Many isekai series focus a lot on food, and fans wonder why.
Sometimes, it's done to show just how different our world is from the fantasy world.
However, it is first and foremost a cultural thing.
There are various things the isekai genre gets criticized for. Most commonly brought up argument, though, is that a lot of isekai series feel very similar to each other, sharing a bland protagonist with an overpowered ability, a system that borrows elements from game mechanics (or the world outright being a game), and utilizing many common character archetypes, especially if the series is a harem.
However, some fans have also started noticing a curious trend. A lot of isekai anime tend to put an excessive focus on food, specifically Japanese food. This might strike viewers as an odd thing to add to what otherwise is essentially a power fantasy. So, what's up with food in isekai anime exactly?
Sometimes it shows the difference between the worlds
Some fans speculate that this is often done to showcase the difference between our world and the fantasy world. The latter is so different that they don't even know what mayonnaise is, and the person from our world is going to enlighten them!
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu) is perhaps the most famous example of that, but it's far from the only one.
It's a cultural thing
The most important part, however, is that food is very important in Japanese culture, more so than in many modern Western countries. As such, anime focusing on food has practically become a genre now, and, of course, some of them are bound to be isekai.
Many other series focus a lot on food despite not technically being about it. Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody (Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku) is one such anime.
Most viewers never actually cared about the actual plot that much, but the anime had surprisingly interesting and very detailed segments about food. The source readers say that it is explored even more in-depth in the web novel.
It actually makes these anime better
Overall, isekai series being obsessed with food is mostly a cultural thing. That said, it's not a bad trope: with most anime of this genre already being lighthearted, perhaps the slice of life cooking moments actually make the vibe better.
Seriously, what's so special about it?
Summary:
Many isekai series focus a lot on food, and fans wonder why.
Sometimes, it's done to show just how different our world is from the fantasy world.
However, it is first and foremost a cultural thing.
There are various things the isekai genre gets criticized for. Most commonly brought up argument, though, is that a lot of isekai series feel very similar to each other, sharing a bland protagonist with an overpowered ability, a system that borrows elements from game mechanics (or the world outright being a game), and utilizing many common character archetypes, especially if the series is a harem.
However, some fans have also started noticing a curious trend. A lot of isekai anime tend to put an excessive focus on food, specifically Japanese food. This might strike viewers as an odd thing to add to what otherwise is essentially a power fantasy. So, what's up with food in isekai anime exactly?
Sometimes it shows the difference between the worlds
Some fans speculate that this is often done to showcase the difference between our world and the fantasy world. The latter is so different that they don't even know what mayonnaise is, and the person from our world is going to enlighten them!
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu) is perhaps the most famous example of that, but it's far from the only one.
It's a cultural thing
The most important part, however, is that food is very important in Japanese culture, more so than in many modern Western countries. As such, anime focusing on food has practically become a genre now, and, of course, some of them are bound to be isekai.
Many other series focus a lot on food despite not technically being about it. Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody (Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku) is one such anime.
Most viewers never actually cared about the actual plot that much, but the anime had surprisingly interesting and very detailed segments about food. The source readers say that it is explored even more in-depth in the web novel.
It actually makes these anime better
Overall, isekai series being obsessed with food is mostly a cultural thing. That said, it's not a bad trope: with most anime of this genre already being lighthearted, perhaps the slice of life cooking moments actually make the vibe better.
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