For when you want to watch an isekai radically different from those that are popular nowadays.
When we think of isekai anime, we usually think of modern ones, like Re:Zero, Mushoku Tensei or No Game No Life. People tend to forget, however: the genre is old. Like, really old. There have been many isekai anime before the last decade — and many of them are actually worth watching.
Despite belonging to the isekai genre, you won’t find many epic action scenes or a colorful fantasy world in Now and Then, Here and There (Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku). Instead, it’s a gruesome, depressing and often bleak tale of a dystopian world struggling against a mad tyrant. With the anime being mainly focused on the horrors of war, it’s tragic on every imaginable level — and yet it somehow captures the viewers’ attention.
The Twelve Kingdoms
The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki) is an epic tale of Youko, a high school student, trying to survive in a different world she’s suddenly transported into. The anime, which goes for 45 whole episodes, lacks many of the common isekai tropes and instead often feels like an epic fantasy book (to be fair, it is based on one). As such, it is often recommended as an isekai different from the usual works in the genre — and it’s absolutely worth watching all the way through.
Mysterious Play
While it’s not the first isekai anime, Mysterious Play (Fushigi Yuugi) is often credited with setting the foundations for what the genre became. The sentiment is not wrong — although we rarely see historical fantasy combined with isekai nowadays. Despite that, the anime is very enjoyable. Many would find the 90s shoujo art style dated, but it adds a certain charm to the series.
Brave Story
Brave Story is a very fun, although forgotten, adventure movie from the mid-00s. Following Wataru, an 11-year-old boy set on changing fate, it feels less like the isekai of modern days and more like something similar to Spirited Away. That doesn’t detract from it, however. It's also an absurd visual spectacle, with many action scenes holding up in quality to this day. With it being under 2 hours long, there’s no reason not to watch it.
Those Who Hunt Elves
Four students with incredibly unique personalities are stuck in another world until they find all the fragments of a spell that’s supposed to transport them back. Unfortunately, the fragments are imprinted into skins of random elves of the fantasy world — which the gang must find and undress, often against their will. Those Who Hunt Elves (Elf wo Karu Mono-tachi) is often regarded as KonoSuba of its time, and for a good reason — the style of comedy is extremely similar. Oh, and there’s also a talking tank possessed by a spirit of a cat. You know, just because.
For when you want to watch an isekai radically different from those that are popular nowadays.
When we think of isekai anime, we usually think of modern ones, like Re:Zero, Mushoku Tensei or No Game No Life. People tend to forget, however: the genre is old. Like, really old. There have been many isekai anime before the last decade — and many of them are actually worth watching.
Despite belonging to the isekai genre, you won’t find many epic action scenes or a colorful fantasy world in Now and Then, Here and There (Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku). Instead, it’s a gruesome, depressing and often bleak tale of a dystopian world struggling against a mad tyrant. With the anime being mainly focused on the horrors of war, it’s tragic on every imaginable level — and yet it somehow captures the viewers’ attention.
The Twelve Kingdoms
The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki) is an epic tale of Youko, a high school student, trying to survive in a different world she’s suddenly transported into. The anime, which goes for 45 whole episodes, lacks many of the common isekai tropes and instead often feels like an epic fantasy book (to be fair, it is based on one). As such, it is often recommended as an isekai different from the usual works in the genre — and it’s absolutely worth watching all the way through.
Mysterious Play
While it’s not the first isekai anime, Mysterious Play (Fushigi Yuugi) is often credited with setting the foundations for what the genre became. The sentiment is not wrong — although we rarely see historical fantasy combined with isekai nowadays. Despite that, the anime is very enjoyable. Many would find the 90s shoujo art style dated, but it adds a certain charm to the series.
Brave Story
Brave Story is a very fun, although forgotten, adventure movie from the mid-00s. Following Wataru, an 11-year-old boy set on changing fate, it feels less like the isekai of modern days and more like something similar to Spirited Away. That doesn’t detract from it, however. It's also an absurd visual spectacle, with many action scenes holding up in quality to this day. With it being under 2 hours long, there’s no reason not to watch it.
Those Who Hunt Elves
Four students with incredibly unique personalities are stuck in another world until they find all the fragments of a spell that’s supposed to transport them back. Unfortunately, the fragments are imprinted into skins of random elves of the fantasy world — which the gang must find and undress, often against their will. Those Who Hunt Elves (Elf wo Karu Mono-tachi) is often regarded as KonoSuba of its time, and for a good reason — the style of comedy is extremely similar. Oh, and there’s also a talking tank possessed by a spirit of a cat. You know, just because.
