Buzz
Despite the novelty of venturing into a new world, certain actions of the main characters in isekai anime are irrational and quite perplexing for the audience
With the evolution of modern anime, audiences are increasingly exposed to various genres. From the profound humanistic films of Ghibli Studio to content-focused series by MAPPA, in the fierce competition for quality, viewers have become more discerning in evaluating and scrutinizing content and character psychology. Unfortunately, when placed on the scale, the isekai genre seems to have numerous issues.
7. They passively embrace their fate
Main characters like Naofumi Iwatani in The Rising of the Shield Hero, when transported to another world, readily accept participating in battles and fulfilling missions. They simply follow the assigned tasks and help others instead of trying to find a way back to their world.
This is truly illogical, as normal people would do everything possible to return home as quickly as possible or at least choose options to ensure their own safety. However, in any case, this is quite understandable. Main characters in isekai need to have a story and a journey, so accepting their fate is simply a way for the plot to unfold, even when sometimes they have to engage in unnecessary adventures.
1. Retaining Memories from Past Lives
Main characters in isekai often meet their demise in their original world before being reincarnated, sometimes in a completely different form and in a completely different world. Classic examples include Satoru Mikami in That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and Kazuo “Kirito” Kirigaya in Sword Art Online. Despite this peculiar circumstance, it's illogical that the majority of these characters retain memories of their past lives, not just their names and hometowns, but almost every event that transpired.
Due to their comprehensive recollection of events, their personalities in the reincarnated life hardly undergo any changes compared to their previous selves. This diminishes the story's allure significantly, especially when characters persist in repeating mistakes from their previous lives.
2. Indifference to Returning Home
If an ordinary person finds themselves in another world, they would undoubtedly be filled with fear and an eagerness to return home as quickly as possible, as there are still numerous things and people awaiting them in their original world. Isekai characters, on the other hand, seem to wake up in a new world, embracing their fate without any worries or thoughts about their old world.
Throughout their exploratory journey, encountering various situations, they rarely consider or desire to return home. In other words, most isekai characters act as if they were born solely to be reincarnated into another world; their lives before reincarnation, whether vile or virtuous, are not a concern, even though they remember and draw from their experiences in that realm.
