what do u guys think?
| It's usually a hit or miss for me, really depends on the show itself. |
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| like every other genre some of it is good and some of it isn't. but isekai is shit on the most because it is the one genre that has an abundance of anime, manga and LNs releasing. it is great in quantity and not many are that great in quality. the ones that are great in quality are absolutely peak and can singlehandedly save the whole isekai genre. example- re:zero and mushoku tensei. also another reason why isekais are good because you can add a whole lot of sub genres to it. a iskeai can have magic, fantasy setting, taking place in olden times, have romance, action, slice of life, comedy everything in it and make it an entertaining watch. |
 The end of an era. Thank you Wit, Mappa and Isayama. Feeling half happy, half sad. Kawaii waifus and precious best girls <3333 |
| It depends. If it something like alice in Borderlands it could be great. |
| . |
| Rougly 95% of isekai shows I've seen I considered as either bad or mediocre/bad, lol. It's not about misunderstanding the genre, at least not in my case. I simply don't find it as entertaining. With a few exceptions (like KonoSuba or Isekai Ojisan), of course. |
| Not really. It's often quite boring in my opinion. |
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| There are some isekai that people don't talk about nowadays, such as Juuni Kokuki. |
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| I find them very boring since they rarely have a strong storyline and it's meant to be more chill I guess |
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| The old school isekais made before 2012 used to be good. Mostly because we had less of them back then. When are people gonna learn that less means more? |
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| It's hard to defend a genre when its best representative is Mushoku Tensei. If the best this genre has to offer is Mushoku Tensei, imagine what the worst is. |
| If you're a fanboy, please don't waste my time. Watch more movies, please. Kafka, Fu Xuan, Jingliu, Topaz and Huohuo. |
| I just don't like the concept of reincarnation in another world type of things. Its also boring most of the time imo |
| On one hand, isekai is unfairly criticized because it's not like the overall average quality would change if every isekai were replaced by traditional fantasy. Some are good and some others are bad, just like every genre. On the other, it is fairly criticized because why not make a traditional fantasy in the first place? The whole reincarnation bit is just a cheap attempt to make the MC more relatable (oh, in his previous life the MC was a 20 yo Japanese nerd loner just like me!!!). That cannot possibly work for anyone who has a bit more experience than the average anime fan. Or also an excuse to add RPG mechanics, because learning new stuff organically is harder to write than doing some random shit until you hear a voiceover saying: "new skill acquired". |
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| Maybe folks wouldn't be so hard on the genre if they knew of the 80s, 90s and 2000s isekai. |
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| There is way too many below average, low effort isekai. The lazy production, and lack of creativity is getting out of hand with the genre. That being said, Isekai can be very enjoyable when there is passion to create, and not produce. |
| I really like isekai anime but the plot is what matters ^_^ |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Isekai can be good or bad. They are generally simplistic stories to catch the male fantasy of escaping to a new world, be worshipped as a god, and get a harem. Not much more to understand generally. The iseksi aspect is made to connect the viewer to the story like they are the mc. Otherwise, the story would just be a normal fantasy non isekai. Some female fantasy exists though like villainess stories. |
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Reply to Phosphophyllita
It's hard to defend a genre when its best representative is Mushoku Tensei. If the best this genre has to offer is Mushoku Tensei, imagine what the worst is.
| @Phosphophyllita Got to disagree with this a lot. Many isekai anime are far better than Mushoku Tensei. -bookworm -isekai ojisan -tensura -re zero -konosuba -digimon Ect |
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| isekai is a hit or miss depending on the story |
| "Tits don't make the woman. It's the ass." - Darx |
| I'd say it's a bit of a stretch to really call it "misunderstood" given it's reputation, but there are great Isekai out there if someone looks hard enough. |
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Reply to rohan121
@Phosphophyllita
Got to disagree with this a lot. Many isekai anime are far better than Mushoku Tensei.
-bookworm
-isekai ojisan
-tensura
-re zero
-konosuba
-digimon
Ect
Got to disagree with this a lot. Many isekai anime are far better than Mushoku Tensei.
-bookworm
-isekai ojisan
-tensura
-re zero
-konosuba
-digimon
Ect
| @rohan121 to be honestly only this one best isekai of all until now lmaooo |
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Reply to rohan121
@Phosphophyllita
Got to disagree with this a lot. Many isekai anime are far better than Mushoku Tensei.
