Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha

This stack contains non-isekai fantasy anime that you could easily mistake for being an isekai.


Isekai means "different world" and is a Japanese genre of portal fantasy and science fiction. It is a bit hard to define, but generally revolves around a person (or multiple people) who are transported or reincarnated into another world.
Since this definition is fairly broad, you'll find some shows like "Sonny Boy" or "Bakemono no Ko" that are technically isekai, but may not seem like it, as they do not share the most common tropes that you'll see in other isekai anime like “Death March”, “Kenja no Mago”, “Isekai smartphone” or “Mushoku Tensei”. While these shows are not completely identical, they do share a number of tropes, like having a male protagonist enter a medieval fantasy world filled with monsters and magic where they either start with powerful abilities or slowly gain them, similarly to progressing in a fantasy RPG. It is also common for similar isekai shows to include game mechanics like ability stats, skill names, UI screens or even an infinite inventory. Another common trope is for the protagonist to be a chosen or summoned hero who goes on a quest to save the world, ending up with great powers, great riches and a harem of love interests.


This is a list of shows that could be mistaken as isekai since they share a lot of the most common tropes, but missing the element of being transported to another world.


A great example is “Danmachi” where the protagonist already exists in a fantasy world, has a unique and powerful ability and explores a dungeon full of monsters, gaining new stats and skills as though he was the protagonist of a fantasy RPG. Other examples include powerful protagonists being reborn within the same world or shows mostly taking place within a VRMMO.

Feel free to send me a message if I’ve included an actual isekai by mistake, or if you have any suggestions!

https://i.redd.it/de6evauft3l21.jpg

A non-curated roster of High Fantasy works.

High Fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy focusing on entirely original worlds and histories, as opposed to Low Fantasy, where the magical and/or supernatural instead intrude upon the Earth that we know. Note that the term "High" does not mean this subgenre is of inherently greater quality than the other, though of course many have identified such a coincidental trend.

It is a common misconception that High Fantasy and Low Fantasy instead refer to the level to which magic and all it entails are integrated into the world, with those where said elements are abundant being "High" and if rare then "Low." This is, however, completely incorrect, as the distinction is actually in how removed the world is from our own.

There is, naturally, a spectrum between the subgenres, rather than a clear-cut line. Isekai, for instance, is somewhere in the middle, as though works of that genre typically involve a completely fictional setting, the real world is still relevant. For that reason, no Isekai appear on this list, thankfully.

Because of the popularity of what was mentioned above, High Fantasy is in something of a state of decline. Note that the majority of entries shown are from before the turn of the century. Care has been taken, however, to include more recent examples, few though there are.

Sequels, remakes, spinoffs and the like are omitted for brevity.

Continued.

Part 2 of my list of anime which are considerably low in typical tropes.

Part 1 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/6133

This is a stack of Non-Isekai Fantasy Anime with Overpowered Main Characters.

All of the MCs in this stack are OP from the start.

Only the first seasons of each show will be included in this stack.

If you've enjoyed any Anime from this stack, feel free to check out this stack: Isekai Anime with an OP MC

Shousetsuka ni Narou, “Let’s become a novelist!”, is Japan's novel publishing website where anyone can publish and read novels free of charge. These animes are the anime of Shousetsuka ni Narou origin.

Part 1 -> https://myanimelist.net/stacks/5026
Part 2 -> https://myanimelist.net/stacks/5031
Part 3 -> https://myanimelist.net/stacks/5032
Part 5 -> https://myanimelist.net/stacks/49254

this is a list of anime in which is common to picks dropped items from killing monster.

Fantasy & Isekai I've watched that is probably worth your time, at least to some degree. Sequels implied unless otherwise stated.

