Women Are Taking Over Fantasy

[@TheAnimeTea]

Apologies for the poor audio quality, my lapel mic didn’t record so I had to use backup audio from my camera 🥲 What fantasy anime or manga gave you faith in the genre again? Or made you fall in love with it in the first place?

[@DI-QueenmoEMino]

When it comes to fantasy as a whole, I've always been kinda "well that exists" to it. I don't hate fantasy, I feel like it just depends on the type. I have seen anime with whimsical elements to it or some surreal fantasy aspects. But I don't think I ever watched a full-on fantasy anime unless Boy and the Beast, Wolf Rain, or Interspecies reviewers, Ghibli movies count as fantasy.

[@chaddaifouche536]

@@DI-QueenmoEMino Those are definitely Fantasy (not even borderline, they're full on fantasy, most of them, with magical elements, fantastic races and so on, some of them would even qualify as Portal Fantasy, the precursor and inspiration to Isekai). They're just not "Epic Fantasy" in the vein of Lord of The Ring where the world itself is a character (sometimes it is very badly done but unfortunately, quality is never a guarantee in Epic Fantasy, I would even go so far as saying that most Epic Fantasy is pretty bad, even if there are some outstanding exceptions).

[@Chu2chompsankles]

Not fantasy but Magilumiere pretty much revived my interest in the subversive magical girl genre! The idea of a modern-day magical girl industry has surely been done before but this series handles it so well and has really interesting world building. The only other way I've seen magical girl series subvert the trope is by making it dark and gorey. While there are obviously some that did it well, others just feel a bit uninspired, which is sad because there's so much you can do with the concept of magical girls in general.

[@cynixxi]

Frieren and Witch Hat Atelier were the two manga I am reading that I have been hyping forever.

[@TheJoyCoaster]

we're the same! im so happy for the adaptations

[@rattersworld1016]

One of the things I love about the party in Delicious in Dungeon is that each member is relatable, like their individual personalities are actually parts of all people. I don't know, it's just kind of like "Inside Out" or something... Laios is the socially inept, obsessive part (very relatable for me), Senshi is the extremely skilled part, Chillchuck is the mature, objective part, Marcille is the part that's policing everything and trying to keep all the weird parts in check, and Izutsumi is the childish part, with the party itself as the real human acting in society. Anyone else notice this?

[@cthulhista4052]

Fantasy anime has not been good enough for a long time, it's really refreshing to see anime deserving the word "fantastic" on last seasons =) Also hyped to see Witch Hat Atelier being adapted, this manga is a thing of art.

[@xxkankala1671]

You need to watch better shows

[@cthulhista4052]

@@xxkankala1671 recomendations, please =) Not isekai, i want high fantasy stuff like Record Of Lodoss War

[@Maramaranaa]

@@xxkankala1671 i dont trust anyone who uses kny pfp to tell me watch "better shows" LMAO

[@Ghorda9]

@@Maramaranaa he is right thoe, we'v had things like Drifters, Ancient Magus Bride, Mushoku Tensei etc. It's not like where lacking good fantasy, just that there's a lot of crap to sift through.

[@yagxr]

​@@Ghorda9 ancient magus bride is cool, but it got boring after a while. wouldn't put it up there with the ones in this video. mushoku tensei needs no explanation - it's just too uncomfortable and controversial. never heard of drifters. so i mean... i guess we've gotten some good fantasies here and there, but great is what we were lacking. nothing really stood out until now.

[@ramaluminus]

I'm just so tired with gamification of fantasy genre, I mean it sells, I admit it and nowadays it's hard to sell very experimental anime. I'm just happy we finally got stories that actually fantasy like Delicious in Dungeon and Witch Hat Atelier. edit : Is that Eureka 7 acrylic standee on your shelf? That's so cool! I'm glad people still remember that show.

[@DI-QueenmoEMino]

I'm so hyped for the Witch Hat Atelier anime! The manga series is so freaking good with its in-depth worldbuilding and how the magic system works within the world are so creative, Shirahama Kamome artwork is truly great to witness. Highly recommend checking out the manga. Can't wait to watch the anime series!

