There is a lot more of that coming. There is no way to sugarcoat it. Try to think about it this way: magical toolmaking requires magic and not everyone can just go and become an inventor in that world. So there is a lack of tools that aren’t in higher demand. Stuff that is just convenient instead of a necessity has not been at the forefront of development. It’s a flimsy excuse but that’s what I run with.
Comment on Madougushi Dahlia wa Utsumukanai - Episode 1 discussion
lvxferre@ani.social 6 months ago
I didn’t read the source for this one, so the story is 100% new for me. It seems fun.
…okay, got to admit that, when I see people “reinventing” stuff from Earth, it makes me wonder why the locals never thought about it. If you have machines that can output wind/water/fire/earth, in controlled amounts, a hair drier is kind of obvious, isn’t it? (At least it wasn’t mayo or soy sauce.)
NineSwords@ani.social 6 months ago
baltakatei@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
Someday I hope to see an isekai that acts to humble the audience instead of cheerleading Earth culture. Imagine a Japanese high schooler MC waking up, ready to wow the world with Japanese cuisine, smartphone technology, and knowledge of modern medicine… only to realize:
I am sure it would not sit well with test audiences since no one likes being told their culture is bad, but even Earth cultures are incompatible across sufficient geographic distances and spans of history.
lvxferre@ani.social 6 months ago
Damn. Now I want a solarpunk isekai.
I have a personal example confirming that:
When I started cooking Japanese dishes at home, some of my folks here found the Japanese savoury dishes too sweet, and they liked them better when I subbed ginger for black+red pepper. To make it less exotic, more similar to what they typically eat.
And yet they live in the same world and the time period as people who live with those dishes, whom mirin (the sweet ingredient) is part of a holy trinity!
Is Japanese food bad? Fuck no! (At least for me. I cook it for a reason.) But for people in isekai, Japanese dishes wouldn’t be just “exotic”, they’re alien. Getting everyone to say “omaaaae! oishiiiiii!” because the MC prepared something from Japan feels silly.
baltakatei@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
Recommendation: I just finished The Terraformers (2023) which basically has all the bullet points. It opens with a rich kid being executed by a forest ranger for LARPing a carbon negative campsite on a private planet to eat some skewed rabbit. Wealth inequality is still an issue, but technology is crazy; people figured out Earth animals were people the whole time, and baseline Homo sapiens are treated as animals if commercial interests are not restrained by government. I would be a miserable monster living in that arguably better future simply because of my upbringing: I love me a good burger and feel squeamish about people being born from bioprinters. It really humbled me, making me realize the current status quo must change if we want to improve society for everyone.
lvxferre@ani.social 6 months ago
That sounds really cool, I’m going to give it a check. Thank you for the rec!