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?
When it’s good, it’s my second favorite genre, so I consume a lot of it. Sadly, it’s mostly bad. Most of the time, it’s just a crutch for the author to explain the world to the reader/watcher in modern terms and as blatant self-insert pandering. It’s very seldom that the isekai aspect has actual ramifications on the plot. Most isekai would just as well work as a fantasy where the main character just so happens to be born with a special power. The Earth knowledge of most MC’s doesn’t really play into the narrative.
As for good examples, I would recommend Ascendance of a Bookworm. I have problems with the anime adaptation (a whole different can of worms, and once I start, I won’t stop again), but it’s the opposite of a power fantasy (she nearly dies from climbing a flight of stairs), and her modern-day knowledge is her only superpower and her motivation. Without her Earth knowledge, she wouldn’t have the motivation that drives the entire plot, and she wouldn’t have the means to rise above her station.