[@araeast6923]

Something that makes me especially happy with the recent crop of fantasy anime is it feels very… old school fantasy. The magic is both very grounded and yet not over-explained or made into some kind of level system. The world still tends to be built a bit like a game with dungeons and boss monsters, but more like a ttrpg with more focus on unusual, creative ways to get through quests rather than an mmo where characters brute force a boss with their raw power. Fighters aren’t treated like they don’t matter and spellcasters aren’t the absolute top of the food chain. Characters do major things with or without one another. It’s a very deeply-needed breath of fresh air.

[@shockmethodx]

If someone told me that Frieren was a Kendrick-level hater of demons, I would've watched sooner.

[@lewa3910]

Seeing news for Gachiakuta & Witch Hat Atelier finally get anime adaptions has lifted my spirits up after not really feeling enthused about anything since Gundam Witch & Akiba Maid War couple years ago. Also Trigun Stampede's 2nd season finally being announced (I need my girl Milly on screen again!). I know I need to start Dungeon Meshi, i just need to sit my butt down already to watch it

[@bella_daze3092]

HELL YEAH❤❤❤❤

[@luxeternity]

Akiba maid war mention!!

[@Mazed927]

Speaking for myself, I feel like I left all the actual fantasy anime back in the 90s, with the likes of Record of Lodoss War and Slayers. Since then it's just been this isekai brainfog. Two and a half decades later, and they've FINALLY had proper successors, in Frieren, Witch Hat, and Dungeon Meshi. I would go so far as to say that Dungeon Meshi is the single greatest Dungeons & Dragons/fantasy TTRPG-inspired piece of media *to exist.* I could rant and rave about that forever, but it's also deserving of praise for having an actual, plainly stated message that is completely applicable to real life: "To eat is to live, to live is to eat." Life, by necessity, consumes life, but not only do we enrich ourselves by knowing and appreciating what we consume; food is a universal way to form bonds between ourselves where nothing else will. It seems like an obvious thing, but when you give it some thought, you see just how deep that sentiment actually goes. As for Witch Hat Atelier, thanks to you bringing up the art, I'll say this: One of the most famous/infamous manga series around is Berserk, and the art featured there is unbelievably good, and worth checking out for its own sake. That said, the story comes with a content warning for just literally ANYTHING that could possibly warrant a content warning, so it's completely understandable if anyone would prefer not. Fortunately, Witch Hat Atelier DOESN'T come with such a grimdark advisory, so you can appreciate an absolutely gorgeous pen-and-ink fantasy tapestry that's safe to chill out with!

[@gota7738]

I've had such a hard time finding copies of Witch Hat Atelier in shops, I've been looking forwards to being able to see the anime. But you've got a good point about the effect of the manga's paneling so it won't be the same. Honestly there's a manga that I adore called Shoulder a Coffin Kuro, it's not quite high fantasy, more rural/steampunk magical realism, but I think would fit in so well next to show's like Frieren, Dugeon Meshi, and even Witch Hat. However it finished publishing back in 2018 so the chances of it ever getting an anime adaptation are near 0.

[@TheAnimeTea]

Yah, Witch Hat has been sold out for a while now which is wonderful but also sucks for those trying to get their hands on physical copies 🥲 I just looked up Shoulder a Coffin Kuro and the vibes are giving Soul Eater meets Kino's Journey so I'm immediately interested!

[@gota7738]

​​@@TheAnimeTea Kino's Journey is definitely a good comparison. The iyashikei and existential vibes of Kino or Frieren (and the gothic vibes of the former), the character relationships and unraveling world building & backstory details of Delicious Dungeon, and the beautiful art and experimental paneling for 4Koma, comparable to the creativity of Witch Hat Atelier (especially as it goes on and Satoko Kiyuduki improves). Plus minimal to 0 fanservice (I can only think of 1 panel and it's contextually appropriate) and plenty of found family and cool female characters the protagonist Kuro (and Kuro herself, though you can also read her genderqueer) meets along the way. Unfortunately I think a lot of it is also out of print, though ebooks exist and second hand copies are out there. The ending makes me emotional every time so big recommend.

[@BelBelle468]

Check out Barnes and noble. At the one I go to, they actually placed Witch Hat in front of the anime section. Someone on staff really wants ppl to read it lol

[@gota7738]

@@BelBelle468 Alas, I think my countries last Barnes & Noble went out with the 2008 financial crash.

