Transported to another world?!
Pagan, Amanda. "A Beginner's Guide to Isekai." Children's Librarian, Stavros
Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), 15 July 2019,
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2019/07/15/beginners-guide-isekai-manga.
Isekai, the rising star in the Japanese animated (anime) world.
With its explosive emergence into the scene in the mid 2010's, this genre has
taken the world by storm. Featuring prominent titles such as
Sword Art Online, Overlord, and
Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World, Isekai finds itself as a major plot point in many modern
shows.
But just what exactly IS Isekai?
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Tanya Degurechaff from Saga of Tanya the Evil in Isekai Quartet (Episode 1) |
Literally meaning "another world", Isekai (異世界)- despite
popular belief- is not just a subgenre of fantasy, but rather a close sibling
to other fictional subgenres. So what category does it fall into? A more
precise definition would be to call it part of the "speculative fiction" genre
as written by Dr. Paul S. Price in "A Survey of the Story Elements of Isekai
Manga," as it contains "internally consistent fictional worlds" (Price 60).
However, its most popular usage typically falls into the high fantasy
portal-quest genres where a protagonist typically ends up transported,
transmigrated or reincarnated into another world. Shows such as
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!,
The Rising of the Shield Hero, and
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody all fall into this subgenre.
(From left to right) Aqua, Kazuma, Megumin, Chomusuke (the cat),
Darkness from
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 2.
Yet, not all Isekai stories follow the fantasy genre. Many Japanese
comics, manga, have Isekai as a starting point, but then
use sci-fi to explain away all questions about the world. Manga such as
Unparalleled Path - Reincarnated as the AI for a Space Battleship and
I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! break away from the fantastical and lean closer towards sci-fi. Furthermore,
many works, both adapted to anime and non-adapted works, heavily lean into the
science fantasy genre; blending both fantastical elements like magic and
higher powers with futuristic and modern science. Anime like Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs, Manga like Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer, and novels like Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~
all skillfully mix the natural and the impossible.
Alan Corinth from Captain Corinth Volume 2: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes
an Adventurer Manga Sample on Amazon
In the past couple of years, Isekai has grown so popular that it
frequently dominates many slots on Japanese television. For example, in Spring
2023, 9 shows airing that season had Isekai as a major plot point
in the story. Considering this trend has continued from 2019, many people have
become tired of the Isekai trope. Thus, many shows go unnoticed.
Within the genre however, many shows actually have compelling stories,
animation, or sometimes both! This blog aims to bring the limelight to many of
the Isekai stories that have flown under the radar, both good and
bad, to actively inform you of hidden gems.
Thank you for reading!
Price, Dr. Paul S. "A Survey of the Story Elements of Isekai Manga." Journal
of Anime and Manga Studies, vol. 2, 2021, pp. 57- 91.
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