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The Great Isekai Review List
What is isekai?
According to Mangarock's definition of the genre:
"Isekai translates to "another world." This genre typically has a narrative where a protagonist somehow gets transported to a different world. The new world is more often than not in a fantasy setting, occasionally with traits pulled from JRPG games."
TV Tropes also goes further indepth into the idea, putting it under the trope name of "Trapped In Another World", which is basically just what "Isekai" means. Some people genre savvy to the idea might immediately think of a high school boy arriving in a JRPG fantasy world where they're super overpowered when it comes to combat, whereupon they get the attention of a stunning beautiful woman (or five). It's the definition of a power fantasy, especially for cis straight guys. However, even western works such as "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", "Alice in Wonderland", and "The Wizard of Oz" could all theoretically count as "isekai".
For this post, however, I'll be focusing mainly on isekai series that have gotten a manga adaption of some sort, often from Japan or occasionally China and Korea, which have also started to lean into the trend. That means they'll be falling into a lot of Japanese tropes and cliches, although these aren't necessarily bad things.
All of the isekai I've read through and even vaguely enjoyed are included down below in the comments section, and all of them will be utilizing this same form:
Some of these categories are self explanatory even to people unfamiliar with the genre (Title, Main Character), but a few deserve some particular notice or explanation.
Cheat: A "cheat ability" is basically a power uniquely granted to the Main Character (MC) that allows them to have the upperhand in the world they've been transported to. That sort of thing isn't entirely unusual for many stories, as it is a handy way of making a MC notable, but it is a quality that is inherent to the power fantasy aspect that isekai series often at least nod to. However, the nature of that cheat can take on quite a variety of forms depending on the series. Some do a very basic sort of ability such as access to a never before seen magic, or simply a lot of magic. Others take a more subtle approach, such as a character using their knowledge of a modern world to improve a more medieval one. Seeing the different types of "cheats", how characters use them, and how it affects the setting is one of the things that I find charming about the isekai genre.
Transport: In other words- how did the MC arrive in another world/life? Sometimes, it's because a character was summoned, either by a god or a powerful magician. Other times, it's left as a mystery. Lots of isekai even have the MC die, and their soul is reincarnated in another world with memories of their past life. Depending on how the MC got there, and the whims of the author, it can have quite an impact on the MC's goals or emotions.
Pros and Cons: While they're named as that, these categories could more accurately be called "what I did and didn't like about this series", which means they're completely subjective and from my point of view. The summary will cover what the series is about, sure, but this goes more into my personal opinions.
General Warnings: This will be a simple list of general things to watch out for, such as gore, murder, rape, or sexual assault, along with anything else I think people might appreciate a heads up on.
Fanservice: This one is fairly self explanatory, with fanservice often being women scantily clad or men getting to be in sexy positions with them. Considering how much of a range fanservice can be, I'll be listing this rather in a scale of 1 to 5.
1 - No fanservice whatsoever
3 - Some fanservice, but no so much as to be describing
5 - Hope you like tits and ass, because there's going to be a lot of that
I'll give my reasons and some examples for this category, so that people have a slightly more substantial idea of what will happen.
Harem: Power fantasies don't only include having super amazing powers, but they also dabble in areas of romance, where the (often male) MC will have a bunch of women falling for him and sometimes even having multiple wives.
According to Mangarock's definition of the genre:
"Isekai translates to "another world." This genre typically has a narrative where a protagonist somehow gets transported to a different world. The new world is more often than not in a fantasy setting, occasionally with traits pulled from JRPG games."
TV Tropes also goes further indepth into the idea, putting it under the trope name of "Trapped In Another World", which is basically just what "Isekai" means. Some people genre savvy to the idea might immediately think of a high school boy arriving in a JRPG fantasy world where they're super overpowered when it comes to combat, whereupon they get the attention of a stunning beautiful woman (or five). It's the definition of a power fantasy, especially for cis straight guys. However, even western works such as "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", "Alice in Wonderland", and "The Wizard of Oz" could all theoretically count as "isekai".