[@Chu2chompsankles]

I guess the silver lining is that the series is popular enough to be in high demand 😭. I got a copy of volume 1 from a Waterstones luckily.

[@confusedfrog294]

Frieren is one of those series that I know is great, and I can understand exactly what makes people fall in love with it, and yet it just doesn’t grip me the way it does other people. And I know there’s nothing wrong with saying “It’s just not for me,” but it feels really bad to not be able to love it the way so many others love it. (Not to say I dislike it, it was fun to watch and I definitely am looking forward to a season 2 one day. It just didn’t resonate with me like Dungeon Meshi did.) Dungeon Meshi, on the other hand, is on the verge of becoming my special interest, and possibly already is lol. Something about the way that it weaves its story, setting, themes, characters, and everything about it into that central theme of food is so beautiful to me. It also gets a special place in my heart because it inspired me to balance my diet and get into a more healthy lifestyle in general. I’ve heard so many good things about Witch Hat Atelier and I’m excited to see where it might fall on that spectrum of feelings for me. I do kind of want to read the manga, but I generally don’t read manga unless an anime adaptation has already gotten me hooked on it. I think I’ll wait to see season 1 first, but man, I hate waiting.

[@mayasimunek]

I really cannot recommend the manga enough in spite of the anime adaptation, its just simply impossible to capture every artistic implication from the manga into an anime

[@BelBelle468]

I felt the same way for witch hat atelier. I think it might be a situation where my brain isn’t in it right now. Things change, so I imagine I’ll be able to enjoy it and try out fireren soon.

[@Chu2chompsankles]

If there's any series you go in manga first please let it be witch hat! The author seriously has some of the most immersive and creative panelling I've seen in manga and it adds a lot to the reading experience.

[@samuellatuffour1584]

Thank you for talking about fantasy anime, you did such a fantastic analysis on this. Secondly, I love your outfit, especially the elf ear, it's all so cute. Thirdly, Delicious in Dungeon was great, but Frieren is the fantasy anime that I really enjoyed watching, especially how Frieren herself is not necessarily trying to be a human, but trying to under humans and their way of living, along with the fact that she is immortal and how she understands that her immortality is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Thirdly, could you do a Peach Girl video, your personal take on the show, what you liked about it, what could have been improved, the manga series, and if a season two and side stories for certain characters in Peach Girl should happen or even a video on shows that need a season two and beyond in any genre: romance, slice of life, comedy and more.

[@TheAnimeTea]

I actually have 2 ears on but my hair covered the other ear too much 🥲 but I agree that Frieren is a great series and Frieren herself is beautifully written. I actually have only seen a small bit of Peach Girl back when I was a teenager but a full look back at the series would be interesting! I won't make any promises but I'll look into it!

[@dan1a_636]

getting those adaptations made me hopeful again for a reboot/season 2 of yona of the dawn, it's such a phenomenal historical fantasy and the manga nearing it's end just makes me want a reboot even more cause I dread the time we won't have any yotd content to consume it's my fav series of all time alongside hunter x hunter

[@cornkopp2985]

While I still read a few isekai here and there (especially otome isekai styled series) I totally agree that a lot of the fantasy genre in manga and anime has become quite stale. For me I think what makes a fantasy series great is that the world itself is a character on some level. Even a very straightforward setting can be made great with enough thought and intentionality put into the world the characters inhabit, such as in dungeon meshi, and that's a big reason why so many isekai stories fall flat for me.

[@ElJorro]

Delicious in Dungeon is one of my favorites! On the surface it looks standard but it has some of the best world building I have ever seen.

[@kv4648]

This is the last bastion of male dominated competent writing for young adults/teens.

[@ygrtj]

Finally finishing the finally falling for fantasy anime video (I'm not actually finished, I just wanted to continue the sentence)

[@heatherhoneyy]

Love “she loves to cook she loves to eat” so wholesome it’s perf ❤ the live action was also good

[@IAmBored347]

Finally we get more fantasy anime than Isekai. Because let's be honest I dislike Isekai...a lot.

