What Do You Dislike About Isekai-Reincarnation Stories?

[RepresentingDesire]

I agree with you. You know what I want ? An isekai were the guy wakes up in space with litteraly nothing around him. An isekai were the guy was at woodstock in 1969 and suddenly enters a distopian future, stoned out of his mind, and tries to teach the value of love and dr*gs. A drag queen isekaied into a dwarven village and teaching them what 'being fabulous' means.

Like come on, be creative, there is so much to do with the isekai trope !

If you desire such a thing look for 'Look who is back' or 'Ya Boy Kongming', good example of what a isekai could do even if both are at best pseudo isekai, my complaint isn't even about quality but creativity.

 

[AmbreaTaddy]

If you desire such a thing look for 'Look who is back' or 'Ya Boy Kongming', good example of what a isekai could do even if both are at best pseudo isekai, my complaint isn't even about quality but creativity.

Are those in this website ?

 

[Golden_Hyde]

Medieval Fantasy: While I dont hate it as I'm doing it myself (though my story isn't isekai) it's a basic template that can be made well outside of that I'd like to see some fresh things, like isekai to a stone world, or a futuristic world.

this is basically the staple of every—and I mean EVERY—fantasy literature made by any Japanese authors, and somehow SH denizens who wrote one follows the same formula, whether it's Isekai or not.

Personal rant: where's my late 19th century Isekai!?

 

[RepresentingDesire]

Are those in this website ?

The first is a movie, the second a anime, but both are essentially historical figure comes to modern time, both characters should have died before that, both have a simple trope with creative execution

 

[AmbreaTaddy]

Personal rant: where's my late 19th century Isekai!?

YES !!! I want 1880's gowns with butt pads, please !!!

The first is a movie, the second a anime, but both are essentially historical figure comes to modern time, both characters should have died before that, both have a simple trope with creative execution

I'll try to check it out if I can, but I can't stay seated for 20 minutes straight (ADHD) so movies and animes are difficult

 

[RepresentingDesire]

I'll try to check it out if I can, but I can't stay seated for 20 minutes straight (ADHD) so movies and animes are difficult

ALready on a conceptual level both are so insane it should be entertaining enough, though I only interacted with people with ADD

 

[AmbreaTaddy]

ALready on a conceptual level both are so insane it should be entertaining enough, though I only interacted with people with ADD

It's basically the same, but with hyperactivity added. So you can't stay in place, it's hard to stay still, and it can be physically and mentally painful to do nothing but watch a movie. If I'm in a good day I can watch an anime while I work or do sudoku, but in a bad day... If someone sits me down and forces me to watch a movie, I could very well start crying (and I'm a grown woman who pays taxes, it's humiliating to cry because sitting still is hard)

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Weird question - is it necessary for a character to die to be isekaied? Or is Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter one of the first Isekai heroes, ever?
Heck, I couldn't quite follow what was going on, but it seems the "you" that the narrator keeps addressing in E. R. Eddings's The Worm Ouroboros is also kind of isekaied - and part of what made it hard to follow, as it seems to be told to "you" by a limited omniscient third person narrator, about the Demons of Venus, and you are there as an observer, with the narrator telling you what you are observing. I think. Three attempts and the farthest I got was Chapter Five so really not sure (but it seemed the story didn't start until late in Ch2).

 

[Clo]

is it necessary for a character to die to be isekaied?

No, it is not.
Isekai is literally the term for "other world".
Shield Hero is summoned, it's still an Isekai.

It's Portal Fantasy by another name.

I suppose modern Isekai have a ton of typical tropes, like LitRPG interface, cheat skills, OP protagonists harems, adventuree guilds, etc.

But even Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending story and Land the Oz are Isekai by definition.

Adding reincarnation & rebirth, or making the portal a one way ticket are all commonly seen, so strongly associated with the genre by default.

 

[Anonjohn20]

Weird question - is it necessary for a character to die to be isekaied?

No, they just have to be stuck in a world that isn't theirs.

Or is Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter one of the first Isekai heroes, ever?

It could be.

It's Portal Fantasy by another name.

The new name was necessary because it's not always a portal; sometimes it's reincarnation, sometimes it's being stuck in a VR game without being able to log out.

But even Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending story and Land the Oz are Isekai by definition.

Correct.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Hmm... then that would mean stories involving "Fairyland" and people being kidnapped, tricked or voluntarily taken there also count - so the core concept of Isekai is about 400 years old at least!
Kind of sad that it is now pretty much a single thing (Oh Noes! I wuz hitz by truck and now am in medieval fantasy wurld! Durr!)...

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Hmm... then that would mean stories involving "Fairyland" and people being kidnapped, tricked or voluntarily taken there also count - so the core concept of Isekai is about 400 years old at least!
Kind of sad that it is now pretty much a single thing (Oh Noes! I wuz hitz by truck and now am in medieval fantasy wurld! Durr!)...

