Forum - View topicSome Things On Isekai Anime.
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Snomaster1
 SubscriberPosts: 2796 |
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In recent years,isekai has become one of the most popular genres of anime and manga. For those who don't know,it's a genre in which the main character leaves our world and goes to another one for some kind of adventure or some other reason like that. While other nations have had their share of these types of stories,somehow it took off in Japan recently for reasons I don't really know.
While there have been the typical thing in which someone is whisked off to another world,either through a portal or through other means for whatever reason,there is a subgenre of isekai that's very popular in Japan that could be called "reincarnation isekai." That's when the main character dies for whatever reason,he or she ends up not in heaven or hades. This person isn't at some get together with his or her ancestors or talking with Akira Kurosawa. Instead,they end up in some strange fantasy world and then it proceeds from there. I'll be frank when I say I have no idea why this sort of thing is popular in Japan. In similar stories of this nature elsewhere in the world,the protagonist is free to choose whether he or she can stay in this strange new world or return to their old one. Unfortunately,in reincarnation isekai,the choice has already been made. There's no way for the protagonist of the story to return to his old world,even if he or she wanted to. He or she has basically died and there seems to be no real way to fix the situation. In other words,that door's already closed. While stuff like "KONOSUBA,""Ascendance of a Bookworm,"and others like it are interesting,in a way,they're also kind of sad. It's like the main characters of these stories didn't really have a choice whether they wanted to go to this new world or not. It basically happened and there's really no way to fix this situation and that's the part of it I don't really like too much. It takes the choice away from that person about whether they wanted to do this or not. Again,I have no idea why this type of story is so popular in Japan. I hope someone can tell me. Perhaps I'm missing something in these stories that keeps this type of story going because I and other like me don't really get it. Last edited by Snomaster1 on Wed May 19, 2021 5:04 am; edited 7 times in total |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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My assumption would be reincarnation narratives connected to Buddhism, of which I aware has a fairly large part in Japanese culture. My understanding even is that Buddhist funerals are the most common, so it really is not much of a surprise that reincarnation isekai would be popular.
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2796 |
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Well thanks,DuskyPredator. That,at least,gives me some info as to why it might be so popular. I'll be honest when I say I have little clue as to why these type of reincarnation isekai anime and manga when it's suddenly become so popular. They wouldn't really show up in more Western versions of isekai. I guess I feel a little sad when I look at stuff like this. The lead characters didn't really have a choice in what happened to them and they just ended up stuck in a strange world simply because they died. They can't return to this world,even if they wanted to. It's such a shame,but hey. It may be my bias talking but still I think it's a little melancholy to read these sort of things,you know what I mean?
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9835 Location: Virginia |
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You need to look closer at the isekai series that don't involve reincarnation. Many, if not most of them don't involve choice either. In those cases where they are summoned bodily to the fantasy world they are seldom asked if they want that and there is rarely a way back. This season's The Saint's Magic is Omnipotent is a good example. One of the first questions the MC asks is how do I get back to Japan and the answer is you don't.