-bookworm
-isekai ojisan
-tensura
-re zero
-konosuba
-digimon
Ect
Got to disagree with this a lot. Many isekai anime are far better than Mushoku Tensei.
-bookworm
-isekai ojisan
-tensura
-re zero
-konosuba
-digimon
Ect
| @rohan121 to be honestly only this one best isekai of all until now lmaooo |
|
| I used to be a "iSekAi bAd" chump (shame on me), till I discovered Mushoku Tensei's LN which is now one of my fav piece of fiction of all time. I've come to realize that Isekai simply works far better in Light Novel form, rather than anime adaptation - especially when shitty no-name studios constantly create flopped adaptations. And don't get me started on Isekai manga that skips 90% of the LN that's integral to the plot. Isekais commonly have world-building with so much complex information that fits better in LN compared to anime/manga where it's easy to get bored and studios are forced to skip important parts. Similarly to narration, Isekai MCs are constantly referred as dull, unvaried, no personality, when in reality they're 10 times more entertaining in LN form. For the most part I think Isekai shows are supposed to be straightforward entertainment without trying to be pretentious and stand out too hard. Many absolutely suck which is the studio's fault or because it doesn't work as anime. |
| The good isekai are already praised enough, while the bad ones(90-95%) deserve the slander they get. So no, not misunderstood. |
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| I don't hate isekai the idea. I hate how 90% of them the exact copy pasted shitty billy's first rpg. Death parade is isekai sonny boy is isekai spirited away is isekai all of these are technically isekai, but are completely unique shows that bring so much originality to the table. 99% of isekai, even the good ones, don't do this. and that is my problem with the "genre". |
| Also available at: YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK8spdL1M_J-z0vO2C7jPLw Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AshPolygonsDo/videos Why You Should Watch Akudama Drive: https://youtu.be/Yw0r52wRjgA A Love Letter To Anime「AMV」: https://youtu.be/YQyqxFM2m9Q My referral code to a website/app that gives you free money (a few cents a day) by using a few megabytes of your internet for file sharing. We both get a bonus if you use my link: https://r.honeygain.me/ARSHIA7942 |
| I think the issue is that when you have a genre or theme becoming popular quickly, it incentivizes the publication and adaptation of imitations and work on the virtue of them being of that genre or theme rather than the quality. Anime is of course prioritized as a product by those funding it, for every Exorcist by William Blatty you get countless imitators like Sons of the Endless Night or some other ripoff shit. Isekai is full of gimmicky shit, from vending machines to smartphones (Heck, is the smartphone in In Another World with my Smart Phone even all that important?). It really is not that different from the horror paperback boom of the 70s and 80s, or the mecha boom from the 80s to 2000s in Japan. If you were a bit older than myself, your first experience with anime and manga would likely have been about mechas, be it the various models you see in specialty stores to Gundam Wing on Toonami, where FromSoftware was still producing Armored Core games. Isekai is fully of shitty things because money. |
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Unfortunately the best isekai of all time will never get an anime.. :'3 https://myanimelist.net/manga/105029/Parallel_Paradise |
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| The fact that there are some isekai that don't suck doesn't change the fact that isekai is the place where originality and creativity goes to die. |
| MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST |
| There's sometimes a lot of nuance and hidden sophistication which can be found within the isekai genre/theme/plot device. Of course not all isekai, but even trash isekai have their own charms. One of the simplest charms concerning isekai is that many of them are like the general School Setting in many other anime, thus, there's a familiarity to the world. Nonetheless, the amount of generic features found in many isekai are also unfortunate. Yet, many 'generic' isekai still try to innovate beyond their generic nature by adding unique flavors, styles, and encounters not easily found in other isekai. This is what makes many isekai interesting. It's wiser to not focus, or prioritize your attention, on the generic features of isekai, but instead see what else their story has to offer. If you find a way to follow along its wavelength, you'll enjoy an isekai much much more. For example: Saihate no Paladin is boring but if you like high fantasy and dnd, you'd likely enjoy it more. Meanwhile, One-Hit Kill Sister is a trashy echii but it's got neat moments which make it oddly wholesome more often than not. Overall, there are two major ways of viewing isekai as an 'isekai'. The first perspective is to view anything that places the protagonist into an extremely different situation as an isekai. Be it time travel, VRMMORPG, Dimensional changes, etc. Nonetheless, the second perspective is far more apt and a practical approach to the isekai 