Update:
-- added Glass Reflection, Gigguk
-- added AH Brandon Reviews season playlists - each list will accumulate the weekly episode reviews as the season goes by

Update:
-- started adding first impressions: AH Brandon Reviews, Mother's Basement, Otaku Spirit
-- caught up with some pre-season entries, including some hashtags


This stack consolidates watch recommendations for the Winter 2024 season from several YouTube critics/commentators. Stacked in alpha order.

Solo Leveling definitely led the way with the most pre-season hype, but out of nowhere, Gushing Over Magical Girls has produced a ton of reaction after the first episode aired.

------------------------------< Pre-season >------------------------------

These are recommendations based on hype, buzz, trailers, and sometimes the reputation of the creative team.

We're only half way through Fall 2023 and videos looking forward to next season have already started to appear. Like last season, ViniiTube is first out of the gate.

ViniiTube 1.07M subs: "Top 10 Most Anticipated Anime of Winter 2024". Covering new and returning shows. VT doesn't rank his picks so I'll just note they are anticipated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9RqJYs51oA

GiggukVODs 78.2K subs: "Picking EVERY Anime I Watch in Winter 2024". 3 hours, 47 minutes. If there's an edited version, I'll take a look but no way I'm working my way through nearly 4 hours of YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTUzuAzQbkw

Probably Pretentious 11.9K subs: "Every Anime You Need To Watch | Winter 2024". A general run-down of new and returning shows that they are watching this season. I'll note any pithy comments on the appropriate show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2SFfM97lM

------------------------------< First Impressions and Episode Reviews >------------------------------

AH Brandon Reviews - added Episode 1 initial impressions.

Gigguk 3.56M subs: "Winter Anime 2024 in a Nutshell". G comments on selected anime from this season. Not ranked or rated. He doesn't explain how or why he chose the shows to comment on, but I think it is because he had something amusing to say, not because they are somehow "good". No chapter markers so I guesstimated time hacks from the transcript.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKFrMoOsqQ

Glass Reflection 584K subs: "I Watched EVERY SINGLE NEW ANIME of the Winter 2024 Season..." Covering new seasonal anime. No sequels. No continuing or returning shows. Rating: KEEP, GR will keep the show on his watchlist. Rating: TOSS, GR will toss the show from his watchlist. Rating: HOLD, GR will keep the show on his watchlist for at least a few more episodes, the implication being unless it does something worthwhile, it will get TOSSed. GR didn't cover "Fluffy Paradise" and "The Unwanted Undead Adventurer".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm8e5FtYEm8

Mother's Basement 1.34M subs: "The BEST Anime of Winter 2024 - Ones to Watch". Ten shows worth watching, plus the Bargain Bin (anime with a couple bumps and bruises on them). The list is not ordered or ranked. [aside] MB explains a couple of terms I have to take note of: "real robot" anime imagine mecha as mass-produced tools of warfare in contrast to the more fantastical, often sentient "super robots" that come from space to protect earth from aliens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMWYSzYcWak

Otaku Spirit 21.9K subs: "Top New Anime So Far After Watching Everything!". Top 19 new anime after watching the first three or four episodes. "Oh my gosh, the thirsty anime fans are winning, winning, winning, winning, winning, winning, winning."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ0G5aUy9cQ

------------------------------< Mid- and Post-season Reviews >------------------------------



Updates to this stack will continue as more videos covering next season are released.

These are anime series adapted from light novel series (and manga series) currently licensed for English translation by J-Novel Club, sorted in order of MAL user score. Only the first anime series of each license has been added here. Since JNC constantly brings in new licenses, some anime may not have been added yet.

Since the list only allow 50 entries, it's essentially a Top 50 of JNC anime. Released anime that haven't made the top 50 cut (in order of score) include:

* Clockwork Planet
* Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranai n desu ga. (My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!)
* Buta no Liver wa Kanetsu Shiro (Butareba -The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig-)
* Beatless
* Infinite Dendrogram
* Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni. (In Another World With My Smartphone)
* Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria (The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar)
* Dekisokonai to Yobareta Motoeiyuu wa Jikka kara Tsuihou sareta node Sukikatte ni Ikiru Koto ni Shita (The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases)
* Ao Oni The Animation (Aooni The Blue Monster)

Some announced future JNC animes: Kisaki Kyouiku kara Nigetai Watashi; Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi; Nageki no Bourei wa Intai shitai; Nihon e Youkoso Elf-san.; Risou no Himo Seikatsu; Tomodachi no Imouto ga Ore ni dake Uzai;

Yes, this is a stack of animes with Dungeons and Labyrinth exploration.

compilation of anime related to undead.

feel free to suggest more.

As we all know, the genre is oversaturated with low effort derivative garbage. I tried to select the best quality shows that rise above the average, or that are enjoyable to watch at the very least.

Part 2. (part 1 here: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/25186)

For people who are dead tired of MC's who are dumb as dirt with no competence in anything, only succeeding thanks to luck and "power of friendship".

This list features anime where protagonists are highly skilled, confident, or overpowered. Succeeding thanks to their own abilities first and foremost.

Includes both female and male protagonists. I don't discriminate. A kickass MC is a kickass MC.

I won't be adding sequels, only the first season. Characters and themes of the show don't usually change from one season to the next. In the rare cases they do, I will mention it.

You also won't find any non-Japanese anime here, unless there's a Japanese localized version. I need my anime to be in Japanese.

"It's not a matter of good or evil; yet it may be possible to do it any other way."

Semi-Noir is characterized by some elements as cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and an underlying existentialist philosophy, albeit not necessarily followed by bleak, eventual prognosis of events to come.

The isolation from society of the typical semi-noir hero was underscored by the use of stark high-contrast lighting. Classic images of semi-noir included rain-soaked streets in the early morning hours; street lamps with shimmering halos; flashing neon signs on seedy taverns, diners, and apartment buildings; and endless streams of cigarette smoke wafting in and out of shadows.

The inherent subjectivity of Expressionism is also evident in semi-noir’s use of narration and flashback. An omniscient, metaphor-spouting narrator frequently clarifies a characteristically hemi-labyrinthine semi-noir plot or offers a subjective, jaded point of view. Tension and suspense are increased by the use of all-knowing narrators and flashbacks, in that the audience is always cognizant of impending bleak turn of events, even with presence of plot armor to save the day at the eleventh hour.

The heroes of semi-noir generally share certain qualities, such as moral ambiguity, a fatalistic outlook, and alienation from society. They also exhibit an existential acceptance of random, arbitrary occurrences as being the determining factors in life. Such compassionless pragmatism is found in the most noble, as well as the most tarnished, of semi-noir heroes. The weakest of such characters exhibit an abundance of tragic flaws.

Semi-Noir villains are often characterized as homme fatales or “spiders”; in the words of one critic, they are “comfortable in the world of cheap dives, shadowy doorways, and mysterious settings.” They cunningly and ruthlessly manipulate their counterparts to gain power or wealth.

Nevertheless, the semi-noir villains often evoke sympathy, as they are frequently victims of emotional or physical abuse, with such victimization providing impetus for their vengeance. They are trapped in passionless or violent bonds of contract/servitude and resort to murder as a means of escape, usually destroying their conspirators in the process.

(list will be kept updated)

These are the best anime to chill and relax to.

𝙍𝙀𝙂𝙐𝙇𝘼𝙍 𝙐𝙋𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙎 | 𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 | 𝙑𝙄𝙎𝙄𝙏 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙁𝙄𝙇𝙀 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀
Anime where the main character is not of human species but acts and has human characteristics (emotion, awareness, consciousness etc.)

𝙍𝙀𝙂𝙐𝙇𝘼𝙍 𝙐𝙋𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙎 | 𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 | 𝙑𝙄𝙎𝙄𝙏 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙁𝙄𝙇𝙀 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀
Anime where the main character gets stronger through levelling up. (work in progress)