The invasion of otherworlders
One of the most popular anime genres is shonen. It is hard to find someone unfamiliar with these names: One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Dragon Ball — there are plenty of famous representatives. Shonen is made according to a well-tested formula: at the center of attention is a boisterous protagonist who eats a lot and trains constantly. He travels alongside a group of companions to defeat another villain. Each new boss is stronger than the previous one, and overcoming them requires sheer endurance. Repeat for hundreds of episodes.
When anime stepped into the territory of games, “isekai” became the most popular genre. This is when the main character dies immediately (usually under the wheels of a truck) and is reincarnated in a world governed by game rules. There is a stats interface, leveling up, classes, basic and legendary items, and dungeons with bosses.
In our world, the hero is depicted as an outcast, an introverted loner who spends all his free time at the computer. In the new world, however, the otherworlder's skills elevate him to unprecedented heights. The genre is characterized by protagonist cheating: they are either blessed by gods, giving them an unfair advantage, or they have a unique ability that allows them to level up faster and easier than everyone else.
The situation is worsened by the lack of imagination among Japanese animation directors. Most of them are unable to break beyond the confines of role-playing games. And the anime takes place in a standard fantasy world, with equally standard races – elves, orcs, goblins.
Overlord
This is a story about a player who controls a high-level lich — a skeleton mage. One day, his character, along with all his minions and base, is transported into a fantasy world. The world operates on mechanics similar to the protagonist's game. All that is left is to get used to it.
This is an interesting plot device, but it is executed poorly. There are several reasons:
- No one in the new world can harm either the protagonist or his minions.
- The protagonist's actions are motivated by not wanting to lose face in front of his minions.
- The protagonist motivates his cruelty by claiming that the world suppresses his emotions. But a lack of emotions and a lack of a moral compass are two different things.
- The protagonist's actions are praised every five minutes. The plot plays this off as a joke, but then the pattern repeats again and again.
- A giant hamster.
- The protagonist is a filthy pay-to-winner. He bought items that give him an unfair advantage in the game.
As a result, any desire to empathize with the protagonist vanishes. But there is also an alternative opinion. Fans of Overlord claim that these events are portrayed better in the books. But if you need to know the source material to enjoy the show, then the anime did something wrong!
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
The plot starts typically, mundane even. The protagonist is killed by a villain and reincarnated in a fantasy world. A deity gives the protagonist a slime body and cheat abilities. Now the slime named Rimuru must adapt to his new form.
There is nothing strange about such a reincarnation — a hero can take the most unusual form. They become a sword, a vending machine, or their crush's bicycle seat. What makes “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” truly original is the presence of the role-playing aspect.
In anime, canonically, otherworlders do not care about being in another world. They could not care less about the history and traditions of local races. To them, these creatures look like a source of XP and items. After all, that is how games work, and they see no difference. But Rimuru is different. Even after his transformation, he kept a kind heart. He empathizes with those he meets along the way and respects other people's ways of life. And that is worth a lot!
Uncle from Another World
The beginning of the anime takes place at the end of the main story. The protagonist has already managed to level up and complete all the quests. Upon returning to his native world, it turns out that his body had been in a coma for seventeen years. During that time, his relatives abandoned him, except for his nephew, who took his uncle in and helped him adjust to the changed world. And even then, only because he retained the ability to use magic.
The premise of this story hooks you right away by deviating from established tropes. But the uncle's adventures in the other world also did not follow the standard script for this kind of anime. Due to his ugly appearance, people constantly tried to kill him, and the protagonist had to save the world alone.
Exceptions
Fortunately, besides “isekai,” there are other genres. There are good game-based anime where nobody is reincarnated into another world.
Sword Art Online
Here, reincarnation is replaced by a virtual reality helmet, and instead of an otherworldly realm, it is a familiar gaming world. The protagonist, like thousands of other players, gets trapped in the game. Die there – die in real life. You can only get free after defeating the final boss. And you still have to survive until then.
“Sword Art Online” is notorious for its amount of plot holes: certain moments in the anime make no sense, and secondary characters lack depth. But the anime has one distinct quality — the creators managed to capture the charm of games. The producing studio understood that gameplay does not end with completing quests and leveling up.
Kirito knows not only how to grind, but also how to enjoy life. Over the first season, he managed to acquire a wife and child, and sometimes fooled around – throwing meat at his wife or pulling a catgirl's tail.
The anime skillfully accounts for the fact that a game can be more than leisure entertainment: for one girl, it is a way to cope with psychological trauma; for a group of terminally ill patients, it is a chance to live a life beyond a hospital bed and leave a legacy in the game world. Sword Art Online has plenty of such stories.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
The premise of this comedy could not be simpler: the demon king kidnaps the princess, and the hero completes quests and levels up to rescue her. But the princess actually likes her new dwelling. She is fed delicious food, the jailers are kind and courteous — except the poor girl's bed turned out to be uncomfortable. So the princess begins regularly leaving her cell to rectify this injustice.
In her quest, she died many times, forcing the poor cleric to resurrect her. The princess stole legendary artifacts, stalling the hero's progress. By slaying adventurers and demons, the girl became one of the strongest characters in the world. And all for the sake of a sound and healthy sleep.
Interspecies Reviewers
The anime takes place in a familiar fantasy world. A party of heroes, consisting of a human, an elf, a halfling, and an angel, visits brothels — that is their professional duty. They spend nights in the company of female representatives of various races and write reviews of the establishments they visited. Meanwhile, the heroes completed quests and even saved the world — just as intended. But the heroes did it for money, not out of noble intentions. Even in fantasy, temptresses are not going to service anyone for free!
Goblin Slayer
The world of “Goblin Slayer” operates on the principles of Dungeons & Dragons. The fate of its characters is decided by dice rolled by the gods. It is a standard fantasy world where good battles evil.
The point of the anime, as the title suggests, is killing goblins — vile and wretched creatures. They are ruthless and cruel killers who have no sense of honor or conscience. Right after the first episode, you want to slay them anywhere and everywhere. And once they are gone – travel to their home world to wreak havoc there. “Rip and tear until it's done”!
And that is when Goblin Slayer enters the stage. He has no cheat skills or stats, he was not blessed by deities — he is just a stubborn guy who, using cunning and cold calculation, rids the world of vile creatures. Viewing pleasure is guaranteed!
Pokemon
In 1997, the terrifying game Pokemon got an adaptation of the same name. They removed levels and getting money from beaten opponents, but kept the rest. The anime allowed viewers to see the game's world through their own eyes. Children and adults across the globe watched the protagonist's journey — how he made friends, forged bonds with pokemon, and fought for the title of the world's strongest pokemon trainer. This formula proved so effective that the series continues to air to this day.
Analysis
The chances of a good game anime being released are comparable to the odds of getting a generic isekai. Yet even amidst the flood of otherworlders, something worthwhile emerges. To achieve this, you need to put someone at the helm who understands dramatic art and anime production. Though, usually, it is an untalented hack looking to cash in on a manga or light novel — resulting in a cheap knockoff that has nothing to do with games.