summoned to another world.
Tsukimichi moonlit fantasy might be what you're looking for but the story isn't focused on family rather the members are individually isekai'd, same with World Trigger which is a underrated anime (atleast outside Japan) and ppl interested in strategy, awesome fights and cool world building should give it a try
@@everyanimereactionever yah it was kinda slow, it gets really good at the end but that's if u could push through a bunch of mid episodes. Even some of the eps were mid I would still give it a 8/10 just cuz the ending is amazing.
To be honest. Re Zero I exactly described as Visual Novel Isekai. Specifically, It's a visual novel where Subaru plays the protagonist VN but being the player, he remembers every time he hits a bad ending and has to load back to the last save. VN-s are often chuck full of deadly bad ends after which you just load back...but it hits different if you have to live thru it instead of just read thru it.
that would actually be really cool. I only watch the anime so I don't know what happens yet, but the enderdragon could be that original spider lady and the endermen could be spiders
Well its not quite the same, but back in the day there was a mod that turned the player into a "spider queen". Had the whole shebang; webs, cocoons, a spider army, uh and other stuff. The quintessential spider experience. That was back in beta 1.7.3 though, so I dunno if its stuck around.
When it comes to isekai, I'm definitely in the strategy and grind or no mode camps. The isekai where the heroes start OP rely heavily on the charisma of their characters, and they tend to be the ones that are at the highest risk of being boring messes. My favorite isekai ever is actually a Chinese web novel (and manhwa) called Release That Witch, which is about an engineer who wakes up in the body of a fantasy 4th prince who has been basically exiled to a border town. He doesn't have magic or anything, but there are witches that he takes in that do have magic, and instead of using them for combat, he uses all their powers for production type jobs to advance his town's technology and survivability, and propel human kind's technology light years forward. Highly recommended.
Ok. I've just finished my 2 week binge read of the novel and came all the way back here to say thank you. It was a great experience, which I'd never had without your recommendation. Hope, more people could enjoy it too.
@@grigorot2940 I'm glad you liked it! I've read it like 3 times myself. Unfortunately, the author basically had to rush the ending, because China cracked down on the web novel site he was posting on, and started banning any literature that showed any sort of governing type other than the Communist regime that China had. It was pretty frustrating, as I felt there was a little further they could explore into demons and further advances they could have made with their industries.
OP protags are some of the most entertaining if done right. They just need to avoid the boilerplate "totally not Kirito" protagonist and do something interesting. Lots of low level trash anime doesn't do this, but there's stuff out there worth watching with OP protagonists. Overlord, Reincarnated as a Sword, Skeleton Knight, the recent Eminence in Shadow, and a several others do it pretty well, mostly standing on the personality of the protagonist being entertaining enough to carry the show.
Reincarnated as a villainess is surprisingly it’s own genre of isekai at this point While I’ve only seen 1 anime with that premise, I’ve seen more than a dozen manga use it Probably my favorite so far is “the villainess Cecilia doesn’t want to die so she decided to crossdress”
@@Ai-yahUdingus I am confident they mean "I Favor the Villainess" (officially licensed as "I'm In Love with the Villainess"). It's originally a web novel, but has been adapted into light novel and manga too.
The traveling-between worlds isekai seems like a dying breed at this point. There are a lot of stories that could be explored with this that I’m surprised they’re not explored to its fullest. VR/MMO animes are the closest thing to this in recent years and even then they’re hit or miss.
Unfortunately/Fortunately, most VRMMO animes prefer to skip entirely or gloss over their real-world aspects. Much like how So I'm a Spider _should_ gloss over their human-centric story sections.
The best part about Konosuba's demon lord plot is that the most of the big bads in story give our heroes less trouble than giant frogs. Two of them even become friendly side characters.
@@kllrnooooova no. nearly every enemy lives on Gravity falls, and are based/born on pop culture/mythologies Wierdmegedon is possibly reverse isekai, but it encapsulates nearly as many genres as it can to a child audience and is more about closing the reverse isekai portal than trying to allow it to enter. It's like saying a demon portal opened up, and everyone is trying to close it. Solo leveling is more in this catagory because if the dungeon is unattended for too long, the monsters escape
I like "So I'm a spider so what" because it is a really nice grinder isekai but it also focuses on how the act of reincarnation and their new enviornment changes people. It has also got a few mysteries that are very fun to theorize about.
I mean, he kinda hit the nail on the head there. Spider starts as a survival isekai, then slowly shifts into 'strategy' once we hit the top of the food chain.
@@gwendolynneko4070 The manga is going to be behind the anime by the end of the season. You’ll have to switch to the light novels, if you want to get to that part.
Isekai has grown to the point of having subgenres, while itself being a subgenre of fantasy. That shows its size and scope is quite impressive. My primary issue with isekai is how often it's unnecessary, if you are going to use a subgenre, it should be to explore something about it. "because isekai" is more common than I care for
Isekai is really growing on me now. Maybe it's just because I've seen so many good ones lately (reincarnated slime, reincarnated assassin, mushoku tensei) but it seems like there's so many different good stories that can be told using that formula
Especially if the main character/ characters dont react or care that they're in a new world and have no clue if they could go back home. If the lead/leads are indifferent of the situation then just make it a fantasy series
I have noticed that there are very few people with strong disdain for SAO that actually form their own opinions. Ask anyone unfamiliar with weeb culture and they almost always like it. Hating it is okay, there is enough about it to justify the hate, just don't trample on the other people for liking that shitty sword anime.
I can’t say I hate it, but I am disappointed. It’s pretty bad when I consider the spin-offs to be better than the main storyline (I mean, Progressive pretty much fills the major complaint a lot of anime fans had, which was wondering why they didn’t focus on just the 75 floor grind through Aincrad).
I actually like isekais, but most don't live up to their true potential. I don't mind if the MC is OP, but either show them getting there or have them use their power in interesting ways or the MC will end up being extremely boring. If the draw is the reactions of the side characters to the MC, then the side characters better have some personality or it's just a trashy slice-of-life show with no appeal. Fanservice can't hold up a safe for work show.
I love isekai that never forget that the characters are from another world. My Next Life as a Villainess and Asendence of a Bookworm cover how much sudden reincarnation makes the characters realize they're alone and they left behind all their friends and family
@@kllrnooooova They're actually people with their own baggage that this second life is giving them the opportunity to address and cope with in a healthy manner.
that one episode of Villainess sucker-punched me with the feels, dammit. genuinely did not anticipate the gravity with which the subject was handled in an otherwise bubbly show.
This hasn't been animated yet, but my current favorite Isekai series is called Omniscient Readers Viewpoint. It's a web novel that is being made into a web comic, and I think it's a reverse Isekai. But it's also extremely meta with itself and the audience. Basically, a web novel inside the web novel (already confusing, I know) is made into reality, and our protagonist is the only thing me who knows how the story will end because he's the only one who has read it. It's mainly based in South Korea, but it's still something I'd recommend to anyone looking for a good reverse Isekai!
With the rise of Re-Zero's popularity, I've been seeing quite a bit of "Soulsborne", or Retry-by-Death Isekai popping up in manga and LN lately... might be a trend that will reach anime pretty soon
@@tommihommi1 I would call it inconsistent rather than terrible - there are parts that look really good, but they're probably 50/50 on the cg being well blended or total dogshit.
From the perspective of someone who hasn't finished it yet, I always hate it when they go to the humans though. Because it's fairly by the books story telling I find myself struggling to care about the humans at all. When it's Kumoko solo is when the show has been shining for me.
For the past few months, I've been reading Overlord's light novel and all I can say is... I'm in love. By far the best isekai I've come across, but That Time I Got Reincarnated As Yamcha (albeit being a one-shot) is a close second.
I'll be the first to admit that Overlord is a very high quality LN, but I dropped it as I have zero tolerance for evil protagonists. I'm okay with flawed protagonists, but feeding souls to lovecraftian abominations crosses the line.
Another version I like to include in Isekai is the Sci-Fi variant of Isekai. It's literally the same concept as Fantasy Isekai, only some sort of Sci-Fi method of transport is used. Being frozen for an extended period of time like in Futurama, finding a portal of some kind like in Star Gate, shot through a Worm Hole like Farscape, or alien abduction like in The Last Star Fighter. Its the same basic premise, a person from our world being thrust into another world/worlds, only the magical elements are replaced with advanced technology.
Gonna recommend a show that is sci-fi bonding isekai and also time fantasy metallic ship isekai (I know that description sucks but it's kinda hard to describe). "Gargantica on the Verdurous planet" is a good anime, I wouldn't say it's the best but I enjoyed it and kinda got a great anime vibe to it!
@randomguy8196 I mean, a world full of alien problems and injustices is pretty cool too. But, yeah, why would you want to go to a world that's more or less exactly the same? On paper that just doesn't make sense.
@randomguy8196 I know you think that. I'm agreeing with you that a world that's the same as ours would be undesirable. However, I'm disagreeing with you that a dark or bad world makes a bad premise for an anime, especially if that world has different kinds of problems than ours, for example cosmic horror, multiple sentient species to deal with, hivemind abominations assimilating people, or a new species of cats brought on by discord moderator genetic chemist playing god that are super intelligent and took over the world leaving human potential in the dust. Or just the good old fashion mother nature being a bitch Isekai because we live in a world that seems to no longer has a true unexplored wilderness.
@randomguy8196 That's just semantics. I meant that you'd personally be turned off by the premise of a dark Isekai while I wouldn't. And yeah, disappointingly, people have been making Isekai anime edgy simply to stand apart from the harem power fantasy Isekais, and I also agree it's a little oversaturated nowadays. However, oversaturation has almost nothing to do with the quality of a genre; it wasn't too long ago that the escapism isekais were everywhere.
My Next Life as a Villainess is part of a specific genre of isekai that’s popular in shoujo light novels and mangas that’s reincarnation into a specific story where the character has a terrible ending they must avoid or they’re just not interested in being a protagonist/villain. It’s pretty fun and Bakarina is one of the most famous and I hope it’s popularity makes this genre more likely to be animated, it’s one of my favorites because it lends itself to many kinds of stories
Finally someone mentioning Dr. Stone isekai candidate hahaha I was wondering that even a story in which a person goes live abroad could be painted as isekai, if made right: language, culture, architecture, and people are different, you don't know anyone, surviving can be pretty tough starting up, and technology can be way better or seriously lacking.
