Isekai is a fantasy sub-genre thatis raging all over the world. Since its humble origins back in the early 90s, an incredible number of publications with many colorful characters have invaded the minds of thousands of fans. Second only to romance manga in popularity, Isekai has its main source of anime in the Light Novel series.
But, not all Light Novel Isekai make it to the animated stage, and there are many reasons why — from budget and trouble adapting its plot with total fidelity, to outright refusals from producers to pick up the series. Here’s a list ofIsekai Light Novelsthat might be difficult to adapt into an anime.
5Reincarnated As A Dragon Hatchling
Would Break Any Animation Company Budget
Reincarnated As A Dragon Hatchlingtakes place in a dark fantasy setting where a Japanese office worker (our standard reincarnated hero) gets transported toa world of magic and monstersand reincarnated as an egg. But soon after, the egg hatches, and he discovers a game-like system that warns him about being a dragon Hatchling.
A survival story begins, where the mysterious system will allow the hero, lately named Irushia, to evolve into the most powerful dragon in the world. The Light novel is quite interesting but has some drawbacks due to the graphic nature of some of the topics it deals with. Additionally, it was licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment for an official translation into English. The Light Novel has a lot of fighting scenes between colossal dragons, and that’s really complicated to animate — the budget for the series would be out of the charts. So, it is unlikely that this series will be having an adaptation to anime soon, but its fans still have hope.
4Herscherik: The Reincarnated Prince And The Kingdom In Woe
Starts Really Well But Got Axed After Volume 5
InHerscherik, Ryoko Hayakawa gets a free ticket to get reincarnated in another world, and since she’s such a hardcore Otaku, she isn’t even bothered by the fact thatshe has been reincarnated as a prince. The Light Novels start really well, with an enthralling story, a light tone, and most importantly: plenty of action. The first two volumes managed to gather quite a lot of fans, and the story got some great reviews from pages like MyAnimelist.
Then, around volume 3, things slowed down considerably, with all the political turmoil happening in the kingdom and Herscherik roaming around trying to solve the problems of the world. The action diminished plenty, and it took too long for the main character to develop into a full-fledged prince. Maybe that’s why the editors decided to discontinue the series, though the real reasons were never revealed, and the author has offered no further comments about it. Sadly, this also means fans are unlikely ever to see an anime adaptation.
3Full Clearing Another World Under A Goddess With Zero Believers
Has Lost Popularity Due To Its Plain MC
Makoto Takatsuki, a hardcore RPG player, and all his fellow students get reincarnated in a fantasy world, and the MC ends up having the lowest class: Mage Apprentice — and what’s worse, he only has 10 years to live. His entire class laughs it off andmocks him for being the weakestreincarnated hero with the lowest of stats.
However, one night, a goddess appears in his dreams and asks him to be his first follower, offering him a blessing and a holy weapon in return. From that moment on, Makoto will climb the ladders, proving that he is the best in the world, drawing power little by little, despite his initial bad startup. His final objective is to liberate the goddess, who is imprisoned in a dungeon. The Light Novel had an overall good reception, but the interest of the audience seems to have fallen since the main character is fairly plain and cliché. So, it is unlikely that it will gain enough traction to become a full-fledged anime.
2Record Of Wortenia War
Toning It Down Would Destroy Its Core Essence
Record Of Wortenia Wartells the story of Ryoma Mikoshiba, an enthusiastic martial arts fan and high school student who is summoned to another world. The nobles of the O’ltormean court demand he becomes stronger by slaying other beings and enemy soldiers, and Ryoma soon discovers the twisted nature of these disgusting and entitled royals. Murdering an important member of the court, he flees to the border, where he meets with two sisters who have also been exiled and persecuted due to their magical abilities.
Together, they set off on a journey of survival, conquest, and romance. The manga adaptation is severely toned down from the spicy content of the novels — and the brutal depictions of war and carnage happening in the main story as it progresses. Sadly, it is probable thatno producers dare to pick up the seriesfor an adaptation without toning it down considerably, which would destroy the identity of the series.
1Otherworld Nation Founding Chronicles
Too Much Politics And No Action
Otherworld Nation Founding Chroniclesis a survival story about a group of orphans abandoned on the outskirts of a ruined village and left to die in a dangerous forest. Among them, a reincarnated former Japanese officer takes the reins as a leader and shows them how to survive. Little by little, they construct a new village, and they receive the blessing of the forest’s most dangerous creature: the King of Gryphons.
But after some time, adults become wary of this new place growing in their territory, so nobles try to usurp their resources — only to be masterfully outsmarted by the orphans' tactical displays. The children and the MC are invited into the Kingdom, where the monarch offers to adopt the leader of the village as his son and marry him to his daughter. From that point forward, the story begins to drop in quality and pacing in such a way that it becomes a dull and boring plot. The Light Novel series seems to be going through a Hiatus in their publications, and it is unknown if they will resume since the last publication was in November 2019. Still, the author has explained that there are 9 volumes of this series ready, though it is uncertain if they’ll ever see the light of day — much less receive an anime adaptation.
