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In the last five or six years, the isekai subgenre has been booming without any signs of stopping. Even if you’ve only casually interacted with the isekai genre, you probably recognize titles like Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re:Zero – Restarting Life from Zero in Another World), Overlord, or Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! (Konosuba – God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!).
To generalize shounen isekai, these stories typically feature a male teen who is reincarnated into a fantasy world as its hero. This usually involves forming a party with beautiful girls, and facing down demons and monsters while grinding levels with some kind of RPG mechanic.
Shoujo isekai, however, offers a completely different take! A popular subgenre of shoujo isekai features girls or office-working women being absorbed into otome visual novels, often becoming the doomed villainess! Series like Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shite shimatta… (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!) offer a humorous and endearing spin on this idea, while Watshi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou (I’m in Love with the Villainess) is a heartwarming yuri series about defying a videogame’s script.
Rather than focusing on empowerment and victory over the enemy, shoujo isekai tend to focus on the characters and emotions. For example, the 2022 debut series Maou Heika no Osoji Gakari (His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper) features an ordinary girl without any magical powers or world-saving destiny. Instead, there’s a tighter focus on relationships and characterization beyond fan service or flashy abilities.
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