One aspect that I've not yet seen explored overtly is the Tragedy Isekai. In pretty much every anime I've seen, save a few exceptions, the story of the Isekai involves the protagonist moving up in the world: Rimuru builds up his monster nation, Subaru climbs higher in his efforts to just help his friends survive, Kumoku just keeps getting stronger and stronger as she acquires more and more terrifying titles and skills, and so forth and so on. There's hardly a limit on the apparent upward mobility of the protagonist. One of the exceptions to this, one that is definitely more subtle about the themes of tragedy is Ascendance of a Bookworm. Even all the way back in volume 2 of the light novel, one of Myne's greater struggles is about how she can fight to stay close to her family, despite the political forces pulling her upwards into the nobility's sphere of influence. Even though Myne is moving up in society like many Isekai protagonist, she's one of the few cases who overtly dislike this upwards movement. Each of Myne's moments that takes her higher in society is framed as a loss for her, as all she wishes is to remain close to her family.
@@diablo.the.cheater Depends on how they handle the reactions to the tragedy; sure, it's just a bummer if an anime is constantly spiraling downwards and the protag is just a depressed heap by the end of it, but when they handle the tragedy in a meaningful way, and they properly explore the cast coming to terms with it, it can lead to a very interesting story. You could start with your typical strategy-battle isekai, where through no faults of their own, the protagonist gets disgraced and ultimately exiled, and so you can end the series as a typical hangout isekai. Strictly speaking, the only thing that defines a tragedy is moving from a higher place to a lower place, so one doesn't even have to have anyone be hurt to explore themes of tragedy in a meaningful way.
My favorite Isekai/Reincarnation stories are definitely ones with female protagonists: So I'm a Spider, My Next Life as a Villainess, and Deathbound Duke's Daughter just to name a few, but Slime and Shield Hero are also top-tier for me.
Tbh I dropped villainess at around episode 10 or so It wasn't bad but couldn't keep me interested My favourite Isekai right now (are the once where I also read the Novel) Are So I am a spider, Overlord and Arifureta Didn't hear of the third you mentioned. Maybe I check that out
I think one thing that differentiates most modern isekai from the older ones is that the older ones were more like Narnia, go to a fantasy world, take part in some epic quest, and then return home enriched by the experience. The Hero's Journey in a nut shell, while modern isekai don't usually need the protagonist to return to complete their journey. (Or learn anything about themselves in the case of protagonists with so few defining traits that learning any of them would be more akin to them reading out their drivers license than anything else.) I think this shift in goal is most likely a combination of a few things, little to no means of return, the fact that most of these characters don't exactly have much to return to and/or would have to abandon everything they built in that world. (Although in Narnia they went from ruling an entire country back to England during a war, so maybe this is more of a cultural thing.) Another factor would probably be franchise sustainability as some of them like Digimon and SAO went the same way as Narnia and just had the protagonist from earlier books comeback and help other children get thrust into a violent and dangerous fantasy world because it happened to them as kids so by golly they'll make sure it happens to others. And while it works for them it probably wouldn't work for say Re;Zero because the protagonist doesn't have a set, easily available or sustainable way to or from his home world to the fantasy unlike say Gate where they can go back anytime they want or need to. I would also like to point out that if the modern isekai's basic concept is get transported to another world by God, be given some cheat (Super powers, magic or a mystic sword,), be sent of to defeat the demon king and co, and build a kingdom of magical creatures and have a long and prospers reign, that's basically the plot synopsis to The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe. I think about this it would be interesting if Narnia gave them inspiration like how Tolkien has for fantasy or if people just write this way because these are common enough themes that everyone likes them.
types of isekai in this era: •Ridiculously overpowered MC •The power of friendship! type of MC •Waifus! gotta catch em all! type of MC and •hmmmmmm, fanservice. kind of MC
1, 3, 4 often come together in the same package though. I think it's easier to just ask "how much is this isekai trying to jerk the audience off?" Because if it spends more than 70% of its runtime doing that, it's probably garbage.
@@oboretaiwritingch.2077 Yea its like h*ntai. and anime. hanime for short.... i dont know how the fk redo of healer got passed thru the anti-h*ntai barrier.
More generally speaking, the "save/load" checkpoint feature is the game element whereas Subaru as just another agent/vehicle for change is more akin to an NPC/side character if we were to look at it through DS archetypes. The player is a powerful force for eliminating perceived threats directly with or without an assistant NPC. Subaru is fundamentally a character unable to overcome their own trials through the DS powerscaling system of the MC. Nowhere can subaru amp his stats or gain the incredible power required to defeat the great threats in the world; he is more of an observer and participant who can use his words and actions to influence those truly powerful in the world.
Are we gonna talk about how MB went to explaining the Clamp verse to mentioning Kingdom Hearts to mentioning Reverse Isekai?!? That transition was smooth as hell!!!
Chronicles of Narnia manages to buck the trend and avoid the typical harem trope, and is curious in its willingness to hop between video game styles, from the broad-reaching episodic adventure of Voyage of the Dawn Treader to the strategy/mystery game of figuring out how the rings work in The Magician's Nephew all the way to the more standard reincarnation isekai style of The Last Battle. It's been a fun series of light novels to read through, and I hope it gets a proper anime adaptation soon.
The author was a devout Christian and the symbolism isn't remotely subtle, and the series predates the whole "harem" thing in stuff like that by quite a while as they were all published in the 50s. Given what it is, it would be weird if it did include the whole "harem" thing.
On paper the party is incredibly well rounded, covering all the clases you would expect in a traditional JRPG party: "priest"/white mage (Aqua), thief (kazuma), knight (darkness), dark mage (megumi). The fact that none of them can actually fulfill their party role doesn't make the party less well rounded.
@@Slash-XVI They have everything... except a Damage Dealer/Carry/DPS. Aqua does high damage, but only to undead. Kazuma has massive crit potential on weak points, but only if said weakpoint is a thievable item. Darkness has zero damage output and no dexterity, so she only wins fights against opponents dumb enough to headbutt her. Megumi has fantastic damage output, but no IFF and can only cast once per day (twice if shennanigans are used). They have no crowd control, no aggro, no mobility, don't even joke about stealth, and lousy gear. The are the sort that could win against a demigod but lose to common bandits (heck, half of them would happily join the bandits while the other half would happily be captured).
My favourite is still Re:ZERO since I love the fact that it uses its cute anime girl cast as a facade to hide a more darker and scarier tone to it. It completely took me off guard, especially since I watched Isekai Quartet first.
So glad to hear you talk about Brave Story, we had the book in my school library back in the day and I was so stoked when I found out it had a movie. I really need to watch/read it again
Shout out ti "That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha!" Didn't know it was real until I read it, and it was a great and quick read! Thanks for the recommendation!
From your examples, my favorite type of isekai is strategy isekai. Log Horizon, Overlord, and Slimesekai are some of favorite anime of all time. I'm not super in to strategy games myself, but I certainly enjoy watching the careful crafting, application, and resolution of well laid plans, as well as watching the planners improvise when the situation throws them a curve ball.
Finally another Log Horizon enjoyer. Strategy is also my favorite, as it has the flexibility to be serious and funny when it needs to, and you can experience how the characters overcome problems using their brain, not just overpowered MC.
One great-grandfather of the entire Isekai genre is the 1889 novel "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain. By your definitions, it fits the "Management", "No Mode", and "Subversive/Cinematic" genres of Isekai as the protagonist is an engineer from "modern" (late 19th century) America who ends up in Arthurian England after getting hit in the head with a crowbar. He proceeds to use his wits and engineering knowledge to survive, run, and eventually transform (difficulty moving into "Cheat Mode" once he makes firearms technology) the medieval kingdom he's in.
I feel like Mother's Basement would really enjoy Twelve Kingdoms given his assessments on Isekai that aren't easily defined. Only downside is that it's old and that at the time it was made it didn't finish one of the key stories due to the novel not being written yet. Yoko's story is finished however so it's worth it for that alone.
It was a really odd omission, especially since it's far more of an Isekai than "Now and Then, Here and There" which featured highly. Then again, Fushigi Yuugi was left out too.
Every few years I rewatch just for the buildup to the best oh snap line. You know which one. About 3 lines that takes an already great show and just makes it amazing.
I think that falls under the general "vehicular combat game" genre. I mean it's not really that much different from a fighter jet simulator or tank simulator.
All those years of playing Heavy Gear games and later the Armored Core series (and some online multiplayer game that i can't remember the name of) and people are just gonna group that in with like driving a tank or plane. "just like any other vehicle commonly used to fight with. and they can even borrow from their real world counterparts"
imo it's a useful premise when not used to just self-insert a hollow viewer-vessel into a power fantasy. When it's using the protag's unfamiliarity with the world to introduce us, with the same level of unfamiliarity, to it, I think it's really cool. Granted, much the same can just be accomplished with amnesia, though that's pretty hackneyed and played out too. For me, the coolness of it relies heavily on the complexity of the world the protag is dropped into.
I remember stumbling upon it as a Light Novel reader and thought "yeah, there's that huh" then proceeding to read even "worse" ones. That one is just a tip of an iceberg for us. An entry level of weirdness we're all too numb to.
@@Bluemansonic Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? I’ve only read the first novel, rather than see the anime, but it is just so bad. The only character who wasn’t some kind of horrible was Porta and everyone and everything in it is just so incredibly stupid. But just in case you’re interested regardless, the basic premise is that a teenage boy is trapped with his mom in a portal MMO created by the government expressly for the purpose of helping kids and mothers grow closer together. They form a party with other kids who are estranged from their parents for various reasons. The kids are frustrated however by it being the moms who get all the overpowered cheat abilities and focus, and “shenanigans” involving disturbing amounts of incest-focused fanservice ensue.
I think one of my main problems with most Isekai is the world building. It's hard to get invested in their world when things like magic don't get proper explanations. They're just there with no reason and somehow I'm supposed to know how they work lol. It might also be because a lot of Isekai are targeted towards people who are already into the genre, so they already understand the tropes. It's hard for newcomers like myself to get invested in them because it requires a level of understanding of anime and video game references. It's probably also because a lot of them are Light Novels, so the anime cuts a lot important things or maybe even minute details thinking that the audience will get it.
