What are your thoughts on the fantasy isekai genre nowadays?

[FinancierBread]

It's starting to feel repetitive as I read more and more novels about it

 

[SailusGebel]

Overused.

 

[TotallyHuman]

read something else

 

[FinancierBread]

read something else

Yeah that's probably the best option

 

[NotaNuffian]

Mid.

 

[Lorelliad]

Personally, it's one of my favorite genres (I'm basic, sue me) just behind futuristic fantasy.

 

[Nocturnis66]

Mid AF.

 

[SailusGebel]

I'm basic, sue me

-_-

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Fantasy is fine if it is an interesting fantasy. Isekai, however, is incredibly overused.

 

[Leti]

The market is oversaturated with fantasy isekai novels to the point that it is very difficult to have an original idea and not rely on cliches. Most of them don't need to be isekai, with the protagonist's reincarnation/transmigration being an unnecessary addition to the story. Especially since it has zero relevance to the plot at all.

 

[T.K._Paradox]

Not as bad as one might think, it is certainly a genre here to stay and will be a great gate way for people new to the fantasy genre to pick up.

After all isekai in its most basic format is someone from our world going to a fantasy land.

It give the reader someone to connect to in this story and help them understand the world better.

Because the genre is popular I am not surprised on how many poor executions there are, the same could be said about classical fantasy.

After Tolkien's big hit it wasn't surprising to find that there were a ton of Lord of the Rings lite coming out.

 

[georgelee5786]

Overused

 

[SailusGebel]

Overused

-_-

 

[Lorelliad]

-_-

-_-

 

[J_Chemist]

I still read it if the character is decent but it's mainly self-insert and shitty plot at this point. Regular fantasy is and always has been the better choice.

 

[BlackKnightX]

If it's well-written, then it's good. Whatever the genre may be. Nowadays I care more about the writing then I used to.

My thought on Isekai? Very comforting, I guess. It's like a safe place to be in, you know. Cuz I've been there many times over already, and it feels like home. It's like a default position to be in when you have nothing better to read or watch. A safe haven.

 

[LilRora]

As a genre itself it's not bad at all. It has a lot of potential in regards to character development and worldbuilding if being isekaied actually has any deeper meaning in the story and is not a fancy change of scenery. If it's written well, I can enjoy an isekai just like any other genre.

The problem is with the fact that it is horribly overused and most of those stories are definitely not written well. Many people still enjoy such simple stories though, and if you have market demand, you'll have the product as well.

 

[YatagarasuStudios]

It's fine, a lot of my favourite series such as Knight's & Magic are a part of it, so it can't be inherently bad. Can't say I'm the biggest fan of what some of it has branched into - one-off jokes that probably can't hold a long series.

That being said, one shouldn't reject a series just because it's isekai. I've seen people reject series that involve time travelling and vague realm hopping but don't have the isekai tag just because they think it's isekai. People these days.

 

[ForestDweller]

It's starting to feel repetitive as I read more and more novels about it

Most of it are garbage, yeah.

So I try to write my own that isn't garbage.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

Tried to write one that has a proper plot and characterization, but I'm just one of the few. We're still overwhelmed by the mass-produced isekai stuff from syosetu and other copycats.

Still, I'm continuing on it, mainly because for the few who reads it.

One of the feedbacks I had for that work...