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EP. REVIEW: Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout

I don't recall Shen ever assaulting Jinguuji (ok, other than drugging him to give him a spectacular massage). After all, one of his skills is "Passive Perseverance." Sure, irl he'd be annoying af, but Jinguuji seems much less bothered by his continued efforts to woo him than the reviewer is. And Shen's never gone as far as the nun who tore off Tachibana's clothes and shamed him in front of a roomful of people, bringing him to his knees nearly in tears, which didn't even rate a mention. It just feels like the animosity toward Shen is out of proportion to what he's actually done compared to other characters' actions. And our dipshit duo barely notice him now that they pretty much know what his deal is. They don't seem to consider him a threat anymore, so I don't know why the reviews do. Eye of the beholder, I guess.

meiam wrote:

What is it with isekai and slavery? Almost all of them end up touching on the subject at some point and they all seem to take the position that it's just a petty crime like burglary or something. Here Shen is 100% a slaver, and the main character just hang out with him like its nothing. At most they find him mildly annoying. I guess I should just be happy that the elf chief didn't fall madly in love with him and ask to be his love slave forever...

I mean, if we want to be realistic about it, slavery, in various forms, was a thing for most of humankind's history, and in various time periods and in various places in the world people had all sorts of attitudes to it. And even though slavery is quite universally accepted as a terrible, inhuman thing by most modern cultures, not every culture has the same really visceral sensitivity to the concept itself as, for example, the US. Before anyone misunderstands (oh, who am I kidding) I don't mean that the visceral sensitivity is a bad thing - it's just that not every culture has the same history with slavery and so their overall sensitivity to the concept of slavery in fiction is not going to be exactly the same.

And to be even more realistic about it: leaving cases like Fabiniku aside, slavery is a reeeeally common sexual/romantic fantasy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And in a fantasy setting it's easier to handwave away the unpleasant real-world implications.

The problem isn't the way the character in the fantasy world react to it, the problem is the way the people who were raised in the real world reacting to it like its no big deal. Are we suppose to see the main character themselves as okay with slavery? Or is it just that the demographic who read isekai LN happen to be pretty cool with the concept?

It's just weird how often the subject shows up and how its always merely frowned upon, if its not just seen as a great way to get some fan service.

It was still implying that it was what was going to happen, and was pushed along by the fact he was gay.

I'll agree that in the beginning the first half of that is true, but I didn't feel that his being gay was presented as why he's sketchy (the actual humor was in Jinguuji's obliviousness). More his indifference to the ethics of trading human merchandise, his assassination skill set, his tagging along uninvited and drugging their food are the things that made him sketchy, as they would any character. If he actually had been interested in giving Tachibana a massage instead, he'd have been just as suspicious and threatening early on, and the scenes could've been written essentially the same.

Even Jinguuji is more gay-panicked about his feelings for Tachibana than he is about Shen, who he seems to view as merely an unwelcome annoyance. Shen's like a gnat buzzing around your head that does no harm but drives you nuts because it's always there and won't be shooed off.

If gay characters were all still villainous, or if all characters behaving like Shen were gay, I'd be grinding my teeth the way I do whenever the crossdressing or trans 5 -o'clock shadowed simpering stereotypes show up. But I think we've had enough gay and lesbian representation of characters who aren't evil or predatory by now that the ones who are can be (depending on how it's presented) perceived as neutrally as we do their straight counterparts.

The slave thing is still a sore spot, and that whole part of his introduction does feel weird, with how Jinguuji should feel the smallest guilt for destroying his operation.

he awkwardly dawdled into his audience with the king, only to immediately perk up upon seeing somebody he recognized like it's the first day of middle school.

Well, I call this a farce, but considering what a real life military is pulling right now, maybe this show really does have its finger on the pulse.

Quote:

Well, I call this a farce, but considering what a real life military is pulling right now, maybe this show really does have its finger on the pulse.

I don’t want to be “that guy” but, you do know that those posters aren’t anything official, and that they were personally commissioned by a single recruiter, right?

I mean…you could have posted a link to an article rather than a single misleading image.

Just sayin’.

Zahooee wrote:

Quote: Well, I call this a farce, but considering what a real life military is pulling right now, maybe this show really does have its finger on the pulse. I don’t want to be “that guy” but, you do know that those posters aren’t anything official, and that they were personally commissioned by a single recruiter, right? I mean…you could have posted a link to an article rather than a single misleading image. Just sayin’.

Unless I missed a post that was edited, I think you’re responding to the wrong thread.