I haven’t seen anyone talk about .hack at all in years and you name dropped it like 5 times this video. I need to go back to the series now that I’m older.
Yeah! I love that show! It's not anime though but I think even some Western animation can count as Isekai. Even Amphibia is an Isekai through and through. I especially love that in Owl House, they gave us a lesbian character, something that only anime has been doing lately.
As a LN reader, So I'm a Spider does indeed exactly what you say, and pretty much shifts genre from Survival to Management/Strategy, at least in the kind of viewpoint we get on the event. Though in some ways it's like our spider herself is never really the protagonist of that.
6:26 Honestly, I really don't think a talk on isekai is complete without discussing LitRPG, because that genre of literature is actually *older* than what a lot of people consider isekai, with novels going back to the 80s and 90s. Hell, "the world operating on RPG mechanics" is literally what defines the genre, complete with subgenres for VRMMOs, reincarnation, and cultivation. To be honest, it's less "isekai influenced litrpg" as much as "every anime with video game mechanics is part of the LitRPG genre." Because they, down to the manga and light novels that started them, were inspired by literary LitRPGs.
The levelling system and rpg mechanics of Overlord are almost completely absent from the plot. For one, all the characters are either max level or near the limit of their max level, so there is no false "progression" element. Almost the entire story is dialogue, intrigue, and character (un)development.
@@r3dp9 The world's system and all the people in it, is based off of D&D, a literary rpg. The actions Ainz makes causes mass ripples through the world that changes how everyone acts, reacts and grows both on an emotional level to an economical level. Something fun to note. In most D&D editions the DMG gives examples of renown per level. In almost all cases, level 11 is a consistent number where the NPCs or players are strong enough to be famous all over the region and beyond. That consistency carries over into Overlord. Fluder is a world famous wizard who's studied magic all his life. His greatest accomplishment is being able to cast 6th level spells. A wizard in earlier editions of D&D, gain their first 6th level spell, at level 11. There's so many things hardboiled into the world and plot of Overlord, be it the mechanics of the world or the easter eggs towards old school D&D. It's impossible to say it's absent.
Now that I think of it, Sliders is a western Isekai then: they travel to another reality each episode and the hero began it all by jumping into a portal... Great video!
"Twelve Kingdoms", survival isekai. Shockingly, when you dump characters from modern Japan into another world with norms and social structures wildly different from what they're used to, no resources, and no support system, they tend to be operating at a distinct disadvantage vis a vis everyone else. There is even a bit of genre deconstruction included, because one of the supporting characters is convinced that she is the "main character" (with all that entails) and it makes it easy for villains to manipulate her because she never stops to consider either the situation or her own actions.
There actually is a mod similar to "I'm a Spider so what" called the Spider queen mod, it's real old like 1.7 old, and there are a few differences, but it's pretty fun and really makes you feel like a spider. plus you can semi organized wars between armies of spiders.
Favorite isekai genre: yes Doesn’t really matter for me at this point as long as the world buildings decent enough to actually carry the story. I’ve had some free time and i’ve been binging practically every isekai manga, manhwa, and webtoon i can get ahold of. Lots get dropped after the first few chapters because by god theyre awful. Current faves im binging as they come out I have a mansion in a post apocalyptic world. Civ building isekai with protag jumping back and forward in time bringing useless gold from a zombie apocalypse future into the past to bring good eats to the future where everyone lives on recycled zombie protine bars and gets a harem by offering a cup of instant noodles. And has the mosthillarios censored sex scenes involving a cartoon chicken…. Ghostly doctor: starts off a good revenge fantasy with some scenes ripped directly from redoo of healer as girl gets resurected into the body of an abused and crippled girl whos literally had her life and identity stolen from her. Then just does a 180 as soon as the revenging is done and turns into a wonderful romance/commedy of op love intrest just trying to have a conversation together without blowing up half the city cause someone interupts.
Re:Zero is one of a really forgotten type of game that originated from another niche, the Gamebook genre. The hero character isn't powerful but the power comes from choices and the unlocked knowledge of exploring possibilities. Re went really deep into this with the time traveling + difficult world + replay value (however hardcore gruesome is it in this game) + unlocking hidden paths with date sim stats TBF cant even recall really complex rpg games here, where your decision actually matters. In gaming community its already a meme that options are completely irrelevant because you get the exact same endgame result, and your best chance is to get a different voiceline. However I barely played any LN dating sim game, where I can imagine the basic game algorithm in its core is a statistic calculation combined with a quiz code. I can only name a few games in my experience that managed to capture this: Long Live the Queen - LN where each option increases a certain stat and after hundreds of deaths you can relive a scenario where your character doesn't even die, or straight conquer the kingdom Fallout 2: RPG elements finally mattered here, and making a certain choice shaped the game around you. (only matter if you are a completionist) Undertale In Re:Zero Subarus true power is the knowledge he knows from his previous trial and errors. And his greed to find the "save all, aka bromance+harem route" When it comes to action Betelguise mentioned its as fighting against someone who is ALWAYS a step ahead, and its infuriating when your enemy is a weakling. Ram gave Subaru trust, because even though he`s incompetent, for some "reasons" he is always at the right place... We viewers know what the "right place" comes from dozens of horrible deaths...
"Traditional family unit known as a Harem"... best line I've heard all year.
I mean, it's true.
That's how I am going to describe Harem's from now on 🤣
A line so good that he had to say it twice.
Historically speaking, yes, a shortage of eligible/wealthy/living males does tend towards that particular solution.
Historically speaking, it also causes way more drama than a monogamous marriage. It's a fun fantasy, but a terrible reality in most cases.
@@r3dp9 You speak as if anime with harem aspects doesn't lead to a crazy amount of drama already. Not to mention the ratio of drama in fantasy monogamy versus how much drama it has in real life.
Futurama is an Isekai. I don't care fry ended up in earth, for all it's worth it's a completely different world. he doesn't even lives on New York anymore, but in new New York
Oh...
Oh my god he's right.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a Isekai too
You might be right, if Fry were objectively the primary character and the story was his story. I agree that the future is essentially a different world that a character has been transported to, however the show isn't "Fry in another world, doing Sit-Com and Rom-Com things" it's "A Sit-Com in another world where one of the characters is from our world". Fry's plight of reconciling his lost present isn't shown as more or less central than any other character's individual 'gimmick', such as Leela being the last of her kind or Bender being a robot, which I think is a strength of the show. He's our introduction to the show and he gets his own episodes, but so does everyone else.
In summary, Fry is a character who got Isekai'd, but saying Futurama 'is an Isekai' is like saying The Jetsons 'is an isekai'. The adventures and hijinks of the crew are the primary focus, most of which could still happen if Fry were a similar person from their own time.
@@daniloacc92 uhhhhhh
@@daniloacc92 Nope. His still in the same world, just in a different social circle. That isn't an isekai, it's just a "fish out of water" story
I’m surprised truck-kun isn’t even mentioned as a player who brings other players to a chance of being isekai’d
Isekai Harems are so sickening at this point,
especially if the Protagonist, after transfering
from Earth to Another World,
only takes 5 Seconds or less to fully and wholeheartedly
accept Slavery as a Common Thing.
...He just... buys girls to add to his Harem...
...what would you have the protagonist do? Toss aside the plot of the series and immediately bend their fate-warping powers towards social reform via conquest of the slave cartels and all associate government agents?
@@slevinchannel7589 I mean even if you want to could you do something. Especially if slavery is rooted into the politics and culture. Plus which shows are you talking about since most of the harem isekai I seen try to combat that. Such as death march into a parallel world. That a harem isekai where the MC does attempt at stopping slavery and discrimination.
@@mastermenthe Yes, because any series in which the protagonist is so under-written that they can go from being a normal member of a society that deeply holds one set of values to being a member of a society that deeply holds a diametrically opposed set of values with no culture shock is not gonna have a plot worth following.
Or if not reform things, at least not _lean into_ the slavery and such. I mean, there are fucked up rules in any modern society too, and you don't need to be a billionaire tycoon with a thousand politicians in your pocket or some kind of warlord to make an effort to avoid actively exacerbating these problems.
If I recall correctly, the Isekai in which the protagonist participates in slavery does so not to support slavery, but because he got so fucked over by the rule makers of society that buying friends is the only way he's gonna be able to build a party. There also is one, if memory serves, in which the protagonist bought a slave to free her from an abusive fate, choosing to buy rather than slaughter the slaver and his hundreds of guards because it is still early in his journey and he knows the limits to his combat abilities...and doesn't want to go to prison for the rest of his existence for killing a politically powerful merchant. The only isekai in which the protagonist might buy a slave for the purpose of growing his harem are of the "rape fantasy hentai" variant. Even in ecchi harem comedies, the protagonist doesn't do that.
I think you could have talked about the difference between male and female lead isekai. It's not universal but usually when an isekai has a female lead (book worm, so i'm a spider, Tanya the evil) they usually have much more character driven narratives and usually "subverts" or twists the story (even the one all about a reverse harem game ends up with her cast as the villain) that forces them to start pretty lowly or fight worse starting odds to climb up to reach their goal and have pretty little romance typically. Female isekai almost always start off as the commoner or major underdog who actually have to work hard and detail how hard they work and rarely have a self-insert or power fantasy style character. I think it stands out in a genre that's otherwise full of superman characters and uncomfortable amounts of fanservice. They usually also tend to be the quirkier concepts and seem to have a much higher base line quality. I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if it's just such a schlocky genre these days with so many related tropes which include a male self insert that there's an inordinate chance anyone who decides a female protag which is still a bit of a sellable gimmick in its own right in the modern version fo the genre (a lot of pre-isekai were female led fantasy) probably gave a bit more thought into it on average.
Including to the list: My new life as a vilaness.
I find that the female led Isekai usually have more well written protagonists than the male counterparts which I prefer
Until you start looking into isekai webonovels...
Escaflowne
Fushigi Yuugi
(Just some more female MC isekai)
To think someone would mention western Web novel Worm. I see your also a spacebattler hello.
