Will isekai become the best genre?

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

Hear me out.

The isekai genre has been booming for a while now, and at this rate, it's not too improbable that we will get a whole decade full of nothing but isekai. I mean, when was the last time we've gotten a season without isekai?

Another way to interpret this oddity is that the isekai genre has received accelerated progression due to an undying hype. I speculate that this hype comes from the anime community's culture to follow new seasonal animes and, thanks to the human brain's capability to find patterns, they start noticing more and more isekai. More authors pick this up as a form of inspiration and hit series such as NGNL, KonoSuba, Overlord, etc, were the push this isekai hype needed to live on; so much so that isekai has evolved from a trope and into a genre of its own.

How am I able to say that isekai's progression is accelerating? Think about it. The beginning of the isekai boom takes place roughly around 2013. In 2018 we receive the anime adaptation of Slime Tensei which the community happily ate up as it felt like a breath of fresh air. Think about it - people love this series because they're finally seeing an isekai done well rather than authors attempting various twists and end up messing it up. We've return to the point where we appreciate a good "standard" more than a bad "spin" in a matter of five years.

Spoiler

(Now you could argue that this isn't really the case since the LN for Slime Tensei came out at 2014 but we're judging the reaction for the anime for sake of consistency.)

We've also been getting satirical comedy isekais such as: Milfsekai, Cautious Hero, and Kemono Michi - all within this year. Not to mention the fact that we have received a confirmed anime adaptation of "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!" for 2020 which is inarguably going to be the beginning of the "otome isekai subgenre".

These things are going a little too fast, don't you think?

Here is my question: will the isekai genre's average quality eventually be superior to that of other genres? We know that with time comes betterment.

Take note that I do not mean:
-All anime-adapted isekais will be good,
-Everyone will enjoy the hit series,
-Isekai will overflood the market.
It's natural that some adaptations will mess up, such as Arifureta, or just trash from the source. Some people won't like certain isekais because they are not into it. One genre filling the entire season is outright absurd.
I am primarily talking about writing quality, cinematography, sound and animation design, all those stuffs which we can objectively say rather than subjectively guess.

Will isekai eventually reach a point where people will look for examples in the isekai genre to compare and measure quality of new animes as the community holds them in such high regards? Is it impossible? Are we already there?

 

[421cookies]

Well, Arifureta got 2nd season and even beat good stuff like kanata or dr.stone in BD sales so… unfortunately we already at that point.

 

[Rhaptopia]

Hmm yes. Atleast for some time.

 

[Rhaptopia]

Kinda sad though since more original stories are deteriorating and that won't change for atleast 4-5 years. Every story gets longer and longer and people want still more of it. The otome hype will get the anime community quite badly as well and hyped for more and more. Idk not a expert just some kid but I do think it will be that way for very long and medieval fantasy will be even more popular together with isekai.

 

[Greenfrost]

Well, I look at it as more of a fad. Yes, It has become a new, interesting, and wildly successful genre; but it's popularity can't be sustainable. Eventually, people will either A: get burnt out, or B: lose interest and move on. Fads always go that way in America, at least. Examples being: zombies, Pokemon, old-west movies, and PLEASE GOD hopefully superhero movies. And, yes, Pokemon is still popular, but anyone who was around in the late 90s will know it's nothing like it was back then. So, basically, I personally think isekai will never die, but eventually we won't be seeing, or hearing as much of it.

 

[negavamas]

I still remember when zombies where the biggest fad, movies, games, manga, you name it, it was everywhere. This is the same, it will be popular for a time then something else will be popular and copied to hell and back. And this comes from someone who loves isekai.

PD: I really want to read fantasy again without it being an isekai, that's what screwing with me the most, you can make isekai with scifi, it doesn't need to be fantasy all the time. Give me steampunk isekai for gods sake.

 

[sterven]

I also believe this is just the new fad once something else comes along it'll fade into oblivion.

 

[May_Lily]

@DANDAN_THE_DANDAN

will the isekai genre's average quality eventually be superior to that of other genres?

