General Isekai Thread

One thing I notice: It's pretty annoying how so many isekai (and really, series in general) just go for endless dragging plot pacing, all because the only path to success is to get a fanservicey manga and a 12-episode anime. There's a lot to be said for a tight, neat experience that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Isekai series in general don't seem to have a particular goal for the main character. They seem more focus in exploring the world, which could be a good idea too, but the worlds that these series set in are so generic that there no point to explore them, which the authors then resolve to the fanservice, waifu and power fantasy. It like in order to have an engaging story, one much have interesting characters, engaging plot or excited worlds or something.

Edited by BattleRaizer on Apr 26th 2019 at 6:12:35 PM

I feel that's because the end goal is usually kinda vague. "Beat up the bad guys and their mooks" can be dragged on for quite a while in every setting, Isekai or not. "Get back to my world" is rather rare as a goal and is equally long running. Not to mention the other 500 character long titled ones that revolve around gimmicks like odd reincarnations, cooking, building or farming

Seems like a lot of isekai protagonists don't have a set goal besides "live my life the way I want".

My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending does have a goal for the MC at least, which is simply to avoid dying and eventually find a way back to their world.

Edited by M84 on Apr 26th 2019 at 8:13:04 PM

Healing Magic has good pacing imho. Self contained arcs also helps to it greatly.

Edited by Tenzen12 on Apr 26th 2019 at 2:48:40 PM

Yeaaaah, lot of isekai plots are basically slice of life where the said life is "Larping a grindy jrpg style mmo with real violence and you are the only player around"

The female protagonist isekais tends to have more coherent plot and goal for some reason.

Edited by SpookyMask on Apr 26th 2019 at 3:52:45 PM

A lot of isekai do have explicit end goals, or at least strongly implied ones. Like Death Mage would be overthrowing Alda or making peace with him plus (presumably) getting rid of Rodcorte's reincarnation system in favor of Vida's. Wild Last Boss would be defeating the demon lord, figuring out what the hell the goddess is doing and stopping her if it's bad. Apotheosis is stopping humans from destroying the world by draining the world tree dry and making Earth fuck off and leave Isekailand alone.

However, the story's structure can make it so that end point never gets any closer. Death Mage can throw infinite padding in the way because while the endpoint is clear and character's motivations fairly explicit, there's such a massive number of characters and subplots that the story can continue for as long as the writer wants. After awhile, it'll get tiresome unless there's a real sense of progression. Isekai like Wild Last Boss and Apotheosis may have similarly 'vague' beat the bad guy goals, but they don't throw in unnecessary filler. Not surprisingly, both of those stories have already finished.

Anyway, that aside, I caught up on Danna-sama wo Yasesasetai. Not bad and I appreciate that there's a clear end point and that the story has already reached it, even if the English translation hasn't reached it yet. I'm kind of left conflicted on how I want it resolved, though. Part of me agrees with early story Camilla and wants to see the prince and the heroine disgraced, humiliated or regretful while she's publicly vindicated, but part of me thinks it would suit her character arc better for her to just not give a damn about them anymore and focus on what's good for her. It doesn't really matter if people who don't know her slander her name so long as the people she cares about and will eventually help rule over understand who she really is.

Woah that post was too long. Cutting that down.

Edited by Arha on Apr 26th 2019 at 3:02:00 AM

Speaking of endgoals... I remember that Arha or someone left a video regarding why the fad of Otome villainess isekai started to become popular. Any links regarding that? Would love to watch it.

Wasn't me, didn't really like her video but here it is.

Also, Haunted Duke's Daughter is back, much to my satisfaction. Something about that series is just satisfying. I think it's because the heroine is still a really nice person while the prince is an absolute tool.

Edited by Arha on Apr 27th 2019 at 11:17:18 AM

i also remembered an isekai that has a clear endgoal, Youjo Senki. Tanya just wants to live a quiet life, but Being X doesn't make it easy for her

Maybe the issue here isn't a lack of a goal, but lack of a defined plan to reach those goals.

@Arha Thanks for the link.

