In the March update of the Oxford English Dictionary, some words referring to manga/anime culture were added. One of these is "isekai."
This is further proof, in an official form, of how much this community has expanded and is slowly becoming a part of Western pop culture, as evidenced by references (the forerunner of this wave was probably the anime references in The Big Bang Theory).
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In recent years, isekai has grown to such an extent with its unique features that it has become a worthy rival to the dominance of traditional shonen. However, due to overproduction, it faces the same problems as the latter: unoriginality, repetitiveness, predictability. This doesn't mean, however, that valuable content isn't being produced.
What's your favorite isekai and why?
For me, the genre peaked with the original Digimon. To some extent, nostalgia is certainly speaking, but the fact that they created something entirely new with an already existing formula (Pokémon) is fantastic because it offers solutions to today's anime/manga industry problems. Innovation doesn't have to be the goal; what's important is to produce good shows. In the race for originality and competition, I think we forget the significance of the simple pleasure of enjoying something.
But as for Digimon, it's a wonderful world that immerses you in a vast comfort space, with super likable characters you can relate to, cute monsters, great music, decent graphics for its time, just enough darkness, and a plot that unfolds with fair pacing, keeping you interested.
I lost track of the sequels at some point, just like with Pokémon, but the feeling of the original, the orthodox, never fades.
P.S. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. As the manga/anime craze spreads worldwide at epidemic rates, the pressure on creators inevitably increases. Considering what mangaka face, but even more so the animators who visualize our favorite anime, it's a terrible, exploitative work environment. It's good to take it a bit easier with the schedules of when - and if - the next season will be released, but more importantly, we should be in solidarity with these people and their struggles. We should demand, even if our actions are limited to social media due to distance, humane working conditions and corresponding wages.