"I'm A Spider, So What" Is one of those anime's where I thought it was gonna be a weird rip-off of another anime (like Slime reincarnation) but turned out to be super awesome
Just wait until you see episode 23
It sucks that the animation and pacing get progressively worse with each episode, I rly enjoyed the LN :/
It gets completely carried by the voice actress of Kumoko/White/Shiraori.
The always awesome Aoi Yuki, she MAKES the series work.
In result the human arc is completely bland and boring, it's all about the spider.
Especially spider's trouble with "mother" and "grandma"
@@PerfectAlibi1 the human side works for both world building and the author poking fun of generic isekai cliches, tho it's not supposed to be that much generic, the anime cuts some povs and backstories from the human side making the characters more flat.
@@shirochan8419
I would LOVE to see a spin off just about Kumoko. Maybe with her not being as OP and Arachne form being as "human" she ever becomes, none of this full human form crap.
"Do not watch that show unless you want to get profoundly bummed out"
Okay, adding it to my list right now. Thank you.
Hey what's sup man! Nice to see you on this video!
Fair warning though, this anime does not fuck around with its themes of child soldier and child rape.
But it is also probably the only one addressing those themes so definitely an interesting watch albeit mature one.
@@HerrHick What anime are you talking about? And what the fuc-
@@mr.vietnam1575 Well the one the original poster and Geoff mentioned : "now and then, here and there"
how is this guy the first comment i see on so many videos lol
"The traditional family unit known as a Harem." *-Mother's Basement, 2021*
family and harem DONT MIX
@@suphorg8597
Excuse me, sir.
You have a call from some anime series called Tenchi Muyo.
@@suphorg8597 Historically speaking, the vast majority of a harem were wives or blood relatives. And it should go without saying that sexual relations between blood relatives has always been frowned upon in every society in history, other than in the southern USA of modern times.
One of those things is a joke, the rest is a history lesson.
@@dontmisunderstand6041 hey! I'll have you know that I've never had relations with my sister not that I have a sister
@@dontmisunderstand6041 idk man the areabians and egyptians were really into that haram thing and incest was pretty common back then too.
"And probably have some strong opinions about it" would be a rather strong understatement
69 nice
I have a pretty strong indifference to the genre, myself.
@@Rognik I like it when it is done well
Sword Art Online fans in a nutshell. Some of them are so toxic, while others are pretty chill. Just so you know, I'm in the later.
Note* This is only the anime he lists VERBALLY as in SPOKEN words, and NOT what is on the SCREEN.
3:08 Digimon
3:11 Gate
4:13 Digimon World 3
4:14 .hack
4:17 Monster Rancher
4:22 Sword Art Online ("that one with the swords")
4:58 Inuyasha
5:21 Re:Zero
5:22 Digimon
5:23 Gate
6:03 .hack
6:04 Ixion Saga DT
6:06 Monster Rancher (1999)
6:09 Captain N
6:10 Sword Art Online
7:11 Monster Rancher
7:12 Inuyasha
7:13 Sword Art Online
7:14 Rising of the Shield Hero
7:52 (not anime) Dragon Quest
8:02 Tales series (Tales of Vesperia on screen)
8:03 Trails series
8:13 Konosuba
8:14 Princess Connect! Re: Dive
8:58 Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!
9:08 Konosuba
9:09 Bofuri
9:42 By the Grace of the Gods
9:44 I've been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level
10:08 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
10:17 The Slime Diaries
10:31 (not anime) Fire Emblem
10:32 (not anime) Valkyria Chronicles
10:47 Overlord
10:48 Log Horizon
10:49 Gate
12:05 High School Prodigies have it easy even in another world
12:08 The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar
12:16 Conception
12:31 How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
12:34 The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent
12:38 My Next Life as a Villainess
13:01 The Familiar of Zero
13:35 Digimon
13:36 Drifters
13:37 Dog Days
13:52 No Game No Life
14:18 High Rise Invasion
14:51 Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
15:14 So I'm a Spider, So What?
15:23 I'm Standing on a Million Lives
16:29 Sword Art Online
16:40 Ascendence of a Bookworm
16:42 Now and Then, Here and There (apparently this anime is worse than Boku No Pico?)
16:46 Spider (So I'm a Spider, So What?)
17:23 Log Horizon
17:34 Re:Zero (you already mentioned it in the video at 5:21. Don't worry, I'm just being an asshole for the lols)
18:16 Mushoku Tensei
18:18 The Saga of Tanya the Evil
18:38 Vision of Escaflowne
18:40 Brave Story
18:41 .hack//sign
18:53 Now and Then, Here and There (It might just be worse? I have no clue)
19:05 Re: Zero
19:50 Konosuba
19:52 (not anime) Dragon Quest
19:53 Combatants Will be Dispatched
19:56 (not anime) Phantasy Star (don't forget to check out Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis!)
19:58 (not anime) Star Ocean
19:59 Ixion Saga DT
20:15 Overly Cautious Hero
20:16 Full Dive
20:21 (not anime) That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha
20:34 Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
20:43 Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
20:54 (not anime) Kingdom Hearts
20:56 (not anime) Kingdom Hearts
21:22 Re:CREATORS
20:23 Sonic X
21:35 The Devil is a Part Timer
22:21 To Your Eternity
22:28 Mushoku Tensei
Please don't kill me plox, I just made this so my brain could store the information somewhere other than my internal hentai folder.
Edit* This list was easy, if you want a true challenge (at least from my eyes), someone could list all of the anime shown on screen. I would do it, but it's beyond my ability.
Thank you I’ve been searching the comments for this!
Star Ocean is a video game.
Wow I have a lot of catch up on
I could probably list most of the ones that appear on screen but there's probably one or two I won't be able to tell
Respect dude, huge respect. There are 7 billion people in this world and you are one of those cares about other people andvalue them. May you get all the happiness of this world.
Not gonna lie, Tensura feels like a tycoon simulator with rpg elements as rimuru is literally building an empire and having to manage every aspect of it
Especially by the end of the second season, where rimiru is playing on a whole other level compared to most other anime protagonists. (And, from what I've heard of the LNs, Tempest ends up growing to a scale that'd best be represented by a round of Civilization.)
He's going for the cultural victory.
That’s probably why I love it so much. It’s not your typical Human gets reborn and is the hero that kills the demon king no it’s the opposite. Human is reborn and that’s it there is no goal he has to achieve. He is free to do anything and what does he choose to do? Unite all monsters into a nation of Monsters while slowly but surely becoming a god like being. And still remaining relatively humane in his actions.
I didn’t red the light novel or manga I don’t know wich one it is but from the anime alone it is just a dude building an empire only because he chose to do so.
Yeah like Gigguk said, it's the Isekai equivalent of a Civilization game.
@@Manie230 besides the "slowly" part
The genre that gave birth to what would be a quintessential character archetype for decades to come...
*Truck-kun*
Ah Truck-kun. The serial killer with the highest bodycount ever.
@@John_Stephens43 Simo Hayha sees Truck-kun in his nightmares.
The final villain in all of isekai
There is a web comic "Isekai Transporter" where the driver of Truck-kun is tasked with sending Heroes to other worlds for profit.
@@earnestbrown6524 That sounds like a pretty cool webcomic (and a fun anime job)
You never mentioned Iruma-kun! I LOVE Iruma-kun! It definitely qualifies as a comedy isekai. It plays with the idea of a survival isekai (since he might be literally eaten if anyone finds out he's human), but ultimately makes almost any mention of it into a joke. It also messes around with the overpowered mc trope and also with the "cheat mode." Ahhhh it's so much fun :)
Ikr why don't much people want it
I like how Iruma's quirks are treated like immutable rules of the show, it gives it a fun saturday morning cartoon vibe where it's simultaneously predictable but you have fun seeing how it plays out.
Clara is precious
@@okojus7353 Only put it on to make fun of it initially and I loved it.
It's rosario vampire how it should be, everyday survival in whacky monster school
The reason that we have so many isekai is that a world class calamity happened when we were asleep, and The God Of Isekai isekaied the whole world into one that makes isekai for him to watch. No incell shall get a visit from Truck-kun because it already happened.
N-NANI?!?!
Oh fuk that’s to much meta
But I dont sleep
So is this, reverse isekai and survival isekai?
That time I got reincarnated as myself in my own world
Him: "like bofuri offers a well rounded party"
*Meanwhile*
*Mapple eats a admin and gets admin powers*
Maple's balanced pretty well with her friends, though. She's just completely unbalanced in every other respect.
(And I love the wrinkle that the admins are kinda stuck, because she's become so popular that she's become a huge draw to the game and its de-facto mascot. Nerfing her would be suicidal for their business.)
(I also love that she knows absolutely none of this, and thinks she's just having low-stakes fun instead of carrying an entire corporation's fortunes on her back.)
To be fair they fucked up making eating so powerful.
Hey, Maple's woolly ability makes her VERY well rounded.
My theory is that it’s another flaw with how the game system works. Something like you need to be able to inflict a certain amount of damage with your bite to properly eat food items, or if players can cook and eat monster parts they have to function as food items.
@@LordSusaga who are you who is so wise in the forbbiden knowledge?
Can we say that Mark Twain is the Grandfather of the Isekai Genre since he wrote, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" in 1889.
Ninja'd me by 2 years
i gotta love how ascendance of a bookworm played the joke of "wait, this is a FANTASY isekai?" when she learned about magic contracts after hard grinding the new world simply relying on her wits to barely get by in this new world
The viewers got plenty of hints based on all the magical plants, but Main was usually too sick to get out of the house and actually see those plants LOL.
That's one of the odd parts of this video: bookworm is very much NOT a "no-power" scenario. If anything it's the opposite, where the power is very much there and very very much a problem. Kinda wonder if Geoff finished it.
@@CrispBaker in the words of Order of the Stick's general Tarquin: Power I can't access is no power at all.
Myne might theoretically be an incredibly powerful mage, but as of the end of season two (I haven't read the light novels myself) she still isn't capable of wielding said power with any real agency, and it puts her in trouble constantly, both via her illness and because of the way it's existence threatens the class system.
And that latter point is where the real 'no power' comes in. As a low-class child, she can't actually do much. Thanks to her book-smarts she manages to impress the people around her enough that she can convince them to help her, and over the course of the series she leverages that help into further advantages, but it's still an incredibly precarious position where pissing off the wrong person ones makes it all crash down.
