There is a thread on /a/ lamenting isekai(a genre where one is transported to another world, most often a swords and sorcery fantasy world) the thread goes on to praise Veeky Forums for its ability to create setting saying that a bunch of gaijin neck beards make better isekai than the elevens.
so I ask Veeky Forums Howwould you do a good isekai? what cliches do you avoid, which do you embrace? what kind of setting do you use.
Pic semi related, its more of a deconstruction than an example of the genre done well.
Automatically being able to speak the language is cancer. Special powers are cancer. Being unique in the fact you were taken over is cancer.
Alexander Hall
It's fine to be the only (recorded) one brought over, but all those other automatic special powers are awful, as is gameification. Using JRPG stats, levels, and concepts are just awful - an adventurer guild is one of the worst fucking tropes. That, and they tend to be EXTREMELY generic settings, the base japanese 'western' fantasy world with it's vanilla elves, vanilla dwarves, vanilla JRPG style magic, it's so fucking repetitive. Now and Then, Here and There is a good example, I think, though Shu is an oblivious idiot.
Alexander Cox
Look up the Major Tom threads from April.
Nathan Robinson
>EXTREMELY generic settings
this is the biggest problem with isekai, but how do you fix it? what kind of setting goes well with isekia?
Angel Watson
Make one up. You can even use a generic setting, as long as the story itself is interesting enough, but it rarely is. It's usually some guy coming over with some superpower that makes them effectively invincible, either straight away or after a very brief period of time. The story is what matters at the end of the day. Another thread is asking a similar question, about getting simply cast back in time like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In both, it's someone far outside their comfort zone, and well outside of any real recorded history (save myth). Your best bet is to either have the person have skills from their prior life, or be a quick learner for the setting's own relevant abilities. In a fantasy style setting, you can have them learn magic but apply some modern concepts to it to optimize it. In a sci-fi setting, the classic is something like The Last Starfighter, it's someone who had all the training he needed from playing a very specific video game. As long as they don't get 'chosen hero' powers as a cop-out it can be great.
Zachary Nguyen
Does Re:Creators fall into this genre? Because that series is pretty cool. Fate only well written and with fictional characters meeting their creators could make an interesting campaign.
Jaxson Ward
>Isekai where the MC is transported to the Imperium of Mankind
Make it happen, Japan
Oliver Cooper
>isekai where a knight is transported to modern day Japan
Joshua Bell
It doesn't. You could call it reverse isekai I suppose. The show has a neat premise but the writing has been otherwise terrible so far.