Forum - View topicREVIEW: The Savior's Book Café Story in Another World GN 1
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andramus
 Posts: 192 |
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This bothers me a little. I understand the appeal of isekai as a self-insert fantasy but after consuming a shipload of isekai over the last few years I've developed a craving for more complex protagonists. I'm at a stage in my consumption of the genre where I prefer it if the protagonists are at least a little conflicted about the life they left behind and whether or not there is a possibility to return to it. Even if it's not an option make it something the character has to work through. Whether it's regrets about missed opportunities or people and things they miss from their old life. I suppose I've never been able to see myself as an isekai protagonist. I'm the sort of person who thinks I'd be the first to die in a zombie apocalypse and therefore cannot imagine myself as being all gung-ho and lackadaisical about being transported to a fantasy world. I've started to wonder what my ideal self-insert isekai fantasy would actually be if it were to become a reality. Harems at least as they are depicted in most isekai I've seen do not appeal to me. The girls are too fawning and way too dependent on the protagonists for my tastes. At least as a fantasy I can see the appeal of multiple sexual partners with the opportunity for something like a threesome at least once. Don't know if I'd be up for it in reality though. Which for myself when it comes down to it is true of most fantasies. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2657 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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I think that's a very fair statement, and it definitely bothered me about this book too - I can understand the use of the orphan fantasy (there can't be any parental figures around so that the protagonist can have an adventure) in children's literature, including young adult fiction, but there's not much point to it when your main character is an adult. In fact, it almost makes the story less realistic to have an isekai protagonist with no ties to their original world. Planet of the Orcs is one of the few in the genre that I can think of where the protagonist does have consequences in his original world, but in part that's because he's on a constant cycle of being sent to other worlds before being returned to his own and he actively has to pick up the pieces of his "real" life. There's also a degree of it in The White Cat's Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King's Lap because there are efforts underway to bring her family over to her new world as well; that's pretty ancillary to the main plot, though, at least as far as I've read of the LNs. (I'm a couple behind at this point.) People, myself included, tend to say that comedy is the most subjective genre, but I really think that fantasy is probably right up there beside it. I've never actually wanted a harem, reverse or otherwise, or a grand monster-slaying adventure, and Tsukina's fantasy of her own quiet house filled with books is much closer to what mine would be. |
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earl.m
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Some helpful cultural context: the relationship between the popularity of isekai and the widespread belief in reincarnation in the source market. Not saying that 75% or even 7.5% of Japanese citizens adhere to belief systems that include reincarnation, but rather that the cultural knowledge and influence of the general concept is huge. Another widely cultural belief that is relevant and compatible: people who die without being at peace with their life or demise will have difficulty "passing on", reincarnating etc. So the idea of being reincarnated is very culturally familiar with only being reincarnated "in another world" as a new wrinkle, ironically likely imported to Japan via their exposure to western fiction which makes it a combination of familiar and exotic. Also explains why the other worlds are far more likely to be based on European medieval fantasy settings than settings from Japanese history or traditional fiction, or something completely different. So for truck-kun victims to be overly concerned with their past lives would be incongruous also, as such angst would prevent them from being reincarnated to the new world in the first place. Instead isekai where the protagonists are concerned with their families etc. left behind are those like Familiar of Zero, Re:Zero, Shield Hero, Dog Days etc. where the protagonist was transported while still alive (and often tries to go back). As for the harem thing: you know the "can't see the forest for the trees" cliche? Harems are the reverse ... people contriving complexity for things simply explained. Instead preteen and teen boys just like to look at pretty girls and harems maximize their opportunity to. Joshikousei and idol shows can be packed with girls and fanservice, but the lack of a male self-insert limits the appeal to seinen and shojo demos. Where a school/slice of life work can have lots of girls, it is difficult to contrive the desired interactions with said girls - and particularly a specific set of girls that the audience likes most - with the main young male characters. School Rumble and Baka to Test are among the few to pull this off. A romance or love triangle offers those, but with too few girls, plus the target demo is more interested in "romantic hi-jinks with fanservice" than an actual romance plot (again appeals to seinen and shojo). A work where the protagonist is a Casanova who seeks relationships with multiple females is too mature for the target demo. Such characters are only comic relief wannabe (if they fail) or villain (if they succeed) side characters in harem works and never the protagonist. So harems thread the needle: lots of girls to look at, male protagonist, no serious romance, sensuality or sexuality. Were another genre or theme to offer the same it would be just as popular. As it is, no one has come up with another format where the same 4-6 girls constantly exhibit their bodies to same guy in a fashion that is titillating and inoffensive (that is, inoffensive to the target audience, not to those who regard fanservice as anti-feminist). Which is hard to pull off. While a single exhibitionist is "fine" half a dozen of them is hard to explain beyond - I guess - sticking a guy in an exotic locale where the ladies don't wear much. (Nagasarete Airantou anyone?) Even there why this half dozen would single out a specific guy for their exhibitionism is harder still. Meanwhile, a guy who continually leers at girls that REALLY do not want him to isn't going to be a protagonist. But make the girls romantically interested in the guy and they will either show him - and the audience - their bodies willingly or it won't be considered that big of a deal when he - and again the audience - sees their bodies otherwise (because they like him anyway). It has gotten to ridiculous lengths where it seems we have a "straight high school guy who excels at women's fashion" in other to find some justification for him - and again the audience - being constantly exposed to mostly undressed girls. Even there, you need multiple girls to be wowed at his talent and compete for his services AND have romantic feelings for him in order to make his constantly seeing them in their underwear and taking their measurements "OK" (Smile Down the Runway and My Dress Up Darling). Similar to this 90s anime where it started out with a legit gimmick - a teen guy was a "behind the scenes photographer" for a group of teen idols but that had to turn into a battle for his affections to keep the plot and fanservice going past the first couple of episodes. Come up with another way to do this and you will get rich in the manga, anime, light novel etc. industry overnight. Until then harems will continue to play a prominent role in isekai and every other shonen genre because it is the best way to let the target demo look at a lot of recurring female characters. |
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whiskeyii
 Posts: 2272 |
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Thanks for explaining that, earl.m! I was definitely missing the link between "reincarnation as a plot device" versus "reincarnation" as a cultural element, though that definitely reminds me of a lot of Japanese ghost stories about vengeful spirits and whatnot that ring familiar to the angst you're referring to. I guess in that sense, the reincarnation aspect serves a purpose similar to the orphan fantasy Rebecca mentioned above, where it's more like a plot device to free the main character from whatever responsibilities and familial ties they might've had in their previous life so they can form new ones in their current one. Though, on a personal level, I can't imagine just putting a cap on my previous life and starting fresh. If you have all the memories of your previous life, wouldn't you be comparing your old parents to your new ones and everything? I get that light novels are meant to be light, breezy reads, but to me it seems like the idea of keeping your memories post-reincarnation kind of defeats *how* reincarnation holds existential angst at bay by just wiping the slate clean every time. :/ |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5151 |
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I am curious about the Encyclopedia page: It doesn't have a link to Rebecca Silverman's review.
EDIT: Just reread and saw a reference to light novels. I take it that there is no way on the goddesses' green earth that the LNs will get licensed..... |
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Seagloom
Posts: 298 |
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It could be picked up someday. Wouldn't be the first time Seven Seas tested the waters with a manga adaptation before licensing its LN counterpart. This series is also a good fit for J-Novel Heart. With the number of LNs being licensed lately, I wouldn't count anything out unless it's published by AlphaPolis. |
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