I would argue that it's more of a grind anime with a glacial level progression then a strict 'no-power', mostly because precarious as her situation is, it is improving, and she might wield magic properly later, but it's far closer to no-power than it is to god or cheat modes.
@@youdont12know in this pov we can say then that Mine's real power comes at part 3.
Actually, one early arch in this part she ABUSES of power (not magical, social power) and lear fast to never to it again ever.
The funny thing is that Bookworm is essentially a survival type, just in different maps every time (lower city first, then temple, then others), or rather an ever expanding map, since she still has access to the early maps.
"I may well cover this debate in a future video if there's interest"
Oh, there's interest. There is definitely interest
Seconded.
Thirded
Fourthed!
Fifthed
Sixed
Overlord: God mode
Konosuba: useless goddess mode
Aqua level Heh.
That one made me chuckle
so psyched for season 3 of Konosuba
"Ive been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level" is a haram isekai but instead of suiters it a wholesome family.
Idk if it's just me but I can't catch up and see all the anime I want to see this season.
I do get the feeling some members of her family would be happy to have some unwholesome fun with the titular Max level witch.
HARAM? The thing that's forbidden in Islam?
Nah mate it's 100% halal
@@copycat3901 so halal mode
Then there's the _"suffering"_ isekai genre, with Shield Hero (C tier), Re:Zero (A tier) and "Now and Then, Here and There" (S tier) in ascending levels of despair.
I highly recommend watching the latter, one of the classic gems of the early 2000s - if dystopian and desolation are part of your viewer's vocabulary then this would be right up your alley.
Aight I'll watch Now and Then, Here and There and I might come back after I watch it.
I have watched shield hero and rezero
fun stuff
dunno about that S tier one tho
@@fitmotheyap the S tier one (Here and Then, Now and There) is basically if you are a middle schooler get stranded on a post apocalyptic world with no power, knowledge, whatsoever filled with giant monsters tryana eat you and army constantly on ur tail to hunt you down.
@@sseellaaa5954 alright might watch in the future
Bro, i loved shield hero but despised Re:zero
MB : There are four levels of difficulty.
Me : Where is the Dumbass mode ? Where they have powers but they don't use them at all or use them very inefficiently.
would dumbass mode count the "get sidetracked by the side quest" ?
as in "instead of defeating the demon lord, they spent years trying to win at the mini game involving playing the flute, to the point even the demon lord is waiting for the protagonist toget it together and continue the story?"
@@ianr.navahuber2195 Yeah ! They are also included as they are some of the prime examples.
I can imagine power of the shadow in this list after it got its anime adaptation the king of isekai mob 😂🤣
@@GenuisSocietyNo83Herta Are you talking about the creator of the strongest martial arts ?
@@sirog7116 no the light novel series to be a power in the shadow
Its a series where mc is pretty much the strongest but he has a dream of becoming the weekest side character
But ended up making a full blown cult organization that is working to save the world while he thinks all his actions is self preservation
Its a hilarious series itll have an anime adaptation soon if i remember correctly
Now and then here and there is such a hidden gem
The gem is full of death and sadness.
It really is. Definitely the anti-isekai in that it manages to thread the needle of being profoundly anti-wish-fulfillment while still not veering into pointless edginess. Just bleak and sad in a measured way, with some beautiful images of a dying world.
I guess it also helps that its more of a post-apocalyptic anime that just happens to feature the isekai framing device.
Got to spread the word of it so the younger generation could also be bummed the hell out.
@@Tb0n3 *cough cough Re zero
Also shield hero
To this day, I will never forget stumbling across this one on tv at night and being so pulled in. Boy did this show leave a lasting impression.
Things that might be isekai:
Guardians of the Galaxy
Code Lyoko
Galaxy Quest
Things that are definitely isekai:
Samurai Jack
Jumanji
Code lyoko is less isekai and more simulation similar to the matrix or Danny phantom where the story exist on two layers.
Though to aileta specifically it can be considered survival isekai since she spends i forget how long in the simulation until the protagonists return her back to earth.
You forgot one of the most known : Narnia
Ok but yes, Samerai Jack is the best isekai of the last 20 years.
Ah yes Galaxy Quest or better known as the best star trek movie
@@Sir-Pleiades Ah yes, my favorite Isekai is Alice and Wonderland
Followed by Angel Beats (Maybe? I've been arguing about this one in my head for over a year now)
I read ahead in I'm a Spider, So What, and it totally shifts genres once Kumoko isn't fearing for her life! Such a cool observation
Also beautifully subversive. What you think is about to happen leads to a fake out, then a double fakeout when you realize those red herrings were also true.
Even the TITLE of the show is subversive! It's just... amazing.
I like stories where the non heroes are actually saving the world while the actual heroes are incompetent. If you have read the novels you get what I mean. Can't wait for volume 12 to come out. I need more kumoko in my life
@@JonathanKayne same
It might of been because of the web novel and NU but it got so confusing without commenters telling you what happened
The “traditional family unit known as a harem” got me thinking. Has there ever been a “family isekai” that exists like, the Parents and their kids are transported or summoned to another world.
Yes. I'm sure there are wholesome ones but the majority are incesty
Tanaka family is what your looking for.
Search for "Milf Isekai" it's the one where the MC and his mother both transported to a video game world
@@n124ajdx _i really hate that anime_
Tsukimichi moonlit fantasy might be what you're looking for but the story isn't focused on family rather the members are individually isekai'd, same with World Trigger which is a underrated anime (atleast outside Japan) and ppl interested in strategy, awesome fights and cool world building should give it a try
"strong family unit known as a harem" lmao
That's enough to build a nation
Sweet home Alabama
Nothing is stronger than family
At this point, wanting to return to Earth in isekai is like thinking the comic industry is going to be refueled by manga readers bored of it.
Try devil is a part timer
@@KTRXR Already seen it
@@everyanimereactionever have u seen Re: Creators?
@@enjoe3837 I dropped it after ep 4
@@everyanimereactionever yah it was kinda slow, it gets really good at the end but that's if u could push through a bunch of mid episodes. Even some of the eps were mid I would still give it a 8/10 just cuz the ending is amazing.
To be honest. Re Zero I exactly described as Visual Novel Isekai. Specifically, It's a visual novel where Subaru plays the protagonist VN but being the player, he remembers every time he hits a bad ending and has to load back to the last save. VN-s are often chuck full of deadly bad ends after which you just load back...but it hits different if you have to live thru it instead of just read thru it.
Save-scumming Isekai
also you need to type out all the dialogues
Interesting thing is that not all bad ends are that bad but dead ends are another matter
@@hirokokueh3541 pain
@@thirdplanet4471 Well, I didn't play that many VN-s, but in Tsukihime for example, half the choices ends up killing you. XD
Holy crap, They really should make a So I’m a Spider, Minecraft mod.
that would actually be really cool. I only watch the anime so I don't know what happens yet, but the enderdragon could be that original spider lady and the endermen could be spiders
Well its not quite the same, but back in the day there was a mod that turned the player into a "spider queen". Had the whole shebang; webs, cocoons, a spider army, uh and other stuff. The quintessential spider experience. That was back in beta 1.7.3 though, so I dunno if its stuck around.
So I'm a Minecraft Mod, so what?
@@rosheafan kkkkk
@@CraftySalesman if it’s still stuck in 1.7 then that’s definitely a bummer but it still sounds very interesting.
When it comes to isekai, I'm definitely in the strategy and grind or no mode camps. The isekai where the heroes start OP rely heavily on the charisma of their characters, and they tend to be the ones that are at the highest risk of being boring messes. My favorite isekai ever is actually a Chinese web novel (and manhwa) called Release That Witch, which is about an engineer who wakes up in the body of a fantasy 4th prince who has been basically exiled to a border town. He doesn't have magic or anything, but there are witches that he takes in that do have magic, and instead of using them for combat, he uses all their powers for production type jobs to advance his town's technology and survivability, and propel human kind's technology light years forward. Highly recommended.
Transferring from the manhwa to the WN is def a pain tho coz I didn't know they left out so much
Ok. I've just finished my 2 week binge read of the novel and came all the way back here to say thank you.
It was a great experience, which I'd never had without your recommendation.
Hope, more people could enjoy it too.
@@grigorot2940 I'm glad you liked it! I've read it like 3 times myself. Unfortunately, the author basically had to rush the ending, because China cracked down on the web novel site he was posting on, and started banning any literature that showed any sort of governing type other than the Communist regime that China had. It was pretty frustrating, as I felt there was a little further they could explore into demons and further advances they could have made with their industries.
OP protags are some of the most entertaining if done right.
They just need to avoid the boilerplate "totally not Kirito" protagonist and do something interesting.
Lots of low level trash anime doesn't do this, but there's stuff out there worth watching with OP protagonists. Overlord, Reincarnated as a Sword, Skeleton Knight, the recent Eminence in Shadow, and a several others do it pretty well, mostly standing on the personality of the protagonist being entertaining enough to carry the show.
Reincarnated as a villainess is surprisingly it’s own genre of isekai at this point
While I’ve only seen 1 anime with that premise, I’ve seen more than a dozen manga use it
Probably my favorite so far is “the villainess Cecilia doesn’t want to die so she decided to crossdress”
My favorite isekai inverts this. She’s reincarnated as the hero but is in love with the Villainess
Things are getting messy
@@lextatertotsfromhell7673 haha. I love that one too
@@lextatertotsfromhell7673 which one is that?
@@Ai-yahUdingus I am confident they mean "I Favor the Villainess" (officially licensed as "I'm In Love with the Villainess"). It's originally a web novel, but has been adapted into light novel and manga too.
The traveling-between worlds isekai seems like a dying breed at this point. There are a lot of stories that could be explored with this that I’m surprised they’re not explored to its fullest.
VR/MMO animes are the closest thing to this in recent years and even then they’re hit or miss.
Wait...so are the recent Gundam Build Fighters anime isekai?
Ay is the tournament arc in the demon world from yu yu an isekai
Unfortunately/Fortunately, most VRMMO animes prefer to skip entirely or gloss over their real-world aspects. Much like how So I'm a Spider _should_ gloss over their human-centric story sections.
@@GuiltyOne438 well is Ayame best girl? So there’s your answer.
