It’s so bizarre that despite me being a card carrying weeb, the only times I’ve seen Isekai done sort of well is in western animation: The Owl House and Futurama (for anyone looking for a more sci-fi flavor of the genre) come to mind.
There are some Ghibli films, but I’m talking more about animated series here.
True but at least many of the shonen protagonist don’t abuse their power like isekai do and have some moral code. Although several eat enough food to solve global hunger many times over.
Why is it so rare for a new arrival to a fantasy world to not be a horrid asshole to that world and ruin whatever made it special in the first place? Like, “behold, a land not yet devastated by capitalism, time to bring capitalism to it!”
It might be hard to show that and not have weebs and other chuds go “based” about what the world destroyer is doing to destroy the fantasy world, unless it was delivered as harshly and uncompromisingly and without Gambo-like gratuitous portrayal of anything that hogs might get off to anyway. Basically an isekai version of “Come and See.”
It’s so bizarre that despite me being a card carrying weeb, the only times I’ve seen Isekai done sort of well is in western animation: The Owl House and Futurama (for anyone looking for a more sci-fi flavor of the genre) come to mind.
There are some Ghibli films, but I’m talking more about animated series here.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is an isekai classic.
Now I want to make an alignment chart about Isekai.
There’s a scale between media purist and premise purist.
So something like I reincarnated as a slime can be Isekai, or the fresh prince of bel-air is isekai.
I found this one on an image search
lol, they beat me to the punch with Bel-Air and everything.
Black Knight, starring Martin Lawrence.
Most shonen is a power fantasy. Isekai is just an excuse to drop every pretense that it’s not.
True but at least many of the shonen protagonist don’t abuse their power like isekai do and have some moral code. Although several eat enough food to solve global hunger many times over.
Planescape Torment is my favorite Isekai.
Why is it so rare for a new arrival to a fantasy world to not be a horrid asshole to that world and ruin whatever made it special in the first place? Like, “behold, a land not yet devastated by capitalism, time to bring capitalism to it!”
TBH, it could be a great opportunity to dissect myths about early capitalism and show all the genocidal shit capitalists did for their capital.
It might be hard to show that and not have weebs and other chuds go “based” about what the world destroyer is doing to destroy the fantasy world, unless it was delivered as harshly and uncompromisingly and without Gambo-like gratuitous portrayal of anything that hogs might get off to anyway. Basically an isekai version of “Come and See.”
Wow. was not expecting either of those stories to be name dropped
12 Kingdoms, Rayearth, Escaflowne, and El Hazard were decent Isekai from what I remember. They’re all from the 90s/00s though.
They still had trash Isekai in the 90s, like Those Who Hunt Elves.