[@maitea597]

My favorite part of Frieren is that we start just like Frieren, we don't really care about the party, we don't really know them, and then we start knowing them and forming a connection with them even though their journey is already over.

[@Quincy25]

Great video! Witch Hat Atelier is on my PTR so looking forward to it and the anime!

[@Scyon13]

Fantasy as a whole, from TV to video games to anime, in the last decade or 2 has missed the most important part of fantasy, the journey, TV shows tend to focus on politics, video games difficulty and bosses and anime op mcs. The story, the world building, the characters and the journey, these anime and baldur's gate are pushing classic story/journey focused fantasy back to the front of peoples minds.

[@katiefletcher4129]

I can’t wait to try out your suggestions! I’ve found myself tired of most fantasy anime for lots of the same reasons. But I’m willing to give it another chance, considering how much I enjoyed dungeon meshi!

[@PocketLeaves]

I've been LOVING these new fantasy series, and I'm curious to see how this change affects the over all industry! I absolutely fell in love with Dungeon Meshi, and Frieren has been such a cool watch! I've not started reading Witch Hat yet, but I just got volume 1, and I'm super excited to see the anime when it airs!

[@gwim4430]

I really love the fantasy trend that's been happening recently. Dorohedoro is another excellent fantasy series written by a woman (Q Hayashida) as well as her new series Dai Dark. Women truly are saving not only fantasy but anime in general. Great video.

[@john80944]

I would argue those series you mentioned are fruits of over-commercialization but with good tactics. You want something not over-commercialized? You should read Mushoku Tensei. It was written when commercialzation of web noves haven't even grown into an industry. And after you get to know the MC, you will appreciate how tamed commercialized series are.

[@BelBelle468]

Ummm…what? Over commercialization? These fantasy shows didn’t really get noticed by major audiences until way later. They’re FAAAR more underrated than MT. And not over commercialized?? My dude…that series is the most hyped up isekai out there. Even prior to its release ppl were calling it the grandfather of modern isekai. Stuff like re zero were unknown prior to its anime adaption, and made a name for itself by not being a conventional isekai whereas MT wrote the tropes. And this video is about fantasy, not isekai. MT leans into a lot of the typical tropes, whereas these new fantasies are breath of fresh air in many ways. MT fans be glazing lol

[@luxeternity]

Pedoku is over-commercialization due to the fact it's isekai first and foremost.

[@antheroze]

"after you get to know the mc" nah im good

[@ali.ma_nya]

AaahhhAaH feliz de haber encontrado este canal

[@owlren5458]

If you're looking for a good fantasy to watch this season I would highly recommend Wistoria: Wand and Sword. It uses alot of familiar tropes but executes them in such an entertaining way. Not to mention the animation is absolutely stunning

[@lewa3910]

bait

[@WhyIsYoutubeSoTerrible]

The good news is that they released a trailer for Witch Hat Atelier and it looks like its production values will be on a similar level to Frieren

[@moustik31]

My 2 favorite genres are fantasy and historical and although I direly miss the shoujo and josei stories, I've been agreably surprised by Yatagarasu and ofc The Apothecary's Diairies. I'm also looking forward to the Witch Hat Atelier!

[@nanni0580]

I really hope that the anime adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier does the manga justice.

[@zurielschubert9410]

I really like how Mushoku Tensei gets swept under the rug.

[@yusuffulat6954]

A lot of fantasy anime objectively isn't that good, but it's a genre that brings me a lot of comfort and 'cozy' vibes idk. Glad that the genre might move in a positive direction!

[@mysmallnoman]

" objectively "

[@katarinaclaes96]

Awesome video I'm going to have to check out this Anime.😁

[@joshdavid9256]

I had no idea what Witch Hat Atelier was before the anime announcement, now I'm debating going back and binge reading the manga before it comes out. Also brief shout out to one of my long time comfort fantasy anime Record Lodoss War.

[@SkullandSwors_art]

7:23 Dungeon Meshi makes you think “well, this is fun, but it’s definitely just going to be the gimmick, so there’s no way it will have staying power.” The. A few episodes in its like “wait… this actually has good story, characters and world building! This is great!” Lol

[@Iattecat]

if you havent already seen it, i really recommend 86! i think you could make a great video on it whether it be storyline, art, or anything else.