@@GuiltyOne438 The second season of build divers is. Also the first Gundam build fighters is a reverse isekai.
Can we all just give a moment of silence for how laid back a restaurant to another world was?
YES! And if you liked that, check out Isekai Izakaya Nobu, its even better in my opinion.
Aren't there like 10 of those now? Probably qualifies as its own genre at this point
I watched it as a supplement to Bartender and loved it
Maybe the demon lord is the friends we made along the way.
kkkkkkkk that makes me think about the homeless dragon (not isekai)
The best part about Konosuba's demon lord plot is that the most of the big bads in story give our heroes less trouble than giant frogs. Two of them even become friendly side characters.
Disney has given us the best recent Isekai.
Looking at you Owl House and Amphibia.
YASSSSSSSDDSSD
Is Gravity Falls an isekai? 😂
Edit: im joking lol
@@kllrnooooova No
@@kllrnooooova nah, it’s just a weird part of the regular world. I’m not sure where it is specifically, but I think it’s in Oregon?
@@kllrnooooova no. nearly every enemy lives on Gravity falls, and are based/born on pop culture/mythologies
Wierdmegedon is possibly reverse isekai, but it encapsulates nearly as many genres as it can to a child audience and is more about closing the reverse isekai portal than trying to allow it to enter.
It's like saying a demon portal opened up, and everyone is trying to close it.
Solo leveling is more in this catagory because if the dungeon is unattended for too long, the monsters escape
I like "So I'm a spider so what" because it is a really nice grinder isekai but it also focuses on how the act of reincarnation and their new enviornment changes people. It has also got a few mysteries that are very fun to theorize about.
Geoff: Kumo Desu is about climbing the food chain
Novel reader, while laughing in genre change: Well yes, but actually no
I mean, he kinda hit the nail on the head there. Spider starts as a survival isekai, then slowly shifts into 'strategy' once we hit the top of the food chain.
Za, Starts off Survival Grind, then goes for [redacted] Strategy
I'm reading just the manga and am really excited to know that, because I'm even preferring strategy over survival.
@@gwendolynneko4070 if you already liked the manga give a try to the light novel, it's on a whole other level
@@gwendolynneko4070 The manga is going to be behind the anime by the end of the season. You’ll have to switch to the light novels, if you want to get to that part.
Isekai has grown to the point of having subgenres, while itself being a subgenre of fantasy. That shows its size and scope is quite impressive.
My primary issue with isekai is how often it's unnecessary, if you are going to use a subgenre, it should be to explore something about it. "because isekai" is more common than I care for
Agreed--there's nothing wrong with Isekai in and of itself, but it does often feel like a shorthand way around exposition.
Isekai is really growing on me now. Maybe it's just because I've seen so many good ones lately (reincarnated slime, reincarnated assassin, mushoku tensei) but it seems like there's so many different good stories that can be told using that formula
Especially if the main character/ characters dont react or care that they're in a new world and have no clue if they could go back home. If the lead/leads are indifferent of the situation then just make it a fantasy series
"The traditional family unit known as a Harem."
Mushoku Tensei sees nothing unusual on this statement
😂😂 Best comment on this video so far....for those who those understand...u will know it later
Money can't buy waifus!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your distain for SAO, so much so that you just referred to it as that one with the swords
I have noticed that there are very few people with strong disdain for SAO that actually form their own opinions. Ask anyone unfamiliar with weeb culture and they almost always like it. Hating it is okay, there is enough about it to justify the hate, just don't trample on the other people for liking that shitty sword anime.
I can’t say I hate it, but I am disappointed. It’s pretty bad when I consider the spin-offs to be better than the main storyline (I mean, Progressive pretty much fills the major complaint a lot of anime fans had, which was wondering why they didn’t focus on just the 75 floor grind through Aincrad).
@@Verdha603 Even Sao abridged has better character development
@@xaius4348 Honestly, I don't see it. Then again, I think SAO Abridged is a bore at best.
honestly, I still love isekai even though it’s over saturated
i just want them to continue magi... not adapt 5 new isekai that's probably going to be forgotten in 2 weeks
There's some good stuff, a lot of trash though
I actually like isekais, but most don't live up to their true potential. I don't mind if the MC is OP, but either show them getting there or have them use their power in interesting ways or the MC will end up being extremely boring. If the draw is the reactions of the side characters to the MC, then the side characters better have some personality or it's just a trashy slice-of-life show with no appeal. Fanservice can't hold up a safe for work show.
I don't mind isekai. But I rarely see any isekai with a GOOD story.
@@Kitsunary 8th Son are you kidding me is a prime example of a cool idea that got dropped for stale bread
I love isekai that never forget that the characters are from another world.
My Next Life as a Villainess and Asendence of a Bookworm cover how much sudden reincarnation makes the characters realize they're alone and they left behind all their friends and family
Yeah. That and horribly flawed MCs are entertaining to watch. That's why I like shows like Bookworm and Mushoku Tensei.
@@kllrnooooova They're actually people with their own baggage that this second life is giving them the opportunity to address and cope with in a healthy manner.
that one episode of Villainess sucker-punched me with the feels, dammit. genuinely did not anticipate the gravity with which the subject was handled in an otherwise bubbly show.
Re:Zero Season 2 Episode 4.
No other words needed.
This hasn't been animated yet, but my current favorite Isekai series is called Omniscient Readers Viewpoint. It's a web novel that is being made into a web comic, and I think it's a reverse Isekai. But it's also extremely meta with itself and the audience. Basically, a web novel inside the web novel (already confusing, I know) is made into reality, and our protagonist is the only thing me who knows how the story will end because he's the only one who has read it.
It's mainly based in South Korea, but it's still something I'd recommend to anyone looking for a good reverse Isekai!
With the rise of Re-Zero's popularity, I've been seeing quite a bit of "Soulsborne", or Retry-by-Death Isekai popping up in manga and LN lately... might be a trend that will reach anime pretty soon
Ah, yes, the Steins-Gate
Really love So I'm a Spider, so what?
Kumoko is just so much fun to watch.
It's that one anime where I can overlook the terrible animation
@@tommihommi1 agree with you on that.
@@tommihommi1 I would call it inconsistent rather than terrible - there are parts that look really good, but they're probably 50/50 on the cg being well blended or total dogshit.
@@CyanPhoenix_ I mean whenever kumoko is doing stuff, the 3d on her is great. But everything else is very much second rate at best.
From the perspective of someone who hasn't finished it yet, I always hate it when they go to the humans though. Because it's fairly by the books story telling I find myself struggling to care about the humans at all. When it's Kumoko solo is when the show has been shining for me.
For the past few months, I've been reading Overlord's light novel and all I can say is... I'm in love. By far the best isekai I've come across, but That Time I Got Reincarnated As Yamcha (albeit being a one-shot) is a close second.
I'll be the first to admit that Overlord is a very high quality LN, but I dropped it as I have zero tolerance for evil protagonists. I'm okay with flawed protagonists, but feeding souls to lovecraftian abominations crosses the line.
@@r3dp9 same
the LN of tensura is also really good!
Fr
@@r3dp9 you say it as if evil protagonists are bad , but you will wach the 1000 good mediocre ones
So you’re telling me that Tanya would be Hearts of Iron 4? Makes sense.
I think its more, if WW1 happend later
@@ixamisus So Victoria 2 then
@@worldweaver2691 i don't know it has to be at the end of victoria 2
Another version I like to include in Isekai is the Sci-Fi variant of Isekai. It's literally the same concept as Fantasy Isekai, only some sort of Sci-Fi method of transport is used. Being frozen for an extended period of time like in Futurama, finding a portal of some kind like in Star Gate, shot through a Worm Hole like Farscape, or alien abduction like in The Last Star Fighter. Its the same basic premise, a person from our world being thrust into another world/worlds, only the magical elements are replaced with advanced technology.
Gonna recommend a show that is sci-fi bonding isekai and also time fantasy metallic ship isekai (I know that description sucks but it's kinda hard to describe). "Gargantica on the Verdurous planet" is a good anime, I wouldn't say it's the best but I enjoyed it and kinda got a great anime vibe to it!
This is the first time somebody has EVER mentioned Dog Days.
13:37
Wtf, what the actual Fuck.
Omg I want to cry. Jesus.
I like to say Re:Zero is more the genre of “Pain”
So the dark souls of isekai.
@@zozy1568 totally
Sure has a lot of pain but as geöffe said it's focuses on natsukis growth so while it is dark it's more like a learning to grow up kinda isekai
@@IPlayGames1337 if the pain is counted as growth, I totally agree, just kidding
@@just_someone7405 That's literally the first time someone has said "X is the Dark Souls of Y" and I've 100% agreed
Types of Isekai
The trash that Jeff shits on.
The trash Jeff is guilty of enjoying.
And actually good isekai.
And Re:Zero.
@@treeNash PAIN
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
So what some of good isekai?
Other Isekai: Too happy
Other isekai: Too dark
Mushoku Tensei: This is life, no matter how you deal with it there are consequences and rewards.
I was laughing cause Mother's Basement was doing the "Grows to be overpowered" line
And he was showing Mushoku Tensei
See you guys in next cour~
@@ArlanKels Same here...I was like what...
@randomguy8196 I mean, a world full of alien problems and injustices is pretty cool too. But, yeah, why would you want to go to a world that's more or less exactly the same? On paper that just doesn't make sense.
@randomguy8196 I know you think that. I'm agreeing with you that a world that's the same as ours would be undesirable. However, I'm disagreeing with you that a dark or bad world makes a bad premise for an anime, especially if that world has different kinds of problems than ours, for example cosmic horror, multiple sentient species to deal with, hivemind abominations assimilating people, or a new species of cats brought on by discord moderator genetic chemist playing god that are super intelligent and took over the world leaving human potential in the dust. Or just the good old fashion mother nature being a bitch Isekai because we live in a world that seems to no longer has a true unexplored wilderness.
@randomguy8196 That's just semantics. I meant that you'd personally be turned off by the premise of a dark Isekai while I wouldn't.
And yeah, disappointingly, people have been making Isekai anime edgy simply to stand apart from the harem power fantasy Isekais, and I also agree it's a little oversaturated nowadays. However, oversaturation has almost nothing to do with the quality of a genre; it wasn't too long ago that the escapism isekais were everywhere.
