The Best Isekai Manga Was so Good it Actually Ruined the Genre
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken), also known as TenSura, is a Japanese light novel series that spawned several manga adaptations and two anime seasons. The TenSura manga was especially successful, becoming the first manga based on a light novel to reach 20 million total copies in print. In fact, the TenSura franchise was so successful that almost every manga in the wildly popular isekai genre (in which one or more persons are transported to another world in where they have to survive) is based on its blueprint, creating a serious problem of lack of originality in the industry.
Light novels are Japanese short (usually 50,000 words) novels targeted at young adult readers, commonly illustrated in a manga-inspired style. They are relatively cheap and can be bought at the same price as a manga volume (6 US$). Light novels have become an increasingly important part of the Japanese publishing industry, with sales climbing higher and higher each year. One of the most popular light novels of 2021, was actually Demon Slayer (adapted from the popular manga). While TenSuradidn't quite reach the same heights as that, it was still massively popular, and much of that popularity came from its fresh premise.
Related: New Manga Proves Reincarnation is the Genre's Worst New Trend
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime tells the story of Satoru Mikami, a Tokyo corporate worker living a monotonous life until he is stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. While dying, Satoru hears a mysterious voice and wakes up to discover that he has been reincarnated as a Slime in a fantasy world. His feelings at the moment of death influenced his new species and the skills he acquires, particularly the ability
Read more on screenrant.com
