I'm not saying it's a total loss, but I guess I was hoping for a little bit more. Many isekai fall into similar traps, even if they do allow the characters to grow to a varying degree. But that's why Frieren is so refreshing to me. The story gives room to appreciate the value of second chances so much more than your typical isekai does.
It was interesting to me when someone pointed out how old Isekai are. Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Narnia sort of deals. Even a short one like, "The Redo of Ebenezer Scrooge" so to speak.
Absolutely! I mentioned Narnia in this article briefly for that reason, as a gentle nudge to remind that they have been around awhile. Fortunately Dorothy, Alice, and the Pevensies (well, most of the Pevensies) get to return to the real world with some lessons learned.
Reverse isekais are also interesting. "The Lego Movie" is an example of a modern Western one. Isekai can be handled very well, but they were veering into what I'd call morally dubious territory in Japan over the past 15 or so years.
Yeah, the recent Isekai are getting pretty twisted and increasingly derivative. For example there's a popular korean manhwa called "Hero has Returned" which is just torture porn about Isekaiers returning to earth and going postal and mowing everyone down because they never got over their real-life issues but now have super powers. Just people dipped into the idyllic fantasy world then thrown back into Korea with no maturity gained unlike in all the Western ones you mentioned.
I've been reading Jobless Reincarnation, he has several more chances to change and he still acts the scumbag, I appreciate you making it clear that while it's great quality, the MC/story is poor. I also appreciate the defense of Heiter.
Thank you! So many people seem to miss the subtleties of Heiter's storyline. I'm glad you picked up on it. As far as Rudeus goes, about the only change I've witnessed is he's not as lazy as before. But then again, he sees it as "gaining experience", so really, in his mind he's still just feeding his gaming addiction, VR-style.
He is. What pulled me into the show in the first place was a particular scene from Season 2 that was not only beautifully animated, but a masterclass in tension-based storytelling and how to best introduce a villain. Imagine my shock when I discovered who Rudeus really is.
The quality of this show is undeniable. But as they say, propaganda is often wrapped up in sexy packaging or it wouldn't be effective.
It was pretty cool when Rudeus tries to get his sister to stop being a shut-in like he was, so it's not completely unaware.
I'm not saying it's a total loss, but I guess I was hoping for a little bit more. Many isekai fall into similar traps, even if they do allow the characters to grow to a varying degree. But that's why Frieren is so refreshing to me. The story gives room to appreciate the value of second chances so much more than your typical isekai does.
It was interesting to me when someone pointed out how old Isekai are. Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Narnia sort of deals. Even a short one like, "The Redo of Ebenezer Scrooge" so to speak.
Absolutely! I mentioned Narnia in this article briefly for that reason, as a gentle nudge to remind that they have been around awhile. Fortunately Dorothy, Alice, and the Pevensies (well, most of the Pevensies) get to return to the real world with some lessons learned.
Reverse isekais are also interesting. "The Lego Movie" is an example of a modern Western one. Isekai can be handled very well, but they were veering into what I'd call morally dubious territory in Japan over the past 15 or so years.
Yeah, the recent Isekai are getting pretty twisted and increasingly derivative. For example there's a popular korean manhwa called "Hero has Returned" which is just torture porn about Isekaiers returning to earth and going postal and mowing everyone down because they never got over their real-life issues but now have super powers. Just people dipped into the idyllic fantasy world then thrown back into Korea with no maturity gained unlike in all the Western ones you mentioned.
I've been reading Jobless Reincarnation, he has several more chances to change and he still acts the scumbag, I appreciate you making it clear that while it's great quality, the MC/story is poor. I also appreciate the defense of Heiter.
Thank you! So many people seem to miss the subtleties of Heiter's storyline. I'm glad you picked up on it. As far as Rudeus goes, about the only change I've witnessed is he's not as lazy as before. But then again, he sees it as "gaining experience", so really, in his mind he's still just feeding his gaming addiction, VR-style.
Never knew the Jobless Reincarnation protag was such a scumbag.
He is. What pulled me into the show in the first place was a particular scene from Season 2 that was not only beautifully animated, but a masterclass in tension-based storytelling and how to best introduce a villain. Imagine my shock when I discovered who Rudeus really is.
The quality of this show is undeniable. But as they say, propaganda is often wrapped up in sexy packaging or it wouldn't be effective.
Which makes our role as storytellers all the more important.