The Greatest Isekai Of All Time Is An Underrated Series That Deconstructs The Entire Genre

Isekai is a genre that has a bit of a mixed reputation among anime fans. While the genre is unreasonably popular, the glut of subpar series and a focus on power fantasies has given isekai something of a negative reputation, even among die-hard anime fans. While the first issue is undeniably a problem and the second comes down more to preference, it would be wrong to write off all of isekai because of a few infamous series. In fact, one of the greatest anime ever is a fresh take on the genre that serves as a shining example of what isekai can be at its best.

Meaning something akin to ‘another world’ in Japanese, isekai is a popular genre that sees a character or set of characters transported to another world. Fueled by the likes of anime such as Sword Art Online, isekai has exploded over the last decade, leading to a mixed bag of series. While some of the greatest isekai like Re:Zero and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime have earned praise from the wider community, popular series like Mushoku Tensei and The Rising of the Shield Hero have split the community.

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Despite the prominent examples mentioned above, though, it would be wrong to think of isekai exclusively in terms of series specifically about someone traveling to a new world and unlocking a ridiculously powerful new ability. Many world-famous anime like Digimon, Inuyasha, and Ascendance of a Bookworm are isekai even though they might lack many of the trappings typically associated with the genre.

In a funny coincidence, Hayao Miyazaki’s two Oscar-winning films are both isekai. Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron use their other worlds to tell fascinating stories about personal growth and the pains of growing up. For Miyazaki, the strange worlds of these films are psychic landscapes that reflect the anxieties and problems facing their protagonists.

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Given all this, it’s no wonder that the greatest isekai anime series is one that many fans would not have initially clocked as isekai. With a similar approach to the genre as Miyazaki, there should be little doubt that the incredibly well-animated Sonny Boy earns top spots as the greatest isekai of all time.

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One of Madhouse’s best anime, Sonny Boy is a transformative series that follows a group of high schoolers who are, without much initial explanation, transported to another dimension they call This World. Having more in common with a surreal painting than anything out of classic fantasy, This World is a truly alien place where the rules of time and space are frequently bent well past the point of breaking.

Sonny Boy was created by One-Punch Man director Shingo Natsume and featured character designs by acclaimed mangaka Hisashi Eguchi.

In addition to the stresses of surviving in their otherworldly new home, the protagonists of Sonny Boy also have to deal with mounting tension as a result of the unique powers each of them have developed. Though here, again, Sonny Boy finds a way to twist typical isekai conventions. The powers developed are just as weird as This World. One prominent student, for instance, has the ability “Nyamazon” which gives her three cats the ability to bring her anything she wants.

Another way Sonny Boy sets itself apart from typical isekai is the almost complete lack of external threats. Sonny Boy is almost exclusively interested in character conflicts rather than any sort of lingering enemy or opponent. This allows the series a great deal of room to explore its characters and what makes them tick. The result isn’t quite as violent as Lord of the Flies, but in a way it is more depressing.

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Far from just playing with fan expectations for this kind of story, Sonny Boy actively deconstructs the entire isekai genre. Instead of This World being an escape where the teenage cast can find themselves, it is instead a place that brings them no peace or happiness. Despite the myriad problems this causes, however, the sad truth is that the vast majority of the cast members actively give up on leaving the cages they made for themselves.

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This casts the series’ main trio, Nagara, Mizuho, and Nozomi in a new light. For various reasons, the trio never give up on their mission to return home, completely rejecting the false reality presented by This World.

In a way the work that Sonny Boy resonates most with is Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. There is an incredible moment in it where the film’s protagonist, a young man named Mahito, is asked to inherit a strange world from his all-powerful great-uncle. In a surprising move, though, Mahito rejects the offer, reasoning that any world he created or shaped would end up tainted by his own emotional baggage.

Though the teenage cast of Sonny Boy may want to run away from their problems in This World, they can’t help but use it to recreate and reinforce the same systems of oppression that would have caged them as adults.

Without directly stating it like The Boy and the Heron does, this is how Sonny Boy twists the knife on isekai and escapism in general. Though the teenage cast of Sonny Boy may want to run away from their problems in This World, they can’t help but use it to recreate and reinforce the same systems of oppression that would have caged them as adults.

To Sonny Boy, there is no pure fantasy, no escape from the real world. We can try as hard as we want to run away from our problems, from life, but inevitably, there is no escape from the self.

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Sonny Boy's Nagara hangs on to the end of a railing to catch his classmate, Nozomi, by the wrist.

I’ve noticed a trend in many recent isekai anime. While series like Sword Art Online and Digimon were all about their protagonists trying to find a way home, more recent isekai heroes reject the idea of going home entirely. I’m, admittedly, not unsympathetic to these protagonists. The world is a scary place. Life’s forces can be too big, too overwhelming. It’s tempting to want that fantasy world. To want an escape from all the terrible things we’re too powerless to change.

I think a lot about Sonny Boy’s ending. Inevitably, Nagara does escape from This World. We find him a handful of months later, working a crummy job, alone, and unable to reconnect with one of the few people who ever truly mattered to him. But all that stuff isn’t the point, at least not the whole point. Nagara did something no one thought was possible and emerged more confident and sure of himself because of it. Day by day, week by week, Nagara is fighting to make his life better. To me, that’s real strength.

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Sonny Boy isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s weird, esoteric, and a little too quiet in places. But for those who want to engage with its themes, Sonny Boy offers something understated and powerful. You may not think it’s the best isekai, but its commentary on the genre definitely makes it nothing short of fascinating.