With more people diving in front of speeding trucks hoping that they will be reborn into a fantasy world surrounded by their dream girls/boys, isekai anime has become a serious problem for this generation.

Isekai, Japanese for “another world,” is exactly what it sounds like. The protagonist, usually a high school boy, suddenly dies an untimely death due to an unfortunate accident. Because his life ended so suddenly, he is given a second chance at life, only this time in a brand new world. The anime then follows his endeavors as he finds a new life for himself and goes on fantastical adventures.

For a more accurate description, a random loser dies, is reborn into a fantasy world that is a shameless copy of Middle Earth, obtains overpowered weapons or abilities, and goes around busting heads and picking up all types of pretty girls.

This genre isn’t new in the anime trend, but it has seen a great boom since 2010. No Game No Life, Sword Art Online, Gate, and Re:Zero are just a few of the many shows to feature this similar premise, same type of characters, and same old cliches until they all blend together, spreading throughout the culture like a virus.

Yet why are they still so popular? Why are isekai shows continuing to come out, despite many people being sick of carbon-copy shows streaming out like an endless flow of tasteless burgers coming out in cafeterias?

Part of this has to do with Japanese culture itself. In Japan, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, or MMORPGs, have risen sharply in popularity. Close your eyes and spit on a list of anime, and eleven times out of ten your spit will land on an anime that has a setting almost exactly like that of Final Fantasy XIII.

The world of an MMORPG is special in its own way. It’s approachable enough that people won’t have too much trouble getting immersed into its world, but fantastical enough for gamers to actually convince themselves for a moment that they are a twelve-foot undead knight or a seductive demon. Copy&paste that world into an anime, and you get pretty much the same effect from watchers.

Why is it always a high-school boy? Well, when exactly do people start having a true mental crisis in their lives? With school and the thought of college and beyond draining your energy like twelve leeches clinging to your thigh, it’s not implausible to say that high-schoolers have thought at least once about the prospect of leaving this world.

No? Is it just me who wants to battle against a Dark Souls boss in real life?

Regardless, this sort of protagonist creates someone for high-school anime watchers to project themselves onto, so that they can actually convince themselves that they are the ones dropped into the fantasy world with amazing powers. Until their parents come in and throw the computer out the window and reality kicks in.

We also have to consider the writers as well. Why spend almost a lifetime coming up with entire histories for vast fictional countries, even going so far as to create an entire language for the folks there? Just let there be magic, elves, and a Skyrim skin, and voila! You have an easy fantasy world to write about! Who needs actual effort to become a popular writer?

And the readers eat this all up! Even without the pandering to RPG fans and dejected high-schoolers, you’d be surprised at how many people just want to watch an overpowered hero blast through everything in his way while pretty girls cheer for him.

Ultimately, the popularity of isekai shows come down to wish fulfillment. People want to see worlds and characters they are familiar with. They want to see the hero, which they have projected themselves onto, to succeed at every step of the way, because they don’t want to fail like they are failing in real life. And writers have no reason not to make these shows, because it brings in all the money! Who cares about artistic brilliance when you’re rolling in bucks? (Or in this case, Yen).

…you know, Michael Bay would have been the bomb in isekai shows.