[@joyc.e.7511]

Hell yeah, someone else who's seen 86!

[@rattersworld1016]

I loved the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, but I have to give credit where credit's due (I do have to say that I read it when I was 11 or 12, so I don't remember it THAT well). Frieren is a banger anime.

[@Sh_Wh]

Love to see that you like Frieren.

[@juanmacias5922]

Wow, thank you for suggesting Witch Hat Atelier I'll be sure to keep my eye out for the anime. One fantasy anime I'd suggest would be "Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina", I'd say it's peaceful, yet impactful.

[@benjamingoldstein9156]

If you haven't tried Dungeon people, you might want to try it. It goes from the back side of the dungeon crawl.

[@Hølløwguy-f7q]

Well, chief, dont know if you noticed, but female protagonist arnt only taking over anime, they are taking over cinema as well. Male stories just arnt being told anymore.

[@theshire9173]

Just so you know, it’s not simply having a female protagonist (the main protagonist of Dungeon Meshi is a man), it’s that these stories were written by women

[@k9ine999]

Made in Abyss, Frieren, Delicious in Dungeon, all good.

[@bobbobby475]

Frieren really wasnt that unique to me but Dungeon Meshi and Witch Hat Atelier is 🐐

[@kris1123259]

When the anime was announced I was fearful of it landing with a staff / studio WHA that wouldn't be able to deliver. It is literally one of the hardest manga to adapt out there, and I'm almost convinced at this point they are either going to fail or if they succeed the poor animators are going to overworked like crazy. Anything short of Frieren's level of project management it's going to insufficient

[@Naomi-nz3cn]

i am planning a fantasy comic series but when i watched frieren, it has similar vibe and morals so i am worried that ppl might think in the future it is like any other fantasy story and it will be overrated like isekai ;-; .

[@blaze14ZX]

The commercial fantasy shows pale in comparison to the stuff from 20 years ago. Those were real stories with world building and great characters. Shows like inuyasha, escalfowne, 12 kingdoms and fushigi yugi were og isekai before SOA. I know people have mixed feelings about mushoko tensei but it's what we've been missing story wise from fantasy. Shows like slayers and record of the lodoss war had vast lands and different creatures. Slayers was more of a shonen action comedy with some lude jokes but it had fun characters. Lodoss war had deep world building because the creator was a D&D fan similar to bastard heavy metal fantasy. Although bastard is a bit too ecchi at times for me, especially in season 2. Hopefully more original stories and better stories get adapted or published, same thing for sci-fi.

[@mysmallnoman]

A lot of shows now still have what you're talking about lol, you're literally doing the : " old anime was better!! " Dumb argument

[@yunfeikwon]

​@@mysmallnoman OP means story wise. All of the mentioned above has deep and kinda dark element in the storytelling, not just largely slice of life kinda storyline. Ofc sol fantasy is nice too and I like it, but fantasy with darker tone and heavy theme is nice too right

[@mysmallnoman]

@@yunfeikwon my point doesn't change

[@etiennesauve3386]

That isekai trend started roughly in 2012 when SAO came out. While the concept of isekai was not new, the commercial succes of SAO made other try to replicate it of surf the wave. The 93 Beserk series was pretty good you probably need to look for old anime if you look for more great fantasy

[@proanuubis2546]

I didn't know anyone else was also feeling the burn out of the first 1:30~ same story plots and devices, everything in the genre (isekai/fantasy) just reads like a formula

[@xxsnow_angelxx3953]

I literally check boxes of isekai off with my bro (he's the one adding it to his list😅😂)

[@sarthak_singh_kharola]

Is I am the first comment...? felling proud of my self... 🤣🤣🤣

[@--Paws--]

13:02 It's almost like Mashle but a bit darker.

[@Torchy217]

Off topic but do you plan to make a discord server for this channel?

