• Doug [he/him]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    551 year ago

    We don’t have an Isekai genre. We have an Other World subgenre of fantasy that Japan made another name for and weebs apply to everything similar.

  • @DharkStare@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    411 year ago

    All of these American examples are missing a key part of the Isekai genre which is power fantasy. 99% of Isekai involves the MC being an overpowered self-insert character that has a harem of sex slaves.

    I consider Isekai and other world to be different aspects of the same basic concept.

    • Apathy Tree
      link
      fedilink
      English
      7
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      We do have that with owl house and amphibia, the Santa clause movies and series, and avatar, just sort of off the top of my head. None of these really have a sex harem (some of them have a single romantic interest tho), but nor did most of the anime I’ve watched, because anything involving a sex harem isn’t up my alley at all. Suuuuper cringe. But they do have the for-reasons overpowered self-insert main character in a fantasy land.

      Arguably not enough to make a genre, ofc, but we do have some examples that fit better than the ones in the meme.

      Edit to add - if anyone knows of more, I’m actually kinda into the genre, so I’m all eyes!

      • @AWistfulNihilist@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        3
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        You just have to look at western sensibilities to understand the missing harem trope. The heroes in Western stories have a once in a lifetime romance. If there’s a problem with the romance, it’s part of the evil plot device (Ursula in the little mermaid.)

        Western power fantasy tropes come in the form of the white savior or agents above the law tropes. John Carter was written in the early 1900’s, Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein in the 60’s.

        Octavia Butler takes those classically white and Western tropes and turns them on their head.

        Also, collapse of society movies are close to American/English isekai because of our obsession with both apocalypse and saviors. Walking dead is a great example.

        • 𝔼𝕩𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒
          link
          fedilink
          21 year ago

          Mad max and walking dead being western isekai fits so well. How many people want to the the badass roving the countryside, when in reality most of us would be the ones under the wheels of true maniacs.

      • @brygphilomena@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        31 year ago

        I just rewarched Army of Darkness last night and it sounds like it fits. Doesn’t have so much of a harem, but at one point a romantic interest for seemingly no reason. And certainly a overpowered main character.

  • @tomi000@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    29
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    And the number of isekai ever made in the US is still less than what started airing in Japan this season 3 weeks ago.

    To be fair, Oz, Matrix, AIW, Narnia fit the genre pretty well, but if you call a few movies scattered around decades a genre, there would be a seperate genre for almost every movie

    • Doug [he/him]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      31 year ago

      Not the 1865 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which also has the same credentials but, as you can see, is earlier?

      Still not sold on calling all of it Isekai regardless, but at least check your own facts

    • @FlihpFlorp@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      171 year ago

      Part time weeblet here

      Isekai if I remember right translates to other world. However in the context of the genre it’s when the protagonist gets transported to what is usually a fantasy world from what is usually death or reincarnation and sometimes summoning

      Another trope I’ve seen is protagonist just wakes up in an MMO as their character and all the NPCs are sentient

      I’m sure there are more but in anime it mostly boils down to: character is in fantasy now and knowledge of our world could give them an edge

      When done right and done good it’s also a great trope for a fresh start and world building cus we don’t know the world, and the protagonist doesn’t know the world so we learn with them.

      • @Empricorn@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        English
        3
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        That seems like such a broad genre to pass judgement on. That’s like if someone said “Ah-ha! You do have fish-out-of-water genres in the US!” I mean, ok; whatever. Who actually cares either way to debate this…?

        • @FlihpFlorp@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          31 year ago

          I agree

          IMO in anime it’s been overdone

          I like it cus it can be pretty broad like most genres can be but I get tired of “lOsEr GeTs ReInCaRnAtEd InTo FaNtAsY wOrLd”. Idk maybe I’ve been watching too much as of late

  • Cylusthevirus
    link
    fedilink
    151 year ago

    Chronicles of Narnia is a better fit. Diana Wynne Jones wrote one. There’s like … lots more. This was THE young adult genre for a couple decades.

      • @Damdy@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        31 year ago

        Peter Pan, Alice in wonderland, and The Iron Man were also all written by UK authors. Although I haven’t read The Iron Man for a very long time so I can’t remember how closely the Iron Giant movie uses the source material.

      • Cylusthevirus
        link
        fedilink
        11 year ago

        British authors, but extremely popular in the US. I guess we could call these Anglo-isekai?

    • VulKendov
      link
      fedilink
      -1
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      The 2007 Disney movie, Enchanted, is a reverse isekai.

      Edit: I just found out they made a sequel last year.

  • Pennomi
    link
    fedilink
    English
    131 year ago

    More isekai shows come out per season in anime than there are here. I wouldn’t exactly call this a “genre” in western film.

    • @Belgdore@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      51 year ago

      I feel like at that point any “journey to the underworld” story would qualify. Orpheus and Eurydice would count. And I know there are Sumerian and Vedic stories about mortals journeying into spiritual planes of reality.