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This Week in Anime - Are Any of the New Isekai Worth Watching?


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TheSleepyMonkey



Joined: 11 Jul 2022
Posts: 905
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:56 pm Reply with quote
For me, I don't care if something is generic or not - as long as it is executed well or adds something that makes it even remotely interesting.

Dungeon of Black Company was one of my hidden gems in 2021 because it did not do anything outstanding, but just watching Kinji be a clever a-hole made it so fun to watch.
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Minos_Kurumada



Joined: 04 Nov 2015
Posts: 1058
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 6:13 pm Reply with quote
Isekai it's a funny tag for me because I only like the ones that either make fun of it or go against everything that makes it popular to begin with.

Thus, the only Isekai that i like are the anti-isekai.
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Cryten



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 1012
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 7:15 pm Reply with quote
Turns out when it comes to isekai writing a good interesting story / characters makes for a good time. Just like all other shows.
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kotomikun



Joined: 06 May 2013
Posts: 1205
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 9:13 pm Reply with quote
Although Magical Revolution of the Extremely Long Title does have my glowing recommendation, it's only barely an isekai. Outside of the title, the fact that Anis reincarnated from our world is only implied (by her attempts to recreate things like flying broomsticks and electric kettles). It's not quite in the category of "shoehorned into isekai because it's trendy," but if not for the marketing aspect, they might have left that out of the verbose title and let people figure that out on their own, which could have made a better story structure.

The somewhat-depressing thing about this latest crop of isekai is that most of them have moved on from the worn-out overpoweredness fantasy, and instead just revolve around doing normal things and being appreciated for it. In another universe. Because apparently even a fictional version of the modern world can't provide that for a lot of people. Society has really hit the point where being a successful chef, handyman, or farmer is a literal fantasy, and teenagers want to hop between dimensions just to make money. Man.
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Brutannica



Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Posts: 257
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 9:13 pm Reply with quote
The sad thing is, "Reincarnated with My Little Sister as an Elf Slave" sounds like it could be a real isekai... Anime cry
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phia_one



Joined: 15 Jan 2012
Posts: 1657
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 12:23 am Reply with quote
I'm usually not into isekai, but I've been giving more of them a try over the past few years. Out of this seasons batch, I watched Campfire Cooking, Handyman Saito, and Saving 80000 Gold.

I'm shocked at how much I'm enjoying Campfire Cooking. It's such a chill show that I'm honestly looking forward to watching it every week. I find Mukoda likable, Fenrir is great, and I want more of the Iron Will. I even laughed a few times.

I couldn't even make it through the first episode of Handyman Saito. It felt like it was trying too hard to be funny.

80000 Gold left me feeling meh. I didn't hate it, but aside from the MC's brother, nothing about the show makes me want to continue with it.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2538
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 12:54 am Reply with quote
I beg to differ on Handyman Saito, it is just deliberately and a little low-key funny as opposed to the "big setup/big payoff" style of Konosuba. That I could see someone accusing of trying hard. Now, a "comedy" that is trying very hard to be funny because it is failing to be is Fruit of Evolution. Just glad to see some love sent HS's way.
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Nojay



Joined: 20 Jan 2016
Posts: 112
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:57 am Reply with quote
Brutannica wrote:
The sad thing is, "Reincarnated with My Little Sister as an Elf Slave" sounds like it could be a real isekai... Anime cry


I can think of an isekai story which is basically "Reincarnated as the (Elf) Slave of My Little Sister" and it's even getting a second series of anime. Okay, the little sister has an actual elf slave in the story as well but...
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Penrhos



Joined: 09 Jun 2021
Posts: 168
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 7:55 am Reply with quote
Waded through all the Isekai this season.

Fruits of blandness - I'm not sure how they managed to make it worse than season 1 - but it is - 0.5/5 = Dropped.

Yuri princess and the smart girl - I've read this and it's being adapted pretty well so far, unfortunately more yuri-bait than yuri but the blonde chaos-munchkin MC is so thirsty - 4/5

Saito and his toolkit - Another surprisingly good one, obviously based on a 4-koma comic, but doesn't feel too disjointed, back-story for the group is filling in nicely, I hope it'll not run out of steam by Ep.12. 4/5.

