I’ve tried a few eps of Iseleve and while I like the basic premise of two worlds, a down-to-earth nice guy inheriting a legacy, rpg/fantasy elements, etc and harem/ecchi stuff doesn’t bother me at all…
The part I can’t get into is the overwhelming OP-ness of it. No, I think I’m doing a bad job describing what it is that is bothering me… I have watched and liked plenty of things with OP characters like One Punch Man, Mob Psycho, (old) Bleach and read a fair number of light novels with OP chars like Mushoku Tensei, Everyone Else Is a Returnee (Korean), Stop! - Friendly Fire (Korean), as well as plenty of wuxia/xianxia stuff…
I think what I don’t like is that is feels like the MC is literally handed everything and there is no challenge whatsoever; for me it feels a bit like a story-on-rails feeling and I don’t feel really connected to any of the characters, as if they are just cookie-cutter templates with no depth or personality.
I think there have been a few anime over the last couple of years with a similar feel (there was one about a Demon King reincarnated at a school or something I can’t remember the name… maybe it was this one?) and a few other isekai’s.
So for you guys that like this kind of thing - I’m sorry if I’m coming off as a bit negative towards it, I honestly am not trying to shit in your cup of tea - but any insight into the appeal would be appreciated.
I think this stuff just falls into the anime industry thinking they need to have more and more shows every season. It seems like they either take some half baked idea and crank out a show, or they remove all the nuance from something interesting to make it easily digestible. I have noticed a trend of that recently, and I’m really not sure which it is. I watch a LOT of anime (30+ currently airing shows a season) and I may just be more sensitive to it, but the amount of shows that have an interesting premise, and then just turn into “Wise Man’s Grandchild” are a lot more than you’d expect. Another one from this season is Sweet Reincarnation, where a pastry chef died and is reincarnated into a wealthy family with a dream to make everyone happy with desserts, but as a 9 year old kid, he’s a master negotiator, able to lead in battle, and amazes everyone he meets with his skills and magic. It kinda defeats the purpose of the setup IMO.
I enjoyed the show ok while it aired, but like you I will probably not really remember it after this upcoming season. I am an admitted sucker for isekai trash, so I’ll continue watching them, but the trend is concerning for sure.