I think you will find that a lot of anime and manga involves the MC (and possibly others) being thrown into a situation and having to figure out how to cope. Think of Shinji and his robot or someone trapped in a video game world. For that matter think of all the romantic comedies where the couple are forced together. I don't think this is specific to Japan. It is just a convention to set up a situation with plot possibilities, If it is just the reincarnation that bothers you, DuskyPredator is correct. That is an element of most Eastern religions. |
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EmbraceMe
 Posts: 2013 Location: Growing old and jaded. |
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The simplest answer may be the availability (and popularity) of content -- most isekai anime are adapted from light novels. It's probably less of a risk to produce and would have the most comercial success if the light novels themselves were popular prior to adaption. I see it as far less risk than an original concept. Additionally, I think anime usually goes through popularity cycles. See the early 2000s with its abundance of [battle] harems and now the boom of the isekai genre. We may see isekai lose its popularity in a few years or the craze could continue on for a while. I think the more complicate question is what led to the isekai craze which is what you're really asking. Personally, I attribute it to Sword Art Online even if it's not true to the whole idea of isekai but it was such a big hit with the 'trapped in a game world' plot. I think several more adaptions followed after its sucess such as Log Horizon. Shows were trying to replicate its success and eventually the isekai genre became more popular. On the specifics of reincarnation isekai, I guess it's a chance of a new life? Half the time, the characters are described as 'losers' -- perhaps a NEET lifestyle, no romantic relationships, or bad human connections. I guess the appeal of restarting your life becomes more tempting then. |
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Cam0
 Posts: 4888 |
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I think this somewhat recent article shed a little bit of light into this. At least I feel like I have memory of it getting into why isekai became popular, but I'm too lazy to reread the article to confirm my suspicion. |
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Probablytomorrow
Posts: 164 |
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I feel like Sword Art Online was a notable catalyst for the isekai genre. Its “if you die in the game you die in real life” premise, though not original, was the right kind of thing at the right kind of time to play completely straight. It summed up the disparity between a gamer’s skills and the usefulness of those skills in real life, or articulated that disconnect. So while it wasn’t any great work, it did create a popular demand for fantasies in which the present generation, with its present-day skills, present-day knowledge, and present-day experience, were useful and needed. Fantasies where the protag doesn’t have to wait any more for technology to revolutionize the world, because it’s already revolutionary enough. Fantasies where the protag doesn’t have to grow up any more, because they’re already grown enough. That’s not to say that “all isekai are about technology, actually”, because of course there are many isekai telling their own stories. I just feel like the genre’s emphasis on disparity is a more consistent feature than its coming-of-age narrative.
Maybe the prevalence of isekai stories where there’s no way back home is related to that too? An ambivalence towards the present, undecided if it’s moving too fast or too slow? A desire to jump off the ride while there’s still a sort of understanding of it? I don’t know, it’s harder for me to generalize that part of it. |
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2796 |
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I'm very happy about the responses I've gotten here as of late. Those like Alan45,EmbraceMe,Cam0,and Probablytomorrow have made good points on isekai anime and I hope there's more to come. I'm grateful for those responses and I hope there's more soon. Again,thanks everyone,for your fascinating responses and I'd like to see some more here.
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Snowcat
Posts: 190 |
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In my opinion the Isekai trope is quite popular because:
- it's easier to write for inexperienced writers: you have an insert character from our world who discover the other world as point of view. - it correspond to a need for escapism. The escapism aspect will also justify the aspect of "no return": for example "Strange Dawn" where the two MC wanted constantly to go back to their world were annoying. Here an interview in Creator Science that can give you the opinion on the subject by two isekai writers : Jyumonji Ao (Grimgar) X Yanagino Kanata (Faraway Paladin) |
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2796 |
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That's an interesting take on one of the reasons for why isekai's recently become so popular,Snowcat. I'm not ashamed to say that I've had some ideas to do these sort of stories myself. I have written more than my share of stories in my time. I might do that someday. What do you guys think?
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2796 |
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Well,thanks for telling me about it,harryreess. I look it up and see for myself.
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Myrick
 Posts: 16 Location: Reno, Nevada |
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Isekai stories are popular in Japan because these stories tell escapesm into another world. A lot of Japanese people basically want to be whisked away from their current lives into a different one (a fantasy).
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2796 |
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Well thanks,Myrick. I think that's one of the simplest explanations I can think of for the sudden popularity of these types of anime and manga. I appreciate the comment and it was great.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9835 Location: Virginia |
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@Myrick
Wanting to be whisked away to another world or another life is hardly specific to Japan. I think that is a universal reaction to the stresses of ordinary life. That is one of the advantages to reading fiction, especially genre fiction, the ability to be temporarily in another place and time. Watching movies in general and anime specifically is also a way to achieve this. |
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Myrick
Posts: 16 Location: Reno, Nevada |
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@Alan45 The difference with reading books is that Isekai is literally transferring a person to another world whereas reading books is just a daydream of being transferred to another world.
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