# Is Isekai only Japanese? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [September 9, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852 "2023-09-09T21:39:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/41 "2024-04-02T05:42:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To me, the classic example would be the Narnia books Totally overshadowed by the 1983 cartoon _Dungeons & Dragons™_, in which several children ride a _Dungeons & Dragons™_ themed roller coaster only to find themselves transported into the magical realm of _Dungeons & Dragons™_. At no point should it be assumed that this was a typical 1980s scheme to sell merchandise. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/42 "2024-04-02T05:48:33Z")
I have a hard time seeing how there’s any genre of entertainment that can exclusively belong to a single country. I can see how there might be a genre that’s the exclusive work of a single artist. But if there’s a genre being made by multiple artists, why should those artists be limited to a single nationality? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/43 "2024-04-02T06:57:57Z")
The first _Witch World_ book was an isekai involving Simon Tregarth, who got on the wrong side of some mob boss, being given an escape by going through a portal. The second book in the series also involved Tregarth. After that, the series was all about people born in that world, so they don’t qualify as isekai. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/44 "2024-04-02T09:16:52Z")
This reminds me: There’s currently a lot of controversy as to whether a group formed by a Korean entertainment company, but which contains no Korean members, can be called K-pop. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/45 "2024-04-02T12:13:18Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > It’s not about cultural respect: it’s about truth in advertising. I agree that anime in Japanese means “Animation” and manga in Japanese means, “Comics”. But in English, those terms imply, “Made in Japan, originally in Japanese”. The Last Airbender is a fantastic animated series with Japanese influences, but it’s not anime. It’s Hollywood. Meaning, the Western influences outweigh the Japanese ones. I disagree. If a Japanese band produces music that sounded like rock, I’ll call them a rock band. If an American animation studio produces a series that looks like anime, I’d call it anime. Same with K-pop. If K-pop can be defined as a specific style of music, with its own unique look and sound, then there’s no reason why it can’t be made by anyone anywhere in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/46 "2024-04-02T14:31:40Z")
Even if a word can be used to refer exclusively to works from a specific country, I think it’s absurd to insist on that when the word, in that country itself, isn’t so restricted. ---
**Author:** ![OldManLogan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oldmanlogan/32/5237_2.png) [@OldManLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldManLogan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/47 "2024-04-02T14:43:10Z")
Anime is not a genre. In America, it refers to animation made in Japan which is helpful if you like those, just like you might like Hollywood movies or blockbusters. A Hollywood blockbuster is not a genre but it will share many style similarities. But even that gets tricky. What if a Japanese company makes some of it but outsources other aspects to Korean or American companies? At what percentage does is switch from an “anime” to something else. What if an American company produces something and outsources a lot of the work to a Japanese studio? Is that an American cartoon or an anime? I have no idea and don’t care enough to define it. Isekai is a sub-sub-genre. It took off in popularity in Japanese light novels in the early 2010s and quickly started being ported to anime. They developed their own stamp on the bigger portal fantasy sub-genre (death mechanism like truck-kun, OP protagonist for reader power fantasies, some interaction with the reincarnation deity that brought them to this world, probably a harem or multiple love interests, video game mechanics usually with a quest menu only the protag can see). It’s so popular that things that would not be isekai but borrow a lot of those tropes are seen as isekai (e.g. Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town). Is isekai only Japanese? No. Anyone can write a story using the framing device and tropes. But it’s so heavily influenced by Japanese cultural tropes that its hard to label Western media or other as isekai as they won’t borrow enough of those tropes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/48 "2024-04-02T14:54:07Z")
Would a Japanese person refer to the Narnia books as isekai? ---
