this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
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...you mean worldbuild organically like any other story set in a universe that isn't our own? Countless shows and stories have been doing that for centuries, why should anime get a special little exception?
Narnia walks through the wardrobe.
Harry Potter learns about the wizarding world.
Hard to do with the axe hanging over your head. "Sorry, but chapter 3 didn't score high enough in our magazine poll so we're killing your serialization."
Most Isekais are Novels. Barely any pressure in writing for most of those companies (or at least, not that type of pressure).
Imagine the intelligence and attention-span of your average Anime fan. Now realize half of anime fans have lower levels of attention and intelligence.
And for centuries they have been struggling to find good ways to present that newly built world in a natural way. Just because good examples exist doesnt make it an easy thing to accomplish. Bad fantasy stories have also existed for centuries.
You may call it lazy, but you gotta admit that with isekai settings presenting a new world is easy and natural.
And its not like only animes use that. Harry poter, Narnia, Peter Pen, Alice In Wonderland, Tron Legacy etc etc... All have clueless main characters finding themselves in a new world.
The first work of art to find an "easy and natural" storytelling shortcut gets to reap the benefits. By the 79th work to abuse the same shortcut, the novelty has worn off and the downsides to the plot become clearer. A cliche is born.
It's well and good to say "stories have failed plenty without including cliches", but do understand what you are defending -- an eternity of knights on white horses, "I am your father"s, third acts speeches about the power of friendship, women in refrigerators. Personally I think it's probably healthy that some tropes become cliches and die.
I think that overusing ideas that affect the premise of a story isnt nearly as bad as overusing ideas that affect its progress/conclusion, like Disney's plot twist villains, "i am your father" and white knight cliches.
Stuck in another world, stuck in a death game or a "chosen one journey" cliches make the beggining seem unoriginal, but can develope in so many ways that as a reader/viewer, i dont mind if the idea is overused as long as the story that follows is good and original.
It's way harder to do on screen. Works for print.
Yeah, but explaining it to someone who is new to the setting as an audience insert is easier!