My answer is no as I do not think there has ever been a case in which the majority of stories of a particular genre are consistently of high quality, nor do I think it ever will be. As Greenfront, negavamas, and sterven mention what we are witnessing is more likely a fad. I recall a time in which slice of life anime that feature female characters, which some people refer to incorrectly as "moe” as well as "cute girls doing cute things" out of dislike (or something like that from what I was told) as being popular, and I think even earlier with action anime that were adaptations of manga people refer to as "shounen", but are more correctly categorize in Tsugumi Ohba’s and Takeshi Obata’s Bakuman as “battle manga”, were very popular to the point of seeing those stories more commonly back in the day.

Also, even if in the long term the majority of Isekai anime produce turn out to be of high quality that is largely going to matter for the people who are already into this subgenre, which leads me to address the name of this topic. No genre can be the greatest as what makes genres appealing is so subjective. Genre’s are like a story’s attitude (as I learn from dramatic), but like how people have preferences for certain attitudes of others, so do they have preferences for genres, and not everyone likes the Isekai subgenre on the grounds that what it has to offer is of little to no interest in them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

@negavamas

I really want to read fantasy again without it being an isekai

There are non-isekai fantasy stories out there you can check out. For example there is Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, which I have heard good things about, as well as Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina by Jougi Shiraishi and Azure.

you can make isekai with scifi, it doesn't need to be fantasy all the time.

Technically I would consider Isekai stories such as Reki Kawahara's and abec's Sword Art Online to be science fiction as from what I know of the story, the series mainly takes place in a virtual video game with a setting that is like something one would see in a typical high fantasy story instead of being set in an "actual" fantasy world. Of course I do get where you are coming from, negavamas. An Isekai story taking place in an steam punk like setting would be neat and a change of pace from the usual medieval Western European inspire worlds we have been seeing up until now.

 

[Tamerlane]

I definitely have my criticisms of Isekai as a genre and I feel that its going to lead to some authors who don't know what they''re doing having wish fulfillment be the central focus. Which is why so far the best pieces are satires or inverses of the "everything is sunshine and rainbows where your life was shit before entering this wonderful world and now its some much better that you're here!" Konosuba, Arifuerta, etc. are all meant to play with the genre, but I still have my criticisms in some aspects of them.

I will say, that you're (@DANDAN_THE_DANDAN) helping me write a piece that's going to try and dissect the genre as it has fundamental philosophical questions that would change the whole landscape as we know it, and I don't think people wouldn't think about those things if they were encountered. So I'm interested to see what you think of the genre with that in mind.

 

[Haikaka]

I feel that isekai cannot appeal to as large an audience as the traditional shounen, as its world building is lackluster.

There is one thing I regret most particularily about most isekai, and it is the quality of world building worsening. I know that this genre is like heroic fantasy, with a well documented glossary and bestiary as universal reference, and it is part of the genre. But reading those, I get the feeling that both me and the author aren't implicated all that much in the world building. It is different from many works where you feel that the world is a product of the imagination of the author, that has matured and evolved over time, to become something special, a somewhat living existence. Not that it is free of any influence, far from that, just that the author made it fit together with imagination, creativity and some daydreaming.

Where I don't see the inner universe of the author, I feel that it lacks a dimension. It is the author that makes the story live, and most of what I see doesn't feel alive. How can I dream if the author doesn't?

Maybe the problem is that most of those isekai are adaptations, so the person drawing cannot be realy involved. And has difficulty changing the content according to the media. Most novels that are good from my point of view, have nice storytelling, puns or sense of humor of the narrator. It is very difficult to transpose this in images.

Anyways, I think a great flaw of isekai is that the standard world design feels devoid of life most of the time. The shounen that made manga popular worldwide has world building as a strong point, on the contrary. And I believe this strong point is a determining factor behind mangas' international expansion.

 

[deerafl]

First i want to point out that Isekai is not new. We have Magic Knight Rayearth, Fushigi Yuugi, Kanata Kara etc

I think that Isekai becomes so hype right now is because its an 'escapism'. When you die, a god/goddess will greet you and gives you new life plus cheat skill to ensure you the greatest second life
Of course there are Isekais that instead gives you a tragedy. Being tortured, rejected by society.
But the premise is still an 'escapism'. You get bullied and then suddenly you are awakened. You have a cheat skill (that sometimes looks like a trash at first). Then its time to R-r-r-revenge!