**Author:** ![OldManLogan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oldmanlogan/32/5237_2.png) [@OldManLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldManLogan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/49 "2024-04-02T15:20:49Z")
I assume so since it’s still “Another World”, but it wouldn’t be the first thing that pops in their head as an example of an isekai. Same with Alice in Wonderland. Just like if I asked you for a Superhero story, you wouldn’t immediately picture Astro Boy or Kamen Rider which don’t follow the American comics tropes. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/50 "2024-04-02T15:22:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Would a Japanese person refer to the Narnia books as isekai? There is manga of the Narnia books. > **[Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew - MangaDex](https://mangadex.org/title/cec141cc-83b4-407a-9f64-794641ee8869/chronicles-of-narnia-the-magician-s-nephew)** > > On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in... Plugging the title into Amazon Japan, the description on an edition of the book > **[Amazon.co.jp: 魔術師のおい ナルニア国物語 1 (古典新訳文庫) : C・S・ルイス, 土屋 京子: 本](https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E9%AD%94%E8%A1%93%E5%B8%AB%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8A%E3%81%84-%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E5%9B%BD%E7%89%A9%E8%AA%9E-1-%E5%8F%A4%E5%85%B8%E6%96%B0%E8%A8%B3%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB-C%E3%83%BBS%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AB%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B9/dp/433475340X)** > > Amazon.co.jp: 魔術師のおい ナルニア国物語 1 (古典新訳文庫) : C・S・ルイス, 土屋 京子: 本 Contains the characters for isekai (異世界). Google translated, that description is: > Digory and Polly, who wander into another world with a magic ring, accidentally revive the evil queen sleeping in the abandoned city and bring her back to London. In an attempt to return the queen who causes a commotion in the city to her original world, she touches the magic ring again, but she finds herself in another world. There, a lion was about to create a new country… Volume 1 (7 volumes in total) depicting the creation of Narnia and its first adventures. Published in the ``chronological order of the story’', which the author recommended during his lifetime. So, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/51 "2024-04-02T15:24:07Z")
> [@OldManLogan](#): > > I assume so since it’s still “Another World”, but it wouldn’t be the first thing that pops in their head as an example of an isekai. Well, sure, it wouldn’t be the first thing that pops in their head for lots of things. It’s no surprise that Japanese media is more popular in Japan and English-language media is more popular in English-speaking countries. I wouldn’t picture Astro Boy as my first thought as a superhero, not because he follows different tropes, but simply because, like most Americans, I haven’t read/watched Astro Boy. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/52 "2024-04-02T17:30:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Even if a word can be used to refer exclusively to works from a specific country, I think it’s absurd to insist on that when the word, in that country itself, isn’t so restricted. In linguistics there’s the concept of “False friends”, words that sound the same in 2 languages but mean different things. Similarly, there are words that mean different things in Britain than they do in America. If you say, “Joe is pissed”, in the US it means he is angry. In Britain it means Joe is drunk. Manga simply has a different meaning in Japan than it does in the US. So does anime. I defiine these mediums as works produced by Japanese publishers originally in the Japanese language, at least in part for the Japanese market. It’s a bright line conceptually. But here’s the thing: I’m not aware of any plausible edge cases, empirically speaking. They may exist. They don’t exist in quantity. So I stand by my definitions. Maybe my definitions will break down one day. That’s ok: language evolves. So for those who say, “I can’t see why not…” I say, “Show me an example. Or two. Or more.” I agree with the hypothetical _in a general sense_, but I think my definitions fit current usage and what’s currently available. (Point of information: Japanese anime studios routinely subcontract part of their work to South Korean animation studios. So I center my definition on the publishers and production committees.) Manga-influenced works have existed since at least the 1980s and probably earlier. But that’s a different thing. [Zot!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zot) isn’t manga (and never pretended to be). Hypothetical edge case! Japanese resident born in another country self-publishes a manga, which is in the Japanese language and created for a Japanese market (specifically a [comic-con](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doujin) in Japan). Is that really a manga? A: Yes it is: your original nationality doesn’t matter. My definition is centered on the publishing environment and market. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/53 "2024-04-02T18:41:28Z")
My definition of an isekai (having seen more than I really wanted) is as follows: A work that involves generally one (though sometimes more) protagonist finding themself suddenly in a different world for some reason (death, summoning, unexplained transfer) that runs on a role-playing game type power system and is often a power fantasy. Now, that doesn’t catch everything. Sword Art Online (but really only the first part of the first season and basically all of Alicization) has people stuck in a virtual world, not a different physical universe. Konosuba is a comedy, no power fantasy there. Ascendance of a Bookworm uses her knowledge of her former life to “invent” new products but she’s still a generally powerless child. Handyman Saitou is literally that, a guy with a variety of mundane skills but no actual power. Then they start getting even weirder, like reincarnations as spiders and slimes and vending machines, into a dating sim, and so on. To me, isekai is mostly a loan word to describe a specific related type of Japanese media and stories. It’s also a very modern type of genre based on using a number of tropes and mechanics invented in the last fifty years. Other authors have created works in the general isekai style (Solo Leveling is absolutely huge and is from Korea, for instance, with a Japanese adaptation for anime) but to me there’s a specific Japanese-ness in the storytelling to make it an isekai. