• Magician [he/him, they/them]
    hexbear
    22
    10 months ago

    I think it's also part knowing a better world is possible while struggling to see the middle portion to get there. It'll be nice to be reincarnated into a world where you're better off financially and you can get a job you want to do and that job would grant you a better standard of living.

    And then you throw away a lot of the bullshit we accumulate in a society so blatantly driven by capitalism.

    Some people are frustrated and want to start over on a more even playing field. And some of those people also believe that even playing field would let them have a waifu.

    Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of the isekai stuff out there is shallow slop, but I also think the popularity of escapist fantasy is resonant to material conditions.

      • Magician [he/him, they/them]
        hexbear
        20
        10 months ago

        Oh I see. Yeah, that's a pretty clear distinction. That part of the genre has dehumanizing wish-fulfillment vibes that reminds me a lot of romanticizing colonialism.

        • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]
          hexbear
          17
          10 months ago

          reminds me a lot of romanticizing colonialism.

          I think that's a really sharp observation. There's probably a good essay to be written about that.