My Next Life as a Villainess is part of a specific genre of isekai that’s popular in shoujo light novels and mangas that’s reincarnation into a specific story where the character has a terrible ending they must avoid or they’re just not interested in being a protagonist/villain. It’s pretty fun and Bakarina is one of the most famous and I hope it’s popularity makes this genre more likely to be animated, it’s one of my favorites because it lends itself to many kinds of stories
Can't be a MB video without mentioning Re:Zero... and i appreciate it everytime.
Finally someone mentioning Dr. Stone isekai candidate hahaha
I was wondering that even a story in which a person goes live abroad could be painted as isekai, if made right: language, culture, architecture, and people are different, you don't know anyone, surviving can be pretty tough starting up, and technology can be way better or seriously lacking.
If you louse the definition of isekai enough XD kkk
One aspect that I've not yet seen explored overtly is the Tragedy Isekai. In pretty much every anime I've seen, save a few exceptions, the story of the Isekai involves the protagonist moving up in the world: Rimuru builds up his monster nation, Subaru climbs higher in his efforts to just help his friends survive, Kumoku just keeps getting stronger and stronger as she acquires more and more terrifying titles and skills, and so forth and so on. There's hardly a limit on the apparent upward mobility of the protagonist. One of the exceptions to this, one that is definitely more subtle about the themes of tragedy is Ascendance of a Bookworm. Even all the way back in volume 2 of the light novel, one of Myne's greater struggles is about how she can fight to stay close to her family, despite the political forces pulling her upwards into the nobility's sphere of influence. Even though Myne is moving up in society like many Isekai protagonist, she's one of the few cases who overtly dislike this upwards movement. Each of Myne's moments that takes her higher in society is framed as a loss for her, as all she wishes is to remain close to her family.
And i am very glad that is an not overly explored type of isekai, i fucking hate tragedy, comedy is the true way, tragedy is the way of the devil.
@@diablo.the.cheater Depends on how they handle the reactions to the tragedy; sure, it's just a bummer if an anime is constantly spiraling downwards and the protag is just a depressed heap by the end of it, but when they handle the tragedy in a meaningful way, and they properly explore the cast coming to terms with it, it can lead to a very interesting story. You could start with your typical strategy-battle isekai, where through no faults of their own, the protagonist gets disgraced and ultimately exiled, and so you can end the series as a typical hangout isekai.
Strictly speaking, the only thing that defines a tragedy is moving from a higher place to a lower place, so one doesn't even have to have anyone be hurt to explore themes of tragedy in a meaningful way.
you need to read mushoku tensei LN or WN , that was the first time i cried many times in isekai (turning point 4 is peak )
So you don't consider re:zero a tragedy?
@@kaenryuuart543 no re Zero is masochist in it's true form
So I'm a Spider So What Minecraft mod would be awesome!
Or someone should just make a full game out of it. Not the usual mobile gacha garbage tho.
My favorite Isekai/Reincarnation stories are definitely ones with female protagonists: So I'm a Spider, My Next Life as a Villainess, and Deathbound Duke's Daughter just to name a few, but Slime and Shield Hero are also top-tier for me.
Tbh I dropped villainess at around episode 10 or so
It wasn't bad but couldn't keep me interested
My favourite Isekai right now (are the once where I also read the Novel)
Are So I am a spider, Overlord and Arifureta
Didn't hear of the third you mentioned. Maybe I check that out
I think one thing that differentiates most modern isekai from the older ones is that the older ones were more like Narnia, go to a fantasy world, take part in some epic quest, and then return home enriched by the experience. The Hero's Journey in a nut shell, while modern isekai don't usually need the protagonist to return to complete their journey. (Or learn anything about themselves in the case of protagonists with so few defining traits that learning any of them would be more akin to them reading out their drivers license than anything else.)
I think this shift in goal is most likely a combination of a few things, little to no means of return, the fact that most of these characters don't exactly have much to return to and/or would have to abandon everything they built in that world. (Although in Narnia they went from ruling an entire country back to England during a war, so maybe this is more of a cultural thing.)
Another factor would probably be franchise sustainability as some of them like Digimon and SAO went the same way as Narnia and just had the protagonist from earlier books comeback and help other children get thrust into a violent and dangerous fantasy world because it happened to them as kids so by golly they'll make sure it happens to others. And while it works for them it probably wouldn't work for say Re;Zero because the protagonist doesn't have a set, easily available or sustainable way to or from his home world to the fantasy unlike say Gate where they can go back anytime they want or need to.
I would also like to point out that if the modern isekai's basic concept is get transported to another world by God, be given some cheat (Super powers, magic or a mystic sword,), be sent of to defeat the demon king and co, and build a kingdom of magical creatures and have a long and prospers reign, that's basically the plot synopsis to The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.
I think about this it would be interesting if Narnia gave them inspiration like how Tolkien has for fantasy or if people just write this way because these are common enough themes that everyone likes them.
types of isekai in this era:
•Ridiculously overpowered MC
•The power of friendship! type of MC
•Waifus! gotta catch em all! type of MC
and
•hmmmmmm, fanservice. kind of MC
1, 3, 4 often come together in the same package though.
I think it's easier to just ask "how much is this isekai trying to jerk the audience off?" Because if it spends more than 70% of its runtime doing that, it's probably garbage.
Or 5: torture
@@uiofinder with a slide of heram
@@oboretaiwritingch.2077 Yea its like h*ntai. and anime. hanime for short.... i dont know how the fk redo of healer got passed thru the
anti-h*ntai barrier.
And then there are MCs like Shirogane Takeru or Natsuki Subaru.
I don’t understand. How can you say that Re:Zero can’t be defined in terms of video game genre when it is clearly the Dark Souls of isekai??
good one
Reminds me of a murder mystery but the player is preventing there upcoming death
Someone has never read Torture Princess.
Subaru has the best and worst power ever...
More generally speaking, the "save/load" checkpoint feature is the game element whereas Subaru as just another agent/vehicle for change is more akin to an NPC/side character if we were to look at it through DS archetypes. The player is a powerful force for eliminating perceived threats directly with or without an assistant NPC. Subaru is fundamentally a character unable to overcome their own trials through the DS powerscaling system of the MC. Nowhere can subaru amp his stats or gain the incredible power required to defeat the great threats in the world; he is more of an observer and participant who can use his words and actions to influence those truly powerful in the world.
Other isekai :. Happy hangout anine
Re zero : PAIN
Facts
Facts
Grimgar of fantasy and ash...
More like:
*Trade offer:*
*You get/In exchange for*
*Pain/Happiness*
@@omargerardolopez3294 yup
Are we gonna talk about how MB went to explaining the Clamp verse to mentioning Kingdom Hearts to mentioning Reverse Isekai?!? That transition was smooth as hell!!!
Chronicles of Narnia manages to buck the trend and avoid the typical harem trope, and is curious in its willingness to hop between video game styles, from the broad-reaching episodic adventure of Voyage of the Dawn Treader to the strategy/mystery game of figuring out how the rings work in The Magician's Nephew all the way to the more standard reincarnation isekai style of The Last Battle. It's been a fun series of light novels to read through, and I hope it gets a proper anime adaptation soon.
You should read the reverse isekai Science of Discworld series, it's pretty good, quality edutainment.
The author was a devout Christian and the symbolism isn't remotely subtle, and the series predates the whole "harem" thing in stuff like that by quite a while as they were all published in the 50s.
Given what it is, it would be weird if it did include the whole "harem" thing.
"Konosuba" and "well rounded JRPG party" dont mix well together
On paper the party is incredibly well rounded, covering all the clases you would expect in a traditional JRPG party: "priest"/white mage (Aqua), thief (kazuma), knight (darkness), dark mage (megumi). The fact that none of them can actually fulfill their party role doesn't make the party less well rounded.
Well round doesn't mean it's functional though lol
@@Slash-XVI They have everything... except a Damage Dealer/Carry/DPS.
Aqua does high damage, but only to undead.
Kazuma has massive crit potential on weak points, but only if said weakpoint is a thievable item.
Darkness has zero damage output and no dexterity, so she only wins fights against opponents dumb enough to headbutt her.
Megumi has fantastic damage output, but no IFF and can only cast once per day (twice if shennanigans are used).
They have no crowd control, no aggro, no mobility, don't even joke about stealth, and lousy gear. The are the sort that could win against a demigod but lose to common bandits (heck, half of them would happily join the bandits while the other half would happily be captured).
Excuse me, Darkness is VERY well rounded.
@@submortimer yes, she is, isn't she.
My favourite is still Re:ZERO since I love the fact that it uses its cute anime girl cast as a facade to hide a more darker and scarier tone to it. It completely took me off guard, especially since I watched Isekai Quartet first.
So glad to hear you talk about Brave Story, we had the book in my school library back in the day and I was so stoked when I found out it had a movie. I really need to watch/read it again
There's also a pretty good JRPG on PSP
"The traditional family unit known as a harem"
Me: Well it technically is
"Chess is a fighting game"
You're right, that doesn't mean I can't hate you for saying that though
Shout out ti "That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha!" Didn't know it was real until I read it, and it was a great and quick read! Thanks for the recommendation!
The title sounds really close to "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" and for some reason I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
From your examples, my favorite type of isekai is strategy isekai. Log Horizon, Overlord, and Slimesekai are some of favorite anime of all time. I'm not super in to strategy games myself, but I certainly enjoy watching the careful crafting, application, and resolution of well laid plans, as well as watching the planners improvise when the situation throws them a curve ball.
Finally another Log Horizon enjoyer. Strategy is also my favorite, as it has the flexibility to be serious and funny when it needs to, and you can experience how the characters overcome problems using their brain, not just overpowered MC.
I'm glad you mentioned Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. It holds a special place in my heart as the first manga I ever read.
mine too!
One great-grandfather of the entire Isekai genre is the 1889 novel "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain.
By your definitions, it fits the "Management", "No Mode", and "Subversive/Cinematic" genres of Isekai as the protagonist is an engineer from "modern" (late 19th century) America who ends up in Arthurian England after getting hit in the head with a crowbar. He proceeds to use his wits and engineering knowledge to survive, run, and eventually transform (difficulty moving into "Cheat Mode" once he makes firearms technology) the medieval kingdom he's in.
