On Isekai
I've always wondered if there's more to life.
A friend of mine loves watching isekai, Japanese cartoons where the plot involves the main character (usually a deadbeat) getting transported to another world. Most of the time, the protagonist also has valuable knowledge from their previous life or obtained incredible powers upon their "reincarnation" that makes them great in their new environment. There were some examples from watching ABS or GMA afternoon dailies before: Inuyasha, Fushigi Yugi, Digimon, and Magic Knight Rayearth.
I never got around to liking isekai, but the idea does strike me as extremely cathartic. Life is, at times, boring, or worse, even dreadful. To be transported to another world where powers and magic exist, but beyond that - to reroll life, to be someone great, to be someone pretty powerful: I guess these ideas resonate pretty well with Japanese youth. I am not entirely surprised, given the pressures and stress of the Japanese education system and even the workplace.
I would never leave my wife and family behind, but yeah, I've always wondered...
"Let's go. In and out. Twenty-minute adventure."
