"Transfer to another world" Trend?

[Arsudar]

I didn't watched anime and manga for a pretty long time and now I start watching anime and manga again. But there is a problem, is the new trend called "summon/transfer to another world" is all over the place now? I mean there are so many manga, anime with the similar theme like "Dungeon Seeker", "Overlord", "Tate no Yuusha", etc... I don't mean that there are boring (though there are several ones does not suit my taste) but I really feel bored with this kind of theme.

[Narcosis]

It's not really anything new; granted, there's been another rise for that particular trope.

[Nosebleed]

Definitely not new, .hack//sign did this back in 2002, but I think it's gained quite a lot of popularity recently.

I guess the reason for this trend is that Japanese companies discovered otakus can relate to people from their own world better than people already born in a fantasy world.

[Down]

It's a definite current trend and people are keenly aware of it, see for example this blog post about some of the japanese fandom's reaction to it.

[Darklord Rooke]

Within that genre, "The Twelve Kingdoms" (fantasy) and "Red River/Anatolia Story" (shoujo) have still yet to be topped despite the sudden influx of new stories  

[havoc]

true it been a trend, but they have always been around and every year we had one or two but recently there really have been a lot though.

So i can see people getting bored by the genre.

To bad we never had one where the main theme was integrating into the new world. Would be nice if it was vice versa, guy or woman from out world into medieval fantasy world and vice versa.
To bad i have never seen it done though, somehow the guy who gets transported always manages to fit right into the world in about 5 minutes.
It could make for a very interesting series, but would requite lots of world building and some great characters which we don't see often.

[Kurisu-Chan]

I count at least 4-5 anime this year with that trend. 

[solidbatman]

39 minutes ago, havoc said:

true it been a trend, but they have always been around and every year we had one or two but recently there really have been a lot though.

So i can see people getting bored by the genre.

To bad we never had one where the main theme was integrating into the new world. Would be nice if it was vice versa, guy or woman from out world into medieval fantasy world and vice versa.
To bad i have never seen it done though, somehow the guy who gets transported always manages to fit right into the world in about 5 minutes.
It could make for a very interesting series, but would requite lots of world building and some great characters which we don't see often.

That would require people to actually think, and watch someone struggle. Anime fans don't want to do that. 

[havoc]

22 minutes ago, solidbatman said:

That would require people to actually think, and watch someone struggle. Anime fans don't want to do that. 

Re;zero to a certain degree, Altough it skips the world integration part.
 

[Forgetful Frank]

I'm actually really enjoying this rise of their popularity.

I recently started watching Re:Zero and I'm absolutely loving it!

The only other experiences I have are from .hack//Sign and Sword Art Online, so it's still relatively new and fresh to me. I haven't watched .hack//Sign in many years, but I remember enjoying it and being very interested in its concept. I watched SAO a couple of years ago, and while I was into it in the beginning, I kinda' lost interest when:

Spoiler

The initial game arc was abruptly ended and then they ended up going into another game but this time with fairies. I just feel they could have done a lot more with the initial storyline and felt a little disappointed. I haven't watched the second series and other stuff of SAO yet, though.

 

[Kurisu-Chan]

1 hour ago, havoc said:

Re;zero to a certain degree, Altough it skips the world integration part.
 

Nah, i'm sorry but that's not what Re;Zero is about, Re;Zero is a guideline to what not to do in another world setting, very different.

 

The problem i have with Re;Zero...is that everything feels forced, it's like watching a shounen anime trying it's best to be a seinen anime, it feels...weird, forced. 

[Clephas]

21 hours ago, Arsudar said:

I didn't watched anime and manga for a pretty long time and now I start watching anime and manga again. But there is a problem, is the new trend called "summon/transfer to another world" is all over the place now? I mean there are so many manga, anime with the similar theme like "Dungeon Seeker", "Overlord", "Tate no Yuusha", etc... I don't mean that there are boring (though there are several ones does not suit my taste) but I really feel bored with this kind of theme.

It's a pretty ancient setup for otaku media.  World transfers, world integrations, etc have been common since the early nineties, with the Vision of Escaflowne being perhaps the most dramatic early example for anime.

Edit: This theme gets popular on a three-year cycle, in my experience... for a year or two, it will be popular, then for three years people will be bored with it, then another two years of a glut of that kind of media...  To be honest, since so much of the otaku media that utilizes this theme is good, I love it.  However, the bad ones are really bad, lol. 

[SilverLi]

Well tbh I think everything started with SAO and Log Horizon. What SAO started I think Log Horizon improved. These two were very successful and if something is hugely popular producers tend to milk it until it dies again. A fantasy setting or another world is popular at the moment and it sells. Of course they are reusing it until the fandom get bored of it. 

Perhaps this genre have been alive a little longer than expected.

[Okarin]

It has been done since at least the 90s.

Check out The vision of Escaflowne (already on its 20th birthday), Kanata Kara (there's a manga, not sure about the anime) and the magnificent Fushigi Yuugi.

[andzalot55]

It was somewhat of a trend back in the 2000s. Watching Zero no Tsukaima was probably the best one I have seen.

[Arsudar]

I heard from friends that Re:Zero is good enough but I'm kinda into other "types' , for example like Overlord since it takes the perspective of an... well overlord skeleton :D. Kinda anti-hero and interesting.