I generally tend to prefer the type of Isekai in which the fact that the person came from the modern world (and not merely an isolated village that necessitates that everything is explained to them) is relevant. Like advancing science/technology, introducing new economic/bureaucratic ideas, causing culture clashes/shock, etc.Unfortunately these seem less common than they used to be, I think someone in the last thread called this the 'old style' of Isekai.The Re:Zero style of Isekai just comes across as a bit boring sometimes, it's hard to articulate my exact problems with it. And I don't like the game mechanics/litRPG stuff at all - I know Log Horizon has a lot of stuff I'd probably love in it but I have trouble getting into it because of the game mechanics stuff.As for my favourite I like Ascendance of a Bookworm (and it is a good modern example of these 'old style' Isekais).
![Haru Haru](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125364104/432803124.jpg)
Dec 4, 2018 - JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World by Ko Hiratori. Translation by Emily Balistrieri. Originally published by J-Novel Club, September 2018. Review of the light novel JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World by Review is of the official English language release by J-Novel Club LIGHT NOVEL INFORMATION TITLE: JK Haru is a Sex Worker in.
And it's getting an anime adaption so I hope that ends up being good.I also enjoy Dr Stone, which technically isn't an Isekai because it takes place in the far future of our world, but otherwise is a good example of an 'old style' Isekai. Magic Knight Rayearth will always be one of my favorite manga and anime. Fushigi Yuugi is an old love too, glad to see other people mentioned them already.But for the most part I can't really stand the current crop of isekai stories. Outbreak Company is funny because it's an otaku culture show, and I liked the first volume of Cop Craft, but in practice it's more an urban fantasy buddy cop story where the existence of a parallel fantasy world is basically a footnote (at least in the beginning). I like Goblin Is Very Strong, but you'd practically forget it was an isekai story unless Pukey mentions it. I'd say that any story in which a person from 'the real world' travels to 'a fantasy world' would count as isekai. That includes John Carter of Mars, Alice in Wonderland, and Wizard of Oz, but excludes Connecticut Yankee, since he's not traveling to a fantasy world but just to the past of his own.
This would also exclude fare like Planet of the Apes, where there's no fantasy element.Also, for my personal favorite Japanese isekai story, I'd have to pick El-Hazard: The Magnificent World. It's the one I keep coming back to over and over again for ideas and inspiration.
CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of misogyny, sexual assault, and rape of a minor. SPOILERS for several chapters of JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World.Fantasy has often had a problem accurately portraying women. These problems range from the relatively minor—such as the everpresent “titty plate” and its sisters “revealing armor” and “ridiculous outfits”—to the egregious—like the constant damseling of otherwise competent women.
(Yes, I’m looking at you, Sword Art Online.)Down at the bottom of the barrel, we arrive at the grotesque. The stories here are flavored with deep misogyny and often use sexual assault and rape as a bludgeon against their female characters to keep them in line or use them as tragedy fodder.These worlds are portrayed as barbaric in the extreme, where might is all that matters and women are defined by their lack of access to the same strength men have, whether by societal or physical barriers. This last section is the providence of some of fantasy writing’s worst offenders, from Conan to Gor to Game of Thrones, all of which feature worlds in which women are graphically treated as sub-human and placed among the lowest classes.The treatment of women in many of these settings is bound up in misogynistic misunderstandings about the historical eras they resemble. They claim the periods were patriarchally dominated and use “realism” as an excuse for excessive gendered violence.Putting aside the issue of “historical accuracy” in worlds full of magic and dragons, in reality women were integral to the functioning of medieval societies, even as they were treated in legal circles as the wards of their husbands or fathers.
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