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[Chaosmancer]

That's entirely fair. My window into isekai anime is just Mother's Basement videos on Youtube so I fully confess to some ignorance on the topic.

And hey, I will not say Mother's Basement is wrong about the shows he talks about. I've seen a few of his videos and he generally has a solid head on his shoulders. I think his brand has tilted towards talking about trash fires, and Isekai had the unfortunate luck of being popular, meaning a lot of trash fires were made in the genre. It is a lot harder to talk about the middle of the road shows, the shows that good, but not wildly popular and dominating the conversation.

Also, Isekai is still usually Shonen Battle Anime, but it is a different genre so when it copies common shonen tropes... they are suddenly seen in a much less favorable light than in the source genre.

 

[Chaosmancer]

In my opinion, anime has really gone down in quality in writing since then. A lot of it is just uncreative spam.

So has all media. Pop Music killed music and made a lot of music uncreative spam. So did the dime-store novel. So did Hollywood movies. So did streaming services. So did comics. So did..

I doubt you could find a form of media that doesn't have someone saying "it used to be good, and now most of it is uncreative spam"

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

Before I quote Wikipedia, I want to emphasize the non strictness of Isekai and the fact that many emerging sub genres are reacting against the established works is Isekai. This creates the issue where recognizable tropes and idioms of previous Isekai are not deemed essential or required for new works that are also recognized as Isekai.

Isekai - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

“

Characteristics​

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In many examples, the main character is an ordinary person who thrives in their new environment thanks to modern things in the real world being seen as "extraordinary" in the other world. This can be physical characteristics, such as hair or eye color, or normal everyday skills they learned in their previous life such as cooking, engineering, basic education, or medicine, which are far more advanced in the modern, real world than in the world they are sent to. In Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, an entire population of humans appear in the magically created world, transported from Earth, and are partially mixed with local dragonlike Heavenly Beings.

In many works (but not all, see my above comment about new works above), isekai overlaps with the harem and LitRPG genres, where the protagonist gains the affection of several potential love interests, who may or may not be human. One example of this is Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World.

Transition versus Reincarnation​

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The genre can be divided into two types: "transition into another world" (異世界転移, isekai ten'i) and "reincarnation into another world" (異世界転生, isekai tensei). (is there another way to be from another world and transition into the story world? These two ways cover many many alternatives)
In "transition into another world" stories, the protagonist gets transported to another world (e.g. by traveling into it, or being magically summoned into it).In "reincarnation into another world" stories, the protagonist is sent into another world after dying in the real world. A common method of death is being run over by a truck and dying, spawning the meme of "Truck-kun", a truck which appears in many isekai series that kills the protagonist and the protagonist reincarnates into a different world.

The Chosen One​

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While the protagonist of a classic isekai (classic only refers to older Isekai works, not referring to definitive, or pure works) work is usually a "chosen hero", there have been a number of alternative takes on the concept. One trend is the protagonist reincarnating into the body of an unimportant side character, or even a villain.

Villainess Chosen One (a newer trend of Isekai works that do not date back to the original Isekai works)​

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The protagonist is reincarnated as a villainess in a world based on an otome game, (though some worlds are instead novels, movies or other works of fiction and not just otome video games. Keep up Wikipedia your falling behind) where they are given special skills. They will either try to avoid a bad outcome that will happen to them in the future or help other important characters rather than trying to antagonize them, though other characters will take over their roles as villains instead, such as in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen, and Villainess Level 99.

Transition Chosen One​

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The protagonist is not killed, but is instead brought to another world by magic or by an unearthly being (either a god or an alien) to help defeat a rising conflict (or as an apology for some kind of divine mistake), such as in How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers, and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. Some are given special cheat powers to help them. In I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too and Battle Girls: Time Paradox, and Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, although the chosen hero is brought to a new world, they can still travel back to their own world either at a will (either by a gateway or magical powers) or when they have completed their mission.

Child Chosen One​

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The protagonist is an adult reincarnated in a new world as a child with special powers after being killed, such as in Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World, I Shall Survive Using Potions!, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat, and Fluffy Paradise. In some works, such as in I'm a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic, the protagonist is reborn as a child under mysterious circumstances; whether they died in the real world or were transported to another world and turned into a child is never revealed. Some protagonists are given their powers from gods.

Standard Reincarnated Chosen One​

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The protagonist is reborn in a new world, but their appearances and personalities are not altered in any way; however, they are still given special powers as well as a magical object that aids them on their journey. Examples of this are In Another World with My Smartphone, Farming Life in Another World, and Zenshu.

Non-human Chosen One​

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There are instances of protagonists that become inhuman creatures with special abilities, such as in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, where the protagonist reincarnates as a slime monster; I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, where the protagonist reincarnates as an immortal witch; and So I'm a Spider, So What?, where the protagonist reincarnates as a spider monster. Some works have the protagonist being reborn as a sentient object, such as a sword or a vending machine, and are accompanied by another character, usually a girl.