Anyways, I just read another Isekai manga called Seijo no Maryoku no Bannou Desu. Interesting name but the Isekai feels nothing special at all. Nothing out of the ordinary though. It's a reverse harem Isekai but not a villainess one.

^ I mentioned that one in the overly long post above but cut it out 'cause I had accidentally written a wall of text. It's not bad, but there's like no sense of progression whatsoever, which I find tiresome. There isn't even an end goal. I did find the brief otome game subplot funny, though.

Anyway, I started reading How Not To Summon A Demon Lord since I hear people talking about it every now and then. It's decent, I guess? I would have a better impression of it if it didn't get so weirdly sexual every now and then. The slave thing is also a bit problematic but iono what the point of it is given that Diablo doesn't treat the girls as slaves, doesn't call them such and they don't act as such. Is it a fashion statement by the writer?

Edited by Arha on Apr 27th 2019 at 12:29:20 PM

It's another isekai trend, where slavery is used as a part of the main narrative. Demon Lord treats it as a kink, so everything is done with the consent of the "slaves".

Edited by VeryMelon on Apr 27th 2019 at 10:53:30 AM

I don't mind the slavery thing in isekai so much because it generally feels like it fits into a medieval type setting or serves some purpose or another, but the approach here is just weird. Like you said, it literally just feels like fetish material without stepping a single foot into actual slavery territory. The slavery collar is just a fancy choker and otherwise the two of them are just friends of his. ...That want to jump his bones.

Which is still a better approach than Lazy Dungeon Master. Fuck that noise. The protagonist actually owning slaves and treating them like such is disturbing.

Well, their status isn't that of slaves either as slave choker and summoning contract choker are different thing irc. It also helps they did it to themselves and that Diablo tries dispel it (before everyone (author included) sort of forget about whole thing.

I am not really fan of slave kinks (because I am not fan of unequal relationship), but I like How to not summon Demon Lord. Diablo social disorder actually trouble him and make him depend on others (Rem). Having stakes at times is also goes against standard power fantasy paterns.

It's not like it's masterpiece though. Just it's more on LN level rather then WN.

Edited by Tenzen12 on Apr 27th 2019 at 8:26:30 PM

speaking of How Not To Summon A Demon Lord and it's depiction of slavery, Mother's Basement used that anime as a template for his research into what makes a good Ecchi:

and he also posted a new video, coincidentally also about isekai:

...So, like, the original site that hosted Demon Lord has almost all the older chapters down. I went to an aggregate site I don't really like to get around that, but then even they're missing two thirds of volume two. Maybe I should read a different series.

Oh, the translator took it down after it was licensed. Well, this series isn't good enough to pay for, so whatever.

Edited by Arha on Apr 27th 2019 at 6:13:35 AM

So I was thinking of getting into Tanya the Evil, should I start with the light novel or anime?

In general, the original source material is probably the best option. It's likely to be further ahead in the story, and anime adaptions might cut things out to conform to broadcasting standards, and to fit the runtime and format.

But you should probably watch some of the anime episodes first on Crunchyroll to decide if you're willing to drop money on the light novels.

Thanks for the tip

So I got through what there was of The Reincarnated Princess Strikes Flags Down Again Today or whatever and damn, after 111 chapters they still aren't at the school arc and still haven't put the prologue chapter in context. The story isn't bad and the MC is genuinely really cute but she's starting to come across as a Sue. There are basically zero characters that do not worship her. I don't mind but her complete lack of flaws is kind of amazing.

Also calling the magician a necrophiliac feels like slander. Dude was just a yandere in the game.

Just a food for thought but its just me or do you think that Malty Melromarc has an appearance of otome game villainess just like otome game villainesses protagonists

Not really. Those villainesses tend to have a more classy looking hair color, not a vibrant red, plus it seems she's often wearing some sort of armor rather than a fancy dress.

"Tend" being the operative word. Bertia from Observation Record of a Self-proclaimed Villainess’ Fiance for example is a redhead.

Granted, she's not actually the protagonist in that story, the fiance is.

Edited by M84 on Apr 29th 2019 at 10:49:22 PM