The Wonders Beyond Thule, Diogenes

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The Wonders Beyond Thule, Diogenes

Wow - never heard of it before, but apparently it was known in the early 20th century, as H. P. Lovecraft, at least referenced both Thule and Karmanes from it, and I believe R. E. Howard referenced it as well (for that matter, one of his first Conan stories was kind of an Isekai, as an historian winds up lost in a cave complex in, IIRC, Ireland and finds himself in the life of a black haired, blue-eyed Cimmerian briefly!)

 

[HungrySheep]

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V.

 

[DarkDuck09]

this is basically the staple of every—and I mean EVERY—fantasy literature made by any Japanese authors, and somehow SH denizens who wrote one follows the same formula, whether it's Isekai or not.

Personal rant: where's my late 19th century Isekai!?

Probably not what you meant at all buuuuuuuuuut:

Rally Cry by William R. Forstchen. It's the first book in "The Lost Regiment" series. Basically, a U.S. Union regiment from the civil war gets isekai'd into an alien world that keeps, slaughters, and eats slaves. The Union soldiers see this and are like "slavery? aight, bet." and basically fight back.

 

[Golden_Hyde]

Isekai is literally the term for "other world".
Shield Hero is summoned, it's still an Isekai.

It's Portal Fantasy by another name.

looking at this, there has to be a complementing tag like reincarnation or transmigration, because some Isekai involves either. The case of Narnia is strictly a Portal Fantasy subgenre, whereas the Wizard of Oz is Transmigration trope.

Portal Fantasy mean the protagonist found a way to enter the other world, either through portal (duh) or through mysterious gate that's also a portal (duh, even). GATE did that, that one LN that blatantly says "I got a cheat skill in another world" something also does it. Hell, even Inuyasha counts as Portal Fantasy.

Other ways like Transmigration trope also quite popular, like Shield Hero or Arifureta, and who doesn't remember the good ol' Zero no Tsukaima?

The most popular trope for Isekai, however, is Reincarnation. Even among SH authors, it's the most popular trope within the genre.

sometimes it's being stuck in a VR game without being able to log out.

I call this 'barely an isekai'. Why? Because if it's based on SAO, the "Isekai" genre fell off halfway in Season 1. Now it's just Full Dive VRMMO trope with strong LitRPG element in it. Overlord, however, was a unique case.

 

[LazyMoofy]

I believe we've had this convo before, but if the transported person's knowledge and experience are useless for the plot, then it shouldn't be Isekai.

Good isekai: Parallel World Pharmacy

Bad isekai: The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Awful isekai: Redo of Healer

Both stories at the top had the same overall premise: fantasy dude wants to heal people; the bottom one is just a revenge porn parody of the two on top. Only one of those three stories takes advantage of the tropes within the genre.

ngl the second one isn't complete trash. It's just mid. Maybe it is just me though.

 

[AmbreaTaddy]

looking at this, there has to be a complementing tag like reincarnation or transmigration, because some Isekai involves either

True that. There exists a lot of reincarnation stories without transmigration ('Become a star', one of my favorite novels, is like that. It's a guy who has over 900 past lives since the beginning of times, and uses those in his acting career), there are also regression stories without transmigration (salaryman had an awful life, gets back in time and gets revenge, for exemple 'God of Money')

There is also transmigration through possession (another favorite of mine 'Death is the only ending for the villainess', where she suddenly enters the body of a villainess in a game), transmigration with reincarnation (most stories that we see here, really), and transmigration that is simple portal fantasy (like you mentionned, 'Gate')

In that case, which is isekai and which isn't ? Are only transmigration stories isekai ?

 

[Matt003]

The genre has become increasingly popular, leading to a sense of familiarity and predictability.
Lack of originality: Many stories rely on familiar settings, characters, and plot twists, making it difficult to stand out.
Poorly executed world-building: Some stories may have underdeveloped or inconsistent world-building.
Overpowered protagonists: The "reincarnated into a new world" trope often leads to overpowered protagonists, making conflicts and challenges less engaging.
Lack of character development: With the focus on the reincarnation aspect, character development and growth may be neglected.
Clichéd characters and archetypes: The genre often relies on familiar character archetypes, such as the "hero" or "villain," without adding depth or nuance.
Unrealistic or unexplained reincarnation mechanics: The rules and mechanics of reincarnation may be unclear or unexplained, leading to confusion.
Overemphasis on power and abilities: The genre often focuses on the protagonist's powers and abilities, neglecting other aspects of the story

 

[Anonjohn20]

ngl the second one isn't complete trash. It's just mid. Maybe it is just me though.

You can enjoy the story. My comment was stating that the isekai elements are wasted within it. They could have grabbed a person from within the universe and made the exact same story.