Tenma Otori died. But his story doesn't end there! A god from another world appears before him with an offer Tenma can't refuse: if he agrees to be reincarnated to save the god's dying world, he'll be bestowed cheat abilities. Who can say no to that?Tenma is reincarnated into a lush fantasy world filled with demi-humans, monsters, mysterious forests, even magical spells and items. He's adopted by two former master adventurers, while his new grandfather is a famous wizard. As Tenma grows older, his adoptive family discover more and more of Tenma's extraordinary gods-given powers and abilities.But even if Tenma wants to lead an ordinary existence, fate is not so kind. He has to contend with three mysterious strangers who try to kidnap him. And when tragedy strikes, Tenma has no choice but to leave his new home behind and set out into the world...

Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World is written by Kenichi and illustrated by Nem. English translation by Andria McKnight. Published by J-Novel Club. (September 9, 2025).

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

It's not entirely fair to say that there's a drop off between volumes one and two of Isekai Tensei. While it's true that I found the first book included in this omnibus more enjoyable, it's equally true that it's pretty standard isekai fare: Tenma Otori died in a traffic accident, was offered another chance in a new world, and wound up superpowered with all of his memories intact. It has a lot of surface similarities with The Beginning After The End, primarily in the loving family life he gains, and like many of its genre brethren, it features stat screens that go on for pages. But it also has competent characterization, particularly of Tenma, and decent worldbuilding, making it an easy, if not a breezy, read.

Volume two, on the other hand, shifts to what somehow feels more standard, even though it technically isn't, or at least isn't any less creative than the first. The second chapter of Tenma's adventures sees him setting off after the loss of all he holds dear, and for the most part, this means throwing him into the path of new characters, most of whom are nubile young women. Is one cat girl too few in your fantasy novel? Then come on over, because Isekai Tensei has cat girl triplets with rhyming names. Although Tenma's basic premise remains the same – protecting others – there's a different tone to the second half of the omnibus that isn't entirely welcome and feels like it may be trying too hard.

Still, the writing isn't dreadful, even if it does have a tendency to begin chapters with “It had been _____ years/months since [event from previous chapter] happened.” Tenma's tragedy at the end of volume one achieves real emotional heft, and his care for those around him comes across cleanly and clearly. Watching him learn how he has to adjust his modern Japanese standards to his new circumstances never feels forced, and if there are pages of status screens, they feel like they're there because the author Kenichi felt obligated to include them, not because they needed a crutch. It may be fair to say that this book is held back by the author feeling beholden to the standards of the genre, and I'd be interested to see what they could write if that weren't the case.

Isekai Tensei is a very middle-of-the-road story in its first print omnibus. Neither terrible nor great, it nonetheless has some potential, and while the pages are a little thin – and it retains the formatting of the e-book, with paragraph breaks before an image – it's comfortable to hold and has a cover that largely hides fingerprints. It's a good book to pick up if you just need to forget about life for a bit.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

“That feels pretty irresponsible…but okay, sure. Let's get started.”

So says the reborn Tenma Otori at the end of his former life as he gets ready to move into his next one. “Okay, sure,” is basically how I felt after reading this omnibus. There is nothing wrong with this book. It's not poorly written; the protagonist never once licks a knife blade. It's a fast read—I made my way through it this morning.

Again, it is not bad. It simply has little genuine conflict. Tenma is so vastly overpowered that any actual fight is a foregone conclusion. Volume 1, the first half of this omnibus, at least allows us some glimpse of Tenma as a human. We watch as he learns to love his foster parents and has real emotions when they are in danger. The second half, Volume 2, is a collection of declarative sentences about the day in the life of a person who has almost no worries of any kind.

Everyone likes Tenma, except the bad guys. Bad guys, never Tenma, say and do “disgusting” and “revolting” things to women. Tenma only wants to help and, eh, he doesn't really need the money, either. He's just a boy and his dog, erm, wolf, and his water slime, moving freely and easily among the adventurers in a feudal country, and neither he nor we ever needs to break a sweat worrying that he's ever in danger. I get that “being strong and cool-headed enough to deal with anything” is a power fantasy of a kind, but it does make it a little hard to care.

On the good side, Tenma may be popular with the women and catgirls, but it's not a harem as such. On the very bad side, some homophobia and transphobia regarding the God of Death. Blech.

If you want to know the who, what, why, and how Tenma wrecks the next crew, this'll do you fine. Not everything has to be for me.