Grown-up characters allow something new to the isekai premise.
It's more fun and adds more variety to the drama and other developments.
Some of the most popular isekai shows piqued our interest because of the unique perspective that older characters brought to the premise.
As we grow older, we tend to gravitate towards shows with adult characters as their protagonists. It's pretty logical: there's more variety in them, as they have already lived a long life and are presented as fully-fledged characters. They are established, they have experience, they have something to lose. And it's one of the reasons why isekai focused on adult protagonists, particularly middle-aged men, is so fun.
We need a special tag for that on MAL
Really, it should be a sub-genre on its own, because there's this inherent hilarity in seeing a person who had a career, maybe a family, and some routine in his life yanked into another world — and seeing how he adapts to his new circumstances. The problems they encounter are different from the ones the school kids deal with, and it offers a new perspective to the whole isekai premise.
Sure, most of the time isekai is a power fantasy, one that allows a person who led a very unsatisfying life to replay it somewhere where they can simply let go of whatever has been troubling them. Adult characters have more regrets than the younger ones, just because they lived longer and had more opportunities to do things they wish to forget.
A bunch of shows fitting this description
If we have a sub-genre of isekai where the girl is reincarnated as a villainess, then we should have something we can call an old man isekai, because the amount of shows fitting this description keeps growing. One of the first successful stories like that was Ya Boy Kongming!, though the main character's age was not the main source of hilarity. It's a reverse isekai, one in which Chinese strategist Zhuge Kongming is reincarnated in our world and he ends up mentoring a young idol, navigating the modern entertainment industry using his military knowledge. This premise seems insane on so many levels — and it works. Kongming being an old man just adds a little spice on top.
Mushoku Tensei is another hit in which a 34-year-old protagonist is reincarnated in another world as a kid, retaining all his knowledge and memories while also getting magical powers. Rudy's experience in his past life is something that drives his character, making him introspective and interesting. The fact that he lived a life doesn't stop him from failing sometimes and making mistakes — but that also gives him a lot of depth.
One of the shows that perfectly captures the vibe is Uncle from Another World (Isekai Ojisan). In this one, Yousuke Shibazaki (the Ojisan in question) was hit by a truck and spent 17 years in a coma, but after he wakes up he explains that he was in the magical world all this time. This one has a gritty undertone, and the humor may seem a bit harsh, but so is the reality to which Ojisan now has to adapt.
And now we've got another PV of Sasaki and Peeps (Sasaki to Pii-chan), an isekai that is centered around Sasaki, an office worker who's unsatisfied with his life, and Peeps — a cute bird he got in the pet shop to curb his loneliness but who ended up being a powerful deity that helps him travel between the worlds. The PV seems fun, but trust us: there's more to it than just a cute picture. And one of the reasons for this development is Sasaki's occupation and age.
These types of characters create a whole new layer of drama and comedy in isekai, helping to break the mold of the premise that people are getting tired of.
A whole new perspective.
Summary:
Grown-up characters allow something new to the isekai premise.
It's more fun and adds more variety to the drama and other developments.
Some of the most popular isekai shows piqued our interest because of the unique perspective that older characters brought to the premise.
As we grow older, we tend to gravitate towards shows with adult characters as their protagonists. It's pretty logical: there's more variety in them, as they have already lived a long life and are presented as fully-fledged characters. They are established, they have experience, they have something to lose. And it's one of the reasons why isekai focused on adult protagonists, particularly middle-aged men, is so fun.
We need a special tag for that on MAL
Really, it should be a sub-genre on its own, because there's this inherent hilarity in seeing a person who had a career, maybe a family, and some routine in his life yanked into another world — and seeing how he adapts to his new circumstances. The problems they encounter are different from the ones the school kids deal with, and it offers a new perspective to the whole isekai premise.
Sure, most of the time isekai is a power fantasy, one that allows a person who led a very unsatisfying life to replay it somewhere where they can simply let go of whatever has been troubling them. Adult characters have more regrets than the younger ones, just because they lived longer and had more opportunities to do things they wish to forget.
A bunch of shows fitting this description
If we have a sub-genre of isekai where the girl is reincarnated as a villainess, then we should have something we can call an old man isekai, because the amount of shows fitting this description keeps growing. One of the first successful stories like that was Ya Boy Kongming!, though the main character's age was not the main source of hilarity. It's a reverse isekai, one in which Chinese strategist Zhuge Kongming is reincarnated in our world and he ends up mentoring a young idol, navigating the modern entertainment industry using his military knowledge. This premise seems insane on so many levels — and it works. Kongming being an old man just adds a little spice on top.
Mushoku Tensei is another hit in which a 34-year-old protagonist is reincarnated in another world as a kid, retaining all his knowledge and memories while also getting magical powers. Rudy's experience in his past life is something that drives his character, making him introspective and interesting. The fact that he lived a life doesn't stop him from failing sometimes and making mistakes — but that also gives him a lot of depth.
One of the shows that perfectly captures the vibe is Uncle from Another World (Isekai Ojisan). In this one, Yousuke Shibazaki (the Ojisan in question) was hit by a truck and spent 17 years in a coma, but after he wakes up he explains that he was in the magical world all this time. This one has a gritty undertone, and the humor may seem a bit harsh, but so is the reality to which Ojisan now has to adapt.
And now we've got another PV of Sasaki and Peeps (Sasaki to Pii-chan), an isekai that is centered around Sasaki, an office worker who's unsatisfied with his life, and Peeps — a cute bird he got in the pet shop to curb his loneliness but who ended up being a powerful deity that helps him travel between the worlds. The PV seems fun, but trust us: there's more to it than just a cute picture. And one of the reasons for this development is Sasaki's occupation and age.
These types of characters create a whole new layer of drama and comedy in isekai, helping to break the mold of the premise that people are getting tired of.
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