Citations:isekai

English citations of isekai

noun: "a genre of Japanese fiction involving everyday people transported to alternate fantasy or virtual worlds"

• 2015 March 25, anonymous author, Desuarchive (originally posted on 4chan.org/a/)‎^[1]:

  when if^[sic] first read sao [i.e. Sword Art Online] i liked the concept a lot, but years later after all these mmo isekai game worlds it's not even on my mention list for good mmo novels.

• 2015 April 3, anonymous author, Desuarchive (originally posted on 4chan.org/a/)‎^[2]:

  He was summoned as a "hero" into the world to fight a greater evil […] Basically your typical Narou isekai hero, with all the cliche plots.

  Note: "Narou" refers to the novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō, which had a hand in popularizing the isekai genre.

• 2017 October 2, Matt Kamen, “Anime: the 10 must-watch films and TV shows for video game lovers”, in The Guardian‎^[3]:

  Isekai – a tale of characters transported to other worlds – is a staple genre of Japanese fiction, but now we’re seeing anime where these alternate worlds are based in video games or virtual reality experiences.

• 2019 September 5, Matt Kim, “Cult Classic PS1 'Anti-RPG' Moon Is Coming to the Nintendo Switch in English”, in IGN‎^[4]:

  He must then explore this mysterious RPG world and find a way back to the "real" world. This genre of fantasy is typically known in Japan as an “Isekai.”

• 2020 March 11, Limarc Ambalina, “'Isekai' anime: 5 must-see fantasy anime set in a 'different world'”, in Japan Today‎^[5]:

  Escapism in its purest form, isekai anime features a character transported to another world, be it an alternate reality or a virtual one.

• 2022 March 2, Louis Kemner, “Why Do So Many Anime Fans Say Isekai Is Trash?”, in CBR‎^[6]:

  Many of isekai's detractors note how some isekai shows are only popular due to the genre, and these series might even cut corners or coast on their genre's popularity.

noun: "in manga/anime fandom: A different world"

• 2017, Tsuyoshi Fujitaka, Emily Sorensen, My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World (volume 2)

  “We tend to think of isekai as being less civilized than modern Japan, with a high mortality rate!” Mutsuko said.

• 2021 August 31, Christopher Farris, “Review: Uncle From Another World: GN 1”, in Anime News Network‎^[7]:

  The 'character actually returns from the isekai after several years' setup apparently wasn't enough of a subversion, so the series also throws in its own odd spins on the Uncle's actual adventures in the other world.

• 2022 April 4, Ian Wolf, “What We Watched…and was it any good? Winter Season 2022 Overview”, in Anime UK News‎^[8]:

  Let’s be honest, a light novel series not set in an isekai feels like a bit of a novelty these days.

• 2022 April 18, Marc York, “Isekai Anime With Absurdly Long Titles That Are Still Great to Watch”, in CBR‎^[9]:

  He's given a choice from a goddess; be reborn in his world with no memories or in an isekai with all his memories.