Summary
Isekai anime is surely a controversial genre, with many nuances to consider when browsing for the best series to watch. Whilesome series are timeless jewels of the fantasy genre, others are not so good, or at least, they have some things that might make the audience reconsider investing their time in them.
In this list, we explore some of the most polarizing Isekai anime that fans either love or hate, but that have some strong points that still make them worth a try. Fans will discover that some of these series that had poor reception among genre enthusiasts still have some strong points that make them special. Be it an out-of-the-ordinary villain with a clear motivation or an MC that refuses to go the Harem route and just enjoys traveling around the world, these series present some interesting proposals.
InWise Man’s Grandchilda Japanese salaryman is reborn in a fantasy world of sword and sorcery and begins his new life as Shin, the adopted grandson of the Grand Sage Merlin Wolford. Up to that moment, it was the typical Isekai trope where the OP protagonist keeps his memories from his past life. And then, begins a revolution in both magic and science, trying to replicate the items from modern Japan into this mystical land, while using magic to empower them. There are many things that fans do not like at all about this anime, from the oblivious and dull main character to thetypical cliché OP power trip he goes through. But then, there are also many great things about it: the villains are humans who were turned to the dark side, corrupted by their own emotions, pain, or tragedy.
There’s no typical demon lord, as the main antagonist, just a group of people that have turned into “demons” and seek revenge from the society that caused them harm. From a certain point of view, the villains are fighting against a corrupted status quo where nobility is privileged and ends up destroying the people, and the few nobles who try to do good are used as scapegoats and end up suffering the consequences. But then again, the plot gets muddled with unnecessary fan service, and thankfully, there’s no harem route in this anime. The protagonist has a quite obvious crush on one of the heroines and commits to it, though there are some obvious Red Flags jumping all around when they become engaged. In other words, it’s a good story, with some great character developments among the obvious sea of flaws the Isekai genre has. You either love it or hate it.
From the perspective of a fan of high fantasy,I Got A Cheat Skill In Another World!could be all the things that are great about the genre: A shallow though well-developed fantasy universe, with an easy-to-understand underlying subplot, some interesting fantastic creatures, and certainly visually attractive. Now then,the main character is oblivious, dull, boring, annoying, and honestly bi-dimensional. There’s no learning, no growth (besides the more than obvious physical changes and superpowers), and most definitely no sense of awareness for other people’s feelings.
Going back a little about the general design, which is great, with absolutely fine art and coloring, and some good visual effects, that’s one of the things that fans could easily identify as a strong point. But then again, fans of fantasy literature and manga could think this is not enough to justify the dull power-fantasy plot that advances at a slow and excruciating pace. The idea of going back and forth between worlds, and even taking people on those trips is a good twist for the story. But there’s a clear nudge in the direction of the heroines from both Japan and the fantasy world meeting and fighting for the MC, which is also quite cliché and predictable. In other words, it has its pros and cons, and fans should watch it at their own discretion.
The main problem with this Isekai anime (besides its long title) is that it is really hard to follow. There are just too many flashback scenes that try to justify the origin of the MC’s overpowered instant death ability, and that makes fans lose track of an already overcomplicated plot. There are too many subplots that pop up from all around and seemingly go nowhere. Gods appear and disappear on a whim, and then there are mecha invaders from a third-party world who are on a sacred mission to save it. The “Sage” that summoned the students from Japan appears as the ultimate most powerful being, butshe’s so plain silly that it hurts to watchher whimsical attitude and less-than-strategical thinking. As mentioned before, it is really hard for the audience to know where the plot is going.
But, is that such a bad thing? The show appears to have a particular sense of humor, and the plot is more inclined towards satire than a traditional fantasy isekai trope. Since hundreds of characters will appear and instantly die the second they attempt to fight the MC, it doesn’t make sense for them to introduce themselves. Or is there something more waiting for the audience in a second season? If there’s any other season at all. There seems to be some sort of direction, and a reason for the MC to be there in that world, killing everyone as he marches towards an unavoidable confrontation with the dumbest villain in Isekai anime. Fans will need to watch and judge for themselves if this Isekai anime is worth investing in another season.
My Uncle Is From Another Worldis either a masterpiece or the most “hard-to-watch” Isekai anime ever created. Some fans are simplycharmed with how the world is constructed, the pacing of the narrative, and how the oblivious yet kindhearted main character narrates his experiences in that fantastical world. On the other hand, it is easy to understand why people could totally hate his guts: he is rude and crude, asks no permission and never apologizes. In other words, not a typical gentleman. Some scenes are clearly there for fan-service purposes, and others are outright ridiculous or a mockery of all-good romance plots. That is where the satirical part of the show draws strength from.
While it is obvious that the MC was never conceived to be an eye candy, and those looking for an average good-looking Isekai MC might feel disgusted by his expressions, It is obvious that the author intended him to be that way, and it is also intrinsically linked to how the people in the other world see him - as an Orc. Unapologetic, controversial, and for some moments, dangerously approaching the terrain of the dark satire. Nevertheless, it has some great comedy moments, with that typical wacky Japanese sense of humor, and a lot of pop culture references that represent some relatable topics like age gap, ageism, the passing of time, growing up, and letting go of the past. Not for everyone, but has some great wholesome moments worth watching even if you don’t like Isekai anime, and that may be its strongest point.
As in every Isekai anime, there are good things and bad things, andDeath Marchhas them both by the bunch. On one hand, the anime starts like many others: a Japanese office worker (programmer) dies of exhaustion and gets a free ride to travel to another world. But he doesn’t get transported to any random world, but to the world he programmed. So far, an average Isekai: the MC has some cheat skills, and he uses them to travel across the land gathering a “pseudo-harem” of sorts. And here’s where it gets tremendously weird, asthis entourage of female heroinesis almost 90% underage, dangerously walking the line between “worth watching for the wholesome moments” and “let’s call the police, this is terrible.”
Luckily, the MC openly states that he is not interested in them, but that doesn’t help the plot either, nor fools the Isekai knowledgeable audience. The fact that the party is composed solely by a chorus of insufferable cliché-characters drawn out of the imagination of a twisted mind, and the audience needs to put up with their constant attempts to draw the attention of the protagonist in the most ridiculous of ways, is the major flaw of the series. Unnecessary for the development of the plot, the existence of these beings resists any possible analysis and must be ignored if fans want to actually enjoy the underlying plot, which is honestly good if they manage to go beyond all that potpourri of squeaky animal-eared white noise barrier. Besides all those minus points,Death Marchis a comfy slice-of-life journey, where the Main Character (tries to) moves with purpose in mind, and resolves to live the most of this new experience while also trying (failing) to be less than disruptive with the ecosystem of the fantasy world where he was thrown at. It gets better, luckily, as the plot advances and some salvageable and wholesome characters (like Liza for example) join the crew.