'genre', in which the protagonist is literally transferred/transmigrated/summoned/reincarnated/teleported to a different world. There are many good and interesting manga and light novel isekai despite a larger quantity of stories which are perhaps less good or interesting. But when anime-only viewers see only isekai anime, then their perspective of the 'genre' is narrower. There are the highly acclaimed re:zero, overlord, tanya, konosuba, etc. Then there are the shows that are easily considered trash such as: ragnarok, cheat magician, isekai de cheat skill, isekai shoukan, etc. Of course tastes are subjective and all sorts of isekai (usually) have merits to them of some kind. However, beyond 'good' and 'bad' isekai, the 'mid-tier' shows are the vast majority of isekai anime. These include shows like: arifureta, kuma kuma kuma bear, skeleton knight isekai, saikyou onmyouji, the great cleric, Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei and MANY more. I feel like there's a relatively strong and unfair predisposition to looking down on most isekai shows simply based on their surface levels. Which makes sense due to the validated reputation of isekai and the shallowness of their content or production. Yet, many people look past the intent of an isekai's reason for enjoyment, usually since they cannot or will not connect to it for its low-brain energies. But, little do they realize, isekai offer a special outlet for certain fantasies to manifest themselves to the closest version of reality in our world. The point is, the crappiness of isekai is sometimes over-inflated unfairly. So, I suggest being a little open minded and pick your poison for enjoyment. I believe it's these 'mid-tier' shows that are often (but not always) misunderstood as bad or boring shows. Of course, if you're interested in only consuming quality productions like jujutsu kaisen or golden kamuy, these shows are probably not up to par. HOWEVER, I believe the reason why people like I enjoy many isekai is similar to the reason why so many isekai exist as light novels and manga. It's about the idea! Everything is about ideas, but in isekai, these ideas can be fruitfully explored, which offers diversity upon a saturated generic market. Sometimes, certain ideas can (usually) only found those stories. Enjoyable elements often include: feelings of superiority, adventure/exploration, react between cultures/values/societies, exploitation or innovation, and a sense of a 'new start'. Personally, I'd like to see an isekai get adapted into live action (sounds stupid). But of course, like many cartoons, isekai are better suited for mediums like anime, manga, and light novels because it's cheaper and more effective to explore ideas on those mediums. I assume isekai's (of our anime kind) likely wouldn't be properly executed by video game studios or 'professional' novelists because either the authors/creators aren't interested in the notion of isekai, or they aren't keen on 'wasting time' or 'risking' a project on niche, generic, or corny concepts even if those concepts (filled with many tropes) are perhaps profitable or can still be 'saved' and turned into a masterpiece of its own right. A few more minor points: -Earlier in the mid 2010s, people criticized and complained over there being too many isekai anime. But at that time, I don't think there were too many? And I'm not speaking with hindsight of today. -(This is 99% a personal opinion) Shows that are 'parodies of the isekai genre' are still isekai and they are great as isekais, even if they make fun of its many kinsmen. These shows probably include: konosuba, isekai ojisan, Ixion Saga DT (I think), Meikyuu Black Company (I think) -In recent times, I've noticed there are more 'good isekai' manga/light novels being adapted into anime. Over course, there aren't many 9/10+ shows being released. But, compared to before in the mid-late 2010s, I think there were more generic/trashy isekai on average. Basically in recent times the quality has improved a bit (on average). -There are many 'isekai' from the 20th century, 2000s, and early 2010s that deserve getting checked out. But it doesn't mean that they also don't suffer from their own tropes or trashiness (sometimes). These shows generally rely less on generic foundations and thus their stories are a bit more unique. And they ought not to be lumped so easily with 'modern' isekai. Check em out I guess. -When a new (or old) isekai does something different or interesting compared to its fellow 'generic' isekai, people sometimes end up undervaluing or ignoring it (unfortunately). For example: "My Isekai Life" is plain, arguably boring, and definitely not a masterpiece. However, aside from the trope of an OP protagonist, this show is not trashy at all . Generic, but not trashy. Despite the MC's seemingly lack of personality, he still carries a unique vibe for himself (ex veteran black company employee) that differs from the usual teenage MC. There's no harem, aside from a harem of his witty slime balls. And although the plot is vague, there's an actual adventure with some development and point to the story. Okay that is all. Pardon my ramble and poor sentence structure and grammar. |
W3TFTNov 5, 2023 2:23 AM
ow + nw = 90-2000s |
