If you’re an anime fan, then you might have noticed the sudden surge in Isekai titles lately. From your Cautious Heroes to your Reincarnated Slimes it seems like every season the anime creators and studios drop some new show under this genre. Has it gotten a little excessive? Yeah, but that’s another post for another day. Even though there are a lot of isekai titles out there, there’s one that stands out from the rest; so much so, that some would argue that it’s not even a full-fledged isekai. The title that we’re talking about is Danmachi or Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon.

We discovered this awesome series a couple of years ago, and from first glance it seemed like it was an isekai at the time. For those who are wondering just what the heck an ‘isekai’ is, we’ll tell you. An isekai is an anime/manga genre where a person or a small group of people from Earth, get transported to a universe that is parallel to their own, or something completely different. We can name so many titles that fit this description, but the fact of the matter remains; is Danmachi considered an isekai?

Well guys and girls, the short answer to this question is no.

Going back to the definition of what an isekai is, Danmachi does possess a few of the elements that you’d find in your typical isekai title; a brand new fantasy world, guild members, etc. However the main reason why it’s not really considered an isekai, is that fact that the parallel world that the main character Bell is in, is not the world that he’s been transported to from his own – but the world that he’s already living in. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why Danmachi stands out from all of the other isekai titles; because it’s NOT an isekai title in the technical sense of the definition. Sure, it’s got RPG elements like you’d find in Log Horizon or Cautious Hero, but the biggest difference between them is the fact that the world of Danmachi (or Orario), is actually the world that the cast is living in.

Final verdict; Danmachi is NOT an isekai!

Well, that will do it for this rather short anime breakdown, but even though Danmachi isn’t an isekai, it’s still an awesome series nonetheless. If you haven’t gotten the chance yet be sure to check it out on FunimationNow, Crunchyroll, or HiDive! Until next post stay safe, mask up, and love one another! 😉