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/54 "2024-04-02T19:36:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To me, the classic example would be the Narnia books. My thoughts exactly, particularly with the pattern of the main characters not starting off as heroes but growing into it by experience in the new world they’ve entered. Extra bonus that time flows differently in the two worlds. Some other examples would be the Thomas Covenant series (certainly weird and creepy enough for a good anime) as well as the Outlander books for time travel. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/55 "2024-04-02T19:36:43Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I defiine these mediums as works produced by Japanese publishers originally in the Japanese language, at least in part for the Japanese market. Retract and revise, since definitions should follow usage. Manga data websites will often have a number of highly ranked works originally published in Korean or even Chinese. They are sometimes called Korean manga or Chinese manga, but they are generically referred to as manga (in the English language). So manga they are. There might be some original English language works on those websites, though I haven’t seen any. At any rate, there aren’t enough (or they aren’t sufficiently ranked) to have the word manga refer to them. The Korean and Chinese works are influenced by Japanese manga, but can generally be IDd within a few pages. Still: usage rules. Rather than refine my definition further, I’ll just invoke _mutatis mutandis_ and be done with it. I’m not aware of a comparable issue with anime. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/56 "2024-04-02T21:23:01Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Manga data websites will often have a number of highly ranked works originally published in Korean or even Chinese. They are sometimes called Korean manga or Chinese manga, but they are generically referred to as manga (in the English language). I suppose on _some_ of the sites they are called “Chinese manga” / “Korean manga” or just manga, but on more savvy sites they are called and catogorized as [manhua](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhua) and [manwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhwa). > **[The Differences Between Manga, Manhwa, & Manhua, Explained](https://www.cbr.com/the-differences-between-manga-manhwa-manhua-explained/)** > > Manga, manhwa, and manhua are the same, right? Nope. Here's a comparison between the three types of East Asian comics. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/57 "2024-04-02T21:29:16Z")
I see that Japan has a term “international manga” for “Non-Japanese manga” > **[International Manga Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Manga_Award)** > > International Manga Award (国際漫画賞, Kokusai manga shou) is an annual award established to encourage non-Japanese manga artists in 2007. This award was created by Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Asō, who proposed this award in a policy speech he gave in Tokyo's Akihabara district in 2006. > The selection is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Annually, award honorees are recommended by the advisers including Machiko Satonaka and many other manga artists. > 146 entries from 26 countries... (I originally saw the term here): > **[Original English-language manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_English-language_manga)** > > An original English-language manga or OEL manga is a comic book or graphic novel drawn in the style of manga and originally published in English. The term "international manga", as used by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, encompasses all foreign comics which draw inspiration from the "form of presentation and expression" found in Japanese manga. This may also apply to manga-inspired comics made in other languages. > The growth of manga translation and publishing in the United States has b... ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/58 "2024-04-04T14:48:17Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Totally overshadowed by the 1983 cartoon _Dungeons & Dragons™_, in which several children ride a _Dungeons & Dragons™_ themed roller coaster only to find themselves transported into the magical realm of _Dungeons & Dragons™_. At no point should it be assumed that this was a typical 1980s scheme to sell merchandise. There’s also the 1971 series _Lidsville_ in which a kid falls into a magic hat to find himself in a magical world of anthropomorphized hats. I assume that was a typical 1970s scheme to sell drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852/59 "2024-04-04T15:05:21Z")
No, it was a more innocent age. That show was intended as a scheme to sell hats. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-isekai-only-japanese/989852.md?page=2)