| I can probably speak for myself, that Isekai is the most underappreciated genre for varying reasons though since I don't watch Isekai anime that much. So that's a miss or hit for me. |
RaiYouNov 5, 2023 5:06 AM
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| "is isekai the most misunderstood genre of all time?" Also the most misused one in the moment. |
| Depends, tbh. Certain older ones have their charm (Magic Knight Rayearth, Digimon, etc.) I'd argue Tensura (at least the first season) was pretty interesting (to me that is). Like any other genre, I think it is better to judge each show individually than "are all <X Genre> anime bad" broad statements. |
    Dreaming 'bout long gone things;Days, on end, repeating infinitely. Like the inside of a never-ending dream, Whilst looking for the endless morn... Only to return to the dream again |
| i straight up refuse to watch lazy isekai, which is most of it. But lazy anime just copy whatever it thinks is possible, which isnt really the fault of isekai. |
| https://combosmooth.itch.io/ - I make free-to-play browser games for PC and I sell pixel art animation here |
| Whats there to misunderstand? As you pointed out a lot of them are more or less the same, and people don't want to dig through those to find the few somewhat unique ones. But that's not really a "misunderstanding" so much as an unwillingness to do that. As for the the "unfairly criticized bit", I'd point that squarely at the people who blindly hate them, but pointing out the repetitiveness is not in and of itself an unfair criticism. The unfair part comes with assuming repetitive automatically equals bad. But again, no ones going to bother trying to find one they might actually like when there's so many that don't look worth the time. |
| I think people feel just oversatured from it, there is so much isekai every season. There is good stuff like Mushoku Tensei and really bad stuff like the smarthphone isekai. |
| Sometimes isekai is boring and sometimes it's fun. Just like every other genre imo. Idk why people hate it more. |
| I know people make promises all the time Then they turn right around and break them When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, now you're bleeding But I could be that guy to heal it over time And I won't stop until you believe it 'Cause baby you're worth it |
| I just find it really funny how people love to shit on isekai animes, but they can't stop watching them either. The only reason there's 5-10 different isekai shows every season is because people like watching them. It might be a tough pillow to swallow, but that's the truth. |
Reply to Gator
I think people feel just oversatured from it, there is so much isekai every season. There is good stuff like Mushoku Tensei and really bad stuff like the smarthphone isekai.
| I find both good for different reasons. Mushoku Tensei for pervy MC, waifus, production values, overarching story that will take 7 seasons to finish. Isekai wa Smartphone for relaxing easygoing setting with overpowered MC and waifu harem and no overdramatized plot. |
spacecobra5 said: It's tough to sound cool and edgy when you are blatantly confusing pill with pillow Looks like the joke went over your head lmfao. |
| people are just sick of how many isekai shows there are each season i guess but there is a huge demand for it on japan anyway so it will not change soon |
| I think it's pretty well understood by most. the vast majority are bad, you get some which are okay and a tiny minority will actually be good. And they're never truly great, the format is too self-centred. Unless perhaps you go back a decade or more, to when it was a setup, not a genre. |
| Directed at OP: You kind of shoot your own point in the foot by first saying it's "misunderstood" but then acknowledging that "many seem repetitive". Just because there are hidden gems (like among pretty much anything) doesn't mean isekai in general aren't usually a lot of drivel. Your reasoning could be used just as well for some other genre that might be well-beloved by the majority of people but has some rare stinker shows but because of those stinkers you would start calling the entire genre misunderstood and actually shite, because some of them are crap. Aside from all of that, people should watch whatever they want/find enjoyment in. Yes, I avoid most isekai because they're usually boring and annoying to me but if somebody else loves them above all else? Good for them. |
| I've watched several isekai shows from the modern era lately just to see what the fuss is about, and they all ranged from mediocre to garbage. Nothing has come remotely close to Twelve Kingdoms or Escaflowne. It's like they're not even trying (especially with those atrocious light novel titles). Konosuba was the only one I found remotely engaging, as the idea of a protagonist making zero progress on their quest due to their crazy and incompetent comrades was moderately amusing. Anyway, I don't think there's anything to 'misunderstand' here. The current obsession with the genre results in a massive output of content, most of which is subpar. It's a bubble and it'll pop sooner or later, then we'll move on to the next genre craze. |
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol |
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