I’m not too enthused with isekai as a concept, as I typically think of them as “fantasy with extra steps”, but what anime are good because it is an isekai?
I’m not too enthused with isekai as a concept, as I typically think of them as “fantasy with extra steps”, but what anime are good because it is an isekai?
Escaflowne: Wouldn’t work quite as well without Hitomi’s decision at the end of which world she really belongs in.
The Twelve Kingdoms: Portions of the plot wouldn’t work without the bit with new arrivals not understanding the language and culture.
(Basically, if it predated the coining of the term “isekai” and has stood the test of time well enough that people still remember it, it’s probably good.)
There are also some shows whose plot depends on being able to invert part of the trope, like Eminence in Shadow, or, for the dark and serious version, Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road/The Executioner and Her Way of Life (although I think that one was too tragic and unfinished for most people’s tastes).
I’ll add “Now and Then, Here and There” to those two classics. Not an easy watch, but worth it.