"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Dumbing of Age
I think that's why Becky is the way she is; to show the ways their upbringing could have manifested, and how well Joyce has done in comparison.
I mean the real issue/reason for the popularity of Isekai is that it's cheap and easy, and a veneer for harem series (which is what they typically actually are).
The fanbase that consumes them is familiar with RPG game mechanics. Rather than making something up, let's just have our world have RPG game mechanics and we don't have to explain it.
It seems like you're specifically referring to the type of iskei that's based on video games here. The iskei that I have preferred do not have either game mechanics or a harem set-up. They do include and/or center around a romance, but the nice things about the ones I have read that are based on novels is that the ordinary ladies that have been thrown into the romanic-fantasy world tend to start out as the complete opposite of a protagonist like Miaka from Fushigi Yugi (and thinking about it, that story is basically an iskei, right?) Heroines like Miaka have annoyed me since I'm no longer a teenager, because they're always blushing at every little thing the main guy does, and have every handsome dude in the story falling in love with them for no discernable reason. In contrast, This Villainness Wants A Divorce is an older heroine who is actually completely uninterested in romance and just wants to figure out her way through to surviving. She considers herself a friend to the male lead and doesn't even catch on that he's romantically interested until he tells her - but even then she doesn't start blushing and tripping all over herself with affection, she starts out just being surprised by it and having to think about whether she wants to try to give her romantic affections to anyone. Obviously it's a romance so the two will get somewhere eventually, but I like that the heroine is portraying a more adult romance and that there aren't any other guys romantically interested in her except the male protagonist. There's even a funny moment when the male protagonists brother is suspected of carrying on an affair with the heroine, and he's like, "Guys, c'mon, I have a type!"
If the iskei is supposed to occur within a romance game, I can see why you'd get the harem attributes, but I haven't really read or been that interested in game-based iskei outside of Skeleton Soldier.
I'm not sure, but I think the first "reincarnated otome game villainess" story was Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu, a.k.a. Reika-sama? HameFura/Bakarina/Death Flag Otome/My Next Life as a Villainess came out a year later and obviously blew the fuck up with an anime last year and whatnot, but yeah the subgenre's been bubbling for at least eight years.
As far as subgenres go, it's not like "I got reincarnated into my favorite dating sim" is that much weirder than "I got reincarnated into my favorite RPG". My personal favorite twist on the premise was "I got reincarnated into my daughter's favorite dating sim", although I don't remember which novel that was.
The subgenre does sometimes get kind of tiring with the repeated trope of the "real" Heroine being a manipulative jerk, but some stories do it alright. It's not quite the same thing, but Endo and Kobayashi's Live Commentary on the Villainess has a really cute friendship between the villainess and the heroine. There's also a couple that just completely abandon the school premise and pick up after the villainess has been exiled - I kind of like Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter, although that's maybe just my fondness for "I got reincarnated into a feudal world, let's start reforming society" stories.
Seriously, though, I put some tags into a light novel website and came back with 68 fan-translated series of various lengths and quality. There's a lot, and that's only the ones that are reincarnating into a game! The "villainess noble girls" tags on that site has 356 works! Good or trashy, you could probably spend years reading nothing but this stuff and not run out.
Dumbing of Age
I think that's why Becky is the way she is; to show the ways their upbringing could have manifested, and how well Joyce has done in comparison.
That's true. Joyce went to a normal university because she was considered the best socialized of her group.
Bors retiring from political cartooning is a bittersweet thing. He was spinning his wheels compared to 2015 and retiring before becoming a hack like most of the industry is appreciated.
It's nice to know that the NFT he made will forever outweigh all his other accomplishments though. Once it's made it's made and shitting up the atmosphere forever.
Posts
Widdershins
*looks at the multiple genocides Jagganoth is responsible for"
good guy... sure...
Steam // Secret Satan
I don't know which internet rule says "if there wasn't a meme before there is one now" but...
Alt text
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Gunnerkrigg Court
So, has a bunch of time passed, or is fast beard growing one of his powers?
Penny Arcade
Yo that is an oof to end all oofs...
Questionable Content
Dumbing of Age
I think that's why Becky is the way she is; to show the ways their upbringing could have manifested, and how well Joyce has done in comparison.
I'm not sure, but I think the first "reincarnated otome game villainess" story was Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu, a.k.a. Reika-sama? HameFura/Bakarina/Death Flag Otome/My Next Life as a Villainess came out a year later and obviously blew the fuck up with an anime last year and whatnot, but yeah the subgenre's been bubbling for at least eight years.
As far as subgenres go, it's not like "I got reincarnated into my favorite dating sim" is that much weirder than "I got reincarnated into my favorite RPG". My personal favorite twist on the premise was "I got reincarnated into my daughter's favorite dating sim", although I don't remember which novel that was.
The subgenre does sometimes get kind of tiring with the repeated trope of the "real" Heroine being a manipulative jerk, but some stories do it alright. It's not quite the same thing, but Endo and Kobayashi's Live Commentary on the Villainess has a really cute friendship between the villainess and the heroine. There's also a couple that just completely abandon the school premise and pick up after the villainess has been exiled - I kind of like Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter, although that's maybe just my fondness for "I got reincarnated into a feudal world, let's start reforming society" stories.
Seriously, though, I put some tags into a light novel website and came back with 68 fan-translated series of various lengths and quality. There's a lot, and that's only the ones that are reincarnating into a game! The "villainess noble girls" tags on that site has 356 works! Good or trashy, you could probably spend years reading nothing but this stuff and not run out.
That's true. Joyce went to a normal university because she was considered the best socialized of her group.
Yeah, I was thinking of time kompression too.
Nope.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Do the impossible, see the invisible, rah rah fight the powah!
Touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable, rah rah fight the powah!
Monster Pulse
That's just a few weeks of not shaving, for some people.
SMBC
Atomic Robo
whoa, the extra panel there adds a _layer_
I also hate that it is a trope.
Seems I've missed a few Harpy Gee updates, but this party for Humphrey seems to be going pretty well. . . for most of the characters, anyway
I'm nearly 40 and if I don't shave for a month I still won't have as nice of a beard as Gabe has there
It took my dad until his 50s, but it did happen.
https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
I get a beard like that if I bite my thumb and blow really hard.
Matt Bors is giving up political cartooning. He's just tired of doing it and wants to work on other stuff.
Steam // Secret Satan
Let's just get everyone in here.
Steam // Secret Satan
that fucking sucks i thought that he pulled it before it actually went to auction
Steam // Secret Satan