80K gold - I'll persevere for another Ep or so but it's not great. 3/5

The exorcist sucks - Nope, rubbish 0.5/5 = Dropped.

Foodwars isekai camping trip - I keep thinking foodwars... At least the chopped cabbage looked good, He needs a recycling bin for all his isekai rubbish though. I enjoyed it more than I should - 3.5/5

Isekai Harvest moon - OP spoils the show completely, obvious from OP he's going to be potato-kum (literally) with his harem of beauties and the only seeds being planted are by his magic hoe - 2/5
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Nojay



Joined: 20 Jan 2016
Posts: 112
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 8:12 am Reply with quote
Penrhos wrote:
Waded through all the Isekai this season.

Foodwars isekai camping trip - He needs a recycling bin for all his isekai rubbish though.


Spoiler -- he gets one. Hilarity ensues.
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Zefram



Joined: 02 Oct 2019
Posts: 108
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 9:55 am Reply with quote
Penrhos wrote:
Waded through all the Isekai this season.

Fruits of blandness - I'm not sure how they managed to make it worse than season 1 - but it is - 0.5/5 = Dropped.

Yuri princess and the smart girl - I've read this and it's being adapted pretty well so far, unfortunately more yuri-bait than yuri but the blonde chaos-munchkin MC is so thirsty - 4/5

Saito and his toolkit - Another surprisingly good one, obviously based on a 4-koma comic, but doesn't feel too disjointed, back-story for the group is filling in nicely, I hope it'll not run out of steam by Ep.12. 4/5.

80K gold - I'll persevere for another Ep or so but it's not great. 3/5

The exorcist sucks - Nope, rubbish 0.5/5 = Dropped.

Foodwars isekai camping trip - I keep thinking foodwars... At least the chopped cabbage looked good, He needs a recycling bin for all his isekai rubbish though. I enjoyed it more than I should - 3.5/5

Isekai Harvest moon - OP spoils the show completely, obvious from OP he's going to be potato-kum (literally) with his harem of beauties and the only seeds being planted are by his magic hoe - 2/5


I agree with you about ALL these shows, except 80k gold, not sure if I can handle another episode of that.
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dm
Subscriber



Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1385
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 2:39 pm Reply with quote
Betteridge's law: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered, 'No'".

(Well, sometimes it's moderated with "usually".)
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GenderBenderDefender



Joined: 21 Nov 2022
Posts: 48
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 3:54 pm Reply with quote
The title is rhetorical right? Obligatory OG Isekai title drop:

Fushigi Yûgi
Inu Yasha
Vision of Escaflowne
Magic Knight Rayearth
Aura Battler Dunbine
Ashita No Joe
.Hack
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JR-1



Joined: 02 Oct 2012
Posts: 70
Location: Southeast Asia
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:10 pm Reply with quote
As a fan of fantasy I'm still leaning towards positive how the popularity of isekai creates a lot of fun ideas and also encouraging fantasy in general since it's considered adjacent to it.

As the genre develops I've seen a lot more experienced authors try their hand on isekai or its adjacent and it rather reaffirms what I've thought and what the columnist said that basic storytelling fundamentals is what's important.

The part that still makes me not fully positive though is that how better written it is from basic storytelling fundamentals does not have very strong correlation with how popular it is. It's also often very hard to decouple itself from some level of power fantasy that is by base higher than stories not of its genre.
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sorvani



Joined: 07 Nov 2005
Posts: 71
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:37 pm Reply with quote
JR-1 wrote:
As a fan of fantasy I'm still leaning towards positive how the popularity of isekai creates a lot of fun ideas and also encouraging fantasy in general since it's considered adjacent to it.

So many very interesting concepts generated and even officially translated.


JR-1 wrote:
The part that still makes me not fully positive though is that how better written it is from basic storytelling fundamentals does not have very strong correlation with how popular it is. It's also often very hard to decouple itself from some level of power fantasy that is by base higher than stories not of its genre.


To me the biggest problem is the studio poorly adapting the source.
Most adaptions do a decent job of not changing things too much to fit the new medium. I understand things have to change for the medium. I'm not one of those weird purists insisting that things be adapted perfectly.

But some shows are so poorly adapted that it makes it hard for me to understand why the studio took on the project.
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