It’s not just isekai trucks and magic circles.
Are you tired of the main character being killed by a truck? Summoned through a magical portal to save the world? Waking up in a game they played?
Seriously, it feels like isekai anime recycle the same few premises. Even death from overwork is something we’ve seen more than once. Thankfully, there are still series where the way someone is transported to another world is fairly unique.
Crushed by Books
One of the defining traits of Myne from Ascendance of a Bookworm (Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen) is her love for books. That is something she had in her past life too, before she was transported into Myne’s body.
In fact, in our world, she loved books so much that she became a librarian… and then was crushed by bookshelves falling because of an earthquake.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Sucked into a Toilet
Before the current era of light novel adaptations became a thing, isekai was still a genre — although it wasn’t really called that or defined. Among examples from the 00s is Kyou Kara Maou, where the main character is sucked into a portal to a fantasy world.
Sounds generic? Well, consider this: the protagonist was trying to protect someone who was bullied, and when the bullies tried to shove him into a toilet instead, he was sucked into it. This might be just the most unexpected place with a portal to another world.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Winning a Game Against God
The protagonists of No Game No Life, Sora and Shiro, are known as Blank, who are unbeatable in the world of gaming.
One day, they are summoned to a world where everything is decided by games after being challenged to a game of chess by Tet, the god of said world. They win the game, and the new world seems like a much better fit for them.
Where to watch: HIDIVE
Dying in Front of a Tractor… from a Heart Attack
Okay, you know the drill. The protagonist, who is a shut-in NEET, goes outside, sees a girl in front of a truck, and saves her by pushing her out of the way — then, he gets transported to another world.
Except for Kazuma Satou, the protagonist of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!), the reality was different.
The truck wasn’t a truck at all, but a slow-moving tractor, and Kazuma died for nothing. He wasn’t even hit by it, as it was so slow: he died from a stress-induced heart attack. Talk about disappointing deaths.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Food Poisoning
If Kazuma’s death in KonoSuba wasn’t pathetic enough, you also get the protagonist of Butareba -The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig- (Buta no Liver wa Kanetsu Shiro).
The man got sick and died after eating raw pig liver. And he apparently was a scientist, too — what exactly did he expect? Regardless, he was, you guessed it, reincarnated as a pig himself. Surprisingly enough, the anime is decent, joke-like premise aside.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll