Yeah it was fun in the beginning, after all who never thought about being transported to another world where you ate a big hero with swords and magic?
But what the hell, I’m pretty sure there’s more isekai now than other genres/settings. It’s gotten to a point that if I see the tag I just move on.
Isekai is just Fish Out of Water on steroids which itself is just a variant on the Hero’s Journey monomyth.
Isekai are popular because people like to explore what if scenarios just in general. The Isekai setup is just a convenient plot device, that’s all.
Which is why the absolute worst form of Isekai is the one where they both know how the world works and it’s just generic fantasy stuff on top.
Why even do it then?
Just so the protagonist can make pop culture references?
Agreed.