‘The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic’ Might Be Just Another Isekai Among Many, But There's One Thing It Does Right

Summary:

• In many isekai anime, multiple characters are summoned to another world, and The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t an exception.
• The anime makes an attempt at realistic characterization for the deuteragonists.
• It probably won’t change your opinion on the genre, but if you like isekai, you might want to watch it.

Isekai anime are nowadays criticized by many for being incredibly generic. There’s definitely truth to this notion. There are, of course, exceptions that get remembered, like Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu) and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu).

The majority of isekai series, however, get forgotten quickly after they end. The currently-airing The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic (Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata) might seem like another by-the-numbers isekai, but there’s one thing that it does better than many others.

A common trope in isekai anime

The trends in the isekai genre come and go, but the basic concepts of escapism and power fantasy remain (usually). Of course, there are series that partially subvert these themes, like the aforementioned Re:Zero, but there are not many of them.

One of the recent trends seems to be more than one person being transported to another world. Sometimes it’s two people, like in Isekai Cheat Magician, and sometimes it’s the whole class, like in Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou).

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is no exception. The protagonist, Ken, is summoned alongside his two friends from school. The actual isekai setup is pretty generic, but the series makes a very interesting attempt at characterization.

Decent characterization for side characters

Initially, being an ordinary student, Ken hates popular people. Despite that, he manages to befriend Kazuki and Suzune, members of the student council. They get isekai’d with him, and somehow the show’s execution of this trope actually works.

Usually, the real-world characters other than the main lead are not given much depth — or any at all. In this sense, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is different. Kazuki, who’s incredibly popular with girls, is actually very uncomfortable about not having many male friends. Suzune seems like your usual “unreachable beauty” at first, but she’s actually an otaku.

Even a basic characterization like that can be seen in the very first episodes. That’s more than many side characters in isekai series usually get, and while overall The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t necessarily special, we should give it credit where it’s due.

Worth watching if you enjoy the genre

Is the anime worth watching for this alone? If you dislike isekai, definitely not. It does this one thing differently, and it does it pretty well, but ultimately, it doesn’t really change much about the genre’s formula.

However, if you already like the genre and are on the fence about watching The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, then you should probably give it a try.