Isekai is currently one of the most popular genres in anime, and as with most popular trends, there are many tropes that tend to appear in other genres, and even overlap. As such, many isekai anime seem to look the same as they tread through the same old plot beats, settings, and character archetypes.

Thankfully, there's another kind of isekai anime that is less likely to fall victim to using the same old tired tropes. These are the isekai anime that aren't explicitly categorized by the fantasy JRPG inspired worlds that have become customary in the genre. Here's what helps make them stand out.

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What Qualifies as IsekaiSubaru happily laying down in Re:Zero

When translated to English, "isekai" literally means "different world", or "other world". With that in mind, any anime that features characters traveling to another world can count as an isekai. So long as a character frequently interacts with a world other than their own, the series qualifies as an Isekai.

With this in mind, the amount of works that can be qualified as isekai is much broader than meets the eye. There are characters that can be transported in a myriad of ways outside of being run over by a truck and reincarnated into a fantasy world. They can be transported via books, interdimensional ships, or just plain old magic. They can travel between worlds, dreams, or even planets. And, it's when one looks at the isekai titles beyond the typical "astonishingly average dude dies and is reborn in a fantasy world where he gets all the girls" -- and yes, the titles for these types of anime, and the light novels they're adapted from really do tend to be that long and specific -- that one can find much more fascinating takes on the genre.

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Differences in Target DemographicsSpirited Away sitting on a train

Because the Isekai genre already has a built-in audience, there are certain gimmicks that are always present in them such as harem antics or power fantasies. Because that's what the target audience for this genre wants, and that's what they're looking for when they watch these types of shows. That's also why so many isekai anime today tend to follow the same tune from its interchangeable cookie-cutter protagonists to its repetitive medieval European settings. It's safe, in a way; and if it's safe, then it's guaranteed to find some level of success at least among its target demographic.

Non-isekai anime that have elements of the genre don't follow those same plot beats because they weren't written specifically for fans of the isekai genre. Spirited Away is a family film about a young girl that's transported to another world after her parents eat food that turns them into pigs. It was written with the intent to make it accessible to a wide audience instead of one specific niche audience. This is why despite qualifying as an isekai, it was able to resonate with many people around the world even among those that typically don't watch anime. One could even go so far as to say that it's the most successful isekai anime to date. It's the only one that's ever won an Oscar, after all.

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rayearth clamp

There are also many shojo and shonen stories that feature isekai elements, but these titles are typically based on manga rather than light novels. Manga is usually serialized in magazines which makes it important to keep a steady readership, so mangaka have an added pressure of making sure their story can appeal to as many people as possible. As with Spirited Away, this means that the mangaka cannot cater to just one specific audience. This may be why isekai manga also tend to have more variety in its settings and storylines compared to isekai light novels.

The stories can also range from romantic comedies to non-stop action. However, those aimed at girls tend to focus more on romantic aspects while those aimed at boys focus more on the action and adventure aspects. Although there are a few rare breeds that manage to effectively blend both types together. Most light novels, on the other hand, tend to go for an older male demographic which is why so many of them tend to follow the typical harem formula. But oftentimes, these titles can feel very alienating for the people outside that demographic, which is also why the isekai genre is quickly becoming one of the most contentious genres in anime today.

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The Isekai Anime of the PastJapanese promotional images for Superbook

The reincarnation tropes weren't put into frequent use until the isekai craze started in the late 2010s, so older isekai anime typically used the transported to another world gimmick instead. They didn't have to cater to specific trends because they didn't exist back then. For example, Superbook is a Christian anime aimed at children that was originally released in the 1980s whose means of travel is a talking Bible that transports them into the stories of the Old Testament. They're never reincarnated, and they're never trapped as they're free to come and go as they please.

There are many others with equally unique premises. Sgt. Frog is a shonen reverse isekai originally released in 1999 -- with an anime adaptation in 2004 -- that stars a frog-like alien that must acclimate to Earth's customs. Digimon Adventure is another children's anime that has the main cast freely traveling between their own world and the digital world whilst befriending digital monsters along the way. Released in 2008 just a few years before the isekai craze arrived, Now and Then, Here and There follows a normal teenage Japanese boy that gets transported to a war-torn dessert world where his ideals and values are constantly challenged.

Comparing the isekai of old and the isekai series of today, it's a shame to see how much more cut and paste the titles have now become compared to those in the past. That isn't to say that there aren't any more fresh and interesting isekai titles based on light novels being released today, but they few and far between.