This week, a fan's comment resonated across Japanese forums, questioning the quality of current romance anime. Their comment suggests that the quality of romance has changed due to the influence of the isekai on the light novel market.
For the Japanese, romance anime are losing quality
The comment in question refers to a time when many romance anime were adapted from successful light novels. Between 2010 and 2015, the light novel market was dominated by the romance genre. Titles like Oreimo: My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute and Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko were very popular in the otaku community. According to the source, these anime sold many Blu-ray/DVD copies and featured highly famous characters.
However, the fan mentions that it's difficult to find a quality romantic comedy among light novels now. Although there are still some adaptations, they don't have the same enthusiasm as in the past. Since the isekai genre dominated the light novel market, the romance genre has been sidelined. There are still successful romances like Gotoubun no Hanayome and Kaguya-sama: Love is War, but only in manga media.
Furthermore, he/she says that current romance light novels are derivatives of isekai, dealing with different worlds and reincarnation.
"I know it's not that the works are bad and that I'm old, or maybe I'm just a little nostalgic! I wonder if high school students today think that when I say 'Light Novel,' I mean 'Isekai.'"
Japanese comments regarding this:
- "After all, there are a lot of romantic comedies mixed with the isekai genre, right? In a modern setting, it seems that's what became popular."
- "Isekai villains are all the rage these days. This genre is quite open to other options, so you can add romance, comedy, and even battles."
- "Look at the ranking of those who say 'romantic comedy is in fashion.' No matter how you look at it, those that are isekai are the most popular."
- "Harem romantic comedies don't have enough depth if you get attached to a character easily, so the psychological portrayals are really complicated. I couldn't follow them halfway through."
Finally, do you also think that the quality of romance anime has changed that much because of isekai? Leave your comment below!
Source: Kudasai
Read also: