Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Alternative titles: Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu, Jobless Reincarnation: I Will Seriously Try If I Go To Another World
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Ecchi
Episodes: 24 (a 2nd season is currently airing)
Stream available on: Crunchyroll
The 34-year-old protagonist has not had a good life until now. He has been bullied and suppressed, lives unemployed and withdrawn, and spends most of his time with questionable hentai. When he finally musters the courage to do something heroic in his life, he dies.
Shortly after, he is reborn in another world – now as “Rudeus Greyrat”. Thanks to his knowledge and experiences from his previous life, he uses his second chance to master many aspects of life early on. He shows great potential in magic and is also trained in swordsmanship.
When his family can no longer support his abilities, he heads toward the capital to further refine his skills – and gradually gets caught up in the vortex of political and magical intrigues that threaten the entire kingdom.
What to expect from Mushoku Tensei: The first episodes of Mushoku Tensei require a bit of overcoming, as the still emerging ecchi elements are a bit too prominent. However, after that, the series proves to be a masterpiece on all levels. Whether it’s about the story, world-building, characters, animation, or musical accompaniment: Jobless Reincarnation is among the great Isekai.
Those who stay engaged will soon find themselves lost in a convincing fantasy world filled with great characters, making it hard to do anything but root for them all the time.
The Eminence in Shadow
Alternative titles: Shadow Garden, Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Episodes: 20
Stream available on: Aniverse (Amazon Prime Channel), HiDive
Minoru always wanted to be a hero. But as an ordinary human, he realized that he eventually hit the limits of his abilities. No matter how strong he is, he simply cannot stand against the military or bombs – at least not in this world. It’s a twist of fate that sends him the truck that runs him over, leading to his rebirth as “Cid” in another world.
Here he can unleash his full fantasy: he becomes the “Eminence in Shadow” and pretends that there is a secret demon cult planning to overthrow the world. While he recruits more and more women for his played-out “live-role-playing”, he is completely oblivious to the fact that this demon cult actually exists – and all the others take his “LARP” much more seriously than he does.
What to expect from The Eminence in Shadow: Although the anime mainly presents itself as a parody of many other anime, it impresses with an interesting plot and a variety of engaging characters. Especially the delusions of Cid, who must jump between the roles of “boring NPC that no one remembers” and “almighty Eminence in Shadow”, add a great appeal to the series.
The Eminence in Shadow balances on a line that is sometimes hard to endure between coolness and cringe, but never takes itself too seriously – quite the opposite of the protagonist, who gets to live out his glorious dream.
Bonus: The Devil is a Part-Timer!
Alternative titles: Hataraku Maou-sama!
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Episodes: 35 (2 seasons)
Stream available on: Amazon Prime Video (season 1), Aniverse (Amazon Prime Channel)
The Demon Lord Satan has almost conquered the whole world. In a final uprising of humanity, the heroes press into his palace. They manage to drive Satan away, who escapes through a dimensional portal. The heroine Emilia follows him to finally put an end to evil.
However, the portal led to modern Japan, where magic hardly exists. Now in the form of the young adult “Sadao Maou”, the demon lord must plan his return to his realm – and pay the rent. Therefore, he takes a job at the fast-food chain “MgRonalds”, while the former heroine struggles as a support employee at a call center.
What to expect from The Devil is a Part-Timer: Strictly speaking, “The Devil is a Part-Timer” is not a traditional Isekai, but a “reverse Isekai”. The protagonists are transported from a fantasy world into the environment of modern Japan and lose a significant part of their magical power in the process. The devils and the shining heroes suddenly face rather unfamiliar problems – such as paying rent or finding a job.
That under this guise the war between the parties continues to rage, however, always brings tension and a bit of action, although the focus is clearly on the characters and comedy.
Do you have any other Isekai anime that one should absolutely see? If yes, feel free to let us know in the comments – and also explain what makes this anime so special for you.
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