Summary
The isekai categoryof anime is filled with many genres that constitute a wide variety of stories and characters. One such interestingmix of genres is when humor and drama collide, two genres that go surprisingly well together due to how they contrast with each other.
The drama trope shines a light on the human condition, showing the everyday feelings and the lives of people, and the love, hate, frustration, and journey of the isekai characters as they travel in a fantasy land filled with unimaginable adventure.The comedic angle serves to make the story lightheartedand less serious than a typical drama would be, turning it into a funny and engaging show for fans to sit back and enjoy. These next five anime showcase both of these features to great effect.
Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation
Mushoku Tenseifollows a thirty-four-year-old NEET who lives an unremarkable life and then dies. Upon his death, he gets transported into another world and is reincarnated as Rudeus Greyrat, a baby born to two adventurers. In this new world, Rudues retains all of his memories from his old life and emerges with exceptional magical talents at a young age. He seeks to lead a new, different life, embracing the chance of a new life and promising to make the best of his situation.
With a huge world filled with diverse and interesting races and characters,Mushoku Tenseitells an incredible story. Rudeus uses his special affinity for magic and combat, as well as his quick-wittedness, to push past obstacles that he and his party face. The story does a great job of balancing humor with a serious plot through Rudeus' carefully-timed humor and interesting gags, even in serious situations, as he and his friends tackle dangerous and complex mysteries in The Six Faced World.
Inuyashais an anime that centers around 15-year-old Higurashi Kagone, who gets abducted by a demon and taken into her family well, where she is transported back in time to Feudal Japan. Upon Kagone’s transportation, she encounters a human-demon half-breed boy named Inuyasha, who is bound to a sacred tree. She frees him from his sealwith the help of a powerful orb called the Shikon Jewel.
Inuyasha’s plot-focused story is made humorous through the banter between Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Mariko. Inuyasha and Kagome’s contrasting personalities make for a great and humorous dynamic, which balances out the dramatic story and makes it more enjoyable overall. As Inuyasha and Kagome navigate each other’s time periods, they learn to work together, and have a lot of fun doing it.
The Boy Who Can Return After Death
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Based on Tappei Nagatsuki’s popular novel series, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World follows Subaru Natsuki, a directionless and self-conscious teenager who is summoned to a fantasy world and quickly becomes involved with a half-elf princess named Emilia. Blending action, horror, and comedy, Re:Zero is a challenging isekai anime that touches upon themes of perseverance, depression, and self-esteem.
Re:Zerois about a young man named Subaru Natsuki who abruptly gets transported to another world of magic and fantasy. He meets a young half-elf girl named Emilia, who is a candidate to become the ruler of Lugunica. Shortly after his arrival in this new world,Subaru dies trying to save Emiliafrom danger, but to his surprise, he wakes up a few hours before the event that killed him with all his memories intact. Afterward, he frequently uses his Return by Death ability to help Emilia on her journey.
For the most part, this isekai tells an amazing plot-driven story.Re:Zerofollows Subaru on his journey in a new land as he struggles to help the people he cares about, with no other special abilities besides the ability to return after death. Subaru’s upbeat and determined personality, along with his obvious love for Emilia, gives the anime all the elements to make a well-rounded fantasy story where love, death, and humor play a large part.
The Rising of the Shield Herois a story centered around a Japanese boy named Naofumi Iwatani, who by chance gets summoned to another world to be one of four cardinal heroes of the land, tasked with the duty of fighting a horde of monsters called Waves that now terrorize their world. After his arrival, Naofumi is dubbed the Shield Hero, and is given a legendary shield to assist him in his battle against the Waves.
The Rising of the Shield Herofollows Naofumias he journeys to restore his honor after being wrongfully accused. The story has a diverse cast with interesting and varying personalities. Naofumi’s cryptic and sarcastic personality blends well with Raphtalia’s naive and earnest character, and they are often seen having a great time, even under serious circumstances. The show does an excellent job of using great comedic elements, such as situational comedy and traditional anime gags, making it an amazing watch for fans.
Game Prodigies Play In A New World
No Game, No Life
No Game, No Life follows siblings Sora and Shiro, master gamers who are transported to a world where all conflicts are resolved through games.
No Game, No Lifestars two Hikikimori step-siblings, Sora and Shiro. Together, they are an unstoppable duo that rules the world of online gaming and play under the name: Blank. The story kicks off when they are challenged to a game of chess by the God of Games, Tet. Upon their victory, they are transported into the world of Disboard, a realm where everything is settled through games. Shortly after the siblings' arrive, they meet a girl who wants to fight for her country’s independence, and they decide to help her.
No Game, No Lifeisa funny isekai with a unique themeof gaming, with many comedic elements featured as well. The inseparable siblings, Sora and Shiro, are highly intelligent and introverted. This causes them to have lots of hilarious moments where their awkwardness and funny sibling relationship are a large part of the humor. Using niche gaming and fantasy tropes and references, these high-IQ siblings make for an interesting duo, frequently tackling new games and opponents while being some of the funniest people in the isekai genre.