For this post, however, I'll be focusing mainly on isekai series that have gotten a manga adaption of some sort, often from Japan or occasionally China and Korea, which have also started to lean into the trend. That means they'll be falling into a lot of Japanese tropes and cliches, although these aren't necessarily bad things.
All of the isekai I've read through and even vaguely enjoyed are included down below in the comments section, and all of them will be utilizing this same form:
Some of these categories are self explanatory even to people unfamiliar with the genre (Title, Main Character), but a few deserve some particular notice or explanation.
Cheat: A "cheat ability" is basically a power uniquely granted to the Main Character (MC) that allows them to have the upperhand in the world they've been transported to. That sort of thing isn't entirely unusual for many stories, as it is a handy way of making a MC notable, but it is a quality that is inherent to the power fantasy aspect that isekai series often at least nod to. However, the nature of that cheat can take on quite a variety of forms depending on the series. Some do a very basic sort of ability such as access to a never before seen magic, or simply a lot of magic. Others take a more subtle approach, such as a character using their knowledge of a modern world to improve a more medieval one. Seeing the different types of "cheats", how characters use them, and how it affects the setting is one of the things that I find charming about the isekai genre.
Transport: In other words- how did the MC arrive in another world/life? Sometimes, it's because a character was summoned, either by a god or a powerful magician. Other times, it's left as a mystery. Lots of isekai even have the MC die, and their soul is reincarnated in another world with memories of their past life. Depending on how the MC got there, and the whims of the author, it can have quite an impact on the MC's goals or emotions.
Pros and Cons: While they're named as that, these categories could more accurately be called "what I did and didn't like about this series", which means they're completely subjective and from my point of view. The summary will cover what the series is about, sure, but this goes more into my personal opinions.
General Warnings: This will be a simple list of general things to watch out for, such as gore, murder, rape, or sexual assault, along with anything else I think people might appreciate a heads up on.
Fanservice: This one is fairly self explanatory, with fanservice often being women scantily clad or men getting to be in sexy positions with them. Considering how much of a range fanservice can be, I'll be listing this rather in a scale of 1 to 5.
1 - No fanservice whatsoever
3 - Some fanservice, but no so much as to be describing
5 - Hope you like tits and ass, because there's going to be a lot of that
I'll give my reasons and some examples for this category, so that people have a slightly more substantial idea of what will happen.
Harem: Power fantasies don't only include having super amazing powers, but they also dabble in areas of romance, where the (often male) MC will have a bunch of women falling for him and sometimes even having multiple wives.
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Title: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Other Titles: genjitsushugisha no oukokukaizouki
Author: Satoshi Ueda, Dozeumaru
Main Character: Soma Kazuya
Gender: Male
Cheat: Modern Knowledge Plus Multitasking Ability
Transport: Summoned (Royalty)
Summary: All Soma is doing is paying respects to his recently deceased grandfather, his last immediate family who he was extremely close to. Then, out of nowhere, he finds himself summoned into another world... to be potentially used as payment to another kingdom? Fortunately, the royal family responsible for this is just as uneasy to do it as Soma, so they come to a compromise as he works hard alongside the king to find out a way to solve the economical and political problems plaguing the kingdom. He's just not expecting to be given the crown himself- or be engaged to the former king's daughter, the princess!
Pros: Interesting Summon Issue, Economic and Political Issues, Weight of the Crown, Positive Fat Character
If there's one thing that can get me interested in an isekai story right off the get-go, it's when the Why of the MC's summoning is as interesting and telling of the story as the MC themself is. Within the first chapter, this series does that immediately and uniquely. The MC hasn't been summoned to fight a demon king or anything like that. By the time he's been summoned, in fact, the war against invading demons has already reached a standstill. Rather, now the various countries are dealing with the aftermath of a war. There are various far-reaching issues to deal with, but the one most relevant to the MC is the matter of reparations.
You see, the kingdom that's summoned him had quite a few countries between it and the area that the demons appeared at and took over. Another and fairly large empire was much closer to that ground zero, so they did all the heavy lifting. Yet because of that... They're now trying to pressure other kingdoms to pay them for all that work. Their "offer" is simple: either pay them back with hard cash, or try to summon a "hero" from another world.
