---
title: 'ISEKAI Shows a Problem with REALITY'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=jJpm3GlMasg'
video_id: 'jJpm3GlMasg'
date: 2026-06-15
duration_sec: 0
---

# ISEKAI Shows a Problem with REALITY

> Source: [ISEKAI Shows a Problem with REALITY](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jJpm3GlMasg)

## Summary

The video explores the deep-seated reasons behind the popularity of isekai anime, arguing that it reflects a widespread frustration with reality and a desire for escape from societal pressures, meaningless work, and personal dissatisfaction. The creator connects this trend to human nature and encourages viewers to actively build the life they want rather than merely escaping into fiction.

### Key Points

- **Isekai as a Reflection of Society** [0:00] — The video posits that the isekai genre reveals an objective truth about Japanese society and humanity's frustration with reality.
- **Historical Roots of Isekai** [0:49] — Urashimataro, an 8th-century Japanese folktale about a fisherman who travels to an underwater palace, is cited as one of the earliest isekai stories.
- **Common Isekai Tropes and Their Deeper Meaning** [2:25] — Examples like 'Death March,' 'Reincarnated as a Slime,' 'Jobless Reincarnation,' and 'Wise Man's Grandchild' share protagonists who escape miserable lives, highlighting a desire for freedom.
- **The Pain of Reality** [3:04] — A documentary excerpt shows a Japanese man describing the physical and emotional toll of overwork, illustrating the grim reality many seek to escape.
- **Escape from Pain** [3:48] — The core reason for isekai's appeal is the desire to escape pain: difficult people, uninteresting studies, unfulfilling dreams, and living inauthentically.
- **Humanity's Flawed Creations** [4:30] — Despite technological marvels, humanity excels at creating weapons of mass destruction, exemplified by a brutal war scene between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers.
- **Questioning Personal Satisfaction** [5:49] — The video asks viewers if they are satisfied with their studies, job, and freedom to speak their mind, suggesting many underestimate their own freedom.
- **Life's Meaning and the Call to Action** [6:20] — The creator argues life is objectively meaningless, so there is no reason not to live as you want. He encourages taking risks to build your ideal reality instead of escaping into fiction.

### Conclusion

The popularity of isekai stems from a deep-seated frustration with reality and a desire for freedom. Rather than escaping into fiction, the creator urges viewers to actively pursue their dreams and build a life they don't need to escape from.

