Otome Isekai Is the Isekai SubGenre No One Saw Coming

Otome Isekai Is the Isekai Sub-Genre No One Saw Coming

For people who usually disregard the isekai genre, the otome twist might be a pleasant surprise.

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Otome Isekai Is the Isekai SubGenre No One Saw Coming

Isekai manga, light novels and anime are no stranger to oddball trends. Formulaic isekai stories cetner around an average person being reincarnated in a fantasy setting, often inspired by role-playing video games. They often include harem elements and are geared towards a male demographic.

With the genre being so oversaturated nowadays, whenever a quirky new trend finds success, it swiftly establishes a new sub-genre in its wake. One of the most interesting examples of this is the “otome isekai,” where a 20-something-year-old woman is reincarnated into the world of an “otome” dating sim game. However, instead of becoming the protagonist (as the traditional isekai formula suggests), they usually fill the shoes of the “villainess” character. It’s a strangely specific trend that’s flooding the isekai landscape, so where did the otome isekai come from, and why is it so popular?

The word “otome” (Japanese for “maiden”) refers to the otome video game genre, reverse-harem dating sim games (usually visual novels) with various male love interests. Usually, these games have a villainess character who tries to steal the boys away from the player or ruin things in some way. Naturally, the idea of creating an isekai in this format was appealing. It would provide a relatable, self-insert protagonist being reincarnated within the otome game, appealing to the female isekai audience. Almost every otome isekai out there follows a very specific formula within the very specific formula: placing the protagonist in the shoes of the villainess character.

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Otome Isekai Is the Isekai SubGenre No One Saw Coming

There are a lot of villainess-centric otome isekai. The most popular is My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom, a romantic comedy airing the Spring 2020 anime season. This otome isekai follows the story of Katarina Claes, the daughter of a noble family who is reborn into the otome game Future Lover. Unfortunately, Katarina is the game’s villainess, and all routes quite literally lead to her doom. This allows for an amusing struggle against fate as she interacts with the colorful characters of the game’s universe. As with many otome isekai, the anime explores some surprisingly poignant themes to do with each character and the relationships they forge throughout the story. My Next Life As A Villainess started off as a light novel series by Satoru Yamaguchi and went onto receive one of the best isekai manga adaptations, selling over 600,000 copies in print. Its anime adaptation is one of the most popular shows of the season.

Where there is one successful isekai twist, there will be many, many more. This doesn’t mean they are all the same — there are variations within the otome isekai sub-genre. The Banished Villainess! Living the Leisurely Life of a Nun Making Revolutionary Church Food is another popular otome isekai that has its protagonist reincarnate in her past life’s body, deciding to accept her villainess fate and become a nun. Fiancée’s Observation Log of the Self-Proclaimed Villainess is told through the perspective of one of the love interests instead of the reincarnated character. The Male Lead’s Villainess Fiancée has the main character reincarnate in the story of a novel instead of an otome game. This one is a Korean webcomic — otome isekai is not confined to Japan. There are also otome isekai that do not indulge in the villainess fad.

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It’s hard to say exactly why villainess-cetric otome isekai are suddenly so popular. Most would agree it’s just another symptom of the wider isekai craze; the tendency for popular isekai trends to be manufactured in the genre’s oversaturated landscape. This doesn’t mean otome otome isekai are low quality — in fact, they tend to excel at female character development and generally boast healthier relationships than the typical harem isekai. There’s something about the mass-produced, male-centric harem story that gives way to a problematic master-slave dynamic. Refreshingly, otome isekai is bucking that trend, and My Next Life as a Villainess is leading the way.

For people who usually disregard isekai, the otome twist might be a pleasant surprise. Those who already enjoy the quirks of isekai, on the other hand, will have no problems finding more to enjoy in this rising sub-genre.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/otome-isekai-sub-genre-villainess/

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