#subgenre: isekai/transmigration/reincarnation

[oriolespeaking]

Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

Rating: 3 semi-bloodstained gowns out of 5!

Recommended if you want a quick, entertaining transmigration read.

Synopsis

Her fictional crush is the villain.And he's about to meet his match... Rae is a bookworm who prefers fictional men over real life boyfriends. But her life takes a strange turn when she is trapped by magic inside her favourite fantasy series, and she finds herself pitted against her suddenly living and breathing crush, the 'Once and Forever Emperor'. In a palace on the brink of war, she has become the villainess in his tale, and she needs to take control of the narrative before it, and the Emperor, take control of her... fatally.

Review under the cut!

I have...mixed feelings about this. I checked this out from the library this because (1) I'm a huge fan of the cover artist and (2) I've been reading SO many isekai webnovels (always translated from Chinese or Korean) and wanted to see if a novel originally written in English would differ too much. In some ways, it did read differently; the author brought a new-adult-prose flavor to the narration that kind of reminded me of when someone tells the server "I'm going to be bad" before ordering dessert. Needless to say, the tone would not have worked for me if the book was not so fast-paced. Additionally, the breadth of the cast is definitely not something I expected. I did like all of the individual characters, but Brennan had a LOT of timelines to keep track of for all of them, and it shows. As the story progresses, the focus of the book scatters across the cast, though the main drama still centers around Rae and Key.

In pretty much every other way, it read similarly to other isekai webnovels (pacing, plot beats, though there is a somewhat unusual twist). It also has a fanfiction-y vibe, with Rae as a Mary Sue. And, much like other isekai novels, it is as addictive than crack cocaine. I finished this 400+ page book in two days, which is pretty unusual for me.

Brennan does spend a decent chunk of time with Rae before her "transmigration" into the book, which gives the reader a somewhat opaque understanding of the Rae's motivations as she decides to take charge of her narrative as a villainess. However, Rae's background would've worked better as a dramatic second- or third-act reveal, as I feel that the reader would have more time to become curious about Rae's commitment to being Cartoonishly Evil (tm).

Each of the characters in the cast was charming in their own way. I enjoyed Brennan's attention to the entire cast (Emer + Lia, Marius + Eric, Key + Rae) at the ending, though repeating the ending from different POVs DEFINITELY killed the momentum and emotional focus of the ending. Eric's character seemed to take blueprints from Shang Qinghua (Scum Villain's Self-Saving System), though his fully fleshed-out in-story background was pretty interesting, especially when juxtaposed against straight-laced Marius.

The twist at the end (spoiler: Key being the emperor) was very well-foreshadowed, but it did still take me off guard. Brennan built up to that reveal through Rae's Super Evil Team plans, and Rae's faltering at key points. For that alone, the book gets an extra star. That emotional anchor was so well laid. Rae commits to evil for the fun of it, but by the end of the book, the evil's not fun anymore, and it's biting her in the back (after she bit it in the back?). I can't believe the story ended there!! Not sure if I'll pick up the sequel, but I do want to know what happens next TT-TT

There is a scene that I think readers should be aware of: a musical interlude. Rae and best friend Eric plan an entire ballroom dance scene where they sing in front of an entire court and make chaos. The lyrics are on the page. Think like...a really bad Disney Villain song. I had to skip ahead a few pages. I don't think I missed anything. If I did, it was worth missing for the crime of being in a musical interlude scene. Eric is so cunty but not cunty enough to make me read that.

started 24 November 2024 / finished 26 November 2024

[villainessguide]

Episode 1: Definitions,

Here are all the words and phrases we were talking about in the first episode of our podcast part 1:

Isekai (Japanese: 異世界 transl. 'different world', 'another world', or 'other world') is a subgenre of portal fantasy. [as stated by wikipedia]

we would say isekai has characters that go from the "real" world into another world (either through death, magic, or some secret 3rd option) with popular choices going into a video game (such as otome games), novels, or television shows. They become part of the story and assume some role. They become either the main character, a side character, canon fodder, or the villain. (we particularly like the villainess archetype lol)

one popular way of death is truck-kun. He so graciously escorts us to another world, much like regina george.