## Transcript

What if I told you that Reborn as a
venting machine reveals an objective
truth about Japanese society? All right,
maybe not this one, but have you ever
wondered why in the world isai even is a
thing? Or better yet, why it's so
popular? I mean, the fact that isekai
became its own genre and ended up being
one of the most consumed ones in the
anime community can't be just because.
Sure, is sells and that's the main
reason so many mega keep making them.
Why does it sell so much? Really, have
you ever thought about that? It's true
that some people just want a simple I'm
going to catch them all her type is
myself included. But I genuinely believe
there is something deeper behind this
trend of frustration with how our world
works. In this video I want to show you
what the isakai trend says about the
state of humanity and what we can do to
fix it. All that with a bit of comedy of
course. Although isekai is everywhere
these days it actually had a humble
beginning just like everything else. Let
me introduce you to Urashimataro. One of
the first Japanese stories about
traveling to another world recorded in
history dating back to around the 8th
century. The story follows a
good-hearted fisherman by the name of
Urashima. Doesn't look like Kyito
though. Isn't this supposed to be an
isekai? Anyways, our guy is out fishing
as usual until he accidentally catches a
turtle. He lets it go since turtles are
supposed to live a longass time and he
didn't want to mess with its life
expectancy just for a meal. But to our
surprise, a turtle turns out to be one
of the first Japanese waifuss ever
recorded in history. Who would have
guessed? The waifu is actually the sea
god's daughter, and the whole thing was
a test to see if Hurashima was worthy of
becoming her husband. He sees this as an
absolute win. Who wouldn't? And the two
of them sail to the palace of the dragon
god at the bottom of the sea. Everything
there is different. Even time passes
differently. So, it's basically another
world. The ending of this story
absolutely sucks, though. When he goes
back home to visit his family, he
realizes a 100red years have passed.
Everybody's dust at this point, and he
has no idea how to go back to his
aquatic waifu. He opens a box she told
him not to open and becomes dust too. So
what can we learn from this? Never
disobey your turtle waifu to go back to
your family. Having shitty endings has
been a trend for Japanese authors for
quite a while for what I can tell. And
somehow we went from Japanese folklore
about a fisherman and a god's daughter
to generic easy to draw Kyito wannabe
who has a herm and a smartphone in
another world. With all that being said,
I believe that beneath all these cliches
and self-inserted stories lies an
objective truth about how millions of
people feel and a calling to change
reality. Let's take a look at some
cliché for a moment. Death March about a
guy who basically lives at work, dies,
gets transported into the world of the
game he was developing, reincarnated as
a slime. About a guy who lived a normal
life in the business world, then gets
stabbed and is taken to another world.
Jobless reincarnation. a guy with a
miserable life and very questionable
character who gets reincarnated. And
last but not least, wise man's
grandchild. The MC works like crazy,
barely has a life until he's run over
and reincarnated. Beyond what's
considered a generic plot nowadays,
there is something deeper happening in
each one of these stories. A frustration
with reality and a desire to be truly
free. In the short documentary published
by Nes, we see a Japanese man describing
how he feels every day when he goes to
work. With his simple words, he says,
"It's almost midnight. When I walk into
the office, little by little, my body
goes bad. I feel pain in my heart.
Little by little, I cannot breathe. But
employees are so busy. They can't take
care of me. Everybody's running the same
way. They can barely see the outside.
Working is existing. No one is waiting
for me. The room is dark, just sleeping
and continuing day after day. a reality
where many don't have a life outside of
work, where working and meeting
society's expectations has become the
norm. Now, let me ask you once again,
what deeper reason is there for so many
of us to want to go to another [music]
world? I'll give you the answer. To
escape, run away from the pain. The pain
of dealing with difficult people every
day. The pain of studying things we're
not interested in. The pain of
dedicating ourselves to a dream which
isn't even ours to begin with. The pain
of constantly living, doing, and study
things that have nothing to do with who
we are. These are the things that make
another reality so appealing to so many
of us. Many isekai stories are created
just for the sake of money and nothing
else. But this desire to consume isekai
after isekai to insert ourselves in
another world often comes from a
frustration with reality itself with how
things work in this world. This is why I
believe there is value to understanding
why so many people love generic isekai
and why you might be interested in the
idea of living another world to begin
with. If you take a closer look at the
hundreds of inventions that humanity has
created throughout history, it's almost
unbelievable. I mean, if I were sent
back to the past to explain how
electricity works, I'd probably say, "No
idea, bro. I just use it." Think for a
moment about how many technologies you
use every single day without really
understanding how they work. But when
you look even closer to what humans have
created, you realize that there is one
specific thing that's very unique to
[music] our species. We are masters at
creating weapons of mass destruction. In
this short video published by Daily Mayo
news, a Ukrainian and a Russian soldier
engage in a brutal fight. One of them
ends up severely wounded, lying on the
ground. As he's about to pass away, he
says, "That's it, Mom. Bye. Let me pass
away in peace. It hurts a lot. Let me go
quietly. You were the best fighter.
Please let me die by myself." All that
suffering because of old men who hate
each other, who then send men who don't
hate each other to kill one another. An
endless cycle of hate. And even when a
war does end, it's just a matter of time
until another begins. Where beauty
thrives [music]
human greed hurries to defile it. This
is something deeply rooted in human
nature, and it makes me profoundly
disappointed with reality. No wonder so
many people wish to live in a far away
place. Let me ask you something. Are you
satisfied with the way you live? Do you
study what you actually want to study?
Do you have a job? Are you satisfied
with it? Do you speak the way you want
to? Or you think following your heart
would be too naive, too immature, or
childish? Well, life is tough for most
of us. Sometimes we have to do things we
don't want to do, and that sucks. But a
lot of times we underestimate just how
much freedom we actually have. Many of
us have built such a strong narrative in
our minds that we don't even try
anymore. We don't take risks. We don't
believe. You see, I believe that life is
objectively speaking meaningless. I
think that from a universal point of
view, there is no absolute value in
anything we do. For me, the meaning of
all things is what they mean to you and
me and nothing else. I respect the
different faiths, but I myself have no
spiritual faith whatsoever. I don't
believe there is a second chance,
another life. Maybe you do, and that's
completely fine. Maybe there is one. I
hope it's a good one. But let's play a
little game for a moment. Imagine this.
Even if just for a second, life is
meaningless and there is no afterlife.
Once you die, everything stops for you.
You no longer take part in anything and
all you did becomes just one of the
countless things that have happened in
this universe. In such a reality, would
it make any sense to live in a way you
don't want? Cuz if life is meaningless,
then there is no right or wrong way to
live objectively speaking because in the
end, none of it really matters. Of
course, maybe you believe life has an
objective meaning. Maybe you're even
religious and that's fine. What I mean
is, if you're always living in a way you
don't want to and you've already given
up on trying to reach your ideal
reality, then why are you living? If
your life has no meaning to you, why are
you here? And this is why I used to love
isekai so much because I was frustrated
with my life. And I'm not going to lie,
from time to time, I still wish I could
live in a better reality where pain and
social pressure is no longer a thing.
But the more I risk and do what I want
to do, the happier I feel about my life.
I no longer feel like I always need to
be watching or reading a story where I
can imagine myself going to another
world because I'm already trying to
build the world I want to live in. So if
you think the life you want is childish
or immature, I ask you this. According
to who? Your own mind, your family. This
may sound a little cliche, but
seriously, believe in your dreams.
Sacrifice things. Try even if just a
little. But for no means should you give
up because the happier a person is with
their life, the less they'll wish to be
a guide. What are you running away from?
If you're running from something, of
course, why do you feel the need to
escape and what can you do about it? No
matter how childish or unrealistic it
may sound, do it. I realize that when I
am unhappy with my life, is feels like a
refuge. But when I start fixing my life,
is becomes secondary because even while
struggling, I know that back in the real
world, I'm living the way I want to.
Listen, I love a good old generic
isekai. I know most of them are trash,
but boy, I love my trash. And boobs and
overpowered de aside, I believe we can
learn something essential about our own
existence from these trash isekai. In
the end, we all want to be free. And
what can you do today that could
eventually set you free? Do you know it?
Then do it. Even if just a little. And
if you don't know what it is yet, you
can start by searching.