I am currently hooked on the isekai genre wherein the main character is sent to another world one way or another. The main character or MC is usually sent after being hit by a vehicle, particularly “truck-kun”.
My current “addiction” to this genre was caused by “That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime”. For this isekai the MC was stabbed, died, and then reincarnated as an overpowered slime. I enjoyed watching the MC slime grow in power, gather followers of different races, build a kingdom, and become the most powerful in the world. I caught on the latest episode and I cannot wait for the next season so I moved on to reading the unofficially translated light novel.
My interest with the isekai genre actually started way back during childhood with the anime “The Vision of Escaflowne”. Then there is Fushigi Yuugi.
My current isekai rage brought me to very good to very bad anime, manga, and light novels. I consider very bad isekai the ones where harem is very blatant (Farming in another World), have MCs with disgusting morality (I’m looking at you pedo MC of Moshoku Tensei), and very cringey or boring MC or plot (Re: Zero). The very good ones in my opinion include Ascendance of the Bookworm, Tanya the Evil, Tensei Slime, Overly Cautious Hero, Campfire Cooking in Another World - and recently - Tsukumichi: Moonlit Fantasy.
Tsukumichi: Moonlit Fantasy is about a high schooler whisked away by a god to be the hero of a world ruled by a goddess. The fickle goddess rejected the MC due to his “ugly” (actually average) looks and threw him away to the edge of the world inhabited by demi-humans. He gained strong allies - the invincible dragon and the Spider of Calamity - by overpowering them. The story progresses with him expanding his influence from the edge of the world to the lands of the humans ruled by the petty goddess.
I say that Tsukumichi is not the typical isekai because of the lack of harem and the MC is not interested in building one. Another is that the MC doesn’t flaunt his power despite being OP. Another positive point about this isekai is the world-building which drives the story forward. This is so unlike other isekai that only focused on the overpowered MC and ignored the society, economy, and the environment where the story is unfolding.
What truly caught my attention is the interaction of the MC with other characters and his actions for every challenge. He is protective with his people just like Rimuru of Slime Isekai but not quesy in murdering those who threaten their peace.
Another positive point is that the MC is OP but not too OP to the point that he cannot be killed. This gives the story the tension that it needs to make it thrilling.
The MC is also weak in other areas (i.e. lack of knowledge of the new world) that makes his supporters relevant since they can truly provide help to the isekai in areas where he is lacking.
The different factions also provide spice to the story because of their tensions with one another. The demon army vs humans. Then there is discrimination against demi-humans by humans. There is also the anti-goddess faction who reject the goddess but still hate demi-humans. And the biggest tension is between the MC and the goddess.
There are more tidbits in the manga that I enjoy and when collected as one makes Tsukimichi as an isekai worth of my time.
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