[@Chepicoro]

If you like fantasy anime with a female lead... you should try "Claymore" a Dark Fantasy/action anime with one of the most impressive warriors of all anime Teresa of the Faint Smile

[@juanjuri6127]

I found Frieren pretty enjoyable right up to the wizard's driver license exams, where we had several episodes focusing on the magic system, by far the least interesting thing about the show. "But what if... offensive magic... could pierce defensive magic... by channeling a" I DON'T CAAAARE, way to choose to resemble all those dime-a-dozen fantasy shows you were supposed to stand out from Dungeon Meshi is the best manga i've ever read and the anime's right up there with it, no notes I haven't read much of WHA but what I have suggests this one's going to be a real treat for the eyes

[@lewa3910]

Yeah, when it turns into shonen explaining fantasy power scaling, i immediately turn off.

[@Ghorda9]

@@lewa3910 except it's not power scaling, it's just more details on how magic is made. I don't get why it's a bad thing the entire arc is still heavily character focused.

[@beckybertish7841]

Those tropes fit a lot of stuff on crunchyroll. It does get old so the unique ones are a bit harder to find. I heard frieren is good haven't watched it yet. I feel like the first fantasy anime i got into was escaflowne.

[@valipop1425]

There’s definitely wayyy too many isekai, I get shocked when it’s not one and is still fantasy theme. Frieren was a good chill show.

[@Poojan-k2u]

Did gigguk copy you with your latest vid?

[@АруЕсенгельдиева]

Idk If you will see my comment but new anime was announced - adaptation of manhwa Omniscient reader (only 1/5 is adapted) which is also adaptation of Korean book Omniscient reader viewpoint (which is better and main story is finished), It's a fantasy and apocalypse written by a married couple and is a best fiction ever made, female characters are important to the plot and amazingly written and so are male characters, no romance and It's not about power scaling but more about stories and how they affect people. There also going to be a kdrama in 2025 (even tho cast is quite bad and It seems movie adaptation is not going to bee good), also a review by gigguk "When You Become The Main Character" which is alright but conveys only a little of a book. Also donghua adaptation of Chinese book - Lord of mysteries, also just as amazing as Omniscient reader viewpoint, no romance, the plot is amazing and spooky, world building is a chef kiss🥰 It's so unique but has a slow start but for reasons

[@FalCite]

Witch hat atelier’s trailer blew my expectations Witch hat>ghibli

[@mysmallnoman]

You guys can't praise something without putting down an entire genre couldn't you?

[@Ghorda9]

except isekai isn't a genre, it's just a trope that usually doesn't even need to exist in most shows.

[@mysmallnoman]

@@Ghorda9 lol no, it's a genre, in the same way slice of life is also a genre Go be a r****d somewhere else

[@felixheitzer2262]

Seriously? Isekai/Fantasy is being milked to no end and a lot of it is just really semi. That's just fact. I still enjoy a lot of it well enough, but I can acknowledge that nevertheless.

[@Ghorda9]

@@felixheitzer2262 the only problem with fantasy is that it's mostly Tolkien clones

[@felixheitzer2262]

@@Ghorda9 If they were good clones, the problem would not be nearly as glaring. But a lot of these are simply junk food stories.

[@Amaling]

I just wanna say, consuming a lot of isekai/crappy fantasy anime is not normal, at least if you treat it as anything but junkfood. This is the same as watching a bunch of shitty reality series and dating game shows expecting Sopranos level storytelling. It's for the best to try and ignore the noise no matter how mass-produced and saturated it gets and enjoy the more interesting/distinct fantasy anime What I am less a fan of is series like Mushoku Tensei and Re Zero getting phenomenal production meanwhile adaptations like Blue Period are so disappointingly mediocre, but that's a discussion for another day

[@lewa3910]

Omg I know right! The most overhyped stories that boil down to Just another isekai being given such grand production values just make me wanna tear out more of my already balding hairline, like that scene of homer over the years

[@mysmallnoman]

>tears down an entire genre for no reason >Recommends shows with the exact same issues Lol

[@Ghorda9]

Mushoku has the best character writing and very much deserves it's production. It was even the very first of the modern isekai.

[@mysmallnoman]

@@Ghorda9 it wasn't the very first, stop believing stuff on the internet

[@mysmallnoman]

@@lewa3910 as opposed to literally any other genre? Lol

[@animefan5874]

Do you hate nsfw type anime? Ecchi i mean?

[@beanqueenie_324]

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is one of my favorite shoujo fantasies 🥰