r/Isekai

What i mean is, is there an isekai story where the protagonist walks up in another world, is confused about everything around them because the life they knew clashes with the life they are in.

Like imagine waking up suddenly in a cottage or a castle room, everyone around is calling you by a different name, them being confused because of behavior changes or something like that.

Like if a person woke up in a fantasy world or something like that, I imagine they would be like coma patience who had lived an entire live in there dreams and now the world they woke up to is not the one they lived years in.

Is there any stories like that?

what i mean is that are there any anime where the main character doesnt remember the moments from their past life until they reach the age they were at when they experienced it. So like for example say the mc is 3, they would likely only remember the memories they have of them being a toddler!

Was curious if there was a hero who doesnt really care about hiding his power but also doesnt want to make his powers a big deal? Hes just doing it but not for fame or anything. Just curious talk here really.

I am trying to find an isekai manga i was reading a few years back, but I can't recall the name.

It was an isekai, where the mc gets reincarnated into the body of a fat noble son. The mc read the story of the world in a book or a game so he tries to prevent the bad events from happening.

He exersizes to lose weight (but you dont really see the difference in the way he is drawn), he has a servant girl who was saved by the noble before the mc reincarnated into him and she is in love with him, but he does not feel the same way about her.

The mc goes into a magic school. The magic system is based around spirits, which choose who they get attached to of their own free will (or something like that, I don't recall the details).

His body had a bad reputation, but nothing that played too much into the plot.

The mc also has a pretty strong spirit. But its not like a power fantasy slop.

It was also drawn in black/white, no colours.

That is about all I can remember. Anyone ever read this?

-edit-
Found it: Reincarnated as the piggy duke

​Someone I know once said this: "If you remove the main character from an isekai story and its world can still function, that's a good isekai." I think this is pretty spot on. A lot of isekai series are written with way too much focus on the MC, to the point where the world is built solely as a stage for them. This results in bland side characters, one-dimensional and somewhat stupid villains, and other major characters who only act in response to whatever the main protagonist does.

​Take everyone's favorite isekai slop, In Another World With My Smartphone, as a simple example. Kick the MC out, and what’s left of that world? Just a generic world where the rest of the cast—both major and minor characters, as well as the villains—loses almost all motivation to act.

​On the other hand, good isekai stories usually throw it right in your face what other characters would be doing without the MC. For instance, in Re:Zero, even without Subaru, Emilia would still participate in the Royal Selection, and the whole plot involving the witches and mages could very well play out normally, even if the outcomes might change.

​However, this doesn't mean an isekai is completely terrible if it doesn't have world-building like that—you can still totally enjoy Smartphone if it's your cup of tea. But this test easily shows the effort and brainpower put into the story. Only the best writers put in enough details, big and small, for the world to function independently of the main character.

​Additionally, I think if you evaluate whether the story remains interesting after removing the MC, you can easily rank different isekai series against each other.

​In my opinion, using this metric makes Mushoku Tensei truly the best, even without Rudeus and his endless horny thoughts. Paul would still smash Lilia, Norn would still feel inferior to Aisha, and characters like Sara, Elinalise, Zanoba, and Cliff would still pursue their own goals, which you can easily picture throughout the story's timeline. This applies especially to Rudeus's three wives: even though they are closely tied to the MC, you can still easily imagine Roxy going on adventures and eventually settling down to teach. Eris would still train with her sword and act recklessly. As for Sylphy—who might be the hardest to imagine—her story would still revolve around her friends and dealing with bullying. On top of that, the conflict between certain gods would remain fascinating, even without Rudeus in that world.

​Ultimately, as I mentioned above, failing this metric doesn't necessarily mean an isekai is complete trash. But if a story passes it, it is definitely worth reading because it reflects the author's true dedication to crafting the world and its characters.