Almost all (new) isekais follow this pattern
1. A good hardworking MC gets a second life with cheat skill that make everything easy. He then spends his time enjoying the new world
2. A bullied/loser/rejects MC gets a second life that gives him a chance to lead a different life. Hopefully happier this time
3. A revenge story where MC have a chance to release his suppressed anger with his new power in new life

Heck, I even hoped that in the end is not a honey river and 72 virgins awaits for me, but a peaceful easy life with cheats skill, good food and internet access

Will it become THE best genre? No. Seasons change. People change. Tastes change
But it will be a permanent major genre tag

ps: excuse my rant with not so good grammar ^^!

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

@Haikaka worldbuilding for Ascendence of a Bookworm is really good imo. Every plot detail so far has been fully fleshed out (granted, I'm anime-only so idk of it will turn bad tho I doubt it) accompanied by interesting and three-dimensional characters. And at the end of the day, it's still a wish-fullfillment isekai but it is undeniably done well.

Also,

Give me steampunk isekai for gods sake.

I didn't know that I needed this so much in my life.

On a sidenote, idk why Japanese authors aren't interested in sci-fi isekai. I once wrote the plot to a sci-fi isekai involving time travel and world war and it's pretty good. This isn't really that hard to make if you have the right ideas.

 

[Gadelaza]

the bad thing about most isekai is that they had no power level, have a bad world-building, or even character building. it's bad enough that become self-insert. another problem also rise with getting stronger / leveling, some didn't have a cap that it becomes boring, they had no powerful enemy to fight and the author did not expand the story to world-building or character building, they just rush it to a good ending.

otome isekai subgenre

I thought first otome isekai was Escaflowne, although we also had bookworm and Noukin this season

edit: thanks for bakarina info, just finish reading it and it was really good

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Isekai currently is a bit plagued by an oversaturation of bad authors, that just follow the "Mentally deficient Edgelord gets reincarnated into a parody of DnD with slavery that they can bring superior japanese culture to and lives the slow life while getting surrounded by haremmettes that solely exist so they can be the mc's shoulder candy."-formula.
It's kinda interesting that western Isekai are far better, while the japanese do Super Hero stuff far better

 

[Kdom]

Given that I have yet to find an isekai manga title which I do not drop after 10 chapters, I don't think how it can become the best genre from my point of view
After on a mangadex point of view where every isekai title as immediatly 1 billion like, that may be different.
Anyway I find the genre very poor compare to other traditional ones in term of diversity so I do no really understand the appeal. I'm probably to old already...

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

@kdom Then you probably haven't searched far enough lol

Spoiler

https://mangadex.org/title/17709/kumo-desu-ga-nani-ka
https://mangadex.org/title/26458/isekai-transporter
https://mangadex.org/title/34221/sekai-saikyou-no-assassin-isekai-kizoku-ni-tensei-suru
https://mangadex.org/title/21040/parallel-paradise
https://mangadex.org/title/23706/kamitachi-ni-hirowareta-otoko
https://mangadex.org/title/36309/the-reborn-witch-foretells-destruction
https://mangadex.org/title/27202/the-ride-on-king
https://mangadex.org/title/24651/saihate-no-paladin
Throw a dart and read whatever it lands on. Number 4 is a wild card.

Well either that or you have very niche tastes.

---

Imma talk more about this later when I got time

 

[josmaker2mk]

@dandan_the_dandan i wouldnt be able to recomment parallel paradise to anyone... i dropped it quite quickly.

@panzerkampfwagyu dear sir, your opinion is just what i was about to write. i'm clapping right now.

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

@josmaker2mk No one recommends Parallel Paradise unironically lol. I'm a fan of the series for two things: the hentai and the good-enough plot.

 

[Tamerlane]

Am I the only person who doesn't care about the lewds and wants a good story? Probably.

 

[LowSanity]

@Tamerlane i want a good story that ends in satisfying way. it's rare.