I think it's a crime you never once mentioned Truck-kun in one of the ways mc get transported to another world
I feel like Mother's Basement would really enjoy Twelve Kingdoms given his assessments on Isekai that aren't easily defined. Only downside is that it's old and that at the time it was made it didn't finish one of the key stories due to the novel not being written yet. Yoko's story is finished however so it's worth it for that alone.
Plus there's Rakushun!
It was a really odd omission, especially since it's far more of an Isekai than "Now and Then, Here and There" which featured highly. Then again, Fushigi Yuugi was left out too.
Every few years I rewatch just for the buildup to the best oh snap line. You know which one. About 3 lines that takes an already great show and just makes it amazing.
"Mecha's not a game genre"
*Sad MechWarrior noises*
"Even if it kind of is and should be", there's a second half to that quote...
sad titanfall noises
I think that falls under the general "vehicular combat game" genre. I mean it's not really that much different from a fighter jet simulator or tank simulator.
All those years of playing Heavy Gear games and later the Armored Core series (and some online multiplayer game that i can't remember the name of)
and people are just gonna group that in with like driving a tank or plane. "just like any other vehicle commonly used to fight with. and they can even borrow from their real world counterparts"
It's good to have my work recognized.
You on vacation? Whats going on?
imo it's a useful premise when not used to just self-insert a hollow viewer-vessel into a power fantasy. When it's using the protag's unfamiliarity with the world to introduce us, with the same level of unfamiliarity, to it, I think it's really cool. Granted, much the same can just be accomplished with amnesia, though that's pretty hackneyed and played out too. For me, the coolness of it relies heavily on the complexity of the world the protag is dropped into.
Cool to see grimgar get some love. More ppl should check it out. 14:48
"Healthy mother-son bonding," Damnit anime, wtf even is that?
I remember stumbling upon it as a Light Novel reader and thought "yeah, there's that huh" then proceeding to read even "worse" ones. That one is just a tip of an iceberg for us. An entry level of weirdness we're all too numb to.
@@mabogibo525 but what is the name?
You're better off not knowing... not just because it's lewd (if that's you thing), but because it's actually boring.
@@Bluemansonic Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
I’ve only read the first novel, rather than see the anime, but it is just so bad. The only character who wasn’t some kind of horrible was Porta and everyone and everything in it is just so incredibly stupid.
But just in case you’re interested regardless, the basic premise is that a teenage boy is trapped with his mom in a portal MMO created by the government expressly for the purpose of helping kids and mothers grow closer together. They form a party with other kids who are estranged from their parents for various reasons. The kids are frustrated however by it being the moms who get all the overpowered cheat abilities and focus, and “shenanigans” involving disturbing amounts of incest-focused fanservice ensue.
Basically an excuse for twelve episodes of the Ara-Ara voice.
I think one of my main problems with most Isekai is the world building. It's hard to get invested in their world when things like magic don't get proper explanations. They're just there with no reason and somehow I'm supposed to know how they work lol. It might also be because a lot of Isekai are targeted towards people who are already into the genre, so they already understand the tropes. It's hard for newcomers like myself to get invested in them because it requires a level of understanding of anime and video game references. It's probably also because a lot of them are Light Novels, so the anime cuts a lot important things or maybe even minute details thinking that the audience will get it.
Then I think you would like Spider
I haven’t seen anyone talk about .hack at all in years and you name dropped it like 5 times this video. I need to go back to the series now that I’m older.
Ahhh isekai, the genre that can both make me go "oh thats nice" and also "holy shit that was actually good" to "man that was pretty bad"
This is pretty much just anime in general really.
Though isekai does indeed cover all of the above as well.
But at the end of the day they all have something in common, they have some of the best Waifus.
Yeah Filo and Milim are top tier
And Roxy along with Eris
Very true
cringe
Yessir
Kumoko best girl
he's ignoring the best isekai genre the disney isekai like owl house or amphibia
Gotta agree- Really underrated Isekai in general
i see you are a man of culture as well
Broke: Re:Zero is the greatest isekai ever made
Woke: Over the Garden Wall is the greatest isekai ever made
Yeah! I love that show! It's not anime though but I think even some Western animation can count as Isekai. Even Amphibia is an Isekai through and through. I especially love that in Owl House, they gave us a lesbian character, something that only anime has been doing lately.
Let's not forget Infinity Train, some of the best story telling in the last decade in any medium.
As a LN reader, So I'm a Spider does indeed exactly what you say, and pretty much shifts genre from Survival to Management/Strategy, at least in the kind of viewpoint we get on the event. Though in some ways it's like our spider herself is never really the protagonist of that.
6:26 Honestly, I really don't think a talk on isekai is complete without discussing LitRPG, because that genre of literature is actually *older* than what a lot of people consider isekai, with novels going back to the 80s and 90s. Hell, "the world operating on RPG mechanics" is literally what defines the genre, complete with subgenres for VRMMOs, reincarnation, and cultivation.
To be honest, it's less "isekai influenced litrpg" as much as "every anime with video game mechanics is part of the LitRPG genre." Because they, down to the manga and light novels that started them, were inspired by literary LitRPGs.
"predominantly preoccupied; predictively given their progenitor"
Well crafted words.
Kumoko on the cover means instant click
"Probably Never"
Meanwhile Geoff has multiple videos about Overlord.
The levelling system and rpg mechanics of Overlord are almost completely absent from the plot. For one, all the characters are either max level or near the limit of their max level, so there is no false "progression" element. Almost the entire story is dialogue, intrigue, and character (un)development.
@@r3dp9 The world's system and all the people in it, is based off of D&D, a literary rpg. The actions Ainz makes causes mass ripples through the world that changes how everyone acts, reacts and grows both on an emotional level to an economical level.
Something fun to note. In most D&D editions the DMG gives examples of renown per level. In almost all cases, level 11 is a consistent number where the NPCs or players are strong enough to be famous all over the region and beyond. That consistency carries over into Overlord. Fluder is a world famous wizard who's studied magic all his life. His greatest accomplishment is being able to cast 6th level spells. A wizard in earlier editions of D&D, gain their first 6th level spell, at level 11.
There's so many things hardboiled into the world and plot of Overlord, be it the mechanics of the world or the easter eggs towards old school D&D. It's impossible to say it's absent.
@@r3dp9 Now if only Overlord could be well written, that'd be great.
@@bretginn1419 wdym overlord is like one of the most well written ln
Knights and Magic has been really fun to watch, with like 90 percent of the focus being designing and building new mechs
Now that I think of it, Sliders is a western Isekai then: they travel to another reality each episode and the hero began it all by jumping into a portal...
Great video!
"Twelve Kingdoms", survival isekai. Shockingly, when you dump characters from modern Japan into another world with norms and social structures wildly different from what they're used to, no resources, and no support system, they tend to be operating at a distinct disadvantage vis a vis everyone else. There is even a bit of genre deconstruction included, because one of the supporting characters is convinced that she is the "main character" (with all that entails) and it makes it easy for villains to manipulate her because she never stops to consider either the situation or her own actions.
"Mecha isn't a game genre" *Sad Titanfall Noises*
"Mecha" does striks me more as a setting than a genre, it indicates what's in the world and doesn't really clue the audience into the story structure.
super robot wars
@randomguy8196 i wish there were more games like this, i havent been able to find anything
There actually is a mod similar to "I'm a Spider so what" called the Spider queen mod, it's real old like 1.7 old, and there are a few differences, but it's pretty fun and really makes you feel like a spider.
plus you can semi organized wars between armies of spiders.
Favorite isekai genre: yes
Doesn’t really matter for me at this point as long as the world buildings decent enough to actually carry the story. I’ve had some free time and i’ve been binging practically every isekai manga, manhwa, and webtoon i can get ahold of. Lots get dropped after the first few chapters because by god theyre awful. Current faves im binging as they come out
I have a mansion in a post apocalyptic world. Civ building isekai with protag jumping back and forward in time bringing useless gold from a zombie apocalypse future into the past to bring good eats to the future where everyone lives on recycled zombie protine bars and gets a harem by offering a cup of instant noodles. And has the mosthillarios censored sex scenes involving a cartoon chicken….
Ghostly doctor: starts off a good revenge fantasy with some scenes ripped directly from redoo of healer as girl gets resurected into the body of an abused and crippled girl whos literally had her life and identity stolen from her. Then just does a 180 as soon as the revenging is done and turns into a wonderful romance/commedy of op love intrest just trying to have a conversation together without blowing up half the city cause someone interupts.
Ah yes funny enough out there are a few really good isekai centered in zombies the mansion and the one with the Konbini are really good reads.
This was really insightful. My favourite Isekai I've watched are probably the different Digimon series and Escaflowne. Great video, Geoff! 🇨🇦
Thank you both mentioning "Here and There, Then and Now" along the warning cause lord it gets fucked up
Re:Zero is one of a really forgotten type of game that originated from another niche, the Gamebook genre.
The hero character isn't powerful but the power comes from choices and the unlocked knowledge of exploring possibilities.
Re went really deep into this with the time traveling + difficult world + replay value (however hardcore gruesome is it in this game) + unlocking hidden paths with date sim stats
TBF cant even recall really complex rpg games here, where your decision actually matters. In gaming community its already a meme that options are completely irrelevant because you get the exact same endgame result, and your best chance is to get a different voiceline.
However I barely played any LN dating sim game, where I can imagine the basic game algorithm in its core is a statistic calculation combined with a quiz code.
I can only name a few games in my experience that managed to capture this:
Long Live the Queen - LN where each option increases a certain stat and after hundreds of deaths you can relive a scenario where your character doesn't even die, or straight conquer the kingdom
Fallout 2: RPG elements finally mattered here, and making a certain choice shaped the game around you. (only matter if you are a completionist)
Undertale
In Re:Zero Subarus true power is the knowledge he knows from his previous trial and errors. And his greed to find the "save all, aka bromance+harem route"
When it comes to action Betelguise mentioned its as fighting against someone who is ALWAYS a step ahead, and its infuriating when your enemy is a weakling.
Ram gave Subaru trust, because even though he`s incompetent, for some "reasons" he is always at the right place...
We viewers know what the "right place" comes from dozens of horrible deaths...