Everybody criticizes Isekai, and for good reason. They're formulaic, feature really obnoxious characters, all look the same, and can often be misogynist power fantasies. On the other hand, they're very popular so they must be doing something right. Do you have any isekai that you think are really good, in terms of being fun to watch, artistically worthwhile, and not leaving you feeling gross afterward?

A couple ideas:

Inuyasha - this one's older, from when Isekai stories were usually Shoujo instead of Shonen. It's way too long, but has fun characters and cool monsters.

Tanya the Evil - "The Nietzschean Isekai". I won't spoil it, go watch the first five or so episodes for a wild anime ride. Unfortunately, Tanya the Evil never really progresses any further than the insane premise, so the second half really drags. Also, the art looks terrible and makes me feel terrible in my soul.

Re:Zero - Subaru's story has a lot of the Isekai tropes people hate, not least of all the character of Subaru himself. But, it's full of wild characters and bizarre situations. What I like about the plot is how it makes you think about the different perspectives of the characters as you uncover the reasons for their surprising actions.

  • Koolio [any]M
    ·
    4 years ago

    Yeah, the most unironic one that comes to mind is GATE (which I believe is still used in JSDF recruitment). It came out before GATE, essentially the same but outbreak company starts off with the protagonist being used as Japanese soft power against the inhabitants of the other world, but then he figures out and feels bad about the fact that he's an imperialist tool.

    • Wmill [they/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      One that I like even though it follows this concept is that time I reincarnated as a slime. I justify it in my mind with the world is more a video game than anything really. I'm like 5 episodes in but I like it.