Rewriting Your Own Narrative: Isekai as a Contemporary Coming of Age Tale

Abstract

Within the last 10 years isekai (other world) stories have exploded in popularity in the Japanese young adult fiction market. In these tales, economically and socially disadvantaged protagonists are teleported away from modern-day Japan and into a fantasy world, where they embark on heroic adventures and lead fulfilling lives. Often criticized as escapist wish fulfilment, isekai stories reveals the disparity in socioeconomic conditions that plague Japan’s youth, and the malaise they experience as a result. By examining the shift in post-bubble Japan’s economic landscape, we see that old modes of life-making that privilege lifetime employment are less available to Japanese youth. Thus, isekai stories serve as a coming-of-age tale updated for the current era that reflect the lived realities of young people in Japan today. I also analyze the popular light novel series Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero, to illustrate the way isekai stories further reveal anxieties and social concerns that face many Japanese youth.