Summary
The isekai genre became widely recognized officially when it was included in the Oxford English Dictionary. Despite its various clichés, the isekai genre is still loved by anime, manga, and light novel fans across the globe. Despite its notorious nature – the isekai genre has greatly aided the explosive popularity of anime in the Western world, and this unique achievement proves it.
It's no surprise that the anime and manga industry has exploded over the past decade thanks to the ease with which fans – new and old – have access to new content at the same time in Japan. One The particular genre considered to be the cause of anime's popularity in the West is none other than the isekai genre., which consists of stories that follow characters who are sent or reincarnated into new worlds, often worlds with a high fantasy setting, and embark on a new adventure. These stories depict main characters taking a second chance at life, and growing and changing throughout their journey through whatever world they end up in.
Incredibly, in the most recent update of the Oxford English Dictionary, a total of 23 Japanese words were added to their vocabulary, such as katsu, mangaka and onigiri, one particular term has taken the internet by storm: including the term isekai. Defined by Oxford as “a genre of Japanese science fiction or fantasy whose main character is transported to or reincarnated in another, strange, or unfamiliar world”anime fans have embraced this notorious genre with excitement and a healthy dose of online fun.
What Isekai's Surprising Inclusion in the Oxford Dictionary Means for the Anime Industry
This level of genre recognition means more than just simple recognition
Despite the popularity of the isekai genre among anime fans, it was still quite a shock to see it included in the official Oxford English Dictionary. However, this news speaks to the tremendous amount of growth that has been witnessed in the industry over the past decade. Although it is often joked about due to the inherent saturation of standard isekai stories in the genre, These “transported to another world” stories are inherently fun ways for fans to put themselves in the shoes of main characters from the real world. Experience magic, giant monsters, and other fantastical experiences for the first time.
This not only speaks to the influence of anime – Light Novels and Manga derived from the isekai genre have become increasingly popular over time, with staples like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime having a whopping print run of 4.5 million volumes.and a popular series in the isekai “villain reincarnation” subgenre, My Next Life as a Villain: All Roads Lead to Perdition! There are 600,000 copies in circulation between the original novel and the manga adaptation. Proving that, despite the genre's notorious reputation, it has contributed greatly to the growing popularity of anime and manga globally – and that's an achievement worth celebrating.
Source(s): Oxford English Dictionary, Tokyo Weekender