(like nobody is safe from this metal monster)

so there are a few different ways to become a story character in isekai stories, some are reincarnators, where they are born as the character in their second life, and tend to live a long time as that character till events of the system story happens. An example of this is I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss (悪役令嬢なのでラスボスを飼ってみました, Akuyaku Reijō Nanode Rasubosu o Katte Mimashita) by Sarasa Nagase.

(which is super cute and we recommend! there is even an anime!)

Aileen, who was sickly in her first life spent most of her time in the hospital playing an otome game (valid), finds herself reincarnated into the villainess who dies in the game. So she sets about to stop herself from biting the big one by trying to befriend the final boss that kills her.

then we have regressors, who are souls that turn back time to the past (may or may not have possessed their body in the past). Regression doesn't necessarily mean that it is an isekai story. An isekai means a person going from one world to another. A regression isekai for example, is if someone possesses a body of a character that goes back in time to the past, usually because they met a bad end in their life.

An example is The Villainess is a Marionette (악녀는 마리오네트) by Yi-Rim Han, a korean novel and webtoon. It follows a girl named Kayena, who died once then was reincarnated as a korean woman, then dies again and is reborn once again as Kayena. Girly is like third time's the charm let's goooo

(still need to finish this lol, I like it so far but that was a while ago)

last major type is transmigration. This is when you wake up as the character, right when all the action is about to start in the story. You are just plopped right into the action and life says good luck godspeed. An example of this is The Perks of Being a Villainess (Official English Title). Which has a weird title situation where there are like two other English titles, Isn't Being a Wicked Woman Much Better? (Alternative English Title) and What's Wrong With Being the Villainess? (Alternative English Title)악녀라서 편하고 좋은데요? (Korean Title) by Mango Kim, Mindo.

(I'm half way through and I love it, MC wants to basically become the richest person alive and makes fantasy starbucks, and the ML is a simp with secrets LOL)

Dohee lived as a pushover, died miserably, and was transmigrated into a novel as a notorious villainess. As Deborah Seymour, she is also the richest villain alive. Now, all that's left for her to do is lay low and enjoy her carefree lifestyle... if not for the fact that Deborah is fated to be sent to a monastery!

that's an intro into isekai that we touch upon in our first episode!

{part 2 coming soon}

[kadextra]

I also love the “villainess” reincarnation/transmigration isekai subgenre, and would love to see you rant about them. Or at least ones you recommend. I can't get enough of that trope. ^-^

~ 🌙

YESSS ANON LETS GO I will GLADLY rant about them omg.. I’ve got so many favorites I’d be happy to talk about and share hehehehehe I will literally make a post about one right now :DD

[zwoelffarben]

So, here's the thing. I'd argue that Isekai isn't strictly speaking a 1:1 of portal fantasy with asian people. The literal translation is "Another world," yes and the venn diagram started out as a circle, but overtime Isekai as a genre has grown such that the overlap isn't complete.

And this is because I believe that the berlin interpretation of isekai¹ misses the mark on what the genre's core feature actually is, or rather has become. The second world from which the genre takes its name was just historically the most regularly used vehicle for justifying the existence of the current genre-defining feature: The Cheat Skill.

To actually defining my term for the non-isekai-enjoyers, a cheat skill is any ability which is unique to the main character that gives them such an overwhelming advantage against any rival or antagonist that their success is a foregone-conclusion. You are not sat watching an isekai wondering if the maincharacter will succeed, for anticipating how delishous the schadenfruede you feel for their enemies will taste when the main character inevitably humiliates them (all according to keikaku), as effortlessly as if they were cheating.

That's the draw of the genre.

It's why Regression and Reincarnation stories feel isekai to me despite their lack of another world while Alice in Wonderland (except everyone is Asian) doesn't feel isekai.

It's why deconstructions and parodies of the genre like KonoSuba get at making fun of the genre by giving the main character the opprotunity to get a cheat skill, but the skill they get is either worthless or hindersome.