That very basis alone tells so much about what kind of story this will be! The war against demons has already passed, but the effects of such a war is still being felt, even with countries that weren't directly affected by it. That implies on its own that a variety of things reverberate from even a single instance or change. Of course, this story is more than happy to lean hard into the many economic and political issues which arise in such a matter.
The economic matters are of course the very first stepping stone we have into this story. That only makes sense, seeing as our MC was brought into this fantasy world because the kingdom couldn't make payments to another empire. More than merely paying off such reparations, the MC also has to make sure that the kingdom is more stable than when he left it so that such things don't happen again. Even better, he explains things in a fairly easy to understand way. Part of this has a solid in-universe reasoning, as he often is explaining his ideas and plans to those who aren't as super well educated as he is... mainly the many non-literate commoners that make up so much of the kingdom itself. So he goes through a variety of issues that a country like the kingdom has to deal with, especially when going through the hardships such as the aftermath of a war. He talks about how important it is to have farming crops where possible instead of relying too much on cash crops such as cotton, the importance of managing forests with responsible methods of cutting down certain trees, and making sure to be creative in figuring out new sources of food. (A favorite scene of mine involves an octopus recipe.) The MC even acknowledges how important immigrants are to the economy, with refugees from the war bringing in various talents and foods from their own countries.
Of course, it's not only on the economic front that he focuses on for the benefit of the many common people which the MC is now responsible for. Almost immediately, while mostly off-screen, he also considers and handles matters such as the need for a sewer system, managing pedestrian roads and carts, and what separates garbage from things that can be reused. Because of this and his humble honesty in communicating to the people of the kingdom, he ends up being generally popular among them. I mean, most people would if their president was a nice smart guy who clearly communicated that he cared about them and that's why he was being honest about their situation.
Can you imagine? Asks the American.
Of course... While his actions may make him popular with the common man, that doesn't let our MC escape the political matters of neighboring countries, or even those who should be his allies. This is especially relevant for a trio of characters called The Three Dukes, who have large factions of their own and which are important to the kingdom as it is. Their issues with one another, and how the MC is to deal with them, are part of an important arc that not only plays with political issues such as how to make allies or attempting to negotiate, but also matters of war. However, it's not the combat-porn focused sort of war that might be found in other series. Instead, this focuses more on tactics and misdirection, all in order to gain the upper hand and minimize casualties, especially civilian ones.
Of course... This is a lot to ask for of a young man from modern Japan who's just barely graduated college and wasn't exactly pursuing a job in politics. (Although he's certainly doing quite the job now that he's been forced into it.) As the story progresses, we get to see our MC have to deal with the toughest parts of being the leader to a whole kingdom. Some decisions aren't as easy as convincing people to eat an octopus. When people's lives are on the line... It's hard to make certain calls. At some point in the story, the MC even references Machiavelli and how a good ruler can do a certain thing, but only do it once lest he fall down the slippery slope of dictatorship. The story contains clear hope that things will turn out better, in the end... Yet moments like that lend a certain realism to the story, a quiet darkness, that the road to such hopeful futures can have plenty of bumps.
That feeling is helped by the various characters involved in this story: the hardworking and newly kinged MC, the former but beloved king, his tough but genuine daughter, and many others. One of those that caught my eye early on is one of the few fat characters in the series. Other characters treat him and his interest in food as a joke right off the bat, save for the MC... who finds his immense knowledge about different food throughout the world to be immensely important in a time that threatens starvation for so many people. The MC and the story thus treat him as immensely important to the agriculture of the kingdom. While it's still more than a little stereotypical and frustrating that the one fat character has such an interest in food as his defining trait and job... Well. It's better than many other series treat their fat characters, who are often gag characters or villains. Low bar passed.
Cons: None
I enjoy this series for its simple yet simultaneously detailed look into the various issues that come with running a country, especially one that is dealing with the aftermath of a war.
General Warnings: Natural Disasters
Slavery: Yes, Political
Fanservice: 3 - Any woman that isn't a child or very short is almost guaranteed to have an ample chest, and often cleavage to prove it.
Harem: Yes