Isekai has evolved from a niche concept to an overrated genre full of overused gimmicks. Some isekai anime even have nearly identical titles with just different phrasing, and the plots often play out the same way. Only a few manage to stand out amidst the jungle of other genres. While these three aren’t massive hits, they do offer an interesting take on the premise. Dahlia in Bloom, Quality Assurance in Another World, and No Longer Allowed in Another World are the top isekai shows airing this season, and you do not want to miss them if you are an isekai fan.
Table of Contents
- Dahlia in Bloom (Madougushi Dahliya wa Utsumukanai)
- Quality Assurance in Another World (Kono Sekai wa Fukanzen Sugiru)
- No Longer Allowed in Another World (Isekai Shikkaku)
Dahlia in Bloom (Madougushi Dahliya wa Utsumukanai)
Dahlia gets to live the dream of all the overworking employees, which ending up in another world after kicking the bucket. But that comes with some caveats. While she is gifted with the knowledge of crafting magic tools, she is held back by her peers due to societal norms and prejudice, especially after the death of her father. Determined to overcome these obstacles, Dahlia vows to toughen up and face all challenges head-on.
The anime is adapted from a 2018 light novel, which is still ongoing. It also inspired a couple of manga adaptations. The anime is produced by Typhoon Graphics, with “Chiisana Tsubomi” by Nako Misaki as the opening theme and “Glitter” by Marina Horiuchi as the ending theme
First Impressions on Dahlia in Bloom
The first thing that catches the eye is the art: it’s subtly beautiful. The colors aren’t too striking; their softness is easy on the eyes and sets the atmosphere for the time in which the story takes place. It starts slow, letting us dive into this world, understand the characters, and when the loss hits, we see how much it impacts the MC. Watching her rise from the slump and make her way up in this world feels relieving. It’s a coming-of-age story set in a time when everything is opposing her. It’s not a grand or masterfully crafted story. It’s just another run-of-the-mill isekai with a little twist.
Quality Assurance in Another World (Kono Sekai wa Fukanzen Sugiru)
Here’s a lowkey, weird but funny one: a bunch of game debuggers get stuck in a game and can’t log out. The in-game world becomes semi-realistic, with every NPC being interactable as if they were real, but the whole world is filled with video game gimmicks like glitches, T-poses, exploiting game mechanics, etc. It’s an isekai with video game logic. The MC, Haga, despite being in a life-or-death situation, continues to work as a debugger and report all sorts of bugs, while some others start exploiting everything and abusing the NPCs with the cheats they are granted for testing bugs. Haga’s group and the deviant group are bound to clash in this conundrum.
Quality Assurance in Another World (Kono Sekai wa Fukanzen Sugiru, or KonoFuka for short) is an ongoing manga series that started in 2020. The anime adaptation is being produced by 100Studio and Studio Palette. The opening song, “No Complete,” and the ending song, “Loop,” are performed by Liyuu and Nacherry, respectively.
First Impressions on Quality Assurance in Another World
The anime starts off in the other world, focusing on the daily lives of its citizens. We are introduced to Haga, a seeker who conducts investigations for the king. He fights off a weirdly shaped dragon that attacks a village, but the issue remains that the villagers get annihilated regardless of the dragon’s defeat. He has tried to save the village and its citizens many times before, but the same unexplainable occurrence happens again and again. Only this time, one villager somehow survives—a person named Nikola. It is then revealed that this is a game, and Haga is working as a debugger, reporting bugs and weird occurrences within the game. The start of the series is well-handled with this approach. The adventure begins afterward, and more information is disclosed about this strangely constructed world.
The animation is okay, with an above-average level of production. Visually, it looks great, and the art style complements it well. It’s a decently made anime overall, featuring lighthearted comedy, some dark yet hilarious humor, and heartfelt emotional moments.
No Longer Allowed in Another World (Isekai Shikkaku)
Osamu Dazai, based on the real-life author, is the main character in this anime. The title of the anime, No Longer Allowed in Another World, is also based on his literary work, No Longer Human. The MC, known as Sensei, gets transported into a fantasy world when he tries to commit lover’s suicide with his lover, only to be interrupted by a truck suddenly appearing and hitting them both. It turns out this is a ritual for summoning heroes from another world to defeat the demon lord, as explained by the elf priestess who works as a guide for the summoned ones. The otherworldly heroes are granted overpowering abilities to aid them in their journey. But Sensei has no interest in that, as he was just interrupted from dying a poetic death with his lover. Now he seeks his lover in this new world to fulfill the promise made with her, along with the friends he makes along the way.
No Longer Allowed in Another World is adapted from an ongoing manga of the same name that has been serialized in Shogakukan‘s Yawaraka Spirits since 2019. The anime adaptation by Studio AtelierPontdarc is airing this season, with new episodes every Tuesday. The opening and ending songs, “Shura Nikki” and “Sayonara, Subarashiki Sekai yo,” are performed by Kashitaro Ito and Mayu Maeshima, respectively.
First Impressions on No Longer Allowed in Another World
First things first, I love the aesthetics and dark humor the show brings to the table. Its references are faithful to Osamu Dazai’s real-life literary works and how he met his end. In the anime, he and his lover are isekai’d by truck-kun in the middle of a jungle near a river. They are transported to a world where many other people from different time periods are also isekai’d. As a result, the world is now overrun by power-drunk individuals causing havoc with their superiority complex. Sensei is bound to clash with such egotists as he sets out to find his lover and fulfill his promise to her. I like how the story gradually builds up the world and explores the characters further. None of it feels forced or out of place. The plot becomes more interesting, and the characters get their chance to shine. Sensei stays true to his character despite ending up in situations a normal person wouldn’t be in, leading to some hilarious moments. All in all, it’s a great anime to watch right now.
After Thought
While these anime have some intense moments, they can be pretty much comfort anime to watch this season. With tons of isekai shows coming out with similar premises, these offer something unique that’s worth checking out—except for Dahlia, which is okay but not great. That’s just my opinion. It’s hilarious that these three embody the trinity of isekai plot devices: death by overwork, being stuck in a video game, and getting hit by truck-kun.
Thank you for reading ♡. Let us know your thoughts and what’s your watchlist this season. Keep an eye out for more first impressions. Join our Discord server & Telegram chat for the memes and check out our YouTube channel for extra content. Take care y’all 👋.
