Here are all the words and phrases we were talking about in the first episode of our podcast part 1:
Isekai (Japanese: 異世界 transl. 'different world', 'another world', or 'other world') is a subgenre of portal fantasy. [as stated by wikipedia]
we would say isekai has characters that go from the "real" world into another world (either through death, magic, or some secret 3rd option) with popular choices going into a video game (such as otome games), novels, or television shows. They become part of the story and assume some role. They become either the main character, a side character, canon fodder, or the villain. (we particularly like the villainess archetype lol)
one popular way of death is truck-kun. He so graciously escorts us to another world, much like regina george.
(like nobody is safe from this metal monster)
so there are a few different ways to become a story character in isekai stories, some are reincarnators, where they are born as the character in their second life, and tend to live a long time as that character till events of the system story happens. An example of this is I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss (悪役令嬢なのでラスボスを飼ってみました, Akuyaku Reijō Nanode Rasubosu o Katte Mimashita) by Sarasa Nagase.
(which is super cute and we recommend! there is even an anime!)
Aileen, who was sickly in her first life spent most of her time in the hospital playing an otome game (valid), finds herself reincarnated into the villainess who dies in the game. So she sets about to stop herself from biting the big one by trying to befriend the final boss that kills her.
then we have regressors, who are souls that turn back time to the past (may or may not have possessed their body in the past). Regression doesn't necessarily mean that it is an isekai story. An isekai means a person going from one world to another. A regression isekai for example, is if someone possesses a body of a character that goes back in time to the past, usually because they met a bad end in their life.
An example is The Villainess is a Marionette (악녀는 마리오네트) by Yi-Rim Han, a korean novel and webtoon. It follows a girl named Kayena, who died once then was reincarnated as a korean woman, then dies again and is reborn once again as Kayena. Girly is like third time's the charm let's goooo
(still need to finish this lol, I like it so far but that was a while ago)
last major type is transmigration. This is when you wake up as the character, right when all the action is about to start in the story. You are just plopped right into the action and life says good luck godspeed. An example of this is The Perks of Being a Villainess (Official English Title). Which has a weird title situation where there are like two other English titles, Isn't Being a Wicked Woman Much Better? (Alternative English Title) and What's Wrong With Being the Villainess? (Alternative English Title)악녀라서 편하고 좋은데요? (Korean Title) by Mango Kim, Mindo.
(I'm half way through and I love it, MC wants to basically become the richest person alive and makes fantasy starbucks, and the ML is a simp with secrets LOL)
Dohee lived as a pushover, died miserably, and was transmigrated into a novel as a notorious villainess. As Deborah Seymour, she is also the richest villain alive. Now, all that's left for her to do is lay low and enjoy her carefree lifestyle... if not for the fact that Deborah is fated to be sent to a monastery!
that's an intro into isekai that we touch upon in our first episode!