Variants​

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Villainess​

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'Villainess isekai' is an emerging subgenre within the isekai landscape featuring dynamics between transmigrated villainess that take place in otome game settings, which leaves these characters with no other choice but to take on the role enforced on them. These stories follow the main character’s journey of avoiding the grim, predestined "Bad End" fate of an otome villainess. Regular Isekai anime gives protagonists free will and the opportunity to achieve heroic greatness in their new lives. Isekai villainess anime feature the contrary, pinning characters in a doom-ridden role and denying them any sort of free will within the game (or novel, or movie, or etc). With most characters working against the "Villainess", the protagonist granted more agency and moral grayness than a normal "Heroine", being is thrown in a race against time to avoid the game's predestined fate

Yandere-kei Otome Game no Sekai ni Tensei shiteshimatta you desu (ヤンデレ系乙女ゲーの世界に転生してしまったようです, lit. 'It Seems Like I Got Reincarnated Into the World of a Yandere Otome Game') and Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu! (謙虚、堅実をモットーに生きております！, lit. 'I Will Live with Humility and Dependability as My Motto!') are noted for popularizing the subgenre in the web novelcommunity in 2013. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! aired in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic is credited for initiating the popularity of "Villainess" anime, being quickly followed by dozens of series with similar themes and tropes in the following years afterwards.

Reverse​

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'Reverse isekai' is subgenre of isekai that follow beings from a fantasy universe who have been transported to or reincarnated into modern-day Earth, including the anime Re:Creators. Additionally, there is also 'double reverse isekai' or 'back-to-back isekai,' where a character who has died in a fantasy world is reincarnated in the modern world (bringing modern knowledge), only to die again and be reincarnated back into the aforementioned fantasy world, often in the past, to introduce that knowledge into their original world, as seen in Doctor Elise.

Peaceful​

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Main article: Iyashikei
'Peaceful isekai' genre includes the "slow life" approach, where the protagonist was overworked in their previous life, so decides to take it easy in the next. Another offshoot is where the protagonist uses the new world to explore an interest, hobby, or goal they had in the previous world but were unable to achieve, such as studying or opening a business, like in Restaurant to Another World. “

 

[Chaosmancer]

I think if someone asked you what your favorite Isekai is and you said “Chronicles of Narnia,” they would have some questions.

Mostly that would be because they aren't used to thinking of Western media in Eastern terms.

Ascedance of a Bookworm, Grimgar, Knights & Magic, The Devil is a Part-Timer, The Saga of Tanya the Evil, The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, Arata the Legend, Fushi Yugi,Welcome to Demon School, My Next Life is a Villainess.

There are a LOT of Isekai that don't involve LitRPG elements or take place in video games.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Fair, but so are Isekeli and Portal fantasy (well, subset to superset, there).

Question, did "Portal Fantasy" come purely from Western sources?

I ask, because we in the West have the Romance Genre, but if you look at anime, there are like six different types of romance genres that are more specific. What we call a "Monster Movie" is a Kaiju movie over in japan. There are superhero shows that they call Sentai. So it could be that we are simply looking at a case where "portal fantasy" is the western term for the same type of show

 

[Parmandur]

Before I quote Wikipedia, I want to emphasize the non strictness of Isekai and the fact that many emerging sub genres are reacting against the established works is Isekai. This creates the issue where recognizable tropes and idioms of previous Isekai are not deemed essential or required for new works that are also recognized as Isekai.

It is interesting reading this, because I think you could make a good case that Narnia almost comes close to being the opposite of all these tropes...

 

[Chaosmancer]

Additionally, there is also 'double reverse isekai' or 'back-to-back isekai,' where a character who has died in a fantasy world is reincarnated in the modern world (bringing modern knowledge), only to die again and be reincarnated back into the aforementioned fantasy world, often in the past, to introduce that knowledge into their original world, as seen in Doctor Elise

Wait... they did WHAT?!

...

Okay, I need to see the first episode of that just to have some idea of WHY they would do that. Sounds fascinating

 

[Parmandur]

Question, did "Portal Fantasy" come purely from Western sources?

I ask, because we in the West have the Romance Genre, but if you look at anime, there are like six different types of romance genres that are more specific. What we call a "Monster Movie" is a Kaiju movie over in japan. There are superhero shows that they call Sentai. So it could be that we are simply looking at a case where "portal fantasy" is the western term for the same type of show

Somewhat, however portal ga task is an extremely broad and open-ended category, while Isekei has pretty specific genre tropes that don't really apply to outside literature (closest seems to be Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, minus the irony Twain had going).

 

[Charlaquin]

And hey, I will not say Mother's Basement is wrong about the shows he talks about. I've seen a few of his videos and he generally has a solid head on his shoulders. I think his brand has tilted towards talking about trash fires, and Isekai had the unfortunate luck of being popular, meaning a lot of trash fires were made in the genre.

I think it’s “Basment Life” these days, on account of having moved out of his actual mother’s basement, gotten married, and I think maybe had a kid? Not sure on that last one.

 

[Azzy]

So has all media. Pop Music killed music and made a lot of music uncreative spam. So did the dime-store novel. So did Hollywood movies. So did streaming services. So did comics. So did..

I doubt you could find a form of media that doesn't have someone saying "it used to be good, and now most of it is uncreative spam"

Yeah, I know I sound all "kids these days". But I meant within the last six years, give or take. And I certainly don't mean that there isn't some good stuff.