It's (one of the reasons) why the titles are like that: That time I got reincarnated as a slime, In another world with my smartphone, Reincarnated as [A high ranking position within the aristocracy/ nobility's child].

And from that, the actual subgenres of isekai are better defined by the nature of the cheat power, how the world reacts to that power, and how the protagonist uses that power, than the particular method of transmigration. 'cause again, I think isekai as a genre doesn't strictly speaking require an actual second world, and the genre's just been named incorrectly.

¹I use the phrase "Berlin Interpretation" metaphorically in reference to the definition of the Roguelike genre. To my knowledge no official council

I do not know if you're looking for comic recommendations at the moment but as a big fan of the greatest estate developer I wanted to recommend some stuff that struck me as similar:

Unlucky is as lucky does (weird name, good story, weird faces galore. Fantasy but not transmigration)

Love advice from the great duke of hell (comedy, weird faces slightly to the left, kinda isekai if summoning counts? Fun demon guys in there)

Vainglorious is... admittedly the weird one out here for having less weird faces but the shenanigans at times feel similar.

Princess Hurricane is two isekais for the price of one and although there isn't much out yet I would say it does hit some of the greatest estate's good spots, both comedy-vise and weird faces-vise.

That's all, have a good day, big fan of the normal spaceship, peace and wellfishes!

So I get that an isekai is a portal fantasy with Asian characters but what the fuck is a transmigration

I spent too long working in biology and I can only imagine a flock of wild Protagonists heading closer to the equator for the winter

[theanimeview]

[Recommended Watch / Anime Review] The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady Is A Must Watch Magical Girl Show This Season

Source: Promotional Image from The Magical Revolution's Website, https://tenten-kakumei.com

By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Winter 2023 Anime is upon us, and I’m stoked. Returning series that I was looking forward to have arrived, like the second seasons of BOFURI, By the Grace of the Gods, and The Misfit of Demon King Academy, along with new works like The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague and Ningen Fushin to peak my interests. 

One newer work I’ve recently picked up is The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, which I think should be a must-watch for anyone who likes the magical girl genre or villainess-isn’t-really-evil subgenre of transmigration/isekai. 

Source: The Magical Revolution, Episode 1

This Girls Love story follows a wild princess named Anisphia whose obsession with magic has led her to a condemnation event for the second leading lady and Anisphia’s soon-to-be romantic interest, Lady Euphyllia. 

The first episode of this series hooked me as a watched. It is very colorful and bright, typical of the Magical Girl aesthetic, and the character designs are adorable. The tone, despite having a condemnation event in the first episode, is actually very light-hearted, which helps to frame the work within the comedy tag. I would also add that I think the character chemistry is great, something I don’t say often about animation because in animated romances (manga, too) the story usually throws awkward people with other awkward people or someone(s) who is the complete opposite and thereby the series is them warming up to each other. This doesn’t feel like that kind of series, as we see that the two leading ladies already know each other. 

I can hardly wait to see how this series progresses, and have already started reading the manga (officially licensed by Yen Press). 

10/10 Recommend!

SIDE NOTE & potential spoilers: The prince is acting suspiciously, but I don’t think he’s evil. I think it's just complicated hidden angst. Anyone else? Maybe I’ll do a theory on the show as the season progresses….

[oriolespeaking]

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish, Vol. 2 by Xue Shan Fei Hu

4.5 shiny trinkets out of 5!

The second book in the series; review for the first book linked here! I recommend this series if you're a silly goose :-)

Synopsis (includes spoilers for the first book):

Li Yu is settling into life in the lap of luxury as Prince Jing’s spoiled pet, especially now that he can turn back into a human once a day. Prince Jing seems infatuated with Li Yu’s human form, and romance begins to swell between the two men. Yet the secret of Li Yu’s identity lurks beneath the surface of their bubbly relationship.

Review under the cut.

Take the humor of the first book. Dial it up to 11. Now add a dash of court scheming chaos that Li Yu is determined to thwart, and sometimes does entirely by accident LOL. Meanwhile, he is also causing so much chaos, and Prince Jing is also causing chaos so that Li Yu can peacefully exist as his fishy (or human) self without any trouble. He spoils the hell out of Li Yu and it's so unbelievably cute. Fluff galore. The only downside is that the court scheming gets a bit predictable, but the way they deal with it every time is freshly humorous and kind fo , so I'm not too bothered by that.

started 6 February 2025 / finished 11 February 2025

[oriolespeaking]

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish, Volume 1 by Xue Shan Fei Hu

Rating: 3.75 red fish flakes out of 5!

Recommended for anyone who needs a really fun isekai romcom that only gets more ridiculous the more you read -- especially good as a palette cleanser between big reads.

Synopsis:

When Li Yu falls asleep reading a webnovel about a ruthless, mute tyrant falling in love with a dainty male concubine, he doesn’t expect to wake up inside the world of the novel—especially not as a fish! Li Yu soon finds himself adopted as Prince Jing's pet carp, tasked by a less-than-helpful Magic System with preventing the prince from becoming a cruel tyrant. If he can accomplish this mission, Li Yu will regain his human form. Yet how can he succeed from inside a fish bowl?! 

Review under the cut.

What I Liked

This is silly. So unbelievably silly. How do you write a romcom where one of them is trapped in a fish body for the majority of the book?? XSFH clearly manages very well. This fish is bringing face-slapping court sabotage to the table and he doesn't even have hands or the ability to speak

Prince Jing (the main love interest) spoiling the hell out of this fish is so funny. Li Yu giving Prince Jing the cold shoulder when he (Li Yu) accidentally keeps making moves on Prince Jing is so funny. There is nothing about this story that is not stupidly funny.

The main characters are actually really sweet, too.

started: 18 January 2025 / finished: 22 January 2025

[belleono]

Absolutely! I totally agree!

And with transmigration stories, I find that the conflict and struggle of maintaining or having to rebuild a relationship with people who arent truly your family/friends to be awkward. Most of the time it gets brushed over and ignored completely.

To Llyod, the family he interacts with in the new world is not his own, they're practically just acquaintances (in his pov). So while his change in attitude and relationship with them is significant and heartfelt for the family members, it is not the same for Lloyd. While I'm sure he cares for them it's simply not on the same level.

I have the biggest gripe for this in other Isekai manga (more in otome villainess manga), where there would be a sudden intimacy between the family members and the main character when the events that have occurred isnt enough to justify this. It feels like they just completely replaced their old family with their new one??? Usually without reason, becuase their old life is also usually brushed over with "I had a boring and insignificant life, then got hit by a truck". But boring and insignificant wouldnt be enough to justify leaving your WHOLE ASS FAMILY BEHIND!

But also the awkwardness of where the og Llyods spirit went is also something that sticks with me in the back of my mind when I read the webtoon (I'm assuming there will be an explanation later on as I know it's based off the novel, but I'm still worried about how they're gonna pull it off, if they ever will).

(Also, sorry about the rant in the middle about Otome villainess isekai, I know it's a little out of no where, but I'm so excited about the topic of transmigration vs reincarnation and it's also rampant in that subgenres also)

Tbh, I like the idea of actual reincarnation than transmigration

I'm just saying this because in a lot of isekai that I've seen, they just get transported to another world rather than actual reincarnation.

In the case of transmigrating to a villain, there's little internal conflict because of the fact that the person inside is a completely different person, like Llyod Frontera from The Greatest Estate Developer.

For Llyod and KRS!Cale, they have little issue in establishing bonds with the characters because of the fact that they're not actually the villains they were known for (especially Cale). Take their new families for example, Llyod and KRS!Cale have no issue communicating with their new parents because they personally have no misgivings against any of them, unlike the originals.

That's why I like the AU idea of KRS and Cale being the same person.

Because if OG!Cale regained his memories as KRS, he would have a lot more internal conflict, especially in regards to communicating with his family and even Ron, who was by his side since he was young.

I hope this makes sense I was kinda sleepy when typing this. 😅